AL East Notes: Peavy, Dempster, Blue Jays
The Red Sox have set their rotation following the All-Star break, and it suggests they could be preparing for a Jake Peavy trade, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe writes. Peavy is not scheduled to pitch again until July 22. If a Peavy trade were to take place before then, the Sox would have enough time to recall Brandon Workman, who was optioned to Triple-A last Wednesday. Here are more notes from the AL East.
- Sox chairman Tom Werner regrets that the team didn’t do more to address its outfield last offseason, Abraham writes. “[W]e didn’t expect Shane Victorino to be on the disabled list for as long as he has been. We knew that Jackie Bradley had the potential to be a superstar but his season hasn’t been as robust as we all imagined. We’re still very confident about his potential,” says Werner. “But should we have gone after Nelson Cruz? I guess so.” Werner adds that the Red Sox are still deciding whether to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, thinking that there may still be time for them to climb back into the race.
- Ryan Dempster, a part of the Sox’ rotation last season, says he doesn’t regret taking the 2014 season off, Luis Gomez of the Chicago Tribune writes. “Fortunately, I haven’t missed it,” he says. “Not yet. With the way things ended with the World Series, I don’t feel like I’m missing it. Hopefully I don’t ever get that feeling.” Gomez notes that Dempster isn’t ruling out the possibility of a return in the future. The 37-year-old Dempster passed on the $13.25MM remaining on his contract for 2014 in order to spend time with his family.
- Jose Bautista hopes the Blue Jays will add talent at the trade deadline, writes John Lott of the National Post. “If he does make a move, it’ll be welcome,” says Bautista. “It’s not necessarily on the players’ side that you feel like you need that to get to the top, but at times it’s nice when you do get that … A lot of times it has a psychological effects too that help out.” Nonetheless, Bautista won’t be issuing any demands. “[W]e don’t feel like it’s a must,” he says. The Jays have struggled with injuries to players like Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie and are now 3 1/2 games behind the Orioles in the AL East.
Latest On Mariners Outfield Trade Possibilities
SUNDAY: The Mariners have had serious discussions with the Phillies about Byrd, who is said to be willing to waive his no-trade clause, tweets Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
SATURDAY: The Mariners appear likely to try to acquire a righty-hitting outfielder, and CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman has the latest on trade possibilities they might pursue. Heyman notes that the Mariners have scouted Marlon Byrd, as ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported yesterday (on Twitter). Byrd has a four-team no-trade clause that includes the Mariners, although he told CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury that the no-trade to the Mariners and Royals “really are things that were just put on at the time being.” The 36-year-old Byrd is hitting .263/.315/.484 for Philadelphia this season, with 18 homers in 381 plate appearances.
Byrd is signed through 2015 with a team/vesting option for 2016, and Heyman notes that if the Mariners prefer a contract that could expire after the season, they could instead pursue Josh Willingham of the Twins or Alex Rios of the Rangers (who has a $13.5MM option and a $1MM buyout for 2015). Dayan Viciedo of the White Sox or Junior Lake of the Cubs could also be possibilities.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Perez, Marshall, Feierabend
Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball.
- The Pirates have signed pitcher Rafael Perez to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. The lefty has spent the past two seasons pitching in Triple-A and in Mexico. For many years, he was a fixture in the Cleveland Indians bullpen, posting a 3.64 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in parts of seven big-league seasons.
- The Reds have outrighted pitcher Brett Marshall to Triple-A Louisville, according to MiLB.com. They designated him for assignment on Thursday. Marshall, 24, has struggled this season for Louisville, with 29 runs and 27 walks allowed in 21 1/3 innings there. The Reds claimed him from the Cubs in February.
- The Rangers have purchased the contract of lefty pitcher Ryan Feierabend, Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets. To clear space on their active roster, they’ve optioned pitcher Aaron Poreda to Triple-A Round Rock. Feierabend, 28, last appeared in the big leagues all the way back in 2008 with the Mariners. In 113 innings with Triple-A Round Rock this season, he has a 4.54 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. It’s not clear who will start for the Rangers tomorrow; Feierabend, who last pitched on Tuesday, looks like he could be a candidate.
