McCourt Gets $1.2 Billion Offer For Dodgers
5:17pm: Major League Baseball is skeptical of the offer, writes Shaikin, as it suspects McCourt may be using the offer as a ploy to stir negotiations with other suitors or to persuade a bankruptcy judge to keep McCourt in charge of the team.
"There are questions within the sports industry about whether this is a genuine offer," said one industry consultant who works extensively with MLB and other professional sports leagues.
2:11pm: Frank McCourt's financial troubles have been well-documented, but the Dodgers owner could sell his team for more than any MLB franchise in history. McCourt has been offered $1.2 billion to sell the Dodgers, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Los Angeles Marathon founder Bill Burke headed the bid, which includes funding from Chinese and American investors.
Both Burke and a spokesman for McCourt declined to comment to Shaikin. McCourt has discussed the sale of a partial share of the Dodgers with at least two others groups, Shaikin reports. Burke's group is offering a cash payment for the team plus all related real estate and media rights. The bid would expire in 21 days with the goal of closing a sale within 90 days, according to Shaikin.
The Cubs sold for $845MM two years ago and that remains the record sale price for an MLB franchise.
GM Notes: Zduriencik, Cashman, Beane, Cubs
The Mariners announced yesterday that they agreed to a multiyear extension with GM Jack Zduriencik. The deal ends speculation about a possible regime change and means there’s one less job opening for GM candidates in MLB. Here are the latest notes on baseball’s general managers…
- Multiple high-ranking A’s officials tell Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Cubs haven’t made any contact with Billy Beane about Chicago’s GM opening.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff thinks Brian Cashman will be back with the Yankees next year, partly because of the Mariners' decision to retain Zduriencik. Not only does that remove one possible destination for Cashman, the longtime Yankees GM has been intrigued by the Seattle job in the past.
- Carrie Muskat of MLB.com lists Thad Levine of the Rangers, Ben Cherington of the Red Sox, J.J. Picollo of the Royals, Rick Hahn of the White Sox, Michael Hill of the Marlins and former Twins GM Terry Ryan as potential candidates for the Cubs' job.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Richardson, Quintanilla
The latest players to get outrighted to Triple-A…
- The Braves outrighted left-hander Dustin Richardson to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). Richardson, 27, has spent the season at Triple-A, where he has a 4.79 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 62 innings.
- The Rangers announced that they outrighted Omar Quintanilla to Triple-A (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has spent most of the season at Round Rock , where he has a .298/.369/.452 line in 234 plate appearances.
- Fred Lewis cleared waivers and the Reds outrighted him to Triple-A, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Lewis has a .230/.321/.317 line since signing a $900K deal with the Reds in January. He has played both corner outfield positions and spent time on the disabled list with a strained right oblique muscle.
Braves Release Wes Helms
The Braves released Wes Helms barely two weeks after signing him, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). The infielder's heel is bothering him and he told Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez that he wouldn't be able to help as anticipated.
Helms hit .191/.276/.236 in 124 plate appearances for the Marlins before they released him. The 35-year-old has spent most of his 13-year career at first and third, but he also has some experience at second base and in the outfield. He has a .276/.350/.446 career line against left-handed pitching.
The Braves acquired Jack Wilson from the Mariners yesterday to provide middle infield depth.
Yankees Designate Ryan Pope For Assignment
The Yankees designated Ryan Pope for assignment, according to Mike Ashmore of the Hunterdon County Democrat (on Twitter). The 25-year-old right-hander was not on the Yankees' active roster; the club had to designate him to create 40-man roster space for Jesus Montero and Scott Proctor.
Pope, a 2007 third rounder, has split the 2011 season between three of the Yankees' minor league affiliates, mostly pitching at Double-A and Triple-A. In total, he has a 5.12 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 45 2/3 innings this year.
Padres Claim Jeff Fulchino; Designate Pat Neshek
The Padres announced that they claimed Jeff Fulchino off of waivers from the Astros and designated right-hander Pat Neshek for assignment. Fulchino is scheduled to join the Padres in San Diego tomorrow night.
