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Braves Claim Elliot Johnson

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The Braves have claimed infielder Elliot Johnson off release waivers from the Royals, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). The Royals had requested release waivers on Monday after designating Johnson for assignment last week.

Johnson, 29, batted .179/.218/.241 in 173 plate appearances for the Royals this season after coming over as the player to be named later in the James Shields–Wil Myers blockbuster. He's a career .212/.267/.313 hitter in 704 plate appearances who is a defensive standout at second base but below average at shortstop, according to Ultimate Zone Rating. The Braves have been said to be looking for extra offense at second base with Dan Uggla and Tyler Pastornicky on the shelf, but the addition of Johnson suggests they're content to make a significant defensive upgrade for the time being.

NL East Notes: Bernadina, Fernandez, Carpenter

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The Nationals' trade for David DeJesus was the headline news out of the NL East today, and you can read some of extra details behind the deal and reaction to the Nats' move here.  Here are some other notes from around the NL East..

  • The Phillies have interest in Roger Bernadina, CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury reports.  Bernadina was released by the Nationals today to create roster space for DeJesus.  The 29-year-old is hitting .179/.247/.270 with two homers in 167 PA.  As Salisbury notes, Bernadina has played all three outfield positions and could provide the Phils with much-needed depth for this season and perhaps beyond.
  • Jose Fernandez's last start of the season will occur in the first week of September, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro calculates, possibly on September 4 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field or at home on September 6 against the Nationals.  Fernandez was put on a 170-inning cap by the Marlins at the start of the year and he has made every one count.  The 21-year-old phenom allowed just one earned run over six innings against the red-hot Dodgers tonight, dropping his ERA to 2.41 in 24 starts.
  • The Braves' claim of David Carpenter off waivers from the Red Sox last November has proven to be a steal, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes (AJC subscriber account required).  Carpenter has posted a 1.86 ERA and 10.6 K/9 in 48 1/3 innings out of the Atlanta bullpen this season. 
  • Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com doesn't see the Mets signing Jose Dariel Abreu, noting that it would be unlike Sandy Alderson to give a major contract to a player with so many question marks surrounding him.  Abreu could receive a deal in excess of $60MM and the Orioles, Red Sox, Pirates and White Sox are all known to have interest in the Cuban slugger.

Dodgers, Twins, Braves In On Guerrero; BoSox Out

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8:42pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link) confirms that the Braves have indeed evaluated Guerrero and would be "interested if [the] price is right."  Since Andrelton Simmons is already locked in at shortstop, the Braves would move Guerrero to second or third base.

7:34pm: The Red Sox are not one of the finalists for Guerrero's services, Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown reports (via Twitter).

6:50pm: The market for Cuban shortstop Alexander Guerrero is down to four teams, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter links).  The Dodgers, Twins, Red Sox and Braves are the clubs still in the mix to sign the 26-year-old.  The Reds have also checked in on Guerrero, though they might not be (or are no longer be) a serious contender since Wolfson didn't include them in his first group.

The Dodgers and Twins had previously been cited as two of the then-three clubs known to be interested in Guerrero, and agent Rudy Santin denied reports that his client already had a seven-year deal in place with Los Angeles.  Guerrero defected from Cuba in January and is still waiting to be unblocked by the U.S. government before he can pursue a contract with a Major League team.

Braves Release Blake DeWitt

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The Braves have released infielder Blake DeWitt, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Presumably, the club's signing of Tyler Greene earlier today left DeWitt without a roster spot. 

Since signing a minor league deal with the Braves in the off-season, DeWitt has seen little playing time at any level due to a lower-back injury. He was brought up briefly early in the year, registering a double and sacrifice in four plate appearances for Atlanta. DeWitt's career line in the bigs — most of it accrued with the Dodgers and Cubs — stands at .257/.324/.381 over 1,247 plate appearances. The 27-year-old was a first-round choice of the Dodgers back in 2004. 

 

Braves Sign Tyler Greene

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The Braves have signed infielder Tyler Greene to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Gwinnett, the team announced on Twitter. The contract will serve as a nice birthday gift for Greene, who is 30 years old today. He was released by the White Sox earlier in the week.

