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Astros Release Rick Ankiel

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The Astros released outfielder Rick Ankiel, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.  The team had designated him for assignment Monday.

Ankiel, 33, had an all-or-nothing approach this year that led to five home runs and 35 strikeouts in 65 plate appearances.  A former second-round pick of the Cardinals, Ankiel finished second in the 2000 Rookie of the Year voting as a pitcher but later reinvented himself as a slugging outfielder in 2007.  A left-handed hitter, he has a career slugging percentage of .445 against righties.

We're still awaiting word on outfielder Fernando Martinez, who was designated by the Astros at the same time as Ankiel.

Draft Notes: Mock Draft, Team Preferences

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The MLB draft is less than a month away, with the Astros, Cubs, Rockies, Twins, and Indians taking the first five picks.  The latest:

  • Stanford righty Mark Appel, Oklahoma righty Jonathan Gray, San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant, prep righty Kohl Stewart, and Nevada righty Braden Shipley are the first five picks in Jim Callis' first mock draft for Baseball America, in which he takes a stab at the entire first round.  The article is chock full of great info.
  • Callis hears rumors that the Twins could cut a deal with high school catcher Reese McGuire at #4, spending heavily further down in the draft.
  • The Twins, Indians, and Royals are searching for pitching, writes Callis.  The Mets "appear to be targeting college bats."
  • In case you missed it, Kiley McDaniel of Scout.com posted his first mock draft Tuesday.
  • More clubs are drafting for organizational need these days, writes ESPN's Jason Churchill, which could lead to a first round "dominated by hitters."

Relief Trade Candidates

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The Cardinals and Red Sox are among the contenders who may be looking for relief help come July.  Others with bullpen issues at least have designs on contending, even if they're under .500.  Here's a look at some relievers who might be available this summer:

A few of these teams might hang on as fringe contenders, others could hang on to their better relievers for credibility's sake, and some may prefer to retain those who are under control beyond 2013 such as Cishek, Gregerson, Dunn, Russell, Lindstrom, and Thornton.  Russell, a lefty with the Cubs, could have particular appeal because he is under team control through 2015 and has been successful so far.

MLBTR Mailbag: Cardinals, Dodgers, Cano

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I answered over forty questions in Tuesday's hourlong chat; here are a few I didn't get to.

What will the Cardinals' trade deadline look like? – Jordon

The clear starting point is the team's bullpen, which lost closer Jason Motte and has been the worst in the league by measure of ERA.  However, if you look at the pen's current composition, the Cards are strong at the back end with Edward Mujica and Trevor Rosenthal, they have a credible lefty matchup guy in Randy Choate, and it'll be interesting to see what Carlos Martinez can do.  Two months from now, when most trades are happening, I'm not convinced anything will need to be done.  It'd be nice to acquire a shortstop, but the market is light on obvious trade candidates.  Perhaps Yunel Escobar of the Rays will be available, but he's playing terribly so far.  One intriguing name to watch is the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins, but only if they decide to blow it all up and he's willing to approve the trade.

How deep are the Dodgers' pockets? Any chance they take on some hefty salary for players like Cliff Lee? – Derk McCaw

We don't know the Dodgers' limitations, but I imagine they'll willing to add to their record payroll during the season.  Of course, the team is in last place, having dropped its last seven.  If the team can tread water until Zack Greinke and Hanley Ramirez return in June, GM Ned Colletti could have a month to evaluate whether his team has any shot at contention.  Aside from Lee, big-name targets could include Chase Utley, David Price, Jake Peavy, and Matt Garza.

What does Robinson Cano sign for? – Ryan

Once the 2013 season ends, it will have been almost two years since Scott Boras brokered a nine-year, $214MM deal for Prince Fielder with the Tigers.  Fielder was 28 in the first year of his new deal, while Cano will be 31.  Even though Cano is no longer represented by Boras, and is older than Fielder was, that contract has to be a point of reference and something CAA and Jay-Z will look to exceed, whether with the Yankees or on the open market.

