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Archives for August 2012

Quick Hits: Samardzija, Stauffer, Izturis, Reynolds

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Tigers manager Jim Leyland all but confirmed that Victor Martinez will not return this season, reports James Schmehl of mLive.com. Martinez torn his ACL during an offseason workout, but there was a small possibility that he would return to the team in September. Here's the latest from around the league…

  • “I’m not really too worried about that. I like to leave that front-office stuff to my agent,” said Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija to ESPN Chicago when asked if any contract extension talks were taking place. The 27-year-old is in the middle of a breakout season while earning $2.64MM.
  • Right-hander Tim Stauffer is dealing with shoulder and elbow issues, and Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribute says that the Padres will likely non-tender him after the season. Stauffer has only made one start this year and will earn $3.2MM.
  • The Nationals designated Cesar Izturis for assignment earlier today, and manager Davey Johnson told reporters (including Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com) that the club will likely bring him back in September if he isn't claimed off waivers (Twitter link).
  • Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com says the Orioles have a difficult decision to make about Mark Reynolds' club option after the season. Baltimore holds an $11MM option ($500K buyout) for the slugger, who has turned it on of late following a slow start.
  • The Padres are considering internal options (crosscheckers Bob Filoti and Bill Gasparino) as well as external options (Mets coordinator Ian Levin and crosschecker Steve Barningham) for their scouting director position, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).

Minor Moves: Rodriguez, Hamilton, Tomko, D’Backs

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Today's minor moves, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy..

  • The Braves have signed left-hander Daniel Rodriguez out of the Mexican League, reports Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 27-year-old owns a 2.54 ERA in 117 innings this season, and has led the league in strikeouts in each of the past three years.
  • The Cardinals have released Mark Hamilton, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). The 28-year-old put up a .231/.340/.419 line with 15 homers in 359 Triple-A plate appearances this season.
  • The Diamondbacks signed right-hander Brett Tomko.  The 39-year-old was released by the Reds earlier this month after posting a 3.78 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 12 Triple-A starts.
  • The Diamondbacks also signed third baseman Matt Mangini, who was recently released by the Rays.  Mangini was with Tampa Bay's Triple-A affiliate but has been assigned to Double-A Mobile.  The 26-year-old had a cup of coffee in the majors with the Mariners in 2010.
  • Tigers outfielder Don Kelly cleared waivers and accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo.  Kelly was outrighted after being DFA'd on August 3rd.
  • The Twins released right-hander Eric Hurley, who elected free agency from the Angels last month.  The 2004 first-round pick was once viewed as a high-ceiling prospect but has yet to appear in the majors since a five-game stint with the Rangers in 2008.

New York Notes: Hairston, Shoppach, Patterson

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The first place Yankees are playing the fourth place Red Sox tonight while the third place Mets take on the first place Nationals. Here is the latest out of the Big Apple…

  • The Mets have not yet had contract extension talks with Scott Hairston, though he is receptive to the idea according to ESPN New York's Adam Rubin. Rubin notes that the Amazin's signed Tim Byrdak to an extension at this time last year, so the GM Sandy Alderson regime has set a precedent for midseason deals.
  • Rubin also reports that the Mets acquired Kelly Shoppach to see how he fits with their pitching staff and philosophies before considering re-signing him after the season. He notes that Pedro Beato, who went to Boston in the trade for Shoppach, had fallen out of favor in New York.
  • The Mets have voided the minor league contract of the recently-signed Scott Patterson, reports Rubin. The right-hander came down with a shoulder injury in Triple-A.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) opines that second base prospect David Adams could eventually be trade fodder for the Yankees as he is blocked by Robinson Cano at the Major League level. Adams was supposed to be part of the 2010 Cliff Leenon-trade.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Cubs, Starlin Castro Working On Long-Term Deal

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FRIDAY, 5:58pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that it would be a six or seven-year contract with a club option for one additional year. Castro is a Super Two, so the Cubs would be buying out all of four years of arbitration eligibility plus two or three free agent years. Talks continue to progress and a deal could be completed by next week.

THURSDAY, 10:58pm: Castro's agent Paul Kinzer confirmed to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com that he has had talks with the club about a new deal.  "I've been working with the Cubs on contract negotiations for a period of time," Kinzer said. "Starlin would like to be a Chicago Cub for many years to come."

8:23pm: The Cubs are working on a long-term deal with shortstop Starlin Castro, two industry sources told David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com.  The deal could be for six or more years and is expected to be finalized before the end of the 2012 season.

A six-year deal would buy out Castro's remaining arbitration years and two years of free agency which he would reach after the 2016 season.  Castro's agents at Wasserman Media Group are likely to look at fellow shortstops Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, and Troy Tulowitzki as possible comps for the 22-year-old.

Earlier this year, Mike Axisa estimated that the Cubs will have to spend roughly $20MM to cover his arbitration years and $12-15MM for each year of free agency.  Theo Epstein & Co. have an additional year of arbitration to cover as the shortstop is likely to qualify as a Super Two.

