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Archives for July 2014

Minor Moves: Francisco, Gimenez

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Here are some recent minor league transactions, with the newest moves at the top of the post…

  • The Blue Jays released right-hander Frank Francisco, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports.  The veteran reliever elected free agency from the White Sox in May and then signed a minor league deal with the Jays in late June, though he never saw any game action.  This was Francisco’s second stint in the Toronto organization, as he posted a 3.55 ERA over 50 2/3 IP for the club in 2011 after being acquired from the Rangers for Mike Napoli.
  • The Blue Jays released catcher Hector Gimenez last week, as announced by their Triple-A affiliate’s Twitter feed.  Gimenez was acquired by the White Sox in May and the veteran backstop appeared in 16 games for Toronto’s Double-A and Triple-A squads.  Gimenez has an even 100 career PA in the majors over four seasons with the White Sox, Dodgers and Astros, hitting .216/.280/.330 with two home runs.

AL East Notes: Duquette, Robertson, Jays

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It was on this day in 1934 that Lou Gehrig made his only career appearance at shortstop, though the Yankees legend never actually took the field at the position.  Gehrig was battling lumbago when the Yankees traveled to Detroit to face the Tigers, yet the “Iron Horse” was in the doubly-unusual lineup spot of both playing short and hitting leadoff.  After Gehrig singled to begin the game, he was removed for pinch-runner Red Rolfe, who played short the rest of the way.  This game was one of a few unofficial rest days Gehrig occasionally received while continuing his consecutive game streak into the 1939 season.

Here’s some news from around the AL East…

  • The Orioles are having “active discussions with a number of teams” about possible trades, O’s executive VP Dan Duquette told MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski, though the talks have “not really” gotten very serious.  Duquette implied that teams are asking for Baltimore’s top prospects in return and he didn’t outright deny the possibility of dealing one of those minor leaguers.  “Young talent is going to be the lifeblood of our organization, but at the same time we want to advance the organization in the postseason, so that is kind of what you’re looking at,” Duquette said.  “We hope our top prospects are going to help us for a long time.”
  • David Robertson says there have “been zero talks” between his representatives and the Yankees about a contract extension, Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News reports.  “When the offseason comes, it comes and we’ll hear what other teams and everybody else wants to say,” Robertson noted, though he said he would like to remain with the Yankees.  The closer will become a free agent this winter and he’s set himself up for a nice contract after an impressive first half as Mariano Rivera’s replacement.  The Yankees generally don’t discuss extensions before a player’s contract is up, so the lack of talks shouldn’t necessarily indicate any disinterest in retaining Robertson, though Dellin Betances could be waiting in the wings as a future closer.
  • For the second straight year, Joe Girardi is leading an injury-depleted Yankees team to a record that outperforms a negative run differential, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes.  While questions are being raised about several other aspects of the Yankees organization in the face of another postseason absence, Davidoff notes that “Girardi keeps enhancing his status, both within the organization and among other teams.”
  • The names of Daniel Norris and Dalton Pompey have already been frequently mentioned in Blue Jays trade rumors, and Sportsnet.ca’s Shi Davidi profiles the two prospects who are both big parts of the Jays’ future, whether it be in a Toronto uniform or as bait to obtain upgrades before the deadline.

Trade Market For Corner Outfielders

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Last summer, Alfonso Soriano and Scott Hairston were among the corner outfielders traded near the July deadline, with Alex Rios and Marlon Byrd changing teams in August. This year, Rios and Byrd could be on the move again, and a variety of other names could enter the mix as well, with the Mariners perhaps being the team most likely to make a move to upgrade at one of the corner outfield spots.

The tight playoff picture in both leagues makes it difficult to determine which players will be dealt, and there could be players not listed here who enter the market if their teams fall out of contention in late July or August. (David Murphy of the Indians might be one such possibility.) With that in mind, here’s a look at possible corner outfield trade candidates in the current market, some of whom are more likely to be dealt than others.