I think if he continues to pitch well, Ervin Santana is a possible qualifying offer.  KC would probably be willing to overpay for one year to buy time for Duffy and Paulino rehab or Ventura and/or Zimmer to develop, right? – Fred

Should Santana's strong work continue, there's a good chance the Royals make a qualifying offer (which will potentially be around $14MM).  They already showed a willingness to pay him $12MM coming off a season in which he posted a 5.16 ERA and allowed 39 home runs.  That would be somewhat separate from an attempt to sign him, however, because I imagine he'd decline the offer in search of a multiyear deal.  That can be risky, as Kyle Lohse showed us, but Santana is younger and the market for pitching seems weaker.

What call-up has the most impact in 2013? - morF tnemmoC

If we're talking only about players called up midseason, my early vote goes to Reds starter Tony Cingrani, who has a 2.63 ERA filling in for Johnny Cueto and might be good enough to push Mike Leake to a bullpen role when Cueto returns.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Roberto Hernandez

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Fausto Carmona was a revelation in 2007 with the Indians, his first season as a starter in the Majors.  He tied for tenth in the AL with 215 regular season innings, tacking on another 15 in the postseason.  He finished second in all of baseball with a 64.3% groundball rate, allowing only 16 home runs on the season en route to a 3.06 ERA.  The campaign earned Carmona a fourth-place Cy Young finish, and the Indians locked up the supposed 24-year-old to a four-year deal with three club options in April the following year.

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A hip strain cut Carmona's 2008 season short, and in June of the following year a 7.42 ERA across a dozen starts earned him a demotion to the rookie-level Arizona Summer League – a drastic move.  Carmona had replaced Cliff Lee to earn a rotation spot in '07, and when Lee was traded in July of '09, a spot opened for him again.  He was a little better to close out the year, and furthered his comeback in 2010 with 210 1/3 innings of 3.77 ball and his first All-Star nod.  Carmona even became the Indians' Opening Day starter in 2011.  His ERA was higher in '11, but Carmona was pretty much the same pitcher he had been in '10.  It was enough to get his $7MM club option picked up for 2012.

Then came surprising news in January 2012: Carmona's real name was Roberto Hernandez Heredia, and he was arrested in the Dominican Republic for using a false identity.  He was found to be three years older than originally believed.  Charges were dropped, and Hernandez's name, age, and contract were changed.  He rejoined the Indians to make three starts in August before an ankle sprain ended his season.  Though Hernandez's option price had been reduced from $9MM to $6MM, the Indians still chose to move on last October.

Enter the Rays, always open to a project, whether in terms of a performance issue, an off-the-field issue, or both.  They signed Hernandez to a one-year, $3.25MM deal with another $1.25MM in incentives.  The Rays were not able to obtain a club option, a wise choice by agent Charisse Espinosa-Dash of Draft Pix Sports.  As explained by Bradley Woodrum of FanGraphs, Hernandez has tweaked his repertoire with the Rays.  We're only six starts in, but Hernandez has whiffed more than a batter per inning, a rate to which he's never come close in the Majors.  He's still getting groundballs, too.  A 9.0 K/9 and 50% groundball rate is a rare combination, as a qualified starter hasn't managed the feat since Jon Lester and Francisco Liriano in 2010.  This year, Yu Darvish, A.J. Burnett, Jeff Samardzija, C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, and Hernandez have done it in the early going.

Hernandez's ERA sits at an unimpressive 4.66, because 23.1% of his flyballs have left the yard – the worst rate in baseball.  That home run per flyball rate figures to come down significantly moving forward, and the ERA estimator SIERA suggests Hernandez should be well below 4.00 from here on out if he maintains his skills.  If Hernandez can post a sub-4.00 ERA and pitch close to 200 innings with 175 strikeouts or so, he should be quite popular in a free agent market light on above-average, healthy starting pitchers.  The false identity issue may suppress interest, as well as the question of whether Hernandez can maintain success away from the Rays (assuming he does pitch well for the remainder of the season).  A multiyear deal should still be in order, with two years and $16MM a possible floor.  We'll be following Hernandez closely to see if his volatile stock continues to rise.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jays Designate Edgar Gonzalez For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have designated righty Edgar Gonzalez for assignment, according to a press release from the team.  They also optioned lefty Ricky Romero to Triple-A and selected the contracts of righties Ramon Ortiz and Mickey Storey.

