AL Central Notes: Young, Francoeur, Thome, Indians
Fresh off a weekend sweep of the Indians, the Tigers send Justin Verlander to the mound against the streaking Rays tonight. Here are links from the AL Central as Verlander looks to build on the Tigers' division lead and boost his Cy Young candidacy…
- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire admitted that Minnesota was likely going to non-tender outfielder Delmon Young after the season, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com (on Twitter). Instead, the Twins traded him to the Tigers.
- In a detailed piece, Rany Jazayerli explains that he doesn't like the Jeff Francoeur extension for the Royals, even though there's a good chance it'll work out and it probably won't hurt the Royals terribly.
- Twins slugger Jim Thome has wanted to return to the Indians ever since he left Cleveland in 2002, according to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com (on Twitter). Thome hit waivers earlier today.
- MLB executives tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that if the Twins gave a valued player like Thome away for nothing, it would draw major scrutiny (Twitter links). For example, there would be loud protests if the Twins released Thome so that he could sign with the Phillies or another team of his choice.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti and manager Manny Acta both acknowledged to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that their high profile summer acquisition, Ubaldo Jimenez, needs to make mechanical adjustments and modify his pitch sequencing (Twitter link).
GM Candidate: Tony LaCava
MLBTR's list of general manager candidates introduced 20 people who were identified by their peers as potential Major League GMs. We’re bringing you closer to the candidates with a series of pieces. Today the series continues with Blue Jays executive Tony LaCava.
If Tony LaCava becomes a general manager, he probably won’t have a particularly hard time assembling a front office. The Blue Jays’ vice president of baseball operations and assistant General Manager has also worked for the Angels, Braves, Expos and Indians in his two-plus decades in MLB front offices and is known by his peers as someone who’s personable and well-connected.
LaCava has interviewed for GM jobs in Pittsburgh and Seattle in the past and some say it’s a matter of when, not if he becomes a GM. He oversees player development and Latin American operations for the Blue Jays, who have one of the top-ranked farm systems in the game. That kind of experience could tempt owners who are interested in replicating Toronto’s aggressive model of talent acquisition.
LaCava started his MLB career as a scout for the Angels in 1989, eventually becoming a cross-checker for them before moving on to Atlanta, Montreal and Cleveland. He remains an active scout to this day – part of his job with the Blue Jays involves evaluating possible trade candidates and reporting back to Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos.
While working with the Expos, LaCava became acquainted with advanced metrics through contact with Baseball Prospectus writers. As a result, he doesn’t shy away from including advanced stats like xFIP and BABIP in his analysis of a player.
A couple of years ago, it appeared that the Nationals might make LaCava their GM, but it turned out to be a false alarm. The next time you hear similar rumors, they could very well come true.
AL West Notes: Weaver, Mariners, Athletics
The Angels extended Jered Weaver yesterday and it didn’t take long for some initial reactions to surface. Here are more reactions to the Weaver deal, plus other notes from the Angels’ division…
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that executives around MLB were stunned that Weaver accepted the Angels' five-year, $85MM extension offer. They expected the Scott Boras client to hold out for more or test his value on the open market.
- Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles examines the Weaver deal and what it means for the Angels and their ace before concluding that "Weaver and the Angels needed each other."
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs shows that Weaver pitches in one of the best environments possible for his skills. Though Weaver probably left money on the table, Cameron says the deal is a good one for Weaver and the Angels.
- Writing at U.S.S. Mariner, Cameron suggests the Mariners might want to spend their money on a third baseman this winter, even though they already have the disappointing Chone Figgins under contract for 2012. However, there's not much out there aside from Aramis Ramirez, so the Mariners will likely have to decide between so-so secondary options and in-house solutions.
- The A's demoted catcher Landon Powell to Triple-A Sacramento so that he could get some regular at bats, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Coco Crisp and Rich Harden were claimed on waivers and pulled back, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. If Oakland puts the players on waivers again, they won't be able to pull them back. The A’s first placed Harden and Crisp on waivers a week ago.
Astros Place Rodriguez, Myers, Barmes On Waivers
9:12:pm: The Astros also placed Clint Barmes on waivers, reports Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle. Houston was telling teams that their shortstop was unavailable before the trade deadline, and Barmes has indicated a willingness to stay with the club beyond this season.
2:01pm: The Astros have placed Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers on waivers, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The move starts the timetable for potential trades involving Rodriguez and Myers.
Rival teams now have two business days to place a claim on the starting pitchers, both of whom have signed extensions in the past year or so. If no one claims them, the Astros will be free to trade with all clubs. If a team makes a claim, the Astros will have the choice of handing the claimed player and his salary over, pulling him back off of waivers or working out a trade with the claiming team within two business days. By placing the starters on waivers now, the Astros are giving teams an extra two days – the weekend – to contemplate making a claim.
