NL East Notes: Pudge, Einhorn
Here are a couple items of note out of the NL East as the Mets kick off their series against the Pirates without the services of Jose Reyes, who was added to the bereavement list Monday.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said he's not actively shopping Ivan Rodriguez and that the catcher won't be dealt for a "pittance," writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Pudge's name surfaced in rumors last week in the wake of Giants backstop Buster Posey's season-ending injury.
- Mets soon-to-be part-owner David Einhorn spoke to reporters Monday, and Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com has the highlights.
- The purchase of Einhorn's stake of in the Mets should be finalized "within weeks, and certainly by the end of June," writes Rubin.
- Einhorn thinks the agreement is fair for both him and the Wilpons.
- No assurances were issued by Einhorn as to whether the state of the Mets' finances would improve in the coming years: It'll be what it'll be. It's not that people aren't going to try really hard to avoid that sort of a circumstance, but the future is uncertain. And there is a wide range of possible outcomes of all sorts of things. That's true in life in general. And it's true in this circumstance as well.
Quick Hits: Cabrera, Kazmir, Padres’ Draft
Here are a few items of note as Jarrod Saltalamacchia parks one over the Big Green Monster on Sunday Night Baseball …
- The Indians' acquisition of shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is looking like one of the organization's best moves in recent years, writes Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. The Tribe plucked Cabrera, now 25 and posting All-Star caliber numbers, from the Mariners in 2006 in exchange for Eduardo Perez. For more on how the 2011 Indians were assembled, check out Ben Nicholson-Smith's recent post.
- Angels lefty Scott Kazmir, who's spent most of the season on the disabled list, will soon begin a minor league rehab stint, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Kazmir may return to to the bigs as a long reliever, and if he continues to struggle, he could be released, in which case the Halos will have to eat his contract (what's left of his $12MM salary, plus a $2.5MM buyout after the season). Mike Axisa wrote in January that this one would be a make-or-break season for Kazmir, and it's not going well so far. Ben thinks the lefty may have to settle for a minor league deal this offseason.
- The Padres own six of the first 58 picks in next month's draft, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and they face some pressure after they were unable to sign last year's first-round pick, Karsten Whitson. Center speculates that the Friars could focus on pitching and up-the-middle players, considering their farm is relatively stocked with corner infielders and outfielders. For more on the draft, be sure to check out our Amateur Draft Glossary.
MLBTR Originals: 5/15/11 – 5/21/11
A look back at the original posts published this week at MLBTR …
- Tim Dierkes looks at the Cardinals', Brewers' and Yankees' 2012 contract issues.
- If you don't know the Bradleys in the upcoming draft, Tim gets you up to speed.
- What will happen if the D'Backs and Pirates become sellers? Tim looks into it.
- With roughly one-quarter of the season in the can, Tim writes up the best performers among position players and pitchers of this offseason's impending free-agent class.
- Sergio Santos' rise from obscurity to White Sox closer is recounted by Ben Nicholson-Smith.
- Ben breaks down the variety of ways to use MLBTR.
- Ben examines the service time implications of Danny Duffy's callup.
- The Amateur Draft Glossary is ready. Learn it and love it!
- Jaime Garcia could be in for a big pay day via arbitration, writes Ben.
- An update on the 13 players we identified as facing make-or-break seasons in the spring.
- A handful of players who were non-tendered in the offseason are playing well, writes Ben, but fewer waiver claims are getting it done.
- Howard Megdal compares Jose Bautista's sudden prominence to that of Roger Maris.
- Ben lists the links to our Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds for each club.
- Jason Giambi's three-homer game prompts Ben to give a rundown of the oldest players in MLB.
- Interleague Play resumed this weekend, and Ben has a look at this offseason's top players who switched leagues.
- What will a "bad" season (by his standards) mean for Albert Pujols as he draws nearer to free agency? Mark Polishuk examines.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, DeRosa, LaRoche
Some items of note on Friday night as Danny Espinosa looks to collect a double to complete the cycle in the slugfest between the Nationals and Orioles …
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti admitted that he is exploring trade opportunities to help boost his sagging club, but he cautioned that it's tough to complete deals at this time of year without overpaying, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
- Giants utility man Mark DeRosa will see a specialist about his injured left wrist, for which he's already undergone two surgeries, but he's not considering retirement if doctors think he can make a full recovery, writes Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche said offseason negotiations with the Orioles never got serious enough that his decision to sign with Washington was especially tough, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Not to pile on the O's, but Mark Teixeira echoed a sentiment similar to LaRoche's a couple days back.
Minors Notes: Jennings, Transactions, Red Sox
The Phillies' Domonic Brown became the latest prospect to get the call up to the big leagues today (although he debuted in 2010), but some blue-chippers remain down on the farm. Here's a note about one of them, and some other interesting items …
- Rays manager Joe Maddon said Desmond Jennings wasn't called up after Dan Johnson was designated for assignment because Tampa wants the speedy outfielder to play every day, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Of course, Maddon was implying that the decision was not related to Jennings' service time.
