Baseball Prospectus’ Midseason Prospect List
Bryce Harper of the Nationals, Matt Moore of the Rays and Julio Teheran of the Braves are the three best prospects in baseball, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, who released his midseason list of the top 50 prospects in the game today.
Harper, the consensus top prospect in baseball, also topped Baseball America's midseason list and Keith Law's midseason list. Goldstein ranked Teheran higher than Law (12th) or BA (4th). Though the 20-year-old right-hander has pitched well, Moore has simply outperformed him to become the new top pitching prospect in baseball, according to Goldstein.
Mets Sign Fernando Perez
The Mets signed Fernando Perez to a minor league contract, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The Cubs, who acquired the 28-year-old in January the trade that brought Matt Garza to Chicago, released the outfielder ten days ago.
Perez hit .206/.206/.206 in 35 plate appearances for the Cubs this year, playing all three outfield positions. The switch-hitter spent most of the season at Triple-A Iowa, where he posted a .238/.312/.337 line with 17 stolen bases.
Tigers, Indians Interested In Aaron Harang
The top two teams in the American League Central are both looking for starting pitching depth and, in at least a couple of instances, they're interested in the exact same pitcher. The Indians and Tigers have interest in Aaron Harang, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Earlier today, Heyman reported that both clubs have interest in Hiroki Kuroda.
The Indians, who lead the Tigers by a half game after today's win, are looking to add a starting pitcher (here's a look at who's available). The Tigers hope to do the same and have some interest in Ubaldo Jimenez, Jeremy Guthrie, Derek Lowe and others.
Harang, 33, has a 3.19 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 through 93 innings this year. He may be profiting from pitcher-friendly Petco Park and the fact that opponents are hitting just .281 against him on balls in play (26 points below his career mark).
The ten-year veteran earns $4MM this season with a $5MM mutual option for 2012 ($500K buyout). He doesn't project as a ranked free agent under the Elias formula, so draft pick compensation does not appear to factor in to Harang's trade value.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports confirms that the Tigers are interested in Harang and adds that Detroit is not taking serious looks at Mark Reynolds or Wilson Betemit at the moment (Twitter links).
Angels Interested In Aramis Ramirez, Wilson Betemit
The Angels are interested in Aramis Ramirez and Wilson Betemit, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). However, Ramirez remains adamant that he will not accept a trade to any team, according to Rosenthal.
Ramirez's agent, Paul Kinzer, told Rosenthal that his client remains unwilling to accept any trade (Ramirez has ten and five rights). There's a chance that Ramirez would accept a deal in August, but the third baseman currently intends to finish his career in Chicago.
If traded, Ramirez would likely want his new club to drop his $16MM option for 2012 so that he can hit the open market after this season, Rosenthal reports. Ramirez's '12 option technically becomes guaranteed if he gets traded.
Acquiring Betemit won't necessarily be much easier. The Brewers, who are looking for help on the left side of the infield, have discussed the 29-year-old with the Royals.
Angels third basemen – mainly Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis – have combined for a .285/.356/.364 line this year. Their .356 on-base average ranks fourth in baseball, but their .364 slugging percentage is 18th in MLB. Ramirez and Betemit would offer more power and less on-base percentage than Los Angeles' current options.
Teams Called On Rasmus; Deal “Highly Unlikely”
The Rays, Nationals and Red Sox are among the teams that called the Cardinals about Colby Rasmus, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. However, GM John Mozeliak says he's "not shopping" his center fielder and insists that a deal remains "highly unlikely" (Twitter link).
Rasmus has requested a trade in the past and the Cardinals had serious talks about sending him to Tampa Bay last year.
Rasmus, who is arbitration eligible for the first time after the season, has a .241/.326/.404 line with nine home runs in 369 plate appearances this year. His 2012 salary will reach seven figures through arbitration and he's under team control through 2014.
Cashman: Yanks Can Make Playoffs, Won’t Be Stupid
Yankees GM Brian Cashman is monitoring the trade market, but prices are steep, so he won't necessarily make a move. Cashman told Jack Curry of the YES Network that he won't do anything "stupid," partly because it appears that the 55-37 Yankees are October-bound once again (all Twitter links).
