Braves Not Interested In Trading Lowe
The Braves have no interest in trading Derek Lowe, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Despite some speculation that the Braves' starting pitching surplus could make Lowe available, the Braves aren't looking to deal the right-hander.
Brandon Beachy is now on the disabled list, so the Braves are calling on top prospect Julio Teheran to make his second career start Wednesday, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens round out the Major League rotation, which has been tremendous. Braves starters are among the MLB leaders across the leaderboard.
With Teheran, Mike Minor and Rodrigo Lopez in the minor leagues, the Braves have the depth to make a deal. However, they prefer to keep Lowe, who has a 3.73 ERA with 8.4 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 56.9% ground ball rate through 50 2/3 innings.
Rosenthal On Chapman, Braves, Rockies, Norris
Aroldis Chapman went on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation today, after Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on the Reds’ options for proceeding with the struggling Cuban left-hander. Here’s the latest on Chapman plus notes from around the league:
- A veteran scout insists that the Reds need to demote Chapman and make him a starter, but pitching coach Bryan Price isn’t so sure that a demotion is the way to go. He points out that Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson took time to develop. “Both struggled with command until they got enough work to figure out how their body works, how to put their hand in the right position to throw quality strikes,” Price said.
- The Braves would ideally add a leadoff hitter and put Martin Prado second in the order, according to Rosenthal. He suggests the Braves could target leadoff options Jose Reyes, Grady Sizemore, Denard Span or David DeJesus via trade or free agency after the season.
- The Rockies appear to be concerned about losing out of options relievers Felipe Paulino and Franklin Morales to waivers.
- Astros GM Ed Wade says Bud Norris has become a much more mature pitcher. The 26-year-old right-hander has 60 strikeouts in 50 innings this year.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Astros, Twins, Braves
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count Video up, so let's recap…
- Hunter Pence is getting expensive – he'll earn $6.9MM this year with two more arbitration years ahead of him – but Astros GM Ed Wade said that he wants to build around his young players, namely Pence, Brett Wallace, J.A. Happ, and Bud Norris. As much as they need to rebuild, it's unlikely that new owner Jim Crane will want to blow up the nucleus as his first act.
- If things don't turn around for the Twins, this could be the year that they become sellers. Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Jim Thome, Matt Capps, and Joe Nathan are all among the team's upcoming free agents, though some in the organization would like to see them re-sign Capps.
- The Braves' starting pitching depth could give them an advantage at the trade deadline. They could move a veteran like Derek Lowe or a younger starter because they have more arms on the way. Lowe is the perfect piece to dangle to a contender such as the Yankees, but Atlanta doesn't have an obvious need right now.
- Starting pitching depth is the Red Sox's one glaring weakness, and Rosenthal says an injury to one of their top five starters would leave the team "seriously unsettled."
NL East Links: Lopez, Beltran, Baez, Braves
Six years ago today, two NL East clubs pulled off a rare intra-division trade when the Phillies sent Marlon Byrd to the Nationals for Endy Chavez. Byrd hit .245/.318/.366 in 471 plate appearances with the Nats before signing with Texas as a free agent while Chavez hit .215/.243/.299 in 118 plate appearances with Philadelphia. He moved on to the Mets as a free agent after the season.
Let's check in on the latest news from the only division with three 21+ win teams…
- Because Rodrigo Lopez would earn a $1MM salary upon reaching the majors, Julio Teheran and Mike Minor seemingly stand as the more likely candidates to step into the Braves rotation, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
- Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post wonders if the Mets would be willing to trade Carlos Beltran to the Yankees given the potential fan backlash if he performs well in the Bronx.
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says that Phillies' reliever Danys Baez could be in trouble if he's not pitching well when Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras come off the disabled list.
- The Braves are likely to wait until tomorrow to put Brandon Beachy on the disabled list after he left yesterday's start with a strained oblique according to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). He says they'll add Scott Proctor to the bullpen, who will fill the final spot on the 40-man roster, then possibly use Mike Minor in Beachy's place since Rodrigo Lopez would require a 40-man move. Julio Teheran is another 40-man roster option as well, says MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
NL East Notes: Proctor, Kimbrel, Mets, Harper
As Carlos Beltran enjoys a three-homer day against Colorado, here's the latest from the NL East…
- "At least two teams" contacted the Braves about right-hander Scott Proctor, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. When the Braves re-signed Proctor last month, the team agreed to trade Proctor before May 15 if he so desired, since Atlanta couldn't call the righty up before that date due to releasing him during Spring Training. Proctor wanted to stay with the Braves, and will be called up to the Major League roster on Sunday.
- In another item, O'Brien thinks the Braves should consider making Jonny Venters at least a part-time closer alongside incumbent stopper Craig Kimbrel. You can keep track of all the end-game news and rumors by following @CloserNews, MLBTR's sister Twitter feed.
- Talks between Steve Cohen and the Mets "are at a little bit of a stalemate right now," reports CNBC's Kate Kelly (passed along by Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com). Cohen is willing to pay around $200MM for 49% of the franchise, but "he wants some significant say over how they do what they do," including getting some seats on the team's board of directors. Despite this setback, Kelly says negotiations "are still happening and the goal is to get this thing done ASAP.”
