Morosi: D’Backs “Destined” To Be Sellers
According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports the Diamondbacks are "destined to be deadline sellers," but his source says they've just had "preliminary trade discussions" so far. Now 26-35, the D'Backs are 14 games behind the Dodgers, and in last place in the NL West. Max Scherzer, Dan Haren and Justin Upton are likely untouchable, but "the vast majority" of the team's players could be available in the right deal:
- The D'Backs may consider dealing Chad Qualls and even Stephen Drew, though they could only be obtained for a steep price.
- Doug Davis could become available. He makes $8.75MM this year before becoming a free agent.
- Felipe Lopez, who's making a reasonable $3.5MM this year, would likely appeal to some contenders.
- Jon Garland, who makes $6.25MM this year and at least $2.5MM in 2010, could also be moved.
Rosenthal On Yankees, Angels, Glavine
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Yankees will eventually "target the best available late-inning relievers." Here are some names to watch and the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- The Yankees have already expressed interest in Huston Street.
- The Rockies, on an eight-game win streak, are just 4.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race and don't want to deal Street until closer to July 31st.
- Chad Qualls and Jose Valverde could be options for the Yankees, but both have dealt with health issues and the Yankees would have to be certain they're healthy.
- The Yankees could pursue Danys Baez.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins says other teams are calling him regularly, but there's "nothing on the horizon."
- The Angels could use help just about everywhere and they could deal from depth in the middle infield and behind the plate.
- Brandon Wood has been playing some first base in Triple A.
- Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann could be traded if the Rays don't start winning.
- The White Sox may not receive good prospects in return if they deal Jermaine Dye, since "few clubs, if any" can afford to take on his $11.5MM salary and surrender top young players in the same deal.
- Rosenthal hears that any grievance Tom Glavine files against the Braves would be out of principle; he would donate any money awarded to charity.
- Gregor Blanco could play right field for the Braves if they deal Jeff Francoeur.
- Rosenthal heard from one scout who was "decidedly unimpressed" with Doug Davis.
Pedro Martinez Worked Out For Rays, Cubs
Carfardo adds that Martinez was throwing his fastball at around 94 mph.
7:32pm: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times confirms that a Rays staffer watched Pedro throw 20 fastballs, but writes, "Word is that it is 'very unlikely' anything will come of it." Topkin adds that Pedro's workout "may have been as much about getting his name out there as anything."
5:23pm: Multiple news outlets are reporting that the Rays watched Pedro Martinez work out. MLBTR does not normally link to material on Listin Diario (Spanish) or Herald de Paris, but both suggest the Rays watched the free agent righty work out.
Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune writes: "I've heard that one of the Rays' officials in the Dominican who has known Pedro for a while just watched him work out, but it doesn't sound like the team expects anything to come of it."
Rangers Sign Orlando Hernandez
7:10pm: According to Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press, Rangers GM Jon Daniels says Hernandez is in "great shape." "We like what we've seen," Daniels said. "He's healthy. He's throwing the ball well. He's motivated to come back."
Daniels added that there is no timetable for when Hernandez might pitch for the Rangers.
3:44pm: According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers signed Orlando Hernandez to a minor league deal. El Duque is now 39 and he hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 2007, when he was with the Mets. Hernandez, best known for his playoff success, collected most of his 90 career wins with the Yankees.
He'll be assigned to Triple A Oklahoma.
Odds And Ends: Fields, Grilli, Boras, D’Backs
Some links for Thursday evening…
- Josh Fields told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he had a "blunt and straightforward" meeting with Ken Williams about his place on the White Sox.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports the White Sox drafted their GM's son, Tyler Williams, and Harold Baines Jr..
- Jason Grilli was recently dealt to the Rangers and now he's working on a deal of his own. According to his Twitter, Grilli plans to exchange "cash or an item to be named later" for number 49.
- Gavin McCourt, the son of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, was drafted by the Red Sox. The 39th round pick says Scott Boras wouldn't fit into his "family dynamics," so his dad will represent him, according to the LA Times .
- Scott Bordow of the East Valley Tribune believes it's time for the Diamondbacks to sell, beginning with Felipe Lopez and Doug Davis.
- And I'll be talking baseball on 590 KFNS in St. Louis tonight at 11pm CST, so tune in if you're in the area. If not, you can always listen online.
Discussion: Should MLB Limit Signing Bonuses?
There is no hard limit on the bonuses teams can award the players they draft, just a recommended cap. ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported yesterday that some GMs wonder whether the draft actually helps bad teams. As he says, the Padres knew how good Justin Verlander was when they chose Matt Bush instead, they just wanted a signable player.
