Cardinals Interested In Geoff Blum
The Cardinals are interested in Geoff Blum, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Blum, Craig Counsell and Edwin Encarnacion have all cleared waivers, so the Cards could trade for those infielders without restriction. Brandon Inge also interests the Cards, but if he has cleared waivers, it has not been reported.
The Cardinals are pursuing infield help more aggressively than before, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The team lost David Freese to a season-ending ankle operation, so the front office would like to add a third baseman or utility infielder. GM John Mozeliak says he’s discussing players who have cleared waivers with a number of teams and waiting for other players to be placed on waivers.
"The whole process of waivers is about being patient," Mozeliak said. "At the same token, if we felt like we could do something that will help us sooner rather than later, we would give that real consideration.”
The Cardinals are relying on Felipe Lopez to play third, but he has just a .580 OPS since the All-Star break. Allen Craig has appeared at the hot corner, but is probably not an everyday option there.
Red Sox Sign Ibarra After Renegotiating Bonus
The Red Sox signed Adalberto Ibarra to a minor league deal with a considerably smaller bonus than expected after the catcher failed his physical, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The Red Sox were set to sign Ibarra to a major league deal worth at least $3MM, but he failed his physical because of a relatively minor problem. Boston was no longer comfortable offering $3MM, so they signed Ibarra for $700-800K.
Both sides wanted to work out a deal, even after the failed physical. Ibarra, who defected from Cuba last year, has noteworthy bat speed and plate discipline.
K-Rod On Disqualified List; Union Files Grievance
WEDNESDAY, 5:06pm: The MLBPA has officially filed a grievance on K-Rod's behalf, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
TUESDAY, 6:58pm: MLBPA leader Michael Weiner told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Mets' actions are "without basis" (Twitter link). Weiner expects the MLBPA to challenge the team's actions "right away."
6:08pm: The Mets placed closer Francisco Rodriguez on the disqualified list and converted his contract to a non-guaranteed deal, the team announced today. K-Rod will not be paid or pick up service time while on the disqualified list.
Teams can place a player on the disqualified list if he has violated the terms of his contract and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News says it sounds like the Mets won't reinstate their closer until he can play (Twitter link). Rodriguez has about $3MM remaining on his 2010 contract, so the Mets would save a considerable amount if their decision stands and K-Rod is out for the season. The MLBPA could object on Rodriguez's behalf, though.
K-Rod underwent thumb surgery today to repair a ligament. The Mets say Rodriguez told a team trainer that he injured himself in an altercation with the grandfather of his children, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (Twitter link). GM Omar Minaya said the Mets do want to bring K-Rod back in 2011, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork (on Twitter). He has at least $15MM remaining on his contract after 2010.
Manny Plans To Play In 2011
Agent Scott Boras confirmed to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Manny Ramirez is interested in playing next year. Manny will hit free agency after the season, but it doesn’t sound like he’s ready to retire.
“Manny wants to play,” Boras said.
Ramirez, who is about to begin a rehab assignment for the Dodgers, could be traded if and when he clears waivers. The Dodgers could not place Manny on waivers when he was injured, but Morosi reports that the team could place him on waivers before they activate him from the disabled list, as long as he is healthy.
Manny's $20MM salary would likely prevent any teams from claiming him, but some clubs would likely have interest if he clears waivers and proves his health. In 220 plate appearances, Ramirez has a .317/.409/.516 line this year, so the Dodgers could draw interest if they're willing to pick up salary. The Cubs acquired prospects for Derrek Lee, who cleared waivers, but they had to pick up salary to do so.
Braves Acquire Derrek Lee For Three Prospects
When Derrek Lee takes the field at Wrigley this weekend, he won't be wearing a Cubs uniform. The Braves have acquired Lee from Chicago in exchange for right-hander Robinson Lopez, right-hander Tyrelle Harris and left-hander Jeffrey Lorick.
The Cubs will pay the Braves $1.7MM, half of the $3.4MM owed to Lee between now and the end of the season. The 34-year-old, who hits free agency at season's end, has a .251/.335/.416 line in 475 plate appearances and projects to be a Type B free agent this offseason. Lee has a .939 OPS since the All-Star break, but is currently dealing with back soreness.
Lee isn't an obvious platoon partner for Troy Glaus, since both players have a history of hitting left-handers a bit better than they hit right-handers. So Glaus, a longtime third baseman, will be placed on the DL and receive some time at the hot corner during his rehab assignment. He has been slumping (.575 OPS in the last two months), but the Braves hope he can provide some pop at both first and third base in September.
As for the minor leaguers heading to Chicago, Baseball America ranked Lopez 16th among Braves prospects before the season and suggested that he "may be the biggest sleeper in the [Atlanta] system." He's still just 19, but his numbers in A ball haven't been as impressive as the ones he posted in his Rookie ball debut last year. Lopez has a 4.37 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 so far in 2010.
Harris, 23, has played at three levels this season and has now reached AA. Overall, the reliever has a 2.90 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9. Lorick, also a reliever, has yet to reach AA, but the 22-year-old has solid numbers so far in 2010: a 2.24 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.
David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com first reported that the Braves and Cubs were working toward a deal and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) broke news of the trade. Mark Bowman, Mark Bradley. David O'Brien, Jon Heyman, Bob Nightengale, Jerry Crasnick, Bruce Levine and Gordon Wittenmyer also provided updates to the story.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Rays Sign Ramon Ortiz
The Rays signed right-hander Ramon Ortiz and assigned him to Triple A Durham, according to the transactions page for the International League. The 37-year-old pitched 30 innings for the Dodgers this year, posting a 6.30 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9.
