Minor Moves: Hinckley, Scales, Perez
Here's a summary of the day's minor moves…
- The Blue Jays released former top prospect Mike Hinckley, MLBTR has confirmed. The 28-year-old left-hander posted a 5.68 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 4.7 BB.9 in the upper minors before the Blue Jays let him go. Hinckley made it to the Major Leagues in 2008 and 2009 with the Nationals. Dave Gershman first reported the move.
- Utility player Bobby Scales is leaving the Cubs for a Japanese team, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). Scales, a 33-year-old with two years of MLB experience with Chicago, has signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters. He had a .304/.424/.535 line in 283 plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa this year.
- The Pirates announced that they have acquired minor league catcher Miguel Perez from the Nationals for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Perez, 27, played for Pirates affiliates in 2008-09 and has two games of MLB experience with th '05 Reds. He has appeared in just two games this year and has a .270/.323/.343 line as a minor leaguer.
Trade Candidate: Ramon Hernandez
The teams in search of catching reinforcements outnumber the teams with catching to spare, so the few clubs with catching depth will be in an enviable position this summer. They can hold onto their backstops while their rivals trot out replacement level players or trade a catcher and obtain a player who can help them in another area.
Walt Jocketty will face that decision this summer, since other general managers surely realize the Reds have more quality catching than most clubs. There's starter Ryan Hanigan, who signed a three-year extension over the winter. There's top prospect Devin Mesoraco, who has a .935 OPS in Triple-A. And there's Ramon Hernandez, a veteran backstop enjoying a career year at 35.
After hitting another home run yesterday (#8), Hernandez has a career-best .316 average, a career-best .379 on-base percentage and a career-best .526 slugging percentage. Hernandez's numbers are noteworthy from a personal standpoint, and they're also impressive in the context of the league. Among MLB catchers with 100 plate appearances or more, Hernandez is third in average, fifth in on-base percentage and second in slugging.
But plenty of bats are available, so Hernandez stands out because of the position he plays. Defensively speaking, he is passable if not spectacular; he has thrown out 35% of would-be base stealers this year and appeared briefly at first base.
The latest Elias rankings project Hernandez as a Type A free agent thanks to his current numbers combined with the .297/.364/.428 line he posted in 2010. As a result, the Reds could end up with two top picks if the catcher signs elsewhere after the season, when his $3MM contract expires and he hits free agency (though they may be better off if he drops into Type B territory).
There's no guarantee that Jocketty will seriously consider trade proposals for Hernandez, but the Giants have already discussed him and there are are lots of reason to believe the catcher will draw more interest this summer. He earns just $3MM and could net his club draft picks next June. Plus, the Reds have enough depth behind the plate to consider parting with Hernandez, despite his career-best numbers. It's hard to imagine that the 35-year-old's trade value will ever be higher given his performance and the league-wide shortage of catching.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Many Clubs Showing Interest In Kuroda
Multiple clubs are showing interest in Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Rockies and Reds had scouts at his most recent start.
The 36-year-old right-hander has a 3.10 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 101 2/3 innings for the Dodgers. His average fastball velocity (91.7 mph) and ground ball rate (44.6%) have dipped slightly so far in 2011. Kuroda earns an $8MM base salary this year and his full no-trade clause enables him to veto any deal. MLBTR's Dan Mennella examined Kuroda's free agent stock earlier this month.
Morosi hears from one executive who doubts the Dodgers will trade Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp, who are both under team control through 2012.
Red Sox Hope For More Production In Right
No team in baseball has scored as often as the Red Sox (409 runs), but there’s room for improvement, even in Boston. Red Sox right fielders have the worst average (.220), on-base percentage (.304) and slugging percentage (.326) of any American League team. And as one Red Sox source tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com, the status quo isn’t good enough.
“We need more out of that position,” Speier’s source said.
J.D. Drew hasn’t been as effective as expected against right-handers and Mike Cameron and Darnell McDonald haven’t produced as expected against left-handers, especially recently. Speier says it wouldn’t be surprising if Cameron or McDonald gets cut when Carl Crawford returns from the disabled list.
The Red Sox would prefer for their existing options – Drew, Cameron, McDonald and Josh Reddick – to play so well that no reinforcements seem necessary. But Boston’s interest in right-handed outfielders who can contribute off of the bench appears to be growing, according to Speier.
Brewers Designate Sergio Mitre For Assignment
The Brewers have designated right-hander Sergio Mitre for assignment, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter links). In related moves, the Brewers called up lefty Zach Braddock and first baseman Mat Gamel from Triple-A. Justin James, who was already on Nashville's staff, was officially outrighted to Triple-A, according to Haudricourt.
Mitre, 30, has posted a 3.27 ERA in 33 innings since Milwaukee acquired him from the Yankees for Chris Dickerson in March. The right-hander has a 14K/10BB ratio with a typically high 50.9% ground ball rate in his return to the National League.
Reaction To The Dodgers’ Bankruptcy
The Dodgers are 35-44 in their first season under manager Don Mattingly, but their sub-.500 record is the least of their problems. The historic franchise has filed for bankruptcy as owner Frank McCourt attempts to remain in control. Here's reaction to McCourt's latest move…
- Commissioner Bud Selig says McCourt's move "does nothing but inflict further harm to this historic franchise," according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. The Dodgers are in this situation because of McCourt’s “excessive debt and his diversion of club assets for his own personal needs,” Selig says.
- The attorney for Jamie McCourt, David Boies, called the Dodgers' bankruptcy filing "disappointing and disturbing" in a statement at the LA Times. "The rule or ruin philosophy that appears to have motivated today’s filing is bad for everyone who cares about, or has an interest in, the Dodgers," according to Boies.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark explains that McCourt's move means the Dodgers will be in "legal limbo" for many months to come. One sports attorney tells Stark that McCourt is simply buying himself time with today's move.
