Quick Hits: Maholm, Chulk, Cardinals
Two years ago today, the Indians traded third baseman Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals for Chris Perez, with Jess Todd also going to Cleveland as the player to be named later. DeRosa injured his wrist shortly after the trade and struggled in his time with the Cards, but they received a consolation prize in righty Seth Blair, chosen in the 2010 draft as compensation when DeRosa signed with the Giants. Perez has racked up 42 saves as the Indians' closer. Todd was designated for assignment in April of this year, claimed by the Yankees, designated again in May, claimed by the Cardinals, and recently outrighted to Triple-A. On to today's links…
- Rangers reliever Darren O'Day may return this week from the 60-day DL, meaning the team will need to open up a 40-man roster spot.
- The Red Sox announced they activated righty Junichi Tazawa from the 60-day DL and optioned him to Double-A; lefty Rich Hill was placed on the 60-day DL to keep the 40-man roster at 40.
- Pirates lefty Paul Maholm reiterated to Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he'd like to stay in Pittsburgh, but he's not going to beg or initiate extension talks. In general terms, GM Neal Huntington expressed a strong preference for avoiding in-season negotiations. He has a $9.75MM option on Maholm for 2012. For more on the Maholm situation, click here.
- Athletics reliever Vinnie Chulk can opt out of his contract Friday, notes SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The 32-year-old righty has a 2.75 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, and 0.2 HR/9 in 39 1/3 Triple-A innings this year.
- Heyman talked to agents and executives, asking them to predict contracts for Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Jose Reyes. Everyone sees Pujols getting at least $27.5MM and at least six years. I have to wonder if he'd prefer a one-year deal if his return is less than stellar. Meanwhile, most of the participants saw Fielder getting $24-25MM a year and at least five years.
- The Cardinals could try to acquire two relievers rather than go after a big fish like Heath Bell, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Quick Hits: Deadline, Reds, Asdrubal, Pirates, Rox
Another assortment of links for your Sunday viewing pleasure…
- Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union Tribune opines that Major League Baseball should push the trading deadline back. Sullivan's piece includes quotes from Padres GM Jed Hoyer and Yankees GM Brian Cashman, and is an excellent read. Sullivan reminds us that in 2004, there was a 50-50 split in a GM poll that asked whether they'd prefer to move the deadline to August 15 or keep the status quo.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty is sticking with the combination of Edgar Renteria and Paul Janish in lieu of promoting top prospect Zack Cozart (and presumably making a trade as well), writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Jocketty praises the glove work of Janish and Renteria.
- Orlando Cabrera may not be setting the world on fire with the Indians, but Ken Rosenthal's latest column suggests that the move may have a benefit that goes beyond the stat sheet; during Spring Training, O-Cab encouraged Asdrubal Cabrera, saying he shouldn't be afraid to "let it fly" after marveling at the shortstop's power in batting practice. Asdrubal has already belted a career-high 12 homers.
- Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette writes that Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is working with the front office to re-evaluate the offense. The Bucs have looked outside the organization to make improvements, but other teams weren't ready to deal.
- Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post looks at the Rockies' need for starting pitching in the wake of Jorge de la Rosa's injury, but says the Rox need something more than a fourth or fifth starter in any trade. He also opines that Clayton Mortensen and Greg Reynolds should get a look before any big moves are made.
Pirates Designate Dusty Brown For Assignment
The Pirates have designated catcher Dusty Brown for assignment, according to a team press release. The move was made in order to create space for catcher Eric Fryer who is being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis.
Brown, 29, played in 11 games for the Pirates this season. In parts of five Triple-A seasons, the catcher has a .259/.340/.394 slash line.
Pirates Designate Aaron Thompson For Assignment
The Pirates designated left-hander Aaron Thompson for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Chase d'Arnaud, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). Pittsburgh optioned Josh Harrison to Triple-A yesterday to create room on the active roster.
In 67 innings at Double-A Altoona, Thompson has a 4.97 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. The 2005 first round pick has posted a 4.37 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 747 1/3 innings as a minor leaguer. D'Arnaud, 24, has a .280/.347/.418 line at Triple-A this year and is set to debut tonight as Pittsburgh's third baseman.
Minor Moves: Steven Jackson
Here's a record of the day's minor moves…
- The Pirates announced that they acquired Steven Jackson from the Reds for a player to be named later. Jackson signed with the Dodgers in March then joined the Reds after Los Angeles released him in May. The 29-year-old played for the Pirates in 2009 and 2010, before they released him last November. He posted a 4.31 ERA with a 28K/28BB ratio in 54 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh in '09-'10, but posted a minor league ERA of 8.44 this year with 6.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
Huntington Guarded About Maholm Extension Talks
Paul Maholm has expressed his willingness to discuss an extension to remain in Pittsburgh and he noted that he would prefer to get a new contract done sooner rather than later. Pirates GM Neal Huntington, talking to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch, didn't rule out the possibility of negotiations taking place before the trade deadline but also said that his club would rather wait until the offseason to talk contracts.
