Chipper Jones Will Play In 2012
We can put the speculation to rest, Chipper Jones has told Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal Constitution that he will play in 2012. There had been some belief that Jones would walk away after another injury interrupted year.
"I'm playing next year," said Chipper. "I still feel like I can go out there and play a good third base and be a threat, at least, at the plate. I'm having a good defensive year and the average is on the rise."
Jones, 39, is under contract for $13MM next season. The team holds a $7MM club option for his services in 2013, though that can vest and/or increase in value based on various games played incentives. Chipper did not rule out playing in 2013, but did say he'll wait until next year to make that decision. He's hitting .271/.345/.455 with 11 homers in 374 plate appearances this year.
Quick Hits: Damon, Choate, Braves
August 18th featured significant trades in 2009 (Ivan Rodriguez to the Rangers) and 2010 (Derrek Lee to the Braves). So far, today we've seen the Rangers acquire Tim Wood from the Pirates. Here are today’s links…
- As of today Jason Giambi and Jim Thome had yet to be placed on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal wonders if Johnny Damon, who has already cleared waivers, could be a fit for the Phillies.
- Marlins left-hander Randy Choate told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he's not likely to pitch again this season. The left-hander, who is under contract for 2012, would have been an August trade candidate if healthy.
- Chipper Jones told David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Braves have more pitching than they know what to do with. “It’s almost embarrassing how much talent we have at the minor league level that can help this ballclub,” he said (Twitter link).
Braves Sign Juan Jaime
The Braves signed righty Juan Jaime to a minor league deal, MLBTR has learned. The deal covers the rest of 2011 as well as 2012.
Jaime, 24, was released by the Diamondbacks yesterday after being designated for assignment to create a roster spot for Lyle Overbay. He had Tommy John surgery in April of last year, prior to which Baseball America ranked him 17th among Nationals prospects. At that time BA saw Jaime as a future power arm out of the bullpen. With a mid-90s fastball, his ceiling is high.
Braves Sign Wes Helms
The Braves have signed Wes Helms to a minor league contract, reports Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). MLB.com's Mark Bowman says (on Twitter) that he will report to their Triple-A affiliate on Saturday and likely be called up when rosters expand on September 1st.
Helms, 35, was released by the Marlins earlier this week. He was hitting .191/.276/.236 in 124 plate appearances at the time, though the righty swinger is just a year removed from a .324/.420/.521 performance against lefties. Helms has spent the majority of his time at the corner infield spots over the last few years. The Braves will only have to pay him the pro-rated portion of the league minimum, the Marlins are on the hook for the rest of his $1MM salary.
Draft Notes: Meo, Braves, Blue Jays
The latest draft signings, with the deadline for deals just four days away…
- Lou Nero of Octagon Sports reports that second rounder Anthony Meo has signed with the D'Backs (Twitter link). Meo obtained an above-slot bonus of $625K, according to Callis, who notes that MLB's recommended bonus was 580K (Twitter link).
- The Marlins have signed second rounder Adam Conley, a left-handed pitcher out of Washington State, for $625K, according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (via Twitter).
- The Athletics have signed third rounder B.A. Vollmuth, a third baseman out of Southern Miss, for $304.2K, according to Callis (via Twitter).
- The Royals have signed fifth rounder Patrick Leonard, a high school outfielder from Texas, for $600K, writes Callis. It's the highest bonus awarded to a player outside the first four rounds this year, according to Callis. The MLB commissioner's office slot recommendation for that selection, No. 156 overall, is $161K.
- The Cubs have signed seventh-rounder Trevor Gretzky, a high school first baseman out of California, for $375K, according to Callis (on Twitter). Trevor is the son of hockey great Wayne Gretzky and was a San Diego State recruit.
- The Yankees have officially signed 25th round pick Adam Smith for $157.5K, according to Callis (on Twitter). The third baseman will be converted into a right-handed pitcher.
- The Braves signed 14th round pick Navery Moore for $400K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Vanderbilt right-hander can throw 92-96 mph and has now obtained the second-highest known bonus after the second round so far this year.
- The Blue Jays signed 17th rounder Brady Dragmire, according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (on Twitter).
Braves To Release Scott Proctor
The Braves will release Scott Proctor, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). Chris Schiavone of WSB Radio broke the news earlier (on Twitter). The move will create roster space for Arodys Vizcaino, Atlanta's number seven prospect before the season, according to Baseball America.
Proctor posted a 6.44 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 5.8 BB/9 in 29 1/3 innings for the Braves this year. The 34-year-old, who signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in April, has struggled since appearing in 83 games in consecutive seasons (2006-07).
The Braves recently promoted Vizcaino to Triple-A and moved him to the bullpen, where he struck out eight hitters without allowing a walk in seven innings. In 97 innings of work as a starter and reliever across three levels this year, the 20-year-old has a 3.06 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.
Quick Hits: Leyland, Phillies, Trumbo, Taylor
Some notes from around the majors as Casey Kotchman is a walkoff hero for Tampa Bay….
- Jim Leyland is fine with his contract being extended for just one year by the Tigers since he isn't sure how long he'll keep managing, reports Chris Iott of MLive.com. "I want to make sure that I'm giving the Tigers everything they're paying for, and when that day comes that I'm not, I'm going home," Leyland said. The manager also said that a year from today, he hopes he'll be signing another one-year extension.
- Meanwhile, Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press thinks the Tigers were wise to extend Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski.
- The Phillies don't plan to look for outside help at third base if Placido Polanco misses a lot of time with his sports hernia, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Ruben Amaro said that the Phils will use Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez at third in Polanco's place.
- Mark Trumbo was never a highly-regarded prospect, and the Angels first baseman tells Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times that he uses those scouting reports as incentive to prove the critics wrong.
