NL Notes: Dodgers, Phillies, Zambrano, Marmol
If you're looking for some good reading over your Saturday morning coffee, here are a few nice leftovers from yesterday: Writing for Fangraphs, MLBTR contributor Marc Hulet broke down the position players who will participate in the MLB Futures Game. MLB.com's Corey Brock had the story of former third-overall pick Donavan Tate's attempt to revive his injury- and addiction-plagued career. Writing for the Biz of Baseball, Maury Brown discussed the decline in MLB and MiLB PED suspensions thus far in 2013. And as the Washington Post's Dave Sheinin reports, youth baseball is experiencing what could be an inner-city renaissance in Washington, D.C. On to some National League notes:
- Dodgers fans are probably still reeling from last night's beating, the team's worst home loss (Twitter link) since the franchise played in Brooklyn. But with the club's offense pointing upwards of late and with just six games to make up in a scuffling NL West, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that L.A. still could be looking to buy pitching. He says that the Dodgers cannot depend on a mix of Chris Capuano, Stephen Fife, Ted Lilly, and Matt Magill at the back of the rotation, and would be even more foolish to place their faith in Brandon League, Peter Moylan, and Matt Guerrier with late-inning pen roles.
- While the Phillies continue to hang around just under .500, speculation has focused on whether the club might deal top arms Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon. Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com wonders whether the club might be more likely to look to deal infielders Chase Utley or Michael Young, in spite of the no-trade protection that both enjoy. With Utley and Young set to become free agents after the season, a clear fall away from contention would make it difficult to pass up a youth infusion. On the other hand, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says that his "intention would be to keep [Utley] in our uniform for the rest of his career, if possible." Should the Phils look to deal, Knobler suggests that the Yankees could be in on both players, with the Royals potentially interested in Utley.
- One player that Philadelphia was hoping might provide a boost was mid-season signee Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano's inconsistent performance in minor league action had already dampened any real enthusiasm for his ascension to the bigs, but he took the Triple-A mound last night hoping to convince Amaro that a call-up was warranted in advance of his July 1 opt-out date. Instead, Zambrano left the game with what Amaro called "serious pain" in his shoulder. As Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports via Twitter, the injury means that Zambrano's already-uncertain big league return will now definitely not occur for the foreseeable future.
- Embattled Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol, who currently sits in DFA limbo, may be able to draw some kind of trade return after all. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweeted yesterday that three unnamed teams have shown some interest in Marmol.
International Notes: July 2, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez
Fresh off of wielding the biggest budget in the domestic amateur draft, the Astros are preparing once again to open the club's wallet for some high-risk, high-reward prospects. The 16-year old international signing period opens on July 2, and Houston will have an available bonus pool of $4.9MM to spend, the most in all of baseball. As GM Jeff Luhnow described it to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, the onset of the signing period "is basically a free-for-all." Luhnow continued: "From Monday at midnight and Tuesday at midnight, there will be about $20-30MM spent by the industry in that one day."
- As MLBTR's Marc Hulet explained earlier today, Baseball America's Ben Badler is a key source of information on the July 2 market. Expanding on his previous work, Badler released his list of the top thirty available prospects who are expected to sign just a few days from now. He also provides an excellent explanation of the way the market works. His top five players are Eloy Jimenez (outfielder, Dominican Republic), Gleyber Torres (shortstop, Venezuela), Rafael Devers (third baseman, D.R.), Luis Encarnacion (third baseman, D.R.), and Leonardo Molina (center fielder, D.R.).
- One international prospect who will not go through the draft process is 26-year-old Cuban righty Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez. As the recently-declared free agent awaits government authorization to begin negotiating a deal, he has already been heavily scouted by interested clubs. MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez notes (via Twitter) that he expects Gonzalez to sign quickly once the government clears him.
- Meanwhile, CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler — who reported that Gonzalez could get as much as $60MM on a five-year pact — tweets that the Dodgers could be planning to "go all out" to sign the hurler. Peter Gammons, likewise, said on Twitter that there were many teams interested but that "the bets are still on the Dodgers."
- The deep pockets of Los Angeles, along with the broad interest of many big league clubs, could drive a substantial price for Gonzalez. A reported 45 scouts were on hand to watch him throw for the Tijuana Toros, writes Knobler. Teams that sent representatives included the Cubs, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Angels. Knobler says that scouts have estimated a Gonzalez signing bonus at anywhere from $40MM to $60MM and above.
Deadline Notes: Starters, Astros, Utley, Braves, Perkins
Let's have a look at the latest talk surrounding the approaching trade deadline season:
- Starting pitching is an active priority for the Orioles, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Hurlers that the club is reportedly looking at include Ricky Nolasco (Marlins), Edinson Volquez and Andrew Cashner (Padres), Matt Garza and Scott Feldman (Cubs), Jake Peavy (White Sox), Bud Norris (Astros), and recent Oriole Joe Saunders (currently with the Mariners). The trouble for the O's, according to Connolly, will be coming up with enough prospects that the team can stomach dealing.