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson recently noted that most serious trade negotiations don't begin to develop until June, but ESPNNewYork.com's Rob Parker argues that the Mets should be looking to deal Jose Reyes quickly, since the shortstop's trade value is at its highest.
- Is Bryce Harper the "best prospect ever"? Fangraphs' Dave Cameron thinks it could be the case, given how Harper is just 18 years old.
- The Nationals, who aren't selecting first overall for the first time since 2008, intend to take the best players available to them this June. Yet amateur scouting director Kris Kline told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he intends to "really focus on pitching." The Nationals select 6th, 23rd and 34th, so they're expecting to obtain three "really good players."
- With the Marlins off to such a good start, ESPN's Jim Bowden thinks team management has to be looking into extending Edwin Rodriguez's contract. The manager is just signed through this season and would seem like a no-brainer extension candidate, were it not for Jeffrey Loria's history of interest in bigger-name managers (such as Ozzie Guillen or Bobby Valentine).
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post
Casey Close To Represent Jason Heyward
Jason Heyward has switched agents and is now represented by Casey Close of Excel Sports Management, instead of Career Sports Entertainment, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Bowman suggests that Heyward is following Victor Menocal, a former Career Sports agent.
Heyward, one of the game’s top young stars, is arbitration-eligible after 2012 and eligible for free agency after 2015. The 2007 first rounder has a .269/.383/.458 line with 25 homers in a year and a month as a big leaguer.
Close left CAA Sports in February and recently joined the New York-based agency Excel Sports Management. He continues to represent 12 former CAA clients, including Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard. For the latest on all agencies and players, check out MLBTR’s Agency Database.
Heyman On Reyes, Lowe, Peavy, Howard
The Cardinals, Giants, Brewers, Red Sox, Twins and Mariners are possible suitors for Jose Reyes this summer, writes Jon Heyman of SI.com. However, the Mets don’t have an obvious replacement for their shortstop and attendance could suffer if they deal Reyes, as Heyman points out. (Though the Mariners have won seven of their last nine games and haven't obtained much production at short, it's still extremely difficult to imagine them trading for Reyes.) Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:
- Derek Lowe could be available at the trade deadline given the Braves’ starting pitching depth.
- The White Sox have insurance on Jake Peavy, according to Heyman. This means that the team may already have started receiving payments to help cover the injured right-hander’s $16MM salary.
- Heyman, a defender of Ryan Howard’s five-year, $125MM contract from the start, says the first baseman has been “worth every penny so far.”
- On the one-year anniversary of Howard's deal, I concluded that Howard and agent Casey Close had done well to sign the contract.
- The Nationals may want to consider locking manager Jim Riggleman up, Heyman writes. The Nationals have a team option for Riggleman's 2012 services.
Braves Acquire Jeff Fiorentino
The Braves acquired outfielder Jeff Fiorentino from the Orioles for cash, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Fiorentino, 28, signed a minor league deal to return to the Orioles in January after spending a year in Japan. The Orioles drafted him in the third round in 2004, and he owns a .270/.341/.324 line in 173 plate appearances. Last year he hit .246/.356/.325 in 151 plate appearances for the Hiroshima Carp. He'll report to Double-A initially, reports O'Brien.
East Notes: Braves, Rays
Some links pertaining to a few Eastern division teams for your Sunday reading:
- MLB has suspended Braves' pitching coach Roger McDowell for two weeks without pay and fined him following his controversial interactions with a fan on April 23, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
- The Rays' 10 picks in the first 60 of this year's draft are the most since Montreal had 11 of 84 in 1990, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Tampa is currently in the midst of a massive scouting effort to prepare for their unprecedented amount of draft picks. Hopefully their picks turn out better than the Expos' — Rondell White was the most notable player of the bunch.
- In a separate article, Topkin examines the slow starts of several former Rays including Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Rafael Soriano, and Joaquin Benoit.
New York Notes: Lowe, Reyes, Mets Ownership
The Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the hill today in the rubber match against the Blue Jays, while the Mets will need to beat Cliff Lee tonight to avoid a sweep in Philadelphia. Before those games get underway, let's check out the latest on New York's two teams….
- The Braves could look to trade Derek Lowe even if they're still in the playoff hunt, according to a scout who follows the team. Ken Davidoff of Newsday says the Yankees, who "negotiated seriously" with Lowe when he was a free agent, would be an obvious candidate to kick the tires on the right-hander if he's available.
- Another scout told Davidoff that it's been years since he's seen Jose Reyes, who can be a free agent at season's end, play as hard as he's playing now.
- Through the season's first month, both the Yankees and Mets are receiving production from unlikely sources, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Discussing the Yankees' unexpected production from veteran players, GM Brian Cashman told Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News, "When I fix things on the run I have a lot more success than doing the obvious slam-dunk things."
- Vitaminwater co-founder Mike Repole likely isn't interested in investing in the Mets unless 100% of the team is for sale, he tells Dylan Butler of the New York Post.
- According to Newsday's Steven Marcus, the Mets' future minority partner would be in position to take over the team if the Wilpons eventually decided to give up control of the franchise.