Greene, who is represented by Scott Boras, spent 22 games with the Sox earlier this season, batting .222/.263/.352 with one homer. He hit a combined 11 long balls between the Cardinals and Astros in 116 games last season, but did so with just a .230/.274/.400 batting line.

The Braves are known to be looking for more offense at second base with Dan Uggla on the shelf and Tyler Pastornicky out for the season with a torn ACL, so the addition of Greene could present them with one alternative. This doesn't, of course, mean that general manager Frank Wren won't continue to look for options on waivers.

Braves Seeking Second Baseman On Waivers, Trades

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5:55pm: Braves GM Frank Wren confirmed that the club is looking at possible trades for second basemen, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter link).  Wren said that if the club can't find the "right fit…we'll go with what we have."

3:15pm: The Braves took another hit to their infield depth when it was discovered that Tyler Pastornicky has a torn ACL in his left knee and will undergo season-ending surgery, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman. The 23-year-old Pastornicky was set to man second base on an everyday basis while Dan Uggla recovered from LASIK surgery. Uggla isn't eligible to be activated until Aug. 28, at the earliest.

In the meantime, the Braves have called up Phil Gosselin, who could serve as depth while Paul Janish starts at shortstop. However, Bowman writes that Janish's limited abilities with the bat "have led the club to actively search for an infielder who could be acquired via a waiver wire deal."

Janish is a career .214/.284/.288 hitter in 1,175 plate appearances, so it's no surprise that the Braves would want a stronger option at second base. The 24-year-old Gosselin might not be a substantial upgrade either, as he reached Triple-A for the first time this season, where he was batting .277/.326/.343 in 183 trips to the plate.

We've already seen a pair of middle infield options change hands this August, with both Jamey Carroll and Emilio Bonifacio heading to the Royals in waiver deals. A look at the list of players who have cleared waivers shows that Brendan Ryan could be had, but he certainly doesn't fit the profile of an offensive upgrade. This is just my own speculation, but perhaps Ryan Roberts — who was designated for assignment by the Rays yesterday — could serve as a fit with Atlanta.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Zimmerman, Halladay, Abreu

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While first baseman Freddie Freeman has had an outstanding campaign for the Braves, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that shortstop Andrelton Simmons has been the team's most valuable contributor. While Fangraphs values the two at the same level in terms of WAR, notes Bradley, Baseball Reference pegs Simmons as worth over a win more than Freeman. Regardless, the team will control both players at reasonable rates for the foreseeable future, with Freeman set to reach arbitration for the first time next year and Simmons not arb-eligible until 2016. Here are a few notes from around the rest of the National League East:

  • The Esmailyn Gonzalez saga is not yet over for the Nationals, reports the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore. In a lawsuit against the team's insurance company, the Nats have leveled the charge that former big-leaguer Jose Rijo received a $300k kick-back from the ill-fated $1.4MM signing bonus given to the supposedly 16-year-old Gonzalez (who, it was later learned, was actually four years older and named Carlos David Alvarez Lugo).
  • More importantly for the team going forward is the long-term defensive position of third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Once a plus fielder, Zimmerman's throwing has deteriorated to the point that UZR rates him at a troubling 15 runs below average thus far in 2013. With even manager Davey Johnson implying that Zimmerman's "mental" issues could force a move across the diamond, MLB.com's Bill Ladson says he thinks the club could make the shift during the coming off-season. 
  • In addition to dampening the value of Zimmerman's long-term extension, of course, such a move would have wide-ranging considerations and repercussions for the Nats. In addition to raising the question of what would happen with first baseman Adam LaRoche, who is under contract for next season, the team would have to move rookie Anthony Rendon back to his natural position at third. The resulting void at second would presumably be filled by a free agent or one of the team's less-than-certain internal options (including Danny Espinosa, Steve Lombardozzi, and Jeff Kobernus).
  • Roy Halladay could be starting for the Phillies sooner than expected, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says that, if all goes well, Halladay could only take two rehab starts in the minors before rejoining the big club. With Halladay set to become a free agent, it will be fascinating to see how he bounces back from shoulder surgery (and generally poor results over 2012-13) before hitting the open market.
  • If and when apparent Cuban defector Jose Dariel Abreu is made a free agent, he is expected to command a substantial contract from a MLB club. Based on scouting reports and other contracts given to international free agents, ESPN's Jim Bowden suggests that the big slugger could land a deal in the six-year, $54MM range. (For a detailed discussion of Abreu's prospect value, check out this recent podcast from Baseball America's Ben Badler and John Manuel.)
  • As an "early guess," Bowden places the Marlins atop the list of Abreu pursuers. Reasoning that the club would be willing to overpay for a Cuban star after missing out on Yoenis Cespedes, Bowden writes that Miami is "expected to go all out on Abreu." 
  • In addition to a host of other possible landing spots, Bowden says that the Nationals could also be in on Abreu. He opines that the club would not find it difficult to deal first baseman Adam LaRoche to clear a spot.