- The Giants are most interested in acquiring a starter that the team can control for more than this year, tweets FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi. In spite of that preference, Morosi says that San Francisco is interested in popular trade subject Matt Garza.
- The Cubs' Garza is generating a lot of attention given his evident availability and intriguing return from a long DL stint. Paul Swydan of Fangraphs wonders, however, whether the oft-injured Garza is really worth the hype. Swydan says that Garza's overall track record as a solid middle or back-of-the-rotation starter is what teams should expect to be buying, especially since his recent starts have come against some of baseball's weaker-hitting clubs.
- Trade talks are "ongoing" for two prominent members of the Astros, starter Bud Norris and closer Jose Veras, tweets Morosi. Both were recent subjects of MLBTR trade candidate analysis, as Mark Polishuk took a look at Norris and Steve Adams analyzed Veras.
- The most obvious trade in baseball, according to Fangraphs' Dave Cameron, is a deal sending Chase Utley from the Phillies to the Athletics. Cameron argues that Utley is still a highly productive second bagger, and would be a huge upgrade at the spot that the A's most need one.
- With the Braves losing key bench bat Ramiro Pena to season-ending shoulder surgery, MLB.com's Mark Bowman wonders whether the team will be more inclined to seek a third baseman before the trade deadline. While Chris Johnson has hit the ball fantastically, he has been a problem on the defensive side. Meanwhile, the team designated and then traded Johnson's early-season platoon partner, Juan Francisco, earlier in the year.
- The Twins face a difficult choice with 30-year-old closer Glen Perkins, writes ESPN's Buster Olney (on Insider). (Olney expanded upon his tweet yesterday addressing the Perkins situation.) With Perkins' value trending way up — he sports a 2.12 ERA, has registered 12.4 K/9 against just 2.1 BB/9, and is inked to a very reasonable three-year deal (plus option) — Minnesota could reap a major return.
Mariners Designate Alex Liddi For Assignment
The Mariners have designated infielder Alex Liddi for assignment, tweets Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio Seattle. The move was made in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for the promotion of shortstop Brad Miller. (Carlos Triunfel was optioned to make room on the active roster.)
Liddi, 24, has been underwhelming in limited big league experience, with a .208/.266/.370 line in 188 plate appearances. His minor league performance has been much stronger, with a .263/.322/.454 slash over his 262 plate appearances in Triple-A this year (including 11 home runs) to go with a similar .270/.325/.456 line last year.
Liddi is the first born-and-bred Italian to play in Major League Baseball. The designation of Liddi was somewhat unexpected given his young age and power potential, as well as Seattle's other options for clearing a roster spot. As Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports noted on Twitter, Liddi figures to draw some interest from other clubs given his upside.
Dodgers Designate Luis Cruz For Assignment
The Dodgers have designated infielder Luis Cruz for assignment, the team announced on Twitter. In a corresponding move, the club reinstated outfielder Scott Van Slyke from the 15-day DL. According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), Cruz's agent says that he has not yet decided whether he would accept a minor league assignment by the Dodgers if he clears waivers.
The 29-year-old Cruz entered the season looking to seize the opportunity presented by the Dodgers' opening at third and an injury to shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Instead of building on his solid 2012, in which he posted a .297/.322/.431 line in 296 plate appearances, Cruz struggled from the get-go. He currently sports an anemic .127/.175/.169 triple-slash across 128 plate appearances. As Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times noted on Twitter, Cruz is worst in the bigs in each of those categories among hitters with at least 100 at-bats.
Phillies Outright Michael Martinez
MONDAY: Martinez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned.
SATURDAY: The Phillies have designated utilityman Michael Martinez for assignment, the team announced via Twitter. The move will create a 40-man roster space for reliever J.C. Ramirez, who was called up to replace the DL'ed Mike Adams in the Philadelphia bullpen.
Martinez, 30, failed to hit safely in his four plate appearances with the big club this year since being called up. His Triple-A line for the season stands at .285/.344/.380 over 152 plate appearances. Martinez has seen reserve action with the Phillies over the last three seasons after starting his career in the Nationals system.
NL Notes: Utley, Pagan, Garza, Schierholtz
Let's have a look at a few notes on National League players who seem likely to figure in how the trade deadline market plays out:
- With his return to big league action, Phillies' second baseman Chase Utley quickly drew a flock of top scouts, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Salisbury noted the attendance at last night's game of scouts from the Yankees and Giants.
