Rangers Continue Search For Right-Handed Bat
Teams have just two more days to acquire postseason-eligible players, but the Rangers haven't yet given up their search for a right-handed hitter. Richard Durrett of ESPN.com writes that, after missing out on Manny Ramirez, Jon Daniels and the Rangers continue to "work the phones" in hopes of landing a bat.
Our list of players that we know have cleared waivers is noticeably lacking in right-handed options, with switch-hitters Carlos Beltran and Geoff Blum the only healthy possibilities. Durrett, however, lists a few names he thinks may be available, including Ryan Spilborghs, Reed Johnson, Jeff Francoeur, and Marlon Byrd. It's also possible that the Rangers are the unknown team that won a waiver claim on Mike Napoli, though he would have had to make it past the Tigers and White Sox, among other clubs.
The Rangers were hoping Jorge Cantu would provide the right-handed pop they needed, but the 28-year-old has struggled since Texas acquired him a month ago. Cantu has yet to record a homer or RBI for the Rangers, hitting .226/.281/.283 in 58 plate appearances.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Winfield, Gio, Hawpe, Cubs
On this date three years ago, the Astros fired manager Phil Garner and GM Tim Purpura. They were replaced on an interim basis by Cecil Cooper and Tal Smith, respectively. Cooper kept the job until he was fired last September, and the team is now under the direction of Brad Mills. Ed Wade took over the GM job about a month after Purpura was fired, and has held it since.
Here's a look at what's being written in the baseball corner of the web…
- Gaslamp Ball interviewed Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.
- Pirates Prospects spoke to a Certified Public Accountant about the Pirates' leaked financial records.
- Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Lumber Co. wonders if teams receiving revenue sharing money should earn a profit.
- Think Blue Crew analyzes Ryan Howard's swings and misses.
- SPANdemonium wonders what it would take to lock up Gio Gonzalez long-term.
- Rays Index revisits Andrew Friedman's biggest mistake.
- DRays Bay explains why Brad Hawpe makes sense for the Rays.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness thinks Ned Colletti should do the right thing and let Manny Ramirez go.
- Nolan Writin' looks at who the Rangers should call up on September 1st.
- Cubs Pack wonders who will play first base for the Cubbies next season.
- Yankeeist explores the idea of the Yankees signing Paul Konerko in the offseason.
- Walk Like A Sabermetrician suggests some ways to improve the waiver process.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Dodgers Consider Options
FRIDAY, 10:24am: Manny is not asking for an extension, according to Rosenthal on Twitter.
THURSDAY, 9:17pm: The White Sox will know by Friday afternoon if they can or will get Ramirez, reports Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune.
7:55am: The Dodgers and White Sox have have discussed a potential Manny Ramirez trade, but according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, Los Angeles has spoken to at least one other team about the 38-year-old. The Rays and Rangers are interested in Ramirez, though the Dodgers are not fully committed to making a trade.
Ramirez wants a one-year extension to waive his no-trade clause, a source tells Rosenthal and Morosi. If he clears waivers, Ramirez could have the leverage to make such demands, but if a team claims him, the Dodgers would only be able to negotiate with that club. The White Sox intend to claim Ramirez, according to FOX, though that won’t necessarily happen.
Teams have until the end of the week to claim Ramirez, who hit waivers yesterday. If he’s claimed, the Dodgers will have until Tuesday afternoon to work out a deal. Click here to vote on whether a National League team wil claim Ramirez and here for more detail on trading in August.
Rangers Thinking About Ramirez, Not Keen On Hawpe
If Manny Ramirez doesn't end up with the White Sox, at least one other AL contender may have their eye on the veteran slugger. T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that Texas is "mulling the possibility" of approaching the Dodgers about Ramirez, though Sullivan quotes a Rangers official who said "it's unlikely" that Ramirez would end up in Arlington.
The Rangers' interest in Ramirez stems from their need for a big right-handed bat to complement the left-handed pop in their lineup. Whereas Ramirez has been projected as a DH in the American League to keep him healthy for September, he would see a lot of field time in Texas given Vladimir Guerrero's lock on the DH role. As Sullivan points out, Ramirez would hamper what has been a solid defensive outfield in Texas.
Tampa Bay is another AL team that has been rumored to have interest in Ramirez, but if Texas did want to make a move for the outfielder, the Rangers would have priority over the Rays since Tampa Bay is ahead in the standings.
Sullivan also reports that, since Texas' primary interest is in right-handed hitters, the club isn't looking at Brad Hawpe. We had heard that Texas, Tampa Bay and Boston all had some degree of interest in the former Rockie, and Hawpe should be free to be signed by any team today.
Odds & Ends: Owings, Zaun, Rangers, Hawpe
Links for Thursday, exactly seven years after the Padres traded Jason Bay and Oliver Perez to the Pirates for Brian Giles. Bay and Perez are teammates once again, though Perez barely pitches and Bay is on the disabled list with a concussion…
- Micah Owings cleared waivers and accepted a minor league assignment, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Owings asked to be traded after the Reds designated him for assignment last week.
- Gregg Zaun told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that his injury rehab is going well and says he plans to play in 2011.
