Odds & Ends: Glaus, Orioles, Figgins, Papelbon
Links for Sunday, as Jeremy Hellickson aims for his third win in his third career start….
- Troy Glaus earned an additional $350K for making his 450th plate appearance last night, tweets Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Glaus will earn another $350K for his 500th plate appearance.
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tells us that the Orioles are unlikely to sign a pair of pitchers: sixth and seventh round picks Dixon Anderson and Matthew Bywater. The club is still working toward a deal with #3 overall pick Manny Machado, but expect to get a deal done.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (Twitter link) hears that, although a deal is unlikely, the Braves will probably "kick the tires" on Chone Figgins. Baker reported on Friday that Atlanta had yet to ask the Mariners about Figgins.
- John Tomase of the Boston Herald argues that moving Jonathan Papelbon and making Daniel Bard the closer before 2012 would be a mistake for the Red Sox. In yesterday's MLBTR poll, only about 20% of you said the Sox should keep Papelbon past this season.
- The New York media is always tough on the Mets, but today's coverage seems especially harsh: Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News breaks down the ways in which the Mets have wasted the last four seasons, while the New York Post's Joel Sherman says the club's future doesn't look much better.
- Talking to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan, Derrek Lee discusses his decision to veto a trade to the Angels.
- Jeremy Hermida tells Rob Bradford of WEEI that he was "kind of surprised" to be designated for assignment by the Red Sox.
- A couple updates on top draft picks: Reds' first-rounder Yasmani Grandal has already taken a physical, while the Pirates met with the agents for Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie for nearly seven hours yesterday. MLB.com's Mark Sheldon and Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have the details.
Rosenthal On Manny, Cardinals, Braves, Inge
We already took a look at Ken Rosenthal's updates on Joe Torre and Dusty Baker, but those weren't the only items of interest in his latest Full Count video at FOX Sports. Here are the others:
- Manny Ramirez should be on his way back to full health in the coming weeks, but if the Dodgers want to move him before August 31st, his no-trade clause may make things difficult. Rosenthal indicates that the Dodgers might be careful about when they place Ramirez on waivers, perhaps doing so if and when the White Sox are behind the Red Sox in the standings. As Rosenthal notes, Boston winning a waiver claim on Manny would make a trade highly unlikely, whereas the White Sox and Dodgers could have a better chance of working something out.
- The Cardinals and Braves are both searching for third base help. The Cardinals plan to give Allen Craig some time there and the Braves have been content with in-house options so far, but Rosenthal suggests Brandon Inge is a player who could be a fit for both teams. If Inge is placed on waivers, another contender may put in a claim to block the Braves and Cards from having a shot at him.
Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Harper, Canseco, Figgins
Saturday afternoon linkage..
- Boston sent catcher Michael Thomas to Texas to complete the trade for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.
- Dusty Baker has no interest in becoming a general manager, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- A former teammate of Bryce Harper's doesn't see the first overall pick going back to school, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- The Laredo Broncos, an independent minor league team, say they have signed Jose Canseco to a short-term contract, according to the Associated Press. Canseco will serve as a bench coach and designated hitter during two Laredo homestands.
- Chuck Finder of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Pirates GM Neal Huntington and scouting director Greg Smith are expected to sit down with agents Randy and Alan Hendricks in Houston this weekend to discuss a contract for second overall pick Jameson Taillon. MLB's slot recommendation for that pick is $3.25MM, though Taillon is expected to receive more than that.
- We know the Braves have not asked the Mariners about the availability of Chone Figgins in the wake of Chipper Jones' injury, but ESPN's Buster Olney says a deal is unlikely anyway. It would be pretty tough for GM Jack Zduriencik to tell ownership they have to eat tens of millions of dollars to move a player they just signed this past offseason.
- Ken Fidlin of The Toronto Sun says that Blue Jays' second round pick Griffin Murphy and his father were on the field at Angels Stadium talking with club officials, "a surefire sign that a deal is done." MLB's slot recommendation for the 61st overall pick is just short of $600K.
- The Yankees have come to terms on well-overslot bonuses with a pair of draft picks. Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that they signed ninth rounder Taylor Morton for $450K while Kendall Rogers of Yahoo! Sports reports an agreement with tenth rounder Ben Gamel (Mat's brother) for $500K. Both deals are more than three times over MLB's recommendation, and Gamel's is the largest given to a player selected in a double digit round so far.
Minor League Transactions: Marti, Anderson
Yadel Marti generated some buzz a couple winters ago when he defected from Cuba. It took a while, but the righty signed with a major league organization. Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the details and other transactions from August 2nd-11th:
- The Braves became the third team to release Josh Anderson this season. The Reds and Brewers also released Anderson, who has combined for a .448 OPS for those three organizations.
- The Red Sox released infielder Tug Hulett.
- The Dodgers released former big league pitcher Bobby Livingston. The lefty logged 56.1 innings for the 2007 Reds.
- The A’s signed Yadel Marti from Veracruz of the Mexican League. The 31-year-old pitched for the same team as Luis Heredia, a top pitching prospect who’s drawing interest from the Pirates and Blue Jays, among other clubs.
Braves Have Not Asked Mariners About Figgins
The Braves, who are considering ways to replace Chipper Jones, have not asked the Mariners about Chone Figgins, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). The clubs considered a Figgins deal before Chipper's injury, leading up to the July 31st trade deadline. Figgins, 32, would likely clear waivers, since he's hitting just .253/.343/.303 and has over $28MM remaining on his salary.
Baker, Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner and MLBTR all considered possible deals that would send Figgins to Atlanta. Click here to predict how the Braves will replace Chipper.
Chone Figgins & Kenshin Kawakami
The Braves lost Chipper Jones to a season-ending injury, so they’ll now give some thought to players outside the organization. Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner believes the Mariners "should be focusing on future wins," so he suggests a Chone Figgins for Kenshin Kawakami trade.
Figgins has more than $28MM remaining on his contract, so the Braves would presumably want salary relief in any deal. Could Atlanta ship Kawakami to Seattle for Figgins? Cameron suggests that would be a good deal for Seattle. Let’s consider the possibility, starting with the two players:
Figgins
- He earns $2.25MM before the end of the season, $9MM in 2011, $9MM in 2012 and $8MM in 2013. There's a vesting option for 2014.
- The 32-year-old has hit .253/.343/.303 in 494 plate appearances with 30 steals in 38 attempts.
- In his last 15 games, Figgins is batting .397/.426/.500.
- Among qualified hitters, only Cesar Izturis has a lower slugging percentage
- Figgins has played exclusively at second base this year, but can also play third
- Recent UZR data suggests Figgins is a strong defender at third, but below average at second.
- About 17% of 2,000-plus MLBTR readers believe the Braves will acquire Figgins.
Kawakami
- He earns $1.9MM before the end of this season and $6.7MM in 2011.
- He has a 4.75 ERA in 83.1 innings with 6.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.
- The Braves, who removed Kawakami from the rotation in June, barely used him as a reliever, so they shipped him to the minors, where he'll build stamina in case the team needs him.
The Braves have Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, Mike Minor and Derek Lowe in their rotation and appear to lack faith in Kawakami. He is expendable and the Braves could use an infielder, though Omar Infante, Martin Prado, Brooks Conrad and Eric Hinske give the club enough flexibility to get by without making a move.
The first place Braves want to win now, especially since it's Bobby Cox's final season as manager. Swapping a player they don't rely on at all for Figgins would probably help the team in 2010. Figgins has next to no power and has a substantial amount remaining on his contract, but has been an above-average player for a while and was fantastic as recently as last year.
The Mariners wouldn't necessarily improve their chances of winning now if they sent Figgins to Atlanta for Kawakami, but, as Cameron points out, it probably makes sense for the team to focus on winning in 2012. Shedding most or all of Figgins' contract would allow them to spend on other needs. This hypothetical deal would help the win-now Braves in the short term and the win-later Mariners in the long term, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the clubs consider this swap.
Poll: How Will The Braves Replace Chipper?
Braves GM Frank Wren will meet with Bobby Cox and the team's scouts to decide how to replace Chipper Jones, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). They could rely on Martin Prado, Omar Infante, Brooks Conrad and Eric Hinske, or they could look to acquire a player from outside the organization. Tell us what you think Wren & Co. will do:
How will the Braves replace Chipper Jones?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.
Chipper Out For Season; Braves Have Depth, Options
Chipper Jones will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, according to Chris Dimino of 790 The Zone (Twitter links). It’s a major blow for the Braves, but they should have enough depth to win without Chipper.
When Martin Prado returns from his finger injury, he and Omar Infante can combine to play second and third and Brooks Conrad can continue backing up at the hot corner. Eric Hinske, primarily an outfielder, won the 2002 Rookie of the Year at third and has played there on occasion in 2009-10.
Aramis Ramirez, Pedro Feliz, Wes Helms, Adam Kennedy, Jose Lopez, Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta, Ty Wigginton, Edwin Encarnacion, Melvin Mora and Willie Bloomquist are among the infielders who could clear waivers this month. The Mariners tried to engage the Braves on Chone Figgins last month, so perhaps Jack Zduriencik will call Frank Wren to see if the Braves are interested now.
2011 Vesting Options Update
We began the season with nine potential vesting options for 2011, but they're dropping like flies. With Alex Cora and Magglio Ordonez now off the board, we look at the remaining three:
- Trever Miller, Cardinals. The lefty needs 45 appearances for his $2MM option to vest, and he's made 41 on the season. He could lock in next year's salary within a week, though a DL-worthy left arm or shoulder injury changes this to a club option.
- Darren Oliver, Rangers. Oliver needs 59 appearances for his $3.25MM option to vest, and he's got 46 so far. Barring injury, he'll get there.
- Ramon Hernandez, Reds. Hernandez needs 120 games for his $3.25MM option to vest. He's played in 65 so far. The Reds have only 50 games remaining, so we can cross this one off the list.
- An honorable mention goes to Billy Wagner, whose $6.5MM option vests with 50 games finished. Wagner has finished 46 so far. However just last month he repeated his desire to retire after the season. Having a guaranteed salary for 2011 might not sway Wagner, since he would've made at least that much on the free agent market anyway. But what if he finishes the season just shy of the fourth spot on the all-time saves leaderboard? He's currently 12 away from John Franco, who finished with 424.
- Also of note is Scott Podsednik, who needs 525 plate appearances to be able to void his $2MM club option. Pods is 41 PAs shy of that mark.
Pirates Claim Chris Resop
The Pirates claimed righty Chris Resop off waivers from the Braves, according to David O'Brien of Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). The Braves had requested outright waivers on Resop on Monday.
Resop disappointed in his brief stint with the Braves. However, the 27-year-old posted a 2.09 ERA, 10.0 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 with four home runs allowed in 82 Triple A innings this year (15 starts). This is a nice pickup for the Pirates, who were known to be trolling for pitching after trading away several key members of their bullpen.