Braves Agree To Terms With Dominican Right-Hander
The Braves agreed to terms with Dominican right-hander Mauricio Cabrera, the team confirmed to MLBTR. The sides agreed to a high six-figure deal, according to a second source. Cabrera, a slender 16-year-old, drew interest from several other teams, including the Red Sox, Mets, Rockies and Rangers, before agreeing to terms with the Braves.
Cabrera’s older brother, Alberto Cabrera is a prospect in the Cubs’ system. The elder Cabrera, now 21, has a 6.42 ERA in 40.2 innings at AA Tennessee this year. The international signing period began Friday, so teams can now sign this year's top young international players.
Odds & Ends: Tracy, Braves, Brewers, Phillies
Links for Friday, as the international signing period begins…
- Chad Tracy's agent told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that his client has interest in playing for Mike Rizzo's Nationals, since Rizzo, Arizona's former scouting director, drafted Tracy in 2001 (Twitter link).
- You can listen to MLBTR's Tim Dierkes talking trades on the YES Network's Off the Wall podcast right here.
- Earlier in the week we heard that the Braves weren't crazy about David DeJesus and that remains true, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Morosi says the Braves are not pursuing DeJesus or Jose Guillen.
- The Brewers would listen to offers for Todd Coffey and Carlos Villanueva, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter).
- Assistant GM Scott Proefrock told Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the current edition of the Phillies has to perform. Chase Utley will miss eight weeks or more and Placido Polanco will miss three to four weeks, so the Phillies’ depth will be tested if they don’t make a trade.
- As expected, the Yankees promoted Dustin Moseley, according to Conor Orr of the Star Ledger. Some teams called the Yankees to inquire about the righty's availability as his opt-out date drew nearer.
- One GM who just did an overview of the Royals' farm system told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he's impressed by the team's prospects.
- D'Backs president Derrick Hall says the team won't likely start searching for a permanent GM until the offseason, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).
- Not surprisingly, the D'Backs have yet to ask the Dodgers for permission to interview assistant GM Logan White, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Red Sox supplemental rounder Anthony Ranaudo is looking to be paid like a top-ten pick, according to Amanda Comak of the Cape Cod Times. Check out the complete list of first rounders to sign right here.
- The Brewers released Triple A outfielder Trent Oeltjen, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
A’s Claim Jeff Lyman
The A's claimed Jeff Lyman off waivers from the Braves, and optioned the right-hander to AA, according to an A's press release. Lyman, 23, was the Braves' second round selection in the 2005 draft. He had been pitching at Triple A Gwinnett for the Braves, where he posted a 4.72 ERA in 34.1 innings.
Control has been an issue for Lyman throughout his career and the first half of 2010 has been no exception. He posted 6.0 BB/9 with 6.8 K/9 at Triple A this year. Overall, Lyman has a 4.50 ERA in nearly 500 innings of minor league work.
Braves Seek Right-Handed Bat
The Braves are considering Josh Willingham, Corey Hart and Jose Bautista as they look to upgrade their offense with a right-handed bat, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. No deal appears imminent, but the Braves, who just lost Jason Heyward to the DL, are clearly setting their sights high.
Willingham had a .407 OBP and a .498 slugging percentage even before he homered again tonight. And Hart and Bautista started the day as the home run leaders in their respective leagues. All three outfielders will become free agents after 2011.
David DeJesus, who can be retained for $6MM in 2011, is less appealing to the Braves, partly because he hits left-handed. Should the Braves decide to upgrade over Matt Diaz, Melky Cabrera, Gregor Blanco and Eric Hinske, teams will presumably ask about pitching prospects such as Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino and Mike Minor.
Odds & Ends: Patterson, Marlins, League, Zambrano
Some Saturday links as the Red Sox suffer their latest injury, this one involving Clay Buchholz and running the bases…
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Red Sox's acquisition of Eric Patterson came together quickly; they had yet to inquire about him as recently as noon Eastern time today.
- Marlins' first base coach Dave Collins abruptly resigned today, reports Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. He wonders if the move may be related to an imminent Bobby Valentine hiring, but president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said that was not the case (all Twitter links).
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says (via Twitter) that Brandon League is the Mariners' second best trade chip behind Cliff Lee. The hard-throwing righty reliever is owed approximately $590K the rest of the season, and is under team control for two more years.
- With the Yankees facing off against the Dodgers, Tyler Kepner from the New York Times reminds us that Alex Rodriguez was almost a Dodger back in 1993. Fortunately for the Mariners, the first pick still alternated yearly between the AL and NL back then.
- In the comments of his blog, the Atlanta Journal Constitution's David O'Brien says that conversations with people across the Braves organization yesterday have him convinced more than ever that Fredi Gonzalez will be the Braves' next manager.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs may have reached the "breaking point" with Carlos Zambrano, and says they're probably better off eating the $45MM left on his contract and trading him away.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier says that Dustin Pedroia's foot injury is going to test Boston's less than stellar infield depth.
- Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Indians will probably be able to make smaller deals like they did last year with Rafael Betancourt (to the Rockies) and Ryan Garko (to the Giants).
Remembering the 1993 Trade Deadline
Baseball's 1993 season, with a potential strike looming, was an interesting year. And the trade deadline produced deals involving some of baseball's biggest names.
- On June 24, the Marlins traded Andres Berumen, Jose Martinez and a young reliever named Trevor Hoffman to the Padres for Rich Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield. Sheffield was just 24, and the Marlins quickly realized that he was more at home in the outfield than at third base. Sheffield managed an OPS+ of 162 over his next four seasons, before being purged by the Marlins, who traded him in the 1998 Mike Piazza deal, then turned around and traded Piazza to the Mets for prospects. And Hoffman? 16 seasons in San Diego, 552 saves and an ERA+ of 146.
