Quick Hits: Scioscia, Brantley, Cosart, Marmol, Garza
Today is Cinco de Mayo, a celebration of Mexican heritage, pride, and culture. The holiday traces its roots to the Battle of Puebla in 1862 where the undermanned Mexican army defeated the French, regarded as having the world's premier army at the time. More than 100 Mexican nationals have played Major League baseball, including Cardinals' lefty Jaime Garcia and Brewers' righty Marco Estrada. The pair squared off against each other at Miller Park this afternoon in the first-ever matchup between two Mexican-born starting pitchers on Cinco de Mayo and the 37th such meeting overall (per the Brewers via the Elias Sports Bureau). Garcia was masterful scattering eight hits across eight innings in the Cardinals' 10-1 victory. Estrada, meanwhile, channelled the French army allowing eight runs and six hits while issuing a career-high five walks (two with the bases loaded). Adding insult to injury, Chorizo lost the Sausage Race (h/t Adam McCalvy of MLB.com via Twitter). Por otras partes en béisbol:
- Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com believes Angels manager Mike Scioscia needs a fresh start and proposes the Dodgers as the most obvious possibility. Rosenthal notes owner Artie Moreno would recoil at the idea of Scioscia managing the crosstown rivals, but the Angels would be better for it if they could obtain a significant player or two in a John Farrell-style trade.
- Indians outfielder Michael Brantley hasn't heard anything about contract negotiations and that's by design, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes. "Once the season starts, it's time for me to concentrate on baseball," Brantley said. "I don't need distractions like that. If my agents have anything going on, they'll get in touch with me."
- The Astros have dropped Erik Bedard from the starting rotation and need a starter for Friday's game against the Rangers. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart doesn't sense the Astros are in a rush to start the service clock of top prospect Jarred Cosart, who is 3-0 with a 2.63 ERA and 9.5 K/9 in 27 1/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Cosart's next scheduled start is tomorrow night.
- Cubs manager Dale Sveum told reporters, including Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald, Carlos Marmol's status remains unchanged a day after he failed to retire any of the three batters he faced (two walks and one HBP). "Obviously he had a bad outing and couldn’t throw strikes," said Sveum. "Like I said he’s one of the seven guys, and he’s got to pitch, and we’ll get him back out there in some fashion. You can’t hide people. They have to pitch." Marmol pitched a perfect sixth inning today.
- Matt Garza will pitch his second minor league rehab start tomorrow for Triple-A Iowa, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Garza, number seven on MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings, is scheduled to throw three innings.
Marlins Outright Nick Green To Triple-A
Infielder Nick Green has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A by the Marlins, reports Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Green had been designated for assignment on Thursday.
Green, however, could back be with the Marlins soon, according to Frisaro. Donovan Solano has missed the last two games after tweaking his left oblique against the Phillies Friday night. If Solano is placed on the disabled list, Green is a candidate to replace him; but, the Marlins would have to clear a spot on the 40-man roster to do so.
Green has hit .321/.344/.500 with a home run in 34 plate appearances for the Marlins this year. The offensive prowess by the 34-year-old is somewhat of a surprise considering he owns a career slash line of .237/.304/.351 in parts of eight MLB seasons with the Braves, Rays, Yankees, Mariners, Red Sox, Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Marlins.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- Charlie Wilmoth advocated for a rule change to the waiver claims system because some teams make claims only to supplement their minor league depth, rather than trying to improve their Major League roster.
- MLBTR contributor Marc Hulet inaugurated a new weekly feature called Prospect Rumor Roundup with the first edition highlighting Jackie Bradley, Jr. of the Red Sox and Jesse Biddle of the Phillies.
- Tim Dierkes explored the possibility of Carlos Villanueva being a trade candidate this summer.
- Steve Adams expects Mike Adams to draw plenty of interest should the Phillies continue their early season struggles.
- Mark Polishuk opines the Mariners could net a decent prospect or two if they decide to deal Kendrys Morales before the trade deadline.
- MLBTR contributor Chuck Myron reported the Rays' stadium situation is not a distraction for their players or manager.
- Steve provided a progress report on the players non-tendered this past offseason who are currently playing in the Majors.