One baseball source opined to Kaplan that the Cubs were foolish to promote the shortstop as early as they did in the 2010 season.  Had they waited longer to bring Castro to the big leagues, they could have delayed the start of his service clock and prevented him from achieving Super Two status.

Castro's offensive production hasn't been as strong as it has in the previous two seasons as he's hitting .276/.307/.422 with 12 homers in 495 plate appearances.  Defensively, Castro has a UZR/150 of 5.1, the best of his three campaigns.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Melky, Wright, Ellsbury

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On this date in 2008, knuckleballer R.A. Dickey tied a Major League record with four wild pitches in one inning while with the Mariners. Catcher Kenji Johjima was also charged with a passed ball in the frame. Dickey is now enjoying a Cy Young-caliber campaign and has only uncorked two wild pitches in 168 1/3 innings for the Mets this season. Here's the latest from around the web…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

NL Central Notes: Cubs, Castro, Reds, Baker

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A look at news on Reds and the Cubs..

  • Starlin Castro's agent, Paul Kinzer, told Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune that he planned on tabling contract talks until after the season until the Cubs approached him.  The two sides are working on a new deal that would keep him in Chicago through 2018 and possibly beyond.
  • Manager Dusty Baker and the Reds still have yet to have talks about a contract extension and Baker says that he doesn't expect to do so anytime soon, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
  • Meanwhile, team president Bob Castellini told Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com that he hopes to have Baker as a part of the Reds organization for a long time.  Castellini wouldn't tip his cap as to when contract talks could get started between the two sides but indicated that the timing would likely be agreed upon mutually.
  • Castro has instructed Kinzer not to give him updates on the negotiations and to only notify him when a deal is done, tweets Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com.

Red Sox Release Mark Prior

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The Red Sox have released right-hander Mark Prior, according to Brendan McGair of the Pawtucket Times (via Twitter).  The move was made in order to create space for the newly-acquired Pedro Beato.

Prior, 31, hooked on with the Red Sox in early May as he looked to attempt yet another comeback.  During his time in Triple-A Pawtucket, Prior posted a 3.96 ERA with 13.7 K/9 and 8.3 BB/9 in a small sample size of 25 innings of work.  The second-overall pick in 2001 was brilliant in the early portion of his career but has not pitched in the majors since 2006 thanks to a series of shoulder problems.

Nationals Designate Cesar Izturis For Assignment

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The Nationals announced that they have designated infielder Cesar Izturis for assignment.  The move will allow the club to reinstate shortstop Ian Desmond from the 15-day disabled list.

Izturis' stay in Washington lasted just eleven days as he was claimed off of waivers from Milwaukee on August 6th.  The 32-year-old saw time at all four infield positions while posting a .235/.248/.333 batting line for the Brewers in 2012.

Giants Notes: Pence, Cabrera, Astros

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The Giants are seeking outfield help following Melky Cabrera's 50-game suspension but in the short-term, they'll look to work with what they have in-house.  More on the situation in San Francisco..

  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) notes that the Phillies sent money to the Giants in the Hunter Pence deal.  The Giants still won't have an easy time finding an outfielder, but money shouldn't hinder their pursuit. 
  • As General Manager Brian Sabean insisted yesterday, the Giants' pursuit of Hunter Pence started long before whispers of Cabrera's suspension began circulating, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Schulman notes that the Giants tried to get Pence last July, when Cabrera was still a member of the Royals.
  • However, the price tag for Pence was different this time around, Schulman tweets.  The Astros were seeking Zack Wheeler plus another prospect for Pence and were seeking the same for Michael Bourn.  The Giants acquired Pence from the Phillies for right fielder Nate Schierholtz, minor league reliever Seth Rosin, and minor league catcher/first baseman Tommy Joseph.

Cubs Notes: Hoyer, Castro, DeJesus

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Last night we learned that the Cubs and shortstop Starlin Castro have been working on a long-term deal which could span six years or more.  A six-year deal would take care of all of the 22-year-old's arbitration years and two of his free agent seasons.  More on the Cubs..

  • Hoyer indicated that the Cubs aren't likely to spend big on a marquee free agent this winter in an appearance on "Chicago Tribune Live", writes CSNChicago.com's Patrick Mooney.  While the GM wouldn't completely rule out making a splash on the open market, he was less-than-enthusiastic about the prospect of spending big money on players that are on the back half of their career.
  • Instead, Hoyer says that the club will focus on keeping their in-house talent, which is consistent with last night's news on Castro.  “We have to build from within and build young players, because the days of going out and signing young free agents is over. Teams lock up their guys. Look at how many long, multiyear deals teams are signing with their pre-arbitration players," Hoyer said.
  • With the news of a new deal for Castro in the works, ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter) notes that since last fall, the Cubs have had a policy of no no-trade clauses.
  • Mooney writes that it is unclear if the Giants would be interested in David DeJesus in the wake of Melky Cabrera's suspension or how he fits in the waiver process, but the outfielder says that he wants to remain with the club.  DeJesus' contract calls for him to make $4.25MM this season and next with a $6.5MM club option ($1.5MM buyout) for 2014.

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