Odds And Ends: Prospects, Giambi, Angels
Some links for your Friday afternoon…
- Baseball America lists the hottest prospects in the country. Chris Carter, Pedro Alvarez and Martin Perez are some of the more recognizable players heating up.
- A's prospect Brett Wallace tops Marc Hulet's list of top prospects traded this summer over at FanGraphs.
- Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail hears that the Jays have no interest in Jason Giambi.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia tells ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian the keys to his club's suddenly unstoppable offense: effective baserunning and contributions from all 13 position players. Kendry Morales has performed well at first in place of Mark Teixeira and the rest of the Angels are all hitting.
- Torii Hunter, who was having a big year before hitting the DL, experienced a setback this week, according to his blog.
- The Angels signed 40th overall pick Tyler Skaggs for an undisclosed amount, according to Ben Bolch of the LA Times.
Rays Acquire Gregg Zaun
The Rays acquired catcher Gregg Zaun from the Orioles for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to an Orioles press release. Just last week the Rays were in on Victor Martinez as they looked for depth behind the plate. Like Martinez, Zaun is a switch hitter under contract for this year with a club option for 2010. Zaun makes $1.5MM this year and the Rays will choose between a $500k buyout and a $2MM option for next season.
So far in 2009, the 38-year-old is hitting .244/.355/.375 with four homers.
Brewers DFA R.J. Swindle; Rays Claim Him
1:21pm: Haudricourt reports that the Rays claimed Swindle. He suspects their interest comes from Swindle's one remaining option, which means the team can send him to the minors.
12:18pm: According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers designated lefty R.J. Swindle for assignment to make room on the roster for Jesus Colome. Swindle, 26, allowed at least one earned run in every one of his six appearances with the Brewers this year for a season line of 6.2 innings, 12 hits, 4 BB and 8 Ks.
A’s Release Jason Giambi
The A's released Jason Giambi, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Before the season, the A's signed the 38-year-old slugger to a one-year deal with a club option for a second year. It pays Giambi a base salary of $4MM this year and gave the A's the option of a $1.25MM buyout or a $6.5MM salary in 2010.
Giambi hit .193/.332/.364 in 83 games back with the A's. He hit 11 homers and drew 50 walks, but didn't approach last year's production. Giambi's incentives would have kicked in with about 200 more plate appearances, but he's on the DL for now so he's not approaching that mark.
Olney On Gonzalez, Draft, Strasburg
Two prominent baseball figures inched closer to retirement yesterday and ESPN.com's Buster Olney recognizes both of them. John Smoltz's fading repertoire brings him closer to retirement than ever and the faltering newspaper industry will push longtime Reds writer Hal McCoy to call it a career after the season. Here are Olney's rumors:
- Olney hears that the Mariners came closer to obtaining Adrian Gonzalez than the Red Sox ever did.
- Many teams are believed to have struck deals with their top picks. So why haven't we heard about them? Teams will announce over-slot deals at the last minute so it seems like they're respecting the commissioner's recommended bonuses.
- Real doubts are beginning to emerge that the Nats will be able to sign Stephen Strasburg.
Odds And Ends: Rolen, Butler, Braves, Yanks
More links for the morning…
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that Reds will pay Scott Rolen $11MM next year without help from the Blue Jays.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star wonders if the Royals should lock Billy Butler up long-term. The 23-year-old has hit well this year, but he doesn't figure to be a free agent until after 2013, so the team has time to deliberate.
- Bill Rankin of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Braves reached an agreement with an insurance company for an undisclosed settlement. The Braves sought compensation after paying an injured Mike Hampton last year.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com says the Yankees are the best team in the AL right now.
Twins Acquire Carl Pavano
The Twins deepened their rotation today, acquiring Carl Pavano from the Indians for a player to be named later, according to a team press release. Pavano, 33, has allowed 150 hits in 125.2 innings, posting a respectable 88K/23BB ratio.
His base salary is just $1.5MM, but in addition to the $500k remaining on his contract, Pavano stands to earn a lot through incentives. If he makes 10 more starts and averages 6.0 IP per outing, he'll make another $1.75 in bonuses. We heard yesterday that the Indians expect to lose $16MM this year, but they'll receive some relief if the Twins are paying the rest of Pavano's contract.
A note from Kelsie Smith of the Pioneer Press: The Twins claimed Pavano off waivers before making the deal.
Odds And Ends: Wagner, Red Sox, Scherzer
An assortment of links to get the day started…
- Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News hears that one AL contender has at least some interest in adding Billy Wagner for the stretch run. The lefty makes $10.5MM this year and has a $1MM buyout for 2010, so Wagner seems likely to clear waivers.
- Rubin says the Mets won't likely offer Wagner or Carlos Delgado arbitration after the season.
- As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports, Max Scherzer uses some pretty advanced stats to judge his performances.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Yanks and Padres almost completed the Chad Gaudin trade before the deadline. When Kenny Williams called about the Jake Peavy deal, Towers had to ignore Cashman, but the teams struck a deal in the end.
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports says one look at John Smoltz's face suggests he may be done.
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes says Smoltz looked like a "pitcher turned pinata" last night.
- Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. looks pretty smart right now.
Draft Updates: Pirates, Royals, Nats
Updates on one pick who signed and a couple who may sign soon…
- ESPN.com's Keith Law reports that the Royals agreed to sign 14th rounder Crawford Simmons for a $450k bonus.
- Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates should sign eighth rounder Colton Cain this morning. He could receive a bonus worth over $350k; like Simmons' deal, that would be above-slot.
- Nats selection Drew Storen was the first pick to sign. He told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that he's looking forward to playing in the big leagues, possibly as soon as this season.
Braves Sign First Rounder Mike Minor
8:36pm: Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com tweets that Mike Minor signed the contract and "is now officially a Brave."
1:25pm: Baseball America's Jim Callis hears that the Braves had agreed to a deal with Minor before the draft, but didn't sign him right away because of "interference from MLB." Apparently the commissioner's office pressured the Braves not to make the deal official because they didn't want it to inflate other bonuses. The $2.42MM bonus Minor will receive tops MLB's recommended bonus by $242k.
12:49pm: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo hears that the deal is not yet official.
9:02am: The Braves and top draft pick Mike Minor agreed to a contract that includes a $2.42MM signing bonus, according to Maurice Patton of the Tennessean. The Braves have never given out a bigger bonus and it's the biggest bonus ever awarded to a seventh overall pick, besting Prince Fielder's $2.4MM mark from 2002. Minor, a lefty, could pitch in the Arizona Fall League to get work in this year.