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.
Heyman On Dodgers, Indians, Crawford, Braves
Commissioner Bud Selig worries about the Mets, but grants them more leeway than the Dodgers because their owners have built up goodwill over the course of three decades, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, on the other hand, has been far from a model owner since buying the team, which led to MLB’s recent takeover of financial operations. Here’s the latest on the Dodgers, plus other notes from around the league:
- McCourt took out a $25MM loan in September as well as a recent $30MM loan from FOX, according to Heyman.
- Though McCourt signed paperwork guaranteeing that he wouldn’t sue MLB, he’s considering legal action. He didn't rule the possibility out earlier this evening.
- One competing GM says he's surprised by the Indians' hot start. He expected the Tribe to be horrible after seeing them this spring, but they are now 15-8, in first place.
- A Red Sox person says Carl Crawford’s slow start (.163/.209/.233 line so far) doesn’t necessarily have to do with playing for a new team or with a new $142MM contract. His .188 BABIP probably has a lot to do with it.
- The Braves are concerned about their offense, according to Heyman.
Braves To Sign Ben Swaggerty
The Braves will sign left-handed pitcher Ben Swaggerty, MLBTR has learned. The former Royals' Double-A Pitcher of the Year asked for and was granted his release out of Spring Training by Kansas City.
Swaggerty, 28, struck out 8.8 batters per nine innings with the Royals' Double-A affiliate last year, posting a 3.81 ERA in 59 relief innings. That was the lowest strikeout rate of his career; he owns a 10.4 K/9 (4.7 BB/9) in four minor league seasons.
2012 Contract Issues: Atlanta Braves
The Braves are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series.
Eligible For Free Agency (3)
- Veteran relievers Scott Linebrink and George Sherrill will be free agents, so the Braves figure to dabble in the relief market again.
- Shortstop Alex Gonzalez might be worth re-signing if the Braves want an affordable shortstop, unless they feel Tyler Pastornicky is ready.
Contract Options (2)
- Nate McLouth: $10.65MM club option with a $1.25MM buyout. This figures to be declined.
- Eric Hinske: $1.5MM club option with a $100K buyout. There's a good chance the Braves pick this one up.
Arbitration Eligible (5)
- First year: Kris Medlen (has a shot at Super Two)
- Second year: Jair Jurrjens, Martin Prado, Eric O'Flaherty
- Third year: Peter Moylan
Jurrjens will be the best-paid of the group, with $6MM a possibility depending on how this season goes. The Braves' arbitration eligible players could cost around $15MM in total.
2012 Payroll Obligation
The Braves' 2012 payroll obligation, according to Cot's, is $62.742MM excluding Hinske's buyout. Add in Hinske and the arbitration eligible players and you're in the $80MM range. That'd leave $15MM to spend assuming payroll is around $95MM. The Braves could add $6-15MM in flexibility (minus the salaries of the players coming back) by trading Jurrjens, Tim Hudson, or Derek Lowe, as they have great rotation depth. They might be in the market for a shortstop, a center fielder, and a reliever or two.
Braves Acquire Stefan Gartrell
The Braves have acquired Triple-A outfielder Stefan Gartrell from the White Sox for cash considerations, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter). The 27-year-old has been with the White Sox since 2006, when he was taken in the 31st round of the amateur draft.
In 177 career Triple-A games, Gartrell owns a .258/.318/.460 slashline with 32 homers.