Stark On Rollins, Fielder, Pujols, Olivo, Tigers
A number of iconic players are in contract years, so ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark looks ahead to their free agent stock and provides other rumors from around the league. Here are the details:
- No one Stark spoke with predicts David Ortiz will leave the Red Sox for another team.
- Jose Reyes will be the number two free agent on the market this winter behind only Albert Pujols, according to one executive.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledges that it wouldn't be easy to replace Jimmy Rollins, even though the shortstop is no longer an MVP-caliber player. The Phillies ‘poked around’ for possible alternatives at short last offseason, according to Stark, who predicts a two-year deal for Rollins and the Phils this winter.
- Prince Fielder will no doubt sign a lucrative free agent deal, but one executive says the first baseman’s body will be an issue: "It has been since high school, and it always will be." Fielder is 27 now, so an eight-year deal would expire after his age-35 season.
- Pujols will test the market, but Stark and his sources find it hard to believe that he’d leave St. Louis for any old team. One executive predicts that the Cubs are the Cardinals’ main threat.
- The Cubs aren’t ready to start selling and haven’t started shopping Carlos Zambrano, despite his recent outburst.
- The Red Sox offered Miguel Olivo a one-year deal before re-signing Jason Varitek last offseason. Olivo eventually signed a two-year deal with the Mariners.
- The Rangers are ‘stepping up’ their search for a right-handed setup man and maintain interest in Nationals reliever Todd Coffey.
- Rival teams say the Tigers are looking for a left-handed reliever. Southpaws Daniel Schlereth, David Purcey, Charlie Furbush and Adam Wilk are currently in Detroit’s bullpen.
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Olney On Yankees, A’s, Moustakas
The Yankees have lost reliever after reliever to the disabled list this year, but that doesn’t mean they’re about to rush top pitching prospects like Manny Banuelos to the Bronx. GM Brian Cashman told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that he’ll try to strengthen the team’s bullpen in other ways. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Triple-A reliever Kevin Whelan could be an option for the Yankees, who have a depleted bullpen instead of the dominant one they expected after the offseason.
- Olney says turnover was inevitable for the A’s “because the franchise continues to rot day by day.” Oakland’s ballpark situation remains unclear and Olney says the franchise will continue to “rot” until there’s resolution on that front.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore told Olney that the time is right for top prospect Mike Moustakas to play in the big leagues. “Ned [Yost, the manager] wanted to get another bat in here, and our people feel like he's ready," Moore said. Moustakas has a .287/.347/.498 line with ten homers at Triple-A and he still has enough time to pick up a few hundred MLB plate appearances this year.
Heyman On Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, D’Backs
In the aftermath of Bob Geren’s dismissal, Jon Heyman of SI.com lists a handful of managers with suspect job security. Though 2011 probably won’t be a big year for managerial firings, Jim Riggleman of the Nationals and Edwin Rodriguez of the Marlins are on Heyman’s list. Here are the rest of his rumors:
- Geren had "lost" the Athletics' clubhouse, according to people with Oakland ties.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn’t expect elite starting pitching to be available this summer. "I just don't see a No. 1 pitcher you can pinpoint,'' Cashman said.
- The Yankees will look for starting pitching and left-handed relief.
- The Red Sox will also be looking to add a southpaw to their ‘pen.
- Boston people expect top prospect Jose Iglesias to prove himself as the shortstop of the future and people don’t expect the Red Sox to “make a play” for Jose Reyes.
- Competing executives say the Twins will “do what’s right” for the organization this summer, even if that means trading Major Leaguers for prospects. Watch out for the last-place Twins, who have won seven of eight.
- Executives say the D’Backs, Padres, Pirates, Rays and Red Sox had strong drafts.
Phillies Say Adding Offense Is Unlikely
Though the Phillies are 18th in the Major Leagues with 249 runs scored, their general manager doesn’t expect to make a trade for offense between now and the July 31st trade deadline. Ruben Amaro Jr. told David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News that he’s relying on the existing lineup to start producing more.
"We've got plenty of power," Amaro said. "They haven't hit with power. But we have it. They haven't performed like they can, yet. But they will."
Amaro says the Phillies will “live with it” if the offense doesn’t improve this summer. The Phillies are one of nine teams that are in violation of baseball’s debt service rules, so taking on payroll at the deadline will be trickier than expected for a club that leads the league in attendance. The 37-26 Phillies have allowed the second-fewest runs in the National League.
Jaime Garcia Changed Agents
Jaime Garcia switched agents earlier this year and Melvin Roman of MDR Sports now represents the Cardinals’ left-hander, the agency confirmed. Agent Bobby Barad, Garcia's previous representative, has also lost Robinson Cano and Jorge de la Rosa since leaving TWC Sports, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted on Twitter.