Gonzalez has been on and off 40-man rosters in recent months.  The Astros removed him in November of last year, only to re-sign him to a minor league deal weeks later and re-add him to the 40-man on March 31st.  They designated him for assignment on April 5th, and the Blue Jays claimed him two days later.  The Jays were quickly able to outright Gonzalez to Triple-A.  They selected his contract yesterday and he tossed 4 2/3 innings in relief of Romero, who recorded only one out against the Rays.  All in all, Gonzalez has thrown 35 big league innings since 2011.  He's shown good control at the Triple-A level, but has generally allowed more than a hit per inning.

Ortiz and Storey have been part of the Jays' revolving 40-man roster door as well, having both been removed in the past and added again today.  The team's bullpen has been taxed given Romero's start yesterday and J.A. Happ's 1 1/3 inning outing on Tuesday.  Happ survived a line drive off the head with a minor fracture on the left side of his skull, spraining his knee as well on the play.  To everyone's relief, Happ said yesterday the injuries are "not serious or threatening."

Prospect Rumor Roundup: Odorizzi, Butler, Yelich

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You can't begin a month much better than Jake Odorizzi did during his start on May 5th against the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. The young pitching prospect combined with three relievers to no-hit Boston's minor league affiliate. Odorizzi worked seven innings while walking four batters and striking out three. He was removed from the game early due to workload limitations. Relievers Frank De Los Santos, Kirby Yates and Jeff Beliveau preserved the no-no.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times spoke with Odorizzi, who said he had all his weapons working during the game. "Everything was going my way. The defense was good behind me. It seemed everything was hit right at someone. Just kind of one of those days where everything goes your way." He has now held opponents scoreless in each of his last two starts (12 innings).

Although it's easy to get excited about Odorizzi's quick start to the season, the hype comes with caveats. The young hurler has always been an extreme flyball pitcher and his groundball rate is well below average on the year at slightly more than 22%. 

Odorizzi's pitching repertoire includes solid stuff but he lacks "plus stuff." He has average control and above-average command of his offerings: an 87-92 mph fastball, slider, curveball and change-up. In pre-season top prospects lists, Keith Law of ESPN (68th), Baseball America (92nd), and MLB.com (42nd) all ranked Odorizzi amongst the top 100 in the game. Baseball America's scouting report referred to the hurler's ceiling as that of a No. 3 or 4 starter.

Originally selected 32nd overall by the Milwaukee Brewers during that 2008 amateur draft, the Illinois native has been traded twice in his young career. He was sent to the Kansas City Royals in December 2010 during the Zack Greinke deal. Almost exactly two years later, Odorizzi was flipped to Tampa Bay in the James Shields/Wade Davis swap. If Tampa Bay — specifically its pitching staff with the fifth worst ERA in baseball — continues to struggle into the second half of 2013, the pitching prospect could become a big-league option later in the year.

Prospect Tidbits: Selected 46th overall in the 2012 amateur draft, Colorado Rockies pitching prospect Eddie Butler is off to a hot start to his career. Beginning the 2013 season in A ball, he's allowed just 18 hits in 41 innings of work. If the Radford University alum continues to pitch like this he could make quick work of the minor leagues…..The Miami Marlins brought in a lot of minor league talent during last November's shocking trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite that, prospects originally drafted by the club continue to see their values soar. Outfielder Christian Yelich went 5-for-6 with two triples and a home run on May 8th. As MiLB.com's Ashley Marshall tells us, the performance also caught the attention of his manager. "It was one of the most impressive displays of a young hitter I have ever seen," Andy Barkett said. It raised Yelich's average to .343 on the year…..Baltimore's Dylan Bundy reached the big leagues in his first full pro season in 2012 but his development in '13 was halted by an injury. The bad news gives his Oklahoma high school opponent and friend Archie Bradley a chance to close the gap between the two a little bit. After five dominating starts in the potent California League (43 strikeouts, 1.26 ERA in 28 2/3 innings), the Arizona Diamondbacks promoted the pitching prospect to Double-A and he's struck out 11 batters with a 1.13 ERA in eight innings over two starts.

