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Archives for June 2013

Giants Not Planning To Make Trades Soon

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Last night's loss dropped the Giants below .500 and placed them as close to last place in the NL West as it did to first place. Prior to the game, however, general manager Brian Sabean spoke with reporters, including Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, and said he and his front office team wouldn't take a reactionary approach. Sabean noted that the asking price for players this early in the trading season is too steep:

“You’re not going to do anything without getting your clock cleaned as of this date. If somebody’s going to trade somebody this early, they’re going to have to win the deal and you’re going to have to let them win the deal."

The team isn't keen on adding rental players, though Sabean noted that the Giants will be more willing to add players who are viewed as a salary dump by the other team, as opposed to trading top prospects. The long-time GM said that money won't be the issue when acquiring players this summer and also noted that he'd be more open to adding a rental who is amenable to a long-term deal with the Giants.

Schulman notes that the Giants still like California native Ricky Nolasco, and the Marlins are more concerned with shedding his $6MM salary than obtaining highly regarded prospects in potential trades. That would bode well for the Giants, but many teams are in on the right-hander. Schulman reported last night that the Dodgers are hot after Nolasco, and he adds the Orioles into that mix in this most recent update.

Meanwhile, Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area adds that Sabean and his staff have made lists of available hitters, starters and relievers, but Sabean wouldn't reveal which was the top priority. He told Baggarly that the team doesn't view the current crop of available starters as much better than No. 4 and No. 5 pitchers. Sabean also hinted that a center field upgrade would be nice now that Angel Pagan is on the shelf for 10 weeks.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Reyes, Cano

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The AL East features one of baseball's tightest races, with just 6.5 games separating first place from fifth place. Here's the latest from the division that's currently fronted by the Red Sox…

  • The Yankees have an alarming lack of right-handed power, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Prior to tonight's home run by Jayson Nix, the Yankees hadn't received a right-handed homer since Mark Teixeira's blast on June 4. That weakness is compounded by the fact that Teixeira's injured wrist hasn't responded well to a cortisone shot. Still, GM Brian Cashman told Sherman that he's not aggressively pursuing right-handed bats at this time.
  • MLB.com's Greg Johns tweets that after many days of speculation, the Blue Jays will option Munenori Kawasaki to Triple-A Buffalo and transfer Ramon Ortiz to the 60-day disabled list to clear roster space for the returning Jose Reyes.
  • Robinson Cano isn't thinking about his next contract, though the Yankees' superstar did make the mistake of stating that he will "be a free agent either way" when asked about his stalled contract negotiations on Monday, writes Chris Dell of the New York Daily News.
  • Within that same piece, Cano also added that the Yankees desperately need Alex Rodriguez back, lauding not only his talent on the field but also his underrated leadership behind closed doors.

Draft Notes: Royals, Jeff Thompson

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Here are today's notable non-first-round signings and draft-related news items (slot info courtesy of Baseball America)…

  • The Royals have finished signing all of their picks but did so by going over-slot by a total of $78,700, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The penalty for the Royals isn't that steep, as they'll have to pay just over $59K (75 percent of the overage). For what it's worth, the new CBA states that the Royals would've needed to exceed their draft pool by more than five percent to lose a first-round pick in 2014, which would've meant going over by $415K.
  • The Tigers have signed third-round pick Jeff Thompson for the full slot value of $549,400, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). A big right-hander out of Louisville, Thompson sits 90-92 mph with his fastball and has a solid slider.

Multiple Teams Calling On Kevin Gregg, James Russell

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9:12pm: The Cubs have also received calls on James Russell, but they're not inclined to trade him, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

6:26pm: The Cubs are "getting multiple hits" on closer Kevin Gregg, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter).

Gregg served as the Cubs' closer in 2009 before signing with the Blue Jays in 2010 and inking a two-year deal with the Orioles that covered the 2011-12 seasons. He returned to the Cubs on a minor league deal this April and now finds himself in the midst of an unlikely career year at age 35.

