Braves Have Not Asked Mariners About Figgins
The Braves, who are considering ways to replace Chipper Jones, have not asked the Mariners about Chone Figgins, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). The clubs considered a Figgins deal before Chipper's injury, leading up to the July 31st trade deadline. Figgins, 32, would likely clear waivers, since he's hitting just .253/.343/.303 and has over $28MM remaining on his salary.
Baker, Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner and MLBTR all considered possible deals that would send Figgins to Atlanta. Click here to predict how the Braves will replace Chipper.
Brewers Release Jody Gerut
The Brewers released Jody Gerut, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (Twitter link). Lorenzo Cain's strong play (.933 OPS in ten games) meant the Brewers didn't need Gerut, even though he has recovered from the heel injury that sidelined him.
Gerut, 32, struggled through 74 plate appearances this year. He posted a .197/.230/.366 line with two homers, though he has not played since late May. Like former teammate Jim Edmonds, Gerut has a history of hitting right-handers well. This year, however, Gerut handled lefties well and struggled against righties (.444 OPS).
Poll: The Dodgers And Matt Kemp
Matt Kemp is in the midst of a disappointing season, but he’s still just 25 and he’s already proven how well he can play. His agent, Dave Stewart, suggested to the LA Times that a trade could benefit Kemp and the Dodgers. After all, other teams in baseball surely appreciate Kemp’s talent, so the Dodgers could address other needs in a potential trade. It would definitely be selling low, however, and GM Ned Colletti says the club has no intention of dealing its center fielder. So what should Colletti do?
Should the Dodgers seriously consider trading Matt Kemp?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.
Dodgers Do Not Intend To Trade Matt Kemp
Dave Stewart, the agent for Matt Kemp, suggested to Bill Plaschke of the LA Times that the Dodgers should consider trading his client, but GM Ned Colletti says the organization does not intend to make such a move. Stewart says Kemp faces “a bunch of back-seat crap," particularly from Dodgers coaches Bob Schaefer and Larry Bowa.
"I'm almost to the point — and maybe so are the Dodgers — where I'm thinking that this just isn't going to work," Stewart told Plaschke. "The Dodgers have gaps on this team, and maybe they could fill them by trading Matt. It could be good for the team, and good for the player."
Stewart has not formally demanded a trade, but says it’s “very, very difficult to play under the circumstances that Kemp is playing under." Frustrated with inconsistent play from their center fielder, the Dodgers have benched Kemp, most recently this week. That doesn’t mean they intend to make a deal, though.
"No, I have no plans to trade [Kemp]," Colletti said. "He's got a chance to be one of the best players in the history of the franchise."
Kemp, 25, makes $6.95MM next year and is eligible for free agency after 2012. He has a .263/.319/.458 line in 489 plate appearances this year and UZR data suggests his defense has deteriorated.
Chone Figgins & Kenshin Kawakami
The Braves lost Chipper Jones to a season-ending injury, so they’ll now give some thought to players outside the organization. Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner believes the Mariners "should be focusing on future wins," so he suggests a Chone Figgins for Kenshin Kawakami trade.
Figgins has more than $28MM remaining on his contract, so the Braves would presumably want salary relief in any deal. Could Atlanta ship Kawakami to Seattle for Figgins? Cameron suggests that would be a good deal for Seattle. Let’s consider the possibility, starting with the two players:
Figgins
- He earns $2.25MM before the end of the season, $9MM in 2011, $9MM in 2012 and $8MM in 2013. There's a vesting option for 2014.
- The 32-year-old has hit .253/.343/.303 in 494 plate appearances with 30 steals in 38 attempts.
- In his last 15 games, Figgins is batting .397/.426/.500.
- Among qualified hitters, only Cesar Izturis has a lower slugging percentage
- Figgins has played exclusively at second base this year, but can also play third
- Recent UZR data suggests Figgins is a strong defender at third, but below average at second.
- About 17% of 2,000-plus MLBTR readers believe the Braves will acquire Figgins.
Kawakami
- He earns $1.9MM before the end of this season and $6.7MM in 2011.
- He has a 4.75 ERA in 83.1 innings with 6.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.
- The Braves, who removed Kawakami from the rotation in June, barely used him as a reliever, so they shipped him to the minors, where he'll build stamina in case the team needs him.
The Braves have Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, Mike Minor and Derek Lowe in their rotation and appear to lack faith in Kawakami. He is expendable and the Braves could use an infielder, though Omar Infante, Martin Prado, Brooks Conrad and Eric Hinske give the club enough flexibility to get by without making a move.
