AL Central Notes: Indians, Morneau, Yost
The Indians' recent trade for outfielder Jason Kubel and signing of catcher Kelly Shoppach demonstrate that their Triple-A affiliate in Columbus lacks hitting prospects, argues Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Pluto also writes that the Indians were not likely to trade for Justin Morneau of the Twins (who ultimately went to the Pirates) because their attendance this season has been disappointing, and they therefore wouldn't be willing to pay for the rest of Morneau's contract. Here are more notes from around the AL Central.
- The Indians have already pulled the plug on a total $13MM investment in Mark Reynolds and Brett Myers, but Indians president Mark Shapiro tells Pluto that one-year contracts tend to be volatile. "When you sign a free agent for one year, you know you are dealing in a highly speculative market," Shapiro says. Pluto notes, however, that productive seasons from minor-league signees Scott Kazmir and Ryan Raburn have helped the Indians compensate for the struggles of Reynolds and Myers.
- Royals manager Ned Yost and GM Dayton Moore have not discussed the possibility of an extension for Yost, whose contract expires after the season, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star writes. But there do not appear to be any other signs that Yost is in danger of losing his job, and Moore says that he would rather not discuss a contract extension with his manager while the season is going on. "I think Ned has done a terrific job," says Moore. "I’ve said that publicly. Ned has remained very consistent in his leadership." The Royals are currently 70-66, and could be headed for their first winning season since 2003.
Week In Review: 8/25/13 – 8/31/13
Here's a look back at this week at MLBTR.
- The Pirates acquired outfielder Marlon Byrd, catcher John Buck and cash from the Mets for reliever Vic Black and second baseman Dilson Herrera. The Bucs also acquired first baseman Justin Morneau from the Twins for outfielder Alex Presley and a player to be named.
- The Dodgers acquired infielder Michael Young and cash from the Phillies for pitcher Rob Rasmussen.
- The Phillies officially signed Cuban pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez.
- The Cardinals acquired reliever John Axford from the Brewers for reliever Michael Blazek.
- The Orioles acquired outfielder Mike Morse from the Mariners for outfielder Xavier Avery.
- The Indians acquired outfielder Jason Kubel and cash from the Diamondbacks for pitcher Matt Langwell.
- The Red Sox acquired infielder John McDonald and cash from the Phillies for pitcher Nefi Ogando. They also acquired outfielder Quintin Berry from the Royals for pitcher Clayton Mortensen.
- The Dodgers signed pitcher Edinson Volquez.
- The Mariners promoted top prospect Taijuan Walker.
- The Athletics designated catcher Luke Montz for assignment.
- The Rangers designated outfielder Joe Benson for assignment.
- The Orioles designated outfielder Eric Thames and catcher Taylor Teagarden for assignment.
- The Cubs designated reliever Eduardo Sanchez for assignment.
- The Reds designated pitcher Justin Freeman for assignment.
- The Indians designated outfielder Tim Fedroff and infielder Juan Diaz for assignment.
- The Red Sox designated pitcher Daniel Bard for assignment.
- The Brewers outrighted pitcher Mark Rogers.
- The Pirates outrighted utilityman Russ Canzler.
- The Rockies outrighted pitcher Edgmer Escalona.
- The Athletics outrighted reliever Pat Neshek.
- The Blue Jays outrighted pitcher Chien-Ming Wang.
- The Angels outrighted pitcher Billy Buckner.
- The Rays outrighted outfielder Jason Bourgeois.
- The Mariners released pitcher Aaron Harang.
- The Yankees released outfielder Melky Mesa.
- The Rangers released reliever Justin Miller.
- The Indians released pitcher Brett Myers.
- The Marlins released first baseman Casey Kotchman.
- The Twins released pitchers Tim Wood and Luis Perdomo.
- The Orioles released outfielder Lew Ford.
- First baseman David Cooper opted out of his deal with the Indians.
- The Angels acquired minor-league utilityman Rusty Ryal from the Dodgers.
- The Orioles signed first baseman Dan Johnson to a minor-league deal.
- The Indians signed catcher Kelly Shoppach to a minor-league deal.
- The Royals signed first baseman Carlos Pena to a minor-league deal.
- The Mets signed pitcher Cory Wade to a minor-league deal.