After the Dodgers designated Ortiz for assignment, the Mets picked him up on a minor league deal. Ortiz pitched well for the Mets' Triple A affiliate, posting a 3.94 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in Buffalo. He'll presumably stay in the minors until September, since the Rays have a deep rotation, even with Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis on the DL.
Odds & Ends: Torre, Royals, Colome, Hawpe
Links for Wednesday, a year to the day after the Rangers acquired Ivan Rodriguez…
- Check back in at 2pm CDT and join our weekly chat.
- After speaking to Dodgers manager Joe Torre about his future, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports is starting to believe the skipper will retire after the season.
- The Royals spent slightly under $6.7MM on this year’s draft, according to Daniel Paulling of the Kansas City Star.
- The Rangers signed Jesus Colome, who has already been released by the Mariners and Dodgers this year. The transactions page for the Pacific Coast League says Texas assigned the righty to Triple A.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that he doesn't expect to make any trades this month.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post fully expects the Rockies to have parted ways with Brad Hawpe by the weekend (Twitter link).
- Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic likes what he sees from D'Backs interim GM Jerry Dipoto and interim manager Kirk Gibson.
- The Pirates spent a franchise-record $11.9MM on this year’s draft, according to data obtained by Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Count Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos among those who wouldn't mind moving the deadline to sign draft picks earlier in the summer. He told the FAN 590 that he would also prefer to see the deadline in the evening, rather than late at night.
Adam LaRoche Clears Waivers
Adam LaRoche cleared waivers, so the D'Backs can now trade him to any team, according to John Gambadoro of KTAR.com (on Twitter). The 30-year-old, who was traded twice last year, has a .272/.339/.489 line with 20 homers this season. That line is virtually identical to LaRoche's career averages, so this level of production seems sustainable.
The D'Backs owe LaRoche $1.15MM between now and the end of the season, plus a $1.5MM buyout on a $7.5MM mutual option for 2011 (the option climbs in value to $9.5MM after a trade). LaRoche currently projects to be a Type B free agent after the season, though there's no guarantee that his team will offer arbitration.
The Red Sox had interest in left-handed first basemen early in the month and the Rays and White Sox could also have interest in LaRoche's bat. Here's MLBTR's complete list of players who have cleared waivers.
Olney On Draft, Harper, Brewers
There's some concern among MLB executives that baseball is losing top athletes to other sports, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. It's possible that the next collective bargaining agreement will include a slotting system, but executives point out that slotted bonuses would have to be substantial to compare to the value of a college football or basketball scholarship. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- One GM told Olney that baseball's August trading system is "completely antiquated." Another GM admitted that he couldn't give Olney a good reason why players must pass through waivers to be traded in August.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo estimates that the team agreed to terms with first-overall pick Bryce Harper with about 26 seconds to spare before Monday night's deadline.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin says he isn't going to give his veteran players away, but he's open to trading them to teams in contention. Melvin was speaking in general terms, but that approach presumably applies to Craig Counsell. The infielder has cleared waivers and is open to a trade.
The Athletics’ 2011 Rotation
Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez, and Vin Mazzaro are all 27 or younger, and all five pitchers have ERAs under 4.00 this year. That doesn't tell the whole story, of course, but it shows that the A's have a formidable group of young arms.
There's no reason to expect the A's to change course next year, as long as those five pitchers stay healthy. They should be effective again (xFIP, a fielding-independent stat that evaluates pitchers based on walk, strikeout and grounder rates, has all five starters at 4.33 or below, so they don't appear to be succeeding on luck) and they will all be affordable. Only Braden, who goes to arbitration for the first time, will earn more than $750K in 2011.
Basically every team MLBTR has analyzed so far could pursue starting pitching this winter. The Brewers, Dodgers, D'Backs, Padres and Nationals all seem likely to consider free agent starters this offseason and even the Reds could actively pursue pitching. Last winter, the A's signed Justin Duchscherer and Ben Sheets to high-risk, high-reward deals, but don't expect GM Billy Beane to do the same this winter. The A's have enough starting pitching to get by without aggressive forays into the trade or free agent markets.
The A's have potential starters in the bullpen, on the DL and the minor leagues. Reliever Tyson Ross succeeded as a starter throughout his minor league career, so Oakland could stretch him back into a starting role. Before the season, Baseball America said Ross has "middle-of-the-rotation stuff, and possibly more." Boof Bonser, now in the 'pen, also has experience as a starter, but there's no guarantee that the A's offer Bonser arbitration, since his 2011 salary could be in the $1MM range.
Josh Outman, who started 12 games for the A's last year, will be an option if he recovers from the elbow issues that have sidelined him for most of the season.
If and when the A's encounter injuries, they can also call on minor leaguers for depth. Former first-rounder Clayton Mortensen has posted a 4.14 ERA and struck out 2.4 times as many batters as he has walked at Triple A this year and rotation-mate Travis Banwart has struck out more than a batter per inning. A couple pickups from the Mexican League, Bobby Cramer and Yadel Marti, provide depth and intrigue, if nothing else.
Ross, Outman, Mortensen et al. are not necessarily the sort of starters the A's would choose to rely on, but the A's don't have to rely on them. They have a quintet of effective young starters and can call on their organizational depth when they need it. Beane and the rest of the front office would presumably be open-minded about adding pitching this winter, but they can focus on the lineup or the bullpen, since the A's don't need to add starting pitching.