Gregg has pitched to an immaculate 1.11 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 with 11 saves in 24 1/3 innings since returning to the Cubs. That ERA is likely unsustainable, but even advanced metrics like FIP (2.31), xFIP (3.05) and SIERA (2.79) feel that Gregg's work this year has truly been in the upper echelon of Major League relievers.

Gregg could serve as a bargain bullpen upgrade for teams that don't wish to meet the steep asking price on players like Jesse Crain and Jonathan Papelbon (if he does indeed become available). Gregg ranks fourth in FIP, xFIP and WAR among relief trade candidates according to the custom Fangraphs leaderboard compiled yesterday by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes.

Mike Adams Likely Out For The Season

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The Phillies signed Mike Adams to a two-year, $12MM deal this offseason with an eye toward forming an elite late-inning duo with Jonathan Papelbon, but his season may be done after 25 innings. Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Adams has three tears in his right shoulder and is unlikely to pitch again in 2013.

After being examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, Adams learned that the non-surgical route for his injury would require four to six weeks of rehab followed by a throwing program of at least six weeks. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told Gelb (Sulia link) that he will be on the lookout for bullpen help, but he's not overly optimistic about his chances given the demand for relief help. Naturally, on the flipside of that coin, if the Phillies ultimately end up as sellers, Adams' name won't be popping up in any trade rumors.

Trade Market For Catchers

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Last summer, catchers Geovany Soto and George Kottaras were traded in July, while Kurt Suzuki and Kelly Shoppach were dealt in August.  This year's market for backstops appears similarly uninspiring.  The Tigers and Yankees are a couple of teams that could be in the market.

Starters

John Buck (Mets), Ryan Doumit (Twins)

Buck, 32, has hit .176/.263/.243 in 152 plate appearances since May 5th.  Anthony Recker serves as Buck's backup.  Mets fans await the big league debut of Travis D'Arnaud, the key piece in the R.A. Dickey trade over the offseason, as D'Arnaud recovers from a broken bone in his foot.  At last check, D'Arnaud was cleared to run in water.  If D'Arnaud needs more than a month, Buck could still be moved in August given his $6MM salary and lackluster hitting.  The Mets' goal should be modest with a Buck trade; he can back up somewhere and they can receive some salary relief.

Doumit, a switch-hitter, still has decent pop.  He's more of a catcher/designated hitter/occasional first baseman/corner outfielder.  The Twins gave him a two-year, $7MM extension in June of last year, so it's possible they'd prefer to retain him for 2014.

Backups

Dioner Navarro (Cubs), Hank Conger (Angels), Carlos Corporan (Astros), Jeff Mathis (Marlins), John Baker (Dodgers)

Navarro should be particularly available, since he's a free agent after the season.  He has a .468 SLG in very limited duty the last couple of years.  Conger and Corporan have also shown a bit with the bat this year as backups; their availability is uncertain.  Mathis made his season debut in mid-May after a broken collarbone, and has only 57 plate appearances on the season.  He's under contract for $1.5MM in 2014, with a club option for '15.

Other Possibilities

Should the Phillies adopt a more certain seller stance, impending free agent Carlos Ruiz should be available.  His season began in late April after he tested positive for Adderall, and then he later missed time with a hamstring injury.  We've yet to see whether he can be an asset offensively this year.  He's earning $5MM.  The Brewers' Jonathan Lucroy is signed through 2016, possibly '17, and I imagine they'll keep him.  Ditto for the Angels and Chris Iannetta, who is signed through '15.  I can picture the White Sox moving Tyler Flowers, though he wouldn't really help a contender.

Biogenesis Effects

The Yankees' Francisco Cervelli is currently recovering from a broken hand; the team has used Austin Romine to back up Chris Stewart in his absence.  If Cervelli is suspended for his connection to Biogenesis, the Yankees' desire to add a veteran could increase.  There's also Padres starter Yasmani Grandal, who has already served a 50-game suspension for testing positive for testosterone.  If MLB manages to slap a 100-game suspension on him, he could be done for the season.  The Padres would presumably turn back to Nick Hundley, but could at least look for a backup having cut Baker earlier this month.  They did subsequently add Chris Robinson to their Triple-A club, for which Rene Rivera is playing well.