- The Rangers have been "very active" recently, one executive told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
- MLB.com's Corey Brock hears that the Padres will pass on Brad Hawpe (Twitter link). They had interest, but appear to be content with their current outfielders.
- Jamey Newberg checks in on all the prospects the Rangers traded away this summer in an MLB.com article. Justin Smoak was the big name in the Cliff Lee trade, but Josh Lueke and Blake Beavan have played well for the Mariners since the deal.
- In this video clip at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Indians assistant GM Chris Antonetti explains that he'd like to see improved infield defense, since Cleveland pitchers induce lots of grounders.
- Mets GM Omar Minaya tells Dan Martin of the New York Post that he knows his job isn't completely secure.
- Juan Pierre explained to Scott Merkin of MLB.com that Manny Ramirez could help the White Sox this season. Pierre's reasoning is simple – he considers Manny "probably one of the top five hitters ever."
Red Sox, Rays, Rangers In On Brad Hawpe
The Red Sox, Rays and Rangers are in on Brad Hawpe, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Hawpe should clear release waivers today at which point he'll be free to sign with any MLB team.
It's not surprising that the Red Sox are interested in Hawpe, since Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury are out indefinitely. The Red Sox are open to adding outfielders from outside the organization, as we saw when they tried to re-acquire Johnny Damon.
The Rays have shown interest in bats since last month and the Rangers' interest in Hawpe is no secret. The Padres had interest, but no longer appear to be considering Hawpe seriously.
The Rockies designated the 31-year-old for assignment after he posted a .255/.343/.432 line in 300 plate appearances.
Trever Miller’s 2011 Option Vests
By entering the Cardinals-Giants game Saturday night, lefty reliever Trever Miller reached 45 appearances on the season. The appearance was nothing special, as Miller threw four pitches to Aubrey Huff and allowed a single. But the outing was signficant for Miller, as it caused his $2MM option for 2011 to vest.
According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Miller's option will revert back to the club's choice if he spends time on the DL with a left arm or shoulder injury. He hasn't pitched well this year, but only needs about one more month of good health.
Meanwhile, the Rangers' Darren Oliver needs seven more appearances for his $3.25MM option to vest for next year.
Rangers Designate Joaquin Arias For Assignment
The Rangers designated Joaquin Arias for assignment to make room for Alex Cora, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Rangers acquired Arias after they obtained Alfonso Soriano for Alex Rodriguez in 2004. According to this report from Jim Callis of Baseball America, the Rangers could have selected Robinson Cano instead of Arias as the player to be named in the trade.
Arias has a .276/.290/.347 line in 101 plate appearances this season. The 25-year-old had a solid 2008 campaign as a reserve for the Rangers, but hasn't hit much in Texas. The Rangers replace him with Cora, who signed with the team last week after a disappointing start to the season with the Mets.
Rangers Interested In Hawpe
With right fielder Nelson Cruz on the disabled list, the Rangers are interested in acquiring Brad Hawpe to fill-in, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram. Cruz will be sidelined until at least August 30th with a hamstring injury.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels wouldn't comment on Hawpe specifically but said that he would consider bringing someone aboard who could help fill the gap.
"We've looked around while Nellie's been out," the GM said. "For the most part, what we've got is what we've got. But we're always open to adding a guy who might be able to help us fill a role."
Hawpe, a Fort Worth native, was originally linked to the Rangers because of his relationship with hitting coach Clint Hurdle. Last night we learned that the Giants are also exploring the possibility of acquiring the 31-year-old.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Feliz, Braves, Kershaw
On this date two years ago, umpires agreed to the use of instant replay to help determine boundary calls, such as fair or foul, on home runs. Expanded use of instant replay remains a hot topic in baseball, and even though Commissioner Bud Selig continues to dance around the subject, more replay feels inevitable at this point.
Here are a bunch of links from around the baseball blogosphere…
- Mike Ashmore's Thunder Thoughts interviews players and team personnel about minor league life, touching on everything from salary to housing to food, the whole nine. It's a long, but truly great read.
- Capitol Avenue Club analyzes the Derrek Lee trade.
- Pine Tar and Pocket Protectors says that Pedro Feliz is not the answer for the Cardinals.
- Beyond The Box Score looks at which teams are building the best bullpens on the cheap.
- Amazin' Avenue tries to figure out who should close for the Mets with Francisco Rodriguez out for the season.
- Royals Review questions whether or not Kansas City has something in Bryan Bullington.
- The Few, The Proud, The Brave looks ahead to Atlanta's offseason as well as the 2011 season.
- Pittsburgh Lumber Co. tries to figure out if the Pirates should start spending this offseason.
- The Process Report lists the Rays' farmhands eligible for this year's Rule 5 Draft.
- SD Sports Net wonders if the Padres whiffed by failing to sign first rounder Karsten Whitson.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness uses Ricky Romero's new contract as a basis for a Clayton Kershaw contract extension.
- Baseball Time In Arlington examines the hidden value of Cliff Lee.
- Camden Crazies wonders if Brad Bergesen is back to being an effective pitcher.
- 1 Blue Jays Way introduces us to Toronto's prospects.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.