Quick Hits: Mariners, D’Backs, Trades, 2013 Draft
The Upton brothers made history tonight as both Justin and B.J. hit their 100th career home runs. They become the sixth pair of brothers to each hit 100 Major League homers and the first to reach the plateau on the same evening. Here are some more news items from around the majors as we head into the weekend…
- Ichiro Suzuki's trade to the Yankees has spurred rumors that the Mariners' ownership group may be considering selling the team, writes CBS Sports' Scott Miller. Team CEO Howard Lincoln recently called the rumors "absolute nonsense."
- The Diamondbacks' search for an ace pitcher at the trade deadline involved a serious pursuit of James Shields and "kicking the tires" on Matt Garza, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The D'Backs asked the Red Sox about starting pitching (Piecoro presumes Josh Beckett and Jon Lester) but the talks went nowhere since the Snakes weren't willing to trade their top prospects.
- Garza, Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Vargas, Chase Headley and Cliff Lee are five stars who would be on different teams had five deals "that should have happened but didn't" actually taken place before the deadline, writes ESPN's Jim Bowden (ESPN Insider subscription required).
- Jack Moore of Fangraphs looks at three hitters and three pitchers who could be trade targets in August.
- Mark Appel holds the #1 spot on Baseball America's ranking of 2013 amateur draft prospects. In general, the draft class is not thought to be overly deep, given a "generally underwhelming collection" of hitters and a high school class projected to be weaker than last year.
NL East Notes: Phillies, Suzuki, Bell, Bay
The Braves became the latest team to beat the struggling Astros tonight, winning a 4-1 result on the back of 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball from Tim Hudson. With the Braves' win and the Nationals' split of a double-header with the Marlins today, Washington is only two games up on Atlanta in the NL East. Here's the latest from around the division…
- With the Phillies looking to keep payroll under the luxury tax threshold, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News looked at Reed Johnson, Jonny Gomes and Scott Hairston as right-handed hitting free agents who could be paired with lefty bat Nate Schierholtz for a productive outfield platoon that would come at a much cheaper cost than what the Phillies would have paid Hunter Pence in 2013.
- The Nationals don't see new catcher Kurt Suzuki as a "rental," GM Mike Rizzo told reporters (including CSN Washington's Mark Zuckerman). Suzuki is under contract through 2013 and the Nats plan to keep him along with regular catcher Wilson Ramos, who will be recovered from a torn ACL suffered in May.
- Fangraphs' Eric Seidman looks at how a Jason Bay for Heath Bell/John Buck trade would benefit both the Marlins and Mets in terms of salary relief and filling lineup holes. The two clubs had some discussions before the trade deadline about such a deal, though talks went nowhere at the time.
Chicago Notes: Lowe, Soriano, Williams, Liriano
Here's the latest from both Windy City teams….
- The Cubs are "looking into what it would take to acquire" Derek Lowe, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Lowe has a 5.52 ERA in 21 starts this season and was designated for assignment by the Indians two days ago. The Orioles and Red Sox have also been mentioned as possible suitors for Lowe, though the Red Sox haven't been in contact with the Indians about Lowe, according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.
- Also from Wittenmyer's piece, Cubs president Theo Epstein said Alfonso Soriano had one semi-legitimate suitor before the trade deadline. ‘‘There were a few nibbles, and there was one match of a team that had expressed interest and a place that he would go,’’ Epstein said. ‘‘But they ended up never making an actual offer and addressing their needs somewhere else.’’ This team could possibly be the Dodgers, who were known to have an interest in Soriano before acquiring Shane Victorino from the Phillies.
- White Sox general manager Kenny Williams tells reporters (including MLB.com's Scott Merkin) that he plans to monitor the waiver wire, though "we don't have a lot of positions where if you claim somebody they're going to come in and play."
- Francisco Liriano ended up being Williams' biggest acquisition in the days before the trade deadline and the GM thinks Liriano will thrive under pitching coach Don Cooper. "While there might be some other guys out there who were available, I just felt that Liriano's one that all he really has to do is be in the strike zone on a more consistent basis," Williams said.
Dodgers Awarded Claiming Rights On Cliff Lee
8:43pm: Ruben Amaro didn't confirm or deny the reports of the Dodgers' claim on Lee to the media (including MLB.com's Paul Hagen) but said "It's irrelevant. [Lee] is not going anywhere."
5:16pm: The Dodgers were awarded Lee's claiming rights, tweets Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. This means that all NL teams with a record worse than the Dodgers' 56-50 mark (every NL team except the Reds, Nationals, Pirates, Braves, Giants and Cardinals) first passed on Lee.
5:06pm: The Phillies don't see a trade as very likely, reports Jon Heyman. The Phils also aren't likely to just let Lee leave to the claiming team without getting anything back in return.
3:46pm: Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee has been claimed on waivers, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Phillies can now pull Lee back off of waivers, assign his contract to the team that won the claim, or work a trade out with the claiming team. Lee can block trades and claims to 21 teams, which could limit the Phillies' flexibility, depending on the identity of the claiming team.
The team(s) that claimed Lee showed a willingness to take on approximately $95MM in future commitments. Lee earns $21.5MM in 2012 and $25MM per season through 2015. His contract includes a $27.5MM vesting option for 2016 with a $12.5MM buyout. If the Phillies can assign Lee to the claiming team without his permission, they will now have to decide whether they value Lee's performance more than the flexibility they'd obtain by letting him go. If multiple teams claimed Lee, National League teams have priority over American League teams.