- Zach Links updated the players with a 2014 vesting option and how they can be exercised.
- Charlie asked MLBTR readers whether the Rangers should trade Jurickson Profar to the Cardinals for Oscar Taveras. Just over 52% of you advise GM Jon Daniels to do the deal.
- Tim hosted the MLBTR live chat this week and sifted through the MLBTR Mailbag.
- Zach put together the best of the baseball blogosphere in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
NL Central Notes: Cubs, Garza, Cardinals, Weeks
Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the infamous Lee Elia tirade against the Wrigley Field faithful where he unleased 37 "bleeps" in 187 seconds. Elia would remain as manager of the Cubs for just four more months. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle chronicles how times have changed for Major League managers. Four reporters were present for Elia's rant and only one had a microphone which captured the event for all posterity. Shea reminds us today there are interview rooms, social media, and live post-game press conferences shown on regional and national sports networks. As a result, Shea says managers have to be more articulate, polite, and thoughtful. Giants manager Bruce Bochy echoes that sentiment, "It's different when you just see pen and paper. When there's a camera there, you have to remind yourself." Elsewhere from the NL Central Division:
- Cubs manager Dale Sveum refuses to name a closer telling reporters, including the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan, "I'm not going to really mess with anything right now in our bullpen. It's about as good as it can be right now." The Cubs are 7-for-13 in save opportunites with three different relievers notching a save including Kevin Gregg, who leads the team with three despite being recalled only two weeks ago.
- Matt Garza, number seven on MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Rankings, was scheduled to throw a bullpen session today and is on track to make three or four minor league rehab starts, reports David Furones of MLB.com.
- Speaking of Garza, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald revisited the trade which brought the right-hander to Chicago and notes just one of the eight players invovled in the deal is currently playing in the Majors. Miles sees the trade as a wash, a viewpoint shared by MLBTR's Steve Adams who examined the Garza trade in a Transaction Retrospection last month.
- The Cardinals' imploding bullpen saw its ERA rise to 5.93 after surrendering six runs to the Pirates today. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch tweets the status quo cannot continue, but the team does not have many in-house options. Langosch also tweeted injured closer Jason Motte played catch for the second consecutive day indicating his arm responded well to yesterday's session.
- For the second straight season, Rickie Weeks is off to a slow start offensively with only seven hits in his last 69 at-bats. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com speculates Weeks will have a long leash because no one in the front office wants to start the service clock of Scooter Gennett, the Brewers' sixth-best prospect according to MLB.com, just yet.
AL Notes: Twins, Gibbons, Reyes, Price, Jackie Bradley
The Twins have devoted only 22.5% of their 2013 payroll to pitching (MLB average is 49.8%) and haven't exceeded the league average since 2005. Phil Miller of the Star Tribune writes perhaps no statistic better illustrates the Twins' dry spell in developing pitching prospects. "It’s not by design. It’s not like we said, 'Let’s spend less on pitching and go another way,'" said Twins assistant GM Rob Antony. "When we’ve spent a lot on a contract, more often than not, it’s on players we already have, that we know. We know how they fit in the clubhouse, and we know their health situation. It makes you a little more comfortable with the investment." Miller notes several pitching investments have been wasted because of injuries including this year's highest-paid pitcher Nick Blackburn ($5.5MM), who was removed from the 40-man roster as he recovers from wrist surgery. One investment that does seem to be paying dividends is Kevin Correia, who signed a two-year, $10MM free agent contract last December. The right-hander tossed eight shutout innings and lowered his ERA to 2.31 in the Twins' 5-0 win over the Rangers. In other news and notes from the American League:
- After a four-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, the seat is becoming hotter for Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman calls this a big test for Gibbons while Keith Law of ESPN.com says it's too early to think about firing the skipper (Twitter links).
- Before the game, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos met with the media, including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca, and said he doesn't expect Jose Reyes back until the beginning of July "just to make sure that we do this correctly and we don’t have any setbacks." In the meantime, the plan is use Munenori Kawasaki and Maicer Izturis because Anthopoulos said the costs of going outside the organization for a Reyes replacement "don’t line up for us with what our alternatives are."
- Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg reiterated his team's ability to afford David Price in an interview with WFAN (partial transcript provided by the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin). "We can; I don't know if we'll have any team around him other than him and (Evan) Longoria."
- In the same interview, Sternberg said he expects the Rays' next TV contract to be "big relative to the size of our attendance" but "mid-sized market" compared to other teams.
- The Red Sox prefer to give Shane Victorino some time to work out his back issues rather than trying to bring Jackie Bradley back too soon, tweets the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. Victorino underwent an MRI yesterday, which revealed inflammation in his lower back. Bradley, meanwhile, is 7-for-31 with 10 strikeouts and five walks since being optioned to Triple-A.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- Tim Dierkes revised MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings and, while Robinson Cano remains atop the list, seven of the nine other positions changed hands.
- Tim posited there are several factors weighing in favor of the Padres trading Chase Headley this summer and named some potential suitors for the third baseman.
- Steve Adams explained the service time implications for prospects like Wil Myers, Aaron Hicks, and Jackie Bradley, Jr.
- Speaking of Myers, MLBTR contributor Chuck Myron examined the Rays' decision to let their top prospect start the season at Triple-A.
- Tim issued a Free Agent Stock Watch on Paul Maholm and he is bullish about the possibility of the Braves lefty becoming the best free agent starter available.
- Tim then asked MLBTR readers to chime in on the "best free agent starter" debate. Nearly 10% of you agreed with Tim's stance on Maholm, but the title goes to Josh Johnson, number four on MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings, with almost 20% of the vote.
- Steve asked MLBTR readers to weigh in on who is the "best free agent hitter" available. Not surprisingly, 44% of you tabbed Robinson Cano, the top ranked player on MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings.
- Charlie Wilmoth asked MLBTR readers which top-ten pick from the 2011 amateur draft will have the most success in the majors. Nearly one-third of you believe the Orioles' Dylan Bundy will be best in class.
- Steve researched waiver claims over the past calendar year using MLBTR's Transaction Tracker and discovered the Blue Jays were involved in 26% of those claims and multiple players have been claimed multiple times.
- Tim listed each team's highest-paid player in 2013.
- Steve continued the Transaction Retrospection series by revisiting the Rangers' acquisition of Mike Adams from the Padres.
- Tim addressed the issue many players face when choosing representation: big agency or small.
- MLBTR was the first to learn Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons changed agencies leaving The Sparta Group for SFX.
- Tim hosted this week's chat.
- Zach Links compiled this week's edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- There are many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a refresher on how to use MLBTR.
- Want the latest rumors for your favorite team? Check out MLBTR's team-by-team links for Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- Rays' Executive Vice President Andrew Friedman explained the rationale behind his team's file-to-go arbitration strategy to MLBTR contributor Chuck Myron.
- Chuck also spoke with several Rays who had high praise for both Evan Longoria and the front office for the six-year, $100MM extension the All-Star third baseman received last November.
- Tim Dierkes noted contract extensions are down this last offseason, as opposed to a year ago. Past extensions, however, have prevented several prominent players from becoming would-be free agents this winter.
- Tim listed the top 15 players, according to wins above replacement, who are not locked up by multi-year deals and are instead going year-to-year. Tim then explored the parameters of a possible contract extension for the number three player on that list, Jason Heyward.
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Steve Adams presented another Transaction Retrospection with a look back at the Phillies' acquisition of Hunter Pence from the Astros.
- The Offseason in Review series concluded with Tim's profile of the Rockies and Steve's recap of the Diamondbacks and Giants.
- Tim provided the latest installment of the Why I Chose My Agency series with Daniel Hudson discussing his agent, Andrew Lowenthal of Proformance.
- Tim ranked agencies by total 2012 wins above replacement, 2012 WAR per player, and the number of four-win players.
- Steve revisited the top minor league signings from the 2011-12 offseason.
- Tim asked MLBTR readers when will the Marlins trade Giancarlo Stanton. More than 70% of you believe Stanton will be in a different uniform before Spring Training opens in 2014.