NL East Notes: Braves, Marlins, Papelbon, Utley

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No team in baseball holds a bigger lead on first place in its division than the Braves' 11.5 game advantage on the second-place Nationals. And yet, as MLBTR's Jeff Todd pointed out Thursday, just four trades involving NL East teams occurred in the entire month of July. Here's more on the Braves and the rest of the AL East…

  • The Braves still want to add another infielder and a left-handed bat to their bench, and GM Frank Wren told Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that there's a good chance of an August trade for Atlanta to address those needs. The team also needs to see how outfielders Reed Johnson, Jordan Schafer and B.J. Upton fare as they work their way back to health.
  • Wren called this year's deadline "strange," noting that there were fewer sellers and fewer players available than he's accustomed to seeing, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Wren said he had some conversations on Wednesday leading up to the deadline, but none proved to be substantial.
  • Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he never got the sense that anything was close in the trade discussions he had leading up to the deadline. "[Wednesday] wasn't our day," said Beinfest.
  • After holding onto Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon, both players are now part of the Phillies' rebuild, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Papelbon would be wise to follow the examples of Lee and Michael Young, in the mind of Brookover, rather than make candid comments like the one Papelbon issued this past Sunday when he said, "I definitely didn't come here for this," adding that the organization needed changes from top to bottom.
  • Phillies president David Montgomery offered the highest praise for Chase Utley when speaking to Brookover's colleague, Ryan Lawrence. Montgomery noted that Utley has endeared himself to the city and is a "max-out player" and "a tremendous teammate." Clearly, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. agreed, adding: "I'm not sure he's a guy you can replace at second base." The two sides continue to work toward an extension, though Lawrence notes that the Phillies don't feel they need to get a deal done before he hits free agency, likening Utley's situation to that of Jimmy Rollins following the 2011 season.

July Trade Recap: NL East

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Last to go in recapping the month's trade activity is the all-around disappointing National League East, which was far and away the quietest of baseball's six divisions over the month of July …

Braves

Marlins

Mets

  • Did not make a trade.

Nationals

Phillies

  • Did not make a trade.

Synopsis

Seriously, that's it: four deals among five teams. Given the way things have shaken out in the division over the past two years, however, this result is somewhat less surprising than at first blush.

Firstly, the Braves and Nationals are both balanced teams that lack areas ripe for upgrades. To be sure, only one of those teams has performed to expectations, but the point stands. Atlanta had some space open in its bullpen after losing some key setup men earlier in the year, and it made a relatively simply move to shore up its relief corps. Starting pitching and reserve infielder were both areas where the Braves could have made a move, but the team certainly has adequate internal options in those spots and the division is pretty well in hand. Likewise, for the underperforming Nationals, there were no obvious holes to plug once the team added a veteran right-handed bench bat in Hairston. While there was some talk that the team could shop for a starter, the organization is hardly without options and would have been ill-advised to give up much of anything given its current playoff prospects. On the other side of the coin, the Nats are largely devoid of obvious sell options, particularly since the team figures to maintain the bulk of its roster makeup going into next season.

