Rosenthal On Braves, Yankees, Royals
Though some teams are still in the process of deciding whether to buy, sell or hold, others are developing a clear sense of what moves they intend to make this month. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has the latest on the trade deadline, which is just over three weeks away…
- The Braves, who have limited payroll flexibility, aren’t sure if they’re going to upgrade their offense, but they could pursue a right-handed hitting outfielder. Atlanta could probably afford an outfielder like Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham or Michael Cuddyer if they also obtained cash to cover the player’s salary (though that would likely mean giving up better prospects in the trade).
- The Phillies may end up pursuing some of the same right-handed hitters as the Braves. Philadelphia is also exploring trades for relievers now that Jose Contreras, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson are on the disabled list.
- The Yankees would like to acquire a top-of-the-rotation lefty, but they’re more likely to add a left-handed reliever. New York’s preference is for a southpaw who can retire right-handed hitters as well as lefties. The Yankees are targeting a number of left-handers, including Sean Burnett of the Nationals, who is not yet available.
- The Royals will listen to offers for all of their players, but rival executives tell Rosenthal that Joakim Soria is likely staying put, since the asking price for him is high.
- Yankees catcher Jesus Montero has limited appeal to the Royals, since they doubt he’ll be able to stay behind the plate long-term.
- The Royals expect to compete from 2012-14.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Jose Lopez
Here's where we'll keep track of the latest players to get outrighted to the minors…
- The Marlins outrighted Jose Lopez to Triple-A, according to MLB.com's transactions page. They had designated the infielder for assignment over the weekend, less than a month after signing him. The 27-year-old has a .188/.219/.260 line this year in 160 plate appearances for the Marlins and their expansion cousins, the Rockies.
D’Backs Hope To Add Established Reliever
The Diamondbacks are exploring the trade market for an established reliever who can handle a late-inning role, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. But CEO Derrick Hall says he’s not interested in dealing top prospects for a quick fix.
"I think fans always get a little impatient, and I don't blame them," Hall said. "They want to win. They can taste it and they can smell it. But we want to have some sustainability, and in order to do so, we've got to keep those guys."
GM Kevin Towers has scouts watching the organization’s minor league affiliates to assess prospects' ability to make an impact in the Major Leagues. The goal is to accurately evaluate Arizona’s minor leaguers and ensure that the best ones stay put.
“We don't want to move the wrong prospect, someone that has a lot of upside and we think could be a core player for us in the future," Towers said.
Tyler Skaggs, Jarrod Parker and Pat Corbin are likely some of the prospects that are off the trade market this summer, as Piecoro points out. The Diamondbacks will be able to add payroll, which could prevent them from having to surrender top young talent.
Giants Will Consider Rental Players
Brian Sabean isn’t ruling out rental players if it means making the Giants better. The GM told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News that he’s not going to limit himself to trade targets that are under team control after 2011.
"No, you have to be more open-minded because of the situation we're in," Sabean said. "But you'd have to be pretty damn sure that, quote (unquote), rental player was a difference maker."
Sabean and his staff have had conversations with about half of the teams in baseball to set the groundwork for possible moves. The responses from other clubs have been “really slow or guarded” so far, according to Sabean, who suggested there may not be “actual premium choices” available this summer. Sabean said he’d be reluctant to part with starting pitching in trades, but didn’t completely rule it out.
The Giants, who lead the NL West with a 50-39 record, have a franchise record $120MM payroll and ownership hasn’t yet approved major payroll increases. Carlos Beltran, who earns $18.5MM and hits free agency this fall, is the type of rental player who could appeal to the Giants, though taking on his salary would likely require approval from ownership.
NL Central Notes: Garcia, Pujols, Pirates, Cozart
The Brewers acquired C.C. Sabathia on this date in 2008. The left-hander strung together one dominant outing after another and led Milwaukee to its first postseason series since 1982. Here's the latest from the NL Central as we await this summer's first blockbuster deal…
- When asked about the possibility of signing a contract extension with the Cardinals, Jaime Garcia told B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com (on Twitter): "I'm not saying yes or no, but if something is going on, when the time comes, you guys will find out."
- Now that he has made an exceptionally quick return from the disabled list, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols looms as the biggest potential difference-maker in the division, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains.
- Manager Clint Hurdle told Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Pirates discussed some external options yesterday, when management met to determine its plan for summer roster moves.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he isn’t going to make moves for the sake of shaking things up.
- Fay points out that someone named Zack Cozart is registered at the Reds’ team hotel (Twitter link). Though it could be a coincidence, it seems likely that the shortstop prospect is getting the call to the big leagues.
NL East Notes: Johnson, Phillies, Mets
On this date in 1979, Mike Schmidt homered in his first three trips to the plate then flied out to the warning track his next time up. Here's the latest from the Hall of Famer's former division…
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com gives us an up-close look at 68-year-old Nationals manager Davey Johnson, who considers himself a "geek" and can speak Spanish and some Japanese.
- The Phillies are expected to consider ways of making upgrades on the infield this month, according to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports imagines what might have been if the Yankees had acquired current Phillies ace Cliff Lee last summer.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson told David Waldstein of the New York Times that it's still too early to predict what kind of moves the Mets are going to make this month. The Mets are listening to offers for outfielder Carlos Beltran.