- Less than a month later, the Atlanta Braves added a signature piece to their roster, trading Vince Moore, Donnie Elliott and Melvin Nieves to the Padres for Fred McGriff. The Braves got immediate payoff from the deal. McGriff, who had posted a .275/.361/.497 line in San Diego, went on a .310/.392/.612 tear with Atlanta. He hit 130 home runs over five seasons with the Braves. This is a classic trade deadline pickup.
- Still more activity came from the Padres, who, it must be noted, finished just 61-101 in 1993. On July 26, San Diego traded Greg Harris and Bruce Hurst to the Colorado Rockies for Brad Ausmus, Doug Bochtler and a player to be named later. Harris reached his sell-by date the day he was traded, going from a 3.67 ERA with San Diego to a 1-8, 6.50 ERA finish in Colorado. Hurst pitched 8.2 innings of 5.19 ERA ball before going down due to injury. And worst of all? The player to be named later sent to San Diego turned out to be… Andy Ashby, who pitched eight seasons of 113 ERA+ baseball for the Padres. Not a good day one mile above sea level.
- Under the radar a bit was a three-team deal that must be mentioned. The Royals got John Habyan. The Yankees got Paul Assenmacher, saving the clubhouse manager a ton of time by not having uniform names on their players' backs. And the Cubs got outfielder Tuffy Rhodes. While Habyan and Assenmacher continued to do what they tended to do for everyone else- put up decent ERAs out of the bullpen- Rhodes was a revelation, hitting .288/.413/.538 in 63 plate appearances. Then, on Opening Day 1994, he hit three home runs against the Mets! Surely, stardom would follow. Instead, he hit .234/.318/.387, and was playing in Japan by 1996. He starred there, of course, with seven seasons of 40 or more home runs, including a high of 55.
- The final bit of trade deadline drama came with the best leadoff hitter of all time. The Oakland Athletics sent Rickey Henderson to the Toronto Blue Jays for elite pitching prospect Steve Karsay and outfield prospect Jose Herrera. Amazingly, Henderson was a total bust for Toronto. He hit .215/.356/.319 after the trade, .327/.469/.553 before the trade. But Karsay could never stay healthy for long, and Herrera didn't do much in two big league seasons.
Braves Not Actively Shopping Escobar
One American League scout gets the sense that the Braves may be willing to trade Yunel Escobar, according to Mark Bowman and Chris Hempson of MLB.com. However, Bowman notes that the Braves aren't actively attempting to deal the 27-year-old and that it would take an "extremely attractive package" for Atlanta to move him.
Escobar has performed below expectations so far this year, posting career lows in batting average (.250) and OPS (.651). Not only is the shortstop struggling on the field, but Bowman suggests that "some members of the Braves organization" wouldn't mind parting ways with Escobar, due in part to his approach to the game.
There are a handful of teams, including the Tigers and Angels, who may look into acquiring a shortstop before the July 31st trade deadline. If they do, Escobar would be an intriguing option, though he won't come cheap. Considering his age and his .301/.375/.426 slash line in over 1500 plate appearances from 2007 to 2009, the Braves won't be inclined to sell low.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Jenkins, Twins, Eveland
On this date 11 years ago, Orioles lefty Jesse Orosco set the Major League record for career relief appearances when he came into the 8th inning of a game against the Yankees to face Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill. It was his 1,051st career appearance, surpassing Kent Tekulve's record. The then-42-year-old Orosco went on to pitch another four years after setting the mark, and retired with 1,252 career appearances, 74 more than anyone else.
Here are a few links from around the baseball blogosphere…
- 1 Blue Jays Way interviewed Jays' prospect Chad Jenkins.
- Nick's Twins Blog doesn't think Minnesota needs to add relievers from outside the organization.
- Pittsburgh Lumber Co. wonders what the Pirates were thinking when they acquired Dana Eveland.
- The Friarhood says it's time for the Padres to reinforce their lineup with a big bat.
- 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba tries to predict some upcoming transactions.
- Prospect Insider looks at some blocked prospects the Mariners could target in a trade this summer.
- Mets Paradise says Elmer Dessens has added a lot of depth to the Amazins' bullpen.
- Capital Avenue Club wonders who the odd man out of the Braves' rotation will be once Jair Jurrjens is healthy.
- Future Redbirds rounded up a bevy of prospect and draft reference links.
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Olney On Lee, Braves, Blue Jays
We can argue over where Cliff Lee will end up, but it would be hard to argue that there's a more appealing trade chip this summer. Lee has pitched complete games in three of his last four starts and has stuck out 19 times as many batters as he has walked. The Yankees are expected to have interest in Lee once he hits free agency, but they're now focusing on other needs since their rotation is strong, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter). The rest of Olney's rumors are here:
- The Braves know that hiring Fredi Gonzalez before the end of the season would create the expectation that they have already decided to replace Bobby Cox with Gonzalez in 2011. Olney says there's a good chance the club does not hire Gonzalez before the end of the season, even though he appears to be the leading candidate to manage the team next year.
- Sources tell Olney that the Blue Jays are doing "early reconnaissance" on possible managers. Cito Gaston, who beat Cox and the Braves in the 1992 World Series, will not manage the Jays after this season.
Braves Not In Search Of Pitching
The Braves won't be looking for pitching as we near the trading deadline, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN. However, Olney goes on to write (also via Twitter) that the club could seek a left-handed bat off of the bench if Eric Hinske continues to be a semi-regular player.
Recently, it was reported that GM Frank Wren could be in the market for a right-handed hitting outfielder to boost Atlanta's offense, though it seems that they'll now look for a left-handed hitter. David DeJesus and Luke Scott have been linked to the Braves in recent weeks, but Olney's report might indicate that they'll look to make a smaller move.