Garcia has a 3.20 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 through 81 2/3 innings this year. With the exception of one ugly start at Coors Field in late May, Garcia has been consistently effective. The 24-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and I projected his 2012 earnings at $3-4MM earlier in the season.
Beane Explains A’s Managerial Change
It wasn’t an eleventh hour decision made in the heat of the moment. As the losses kept piling up, A’s GM Billy Beane realized his team wasn’t responding the way he wanted and decided to make a change. It was time to fire his friend, manager Bob Geren.
“Let’s face it – in this business, the best response you get from the field staff is obviously ultimately in the wins and losses column,” Beane said on a conference call with reporters this afternoon.
Beane repeated throughout the call that the shift in focus from the players to the manager drove the personnel change for the 27-36 A’s. The GM said media speculation about Geren’s job security contributed to the distractions surrounding the A’s, who have lost nine straight games.
Earlier in the season, left-hander Brian Fuentes and former A’s reliever Huston Street publicly criticized Geren. Beane did not seek players out before deciding to change managers and did not comment on whether players sought him out to discuss possible problems.
The solution: replace Geren with interim manager Bob Melvin, the former Mariners and D’Backs skipper (the D’Backs did not require compensation for letting Melvin leave their front office for the A’s job). Though Melvin doesn’t yet have a permanent hold on the managerial job, Beane expressed optimism about his new hire.
“We’ll see how it goes the rest of the year,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence in Bob to have a positive impact.”
The A’s have endured injuries to multiple key players this season and recently lost four starters to injuries in a three week span. Melvin will face the same depleted rotation his predecessor did, but the last-place A’s haven’t given up on the season.
“The natural competitor in Bob [Melvin] and the natural competitor in me doesn’t want to give anything away certainly with 99 games left,” Beane said. “But I also think we have to be realistic given the available players right now especially in the pitching rotation.”
Heyman On Twins, Drew, Oswalt, Reyes
The A’s fired Bob Geren today, but most of baseball’s new managers are doing well in 2011, as Jon Heyman explains at SI.com. Here are the rest of Heyman’s notes and rumors from around the league:
- The Twins appear to be having second thoughts about the trade that sent Wilson Ramos to Washington for Matt Capps. Ramos is playing well and Joe Mauer has spent much of the season on the disabled list.
- It wouldn’t surprise people if J.D. Drew and Roy Oswalt retire after the season, according to Heyman. Oswalt and the Phillies have a mutual option for 2012 and Drew is a free agent after the season.
- Jose Reyes’ remarkable play has essentially forced the Mets to make him “a respectable offer.” The prospective free agent has been one of the best players in the game so far this season.
- Mets right-hander Matt Harvey and Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper are too good for Class A, according to Heyman. Harvey has a 2.49 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 and Harper has 14 home runs and a .342/.436/.619 line.
Draft Notes: Appel, Brooks, Bichette
On this date two years ago, the Nationals selected the most heavily-hyped amateur pitcher in history with the first pick of the amateur draft: San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg. Since the '09 draft, Strasburg has signed a $15.1MM contract, posted a 2.91 ERA in an electrifying rookie season and had Tommy John surgery. Here are some draft-related links for Thursday…
- The draft is officially over, so MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo is already looking ahead to 2012, when Stanford right-hander Mark Appel could be the first overall selection.
- The Royals agreed to terms with ninth round pick Aaron Brooks last night, MLBTR has learned. The right-handed pitcher led the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes in a number of categories and finished third in the NCAA in BB/9.
- Conor Glassey and John Manuel analyze each team's picks and approach at Baseball America.
- Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer said supplemental first rounder Dante Bichette Jr. isn't overly pampered, though he has family ties to the game, according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News. "He is a worker," Oppenheimer said. "His regimen, his schedule, his routine, from the way he eats to the yoga to spending time at the gym to hitting. It’s second to none.” Bichette’s father made four All-Star teams with the Rockies.
A’s Fire Geren, Hire Melvin
Mired in a nine-game losing streak, the Athletics are making changes. They announced this morning that they have relieved manager Bob Geren of his duties and hired former MLB manager Bob Melvin to take his place as the interim manager for the rest of the season.
Geren, a longtime friend of A's GM Billy Beane, rose through Oakland's system as a minor league manager before taking over the big league club. The A's had a 334-376 record in four-plus seasons under Geren, never finishing above .500. The 2011 Athletics are 27-36 after last night's loss to Baltimore.
The A's have dealt with a number of injuries this year – Mark Ellis, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden, Rich Harden, Brandon McCarthy and Tyson Ross are currently on the disabled list. Earlier in the season, Brian Fuentes and former A's reliever Huston Street publicly criticized Geren.
Melvin has experience managing the Mariners (2003-04) and D'Backs (2005-09) and had been working as a special advisor in Arizona's front office this year. The 2007 NL Manager of the Year has a 493-508 record in seven seasons as a skipper.