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Archives for June 2013

AL East Notes: Yankees, Rodriguez, Orioles

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Despite their public declarations of support, the Yankees desperately hope Alex Rodriguez's hip injury forces him into retirement, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.  If A-Rod has to step away from the game due to his troublesome hip, that could allow them to use insurance to recoup a portion of the $100MM-plus remaining on his deal.  However, it's not just one insurance policy they'd seek to use, it's more than a dozen that combined could cover up to 80% of his remaining salary, sources say.  That means that the Yanks will have multiple companies looking into the third baseman's issues before agreeing to pay up on the policies. Here's more from the AL East..

  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has a similar take on the Yankees and A-Rod as he believes that the club is hoping for the 38-year-old to hang it up.  While it's possible that Rodriguez could return to the Yanks lineup and make an impact, the odds are against him as he is trying to recover from a second hip reconstruction with a drug investigation hanging over his head.
  • Orioles pitcher Troy Patton faced his former team, the Astros, earlier tonight.  Alyson Footer of MLB.com (via Twitter) notes that Patton was once considered "untouchable" by Houston, along with Hunter Pence. 
  • There are probably only a few big name pitchers that the Orioles could be interested in trading for, opines Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com.  Ultimately, a deadline deal involving the O's is possible, but it’s not probable.

Draft Notes: Red Sox, Twins, Gray

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The 2013 amateur draft goes down at 6pm central tomorrow and we'll have wall-to-wall coverage here on MLBTR.  Here's a look at the latest news on the eve of the draft..

  • Picking at No. 7 hasn't changed much about the Red Sox's draft philosophy as they will still take the best player still left on the board, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.  "I've always thought you've got to take the best player," amateur scouting director Amiel Sawdaye said. "That's the way I've been taught. That's the way we've tried to proceed here in the last 10 years, 15 years. That's the way we'll continue to do it."
  • Twins Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) that pitcher Jonathan Gray is "still a player you're considering and have a lot of interest in" despite his positive test for Adderall.  After the news broke, ESPN's Keith Law estimated that the news wouldn't harm the Oklahoma product's draft position.
  • Radcliff expects to draft at least seven pitchers with the Twins' first ten picks and at least 20 with their top 40 picks, Wolfson tweets.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America looked at graduation rates and the impact that they historically have had on top 100 picks in the draft.  Among other observations, Eddy surmises that teams seem more than willing to players who profile as corner players or second basemen prove themselves in college before committing big bucks to them outside of the first round.

MLBTR Regular Features

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If you're a regular MLBTR reader, you'll be familiar with our chats, Week In Review posts and Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature. Here's some more detail on when you'll see our weekly features and exactly what to expect from them:

  • MLBTR Chats - Join Tim Dierkes every Tuesday at 2pm CDT to chat about the latest trades, signings and rumblings around the Major Leagues.
  • Baseball Blogs Weigh In - Every Friday, I feature some of the best writing from baseball blogs around the web. Whether it's opinion, stats or something else entirely, you can connect to the best of the blogosphere once a week on MLBTR. If you want to submit a post of yours, you can reach me at: zachbbwi@gmail.com.
  • Week In Review - It's remarkable how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, MLBTR summarizes the week's biggest stories in our Week In Review posts.
  • MLBTR Originals - Edward Creech gathers all our original analysis and reporting in one place every Sunday night.

Cliff Lee Wants To Stay With Phillies

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Cliff Lee said yesterday that he wouldn't be surprised if he was dealt between now and the deadline, but he stated today that his first choice is to remain in Philadelphia, write Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The hurler also noted his desire to win, which is part of what drew him to Philadelphia in the first place as a free agent.

"Yeah, this is where I signed as a free agent and this is where I want to be," said Lee. "But I definitely want to win, there's no doubt about that. That's the main thing…I don't think anyone could have expected the way we played last year and being under .500 this year. I think it's a surprise to a lot of people, myself included. But there is still a lot of season left."

Lee, of course, has a no-trade clause that can allow him to block deals to 20 teams.  While the Yankees, Orioles, and Rangers are among the clubs that are on his no-trade list, that doesn't necessarily mean that he won't OK a deal to those teams.  The full list is not known, but the Cardinals are not among the clubs that the left-hander can turn down.  While St. Louis wouldn't appear to be in need of pitching, it's not out of the question that they could get in the mix.

Draft Notes: Appel, Astros, Bryant, Ramirez Jr.

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We're one day away from the 2013 amateur draft. MLBTR will be providing live updates as the first and supplemental rounds progress, and we'll also host a draft chat for those who wish to participate. Here's the latest with just over 24 hours until things kick off…