- Giants center fielder Angel Pagan could be headed for surgery on his injured left hamstring, report MLB.com's Chris Haft and Andrew Owens. According to manager Bruce Bochy, there is "no question [surgery] is an option." Today, we learned that an operation to repair the tear in his hammy would likely keep Pagan out for six weeks or so. (Courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle's Henry Schulman, on Twitter.) As ESPN.com's Jim Bowden explained recently (on Insider), Pagan's injury could force San Francisco onto the market for an outfielder.
- The Cubs' Matt Garza continues to build his value on the trade and free agent markets after going eight strong innings last night against the Astros. As ESPNChicago.com's Doug Padilla noted last night, the length and quality of Garza's recent outings promise to enhance his candidacy as one of the best available arms.
- Meanwhile, with reports that the Cubs are prepared to sell players, Fangraphs' Dave Cameron took a look at the value of Chicago outfielder Nate Schierholtz. Noting that Schierholtz comes with an additional year of control and has undervalued but nevertheless highly useful skills, Cameron says that he could appeal to a wide variety of teams.
Draft Signings: Farinaro, Franklin, Kozikowski
Here are today's notable draft notes and non-first-round signings (all slot info courtesy of Baseball America)…
- After getting fourth-rounder Mason Katz to sign for just $95k (well below his $405,100 slot), the Cardinals were able to ink eleventh-round prep arm Steven Farinaro to a $750k deal, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reported yesterday. As Goold explains, the Cards expect to exceed their $6.91MM spending limit by less than five percent, thus avoiding the substantial penalties (forfeited future picks) that attach at that point.
- The Reds have locked up second-round choice K.J. Franklin for $675k, which is more than $150k below the slot recommendation, according to a tweet from Baseball America's Jim Callis. The high-school third baseman was a surprise second-rounder given his 232nd overall rank by BA.
- The Pirates have agreed to a well-above-slot deal with eighth-round pick Neil Kozikowski, tweets Callis. The high-school righty, who has a projectable 6'3" frame, will receive $425k.
Tigers Notes: Closer, Scherzer
The Tigers are eight games above .500, feature a powerful lineup and dominant rotation, and seem as good or better than last year's World Series entrant. According to Fangraphs, Detroit projects to finish with the second-best record in baseball. But the team has one much-discussed weakness: the back of the bullpen. Long rumored to be exploring trade options to fill the closer role, the Tigers will generate even more discussion given the team's recent shedding of incumbent Jose Valverde and the approaching trade deadline. Here are a few notes on that and other topics:
- Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski insists that, in spite of designating Valverde for assignment, the team "still think[s] he can close games for us." As Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press reports, the team hopes Valverde will clear waivers and accept an assignment to Triple-A.
- In the same piece, Sharp offers that the true purpose of Dombrowski's supportive words is to position the club on the trade market. According to Sharp, Dombrowski is confident that the team can take the division even if it bides its time solving its 9th-inning dilemna. By playing it slow, then, the GM is trying to avoid being forced to overpay for a big-name arm well in advance of the trade deadline.
- While the closer role will always get more attention, the Tigers are also looking for better consistency amongst their setup men. The club recently recalled Al Alburquerque, who has dominating stuff but struggles to control it. In his first outing since returning to the big club, his control issues featured prominently. The performance of the club's middle relief/setup corps could also factor into its trade deadline plans.
- Meanwhile, the Tigers have enjoyed incredible production from starter Max Scherzer, who rates in the top five league-wide as measured by fWAR. (In fact, look at the rest of the list and you will notice that the club has four of the league's top twelve starters by that metric.) As FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi writes, Scherzer's breakout has set him up for a big payday. Agent Scott Boras says that Scherzer is "one of the top pitchers in the game," and will enter a "changed" pitching market "when [he] hits it" after 2014. With Scherzer posting remarkable strikeout totals and superior results, he will not only get a nice arbitration raise next year but has greatly raised the price of a hypothetical extension. Detroit may regret not taking up Ben Nicholson-Smith's suggestion before the 2012 season that a four-year, $30MM extension was a fair target. Now, the team will have to decide whether it can afford to lock down both Scherzer and fellow 29-year-old starter Doug Fister, with long-term deals already on the books for Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez.
Minor Moves: Ryan Langerhans
We'll keep tabs on the day's minor moves right here:
- The Blue Jays have released outfielder Ryan Langerhans, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweeted yesterday. Langerhans, whom the club acquired on a minor league deal over the offseason, was carrying a .220/.338/.435 triple-slash over 199 plate appearances at Triple-A Buffalo. The 33-year-old last saw substantial big league action in 2011, when he played nineteen games for the Mariners and registered a .173/.317/.346 line over 64 plate appearances. Over his ten big league seasons — only three of which included more than 200 plate appearances — Langerhans owns a career .226/.332/.372 line.