"We would very much prefer not to negotiate in-season, but it's not an absolute policy," Huntington said. "It's something that we'll look at on a case-by-case basis, but the strong preference is to do these things outside of the season."
Langosch noted that Huntington didn't hint one way or the other about whether the Pirates wished to keep Maholm and thus she ruminated on the cases for Pittsburgh both keeping or moving the southpaw. Maholm is putting up solid numbers and would give the otherwise young Bucs staff a reliable, innings-eating veteran presence for a few years to come. Or, absent an extension, Huntington could just exercise Maholm's $9.75MM team option for 2012 to keep the left-hander but still not make too much of a commitment.
On the other hand, Maholm's numbers aren't so special that a low-payroll team like the Pirates would feel totally comfortable giving him even a modest contract like $24MM over three years. Maholm could be dealt while his trade value is at his highest and Pittsburgh would fill that hole in the rotation with one of their several young pitching prospects (such as Brad Lincoln or Jeff Locke). And, while Maholm and Andrew McCutchen are obviously on far different levels of importance within the Pirates organization, the team was certainly willing to enter in-season negotiations with McCutchen about a multiyear deal. Huntington might have given more than scant details about an extension for Maholm if it was a move the club was seriously considering, Langosch notes.
NL Central Notes: Pujols, Valdes, Pirates
On this date in 1984, Ryne Sandberg hit game-tying home runs off Cardinals reliever Bruce Sutter in the 9th and 10th innings as the Cubs beat the Cardinals 12-11. Willie McGee hit for the cycle in the memorable contest between the rival clubs. Here's the latest from their division…
- Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols doesn't want to discuss the impact his fractured arm will have on his free agent value, Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
- The Cardinals promoted Raul Valdes to the Majors, optioned Maikel Cleto to Double-A and replaced minor leaguer David Kopp on the 40-man roster with Bryan Augenstein, according to the Post-Dispatch (the Cards still have one open spot on their 40-man roster). The bullpen changes started yesterday when the Cardinals released Miguel Batista after Tuesday's bullpen implosion.
- The Pirates announced that they expect to add Chase d'Arnaud to the 25-man roster tomorrow. They optioned Josh Harrison to Triple-A to create room on the active roster and will make a 40-man move tomorrow. D'Arnaud, 24, has a .280/.347/.418 line at Triple-A this year.
Quick Hits: Twins, Ellis, Cole, Hultzen
The Mets released Wily Mo Pena on this date two years ago. The slugger resurfaced with the D'Backs yesterday, when he homered in his first MLB game since 2008. Here are some links for Wednesday night as Pena attempts to hit another homer or two…
- A scout tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Twins seem less likely to become sellers than they were a few weeks ago (Twitter link). Minnesota has re-entered the playoff race thanks to a 14-3 tear.
- Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group hears that the Giants are not one of the six teams on Mark Ellis’ no-trade list (Twitter link). Ellis has lost his starting second base job in Oakland and the Giants have had internal talks about obtaining him.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that top draft choices Gerrit Cole (Pirates) and Danny Hultzen (Mariners) will sign for roughly $10MM or so. Two high school arms, Archie Bradley (D’Backs) and Dylan Bundy (Orioles), will likely obtain $6-7MM and some executives see high school outfielder Bubba Starling (Royals) signing for more than Cole or Hultzen.
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick examines the case for expanding active rosters to 26 players. Teams now have sprawling bullpens and demanding travel schedules, so there's support for bigger rosters from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd, Marlins infielder Wes Helms and others.
Pirates Acquire Josh Rodriguez
The Pirates have acquired Josh Rodriguez from the Indians for cash, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter). The infielder had been returned to Cleveland from Pittsburgh as a Rule 5 Draft pick back in April.
Baseball America ranked Rodriguez 24th among Pirates prospects before the season and suggested that he could become a big league utility player. In 364 plate appearances at Triple-A last year, he hit .293/.372/.486 and played shortstop. In 14 plate appearances for the Pirates this year, Rodriguez collected a single and a walk while playing second and short. His brief return to the Tribe resulted in a .193/.270/.316 batting line in 65 Triple-A plate appearances.
NL Central Notes: Pujols, Bell, Brewers
Albert Pujols will miss four to six weeks with a fracture in his left arm, further confirmation that no NL Central club appears ready to run away with the division. The 40-33 Brewers would deal a catcher, the defending champion Reds are eyeing arms and the Pirates are lurking around the .500 mark. Here's the rest of tonight's NL Central-related news…
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Matthew Leach of MLB.com that he isn't ready to determine how aggressive the Cardinals will be in trade talks leading up to the July 31st deadline. The GM acknowledged that Pujols' injury opens "some potential opportunities out there that maybe [the team] wouldn't have explored 48 hours ago."
- Here's more reaction to Pujols' injury from earlier tonight.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America hears that Pirates draft pick Josh Bell is set on going to the University of Texas, where he has committed to playing. Despite that, Callis likes the pick for Pittsburgh, which should have plenty of money to dangle in the prospect's direction.
- Adam McCalvy and Audrey Snyder of MLB.com explain how one lucky Brewers fan signed a one-day contract with his favorite team.