Mets Release Miguel Batista
The Mets have released Miguel Batista, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. They had designated the 41-year-old right-hander for assignment four days ago.
Batista posted a 4.82 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 46 2/3 innings of work this year, including five starts. Batista joined the Mets last summer on a minor league deal and signed another with the club in January. The 18-year veteran has a 4.49 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in his career.
AL East Notes: Davis, Yankees, Beckett, Escobar
The Angels are talking to the Rays about Wade Davis and other available pitchers, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. James Shields has drawn interest from Los Angeles, but Davis might represent an alternative for the Angels’ bullpen or rotation. Here are the latest notes from the AL East…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post can’t imagine the Yankees trading for Mark Reynolds or Chone Figgins even with Alex Rodriguez on the disabled list. However, an AL executive said there’s “zero chance” Eric Chavez can replace Rodriguez on a daily basis without breaking down. The Yankees are expected to consider available third basemen in the coming week.
- The Red Sox have fielded some exploratory inquiries on Josh Beckett, but the calls amount to preliminary check-ins at this point, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. There’s “nothing close” regarding a potential deal, according to Bradford. Beckett, who can veto any trade with his ten and five rights, does not interest the Rangers.
- Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar remains a possible option for the A’s, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. However, the shortstop says he likes playing in Toronto and doesn’t want to be traded, according to Slusser.
Rangers, Dodgers Pursuing James Shields
The Angels aren’t the only team in pursuit of James Shields. The Rangers and Dodgers have also made the Rays trade offers for the right-hander, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports.
The Rays are saying they’d move any pitcher except David Price and Matt Moore, but Shields is the most likely one to be traded, Knobler tweets. The Angels have discussed a package that includes center fielder Peter Bourjos and catcher Hank Conger. However, they were rebuffed when they offered Bourjos for Shields, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Shields earns $7MM in 2012 and his contract includes club options for 2013 ($9MM with a $1.5MM buyout) and 2014 ($12MM with a $1MM buyout). Shields, the third-place finisher in last year's AL Cy Young voting, has completed at least 200 innings in every one of his five full seasons. The 30-year-old has a 4.39 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 131 1/3 innings so far in 2012.
Examining The Turner-Sanchez-Infante Trade
The Tigers were willing to trade top prospect Jacob Turner to reinforce their roster with Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante in a move that addresses their two biggest needs. Yet there’s no guarantee that they’ll get any sort of long-term assets as a result of the deal.
Players traded in past midseason deals could be tied to compensatory draft picks, but Sanchez won’t be connected to anything of the sort. It’s now against the rules for teams to obtain compensatory draft picks for players acquired midway through the last year of a contract. Infante, who earns $4MM per season through 2013, will not bring the Tigers draft pick compensation, either. For that to happen, the Tigers would have to be prepared to offer $12MM-plus when Infante’s contract expires following the 2013 season. It’s not happening.
Leading up to the trade deadline, some general managers speculated that teams would be reluctant to trade top prospects for players on expiring contracts. For some teams the idea of surrendering an elite prospect for a rental player seemed unappealing, especially now that the possibility of obtaining draft pick compensation no longer exists.
But for at least one club, it’s a necessary sacrifice required to make meaningful midseason upgrades. Though Turner (pictured) entered the season as the 22nd-ranked prospect in MLB, according to Baseball America, the Tigers weren’t going to address their issues at second base and in the rotation without including him. The Braves’ willingness to part with Randall Delgado for Ryan Dempster is another example of an aggressive trade offer for a player who won’t be tied to draft pick compensation.
It’s not entirely new for the Tigers — president and GM Dave Dombrowski has made a number of similar win-now decisions in recent years. Under baseball’s pervious collective bargaining agreement, they were willing to sign Type A free agents under the right circumstances, even when it meant surrendering draft choices. They had to forfeit draft picks to sign Prince Fielder, Victor Martinez and Jose Valverde, though the lost draft selections were significant for Dombrowski — “you don’t like to give them up,” he acknowledged after signing Martinez.
The Tigers didn’t lose a pick in this week’s trade (they did swap competitive balance picks with Miami). But they gave up a long-term asset in Turner to bolster their chances in 2012. The Tigers-Marlins trade and the near Braves-Cubs trade appear to be encouraging developments for teams currently marketing other players on the brink of free agency. Highly-regarded prospects seem to be attainable even when draft pick compensation isn't a possibility. The Brewers, for example, can reasonably expect a top prospect of their own if they complete a trade for Zack Greinke. Maybe the new CBA won’t affect teams’ willingness to part with top prospects as much as initially expected.
Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
Padres Expected To Offer Street One-Year Deal
The Padres are trying to lock up Huston Street and are expected to offer him a one-year deal with an option for 2014, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The right-hander is believed to want to stay in San Diego.
Late last week, it was reported that the Padres would make Street available in trades before the deadline if they are unable to sign him to an extension. As it stands now, Street has a $9MM mutual option for the 2013 season.
Zack Greinke Rumors: Wednesday
Zack Greinke made his first start in ten days last night in what might turn out to be his final start in a Brewers uniform. He allowed one run on three hits over seven innings against the Phillies, striking out five.
It’s looking increasingly likely that the Brewers will consider trade offers for the right-hander, who has drawn interest from the Rangers, Orioles, Braves, Angels, White Sox, Blue Jays, and Dodgers. Greinke earns a $13.5MM salary this year and will be in line for a considerably larger contract when he hits free agency a few months from now — the Brewers have already offered him a nine-figure deal. Here are today’s Greinke rumors with the most recent updates up top:
- The price tag for Greinke is extremely high, interested teams told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Brewers are said to have a particular interest in a top young shortstop, and a source said they asked the Orioles about Manny Machado, a request that was rebuffed.