- Jeff Todd asked MLBTR readers whether the Yankees will let Robinson Cano reach free agency. Over 77% of you believe they will extend the top ranked player in MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings.
- Charlie Wilmoth examined the value of making early-season trades versus mid-season deals.
- Tim hosted this week's live chat.
- Zach Links assembled the best of the baseball blogosphere for you in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Here's the schedule for MLBTR's roster of regular features and exactly what to expect from them.
Quick Hits: 42, Ortiz, Quentin, Cubs
Tomorrow is the 66th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. Every player, coach, and umpire will honor Robinson by wearing his iconic jersey number 42 and it is a significant ritual appreciated by today's generation of players. "It's definitely one of those things you take a lot of pride in, putting on that jersey," said Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (as quoted by MLB.com's Tom Singer). "What (Robinson) went through, stepping up and being that guy to take that important step…it's something we need to always remember." This weekend, the nation remembered the Hall of Famer by making the biopic 42 the domestic box office champion with $27.3MM in ticket sales. This is the first time a baseball movie has ever grossed more than $20MM in its opening weekend and is also an opening weekend record for any baseball-themed movie when adjusted for inflation, according to Forbes. Here's the latest news and notes from America's Pastime:
- David Ortiz was scratched from his Triple-A rehab start today due to illness and it could become a very expensive setback, reports Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Ortiz's 2014 salary will be cut by $2MM (from $15MM to $13MM), if he spends more than 20 days on the disabled list and day 20 is next Sunday. His next rehab start could come tomorrow.
- Carlos Quentin announced he has withdrawn his appeal and will start serving his eight-game suspension today (first reported by the USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Twitter). "I’ve had time to have dialogue with Major League Baseball and a chance for the players association to protect me and my rights as a player,” Quentin told reporters including Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “When that time passed, I’ve prepared to serve my suspension." Quentin will miss the Padres' three-game series against the Dodgers, which begins tomorrow in Los Angeles.
- The Cubs could designate Brent Lillibridge or Alberto Gonzalez for assignment when Darwin Barney is activated from the disabled list on Tuesday, speculates the Daily Herald's Bruce Miles.
Conor Jackson Retires
Outfielder Conor Jackson has decided to retire, according to a tweet by the Norfolk Tides, the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate. Jackson signed a minor league deal with the Orioles last December and was their final cut this spring after posting a slash line of .302/.327/.528 with three home runs and six RBIs in 22 games. Norfolk manager Ron Johnson said Jackson is healthy but he has been wrestling with the decision to retire as his heart is just not into baseball right now, reports MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko (Twitter links).
"A lot happens during the season and I've been on teams where the 25-man roster starts one way and ends up a different way within six weeks," Jackson said when he was cut (as quoted by Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun). "It's a funny game and things work differently."
Things did work differently when Jackson managed only five hits in 25 at-bats for a .200/.333/.240 batting line in his nine games with the Tides. Taken by the Diamondbacks with the 19th overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft, Jackson was ranked by Baseball America as the 17th best prospect entering the 2006 season and he didn't disappoint averaging a slash line of .292/.371/.451 from 2006-2008 for Arizona. Jackson then contracted Valley Fever that offseason and was never the same. His last MLB action came in 2011 when appeared in 114 games for the A's and Red Sox, the most since his illness, hitting .244/.310/.341. The 30-year-old spent the entire 2012 campaign at Triple-A in the White Sox's organization recording a line of .277/.363/.434.
According to Baseball Reference, the 30-year-old made nearly $10.5MM during his seven-year MLB career (658 games) and finishes with a slash line of .271/.351/.407.
Marlins “Not Interested” In Trading Giancarlo Stanton
Teams that have inquired about Giancarlo Stanton have been told by the Marlins they are "not interested" in dealing their star outfielder, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network. Gammons specifically lists the Red Sox, Mets, and Rangers as teams who have checked in with Miami.
Yesterday, we learned the Rangers are reportedly doing early reconnaissance and prep work for what it would take to land Stanton while Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he hasn't had any conversations with the Marlins since early spring. Stanton has become the hottest name on the pages of MLBTR and more than 70% of our readers feel the Marlins will trade the 22-year-old sometime before Spring Training opens next year.