Nats Looking For Center Fielder; Asked About Bourn
The Nationals are looking to acquire a center fielder and a leadoff hitter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The club is willing to overpay in a trade, according to Ladson, who suggests they could look for a center fielder or leadoff hitter if they trade Ivan Rodriguez or Todd Coffey. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post hears that the Nats inquired about Michael Bourn, though talks didn't develop (Twitter link).
Roger Bernadina has been playing center field regularly for Washington, but some members of the Nationals' organization believe he belongs in a corner outfield spot. The 26-year-old has played all three outfield positions this year and has a .247/.307/.333 line with one home run.
Nationals leadoff hitters have combined for a .195/.250/.296 line. They're 13 of 13 in stolen base attempts, but have just 13 walks against 51 stirkeouts and rank last among MLB leadoff hitters in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS.
AL East Notes: Papelbon, Bautista, Lawrie, Fox
It's early, but baseball's toughest division doesn't appear to be getting any easier. The Red Sox, Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays are all within two games of the AL East lead. Here are the latest links from the division…
- Jonathan Papelbon told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he’d like to stay in Boston after the season and break records and win championships with the Red Sox. The prospective free agent says he’ll do what’s best for his family, though there’s more to that than the bottom line. "It's not about the money, it's about going somewhere day in and day out and wanting to be there."
- Jose Bautista reflects on his ascension from hard-throwing college closer to utility player to MLB home run king with MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that top prospect Brett Lawrie has made the adjustments the Jays asked him to make and is close to Major League-ready (Twitter link). Earlier today, ESPN.com’s Keith Law ranked Lawrie 11th among MLB prospects.
- Orioles utility player Jake Fox told Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com that his role is unclear and that he has had trouble timing and recognizing pitches without regular at bats.
Reds Designate Tom Cochran For Assignment
The Reds announced that they designated left-hander Tom Cochran for assignment to create 40-man roster space for right-hander Chad Reineke (Twitter link).
Cochran, 28, has spent the 2011 season at Triple-A Louisville where he has a 4.08 ERA with 4.1 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 through 28 2/3 innings as a swingman. He has a 3.70 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in parts of nine minor league seasons since the Red Sox selected him in the 18th round of the 2003 draft.
Reineke is set to make his first MLB appearance since 2009. The 29-year-old had a 2.52 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings at Triple-A this year. A 13th round selection by the Astros in 2004, Reineke has a 3.84 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in eight minor league seasons.
Stark On Twins, Reyes, Beltran, Draft
Jose Bautista and Josh Beckett are the player and starting pitcher of the month for ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Here are Stark's latest rumblings from around the league:
- Barring a miracle, the Twins will be sellers this July, but they aren’t ready to trade anyone yet.
- One rival executive says they will eventually talk about trading prospective free agents including Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome and Matt Capps. The Twins would have interest in re-signing some of those players after the season and could conceivably do so even after trading them (the Indians did that with Austin Kearns last year).
- Though Jose Reyes is the Mets’ most exciting player, the consensus is that the Mets are going to have an easier time trading Carlos Beltran, partly because they will feel the need to get more in return for Reyes.
- The draft could be significantly different under a new collective bargaining agreement (baseball’s current CBA expires in December) and one scouting director says MLB needs to make changes, including a possible worldwide draft. "The dollars that are being asked now in Latin America are a joke,” the director said. “And this is the only way to address it."
- One small-market official says a slotting system would hurt small market clubs, since it would prevent them from out-spending deep-pocketed teams on draft picks.
- One GM suggests moving the draft back to the All-Star break and making it more of an event.
Elias Rankings Update
After the season the Elias Sports Bureau will take all players over the 2010-11 period, divide them into five groups for each league, and rank them based on various statistics. Then each player will be labeled a Type A, B, or none. Those designations and the possible accompanying arbitration offers determine draft pick compensation (click here for a refresher).
Eddie Bajek has reverse-engineered the Elias rankings, and he's providing that information exclusively at MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a look at how the players rank for the period beginning with the 2010 season running through May 29th, 2011. The Google spreadsheet below has separate tabs for each position group. Please note that an error from our initial post has since been corrected.
Draft Notes: Cole, Hultzen, Bradley, Springer
The draft takes place one week from today; here’s the latest as teams prepare their draft boards for next Monday…
- ESPN.com’s Keith Law projects the Pirates to select UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole with the first overall pick, though he says they’re still seriously in on Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen and high school outfielder Bubba Starling. It’s too early to rule out Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon either.
- The D’Backs could take Hultzen, UCLA right-hander Trevor Bauer or high schooler Dylan Bundy third overall, according to Law.
- It looks like the Orioles will take an arm fourth overall; they have Bundy, high schooler Archie Bradley and Cole in their sights.
- If Bauer falls to the Indians, they’ll take him, according to Law.
- The Cubs “sent a small army” to watch outfielder George Springer at the Big East tournament.
- The Padres are interested in UConn right-hander Matt Barnes and Vanderbilt right-hander Sonny Gray.
- The top three players on one team’s draft board are advised by agent Scott Boras, according to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan.
- Rendon's stock is down a bit because of a dip in production and injury concerns, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, but Rendon's coach at Rice, Wayne Graham, expects the third baseman to go within the top two picks.
- The Giants shouldn't (and won't) alter their draft strategy in response to Buster Posey's season-ending injury, writes Jim Callis of Baseball America in a mailbag.
Quick Hits: Reyes, Webb, Posey
Babe Ruth played his last MLB game on this date in 1935. The slugger played one inning against the Phillies and grounded out in his final at bat. Here's the boxscore from that game and here are today's links. Happy Memorial Day!
