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Archives for August 2013

Waiver Notes: Morse, Headley, Red Sox, Pirates

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With the clock ticking on the August revocable waiver trade market, here are the latest updates …

  • Outfielder Michael Morse, who is suited up but not in the lineup for the Mariners tonight, is "almost certain" to join the Orioles in the immediate future, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The O's claimed Morse earlier today, giving the teams two days to work out a deal (or for Seattle to pull Morse back or allow Baltimore to assume his contract without compensation). As Baker explains, Morse no longer appears to be in the team's future plans, leaving little reason for the club to hold onto him. Just over $1MM remains on Morse's $6.75MM salary for this season.
  • The Padres pulled back third baseman Chase Headley after he was claimed on waivers, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. While that news is hardly surprising, given that Headley was reportedly placed on waivers back on August 20th, it does confirm that Headley did not clear waivers and will no longer be available this season. Headley, who will be entering his final season of team control, has failed to repeat his strong 2012 season but remains an attractive player going forward. Heyman notes that the Pads are expected to explore a multi-year extension with the 29-year-old over the coming off-season, and estimates that he could command a five-year, $75MM deal. 
  • The Red Sox could look to pick up a right-handed bullpen piece before Saturday's non-waiver trade deadline, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Manager John Farrell said that he is not concerned about the pen, but added that "if there's someone out there that makes sense for us to acquire, we might see that." On the other hand, Britton notes, a returning Clay Buchholz will likely allow the club to move righty Ryan Dempster to the bullpen. You may recall that Dempster once served as the Cubs' closer back in 2005-2007.
  • While the Orioles have been busy making waiver claims, the Pirates have been the most aggressive team over the course of August, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Of course, the club recently added Marlon Byrd and John Buck, making further acquisitions seem unlikely. On the other hand, the Bucs are reportedly still interested in first baseman Justin Morneau. 

Mets Notes: Black, Warthen, Offseason

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The Mets officially announced today that right-hander Vic Black is headed to New York as the player to be named later in Tuesday's Marlon Byrd/John Buck trade. With the addition of Black and second baseman Dilson Herrera, the Mets will receive two players who were 11th (Herrera) and 17th (Black) among Pirates prospects at the time of the trade, as ranked by MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. Here's more on Black and his new team…

  • Black technically has 72 hours to report to the team, so the Mets will stall his arrival so that he can immediately join the Major League roster come Sept. 1, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (on Twitter).
  • Much has been made of manager Terry Collins' job security, but Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that pitching coach Dan Warthen is also highly likely to return for the 2014 season. One team official told Martino: “Dan does a great job. If our pitchers don’t succeed, it is because they don’t execute a pitch.  It is never because Dan Warthen failed to prepare them.  He works hard at what he does.”
  • David Wright expects the Mets to make significant moves to improve the team this offseason, even in the wake of Matt Harvey's injury, the third baseman told Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post: “With the money we have coming off the books this year, I expect us to go out there and make this team better whether it’s through free agency, whether it’s through trades,” said Wright. He added that he still believes in GM Sandy Alderson's vision even if Harvey isn't able to pitch in 2014.

Indians Release Brett Myers

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The Indians announced, via Twitter, that they have reinstated right-hander Brett Myers from the 60-day disabled list and unconditionally released him.

Myers, who turned 33 recently, signed a one-year, $7MM contract with the Tribe this offseason and was expected to lock down a spot at the back of the rotation. Instead, he wound up on the 60-day DL for most of the season with a sprained UCL and flexor tendon that led to a bloated 8.02 ERA in 21 1/3 innings. Myers allowed a staggering 10 homers in that short time.

Myers has extensive experience as both a starter and a reliever, having posted a 4.29 ERA in 1576 career innings as a starter and a 3.69 mark in 134 career innings of relief work. He posted a 3.79 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 439 2/3 innings in Houston's rotation from 2010-11 before shifting to the team's closer in 2012 and eventually being traded to the White Sox.

Myers' contract contained an $8MM vesting option that would have triggered had he reached the 200-inning mark for the fourth time in his career, but it now seems likely that he'll have to settle for another one-year deal on the upcoming free agent market, perhaps of the minor league variety.

Mariners Pull Morales Back After Waiver Claim

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THURSDAY: The Orioles, who have claimed both Josh Willingham and Mike Morse this week, may also have been the team that claimed Morales, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. However, as Jon Heyman of CBS Sports pointed out this morning, Morales was not traded within 48 hours of his claim, meaning the Mariners pulled him back. Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik will now have to decide whether or not to extend a qualifying offer to Morales following the season.

MONDAY: An unknown team has claimed Kendrys Morales off revocable trade waivers from the Mariners, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). It has yet to be reported when Morales was claimed or by whom, but the Mariners and the claiming team would have two days to work out a deal.

Morales, 30, is batting .284/.340/.449 with 17 homers in his first season with Seattle. The Mariners acquired him from the Angels straight up for Jason Vargas in a rare intra-division trade this offseason. The Cuban switch-hitter is earning $5.25MM this season, meaning he's owed roughly $1MM for the remainder of the 2013 campaign.

Morales will be a free agent for the first time this offseason, so the Mariners do have the option of hanging onto him and making a qualifying offer of roughly $14MM following the season. Were he to decline such an offer, the Mariners would gain a compensatory pick in the 2014 draft (a new team would not be allowed to do so, per the new CBA). However, as Dave Cameron of Fangraphs and the U.S.S. Mariner wrote last night, extending a qualifying offer to Morales doesn't look as wise at it did two months ago, as he's regressed significantly since early June.

Several teams have been looking to acquire offense, including the Orioles, Indians, Yankees and Rangers. It seems likely that an American League team placed the claim on Morales, as every team in the AL would have a crack at him prior to the NL (in reverse order of standings), and he's only played first base 27 times this season (as opposed to 96 games at DH).

Giants Interested In Jose Abreu, Masahiro Tanaka

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The success of imports like Hyun-Jin Ryu, Yoenis Cespedes, and Yasiel Puig in the state of California has led to the Giants rethinking their approach to the international market this winter.  Sources tell Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com that the club's scouting department is going into hyperdrive with an eye on Japan's Masahiro Tanaka and Cuba's Jose Dariel Abreu.

“The risk and cost assessment has to be part of the equation,” Giants vice president Bobby Evans said. “As for the rewards, you do look at what some of these recent high-risk signings have done. It does give you a sense of `This is the potential.’ It does give you that desire to say, `Hey, can we get the next one?’”

Aside from seeing the success of Puig et al, the Giants recognize that this winter's free agent market will be relatively thin, making it necessary to explore other options.  San Francisco also recognizes that they will have a good amount of cash to spend thanks to their share of the league's TV revenue.  They'll do their due diligence on both Tanaka and Abreu, but Tanaka might be the better fit of the two given the club's emphasis on pitching and the potential marketing opportunities he brings.

Baggarly notes that the Giants may have been discouraged from going after international free agents after their bad experience with Cuban defector Osvaldo Fernandez in the late 1990s.  However, they're now seeing that top foreign talents have been able to come to the major leagues and succeed right off the bat.  Evans was also quick to note that the Giants always did their homework on players like Cespedes and Puig, along with every other international free agent.  For example, sources said they went after Jose Iglesias in 2008 when he defected from Cuba.

Orioles Claim Mike Morse Off Waivers

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Mariners outfielder/first baseman Mike Morse has been claimed off revocable trade waivers by the Orioles, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).  Morse is the second notable player claimed by Baltimore in as many days – last night they had the winning claim on the Twins' Josh Willingham.

Morse, 31, has struggled this season, posting a .226/.283/.410 slash line with 13 homers in 307 plate appearances.  It's a significant dropoff for Morse, who boasted a career .295/.347/.492 line heading into this sesaon.

The 70-61 Orioles are in need of an offensive upgrade as they look to make their playoff push.  They're not likely to leapfrog the Red Sox and Rays for the AL East crown, but they are just 4.5 games back of the A's for the final Wild Card spot.  In total, Baseball Prospectus' number crunch gives them an 8.8% chance of making the postseason.

Morse's teammate Kendrys Morales was claimed by an unknown club earlier this week but no deal was made within the allotted time, Heyman notes (via Twitter).

Orioles Notes: Willingham, Kubel, Morneau

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Last night, we learned that a mystery team claimed Josh Willingham off waivers and hours later it was revealed that the Orioles were the club making the claim.  Now, the Orioles and Twins have until tomorrow afternoon to hammer out a trade.  Here's the latest out of Baltimore..