K-Rod Would Consider Trades To Yankees, Rays
6:06PM: Rodriguez described himself as "irritated" about the story describing his interest in a trade to the Yankees, tweets Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger. The closer reiterated that he wants to stay with the Mets.
8:13AM: Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News that he would consider accepting a trade to a contending team like the Yankees, even if it meant setting up rather than closing. Rodriguez says he’d “love to stay” put, but understands that the Mets may approach him about waiving the no-trade protection that allows him to block deals to ten teams.
"If I am going to be traded, obviously I want the opportunity to close out games, but if it's going to be good teams like the Yankees or the Rays, and it's going to be for two months, I can go out there and help them out," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez’s contract includes a $17.5MM option for 2012 that will vest if the right-hander finishes 55 games. He has finished 28 games, which puts him on a pace to finish 60. However, if a team with an established closer were to acquire Rodriguez, he would stop finishing games as frequently and the option might not kick in.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman said this week that he’s open to making trades with the Mets, though such deals are by no means easy. The Yankees are looking for a setup man who can restore depth to the team’s depleted ‘pen.
Aggressive Baserunning Paying Off For Jays In 2011
John Farrell inherited a vastly different offense than the one that clubbed a league-leading 257 home runs for Cito Gaston in 2010. Vernon Wells, John Buck and Lyle Overbay are gone and newcomers Rajai Davis (pictured), Corey Patterson and Juan Rivera now have prominent roles on the team. Before the season, the new Blue Jays manager explained his vision of a more complete offense, one that would feature players zipping from base to base instead of waiting for their chance to break into a home run trot.
“I would like us to become a much more aggressive team on the basepaths,” Farrell said in January. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to try to make Jose Molina a base stealer. But it does mean that there are opportunities where we can turn guys loose.”
And turn them loose he did. Even Molina has a pair of steals and Toronto has already stolen more bases than it did during the entire 2010 season. The increase is largely because of Davis, the slumping speedster who has attempted to steal 26 of the 50 times he has been on with an open base ahead of him. Unfortunately for Farrell, Davis has only succeeded 18 times (69%) and his running mate, Patterson, is only 11 for 17 (65%).
As a unit, Blue Jays baserunners are succeeding at a lower rate than they did under Gaston, though they’ve already eclipsed last year’s stolen base total. The team’s success rate has dropped from 74% to 71% in the early going, but the Jays have been successful in another department: taking the extra base. As the table below shows, Blue Jays baserunners have been more aggressive, taking extra bases on plays they showed more caution on under Gaston.
For example, the Blue Jays scored from first on a double 33 times last year. Led by Jose Bautista, who has scored four of the five times he has been on first for a teammate’s two-base hit, the Jays have already scored from first on a double 22 times under Farrell.
But Bautista's success running the bases is mitigated by the fact that he has already been picked off three times. In fact, Farrell's aggressive approach has led to 13 pickoffs so far, just one shy of the team's 2010 total.
Despite the pickoffs, Bautista has been Toronto’s most effective baserunner this year, according to UBR, a stat that measures a player’s impact on the bases (not including attempted steals). Still, Farrell has known all along that home runs are an essential weapon for his right fielder and for his entire offense.
“We’re going to play to that strength,” Farrell said. “But in preparing against this team [as an opponent], it was one that seemed to be one-dimensional and a little predictable.”
The numbers suggest the Blue Jays were among the worst teams baserunning teams in baseball last year. But after placing 27th in MLB with a -11.1 UBR in 2010, they’re fifth in baseball with +4.4 UBR this season. In other words, the Jays are on a pace to add a win on the basepaths this year, after losing a win on the bases last year.
Farrell still finds himself looking for a ‘spark’ and the offense will remain something of a work in progress until Aaron Hill and Travis Snider find their strokes and Brett Lawrie’s wrist is healthy. There’s no denying that the Blue Jays’ offense is sputtering at the moment – they’ve scored only three runs in their past four games – but the group has generally been productive. Only six MLB teams have scored more runs than Toronto this year and the offense is above average thanks in part to Farrell’s aggressive baserunning.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Jon Daniels Scouting Yu Darvish
Rangers GM Jon Daniels is scouting Japanese star Yu Darvish, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. However, the 24-year-old right-hander won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2014 season. If he does in fact come over, it will be via the posting system.
While it has been reported that Darvish wants to play in MLB in 2012, the hurler is not on the record as saying so. Heading into this season, the 6'5" starter had a 2.06 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 1128 1/3 career innings.
Thanks to Patrick Newman of NPBTracker for contributing information.
Stark On Cuban, Phillies, Rays, Giants
Outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a candidate to own a baseball team someday, but as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark explains, he faces a number of obstacles. Here’s Stark’s analysis of Cuban and other notes from around MLB:
- Bud Selig sees Cuban as a “squeaky wheel,” according to Stark’s sources. The commissioner does not appear to have interest in an owner who wants to be the story or who will “overtly challenge him publicly."
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. would like to strengthen his bullpen and he has checked in on a number of relievers, according to Stark.
- Scouts covering the International League say the Rays appear to be evaluating two of their outfielders, Desmond Jennings and Brandon Guyer, in possible anticipation of a B.J. Upton trade. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Rays listen on offers for Upton, but it would be surprising if they weren’t evaluating their own minor leaguers. Stark reported earlier in the week that the Rays are not likely to trade Upton this summer.
- Rival scouts have been eyeing the Giants’ Class-A affiliate in San Jose, especially Heath Hembree, who was recently promoted to Double-A, and top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.