Los Angeles Notes: Angels, Scioscia, Dodgers

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Here's a look at the Angels and Dodgers as they look to turn things around..

  • Angels’ GM Jerry Dipoto is not likely to make any major changes to the club, despite the poor start to the season reports Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  “There is no move to make,” Dipoto said, “Our best talent, our best team, is here.” DiGiovanna agrees, citing the Angels’ weak farm system as an important difference from last season, when the Halos were able to promote an impact talent in Mike Trout.

  • Though many outside the Angels organization have speculated on skipper Mike Scioscia's job security, Albert Pujols offered public support for his manager, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.  Scioscia, signed through 2018, finds himself on the hot seat as his Angels have gotten off to a disappointing 11-21 record.
  • Earlier today, ESPN.com's Jim Bowden (Insider sub. req'd), gave his thoughts how to fix the two L.A. teams.  Bowden argued that the Dodgers should focus on their future at this year’s trade deadline, speculating on a potential match with the Mets on an Andre Ethier deal. Meanwhile, Bowden suggested the Angels could look to improve their rotation by sending top hitting prospect C.J. Cron to the Rays in exchange for Jeremy Hellickson.

  • Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press compares the early struggles of the Dodgers and Angels.  Both Los Angeles teams have owners willing to spend money, but Dahlberg argues what both Los Angeles teams really need is a plan going forward.

Max Fogle contributed to this post.

Phillies Notes: Halladay, Amaro, Lee

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The Phillies received some bad news earlier today when they learned that Roy Halladay will have to undergo shoulder surgery to remove a bone spur and repair a partially torn rotator cuff.  Will they look outside for help?  Here's the latest on that and other news from the Phillies..

  • General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. indicated the Phillies will actively seek help for their rotation with Roy Halladay undergoing surgery reports Matt Gelb of Philly.com.  Recently recalled Tyler Cloyd will take Halladay’s turn in the rotation, while veteran John Lannan is still sidelined with a knee injury.  Amaro is reportedly “not even thinking that far ahead” concerning Halladay’s free agency after the season.
  • ESPN’s Jayson Stark tweets that since Cloyd was already on their 40-man roster, the Phillies will have an opening if they decide to add a veteran starter from outside the organization. Stark also notes (link) that several pitchers may soon be available via opt-outs in their contracts, including Chris Young, Chien-Ming Wang, and Tim Stauffer.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has a breakdown on starting pitchers who could be moved this season, including the Phillies’ Cliff Lee.  Lee may be a “game changer,” but as Heyman notes, the left-hander is still owed $82MM through 2015, which could prove to be too pricey, especially with the Dodgers possibly not being a buyer this time.

Max Fogle contributed to this post.

Scott Boras Likely To Advise Kris Bryant

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Agent Scott Boras is likely to advise top prospect Kris Bryant as the 2013 draft approaches, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (on Twitter).  With right-hander Mark Appel and left-hander Sean Manaea also in tow, Boras has three clients likely to come off of the board within the first ten picks.

All three are said to be in the mix for the Astros' No. 1 pick along with Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray and Georgia high school outfielders Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows.  However, the Georgia products might be at a disadvantage as Houston is said to be leaning more towards college players.

Bryant, a third baseman/outfielder out of the University of San Diego, currently leads the nation in homers and has turned heads with his power.  Manaea has impressed scouts as well, but a hip issue has caused trouble for him as of late.  Appel, meanwhile, is entering the draft yet again after being unable to reach agreement with the Pirates, who nabbed him with the No. 8 pick last year.

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