"I think we definitely have enough to get in the playoffs," Cashman said.
Cashman mentioned Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Austin Romine and Jesus Montero as prospects he has "no inclination to move," Curry reports. The Yankees have at least some interest in Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies, who would cost significant prospects.
Yankees starters rank 6th in the American League with a 3.67 ERA and 6.7 K/9, though they're ninth in the league with 3.0 BB/9. Bartolo Colon, who dazzled opponents early in the year, struggled in his last outing before the All-Star break and his first outing after the break.
Knobler On Tigers, Vargas, Fister, Marlins
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports has the latest on the market for starters, from Miami to Detroit to Seattle. Here’s the latest:
- Though the Tigers are a possible destination for Carlos Beltran, they've been focusing all of their attention on upgrading their rotation at this point (Twitter link). Derek Lowe and Jeremy Guthrie are two of the pitchers who have drawn the Tigers' interest.
- The Mariners have suggested to teams that they would discuss dealing starting pitching – specifically Jason Vargas and Doug Fister, according to Knobler. They may not get much for Erik Bedard, but they're getting calls on Adam Kennedy and Jamey Wright.
- Though the Marlins will consider trading Javier Vazquez, Leo Nunez and Randy Choate, they won't talk about Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez or Josh Johnson, according to Knobler. The Marlins are looking to add starting pitching and a third baseman, though those moves may not happen this month.
Francisco Rodriguez Waives Vesting Option
5:05PM: Rodriguez's buyout will now increase from $3.5MM to $4MM with the Mets paying the original buyout and the Brewers paying the remainder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. K-Rod's vesting option now kicks in with the same 55 games finished, though the clause is now meaningless (via Twitter).
4:10PM: Francisco Rodriguez has agreed to waive his $17.5MM vesting option for 2012 in exchange for additional compensation, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The reliever will hit the open market at the end of the 2011 season.
The Brewers can now use Rodriguez without worrying that they'll have to pay him $17.5MM in 2012. The reliever's option would have become guaranteed for that amount if he had finished 55 total games this season, and he finished 34 with the Mets before heading to Milwaukee.
Rodriguez had the Brewers on his no-trade list, but his former agent did not properly submit the list, so it was not in effect when the Mets sent the 29-year-old to the Brewers. Rodriguez recently hired Scott Boras, who will represent him this fall. The last time the closer hit free agency, he signed a three-year $37MM deal with New York on the heels of his 62-save season.
Latest On Extension Talks For J.J. Hardy
4:34pm: One holdup in the talks between Hardy and the Orioles has been concern on Hardy's part that the Orioles will trade him, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
4:02pm: The Orioles and Hardy are progressing on a three-year deal that could be worth $21-25MM, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
3:10pm: There's optimism from the Orioles and J.J. Hardy about a potential extension and Baltimore appears to be willing to offer a three-year deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). It's not clear how much money the Orioles will offer the shortstop, who will become a trade candidate later this month if the Orioles don't complete a long-term deal, as they hope to.
The Orioles started extension talks with Hardy in June, but that hasn't stopped other teams from inquiring about his availability. It's not surprising that general managers are taking note of the 28-year-old's play. He has a .277/.336/.496 line with 13 home runs and a $5.85MM salary so far in 2011. If the Orioles don't reach an agreement with Hardy, he'll hit the open market after the season.
White Sox Sign Doug Davis
Doug Davis' stint with the Cubs didn't work out particularly well, so he'll try his luck with Chicago's other team. The White Sox signed Davis to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez, who suggests that the veteran left-hander will likely provide rotation depth in the minor leagues.
The Cubs signed Davis to a minor league deal in April after he worked out for a number of interested teams. The 35-year-old started nine games for the Cubs and posted a 6.50 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 45 2/3 innings. The Cubs released Davis after he gave up ten runs in one game to the Giants, who are 15th in the National League in runs scored.