- Michael Taylor called the trade deadline "the toughest day of the year for me," reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Athletics' prospect was disappointed that the team didn't move any of their outfielders, thus creating room for him on Oakland's Major League roster.
- The Nationals aren't yet sure when Tom Milone and Brad Peacock will be called up from Triple-A but the team definitely wants to give both pitchers some Major League experience, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- The Dodgers are on pace to lose at least $27MM this season and Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times predicts that figure may be a conservative estimate.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis answers questions relating to minor league prospects and draft signings in the latest edition of "Ask BA."
- The Braves "were heavy in on getting either" Carlos Beltran or Hunter Pence at the trade deadline but their unwillingness to part with top prospects Julio Teheran, Mike Minor or Randall Delgado halted both deals, tweets Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner. The fact that Atlanta was able to acquire Michael Bourn without giving up any of those prospects is a nice deadline win for the Braves and GM Frank Wren.
East Notes: Ortiz, McGowan, Rhodes, Uggla
As if Joe DiMaggio didn't have enough honors already, the U.S. Postal Service plans to sell a DiMaggio stamp in 2012, along with stamps bearing the likenesses of three other yet-to-be-announced baseball superstars. A fitting tribute to a legend of the game….or a subtle way of trying to jinx Dan Uggla? If it was the latter, the jinx didn't work, as Uggla extended his hitting streak to 29 games tonight.
Here's some more on Uggla, DiMaggio's old team and the other eastern franchises….
- David Ortiz has been upset about the lack of contract talks between he and the Red Sox, but Fangraphs' Steve Slowinski argues that if negotiations had begun, Ortiz might not liked what he would've heard. "Which would you prefer: a star player that’s mildly hurt you won’t talk about a new contract with him, or one that feels unappreciated and lowballed?" Slowinski asks.
- Dustin McGowan hasn't pitched in the majors since 2008, but the injury-plagued Blue Jays right-hander hopes to finally return this September, reports MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.
- Speaking of Blue Jays pitchers, Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi reports that Toronto has called up right-hander Henderson Alvarez. The 21-year-old will make his first Major League start for the Jays sometime this week.
- Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggests the Phillies should consider acquiring Arthur Rhodes to provide some left-handed bullpen depth.
- Uggla's hot streak has finally made him look like the player the Braves expected when they acquired him from Florida last winter, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
- The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo touches on a number of Red Sox-related topics in a fan mailbag, such as the likelihood of Jacoby Ellsbury signing a contract extension, how Josh Reddick has improved his trade value and if the Red Sox would get involved in the bidding for Jose Reyes this winter.
- The Yankees won't call up Jesus Montero for Tuesday's game with the Angels, reports Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. There had been speculation that Montero would soon be in pinstripes given the team's announcement that Jorge Posada would be relegated to a bench role.
- Orioles manager Buck Showalter told Bill Madden of the New York Daily News that while fans focus on the payroll gap between big-market and small-market clubs, "the real disparity, the disparity that's hurting baseball, is the disparity that no one sees — the amount of money being spent on scouting and player development." In a follow-up piece for the Baltimore Sun, Robbie Levin looks at how the O's have fallen behind their AL East rivals in developing Latin American talent.
- The Marlins have agreed to terms with seventh-round draft pick Ryan Rieger, reports Baseball America's Aaron Fitt. (Twitter link) Rieger, a first baseman, had committed to play for Long Beach State University next year.
Quick Hits: Hairston, Angels, Pirates, Phillies
On this date in 2009, the Indians sent Carl Pavano to the Twins for a player to be named later (Yohan Pino). Pavano won five games down the stretch for Minnesota and has worn a Twins uniform ever since. Pino, meanwhile, now pitches for the Blue Jays' Double-A affiliate in New Hampshire, having been dealt for cash considerations earlier this year. As we wait to find out whether we'll see any major August trades this year, let's check out today's links….
- The Mets came very close to trading Scott Hairston to the Braves in July, but ultimately nixed the deal, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
- A club official tells Peter Gammons (Twitter link) that the Red Sox and Yankees are blocking waiver claims on relievers and starters, respectively.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff identifies a few August trade candidates and a few contenders with outstanding needs.
- The Angels are one team named by Davidoff as an August buyer, and GM Tony Reagins agrees. As he says to Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times, "We think there will be some opportunities later on that may materialize."
- GM Neal Huntington tells Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Pirates hope to become a "consistent championship caliber organization," rather than merely finishing above .500. Unfortunately for the Pirates and their fans, the team's current nine-game losing streak has put them on pace for a 19th straight losing season.
- Despite frequently moving prospects for impact players, the Phillies haven't depleted their farm system, writes Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Quick Hits: Jones, Stanton, Francisco
The Cardinals acquired Larry Walker from the Rockies seven years ago today. The waiver trade sent minor leaguer Jason Burch and two players to be named later to Colorado, one of whom turned out to be Chris Narveson.
Will we see any big name players dealt in waiver trades this month? I'm thinking yes. Until then, here are the links for Saturday…
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports that both the Braves and Phillies asked the Orioles about Adam Jones before the trade deadline, but were told he wasn't available. The two NL East clubs satisfied their outfield needs with Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence, respectively.
- The Marlins have not yet approached Mike Stanton about a long-term contract extension, reports MLB.com's Peter Gammons (on Twitter). Yesterday we learned that the team was having "preliminary internal talks" about a deal for the slugging outfielder.
- Roy Oswalt will be activated off the disabled list and start for the Phillies tomorrow, and Matt Gelb of The Philadephia inquirer thinks Ben Francisco could be in danger of losing his roster spot. John Mayberry Jr.'s emergence has made Francisco a bit more expendable, though he does have one minor league option remaining.