When To Expect Top Prospects
From now on, teams that call prospects up to make their major league debuts no longer have to worry that those players will go to arbitration an extra time. It's now June and prospects that debut from this point on will not pick up more than 124 days of MLB service time this year. There's almost no chance that that would be enough for super two status after 2012. We all know when to expect Stephen Strasburg, but let's take a look around the majors and anticipate the arrivals of some more top prospects:
- Mike Stanton – You thought Jose Bautista had a lot of homers? Stanton hit his 19th and 20th of the season tonight at AA in front of Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest. The 20-year-old Stanton, ranked by Baseball America as the Marlins' best prospect this offseason, entered today's action with 39 walks and 50 strikeouts. Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says it may not be long before Stanton is playing in the majors.
- Carlos Santana – The 24-year-old catcher began the season as one of the best prospects in baseball and he has lived up to expectations so far in 2010. Santana has hit .315/.450/.565 at Triple A with ten homers and more strikeouts than walks. Lou Marson, who is actually younger than Santana, struggled early on for the Indians, but has impressed Indians manager Manny Acta lately. Still, Marson has a .216/.270/.276 line this season, so Santana appears to have more offensive potential.
- Pedro Alvarez – The Pirates, who have scored the second-fewest runs in the National League, might be tempted by the .261/.349/.511 line Alvarez has posted in Triple A. No Pirate has a slugging percentage as high as the one Alvarez has posted in the minors and just Ryan Doumit and Andrew McCutchen have been getting on base as much.
Stanton, Santana and Alvarez have played well, but they aren't the only ones who could arrive in the majors before long. Desmond Jennings, Jeremy Hellickson, Aroldis Chapman and Brett Wallace could conceivably get the call within a few weeks.
Brewers Sign Brian Bruney
The Brewers signed Brian Bruney to a minor league deal, according to Jen Royle of MASN.com (via Twitter). The deal has an opt-out in a month, so Bruney could be a free agent again before long. The Brewers seemed like a natural landing spot for Bruney when the Nationals released him last week. The righty refused a minor league assignment after being designated for assignment.
Bruney, 28, walked more than a batter per inning in 19 appearances for the Nationals this year. Though he has never been a control pitcher, he had an acceptable walk rate as recently as 2008, when he posted a sub-2.00 ERA for the Yankees. For what it's worth, Bruney's fastball hasn't had as much pep as usual this year; he's averaging 92 mph, down from 94 mph last year.
Melvin On The Brewers’ Search For Pitching
Brewers GM Doug Melvin told reporters that he asked his staff about Dontrelle Willis, but did not pursue the lefty, who the Tigers just sent to Arizona. Left-handers Chris Narveson, Chris Capuano and Randy Wolf make up three fifths of the team's rotation, so the club had minimal interest in Willis, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
The Brewers are looking for pitching, however. McCalvy suggests Brian Bruney, who is now a free agent, could be an option for the club. The Brewers spent big on Doug Davis, Randy Wolf, Trevor Hoffman and LaTroy Hawkins last winter, but they still don't have enough pitching. Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he believes the team's signings can only be evaluated in context.
"What people don't understand is you have to look at availability," he said. "Not everybody wants to come here. Some players have no-trade clauses."
The Brewers contacted a number of teams about Claudio Vargas after designating him for assignment over the weekend, but have yet to receive trade offers for him, according to Haudricourt.
Oswalt Would Consider A Trade To Washington
Roy Oswalt would consider waiving his no-trade clause to play for the Nationals, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Oswalt explained that the team's offense and the upcoming promotion of Stephen Strasburg make the Nats appealing. The 26-26 Nationals began the day in a three-way tie for third in the NL East.
Since Oswalt has $29MM remaining on his contract and the Astros are not obliged to deal him, there's no guarantee he is actually traded. Oswalt says he would play "anywhere" he can contend, but has as many questions about his future as everybody else.
"I don't know who's interested," he said. "They haven't really approached me about anybody yet."
Last week, one official told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that the Nationals may be the one team that could afford to take on Oswalt's salary.
D’Backs Acquire Dontrelle Willis For Billy Buckner
It’s a new beginning for Dontrelle Willis, who returns to the league he once thrived in. And it’s an attempt to restore order by the Diamondbacks, who have allowed more runs than any NL team and are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak. Today the D’Backs announced that they have acquired Willis and cash from the Tigers for Billy Buckner.
There's about $8MM remaining on Willis' salary and the Tigers will pay all of it, except the pro-rated portion of the major league minimum. Buckner, a 26-year-old righty who started three games for Arizona this year, will begin his Tigers career in Triple A, according to the team. Buckner allowed 26 hits in 13 big league innings this year, striking out 11 and walking five. The former second rounder pitched better in Triple A, posting a 3.53 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.