Can we improve the game by limiting the bonuses amateur players can receive? Changing the current system would be complicated and controversial, as Scott Boras and others don't want restrictions on the bonuses they can negotiate for their clients (Stephen Strasburg comes to mind). So what would happen if MLB limited bonuses?
- Such a change would transfer money and power to teams from amateur players and their agents.
- Teams would be more likely to select the most talented players, instead of going for a combination of talent and signability.
- Players like Rick Porcello would be less likely to slide, since teams would be less wary of the bonuses they might demand.
- Agents would receive less money when brokering deals for their amateur clients.
- There wouldn't be nearly as much drama and uncertainty surrounding the negotiatons.
Is it in the best interest of the game to restrict player bonuses? Some would do away with the draft altogether. Or should we leave the current system alone and just enjoy the games?
Draft Roundup: Late Picks, Strasburg, Purke
Time to pass along some more links, including some noteworthy selections late in the draft…
- The Philadelphia Daily News notes that the Phillies drafted Robert Amaro, the nephew of GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
- Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Cubs drafted high schooler Joey Jocketty, the son of Reds GM Walt Jocketty.
- There's another Porcello in the Tigers organization. MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the Tigers drafted Jake Porcello, Rick's brother.
- MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger writes that the Angels drafted Asaad Ali, the son of Muhammad Ali, in the 40th round.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer responds to MLBTR's discussion, and says the Nationals have to determine how much it would cost to sign Stephen Strasburg before they know how to proceed. He adds that it's impossible to know how much goodwill the Nats would lose with their fans if they don't sign him
- Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram argues the Rangers "absolutely have to sign" first round pick Matt Purke. The only question, is: who pays?
Stark On Rockies, Angels, Pierre
In his latest article, Jayson Stark also discusses the many Rockies and Angels thought to be available. Here are the latest rumors:
- The Phillies are "hunting quietly" for right-handed outfielders. Ryan Spilborghs is on their radar.
- One official said Dan O'Dowd would consider moving "anyone" on the Rockies.
- The Rangers are believed to be watching Huston Street closely.
- Jason Marquis could become available too, but some think the Rockies should hang on, given his success.
- The Angels seem willing to listen on Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis and their entire infield, which consists of Kendry Morales, Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins.
- They appear to have interest in young, high-upside pitchers, which could mean they're unsure they'll re-sign John Lackey after the season.
- The Dodgers are "sending out signals" that Juan Pierre could be available when Manny Ramirez returns. It's unclear whether the Dodgers would pick up any of the $15MM or so remaining on Pierre's contract.
- Among top starters, Erik Bedard is "most frequently connected with the Phillies," but many people around baseball doubt he would fit in Philadelphia.
- Phillies prospects Lou Marson and Michael Taylor are likely available, but J.A. Happ, Antonio Bastardo, Dominic Brown, Kyle Drabek, Jason Knapp, Jason Donald and Carlos Carrasco would be much harder to acquire.
- One scout thinks the Pirates may have acquired three future stars for Nate McLouth.
Stark: What If The Nats Could Deal Strasburg?
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark determines how much Stephen Strasburg would be worth on the trade market if the Nats were allowed to deal him. Stark has an assortment of other rumors that will come soon in another post, but for now, some thoughts on Strasburg:
- One NL exec wouldn't want to trade centerpiece players for Strasburg even if it was allowed, because pitchers aren't as reliable as position players.
- Another executive said it would be hard to know how much to give for Strasburg when you don't know how much he's going to earn.
- One official said he'd give up "three or four very good prospects" for Strasburg.
- A fourth exec said there's no way he'd give up an "everyday, impact, big-league player" like Adam Jones.
- He reasons that Jones would have been the first overall pick in the draft this year if he'd somehow been eligible.
- Trading picks would enable the Nationals to avoid difficult negotiations with Scott Boras and allow them to get something immediately for giving up the rights to Strasburg.
Players To Be Named Later
Here's another term for the MLBTR glossary…
Players to be named later must be named within six months of the trade they're a part of. They tend to be minor leaguers, as they cannot have spent time in the major leagues between the day the trade is announced and the day it is completed. Here are a couple instances in which the PTBNL can be useful:
- The teams are only sure about half of the exchange, but they want to deal right away.
- The clubs agree that the PTBNL will be chosen from a set list of players.
- Once a draft pick signs, he can't be traded for a year. If teams want to deal recently-drafted players, they can complete part of the deal and name the final player once he's eligible to be traded.
- Instead of naming a player, teams can exchange money to complete a deal.
- For example, Jeff Keppinger was dealt for a PTBNL in 2009.
Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts.