Nationals Release Reliever Mike Gonzalez
Left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez asked for his release, which the Nationals reportedly granted. The news comes via Max Wildstein of CalltothePen.com (Twitter link). Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (on Twitter) confirmed the move was an opt out by Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has yet to pitch at the major league level this season, but he did turn in a good 2.78 ERA with 7.15 K/9 and 3.97 BB/9 through 22 and 2/3 Triple-A innings. He made 75 appearances for the Brewers last season, pitching to a 4.68 ERA over 50 innings. He’s been much tougher against lefties throughout his career, which is why the Brewers used him in such a specialized role. Any number of contenders could be interested in the 36-year-old lefty specialist.
Poll: Which Position Player Will Be Dealt First
For the second season in a row, the Cubs have drawn first blood in the pitching market. However, with apologies to Tony Campana, we’ve yet to see a major position player dealt this trade season. Last year, the first substantial trade of a position player occurred on July 8 when the Nationals acquired Scott Hairston from the Cubs. If you have a stricter definition of “substantial,” then the first deal involved the Yankees acquiring Alfonso Soriano on July 26 from (again) the Cubs.
Unlike the pitching market, there can be a lot more moving parts in the position player market. Every team can find a use for another starting pitcher, but the position player needs are often more focused to just a few potential buyers. We’ll limit our attention to 10 names and one per potential seller. Feel free to discuss alternatives like Aaron Hill in the comments.
Quick Hits: Trade Targets, Marlins, Garcia
The Independence Day trade that sent Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the Athletics is definitely the top story of the day. When we polled MLBTR readers last week over which pitcher would be traded first, Hammel was the resounding top choice with 31.05% of readers picking the right-hander. Samardzija came in third with 16.19% of the vote. David Price (24.07%) was the only other pitcher to finish with over 10% of the vote, and it very well could have been Price headed to Oakland. Let’s focus our attention on some of the other rumors and notes of the day.
- Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports the Tigers are interested in re-acquiring Joaquin Benoit (via Twitter). Of course, Benoit is in the midst of a fantastic season with the Padres. He’s pitched to a 1.26 ERA with 10.09 K/9 and 1.77 BB/9.
- The Angels are also interested in Benoit according to Morosi (Twitter). It’s unclear if that interest remains after the acquisitions of Jason Grilli and Joe Thatcher.
- Morosi (also on Twitter) notes that the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Giants are interested in Diamondbacks infielders. Veterans Aaron Hill and Martin Prado have been frequently connected to rumors, although the club does have additional shortstop depth too.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes that the Twins are expected to make Josh Willingham and Kevin Correia available barring a sudden turnaround. Both players will be free agents after the season and aren’t good candidates for a qualifying offer. Willingham has been productive when healthy including a .228/.377/.441 batting line in 162 plate appearances this season. Heyman mentions the Red Sox and Mariners as two clubs in need of offense. To me, Correia looks more like a roster patch for a contender with his 4.95 ERA and 4.11 FIP.
- The Marlins made a club record number of moves in June writes MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. A total of 45 transactions were made in June. The previous one-month record was 30 moves. July could bring more of the same for the Fish with Tom Koehler and Adeiny Hechavarria scheduled to return soon.
- Oft-injured Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia will undergo season ending surgery to address his thoracic outlet syndrome according to Derrick Goold and Joe Trezza of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. The club wasn’t counting on a return by Garcia, who has been on the disabled list since late June. The news provides additional incentive for the club to explore the trade market.
Angels Designate Rich Hill For Assignment
The Angels have designated left-handed pitcher Rich Hill for assignment, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The move was made to open a spot for left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher, who was recently acquired from the Diamondbacks. The Angels also optioned righty Cory Rasmus and recalled left-hander Michael Roth in subsequent moves (also Shaikin via Twitter). Left-handed relief has been frequently discussed as a problem area for the Angels, although left-handed batters are hitting just .237/.322/.369 against the bullpen.
Hill was recently acquired from the Red Sox in return for cash considerations. Over two appearances with the Angels, Hill faced four batters, allowed one hit, and walked three. He also uncorked a wild pitch. His numbers in 39 innings for the Boston’s Triple-A affiliate were much better including a 3.23 ERA, 10.38 K/9, and 3.92 BB/9. He joins seven other players in DFA limbo: Kenny Wilson (Blue Jays), Nick Buss (A’s), Jeff Francis (A’s), Nolan Reimold (Orioles), Justin Maxwell(Royals), Pedro Ciriaco (Royals), and Jerome Williams (Astros).
Reactions To A’s-Cubs Trade
For weeks now, the baseball world has been waiting for the Cubs to line up trades for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. Last night, Theo Epstein & Co. killed two birds with one stone and packaged both together in a deal with the A’s. In return for two of the most talked about pitchers on the trade block, the Cubs received top prospect Addison Russell, outfield prospect Billy McKinney, and pitcher Dan Straily. Here’s a look at some of the reactions to the blockbuster deal.
- MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes (on Twitter) says the Cubs are taking an interesting approach by stockpiling top position player prospects and putting off acquiring pitching. Dierkes can see Straily providing Travis Wood-like value for the Cubs since teams pay big money for innings from a No. 4 type (link). Meanwhile, the deal makes the rest of the trade season kind of anticlimactic for Cub fans after their two best trade chips were moved on the Fourth of July (link).
- Before pulling the trigger on the deal with the Cubs, the A’s discussed a swap involving Russell with the Rays for David Price, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. However, nothing ever materialized on that front.
- The Yankees exchanged proposals with the Cubs on both Samardzija and Hammel, but could not compete with Russell’s inclusion, tweets FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
- In a separate tweet, Rosenthal reports the A’s don’t intend to flip Hammel because they will need him to win the AL West.
- ESPN’s Keith Law writes in an Insider piece (subscription required) the A’s and Cubs both significantly impacted their franchise, albeit with different timelines in mind.
- The early word is the Cubs are not looking to make any moves from their shortstop stockpile as the Mets have nothing brewing with Chicago and the Yankees have checked but to no avail, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links).
- Moneyball isn’t about on-base percentage or any one statistic, it’s about exploiting what is over- or under-valued and prospects are over-valued at present, writes Sherman. However, he notes (link) Javier Baez and Russell are big guys who might not stay at shortstop, so Starlin Castro may still be the Cubs’ long-term guy.
- The A’s may have made themselves the favorites for 2014, but the Cubs ultimately may have won the deal, writes CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman. “He’s Barry Larkin with power,” one rival baseball executive said of Russell.
- The loss of Russell, in particular, could end up haunting the A’s, whose current shortstop Jed Lowrie is a free agent after this season, but GM Billy Beane has never been afraid to take an unconventional route, writes Rosenthal.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle echoes Rosenthal and adds the trade may point towards an extension for Lowrie and this wouldn’t be a bad time to do it.
- The trade demonstrates Beane’s burning desire to win now and now could be his only window for winning a World Series, according to MLB.com’s Jane Lee.
- Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com calls this trade fascinating because of the guts it took to swing such a deal between two men (Epstein and Beane) who defy convention for the way the game of baseball changes.
- The Cubs signed Hammel to a one-year, $6MM deal in late January and in July he has netted them one of the five best prospects in baseball, notes Passan (via Twitter).
- Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron (via Twitter) is usually against trading great young talent, but likes the trade for the A’s since present wins have so much value to them right now. Of course, he likes the swap from the Cubs‘ perspective, too.
- Mike Petriello of Fangraphs writes the trade is a win-win for both the A’s and Cubs, but the real winner could be the Rays, who just saw two of the top available starting pitchers dealt while only one contender benefited increasing the demand for Price.
- Addison Russell (Twitter link) is excited to be joining forces with Kris Bryant.
- Billy McKinney called the A’s an “amazing and classy organization” and is “excited to start and (sic) new chapter in the Cubs organization” (Twitter links).
- Dan Straily also tweeted his appreciation of the A’s organization, but is looking forward to beginning the next chapter of his career with the Cubs (Twitter links).
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Kameron Loe, Chance Ruffin
Here are Saturday’s minor moves from around MLB:
- The Diamondbacks announced the signing of right-hander Kameron Loe to a minor league deal, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Loe, who will report to Triple-A Reno, was released by the Braves last Monday and will now be joining his fourth organization this year after stints with the Giants and Royals. The 32-year-old has posted a 6.99 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 11.8 H/9 in 28 1/3 innings (19 games) for the Triple-A affiliates of the Royals and Braves.
- Mariners right-hander Chance Ruffin has voluntarily retired and returned home to be with his wife and newborn baby, writes Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto for the Olympian. Ruffin, the 48th overall selection in the 2010 draft, was acquired from the Tigers in the 2010 Doug Fister trade and made 22 relief appearances for the Mariners to the tune of a 5.70 ERA, 11.4 K/9, and 5.3 BB/9 in 23 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old, who was not on the Mariners’ 40-man roster, pitched to a 5.31 ERA, 7.4 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9 in 61 innings (22 games including seven starts) for Triple-A Tacoma this year.
- Per MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, there are seven players in DFA limbo: Kenny Wilson (Blue Jays), Nick Buss (A’s), Jeff Francis (A’s), Nolan Reimold (Orioles), Justin Maxwell (Royals), Pedro Ciriaco (Royals), and Jerome Williams (Astros).
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Pirates Claim Dean Anna From Yankees
The Pirates have claimed infielder Dean Anna off waivers from the Yankees and he will report to Triple-A Indianapolis, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Anna was designated for assignment by the Yankees Thursday.
Anna made the Yankees’ Opening Day roster and appeared in a dozen games slashing .136/.200/.318 in 25 plate appearances. The 27-year-old has posted similar numbers in Triple-A hitting .192/.283/.292 in 152 plate appearances (36 games). Anna, however, is only a year removed from being a Pacific Coast League All-Star and leading the PCL in batting average while producing a .331/.410/.482 line in 132 games for the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate.
The Pirates’ 40-man roster is now at capacity.
Jays Claim Cole Gillespie, Designate Kenny Wilson
The Blue Jays have announced they have claimed outfielder Cole Gillespie off waivers from the Mariners. To clear room on the 40-man roster, Toronto designated outfielder Kenny Wilson for assignment. The Blue Jays still need to make a 25-man roster move and the team says it will do so once Gillespie reports to the club.
Gillespie was designated for assignment by the Mariners yesterday after posting a line of .254/.312./.324 in 78 plate appearances (56 of those against left-handed pitching). Gillespie signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in January.
For someone who has never seen MLB action, Wilson’s name has graced the pages of MLBTR quite a bit over the past ten weeks. This is the third time the 24-year-old has been designated for assignment and the second by the Blue Jays, who also has claimed him off waivers after the Twins designated him in May. Wilson opened the year as Baseball America’s 22nd-ranked prospect in the Blue Jay organization and is said to have starter upside, if he can translate his tools into production, but he has produced pedestrian numbers this season slashing .234/.312/.333 in 324 plate appearances between the Toronto (Double-A/Triple-A) and Minnesota (Double-A) organizations.
Billy Beane On Acquiring Samardzija, Hammel
Earlier today, Cubs President Theo Epstein held a conference call to discuss last night’s blockbuster trade of Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the A’s for Addison Russell, Billy McKinney, Dan Straily, and a player to be named later or cash. Afterwards, A’s GM Billy Beane held court with the Bay Area media. Here are the highlights courtesy of John Shea and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (all links go to Twitter):
- Beane indicated the A’s are not done dealing. “We’re not just going to stop and shut everything down. We’ve got 3-plus weeks until the trade deadline.“
- Beane explained why he was willing to part with the A’s top two prospects. “We have a team that can win right now. Just collecting young players is not something in our market place we can do.” Beane added, “We have to take the opportunity and grasp it.“
- Beane wanted to do the deal early and was not “interested in taking this pursuit down to the deadline.“
- Beane said he has been engaged in trade talks involving starting pitching for over a month.
- Beane acknowledged the extra year of team control over Samardzija was crucial. “We placed a lot of value on him being here next year. There’s no doubt about that.”
- As per his policy, Beane refused to comment on trades not made when asked about David Price.
- “I think the narrative that this is a move for the postseason is a bit arrogant. We need to make sure we get there first,” said Beane (as tweeted by Jane Lee of MLB.com) in response to Justin Verlander‘s reaction to the trade (“When I saw that trade, I thought that they made that trade for us. No doubt about it in my mind.” – per MLB.com’s Jason Beck on Twitter).