The first place Braves want to win now, especially since it's Bobby Cox's final season as manager. Swapping a player they don't rely on at all for Figgins would probably help the team in 2010. Figgins has next to no power and has a substantial amount remaining on his contract, but has been an above-average player for a while and was fantastic as recently as last year.
The Mariners wouldn't necessarily improve their chances of winning now if they sent Figgins to Atlanta for Kawakami, but, as Cameron points out, it probably makes sense for the team to focus on winning in 2012. Shedding most or all of Figgins' contract would allow them to spend on other needs. This hypothetical deal would help the win-now Braves in the short term and the win-later Mariners in the long term, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the clubs consider this swap.
Odds & Ends: Holt, Lee, Klein, Valentine, Villone
Links for Thursday, exactly 23 years after the Braves and Tigers swapped Doyle Alexander and John Smoltz…
- The Indians signed tenth round pick Tyler Holt according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Holt's $500K bonus is the largest we've seen for a player drafted in a double-digit round this year.
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News wonders how much the Texas heat will play into Cliff Lee's decision about whether or not to re-sign with the Rangers after the season.
- MLB.com' Brittany Ghiroli tweets that Orioles' third rounder Dan Klein is expected to report to one of the team's minor league affiliates once he passes his physical, indicating that the two sides have a deal in place.
- Someone familiar with Bobby Valentine’s thinking tells Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that Valentine considers the Mariners managerial opening one of "the most appealing jobs in baseball.”
- The Nationals released Ron Villone, according to Syracuse Chiefs broadcasters Jason Benetti and Mike Couzens (on Twitter). The veteran left-hander, who last pitched in the majors in 2009, posted a 6.59 ERA in Triple A this year.
- The sale of the Rangers is now final, as MLB.com’s Barry Bloom writes.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker previews some of the players who could soon make the jump from Japan to MLB. Wei-Yin Chen, a 25-year-old lefty represented by Alan Nero may be posted this offseason.
- Veracruz, the Mexican team that holds the rights to pitching prospect Luis Heredia, will not entertain offers from MLB clubs until next Wednesday, August 18th, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Tim Chambers, Bryce Harper's college coach, told Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com that Harper, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, is “begging to play.” Chambers expects the Nationals to work out a deal by Monday night’s deadline.
- Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are "fairly close" to an agreement with first rounder Kaleb Cowart, though he expects negotiations to last until Monday, the deadline for signing draft picks.
- Jamey Newberg counts down the ten biggest August trades in recent Rangers history for MLB.com. Rick Helling and Ryan Dempster have prominent roles on the list, which is worth checking out.
Poll: How Will The Braves Replace Chipper?
Braves GM Frank Wren will meet with Bobby Cox and the team's scouts to decide how to replace Chipper Jones, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). They could rely on Martin Prado, Omar Infante, Brooks Conrad and Eric Hinske, or they could look to acquire a player from outside the organization. Tell us what you think Wren & Co. will do:
How will the Braves replace Chipper Jones?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.
Stark On Sherrill, Blue Jays, Harper, Thome
There has been a “flurry” of waiver claims on prominent players, according to an MLB official who spoke with ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Nearly every desirable hitter and reliever has been claimed, according to Stark’s source. However, we can add at least one name to our list of players to clear waivers. Here it is, along with Stark’s other rumors:
- George Sherrill, who has a 7.00 ERA and $1.3MM remaining on his contract, cleared waivers, according to Stark. The Dodgers can now trade him to any club, as our waiver trade primer explains.
- David Aardsma, Kevin Gregg and Brandon League were all claimed on waivers and pulled back, according to Stark’s source. If the Mariners or Blue Jays re-expose their respective relievers to waivers, they would no longer have the right to pull the players back.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Stark that he’s looking for high-impact players, because the club is geared towards reaching 95 wins.
- One MLB official believes Manny Ramirez will sign a one-year, incentive-based contract with an AL team this winter. That sounds about right.
- There have been no signs that Scott Boras, who represents first overall pick Bryce Harper, has had any meaningful conversations with the Nationals about what it will take to reach a deal. The sides have until Monday at 11pm CST to reach a deal.
- The Twins were willing to include Wilson Ramos (now in Washington’s system) in a trade for Cliff Lee, according to Stark’s sources.
- Jim Thome already has 15 homers for the Twins, and he could be back in Minneapolis next year. "We'd certainly have interest in him coming back," Twins assistant GM Rob Antony told Stark.