Quick Hits: Segura, Aiken, Cruz
Brewers shortstop Jean Segura has left the team after learning of the death of his nine-month-old son Janniel, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. There are few details about what happened, although Brewers manager Ron Roenicke notes that Segura’s son had been sick. “It’s tough,” says Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez. “After I leave last night, I can’t wait to come home and hug my kid and sleep with my kid. It’s hard to imagine. It’s painful. It’s not my kid, but I feel like it.” We at MLBTR send our deepest condolences to Segura and his family after this tragedy.
- Brady Aiken and the Astros still don’t see eye-to-eye over the pitcher’s injury status, Kirk Kenney of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes in a long feature. The Astros have dropped Aiken’s bonus offer from $6.5MM to $5MM over an issue with his elbow, but Kenney quotes Aiken’s high school coach and trainer, who both say he’s healthy. The issue, as Kenney points out, might be that interpreting an MRI is more art than science — a player can appear healthy and yet have abnormalities in his MRI, and yet it isn’t easy to tell which abnormalities are significant and which ones aren’t.
- Despite the aftereffects of a PED suspension and a fall into the cracks of the qualifying offer system, the Orioles‘ Nelson Cruz didn’t spend the offseason worrying about where he would end up, Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun writes. Instead, he took comfort in spending the offseason in his home country of the Dominican Republic. “It feels natural,” Cruz says. “Everything is more calm [in the U.S.] You have more peace. But I miss my people.”
AL Notes: Peavy, Drew, Tigers
Red Sox pitcher Jake Peavy is scheduled to start today against the Astros. The Red Sox have no contingency plan in place in case he’s unable to start, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal writes, which likely means no trade is imminent. “If I’m made aware that something is imminent there will be a contingency plan, but there’s no contingency for him,” says manager John Farrell. The Red Sox will likely trade Peavy in order to clear space for younger pitchers in Rubby De La Rosa and Brandon Workman. Here’s more from the American League.
- Less than two months after signing with the Red Sox, Stephen Drew is contemplating the possibility of being traded, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald writes. “Hopefully I’m here for the year. But I can’t tell you that,” says Drew. The shortstop says he has “no regrets” about rejecting the Red Sox’ qualifying offer, a decision that ultimately cost him money. But, he says, “It’s something that, we’ve got to look at that rule that kind of hurt some players and myself. It’s difficult to come up here and these guys have three months on you until the season’s over all the time.”
- The Tigers are likely to be linked to plenty of relievers as the trade deadline approaches, Chris Iott of MLive.com writes. The Tigers aren’t likely to take on a big commitment, which could make someone like the Padres’ Joaquin Benoit (who is due significant salary in 2015) a less likely target than someone like the Rangers’ Joakim Soria (who will be a free agent after the season if his club option is declined).
AL Notes: Rays, Red Sox, Raburn
The Rays are trying to maintain their focus despite the possibility of pitcher David Price being traded, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports. “It’s something I try not to think about, and I try not talk about it with my teammates,” says Price. “That’s the last thing I want them to be doing, is thinking about if we don’t win I could be gone.” More losing could encourage the Rays’ management to deal Price, Mooney suggests. The Rays had won nine of 11 games before losing their last two, but they’re in last place in the AL East, 10.5 games out of first. Here’s more from the American League.
- The Red Sox are in a similar situation, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes. “It’s out of your control,” says veteran reliever Andrew Miller. “You can’t do any good worrying about things that are out of your control.” Miller joins Burke Badenhop and Craig Breslow as relievers who could be traded, along with starting pitcher Jake Peavy and outfielder Jonny Gomes.