On the bottom of the division, meanwhile, the Marlins shipped out their last obvious trade piece when they sent Nolasco to the Dodgers. While relievers Steve Cishek and Mike Dunn both could have been deal, they are cheap and under team control for the next several seasons. Outfielder Justin Ruggiano and third baseman Placido Polanco both were plausible trade candidates, but neither would have brought much of anything in return. Of course, the elephant in the Marlins' shiny new ballpark is star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. While he would have been the undisputed prize of the deadline season, conflicting reports have emerged on whether or not the team ever really considered dealing him. Certainly, Miami can achieve plenty of value from their superstar should they decide to market him in the offseason, and it is not difficult to imagine that the team would prefer to keep him (along with those fans that have stuck with the club through some difficult recent times).

On the opposite end of the spectrum from the Marlins — who have already shed virtually all substantial present and future salary commitments — is the Phillies. Full of high-priced veterans of varying degress of attractiveness to other teams, the club did nothing at the deadline, much to the consternation of many interested observers. Philadelphia seems sunk for this season, and next year does not look much more promising. The team reportedly was unwilling to part with aging-but-productive franchise cornerstone Chase Utley and placed a high price on expensive ace Cliff Lee, both of whom likely would have brought back nice returns. (The team is apparently exploring an extension with Utley, though it should be noted that he would be a candidate for a qualifying offer that could return value.) GM Ruben Amaro Jr. also refused to budge on veterans Michael Young and Carlos Ruiz; while neither would have yielded much in prospect value, it would have been nice to shed their fairly sizable salaries. All in all, barring some action in the August trade market, it has been a confounding mid-season for the Phils.

It is tempting to view the inaction of the Mets in the same light as that of the Phillies. After all, the team is going nowhere this season. But only low-priced outfielder Marlon Byrd was a glaring trade candidate amongst the team's veterans, and with no salary to shed there was little reason to move him if nothing worthwhile was offered. Apparently, there was little interest in other possibilities like Daniel Murphy, John Buck, and Eric Young Jr., and there were good reasons to hang onto all three. (Murphy and Young both have several years of team control remaining and likely have more upside than whatever they might have returned, while Buck is handling the team's prized young pitchers.) Likewise, closer Bobby Parnell is relatively cheap, young, and under team control. Without knowing what (if anything) was offered for any of New York's assets, it is hard to judge the club too harshly for standing pat. 

Minor Moves: Adcock, Loe, Reynolds, Asencio, Pineiro

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Here are your minor moves from Monday and Tuesday with the trade deadline having passed…

  • Nate Adcock was outrighted off the 40-man roster by the Diamondbacks, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. Adcock has an alarming 7.35 ERA in 89 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this season between the D'Backs and Royals organizations.
  • The Braves outrighted Kameron Loe Triple-A Gwinnett after he cleared waivers, according to the International League transactions page. Loe was designated for assignment to clear 40-man roster space for Scott Downs. He threw 42 1/3 innings of 3.19 ERA ball at Triple-A Gwinnett before being called up to the Major League team last week.
  • Greg Reynolds cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Louisville by the Reds, according to the team's assistant director of media relations, Jamie Ramsey (on Twitter). That seems somewhat surprising, as the former No. 2 overall draft pick posted a 2.54 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 127 1/3 innings at Louisville this season before being designated for assignment. Ramsey also notes that the Reds signed Brandon Short to a minor league deal after the outfielder was released by the White Sox.
  • The Orioles have announced that right-hander Jairo Asencio has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A as well. Asencio was designated for assignment over the weekend.
  • The Orioles also released right-hander Joel Pineiro from Triple-A Norfolk yesterday, the team announced on Twitter. Pineiro, a veteran of 12 Major League seasons, was injured all season and didn't throw a pitch for the Tides in 2013. He last appeared in the bigs with the Angels in 2011 and has a career 4.41 ERA in 1754 1/3 innings.
  • Left-hander Duane Below has signed with the Kia Tigers of Korea, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link) and Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net (also via Twitter). Below posted a 2.44 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 99 2/3 innings between the Triple-A affiliates for the Marlins and Tigers this season. He has a 4.27 ERA in 78 Major League innings.
  • Nine players are in DFA limbo: Steve Susdorf of the Phillies, Joe Martinez of the Indians, Jason Bay of the Mariners, Brad Hawpe of the Angels, Yusmeiro Petit and Hunter Strickland of the Giants, Ted Lilly of the Dodgers, Brandon Inge of the Pirates and Carlos Pena of the Astros.
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