Potential Suitors For Derek Jeter
Let’s indulge ourselves for a minute and play a game. Imagine, if you can, that Derek Jeter is not going to re-sign with the Yankees this winter. As hard as that is to do, let’s try to figure out which teams would have interest in Mr. November if the Yankees let him walk.
I’ll spare you the details on Jeter, since we’re all familiar with his track record, but here are the essentials. He is hitting .280/.343/.394 this year with 12 steals in 16 attempts. The four-time Gold Glover restored his defensive reputation last year, when he posted an above-average UZR/150, but UZR doesn’t like Jeter’s defense so far in 2010.
Jeter, perhaps the most marketable player in baseball, figures to reach 3,000 hits at some point in 2011. He’s also as durable as it gets; he averaged 152 games from 1996-2009 and is on pace to play just as many times this season.
There's absolutely no reason to expect Jeter to leave the Yankees, but here’s a look at the teams that would have interest in Jeter if the Yankees do not re-sign him. For the purposes of this piece, we’ll assume that Jeter wants to play shortstop, not left field or third base.
- Orioles – The Orioles need a shortstop, but it seems unlikely that Jeter would choose to finish his career for a team that doesn't appear ready to contend immediately.
- Tigers – Jeter would probably be tempting for the Tigers, who have relied on Ramon Santiago and Danny Worth at short this year.
- Twins – J.J. Hardy is a non-tender candidate after a disappointing first season in Minneapolis, so the Twins could be in the market for a shortstop this winter.
- A’s – The A’s need offense and Jeter’s track record suggests he would be a clear offensive upgrade over Cliff Pennington.
- Nationals – The Nationals, who have interest in one big-name free agent, could move Ian Desmond to second to make room for Jeter.
- Reds – The Reds have a $4MM option for Orlando Cabrera’s services, but would be a potential suitor for Jeter. However, Cincinnati will also be looking to replace or re-sign Ramon Hernandez, Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang.
- Cardinals – The Cards have Brendan Ryan and Tyler Greene, but they’d surely be tempted by Jeter.
- Padres – Miguel Tejada and Jerry Hairston Jr. are free agents, so the Padres could let them walk and replace Everth Cabrera with Jeter.
- Giants – Even if the Giants let Juan Uribe walk and decline Edgar Renteria's option, they could get by with Mike Fontenot and Emmanuel Burriss. But there's a big difference between just getting by and signing Derek Jeter.
- Others – The Mariners could get creative and move Jack Wilson to a backup-utility role; the Braves could decline Alex Gonzalez’s 2011 option or pick it up and trade him
The Rays (Jason Bartlett, Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez), Red Sox (Marco Scutaro), Blue Jays (Yunel Escobar), Indians (Asdrubal Cabrera), White Sox (Alexei Ramirez), Angels (Erick Aybar), Rangers (Elvis Andrus), Phillies (Jimmy Rollins), Mets (Jose Reyes), Marlins (Hanley Ramirez), Brewers (Alcides Escobar), Cubs (Starlin Castro), Dodgers (Rafael Furcal), Diamondbacks (Stephen Drew) and Rockies (Troy Tulowitzki) all have shortstops under team control for 2011.
Christian Colon, the Royals’ first-round selection in this year’s draft (fourth-overall) may move from short to second eventually, but the Royals still don’t seem like a fit for Jeter. Neither do the Pirates and Astros, who aren’t in win-now mode.
Again, it's virtually impossible to imagine Jeter signing anywhere but the Bronx, so this piece is mostly for fun. But if he wanted to test the free agent market, Jeter would be able to choose from a number of legitimate suitors.
Chipper Out For Season; Braves Have Depth, Options
Chipper Jones will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, according to Chris Dimino of 790 The Zone (Twitter links). It’s a major blow for the Braves, but they should have enough depth to win without Chipper.
When Martin Prado returns from his finger injury, he and Omar Infante can combine to play second and third and Brooks Conrad can continue backing up at the hot corner. Eric Hinske, primarily an outfielder, won the 2002 Rookie of the Year at third and has played there on occasion in 2009-10.
Aramis Ramirez, Pedro Feliz, Wes Helms, Adam Kennedy, Jose Lopez, Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta, Ty Wigginton, Edwin Encarnacion, Melvin Mora and Willie Bloomquist are among the infielders who could clear waivers this month. The Mariners tried to engage the Braves on Chone Figgins last month, so perhaps Jack Zduriencik will call Frank Wren to see if the Braves are interested now.