- The Rangers, Angels, Braves and White Sox are most interested in Greinke, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). The White Sox want him badly and the Nationals are on the periphery of the talks at best.
- There’s an "excellent chance" Greinke will be dealt, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. Many scouts watched his outing last night and some came away impressed. Greinke is said to admire the Angels and Braves organizations, Morosi notes.
- Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe hears that the Red Sox will not target Greinke (Twitter link).
- Greinke will be a big focus for the Braves, who are moving on from Ryan Dempster, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- Greinke says he enjoys playing in Milwaukee, but won't take it personally if he's traded, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. “I don’t really look forward to being traded from this place, but it could happen,” Greinke said.
- The Red Sox had a scout watching Greinke last night, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports.
AL East Notes: Rays, Shields, Red Sox, Oliver
Last night we learned that the Rays discussed a deal with the Angels to send right-hander James Shields to Anaheim for Peter Bourjos, Hank Conger, and possibly Ervin Santana. Here's more on the Rays and other items out of the AL East..
- The Rays are telling teams Rays that they're getting encouraging reports on Evan Longoria and if he's back sooner than originally thought, they'll be less likely to move Shields and others, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney told Mut & Merloni of WEEI Radio that he doesn't expect the Red Sox to make a move before the deadline, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Olney also said that rumors of Boston being interested in acquiring Hanley Ramirez were overstated, though reports suggested that their intent was to flip him to a third club.
- A league source told Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com that the five most sought-after Red Sox are pitcher Matt Barnes, shortstop Jose Iglesias, outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., infielder Xander Bogaerts, and catcher Ryan Lavarnway. However, Boston hasn't internally discussed making any of them available, making their chances of landing an elite starter slim.
- The Blue Jays hold a $3MM option on Darren Oliver for next season, but the soon-to-be 42-year-old hasn't thought about whether he wants to pitch in 2013, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.
Reds Interested In Denard Span
The Reds have “kicked the tires” on Denard Span, but have yet to have substantial talks with the Twins, a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking told Ken Rosenthal of the FOX Sports. Cincinnati had scouts with an eye on the outfielder for the Twins' series against the White Sox.
However, Rosenthal opines that potential free agents Shane Victorino and Juan Pierre are probably are more realistic targets for the Reds as they look for a leadoff hitter. Meanwhile, Span's affordable contract could make his asking price higher than it would be for a rental. The 28-year-old will make $3MM this season, $4.75MM in 2013, and $6.5MM in 2014, with a $9MM club option for ’15.
If the Reds do decide to make a run at Span, they could use left-hander Tony Cingrani to entice the Twins, who are in need of young pitching.
Ryan Dempster Rumors: Wednesday
Ryan Dempster allowed three earned runs on five hits in six innings against the Pirates today, striking out six. Trade talk continues to surround the 35-year-old right-hander, who would prefer to be dealt to the Dodgers than the Braves. Here’s the latest on Dempster, with the most recent notes up top:
- The Cubs have told teams interested in Dempster they'd grant a window to negotiate an extension, tweets Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.
- The possibility of a trade exists, but the Cubs are frustrated by their lack of leverage, Morosi tweets. Chicago still hopes Dempster changes his mind about Atlanta, tweets Olney.
- The Cubs now plan to keep Dempster and make him a qualifying offer after the season, ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets. Doing so would allow the Cubs to collect a compensatory draft pick in 2013.
- The Dodgers have Zack Greinke and Josh Johnson on their list in case they don't trade for Dempster, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.
- Braves GM Frank Wren said on 680-AM The Fan in Atlanta that he's "moving on" from Dempster. "I think it's very highly unlikely," Wren said (via ESPNChicago.com). Once the Braves heard Dempster would prefer to play for the Dodgers, they moved on. Wren said the Braves continue pursuing starting pitchers.
- The Dodgers have the upper hand in talks with the Cubs, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
- The Dodgers are feeling increasingly confident that they can work out a deal for Dempster, ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets. The Cubs don't have many alternatives given Dempster's interest in playing for L.A. and his no-trade protection.
- A trade between the Dodgers and Cubs still seems “realistic,” Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.
- The Dodgers still intend to add a starting pitcher, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com tweets.
Marlins Notes: Johnson, Ramirez, Red Sox
With Hanley Ramirez in Los Angeles and the Marlins entertaining offers for Josh Johnson, let's check out the latest items out of Miami..
- Two executives who spoke with the Marlins say that the club is willing to move Johnson for a huge return, but would prefer to build with him and a lineup of Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Reyes, and Logan Morrison, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports opines that the Marlins conned Miami into giving them a brand-new ballpark under the guise of needing more revenue to be competitive, only to revert to their old chop shop ways.
- As offensive as it may be to see the Marlins unload Ramirez's contract to improve their bottom line, there's a lot of baseball sense in their trade, Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). He points out that Miami received a solid pitching prospect in Nathan Eovaldi while not having to cover any of Ramirez's contract.
- The Red Sox are among the teams said to be interested in Johnson and former teammate Cody Ross would be happy to see the pitcher in Boston, writes Ian Browne of MLB.com. “I mean, he definitely would help any team,” Ross said. “He’s a bulldog. He’s one of the premier pitchers, an ace. I’ve always said that he is one of the most competitive players I’ve ever played with. He’s a bulldog.”
- Given all of his ups and downs, it's hard to say what version of Ramirez the Dodgers are receiving, writes MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.