Ed Price of AOL FanHouse first reported the deal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports confirmed it (via Twitter). Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported that Buckner was in the deal (via Twitter) and Jon Heyman of SI.com reported how much cash was changing hands (via Twitter).
As many as four teams had some interest in the 28-year-old Willis, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. The Tigers designated Willis for assignment Saturday.
Meyer Remains With Marlins
TUESDAY: The Marlins outrighted Meyer to Triple A, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, so the lefty presumably cleared waivers (Twitter link). Sosa, meanwhile, has yet to allow a baserunner in two appearances.
FRIDAY: The Marlins will designate Dan Meyer for assignment to make room for Jorge Sosa, according to the team. Meyer, a former first rounder who was part of the Tim Hudson trade, allowed 15 hits and 11 walks in 8.1 innings, striking out four. The 28-year-old left-hander was much more effective last year, when he posted a 3.09 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning in 71 appearances.
Sosa, a 32-year-old right-hander, has yet to appear in the majors this year. He has been starting at Triple A New Orleans since the Marlins signed him last month. Sosa has a 3.78 ERA in 33.1 innings with 7.0 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in the minors.
Indians Claim Shane Lindsay
The Indians claimed Shane Lindsay off waivers from the Yankees, according to a team press release. It's the second time in the last month that Lindsay has been claimed on waivers; the Yankees claimed him from the Rockies on May 14th. To make room for the 25-year-old right-hander on the 40-man roster, the Indians transferred Grady Sizemore from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL.
Lindsay, who was designated for assignment when the Yankees signed Chad Gaudin, did not pitch in a game after the Yankees assigned him to extended spring training. Lindsay began the year at Triple A Colorado Springs, where he posted 11.2 BB/9 and 12.5 K/9. The Australian has always walked lots of batters, but he has some promise. Baseball America praised Lindsay's mid-90s fastball and knuckle-curve in their 2010 handbook
Marlins Interested In Willis; Mets Are Not
11:32pm: The Marlins have "mild interest" in Willis and are debating bringing him back to Miami, according to Capozzi.
9:00pm: Don't expect the Marlins or Mets to pursue Dontrelle Willis. As Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (via Twitter) and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News report, neither NL East team is interested in the former Rookie of the Year. The Mets have an expensive, struggling left-hander of their own in Oliver Perez, so it's not a surprise to hear that they aren't interested in Willis.
Martino reports that the Mets are not interested in the recently-designated Nelson Figueroa, either. The team apparently prefers its own pitchers to Figueroa or Willis. The D'Backs, however, are looking for pitching depth and are interested in Willis.
Brewers Will Call On Kameron Loe
The Brewers are looking to improve their pitching staff, so they aren't about to let a potential solution hit free agency. They will call Kameron Loe up from the minor leagues tomorrow, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Loe had a clause in his contract that would have allowed him to ask for his release if he wasn't in the majors by Saturday, June 5th.
The Brewers have yet to announce corresponding roster moves, but it looks like they'll cut a pitcher to make room for Loe. Jeff Suppan, in the midst of a disappointing season, could be the odd man out for the Brewers.
Loe, 28, last appeared in the majors in 2008 with the Rangers. He has a 3.16 ERA as a starter in Triple A this year with 5.6 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. The Brewers signed Loe to a minor league deal this winter after he spent 2009 pitching in Japan.
Heath Bell’s Trade Value
When we looked at Heath Bell's trade value a couple months ago, we assumed the Padres would be sellers this summer. They didn't appear ready to contend, and Bell – effective and affordable – seemed like a natural trade candidate.
The surprising Padres are 30-20, so they're not about to start handing veterans over for salary relief and prospects just yet. But that doesn't mean Bell will be a Padre at the end of the year. The Padres could consider dealing him this summer, not for top prospects but for major league reinforcements.
The Padres should have some flexibility as the season progresses, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The team opened the season with a $38MM payroll, so it would be a surprise to see them add significant salary. This is speculation, but the Padres could decide to deal Bell, who makes $4MM and will earn more through arbitration next year, in exchange for some offense.
Bell has a 1.17 ERA and 14 saves. His walk (2.7 BB/9) and strikeout (11.7 K/9) rates are outstanding. Few teams can afford to deal a reliever like that, but the Padres don't have your average bullpen. As a group, Bud Black's relievers have posted a 2.96 ERA and struck out more than a batter per inning. Luke Gregerson, Edward Mujica, Mike Adams and Joe Thatcher have dominated. When active, Tim Stauffer and Adam Russell have been excellent as well.
Other than Adrian Gonzalez, David Eckstein, Nick Hundley and Scott Hairston, the Padres have not been doing much at the plate. As well as they have played, the Padres could use some offense (14th in the NL in runs) and Bell could help them get some. There's no indication that the Padres are thinking of moving their closer, but that's one way the team could find some offense this summer.