  • Mark Appel gambled on himself by refusing to sign with the Pirates, and it looks like it's about to pay off, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman adds that there's been extra suggestion of late that the Astros could select Appel first overall this time around. Appel will surely seek "at least" the $7.79MM slot value with the first overall pick, writes Heyman.
  • Meanwhile Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle writes that Appel's signability is still an issue for the Astros. General manager Jeff Luhnow told Ortiz that the Astros will set their own number (in terms of what they'd like to pay), and in some cases they'll be willing to go over or under that number. Luhnow adds: "That's what we did last year, and it worked out great because we were able to maximize what we got for our total pool of resources. We'll use that same strategy this year."
  • In an Insider-only piece, former Nationals GM and ESPN columnist Jim Bowden opines that the Astros should select San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant first overall. He writes that most of the best No. 1 overall picks ever — including Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones, Ken Griffey Jr., Darryl Strawberry and Joe Mauer — are position players. He feels that Bryant, whom he calls the closest to Major League ready of any player in the draft, minimizes Houston's risk.
  • Stan Grossfield of the Boston Globe writes that Manny Ramirez's son, Manny Ramirez Jr., is expected to be drafted out of high school in the middle rounds of the draft. Ramirez Jr. has tremendous work ethic, according to his high school baseball instructors. A Red Sox executive told Grossfield that while Ramirez Jr. has power, Boston isn't likely to draft him. Likewise, Orioles GM Dan Duquette told Grossfield he doesn't know much about Ramirez Jr. The younger Ramirez says he learned quite a bit from interacting with his father's teammates and coaches, including David Ortiz, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Don Mattingly.

White Sox Outright Tyler Greene

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WEDNESDAY: Greene cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com (on Twitter).

SUNDAY: The White Sox have designated infielder Tyler Greene for assignment, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com reports (on Twitter). The move clears space for Gordon Beckham, who is returning from the disabled list.

The White Sox acquired Greene near the start of the season, shortly after he was released by the Astros. In 54 plate appearances with Chicago, Greene hit .235/.278/.373. In 743 career plate appearances with the White Sox, Astros and Cardinals, Greene has hit .225/.291/.357.

Minor Moves: Paddy Matera

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Here are Wednesday's minor moves…

  • The Indians have signed infielder Paddy Matera and assigned him to Class A Carolina, the team announced (on Twitter). Matera, 25, has been playing independent ball since 2010, primarily with the Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League. He's hitting .304/.365/.525 in 40 games this season and is a career .277/.358/.414 hitter in independent ball. The New Jersey native has extensive experience at second base, shortstop and third base.
  • The Mariners selected the contract of catcher Brandon Bantz, optioned Carlos Triunfel to Triple-A Tacoma and transferred Franklin Gutierrez to the 60-day DL. There was speculation that Mike Zunino could be on his way to the bigs with Jesus Sucre injuring his hand, but Bantz gets the call for now.
  • Six players currently reside in DFA limbo: Chris Snyder of the Orioles, Zach Duke and Henry Rodriguez of the Nationals, Tyler Robertson of the Twins, Tyler Greene of the White Sox and Vinnie Catricala of the Mariners.

MLBPA Issues Statement On Biogenesis Scandal

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Last night it was reported that Major League Baseball is preparing to suspend at least 20 players who have been connected to Miami clinic Biogenesis, which is believed to have provided the players with performance-enhancing drugs. MLBPA president Michael Weiner issued the following statement today: 

"The Players Association has been in regular contact with the Commissioner's Office regarding the Biogenesis investigation. They are in the process of interviewing players, and every player has been or will be represented by an attorney from the Players Association. The Commissioner's Office has assured us that no decisions regarding discipline have been made or will be made until those interviews are completed. It would be unfortunate if anyone prejudged those investigations.

"The Players Association has every interest in both defending the rights of players and in defending the integrity of our joint program. We trust that the Commissioner's Office shares these interests."

Among the notable names are Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Jhonny Peralta, Bartolo Colon and MLB stolen base leader Everth Cabrera. Gio Gonzalez, who had been connected to Biogenesis, is reportedly not in danger of being suspended because the drugs he obtained were legal.

Dodgers Notes: Puig, Beckett, McCourt

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Yasiel Puig's legend grew last night after he smashed a pair of homers and knocked in five runs as part of a three-hit effort in his second big league game. That came on the heels of a game-ending outfield assist which capped a two-hit performance in his MLB debut. Here's more on the Cuban sensation and his Dodgers teammates…

  • One international scouting director recently quipped to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that he's signed players that can do everything Puig does for a lot less than $40MM (Twitter link).
  • A nerve specialist diagnosed Josh Beckett with nerve irritation that is affecting his arm and hand, tweets Scott Miller of CBS Sports. Beckett has been shut down and will not throw for four weeks. Last week, Beckett admitted that retirement has crossed his mind in the wake of the numbness in his pitching hand.
  • Guggenheim Baseball Management, the entity which owns the Dodgers, is lobbying to keep the details of its financial relationship with former owner Frank McCourt private, writes Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. The belief is that details of the relationship could harm the chances of getting other sports teams to play on the land surrounding Dodger Stadium. That area has long been a preferred location for an NFL stadium, writes Shaikin. He adds that the new management's preference is to concentrate on improving the Dodgers and Dodger Stadium before turning their attention to the development of the surrounding land.

Yankees Release Clay Rapada

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The Yankees have granted left-hander Clay Rapada his release from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported yesterday (on Twitter).

The 32-year-old lefty specialist posted a 4.66 ERA in just 9 2/3 innings at Triple-A, striking out four and issuing four walks as well. Rapada saw a career-high 38 1/3 big league innings for the Yankees last season, pitching to a 2.82 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.

The Virginia State product was signed by the Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He's faced 251 left-handed hitters in his Major League career and held them to a minuscule .168/.257/.236 batting line. However, right-handers have absolutely crushed him, hitting .342/.459/.613 in 135 plate appearances.

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