- The Phillies' signing of 17-year-old Australian catcher Liam Bedford was among last week's notable minors transactions, compiled by Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Another noteworthy move: The Angels have finally signed UC Irvine catcher Francis Larson, their 22nd-round pick in last year's draft.
- The Red Sox have a unique sales pitch for minor league free agents, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Boston has a recent track record of awarding promotions to players like Nick Green and Darnell McDonald, which is appealing to guys like Drew Sutton who are looking to latch onto organizations that will give them a legitimate shot of playing in the Majors.
Orioles Designate Troy Patton For Assignment
The Orioles have designated lefty Troy Patton for assignment from the 25-man roster, per a club press release. The move serves to clear space on the 25-man roster for infielder Ryan Adams, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Norfolk.
Patton, a ninth-round pick of the Astros in 2004, appeared in just one game for the O's this season, surrendering two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings on Thursday night against the Yankees. The lefty, now 25, was once a well-regarded prospect and was acquired by Baltimore after the 2007 season in the deal that sent Miguel Tejada to Houston.
Quick Hits: Vazquez, Mets, Brewers, Rays, O’s
Here are some items of note for Sunday. On this day in 1941, 70 years ago, Joe DiMaggio began his Major League-record 56-game hitting streak, a mark that still stands today and has been largely unchallenged, as Jayson Stark of ESPN.com writes.
- It doesn't sound like the Marlins are ready to give up on Javier Vazquez, writes Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. The Fish are paying Vazquez $7MM this year, but he allowed six runs in four innings today to raise his season ERA to 7.55.
- The New York Post's Brad Hamilton reminds us that on July 1, the Mets will begin paying Bobby Bonilla $1.2MM each year for the next 25 years. New York struck that deal in 1999 to avoid paying the $5.9MM remaining on his contract when they released him.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that despite the offensive woes of Carlos Gomez and Yuniesky Betancourt, the Brewers are sticking with them for the time being.
- Operating on a tight budget has its advantages for teams like the Rays, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Without extra cash to commit to pricey free agents, clubs like Tampa are rarely encumbered by poorly producing, highly compensated veterans, Sherman explains.
- Meanwhile, the Orioles would like to emulate the Rays' formula for success, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com.
- Should the Yankees come to part ways with Jorge Posada in the wake of Saturday's incident, they could use the DH spot to rest veterans like Alex Rodriguez, or they could pursue a new DH like Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (subcription needed). Beltran is off to a great start with the Mets this season and could draw interest on the trade market, although Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs recently speculated that Beltran wouldn't yield much more than salary relief for the Mets.
- Pete Rose is still seeking a second chance to manage, and he thinks it's hypocritical that players and coaches who have used PEDs, abused alcohol and been involved in domestic-violence incidents remain in the game, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com).
Jorge Posada Links: Sunday
The news of Jorge Posada's apparent rift with the Yankees continues to be a hot topic today following Saturday's incident, which may have rendered the veteran catcher/DH in breach of contract. It remains to be seen whether Posada will be back in the lineup today or whether the Yanks will take action against him, but in the meanwhile, here's the latest info and reactions.
- The Yankees announced that they have accepted Posada's apology and consider the matter closed. He will not be disciplined.
- Posada has apologized to Girardi and said he "had a bad day," tweets MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. In a separate tweet, Hoch reports that Posada will also speak to Cashman, and quotes the catcher as saying he "learned from this."
- Joel Sherman spoke to union officials who dispute any statute or precedent that the Yankees can dock Posada two days of pay, and are "vehement" that there's no basis for placing him on the restricted list or voiding his contract even if Posada asks for another day off (Twitter links).
- As of now, the only thing that's clear about what caused the stir is Posada asked out of Saturday's lineup when he discovered he was batting ninth, write Joel Sherman, George A. King III and Brian Costello of the New York Post.
- The Yanks have no intention of retaining Posada beyond this season, and that has been their plan since Spring Training, according to Sherman (via Twitter).
- The Yankees considered suspending Posada, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
- Posada's and the Yankees' pride have made the situation unnecessarily messy, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Also in that piece, you can watch the clip from FOX's broadcast on Saturday night in which Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Rosenthal that Posada asked out of the lineup.
- The only thing saving Posada's job is his longstanding relationship with the Yankees, writes Olney (Insider subscription needed). Were he any other player, he'd probably be gone.
- It's long been known that Posada and Yankees manager Joe Girardi have a strained relationship, but it's now apparent that Cashman and Posada don't get along, either, writes Sherman.
- The Posada situation speaks to a larger dilemma for the Yankees, who are having to deal with stars during their decline phases, according to Sherman.
- Posada acted uncharacteristically unprofessional, and the only way he can rectify the situation is if he admits he made a mistake, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Girardi failed at one of his goals: minimizing distractions and negativity, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com.
- Posada's explanation that he received treatment for an ailing back doesn't add up for Heyman (via Twitter).
- Peter Gammons relays a bit of wisdom from a former GM about the risky nature of rostering declining stars (via Twitter).
- Posada should ask for forgiveness for one mistake in what has been an otherwise exemplary career, tweets Sherman.