Lee, who turns 34 this month, has a 3.73 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 125 1/3 innings so far this year. He has averaged seven innings per start and contributed 2.7 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs.
The Red Sox didn't claim Lee, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports (on Twitter). More than 58% of 14,000 MLBTR readers correctly predicted that Lee would be claimed.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
AL West Links: Millwood, Lee, Athletics
Daniel Straily will make his Major League debut tonight in Oakland, starting for the A's against the Blue Jays. Straily was an unheralded minor league arm heading into 2012 but exploded to lead the minor leagues with 175 strikeouts in 138 1/3 combined innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, plus a 2.60 ERA and a 4.73 K/BB ratio.
Here are some more items from around the AL West…
- The Mariners weren't eager to move Kevin Millwood at the trade deadline and put a "very high price tag" on the veteran starter, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
- Though the Rangers asked the Phillies about Cliff Lee before the trade deadline, Texas didn't put in a waiver claim on the left-hander, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The Dodgers were awarded the claim on Lee earlier today. Lee would've had to pass unclaimed through every NL team and every AL team except the Yankees for Texas to win their claim, had they submitted one.
- With Kurt Suzuki now in Washington, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks the Athletics could be in the market for a veteran catcher. Slusser (Twitter links) suggests the A's could look at the likes of Yorvit Torrealba and Ramon Hernandez in waiver deals, as catchers are easier to find right now than shortstops, another of Oakland's needs.
Wil Nieves Elects Free Agency
FRIDAY: Nieves has cleared waivers and rejected an assignment to the minors, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Nieves is eligible for free agency on Saturday.
WEDNESDAY: The Rockies announced that they designated catcher Wil Nieves for assignment after reinstating him from the 15-day disabled list (Twitter link). Nieves appeared in 16 games for the Rockies this year, but has been sidelined since July 8th with turf toe.
The 34-year-old posted a .298/.333/.404 batting line in 51 plate appearances this year. The nine-year MLB veteran has a career line of .226/.272/.296 that is likely more indicative of his abilities on offense.
Minor Moves: Neshek, Wise, Mock, Hill
Some minor transactions from around the league…
- The A's acquired right-hander Pat Neshek from the Orioles in exchange for cash, according to the Athletics' official Twitter page. Neshek will report to the A's Major League bullpen, according to Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter). Neshek signed a minor league deal with the O's last winter and has a 2.66 ERA, a 7.00 K/BB ratio and 49 strikeouts in 35 relief appearances (44 innings) for Triple-A Norfolk this season. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) was the first to report the deal.
- The White Sox agreed to terms with Dewayne Wise to a minor league deal, reports CSN Chicago's Dan Hayes (via Twitter). Wise had a .262/.286/.492 line in 63 plate appearances for the Yankees this season before being released on Wednesday. This is Wise's second stint with the White Sox, as he played for Chicago in 2008-09 and earned a place in team history with an outstanding ninth-inning catch that saved Mark Buehrle's perfect game in 2009.
- The Astros acquired Garrett Mock from the Red Sox in exchange for future considerations, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. Mock last pitched in the Major Leagues with Washington in 2010. Mock, a Houston native, posted a 3.33 ERA, a 9.8 K/9 rate and a 2.3 K/BB ratio in 48 2/3 innings as a reliever for Triple-A Pawtucket this season after signing a minor league deal with the Sox last winter.
- The Nationals released catcher Koyie Hill, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Hill appeared in 11 games with the Cubs this season before being designated for assignment and choosing free agency, upon which he signed with the Nats in June.
Padres Designate Kip Wells For Assignment
The Padres have designated right-hander Kip Wells for assignment, according to a team press release. In a corresponding move, right-hander Cory Burns has been selected from Triple-A Tucson.
Wells posted a 4.58 ERA in seven starts with the Padres, recording more walks (20) than strikeouts (19) in 37 1/3 innings of work. It was Wells' first time pitching in the Major Leagues since the 2009 season. The 35-year-old signed a minor league deal with San Diego in May.
Astros Acquire Devenski To Complete Myers Deal
The White Sox sent minor league right-hander Chris Devenski to the Astros to complete the trade that sent Brett Myers to Chicago, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com reports (on Twitter). The White Sox sent right-hander Matthew Heidenreich and left-hander Blair Walters to Houston for Myers on July 21st.
Devenski, 21, was selected in the 25th round of last year's draft. He has spent the 2012 season at Class A Kannapolis, where he has a 4.23 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 61 2/3 innings.
Dodgers Acquire Joe Blanton
The Dodgers acquired Joe Blanton from the Phillies for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the Phillies announced. The Dodgers claimed Blanton off of waivers, according to the Phillies, who have called up right-hander B.J. Rosenberg in a related move.
Blanton has a 4.59 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 1.2 BB/9 and a 43.9% ground ball rate in 133 1/3 innings for the Phillies this year. The 31-year-old earns $8.5MM — $2.8MM between now and the end of the season — and is set to hit free agency this fall. The Dodgers will be responsible for Blanton's remaining salary, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter).
Every National League team but the Giants, Cardinals, Pirates, Reds, Braves and Nationals appears to have passed on the chance to claim Blanton. He drew interest from the Orioles from leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, but Baltimore was reluctant to match Philadelphia's asking price.
Blanton joins a rotation that includes Clayton Kershaw, Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano and Chad Billingsley. Stephen Fife figures to lose his rotation spot in the short term, and another pitcher could be bumped from the starting five when the team activates Ted Lilly from the disabled list. The Dodgers attempted to acquire pitching depth leading up to the trade deadline, when they were rumored to have interest in Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza, among others.