Though it's not usually noteworthy for players to hit waivers in August, Rodriguez and Myers have both been considered trade candidates this summer and it won't be surprising if they are dealt. Myers has $14MM guaranteed on his contract after 2011 and Rodriguez has $23MM guaranteed plus a $13MM option that becomes a player option after a trade.
Draft Notes: Austin, Pirates, Hultzen
The deadline for signing draft picks has passed, but there’s still lots of news about 2011 draftees. The latest:
- Padres draftee Brett Austin turned down $1.5MM from San Diego to play for North Carolina State, according to Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres (Twitter link). San Diego selected the catcher with the 54th overall pick in the draft.
- As Jim Callis of Baseball America shows, the Pirates, Nationals and Royals lead all MLB teams in bonus expenditures from 2007-11. Four AL East teams – everyone but the Yankees – are next on the list.
- Callis also details this year's expenditures, with the Pirates, Nationals and Royals again leading the way.
- 2011 draftees Gerrit Cole, Bubba Starling and Danny Hultzen obtained three of the top five bonuses in draft history, according to Callis.
Outrighted To The Minors: Luis Lebron
Here's today's list of players to get outrighted to the minors…
- The Orioles outrighted Luis Lebron to short-season Aberdeen after he cleared waivers, according to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. The O's had designated the reliever for assignment on Tuesday.
Pirates Discussing Extension With Neil Walker
The Pirates are deep into extension talks with Neil Walker, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Talks between the two sides are proceeding well, but a final agreement isn't imminent. The Pirates would like to sign Walker to a long-term deal similar to the one Jose Tabata is nearing.
Walker, 25, projects to be arbitration eligible after the 2012 season as a super two player. He is on track to go to arbitration four times and hit free agency after the 2016 campaign. The former first rounder has a .271/.333/.396 line this year with 10 homers and 21 doubles in 507 plate appearances this season.
Stark On Draft, Astros, Phillies
There’s a disconnect between ownership groups and baseball operations departments for some small market teams, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Owners want hard slotting for draft picks, but their front office employees like having the freedom to accumulate talent by spending aggressively in the draft. Here are the details and the rest of Stark’s notes from around MLB…
- Some small-market teams would like to see stiffer luxury tax rates and thresholds imposed, the implementation of an international draft and penalties for teams whose payrolls dip below a certain level.
- The idea of supplying small-market teams with extra draft picks has also been “tossed around,” Stark reports.
- Unless the perfect player falls into the Phillies’ laps, they are going to rely on Jack Cust for left-handed pop. In other words, they aren’t prepared to overpay for someone like Jason Giambi, Jim Thome, Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon.
- MLB doesn’t expect that anything will prevent Jim Crane from completing his purchase of the Astros, according to Stark.
Heyman On Pirates, Orioles, Buehrle, Hultzen
The Astros placed Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers on waivers, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here are Heyman’s other notes from around MLB…
- Commissioner Bud Selig singled out the Pirates and Nationals for overspending in the draft and is more determined than ever to add slotting for draft bonuses, according to Heyman.
- Union people suggest to Heyman that current Major Leaguers oppose the idea of capping bonuses for amateur players, however.
- Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail admitted that pitchers like Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz have disappointed this year. "The starting pitching has really gone backward." he said. "We've got to get these guys back to where they were before."
- Suggestions that Mark Buehrle may retire after the season are off-base, Heyman reports. The left-hander’s contract expires after the season.
- The Mariners assured top pick Danny Hultzen that he’ll arrive in Spring Training 2012 with the chance to make the team, according to Heyman.
Yankees Claim Laffey, Designate Gustavo Molina
The Yankees claimed left-hander Aaron Laffey off of waivers from the Mariners and designated catcher Gustavo Molina for assignment, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). It's the second time this week that the Yankees have claimed a left-hander; they picked up Raul Valdes on Tuesday.
The Mariners designated Laffey for assignment to create roster space for Chance Ruffin earlier in the week. Laffey appeared in 36 games for Seattle this year, posting a 4.01 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 42 2/3 innings of work. The Mariners acquired the 26-year-old from Cleveland this March for cash and Double-A infielder Matt Lawson.
To create room for Laffey on their full 40-man roster, the Yankees designated Molina, who wasn't with the Major League team. The 29-year-old has spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he has a .239/.273/.310 line in 152 plate appearances. He also appeared in three Yankees games this year and has previous experience with four other MLB teams.