Regulars Or Semi-Regulars

Josh Willingham (Twins); Marlon Byrd and Domonic Brown (Phillies); Alex Rios (Rangers); Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist (Rays); Alejandro De Aza and Dayan Viciedo (White Sox); Carlos Quentin, Chris Denorfia and Will Venable (Padres); Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier (Dodgers); Chris Young (Mets); Nate Schierholtz (Cubs); Ichiro Suzuki (Yankees); Giancarlo Stanton (Marlins); Mark Trumbo (Diamondbacks); Allen Craig (Cardinals)

  • Willingham is a good hitter (despite his low batting averages) whose contract expires after the season, so he should be an attractive fit for a team like the Mariners in need of right-handed power. His reasonable $7MM salary should not impede a trade.
  • Byrd could also help a team in need of a right-hander, although he’s signed through 2015 with a team/vesting option for 2016. With 18 home runs this year, he’s having a strong follow-up season after his terrific 2013. The Mariners reportedly have significant interest in him, with Byrd apparently being willing to waive the no-trade clause that allows him to block trades to Seattle and three other teams.
  • Rios, one of the few members of the Rangers roster to stay healthy all year, returns to the trade market for a second straight season. Like Willingham and Byrd, he’s a good  right-handed option — at .302/.332/.435, he’s having a strong offensive year. He’s making $12.5MM this year, with a $13.5MM team option or a $1MM buyout for 2015.
  • Brown has had a dismal season, with a line of .225/.277/.328 to go with his usual poor defense. Given that he’s only 26 and hit very well last season, the Phillies’ best course might be to hold onto him, although his name has already appeared in rumors about a potential change-of-scenery trade.
  • Rays outfielders Joyce (who is eligible for free agency after 2015) and Zobrist (who’s making just $7MM in 2014 and has a reasonable 2015 team option) could be desirable trade pieces. Zobrist, a strong offensive player who can also play second base, should fetch a nice return if he’s traded. The Giants, Mariners and Reds have reportedly shown interest in Zobrist. Joyce, a consistently above-average hitter, would be a good fit for a contender looking for a left-handed bat.
  • De Aza and Viciedo are both hovering around replacement level, so it’s hard to see them netting much of a return, although De Aza’s ability to play center field might make him somewhat desirable as a fourth outfielder. Viciedo is just 25 and isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2017 season, so it might make sense for the White Sox to keep him, although he’s already been connected to the Mariners and Giants.
  • The Padres have three outfielders potentially available in Quentin, Denorfia and Venable. (Seth Smith might have been another, but he recently signed a two-year extension to stay with the team.) Dealing Quentin might mean selling low for San Diego, since he’s off to a poor start after missing the first six weeks of the season due to injury. He has a no-trade clause, but might be willing to waive it, and an AL team might be a better fit for him anyway. The lefty Venable, who has lately played sparingly for San Diego, might represent an interesting buy-low opportunity to augment a contender’s bench with a lefty bat — he’s only one year removed from a 2.9 WAR 2013 season. Teams might not like that he’s owed $4.25MM next year, however.
  • The Dodgers currently have a logjam in their outfield, although Crawford’s enormous contract (he’s owed about $62MM from 2015 through 2017) is an obstacle to trading him. Ethier is in a similar boat — he’s signed through 2017 with a team/vesting option for 2018, and he’s in the midst of a poor season, so he would probably be difficult to move. Trading either of them would, however, clear space for top prospect Joc Pederson, who is hitting .324/.445/.572 for Triple-A Albuquerque.
  • Young and Schierholtz have been disappointments in 2014 for the Mets and Cubs, respectively. Both are eligible for free agency after the season. Either or both of them could be traded, but it’s hard to see any team paying much.
  • Ichiro has started 45 games in right field for a contending team this season and doesn’t appear to be a likely trade candidate, given Carlos Beltran’s injury issues. But there were rumors before the season about the Yankees trading Ichiro, so it’s possible he could be dealt, particularly if other trades change their outfield picture.
  • Stanton isn’t likely to be traded, but as one of the biggest names in baseball, his name will surely appear in plenty of rumors.
  • Trumbo only recently returned from a foot injury and was a key offseason acquisition for the Diamondbacks, so he isn’t likely to be dealt either, but with Arizona far out of the race, it can’t be ruled out. He’s hitting .209/.261/.488 in 92 plate appearances in his first season in the desert.
  • Craig is a starter for a contending team and is signed to a long-term contract, so a deal is probably unlikely, particularly since trading him in the midst of a .243/.293/.357 season would be selling low for the Cardinals. Moving him could help the Cards clear space for Oscar Taveras, however.

