Estes Hopes To Play In Majors
Shawn Estes told Chris Gabel of the Reno Gazette-Journal that he "retired from Triple A," not from baseball. Earlier in the month we heard that Estes had retired, but his recent comments make it clear that he wants to pitch in the majors again.
He was tiring of the minor league lifestyle and decided not to pitch in Triple A anymore. All the major league teams received an e-mail explaining that any interested club should contact Ned Colletti and the Dodgers, who say they won't ask for a significant return.
Yankees Rumors: DeRosa, Molina, Duncan
Joel Sherman of the New York Post tells us why the Yankees weren't serious about Mark DeRosa and adds a couple other rumors:
- They never made a strong push for DeRosa, since they had no logical place to put him.
- The Yankees will have three catchers when Jose Molina joins Francisco Cervelli and Jorge Posada, but they have no plans to deal Molina.
- They would consider promoting Shelley Duncan, who has 21 homers in Triple A, if they want a right-handed bat.
Reds Seek Bats
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Reds are actively seeking right-handed hitting, especially after losing out on Mark DeRosa to the rival Cardinals. Here are a few options for the Reds, who could improve at third base, shortstop and left field:
- They have considered dealing for Josh Willingham.
- Ty Wigginton could fit their needs as well.
- Adding Matt Holliday would be huge for the Reds, but he'd command the biggest return of all.
- Gary Matthews Jr. could fit in Cincy if the Angels are willing to pay a considerable portion of his contract. The Angels would likely want relief help in return.
- Since the Red Sox may be prepared to eat a considerable portion of Julio Lugo's salary, the Reds could consider dealing for him and asking for Boston to pay most of his $9MM salary.
Option Years
Teams use options to shuttle players on their 40-man roster to and from the minor leagues risk-free. Here are a few specifics to round out this MLBTR Glossary entry:
- Once a player is on his team's 40-man roster, his club has three separate seasons over the course of which it can promote and demote the player without exposing him to other teams.
- Minor leaguers on the 40-man roster are on an optional assignment.
- They can be promoted and demoted an unlimited number of times within an option year.
- Once a player's three option years are up, he must clear waivers before going to the minors.
- Options aren't used on players who spend less than 20 days in the minors.
- Players with five years of service time can't be optioned to the minors without consent.
Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts.
Odds And Ends: Sano, Rays, Mateo
More links for your Friday afternoon…
- The Orioles' director of player development told Steve Melewski of MASN.com that Miguel Angel Sano is the best Dominican prospect he's ever seen.
- The Orioles haven't begun negotiating with Sano, as there are some lingering questions about his age.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he'd find room for David Price in the crowded Rays 'pen instead of bumping Andy Sonnanstine from the rotation.
- White Sox scouting director Doug Laumann says Josh Phegley and Kyle Bellamy could move quickly through the minors.
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure believes the $3.1MM Wagner Mateo agreed to is impressive in this economy.
Heyman On Tigers, Lee, Holliday
Jon Heyman of SI.com says Joe Girardi and Jim Tracy have no guarantees beyond this year. Manny Acta and Eric Wedge, who have both been on the hot seat lately, have no guarantees either. Here are Heyman's latest rumors:
- The Tigers could acquire a pitcher, a hitter, or both. For now, GM Dave Dombrowski says they're "monitoring" the market.
- Heyman applauds the Tigers for drafting Rick Porcello and trading for Edwin Jackson.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro on the chances he deals Cliff Lee: "unlikely to almost impossible."
- The Rangers and Phillies are two contenders who could overwhelm the Indians with a prospect-rich offer for Lee.
- Matt Holliday, who Heyman calls "the most likely star to be traded," makes $13.5MM this year, so the A's may have to pick up some salary if they deal him, especially if they want to receive top prospects in return.
- The Mets deserve credit for finding Fernando Nieve on the Astros' scrap heap.
Where Will Mark DeRosa End Up?
There aren't many hitters available, Mark DeRosa would help just about any team and the Indians are 11.0 games out of a playoff spot, so DeRosa's naturally been the subject of recent rumors. But it's hard to predict where he'll end up, because there are so many choices. Here are some of the teams rumored to have interest in the free agent-to-be
- DeRosa would be a great fit for the Cardinals or Mets and both clubs have interest in him.
- DeRosa could play third for the Cardinals and shift positions if Troy Glaus returns.
- The Cubs have thought about reacquiring him.
- The Brewers are hoping Casey McGehee can be their own version of DeRosa and he's certainly impressed so far, with an OPS of .925 accumulated at three different positions. However, McGehee has only played 46 career games.
- The Marlins have interest in DeRosa.
- The Giants are looking for a bat, and DeRosa could fit their needs.
- The Reds are buyers and DeRosa could play third base and left field for Cincy.
- Could he fit on the Tigers? The Indians might prefer not to deal within their division.
- And Cleveland could always decide to keep him.
Where do you see DeRosa and his $5.5MM contract ending up on August 1st?
Norris Hopper Traded For Corky Miller
Tim Curtis of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds traded Norris Hopper to the White Sox in exchange for Corky Miller. Miller, a 33-year-old catcher, began his career with the Reds and played four seasons in Cincinnati from 2001-04. He's played for four major league teams since, most recently for the White Sox. He'll restart his Reds career in Triple A.
Hopper, 30, has played parts of three seasons for the Reds, but hasn't played in the majors so far in 2009.
Odds And Ends: Isringhausen, El Duque, Felix
Who says there are no good sports nicknames anymore? Within this post alone, we find Izzy, El Duque and King Felix…
- The O.C. Register assembles a slideshow of 16 relievers who could be moved in the next five weeks.
- Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times reports that Jason Isringhausen will consider pitching next year if he recovers well from his recent Tommy John surgery.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels said Orlando Hernandez will be used as a reliever, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- ESPN.com's Jim Caple discusses Felix Hernandez's recent dominance. As Caple says, "the king's crown fits much better this season."
- A thought from Padres exec Paul DePodesta: "Regardless of the preparation they receive in the minors, young players will almost always struggle early on in the majors."
- We're hearing from PGCrossChecker.com that the Cubs signed first rounder Brett Jackson for $972k.
Matt Holliday Update
Scouts tell Joe Stiglich of the San Jose Mercury News that teams' unwillingness to part with prospects and inability to take on salary could make it hard for the A's to deal Matt Holliday. That's fine with GM Billy Beane, who says he doesn't feel pressure to deal his star outfielder this July. After all, if Holliday departs as a free agent after the year, the A's will receive compensation picks in next year's draft (assuming they offer him arbitration).