Odds and Ends: Glavine, McLouth, Ross
A few links for a night that has, so far, been a tad less exciting than the one previous in our realm. Congrats to Randy Johnson on his big day.
- Joe Frisaro at MLB.com confirms the discussions between the Braves and Marlins regarding Cody Ross, saying the Marlins were looking to dip into the Braves' pitching depth.
- Mark Bowman reports that the decision to cut Tom Glavine was based "solely on performance" and not for financial reasons.
- RotoAuthority examines the fantasy aspects of the three big weekend callups in Gordon Beckham, Tommy Hanson and Andrew McCutchen.
- The Marlins promoted their 2007 second-round pick, the other Michael Stanton, to Double-A Jacksonville, according to the Miami Herald. The outfielder posted a .968 OPS for High-A Jupiter.
- Dave Cameron at Fangraphs examines the Pirates' haul in the Nate McLouth deal and doesn't think it was enough.
- Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times makes an interesting comparison between Adam Jones and Franklin Gutierrez.
Odds And Ends: Oswalt, Pirates, Glavine
More links for Thursday afternoon as we wait for Randy Johnson to take his first crack at the 300-win plateau …
- Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that Roy Oswalt doesn't expect to stick around long enough to win 300 games. Instead, he says he'll stop playing once he stops producing.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms the Pirates will shop Jack Wilson, Adam LaRoche and John Grabow.
- Keith Olbermann wonders if the Pirates improved in center field by callling up Andrew McCutchen. Three hits an RBI and a steal made for a nice MLB debut.
- Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune wonders why the White Sox didn't trade for Nate McLouth.
- Jen Langosch of MLB.com reports that the Pirates say the McLouth deal wasn't financially motivated.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Tom Glavine's velocity has dipped noticeably, but laments the rough ending to the future Hall of Famer's Atlanta career.
- Remember to follow MLBTR on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook to join in and discuss phenom Bryce Harper.
Braves Discussed Ross; Hermida Available Too?
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Braves were in serious discussions to trade for Marlins outfielder Cody Ross before pulling off the Nate McLouth deal yesterday. The Marlins made Ross available, but ultimately decided not to deal him. Some within the Atlanta organization would have preferred to trade for Ross because he wouldn't have commanded as much of a return as McLouth did.
Reactions To McLouth Deal, Glavine’s Release
The Braves caught our attention yesterday with two major moves. They released Tom Glavine and then traded for Nate McLouth an hour later. Here's an assortment of reactions from around the majors:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to one executive who believes the Pirates sent a mixed message by signing McLouth to an extension and dealing him soon after. One team official says the Pirates never shopped McLouth, which suggests they were impressed by the Braves' offer.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he usually loves deals like this for the team acquiring young talent. In this case, he doesn't believe the Pirates got enough. For the Braves, however, it's a "brilliant" move.
- MLB.com's Adam Rosenberg reports that McLouth will arrive in Atlanta today.
- MLB.com's Jen Langosch sees both sides of the deal for the Pirates: It's possible Neal Huntington could have traded McLouth for more, but the three players he obtained are good ones.
- In spite of all the analysis, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says we won't really know who won this deal for months or even years.
- Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the fan reaciton has been "mostly negative."
- John Smoltz's reaction to the Braves' decision to release his former teammate: "That's not how you treat people." Smoltz disagrees openly with the move in the rest of his discussion with Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Glavine can prove the Braves wrong by pitching well for another team.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan believes it took a "healthy dose of emotional detachment" to cut Glavine, one that signaled "a clean break from the Braves' old identity."
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Nate McLouth
Some early thoughts about the Nate McLouth deal from around the blogosphere…
- Bob Smizik says the Pirates send a message to their fan base with the move: The present be damned. "His trade is bound to have a pronounced negative impact on the clubhouse, much like last season when the team collapsed after the July trades of Xavier Nady and Jason Bay." That seems a little extreme, but the Pirates did just move perhaps their most recognizable player.
- Bucs Dugout is naturally excited by the prospects in the deal, but they're not blown away. They also note that this kind of move makes perfect sense given the Bucs' current situation, and that they should be listening to offers for their other veterans as well.
- Talking Chop declares the move a win for the Braves, but says the biggest story is how fast Frank Wren & Co. have acted to correct the team's flaws. I still can't but wonder if they'll continue to look for an upgrade in rightfield as well.
Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.
Braves Acquire Nate McLouth
7:19pm: Kovacevic has comments from Pirates' GM Neal Huntington on the deal:
"This may be the toughest decision we have made in my time with the organization. Nate is a quality player and person but, as we have said several times, tough decisions will need to be made as we build and sustain a championship-caliber organization. Nate has worked as hard as any player to become a starting major league Player, proving wrong anyone who may have doubted him. When we signed Nate to a long-term contract, we did so with the intent on having him remain part of our core of homegrown talent. But the quality and quantity of talent we are receiving in this trade moves us closer to our goal of building that sustainable championship-caliber club and compelled us to move a very good player and an outstanding young man."
Huntington also comments on the three prospects the Pirates acquired, and says none of them will be in Pittsburgh immediately.
6:10pm: According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Braves acquired Nate McLouth from the Pirates today. Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Braves are sending three prospects to the Pirates for him. MLB.com's Mark Bowman names them: starters Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton and center fielder Gorkys Hernandez.
McLouth is signed through 2011 with a 2012 club option on an extension agreed to in February. This is probably not what he had in mind upon signing the deal, but the Pirates couldn't resist. Morton is big league ready, while Locke and Hernandez, also highly regarded, are further off. Andrew McCutchen will join the Bucs to replace McLouth in center field.
Braves Release Tom Glavine
5:48pm: David Lennon of Newsday tweets that the Mets are not considering bringing Glavine back. Also, word via radio reports is that Tommy Hanson will come up to start Saturday. That's Kris Medlen's turn, but he's not in the Nate McLouth deal.
4:42pm: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports the Braves have released Tom Glavine. Glavine signed an incentive-laden deal with the Braves this winter that could have paid him as much as $4.5MM. He would have received a $1MM bonus for making the team. Glavine had just finished rehabbing and had proclaimed himself ready for big league action.
We heard today that Glavine doesn't expect to play in 2010, but his career could be over sooner than that. Ironically, his release comes on the same day fellow-lefty Randy Johnson makes his first attempt at joining Glavine in the 300 win club.
Glavine Doesn’t Expect To Pitch In 2010
Jim O'Hara of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Tom Glavine expects this season to be his last. When he looks at this year's rotation Glavine says the only "logical spot" is as the fifth starter. With Javier Vazquez, Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens and Kenshin Kawakami in the rotation, Glavine's probably right.
Odds And Ends: Peavy, Cards, Strasburg
More links for Tuesday…
- As David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News points out, the Phillies already have $94.5MM committed to next year's roster, so adding Jake Peavy would require good accounting or, perhaps more available money.
- Cardinals fans voted Mark DeRosa as the player they'd most like to acquire to play third in this poll on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's site.
- Jeff Gordon of the Post-Dispatch suggests John Mozeliak "will almost certainly deal from his pitching depth" to obtain some infield help.
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Jordan Schafer has been sent to the minors, as the Braves' outfield problems continue.
- The AP (via the Miami Herald) reports that Stephen Strasburg is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded to the top amateur player in America.
- Orioles president Andy MacPhail is proud of the progress his team has made in the minors, according to Steve Melewski of MASN.com.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com says he expects this to be the year that Roy Oswalt is dealt (via Twitter).
Draft Updates: Braves, Reds, Tigers
The draft's a week away and here's what some teams are thinking as the big day approaches.
- The Braves will take the best available player with their seventh overall pick, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. It's the earliest pick they've had since 1991, but they'll have to wait until 87th for their next turn. Zack Wheeler, a Georgia high school pitcher, could be available when the Braves select.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that the Reds would like to add catching depth and left-handed pitching in the draft, which they say could be deepest in rounds 2-6. Cincinnati has the eighth pick of the first round, when high school lefty Tyler Matzek could be available.
- As MLB.com's Jason Beck reports, the Tigers are looking for pitching with the ninth pick. Pitchers Jacob Turner and Shelby Miller have caught the Tigers' attention.
- MLB.com's Thomas Harding points out that no one on the current Rockies roster was drafted in the last three years. This time around, they'll draft 11th.
- The Royals say they'll take the best available player with the 12th pick, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. This is the first time in four years that the Royals don't have a top-three pick.
- MLB.com's Mychael Urban reports that the A's agree with many teams: this year's first round is littered with power arms. The A's don't know what options they'll have with their 13th pick, however.