Five Significant Non-Trades From The 2012 Deadline
Blockbuster trades generate lots of excitement, but not all rumors turn into reality. Some of the possible trade scenarios that dominated MLBTR early on this season never actually happened. Let's revisit five of those non-trades with an eye on the coming offseason:
- Justin Upton, Diamondbacks – The Upton rumors have subsided, but I doubt they've disappeared for good. The Diamondbacks don’t appear to have ruled out the possibility of an offseason trade involving Upton, who has a .765 OPS since the beginning of August.
- Cliff Lee, Phillies – The Phillies aren’t eager to trade Lee, but moving him would create some flexibility for a team with considerable commitments to its 2013 payroll. The left-hander is guaranteed $25MM per season through 2015 and his contract includes a $12.5MM buyout for a vesting option in 2016. The Dodgers, the only team with more 2013 commitments than the Phillies, are obviously not intimidated by his contract.
- Matt Garza, Cubs – Garza drew considerable interest leading up to the trade deadline, but he hasn't pitched since. A stress reaction in the back of his pitching elbow will sideline him for the remainder of the 2012 season and GM Jed Hoyer expects the right-hander will return in 2013, his final season before hitting free agency. If the Cubs do trade Garza this winter they figure to have less leverage than they did in July, when he appeared to be healthy.
- Josh Johnson, Marlins – The Marlins reportedly sought a Mark Teixeira-like package for Johnson when they listened to offers for him midseason. He'll earn $13.75MM in 2013, the final year of his contract with Miami. Most teams can handle that kind of commitment for a pitcher coming off of a strong season (3.86 ERA, 140 strikeouts and 51 walks in 165 1/3 innings) so he'll draw lots of interest if the Marlins make him available again. It'd be a surprise if they obtained a franchise-altering collection of prospects for Johnson, however.
- Chase Headley, Padres – Headley, the National League’s player of the month for August, has been on an extended hot streak since the non-waiver trade deadline. He has hit .331/.369/.653 with 12 home runs in the 31 games he's played, boosting his trade value to new heights. There’s no guarantee Josh Byrnes will look to trade Headley this offseason — the Padres could look to contend — but if he does there will be a long list of GMs interested in seeing what the 28-year-old could do in a more hitter-friendly environment. Headley, who's under team control through 2014, is an offseason extension candidate.
Others such as James Shields, Cole Hamels, Jason Vargas, Carlos Quentin, Alfonso Soriano, Huston Street, Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau get honorable mentions.
Red Sox Acquire Guillermo Quiroz
The Red Sox acquired minor league catcher Guillermo Quiroz from Seattle for cash considerations, the Mariners announced. The 30-year-old has experience in seven MLB seasons, and last appeared in the Major Leagues as a member of the 2010 Mariners.
Quiroz posted a .278/.362/.483 batting line in 347 plate appearances at Triple-A Tacoma in 2012 after signing as a minor league free agent last December. He also hit 15 home runs and represented the Rainiers at this year's Pacific Coast League All-Star Game.
Mariners Designate Johermyn Chavez For Assignment
The Mariners announced that they have designated outfielder Johermyn Chavez for assignment. The move creates a 40-man roster spot for the team, which added Mike Carp, Luis Jimenez, Shawn Kelley, Alex Liddi, Hector Noesi, Carlos Triunfel and Casper Wells to the active MLB roster today.
Chavez spent most of the 2012 season with Seattle's Double-A Jackson affiliate. The 23-year-old posted a .232/.339/.386 batting line in 288 plate appearances at that level this year. The Mariners now have 10 days to trade, release or outright Chavez, who was dealt to Seattle with Brandon League for Brandon Morrow.
Quick Hits: Myers, Red Sox, Strasburg
Early September is always a good time to be a minor league player on the 40-man roster of an MLB team. So far today 21 players have been recalled to the MLB level, where they’ll earn a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary and collect service time. Here are today’s links…
- Congratulations to Wil Myers, who was named Baseball America's 2012 Minor League Player Of The Year. He hit 37 home runs and posted a .313/.387/.600 batting line in the upper minors this year while playing third base, center field and right field. Before long he’ll be hitting in the middle of the Royals’ lineup, J.J. Cooper writes at Baseball America.
- In light of Boston’s disappointing year, Alex Speier of WEEI.com recalls some recent teams that reached the postseason following losing seasons. Rarely have big ticket free agents played a role in these bounce-back campaigns, so it probably makes sense for Red Sox GM Ben Cherington to maintain a disciplined approach to spending, Speier writes.
- Here are some more notes about the Red Sox from earlier today.
- Manager John Farrell said he's "unequivocally" focused on the Blue Jays and acknowledged he has one year remaining on his contract with the team, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports (on Twitter).
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo deserves credit for protecting Stephen Strasburg and taking responsibility for his decision, Tom Verducci writes at SI.com. The decision to limit Strasburg’s innings is a truly modern one, “made with the kind of awareness, statistical study and medical information" that wasn't out there a decade ago, Verducci adds.