Reserves

Justin Ruggiano and Chris Coghlan (Cubs); Mike Carp, Jonny Gomes and Daniel Nava (Red Sox); Chris Parmelee (Twins); John Mayberry and Tony Gwynn Jr. (Phillies); Bobby Abreu and Eric Young Jr. (Mets); Brandon Barnes (Rockies); Cody Ross (Diamondbacks)

  • Ruggiano has had a strong season so far and could be good fits for teams looking for right-handed hitters, particularly if the prices for outfielders like Willingham, Byrd and Rios prove too high. (Drew Stubbs, who has played center field in Colorado but played mostly right field in Cleveland, could be a possibility in a similar vein.) The Cubs have shown obvious willingness to trade veterans, so it would not be at all surprising to see them trade the 32-year-old Ruggiano. The same goes for the left-handed Coghlan, who’s having a strong season in 166 plate appearances so far.
  • The Red Sox might have been able to get a nice return for Carp before the season, but both he and Gomes (who is eligible for free agency after the season) have struggled relative to 2013. Trading Nava might also be a possibility, but perhaps less of one, since he isn’t even eligible for arbitration until after the season.
  • Parmelee, Mayberry, Gwynn, Abreu, Young, Barnes, and Ross are all potential lower-cost possibilities. Of the group, Barnes might be the most interesting, due to his defense.

Big-League-Ready Minor Leaguers

Jose Tabata (Pirates); Thomas Pham and Randal Grichuk (Cardinals); J.B. Shuck (Angels); Steven Souza (Nationals)

  • The Pirates recently outrighted Tabata and would surely have to eat some of the approximately $10MM remaining on his contract to trade him, but he’s still listed as being just 25 and has been a passable, though frustrating, performer in the big leagues.
  • The Cardinals have gotten good performances from their Triple-A outfield, and Pham and Grichuk, who are both still fairly young and should be ready for the big leagues, could be attractive targets. Dealing one of them would help relieve a Cardinals outfield logjam that exists not only in the big leagues, but in the minors as well.
  • Shuck and Souza are good Triple-A hitters who might be able to help right away. Of the two, Souza would likely cost more, since he’s still only 25 and had a strong offensive track record before this season.

Angels Trying To Deal For Kennedy, Street

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The Angels are trying to acquire starting pitcher Ian Kennedy and closer Huston Street from the Padres, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The two teams have discussed a possible deal for Street, but not yet for Kennedy.

Acquiring both players will be tricky for the Angels, Rosenthal suggests, because the Padres control both Kennedy and Street through 2015. They are more inclined to trade players  who are eligible for free agency after the season, like Chase Headley and Chris Denorfia. Another potential obstacle is that the Padres’ ownership might hope to quickly build a competitive team — the recent signing of Seth Smith to a two-year extension suggests that the Padres do not wish to rebuild for long. They could potentially trade Headley and Denorfia, but keep Kennedy and Street for next season.

The Padres might acquire Triple-A second baseman Taylor Lindsey in a deal for Kennedy and Street, Rosenthal writes. The Angels do not have a strong farm system, so it might be tough for them to assemble the talent needed to swing a big trade, at least not without dealing big-league players of their own.