Quick Hits: Kubel, Athletics, Twins, Harper
The Athletics should consider claiming outfielder Jason Kubel, InsideBayArea.com's John Hickey argues. The Diamondbacks designated Kubel for assignment Tuesday afternoon. After losing Josh Reddick to a wrist injury, the A's are short an outfielder. Their current plan is to slide Brandon Moss to the outfield and have Daric Barton play first base, but Hickey thinks it might be better to keep Moss at first and play Kubel in an outfield spot instead. He notes that exchanging Barton for Kubel would be a defensive downgrade, however, and it's questionable how much more offense Kubel might provide. He hit .220/.288/.324 for the Diamondbacks this year, and would have to make a significant rebound in the direction of his 2012 form to be an upgrade. Here are more notes from around the Majors.
- Josh Willingham of the Twins says August waivers are "no big deal," Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports (via Twitter). The Twins placed Willingham on recovable trade waivers earlier today, raising the possibility (even if it isn't an incredibly likely one) that Willingham could be dealt. Willingham tells Miller he's in no hurry to leave Minnesota. The outfielder is hitting .214/.348/.393 this season.
- It's still not impossible that the Twins could trade Justin Morneau. But Morneau is a free agent after the season, so even if the Twins dealt him, they could bring him back for 2014. That decision could be based on how often they want Joe Mauer to play first base, 1500ESPN's Phil Mackey argues (on Twitter). Mackey argues that, in any case, the Twins shouldn't consider more than a one-year deal for Morneau, who appears to be past his prime and doesn't stack up particularly well against other first basemen.
- Scott Boras, who represents the Nationals' Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, half-jokingly says he prefers "12-year deals" for his players, MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko reports. "I'm more into 12-year deals for young players," says Boras. "The M.O. is that you want to keep within the franchise, you want him there for a long time and you want to be there for the fans and be a marquee for them. … You're going to have to do something different if you're going to be a team of distinction." Boras was in Washington for the Nationals' game against the Marlins, and he seemed to be talking about Harper, although he did not name him directly.
Blue Jays Notes: Gibbons, Payroll
Despite a disappointing 2013 season, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons will be back in 2014, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports. "I actually think [regarding] the in-game managing, he has done a great job," says GM Alex Anthopoulos. "I think it's so easy to pin results on one person. I think it's convenient. I could say that for myself. I could say that for certain players, for the manager. I just don't think blame falls on one person." Anthopoulos adds that the Jays have not considered firing Gibbons. Here's more out of Toronto.
- The Jays don't expect their payroll to decrease, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets. That doesn't necessarily mean Toronto will go crazy spending in the offseason, however. The Jays had an Opening Day payroll of about $119MM in 2013, and already has about $110MM in obligations for 2014, despite Josh Johnson being eligible for free agency — Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes and R.A. Dickey are set to receive raises totaling almost $20MM.
- By not firing Gibbons, Anthopoulos showed he wasn't looking for a scapegoat for the team's problems, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca says. Instead, Anthopoulos suggests he needs to investigate the Jays' issues with injuries. "I know injuries happen but we have had our fair share the past two years and that’s something we need to look at," Anthopoulos says. Davidi notes that the Red Sox have enjoyed a dramatic decrease in injuries after restructuring their medical staff last offseason. Of course, as Davidi points out, causation isn't easy to prove there, but it's still worth investigating why, for example, the Jays have suffered so many oblique injuries in 2012 and 2013.
Rosenthal On Nationals, Cruz, Peralta
Here's the latest from FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal:
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo says he did not make a mistake in claiming David DeJesus, as some speculated at the time. "I wasn’t concerned about being stuck with David, as I like him a lot," says Rizzo. "The player from Tampa Bay is not nearly a sexy prospect, but we had solid reports on him and he will be, at worst, added depth. I would have liked (DeJesus) to go unclaimed — I think I could have made a better deal with several interested teams." After claiming DeJesus, the Nationals quickly sent him to the Rays for a player to be named.
- One reason the Nationals might not be in any hurry to trade Dan Haren, Rosenthal suggests, is that they're still nominally in the playoff hunt. The Nats are currently eight games back of the last playoff spot, but they have a weak schedule down the stretch. Besides, Rosenthal notes, there hasn't been much interest in Haren in the first place.
- Nelson Cruz has been working out at the Rangers' facility in the Dominican Republic. Cruz isn't forbidden to do that, even though he's currently serving a suspension for his involvement with the Biogenesis scandal. The Rangers want to have the option of turning to Cruz in the postseason.