- The Indians‘ recent acquisition of outfielder Chris Dickerson from the Pirates reflects Ryan Raburn‘s poor play this season, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes. Dickerson is a nice fit for the Indians given his ability to hit righties, Hoynes says, but if Raburn had been hitting as well as he did last season (when he hit an ultra-valuable .272/.357/.543 in a part-time role), the Indians might have addressed Michael Bourn‘s injury by moving Michael Brantley to center and playing Raburn in a corner.
Week In Review — 7/6/14 – 7/12/14
Here’s a look back at this week at MLBTR.
Trades
- Yankees — acquired P Jeff Francis from Athletics for cash considerations
- White Sox — acquired P Bobby Doran from Astros for SS Jeffry Santos
- Rays — acquired three international bonus slots from Marlins for P Matt Ramsey
- Brewers — acquired an international bonus slot from Athletics for P Rodolfo Fernandez (link)
- Indians — acquired OF Chris Dickerson from Pirates for a PTBNL or cash
- Diamondbacks — acquired P Alex Sogard from Astros for IF Cesar Carrasco
Claimed
- Cardinals — C George Kottaras (from Indians — link)
- Athletics — OF Kenny Wilson (from Blue Jays — link)
Designated For Assignment
- Red Sox — C A.J. Pierzynski (link)
- Giants — IF Brandon Hicks (link)
- Cardinals — OF Mike O’Neill (link)
- Yankees — P Jim Miller (link)
- Blue Jays — P Bobby Korecky (link)
- Dodgers — 1B Clint Robinson (link)
- Angels — P Nick Maronde (link)
- Reds — P Brett Marshall (link)
- Pirates — P Duke Welker (link)
- Mariners — C John Buck (link)
- Athletics — P Brad Mills (link)
- Rockies — P Raul Fernandez (link)
Outrighted
- Braves — P Pedro Beato (link)
- Orioles — P Julio DePaula (link), P Ramon Ramirez (link)
- Indians — P Mark Lowe (link)
- Royals — OF Justin Maxwell (link)
- Blue Jays — OF Brad Glenn (link)
- Athletics — OF Nick Buss (link)
Released
- Rangers — IF Donnie Murphy (link)
Key Draft Signings
Key International Signings
- Astros — OF Ronny Rafael (link)
Key Minor-League Signings
- Rangers — P Jerome Williams (link)
- Royals — P Joe Saunders (link)
- Dodgers — OF Roger Bernadina (link)
Quick Hits: Headley, Russell, Cubs, Rockies, McCarthy
The Blue Jays and Padres continue to discuss a Chase Headley trade, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. His colleague Ken Rosenthal adds that some within the Jays organization think that the team’s most acute need is a hitter, rather than a starting pitcher. In late June, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Blue Jays had interest in Headley and that the Padres would be willing to deal him. Here are more notes from around baseball.
- The Cubs dealt Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel early in the trading season, and for a package based around a position player, because Addison Russell was too good to pass on, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes. “There was no pitcher available even close to the caliber of player that Addison Russell is,” says team president Theo Epstein.
- The Cubs now have a top-notch collection of hitting prospects, but don’t have nearly as much pitching. They believe, however, that they can use that to their advantage, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. It’s hard to find hitters in today’s low-offense environment, and the Cubs have plenty of them. “If you look at the way the game is going, the batter-pitcher dynamic has shifted in recent years dramatically in favor of the pitcher,” says Epstein. “So there are more effective pitchers out there right now than there are position players.” The Cubs also feel they can compensate for their lack of pitching by acquiring a top-of-the-rotation starter within the next couple of years. Epstein also seems to allude to the possibility that the Cubs will make trades for pitching in the future.
- A pair of Rockies are making their 2014 debuts with rookie-level Grand Junction, Patti Arnold of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports (Twitter links). Former Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt, who’s working his way back from an elbow injury, pitched a scoreless inning today, striking out one and walking one. Also, Kyle Freeland, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, will make his pro debut on Wednesday.