Quick Hits: Urias, Braves, Burnett, McCutchen

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17-year-old Dodgers lefty Julio Urias wowed observers at the Futures Game, leading to chatter about the possibility that he could make his big-league debut as soon as next year, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports writes. “This guy’s got the ability to pitch in the big leagues at 18,” says Dodgers scouting director Logan White. That doesn’t mean the Dodgers will promote Urias that soon — he’s currently at Class A+ Rancho Cucamonga, and he’s only pitched 52 1/3 innings because the Dodgers are concerned about overworking him. But his stuff (he can touch 97 MPH) and composure are impressive beyond his years. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • The Braves badly need lefty bullpen help and particularly like the Red Sox’ Andrew Miller, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Luis Avilan’s struggles on Sunday are an example of the problems the Braves have had, O’Brien writes — Avilan entered in a 10-4 game in the eighth and faced three batters, giving up a single and two walks. By the time the inning was over, it was 10-7, and a blowout had suddenly become a save situation. Miller, who has struck out 14.4 batters per nine innings for Boston this season, would be a big upgrade. The Braves also like James Russell and Wesley Wright of the Cubs, O’Brien writes.
  • The Braves should release second baseman Dan Uggla, writes Mark Bradley of the Journal-Constitution. The $19MM the Braves owe Uggla through 2015 is a “sunken cost,” and the Braves won’t be able to find a team willing to trade for him. Uggla is hitting an execrable .162/.241/.231 in 145 plate appearances this season. Uggla received only 15 plate appearances in June and only has three so far in July. The Braves also suspended him for a game on Sunday for being late arriving at Wrigley Field Saturday.
  • A.J. Burnett wants to stay with the Phillies, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes. “I’m not a guy who looks for an out or wants to get out because things aren’t going the right way,” says Burnett. “If that happens, then it happens, but I’m not looking to move on. This is my team.” Burnett has a limited no-trade clause, and says he isn’t sure how he would respond if the Phillies asked him to waive it.
  • The rash of pitcher injuries this season might affect the salaries of free-agents-to-be like Max Scherzer and Jon Lester, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Recent injuries to Masahiro Tanaka and C.C. Sabathia and the questionable or disappointing contracts of pitchers like Justin Verlander and Johan Santana show how risky long-term deals for star pitchers can be. Scherzer and Lester have performed well this season, but other pitchers’ recent histories might affect the market this winter.
  • Pirates GM Neal Huntington wants Andrew McCutchen to be a Pirate for life, although he’s realistic about how difficult McCutchen will be to keep, Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. “We truly hope Andrew McCutchen retires as a Pirate. That is going to be incredibly challenging to do, but that is our long-term goal,” says Huntington. The Bucs already control McCutchen through 2018 at bargain rates — his yearly salary through his age-31 season never exceeds $14.5MM.

AL East Notes: Peavy, Dempster, Blue Jays

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The Red Sox have set their rotation following the All-Star break, and it suggests they could be preparing for a Jake Peavy trade, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe writes. Peavy is not scheduled to pitch again until July 22. If a Peavy trade were to take place before then, the Sox would have enough time to recall Brandon Workman, who was optioned to Triple-A last Wednesday. Here are more notes from the AL East.

  • Sox chairman Tom Werner regrets that the team didn’t do more to address its outfield last offseason, Abraham writes. “[W]e didn’t expect Shane Victorino to be on the disabled list for as long as he has been. We knew that Jackie Bradley had the potential to be a superstar but his season hasn’t been as robust as we all imagined. We’re still very confident about his potential,” says Werner. “But should we have gone after Nelson Cruz? I guess so.” Werner adds that the Red Sox are still deciding whether to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, thinking that there may still be time for them to climb back into the race.
  • Ryan Dempster, a part of the Sox’ rotation last season, says he doesn’t regret taking the 2014 season off, Luis Gomez of the Chicago Tribune writes. “Fortunately, I haven’t missed it,” he says. “Not yet. With the way things ended with the World Series, I don’t feel like I’m missing it. Hopefully I don’t ever get that feeling.” Gomez notes that Dempster isn’t ruling out the possibility of a return in the future. The 37-year-old Dempster passed on the $13.25MM remaining on his contract for 2014 in order to spend time with his family.
  • Jose Bautista hopes the Blue Jays will add talent at the trade deadline, writes John Lott of the National Post. “If he does make a move, it’ll be welcome,” says Bautista. “It’s not necessarily on the players’ side that you feel like you need that to get to the top, but at times it’s nice when you do get that …  A lot of times it has a psychological effects too that help out.” Nonetheless, Bautista won’t be issuing any demands. “[W]e don’t feel like it’s a must,” he says. The Jays have struggled with injuries to players like Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie and are now 3 1/2 games behind the Orioles in the AL East.

Minor Moves: Alderson, O’Neill, Wang, Miller, Wolf

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Here are today’s minor league transactions, with the latest moves at the top of the post…