Taking Stock Of C.C. Sabathia’s Value
It was on this date in 2008 that the Indians sent C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers. He was virtually unbeatable in his 17 starts with Milwaukee, posting a 1.65 ERA and leading the Brewers to their first postseason appearance since 1982.
After the season, Sabathia signed his current seven-year, $161MM contract with the Yankees, a deal that includes an opt-out clause this offseason. Sabathia has said before that he intends to stay in New York, but he hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of opting out of the remaining four years and $92MM on his contract. We won’t know more for a while, since the sides aren’t going to discuss the opt-out during the season.
On this date in 2009 and 2010, I looked back at the trade that sent the big left-hander to Milwaukee, but today I’m going to look ahead to the offseason and what the market for Sabathia’s services might look like.
Sabathia, the 2007 Cy Young Award winner, is an annual threat to add a second Cy Young to his mantle. He averaged a 3.27 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and 234 innings in 2009-10, finishing in the top four in Cy Young voting each season. So far in 2011, his numbers are as good as ever; he has a 2.90 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 136 2/3 innings.
Sabathia stands out as one of the best whether you're looking at traditional stats or advanced metrics. Some general managers will note that Sabathia leads the league in wins (12) for the third consecutive season. Others will note that he leads American League starters in Wins Above Replacement this year (4.3 WAR, according to FanGraphs) and that Roy Halladay is the only pitcher with more WAR over the course of the past ten seasons.
Sabathia throws hard (average fastball velocity of 93.3 mph), induces ground balls (48.2% ground ball rate) and pitches deep into games (in the AL only Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez have logged more innings) all while playing in the game's toughest division.
Later this month, Sabathia will turn 31, so obtaining another seven-year deal would require some especially skillful negotiating on the part of his representatives at Legacy Sports. His former teammate, Cliff Lee, did sign a five-year deal as a 32-year-old, however.
Though it’s too early to tell whether Sabathia will opt out, any team that can contemplate a nine-figure investment in a pitcher would figure to have strong interest if he decides to test the market. The Yankees, naturally, would be at the top of any such list, so the left-hander may end up re-signing in New York, just as Alex Rodriguez did after opting out of his contract at the end of the 2007 season.
Sabathia won’t necessarily topple his old contract, like Rodriguez did in '07, since he'll be 31 this offseason. But Sabathia's consistent success has likely set him up for considerably more than $92MM in guaranteed money this winter, whether it's with the Yankees or somebody else.
Photo Courtesy Icon SMI.
Extension Talks Unlikely To Occur Soon For Reyes
1:00pm: The Mets are not talking about approaching Reyes' agents with an offer during the season, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
10:51am: Agent Chris Leible told Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger that "nothing's changed" in the past few weeks (Twitter link). There are no secret talks with the Mets and Reyes remains reluctant to talk contract during the season, according to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal (on Twitter).
9:06am: There are indications that the Mets will soon begin ‘secret’ talks with Jose Reyes’ representatives about an extension if they haven’t done so already, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Reyes, who is under contract through 2011, has been sitting out with a left hamstring problem that could send him to the disabled list.
It appeared last month that the Reyes wanted to wait until hitting free agency to negotiate possible deals. Yet one of Puma’s sources said Reyes and the Mets downplayed extension talks as a 'smokescreen' so that they could negotiate more privately.
The Mets are unlikely to trade Reyes this month and, according to Joel Sherman of the Post, are considering making him a substantial offer to stay in New York. It won't be cheap to retain Reyes given how well he compares with $142MM man Carl Crawford.
Mets Listening On Carlos Beltran
The Mets are beginning to accept calls on Carlos Beltran, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post and “people are calling” about the outfielder.
Beltran, who has said he’ll waive his no-trade clause in the right deal to a contender, met with agent Scott Boras to discuss trade possibilities. Few teams, if any, could afford Beltran’s $18.5MM salary, since he’ll still be owed $6MM or so at the end of July. He currently projects as a Type A free agent, but the Mets cannot offer him arbitration after the season.
The Yankees aren’t interested in Beltran, though the Red Sox are a possible fit given the low level of offensive production Boston has received from its right fielders this year. Mets GM Sandy Alderson says “it’s still a little bit early” to make deals, since the Mets are “relevant” in the race for playoff berths.
Rockies Don’t Plan To Be Sellers
The Rockies don’t need to shed salary this summer and don’t plan to be sellers regardless of their record, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies are now 41-46 and if they continue struggling they may move Aaron Cook and Ian Stewart, but Huston Street and Ty Wigginton are likely staying put.
For now, the Rockies will attempt to add a pitcher who’s under team control beyond 2011. They’ve asked the Twins about their starters, but Minnesota is reluctant to trade until they’re further out of the race.
Though Brett Myers and Carlos Beltran are among the best players available, the price tags for those players make them unappealing to Colorado. GM Dan O’Dowd won’t consider trading prospects for a ‘rental player’ unless Colorado is leading the division, according to Renck (the Rockies now trail by 7.5 games).