  • In addition to their claim of Josh Willingham last night, the Orioles have also expressed interest in Jason Kubel, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (via Twitter). Kubel was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. After an offensively strong 2012, Kubel has a disappointing .220/.288/.324 line in 267 plate appearances.
  • One industry source told Dan Connolly and Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun that it appears the Twins are more motivated to trade Justin Morneau than Willingham.  However, Willingham, a right-handed hitter, looks like the better fit for the Orioles.
  • The Orioles have made several claims this month on players, but have not ended up with a player, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  That means the O's either couldn’t agree on a trade or they were outbid by a team with a lesser record.
  • Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com wonders if it's a good idea for the O's to deal for Willingham since it would likely chip away at their farm system.

NL West Notes: Puig, Dodgers, Cano, Giants, Pence

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Dodgers manager Don Mattingly benched Yasiel Puig at the start of the fifth inning of last night's 4-0 victory over the Cubs, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says it was the right call.  Mattingly gained respect in his clubhouse by benching the 22-year-old, said one Dodgers player.  The player added that Puig also gained respect by taking the advice of the club's veterans and accepting responsibility in his postgame chat with the media.  Here's more out of the NL West..

  • Hunter Pence told Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) that he'd still pass up free agency to sign a multi-year deal with the Giants, but the club hasn't brought him anything yet.  Pence has made no secret of his preference to re-up with the Giants rather go out on the open market.
  • Robinson Cano's bid for big bucks is hurt by hints that the Dodgers might not be totally flush with cash after they lock up Clayton Kershaw to a new deal, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com in his list of the top 50 free agents for this offseason.  The top ten includes three NL West representatives: Ricky Nolasco of the Dodgers and Tim Lincecum and Pence of the Giants.
  • The Dodgers signed Edinson Volquez as another option for the backend of the rotation, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the struggling Chris Capuano will be bumped, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  The Dodgers might use Volquez as a sixth starter at least once to give the other starters an extra day of rest.

AL Central Notes: White Sox, Willingham, Indians

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Former White Sox exec Dave Wilder received a two-year federal prison sentence today for his role in taking kickbacks from international signings, as first reported by Larry Yellen of FOX 32 (via Twitter).  From December 2004 through February 2008, investigators said that Wilder orchestrated a kickback scheme in which he and other White Sox scouts artificially inflated the value of international players, signing them to bonuses beyond their value and taking a cut for themselves, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.  In total, there were kickbacks involved with 23 signings, according to the federal investigation.  The White Sox released a statement calling the scandal a "painful betrayal".  The good news for the White Sox is that Wilder was ordered to pay the club roughly $441K in restitution, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  Here's more out of the AL Central..

  • An unknown team claimed Twins outfielder Josh Willingham off waivers, but Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports that it wasn't the Indians.  The Indians negotiated with Willingham when he was a free agent before the 2012 season. Willingham wound up signing a three-year deal with the Twins after the Tribe would only go to two.
  • Hoynes adds that while Willingham won't be coming to the Indians, the recently DFA'd Jason Kubel could be of interest to them.  The Tribe liked Kubel when he played for Minnesota and there were reports that they claimed him on waivers in August of 2011, right around the time they acquired Jim Thome from the Twins.
  • Twins GM Terry Ryan confirmed that Minnesota will receive cash from the Royals in the Jamey Carroll trade, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.  The Twins had the choice of cash considerations or a PTBNL in the swap.

Blue Jays Notes: Johnson, 2014 Rotation, Harvey

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We learned earlier today that Josh Johnson's season will end early because of a strained right forearm. It's been another disappointing season for the big right-hander, who posted strong peripheral numbers but a 6.20 ERA in 81 1/3 innings after allowing 15 home runs. On to more Blue Jays links…

  • The Jays were considering a qualifying offer for Johnson before the injury, but that's no longer an option, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets.
  • GM Alex Anthopoulos will evaluate changes to the rotation this offseason, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. Though Anthopoulos suggested that the 2014 rotation is likely to have more depth than this year's, it may not have a frontline starter given R.A. Dickey's performance and Brandon Morrow's injury this year, Nicholson-Smith says.
  • The Jays haven't ruled out the possibility of re-signing Johnson, according to Nicholson-Smith, who adds that observers shouldn't be surprised to see the Jays consider trading for a starting pitcher in the offseason. The club doesn't have to lower payroll and could add salary in the right situation.
  • Johnson spoke with Matt Harvey in the wake of his UCL tear to gave the young phenom words of encouragement and remind him that the injury might not require surgery, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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