Fulchino, 31, posted a 5.18 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and a 37.4% ground ball rate in 33 innings for the Astros this year. The right-hander has a career ERA of 4.74 with 8.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 176 2/3 MLB innings since 2006 and his average fastball velocity is 93.4mph.
Neshek pitched 24 2/3 innings for the Padres after they claimed him off of waivers from the Twins in March. The side-arming 30-year-old posted a 4.01 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 8.0 BB/9 with the Padres.
Orioles Claim Pedro Strop; Gonzalez Trade Complete
THURSDAY: The Orioles announced that they claimed Strop from the Rangers. Baltimore obtained cash in the Gonzalez deal and used it to claim Strop, according to Connolly. The Gonzalez deal is now complete.
WEDNESDAY: Right-hander Pedro Strop will go to the Orioles as the player to be named in the deal that sent Mike Gonzalez from Baltimore to Texas, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
Strop, 26, has appeared in 11 games for Texas this season and has a 3.72 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 in 9 2/3 innings. The Dominican Republic native has also posted a 3.59 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 47 2/3 innings of relief for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate this season.
In parts of three MLB seasons, Strop's average fastball has clocked in at 94.7 mph. Strop, who originally signed with the Rockies as a shortstop prospect, didn't start pitching professionally until his age-21 season.
Mets Acquire Rosario, Herrera To Complete Trade
The Mets announced that they acquired Adrian Rosario and Danny Ray Herrera to complete the trade that sent Francisco Rodriguez and cash to Milwaukee in July. The Mets and Brewers initially agreed that two players to be named would join the Mets in the deal, which is now complete.
Rosario, a 21-year-old right-hander, spent the 2011 season at Class A. He started 14 games and worked out of the bullpen for a 4.32 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
Herrera, a 26-year-old, left-hander, has a 3.94 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 93 2/3 innings of work for the Reds and Brewers in his four-year MLB career. He spent most of the 2011 season at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.20 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 61 1/3 innings.
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy first reported the deal (on Twitter).
Olney On Gonzalez, Darvish, White Sox
Mark Teixeira told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that new Rangers reliever Mike Gonzalez has improved over the course of the season and now looks like a different pitcher than he did early on. Here’s Olney’s latest, including a note on Gonzalez…
- The Rangers may have obtained Gonzalez at the right time, Olney writes. Great left-handed hitters such as Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano and Adrian Gonzalez will figure prominently into the playoffs and the Rangers’ newest reliever can help limit their impact late in games.
- One MLB official told Olney that Yu Darvish will sign with an MLB team this winter. Earlier this morning, I listed the teams that have been publicly linked to the Japanese right-hander.
- MLB executives are coming to believe that White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf won’t retain both GM Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen in 2012, according to Olney. Alternatively, Reinsdorf could replace both and hire former White Sox skipper Tony La Russa to manage and promote assistant GM Rick Hahn to run baseball operations.
Players Traded In September
Let's face it – September trades are generally more complicated and less significant than the deals we see most months of the year. Players traded in September can help their teams reach the playoffs, but they can't play in postseason games. Here's a look at some current MLB players who have been involved in September trades since 2000:
- Octavio Dotel, 2010 - Dotel, a veteran of midseason trades, pitched 5 1/3 innings for Colorado after they acquired him from the Dodgers in September.
- Willie Bloomquist, 2010 - Bloomquist played three positions for the Reds last September, contributing five singles and a walk in 18 plate appearances.
- Micah Owings, 2008 - The Reds acquired Owings in the Adam Dunn deal, but he didn't pitch particularly well with Cincinnati. He does own an .808 OPS in 72 plate appearances for the Reds, though.
- Sean Rodriguez, 2009 - Rodriguez, the player to be named in the Scott Kazmir deal, has a .218/.311/.354 line with the Rays as a utility player this year.
- George Kottaras, 2006 - The Padres sent Kottaras to Boston for David Wells five years ago this month.
- Jason Frasor, 2002 - Frasor hadn't appeared in an MLB game when the Tigers sent him to the Dodgers in 2002.