- The only resolution for the situation is if Posada begins hitting immediately, tweets Olney.
Week In Review: 5/8/11 – 5/14/11
A look back at the week that was here at MLBTR …
- The Red Sox mulled alternatives to the struggling catching duo of Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, although nothing is imminent.
- The Nationals acquired speedy outfielder Gregor Blanco from the Royals for a player to be named, although Washington's outfield picture remains muddled. The Nats also designated reliever Brian Broderick for assignment.
- The Mariners designated outfielder Ryan Langerhans for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Mike Wilson. The M's also DFA'd the perpetually embattled Milton Bradley, and the Padres aren't interested in bringing back Bradley.
- Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has a new agent in Dan Lozano.
- The Yankees said they won't discuss CC Sabathia's opt-out clause during the season.
- The Astros' sale to Jim Crane is nearly complete. Houston also designated right-hander Nelson Figueroa for assignment and signed catcher Max Ramirez to a minor league deal. Figueroa accepted his assignment to Triple-A Round Rock.
- The Pirates continued extension negotiations with star center fielder Andrew McCutchen. The Bucs also released lefty Scott Olsen.
- The Orioles designated righty Josh Rupe for assignment.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson said it's unlikely that he'd trade Jose Reyes this season and then try to re-sign the shortstop in the offseason. Meanwhile, Reyes trade rumors persisted. As well, Carlos Beltran has been playing well, and whispers about his trade value kicked up.
- The Athletics' young starters are basically untouchable, we learned.
- Willy Aybar signed with the Edmonton Capitals of the independent North American League. Likewise, Pedro Feliz signed with the Camden RiverSharks of the Atlantic League, an independent league.
- Frank McCourt continued his legal action against MLB following the league taking control of the Dodgers.
- The White Sox designated righty Jeff Gray for assignment. Gray was then claimed by the Mariners.
- The Blue Jays released outfielder Scott Podsednik.
- MLB and the MLBPA made progress in talks regarding a new collective bargaining agreement.
- Angels first baseman Kendry Morales was lost for the season to ankle surgery.
- The D'Backs said they're open to acquiring pitching and moving their reserves. Arizona also released lefty Ron Mahay.
- The Yankees designated right-hander Jess Todd for assignment.
- Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer continued to impress upon being called up to the bigs, but his agent, Scott Boras, said he's not much interested in discussing a long-term deal with Kansas City.
- Draft news and a few mocks were published as we draw closer to June.
- Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart, demoted again to Triple-A, discussed a potential trade from the Colorado organization.
- The Cubs outrighted righty Thomas Diamond from their 40-man roster.
Trade Candidate: Heath Bell
The Padres' Heath Bell has been one of baseball's best closers over the past two-plus seasons, racking up 89 saves in 2009-10. Though he's undoubtedly benefited from the pitcher-friendly dimensions of his home digs, PETCO Park, Bell's output is no fluke: He's posted closer-worthy peripherals since establishing himself as a big league reliever.
Now in the final year of his contract before free agency, however, Bell, 33, is a trade candidate on a cost-conscious Padres team that may not be able to afford investing too heavily in a closer. As well, the Friars have excellent setup men in Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson and Chad Qualls, any of whom could capably take over closing duties if need be.
Earlier this year, Bell expressed that he'd like to stay in San Diego, and a rumors of an extension were cropping up. Those talks have cooled, however, and thought it's too early to write off any team, the Padres are six games under .500 through their first 34 tilts and struggling considerably on offense. In fact, Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote that the Padres should think about peeling off a reliever – perhaps Bell – now, to beef up their lineup.
Bell, like the Mets' Francisco Rodriguez, could be an intriguing rental for a contending team looking to bolster its bullpen, and unlike K-Rod, Bell's contract doesn't include that tricky games-finished option, meaning an acquiring team could use him at will.
Here's a list of some teams that could be in the running for Bell's services, should he be made available:
- Cardinals. You don't need to follow the @closernews Twitter feed to know that the Redbirds have been unsettled in the ninth inning recently. Bell could be the linch pin to a bullpen that can't seem to produce a clear-cut closer.
- Rangers. Neftali Feliz is a top-flight closer, but his recent stint on the DL exposed Texas' relatively thin relief corps. Bell could be an ideal setup man and spot-closer when the Rangers want to rest the younger pitcher's prized arm.
- Phillies. Brad Lidge, currently on the DL, is on the mend but is injury- and slump-prone, and Jose Contreras is hurt, too. Bell could solidify the Phils' bullpen with Ryan Madson and the emergent Antonio Bastardo. Remember: The Phils are a win-now team in a big market, so they'd probably make a deal like this if they think it'd put them over the top.
- Marlins. The Marlins' early success has surprised some, largely on the strength of a revamped, so-called no-name bullpen – including the likes of Michael Dunn, Ryan Webb and Brian Sanches. Still, closer Leo Nunez has struggled in the past, and Bell would probably become their best reliever.
- Indians. The Tribe are another pleasant surprise getting by with an unheralded bullpen, and Bell could make a formidable late-inning duo with closer Chris Perez.