- The Tigers, meanwhile, have "not even discussed" using Jhonny Peralta in the playoffs, according to Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski.
Reactions To The Marlon Byrd Trade
Here are a handful of odds and ends from this afternoon's trade between the Mets and Pirates, in which the Bucs received outfielder Marlon Byrd, catcher John Buck and cash in return for second base prospect Dilson Herrera and a PTBNL.
- In addition to putting in a waiver claim on Byrd, the Pirates also claimed Buck before the trade, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York writes (on Twitter).
- The player to be named the Mets are set to receive will be a "solid" one, and that could make an already-strong trade even better for New York, says ESPN's Keith Law (Insider-only). But Law also calls the trade a "truly all-in move" from the Pirates' perspective, noting that Byrd represents an enormous upgrade over the Bucs' right fielders, who have been dreadful this year.
- Byrd is "a good get" for the Pirates, Fangraphs' Jeff Sullivan writes. Sullivan notes that, based on what we knew entering the season, it would have been strange to learn that the Pirates were still looking for upgrades in late August, and just as strange that the aging Marlon Byrd would constitute an upgrade.
- In Herrera, the Mets may be getting an "offensive-oriented second baseman," Matt Eddy of Baseball America writes. Eddy also notes that Herrera could hit for decent power to go with a good on-base percentage, and that appears likely to stick at second base.
- They may have just traded him, but the Mets may have interest in pursuing Byrd again when he becomes a free agent this winter, Andy Martino of New York Daily News writes (on Twitter).
- Martino also tweets that the Mets are unlikely to make any more trades this month.
Minor Moves: Chien-Ming Wang
Here are today's minor moves from around baseball.
- The Blue Jays have outrighted pitcher Chien-Ming Wang to Triple-A Buffalo, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports (on Twitter). The Jays designated Wang for assignment on Monday. Wang, 33, has a 7.67 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 27 innings with the Jays this season.
- For the latest on DFAs and outrights, check out MLBTR's new DFA Tracker.
Pirates Designate Russ Canzler For Assignment
The Pirates have designated utilityman Russ Canzler for assignment, Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (via Twitter). The team also placed pitcher Kyle McPherson on the 60-day DL. The two moves clear space on the Pirates' 40-man for Marlon Byrd and John Buck, who they acquired from the Mets earlier today.
The Pirates acquired Canzler from the Orioles for Tim Alderson last month, presumably to provide depth at first base, third base and corner outfield. He hit .195/.282/.244 in 142 plate appearances for the Bucs' Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis. Canzler has had cups of coffee with the Rays (in 2011) and the Indians (in 2012).
Diamondbacks Designate Jason Kubel
The Diamondbacks tweet that they have designated outfielder Jason Kubel for assignment. The move clears space on their 25-man roster for pitcher David Holmberg.
Kubel has hit poorly in 2013, posting a .220/.288/.324 line in 267 plate appearances after posting an .833 OPS in 2012. He is also a weak defensive player, making his lack of offense that much harder to take.The Diamondbacks were reportedly shopping Kubel before the July trade deadline, but did not trade him.
Kubel is in the final year of a two-year, $16MM deal. He is making $7.5MM in 2013, and his contract also calls for a $1MM buyout of his mutual option for 2014.
Passan On Dipoto, Zduriencik, Anthopoulos
Here's the latest from Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan:
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia are separated by a "rift" despite Scioscia's recent denial, Passan writes. Since Scioscia's contract runs through 2018, and since his influence throughout the organization is strong, Dipoto is more likely to wind up on the chopping block if the Angels do indeed decide to fire one or the other.
- General managers suspect that Jack Zduriencik of the Mariners needed to have his superiors approve potential trades at the deadline, Passan writes. He also says that the Mariners have checked to see whether former GM and current Phillies advisor Pat Gillick might be interested in coming back to Seattle. Still, now that Zduriencik is apparently under contract through 2014, it appears he'll get more time to see if the Mariners' new core of young players (which includes Kyle Seager, Nick Franklin, Brad Miller, Mike Zunino and Taijuan Walker) can come together.
- Despite the Blue Jays' extremely disappointing season, GM Alex Anthopoulos should get more time, Passan argues, noting that Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion's contracts have been terrific.