  • The Orioles have released pitcher Tim Alderson, David Hall of the Virginian Pilot tweets. The Giants traded Alderson, a 2007 first-round pick and former top prospect, to the Pirates for Freddy Sanchez in 2009, and the Bucs traded him to the Orioles for Russ Canzler last year. In 50 innings for Triple-A Norfolk this season, Alderson had a 6.12 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.
  • The Cardinals have outrighted outfielder Mike O’Neill after designating him for assignment Friday, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. O’Neill, 26, has hit .258/.343/.341 in 320 plate appearances this season for Double-A Springfield.
  • Pitcher Chien-Ming Wang has opted out of his deal with the Reds, the Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Fay tweets. Wang pitched 119 1/3 innings for Triple-A Louisville, posting a 3.70 ERA with 3.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. He last appeared in the big leagues last season with the Blue Jays.
  • The Yankees have announced they have outrighted right-hander Jim Miller to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Miller was designated for assignment Friday. 
  • Randy Wolf has cleared out his locker and has left the Orioles’ Triple-A team, tweets David Hall of the Virginian-Pilot. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweeted Wolf opted out of his contract. The 37-year-old appeared in six games for Norfolk, including one start, and posted a 4.20 ERA with a 12-to-5 K-BB ratio in 15 innings.
  • Blue Jays right-hander Bobby Korecky has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Buffalo, the club announced (hat tip to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith).  Korecky was designated for assignment on Friday.  The righty posted an 8.10 ERA over 3 1/3 relief innings for Toronto this season in his first taste of Major League action since a one-game cup of coffee in 2012.
  • The White Sox have released right-hander Henry Rodriguez, the team announced.  Rodriguez just recently signed a minor league deal with the Sox but posted a 21.60 ERA, three strikeouts and a whopping eight walks over 1 2/3 innings with Triple-A Charlotte.  That lack of control has been the story of Rodriguez’s career, as the righty has recorded a 6.4 BB/9 over 150 1/3 Major League innings with the Marlins, Cubs, Nationals and A’s over six seasons in the Show, though his high-90’s fastball has helped him record 151 strikeouts.  This is the second time Rodriguez has been released this season, as the Marlins already cut ties with him in June.

Edward Creech and Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

MLBTR Originals

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A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:

  • Steve Adams examined the trade market for second basemen and Jeff Todd did likewise for shortstops.
  • The agent for Jerome Williams told Zach Links he believes his client will have another opportunity to be a Major League starter. Three days later, the right-hander signed a minor league deal with the Rangers.
  • Zach was the first to report the Phillies signed left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes to a minor league contract.
  • Brad Johnson asked MLBTR readers which All-Stars will be traded. Nearly one-third of you see the Rays dealing David Price this summer.
  • Steve hosted the weekly live chat.
  • Zach gathered the best the baseball corner of the web had to offer in Baseball Blogs Weigh In. 

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Miley, Blue Jays, Tanaka

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On this date in 2012, Zack Greinke became the first pitcher to start three consecutive games in the same season since 1917.  The Brewers’ right-hander was the starting pitcher in the team’s final two games before the All-Star break. Greinke started the Saturday prior to the break only to be ejected after throwing just four pitches, so manager Ron Roenicke let him start the next day’s game.  Greinke then made it three straight starts when he took the mound to begin the second half of the season.  Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..

Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

Antonetti Talks Trade Market, Dickerson, Maronde

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Entering the All-Star break, the Indians find themselves at .500 and in third place in the AL Central, trailing the Tigers by 7.5 games. Before Cleveland’s 3-2 win over the White Sox, GM Chris Antonetti chatted with reporters for 25 minutes. Here are the highlights (MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian has the complete transcript) :

  • Antonetti hasn’t decided whether the Indians will be buyers or sellers at the Trade Deadline. “We’re exploring a lot of different things, opportunities to improve our team for the balance of this season and then position us better moving forward, too. We’ve spent a lot of energy on fits for acquiring guys that we’d have control over beyond this year, not just guys that would just be here for the balance of the year.“
  • The Indians’ trade strategy is muddied by the fact there isn’t one glaring weakness on the roster. “It’s actually one of the interesting challenges that we have,” Antonetti said. “So, for us to improve, we need to improve upon a higher standard. And, in some cases, we’re counting on guys that we’ve already made commitments to rebounding. So, it’s a little bit of a different dynamic for us as we look to try to improve our roster.“
  • The Indians will “potentially” explore the trade market for starting pitchers. “The one thing we continue to believe is we have quality Major League starting pitchers,” said Antonetti. “Anytime you acquire a guy, you have to think about who it displaces from the team and the rotation, in that case. You have to have a high degree of confidence that it’s an improvement.“
  • Antonetti traded for Chris Dickerson because his ability to play all three outfield positions and his success against right-handed pitching is a nice complement to the club in the wake of Michael Bourn’s hamstring injury. Antonetti added he had interest in Dickerson as a free agent this past offseason, but couldn’t commit at-bats to him at the time.
  • Yesterday, the Indians acquired Nick Maronde from the Angels. Antonetti has liked the left-hander “for quite a while” and acknowledged the 24-year-old has had “some trouble throwing strikes, but we think that there’s significant upside there and a guy worth taking a chance on. “

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