Angels Acquire Collin Cowgill

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The Mets announced, via Twitter, that they have traded Collin Cowgill to the Angels in exchange for minor league outfielder Kyle Johnson. Angels director of communications Eric Kay tweets that Cowgill has been optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake and adds that Ryan Madson was transferred to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster.

Cowgill, 27, has a .173/.189/.327 slash line in 53 plate appearances for the Mets this season, though he's career .307/.381/.476 hitter in 885 Triple-A plate appearances. The Mets designated him for assignment last week after they acquired Eric Young Jr. from the Rockies.

Johnson, 23, was the Angels' 25th round pick in last year's draft. The Washington State product is hitting .310/.414/.424 with two homers and 30 stolen bases in 297 plate appearances for Class A Burlington. He did not rank among the Angels' Top 30 prospects, according to Baseball America. Yesterday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reported that the Mets unsuccessfully attempted to trade Cowgill to the Angels in exchange for Triple-A right-hander Matt Shoemaker.

Minor Moves: MacDougal, Tallet, Mather

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Today's minor moves…

Red Sox Demote Will Middlebrooks

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The Red Sox announced today that they have demoted third baseman Will Middlebrooks to Triple-A Pawtucket and purchased the contract of infielder Brandon Snyder. To make room on the 40-man roster, David Ross was transferred to the 60-day DL.

Middlebrooks is batting just .192/.228/.389 through 216 plate appearances this season. He figures to be replaced by the sizzling Jose Iglesias, whose .426/.479/.565 batting line, while unsustainable, was too much for manager John Farrell and GM Ben Cherington to ignore.

The demotion comes exactly 366 days after the team traded franchise cornerstone Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox in order to pave a path to regular playing time for Middlebrooks. At the time, Middlebrooks was off to a hot start after ranking as the game's No. 51 prospect prior to the 2012 season according to Baseball America and No. 56 according to MLB.com. Moving Youkilis to first base wasn't an option, of course, because Adrian Gonzalez was in just the second year of a seven-year, $154MM extension.

Twelve months later, it's Iglesias manning third base and free agent addition Mike Napoli handling first base duties, following last summer's blockbuster trade of Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Dodgers.

When asked about the decision by Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal, Farrell offered the following:

"This became about Will getting regular at-bats. He's an important part of us today as much as he is going forward. For him to get back on track, to make an impact with us, he needs everyday at-bats. That's where he's headed right now."

Farrell went on to say that Middlebrooks' skills haven't gone backwards and it's not uncommon to see young players like Middlebrooks struggle after early success. Farrell didn't offer a timetable for Middlebrooks' return to the Majors.

Royals Claim Maikel Cleto; Outright Quintin Berry

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TUESDAY: The Royals announced, via press release, that Berry has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Omaha.

SUNDAY: The Royals have announced they have claimed right-hander Maikel Cleto off waivers from the Cardinals. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Royals have designated Quintin Berry for assignment.

Cleto, who will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha, has appeared in one game for the Cardinals this year (June 5) going 2 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks allowing five runs and five hits with five strikeouts. The 24-year-old has spent portions of the last three seasons at Triple-A posting a 5.40 ERA, 9.3 K/9, and 6.0 BB/9 in 178 1/3 innings covering 74 games (22 starts). This year, Cleto has recorded marks of 6.92 ERA, 8.9 K/9, and 8.9 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings over 16 games (9 starts).

Berry was claimed by the Royals nearly three weeks ago after the Tigers had designated him for assignment. The 28-year-old outfielder was a fifth-round pick by the Phillies in the 2006 draft, a round which has produced several major leaguers including Jeff Samardzija and Chris Davis. Berry bounced around several organizations before making his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2012 posting a .258/.330/.354 line in 330 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions. Berry, however, hasn't been able to replicate that success this year struggling in Triple-A to the tune of .172/.276/.242 in 233 plate appearances, including a .194/.264/.290 slash in his nine games (34 plate appearances) with Omaha.

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