- The Diamondbacks placed now-Yankees pitcher Brandon McCarthy on waivers six to eight weeks ago, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. That means anyone could have claimed him and assumed the remainder of his $9MM salary for 2014. No one bit.
- Red Sox first-round pick Michael Kopech will be represented by MVP Sports Group, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets.
Cafardo On Bryant, Russell, Twins, Peavy, Mets
Cubs executive Jason McLeod sees flashes of Troy Glaus in top prospect Kris Bryant, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. “Definitely 40-home run power,” says McLeod. “There’ll be some strikeouts, but he has a great eye at the plate. He’ll take his share of walks and work the count.” Bryant, last year’s second overall draft pick, continues to dominate after having been promoted to Triple-A Iowa, hitting .364/.432/.773 in 74 plate appearances there. Here’s more from Cafardo.
- One reason Addison Russell made sense for the Cubs in the Jeff Samardzija deal, Cafardo suggests, is that Russell is unlikely to stick at shortstop, meaning that he won’t be blocked by Starlin Castro and/or Javier Baez.
- The Twins‘ best trade chips could include Josh Willingham and Kendrys Morales, Cafardo writes. Willingham could make sense for the Red Sox or Royals.
- Some NL teams could show interest in starter Jake Peavy if the Red Sox are willing to eat some of the remainder of his 2014 salary.
- Daniel Murphy could make sense for the Giants if the Mets decide to deal him. AL East teams could have interest in Bartolo Colon, and the Mets might be able to get at least some talent in return if they elect to trade him. The Mets are trying to decide if they can make enough noise in the second half to keep players like Murphy and Colon, Cafardo writes.
2014 All-Star Game Rosters
Here are the 2014 MLB All-Star rosters. They include three players who signed one-year contracts this offseason in Nelson Cruz, Kurt Suzuki and Francisco Rodriguez, along with a minor-league signee in Pat Neshek. Also included are a number of key 2014-15 free agents, including Max Scherzer and Jon Lester.
AL Starters
1B Miguel Cabrera, 2B Robinson Cano, SS Derek Jeter, 3B Josh Donaldson, C Matt Wieters, OF Jose Bautista, OF Mike Trout, OF Adam Jones, DH Nelson Cruz
C Salvador Perez will start in placed of the injured Wieters.
AL Pitchers
Dellin Betances, Mark Buehrle, Yu Darvish, Sean Doolittle, Felix Hernandez, Greg Holland, Scott Kazmir, Jon Lester, Glen Perkins, David Price, Max Scherzer, Masahiro Tanaka
AL Reserves
Jose Abreu, Alexei Ramirez, Jose Altuve, Adrian Beltre, Michael Brantley, Yoenis Cespedes, Edwin Encarnacion, Alex Gordon, Brandon Moss, Derek Norris, Perez, Kurt Suzuki, Victor Martinez
AL Final Vote Candidates
Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Rick Porcello, Garrett Richards, Dallas Keuchel
NL Starters
1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Chase Utley, SS Troy Tulowitzki, 3B Aramis Ramirez, C Yadier Molina, OF Andrew McCutchen, OF Carlos Gomez, OF Yasiel Puig
NL Pitchers
Madison Bumgarner, Aroldis Chapman, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke, Francisco Rodriguez, Clayton Kershaw, Craig Kimbrel, Pat Neshek, Tyson Ross, Jeff Samardzija, Julio Teheran, Adam Wainwright, Tony Watson, Jordan Zimmermann
NL Reserves
Charlie Blackmon, Matt Carpenter, Starlin Castro, Todd Frazier, Freddie Freeman, Dee Gordon, Josh Harrison, Jonathan Lucroy, Devin Mesoraco, Daniel Murphy, Hunter Pence, Giancarlo Stanton
NL Final Vote Candidates
Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Rendon, Casey McGehee, Justin Morneau, Justin Upton
Since Samardzija now pitches for an AL team, he will be considered an All-Star but will not be active for the game.