Clemens: No MLB In 2012
Roger Clemens said he doesn't expect to pitch for an MLB team in 2012, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). Clemens, who's scheduled to make his second start for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters three days from now, said he's just having fun. A comeback to the MLB level isn't on his mind, he said.
"I don't see it happening," Clemens told reporters.
The Astros will scout the 50-year-old's next start, but the Rangers and Royals don't appear to have interest. Clemens, who last pitched in the Major Leagues for the 2007 Yankees, could delay his appearances on the Hall of Fame ballot if he appears in an MLB game this year. Astros players have told their friends they think Clemens will sign with Houston, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported last week.
Wright Optimistic About Extension Talks
David Wright said he’s “extremely optimistic” about the chances of signing a long-term contract with the Mets, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Wright said he doesn’t have a single complaint about the organization, which drafted him 11 years ago. He added that he’s a loyal person who’d like to follow the path of one of his childhood heroes.
“My favorite player was Cal Ripken,'' Wright told Heyman. “The biggest reason for that was I like that he stayed.''
Wright’s current contract includes a $16MM option for 2013 with a $1MM buyout. At the very least the Mets will exercise the option, but GM Sandy Alderson has said the team has interest in keeping Wright in place long-term. The 29-year-old ACES client told the Mets he wasn’t interested in discussing an extension during the 2012 regular season and the same guidelines would apply in 2013, which means the Mets’ best chance at agreeing to an extension will be this offseason.
Rival executives suggest Wright is worth $20MM per season, according to Heyman. However, Mets ownership seems undeterred by Wright’s leverage and doesn’t have anything negative to say about him, Heyman reports ($160MM over eight years could work for both sides in Heyman’s view). Wright declined to discuss a potential extension in detail, saying only “you'd like it to take you to the end of your career.''
September Trades
It's officially September, but the trading season isn't necessarily over. Here's what you need to know about dealmaking after August.
Trading in September is a lot like trading in August. Players who have cleared waivers can be traded to any team. However, to be eligible for postseason play a player must be on the active roster, disabled list, bereavement list, or suspended list of that club as of midnight EDT on August 31st, as Keith Law explained in this article. Because of that rule, most deals occur before September.
Trades do happen in September, since acquisitions can help teams reach the playoffs. For example, the Phillies famously traded for Sparky Lyle in September of 1980. Lyle was a major contributor for the '80 Phillies team, even though he wasn't able to play in the postseason en route to the team's first World Series title.
More recently, players such as Kila Ka'aihue, Octavio Dotel and Willie Bloomquist have been dealt in the final full month of regular season play, as MLBTR's Mike Axisa explained three days ago. PTBNLs are often determined in September, too.
A version of this post was first published in 2009.
2013 Payroll Commitments
While teams like the Dodgers and Yankees have already committed to nine-figure payrolls in 2013, others have less than $15MM committed to the '13 roster. Cot’s Baseball Contracts has compiled each team’s payroll obligations for 2013. Here's the list, starting with the largest commitments:
- Dodgers, $193.8MM
- Phillies, $133.1MM
- Yankees, $119.1MM
- Cardinals, $92.8MM
- Angels, $92.3MM
- Tigers, $90.2MM
- Rangers, $84.4MM
- White Sox, $83.3MM
- Giants, $81.0MM
- Reds, $74.1MM
- Twins, $68.3MM
- Marlins, $67.5MM
- Blue Jays, $61.3MM
- Nationals, $58.6MM
- Diamondbacks, $55.0MM
- Mets, $54.5MM
- Orioles, $53.2MM
- Brewers, $52.4MM
- Rockies, $46.5MM
- Red Sox, $45.6MM
- Cubs, $41.8MM
- Mariners, $40.5MM
- Royals, $34.9MM
- Pirates, $27.9MM
- Padres, $26.0MM
- Athletics, $23.0MM
- Rays, $18.6MM
- Braves, $15.2MM
- Indians, $11MM
- Astros, $5.5MM
Please note that these figures don't include club or vesting options or figures for players whose salaries will be determined via the arbitration process. The totals include commitments to players no longer in the organization.
Angels Acquire Barry Enright
AUGUST 31: The Diamondbacks announced that they have acquired first baseman Frazier Hall as the player to be named later. The 24-year-old spent 2012 with Single-A Cedar Rapids where he hit .254/.322/.386 with 13 homers in 510 plate appearances.
JULY 24: The Angels announced that they acquired right-handed pitcher Barry Enright from the Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations. He'll report to Triple-A, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports (on Twitter).
Enright, 26, started 21 games for Arizona's Triple-A affiliate this year. The right-hander posted a 5.87 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 110 1/3 innings. Enright has a 4.87 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 over the course of 136 2/3 career innings with the Diamondbacks.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Moskos, Duncan
The latest outright assignments from around MLB…
- The White Sox outrighted left-hander Daniel Moskos to Triple-A, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Moskos has spent the entire season at Triple-A and posted a 4.05 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 33 1/3 innings for the top affiliates of the Pirates and White Sox this year.
- The Indians announced that they outrighted outfielder Shelley Duncan to Triple-A. They had designated the 32-year-old for assignment two days ago after he posted a .203/.288/.388 batting line with 11 homers.