- Ever since Mets owner Fred Wilpon publicly questioned Jose Reyes' earning power, the shortstop is producing even more than usual, David Lennon writes at Newsday. Reyes leads the National League in hits, doubles, triples and stolen bases, though he'll be on the bereavement list for three to seven days (Twitter link).
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney wonders if Brandon Webb, who is now rehabbing, could be a fit for the Reds later this season.
- Dave Groeschner, a trainer for injured Giants catcher Buster Posey, told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that Posey is done for the season, but should be ready for the 2012 season opener.
Update On This Year’s Rule 5 Picks
Many Rule 5 picks ultimately return to their original organizations, as it's not easy to keep inexperienced players in the Major Leagues all season long. Nine of the 19 players selected in the Major League phase of last offseason's Rule 5 draft are back where they started and only five remain on active MLB rosters. Here’s another update on the draftees, two months into the season:
On Active Rosters (5)
- Pedro Beato of the Mets has a 2.38 ERA with a 13K/6BB ratio in 22 2/3 innings of relief. The 24-year-old right-hander is one of the most impressive selections of the draft.
- Aneury Rodriguez of the Astros has transitioned to the rotation, where he is holding his own. The right-hander has turned in three solid starts this month and has a 4.98 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 through 34 1/3 total innings this year.
- Like Rodriguez, Nathan Adcock of the Royals has transitioned to the rotation this month. He allowed seven runs in an ugly outing Friday, but his season numbers remain solid. The 23-year-old has a 4.07 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 24 1/3 innings.
- D'Backs manager Kirk Gibson has used Joe Paterson strategically in his 22 appearances; 36 of the 49 batters who have faced the the southpaw have been left-handed. The results are good: one earned runs and 11 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings with 7 hits and 5 walks allowed.
- Phillies utility player Michael Martinez is not hitting (.184/.212/.204 line through 53 plate appearances), but he has filled in at up-the-middle positions for the Phillies, playing short, second and center field.
Traded (3)
The Mets returned Brad Emaus to the Blue Jays, who traded the infielder to Colorado. Rule 5 restrictions no longer apply to Emaus, so the Rockies don't have to worry about losing him. The Twins retained Scott Diamond in a trade with the Braves and he has posted a 5.40 ERA with a 33K/18BB ratio in nine Triple-A starts. The Red Sox sent Daniel Turpen to the Rockies.
Injured (2)
Elvin Ramirez (Nationals) and Mason Tobin (Rangers) have been on the 60-day DL for over a month. They have to spend 90 non-September days on the active roster to become official property of their new teams. Otherwise, their Rule 5 status carries forward until the players spend 90 non-September days on the active roster.
Back Where They Started (9)
Brian Broderick, Josh Rodriguez, Jose Flores, Adrian Rosario, Pat Egan, Lance Pendleton, George Kontos, Robert Fish and Cesar Cabral are back with their original organizations.
White Sox Designate McPherson For Assignment
The White Sox announced that they designated infielder Dallas McPherson for assignment. In related moves, Chicago optioned Lucas Harrell to Triple-A and called up right-handers Brian Bruney and Jeff Marquez.
McPherson appeared in 11 games with the White Sox and collected a pair of singles in his 15 plate appearances. The 30-year-old had a .305/.366/.458 line in Triple-A Charlotte before getting the call to the Majors. Putting up gaudy minor league numbers is nothing new for the former top prospect. McPherson, Baseball America's #12 prospect entering the 2005 season, has 175 homers and a .953 OPS in the minors, though he hasn't matched that production in parts of five Major League seasons.
What Declining DH Production Means For David Ortiz
David Ortiz has done this before. The 35-year-old designated hitter has a .300/.371/.547 line after yesterday's pinch-hit home run and has a shot at reaching 30 homers and 100 RBI for the seventh time in his nine years with Boston.
Other DHs aren’t hitting nearly as much this year. Offense is down in general and DHs have contributed to the dropoff with a pedestrian .261/.338/.405 line (that's not counting National League DHs, who have just a .195/.256/.346 line). Designated hitters have combined for their lowest OPS of the 2000s, a Nick Punto-esque .743.
Ortiz, who repeatedly expressed interest in a multiyear commitment from the Red Sox last offseason, is earning $12MM this year and will hit free agency after the season. His numbers don’t compare to the ones he posted five or six years ago, but they seem especially strong when compared with those of other DHs on the brink of free agency.
Jack Cust has a single home run and a .325 slugging percentage; Hideki Matsui has three homers and a .346 slugging percentage; Jorge Posada has a .174/.292/.348 line and is one of the oldest players in the league; Jim Thome is even older than Posada and has spent time on the DL, though he has a respectable .792 OPS.
A few DHs are playing reasonably well this year. Jason Kubel has a solid .305/.350/.457 line with five homers; Johnny Damon has a .273/.315/.432 line with seven homers and Vladimir Guerrero has five homers with a .300/.325/.419 line. But Ortiz’s power numbers are far better; his 11 homers and .547 slugging percentage lead all DHs.
There’s a definite limit to how far Big Papi's 2011 success can carry him, since he turns 36 in November and only the 14 American League teams could work him into the lineup every day. Even if Ortiz continues hitting this well, it’s hard to imagine any team offering more than two guaranteed years.
But the season couldn’t be going much better for Ortiz, who has avoided his usual early-season slump and appears on track for another productive season. Meanwhile, DHs around the league are producing poorly and helping Ortiz’s chances of obtaining multiyear security in the process.