Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Cardinals Extend Chris Carpenter

By Mike Axisa | September 13, 2011 at 3:03pm CDT

The Cardinals and ace Chris Carpenter have agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $21MM that will provide the right-hander with additional security and provide the Cardinals with a productive starter for two more seasons.

Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported the move on Sunday and the Cardinals have now announced it.

Carpenter, 36, was in the final guaranteed year of the five-year, $63.5MM deal he signed before the 2007 season. The team held a $15MM club option for his services next year, but Strauss says the option is rolled into a longer structure that saves the team about $4MM in 2012. This extension includes no appearance-based incentives or options either. Late last month, Ben Nicholson-Smith said Carpenter "may well be a luxury on whom GM John Mozeliak is prepared spend," and he certainly has. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted last week that the team would hammer out a new contract at a lower salary in advance of the November option decision.

Now four full years out from Tommy John surgery, Carpenter has pitched to a 3.75 ERA in 206 1/3 innings this season. Although his ground ball rate (45.6%) is the lowest it's ever been since he joined St. Louis, he does boast his highest strikeout rate (7.15 K/9) in five years as well as a strong walk rate (2.18 BB/9). The 2005 Cy Young Award winner's fastball velocity has jumped a tick as well.

Last month we heard that the Cardinals were expected to pick up Adam Wainwright's options for 2012 and 2013, while the right-hander recovers from his own Tommy John surgery. Carpenter's new deal gives Mozeliak one less thing to worry about in a winter that figures to be dominated by negotiations with Albert Pujols.

Cardinals Links: Carpenter, Furcal, Berkman

By Mike Axisa | September 12, 2011 at 6:46pm CDT

The Cardinals have won five in a row and come into the day just 4.5 games back of the Braves for the NL Wildcard, making things unexpectedly interesting in the season's final weeks. Let's round up the latest from St. Louis…

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports confirms the report of Chris Carpenter's two-year extension, and he likes the deal for both sides (Twitter links). The team saves some cash while Carpenter gets more guaranteed money.
With Carpenter locked up and Adam Wainwright on his way back from Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals' 2012 rotation looks pretty strong, writes Roger Hensley of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Those two will join Jake Westbrook and Jaime Garcia.
GM John Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he wants to use the final weeks of the regular season and the first few weeks of October "to lock-in existing free agents and clear up any questions for 2012," beyond Albert Pujols. There are ongoing talks with Rafael Furcal's representatives, and Lance Berkman has already given the team a sense of what it would take for him to return next year.

AL Central Links: Tigers, Pena, Buehrle, Acta

By Mike Axisa | September 10, 2011 at 8:46pm CDT

The Tigers' magic number for clinching the AL Central is nine after Brandon Inge's walkoff blast against the Twins this afternoon. Red-hot Detroit has won eight games in a row and the team looks like a sure bet to reach the postseason for the first time since 2006.

Let's round up the latest from the division…

Intra-divisional trades made been a big part of the Tigers' success, writes Lynn Henning for the Detroit News. Jhonny Peralta, Delmon Young and Wilson Betemit have all come to Detroit from AL Central rivals over the last two seasons.
Brayan Pena wants to keep playing for the Royals and is happy to remain a backup catcher, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
Following last night's game, Mark Buehrle told reporters that he plans to work out this offseason as if he'll be pitching next season, but he doesn't know if a contract will get worked out with the White Sox. You can watch the video on CSNChicago.com. Buehrle will be a free agent for the first time in his career after the season, and he's hinted at retirement in the past.
Ozzie Guillen, for his part, thinks Buehrle will pitch in 2012. "Oh, he's staying," Guillen tells ESPN Chicago. "I talk to him every day and he never mentions [to] me anything about retirement. I think this kid's got a lot left to give [to] baseball. I think this kid can help a lot of big league ballclubs. Believe me, I don't think he's retiring."
In that same piece, Guillen also reiterated his commitment to the White Sox, saying he wishes to manage the club in 2012 and for "the next 20 years."
Joe Mauer talks to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (video link) about his season, his future behind the plate and the Twins' struggles. Two days ago, more than 3,000 MLBTR voters said the Twins have been baseball's most disappointing team this season.
"That's a good question for the off-season," said Indians GM Chris Antonetti when asked about manager Manny Acta's club option for 2013 by Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Acta will be in the final year of his three-year contract next season, and Antonetti made it clear that he's pleased with the job his manager has done.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland told Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press that they're "thrilled" about the Delmon Young acquisition. "It's worked out pretty good so far, and when he steps in that batter's box he's a man," said Leyland. "He's going to get his rips and has a pretty good idea how to hit and what pitchers do."

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Free Agent Stock Watch: Casey Kotchman

By Mike Axisa | September 10, 2011 at 10:24am CDT

The Rays signed a middle of the order hitter last offseason, but it wasn't Manny Ramirez. After just five games with Tampa, Manny abruptly retired rather than face a second suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. The Rays filled Ramirez's roster spot by promoting Casey Kotchman from Triple-A, and five months later, he's the middle of the order bat the team thought it was getting in Manny.

Kotchman, still just 28, has stepped in and hit .312/.380/.429 in 487 plate appearances since being promoted. He isn't hitting for much power (just eight homers), but he's drawing walks (42) and putting the ball in play (55) while providing his usual strong defense. After years of struggling against left-handers, Kotchman is hitting a respectable .300/.336/.367 against southpaws this season.

There are reasons to believe that the improved performance is unsustainable, however. Kotchman's batting average on balls in play (.341) is the highest of his career (by far) even though there's been no significant change in his batted ball profile. More than half of the balls he puts in play are hit on the ground, just a quarter are fly balls, and fewer than one in five is a line drive. It could work, but it hasn't for him in the past.

Low power first baseman usually aren't in high demand on the free agent market, especially ones with the proverbial "one good year." That said, Kotchman could be a nice, budget friendly alternative to stopgap first basemen like Derrek Lee, Lyle Overbay, and Carlos Pena. The Diamondbacks, Pirates, and Dodgers could all be looking for help at first this winter, and of course re-signing with the Rays is always a possibility as well.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Sutton, O’Connor, James

By Mike Axisa | September 10, 2011 at 8:51am CDT

Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here, with the first batch coming courtesy of the International League transactions page…

The Red Sox have outrighted Drew Sutton to Triple-A. The 28-year-old utility man had been designated for assignment earlier this week after hitting .315/.362/.444 in 60 plate appearances with the big club and .295/.382/.476 in Triple-A
The Mets have outrighted Mike O'Connor to Triple-A. The 31-year-old lefty had been designated for assignment earlier this week. In 39 games for New York's Triple-A affiliate, he posted a 5.22 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 60 1/3 innings. O'Connor also appeared in five games at the big league level.
The Twins have outrighted Chuck James to Triple-A. The 29-year-old lefty threw 10 1/3 ineffective innings for Minnesota, but did post a 2.30 ERA, 9.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 62 2/3 innings in their minor league system. James had been designated for assignment earlier this week.

NL Links: Dobbs, Wang, Cubs, Brewers

By Mike Axisa | September 9, 2011 at 10:46pm CDT

Here are some links from the Senior Circuit as we await tonight's Clayton Kershaw–Tim Lincecum matchup…

Marlins manager Jack McKeon told Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post that he hopes the team brings Greg Dobbs back next season. Of course, it seems unlikely that McKeon himself will be back in the dugout next season.
A report by Focus Taiwan News Channel (passed along by Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post) indicates that Chien-Ming Wang could earn more than $1MM in incentives by staying in the Nationals rotation all season. He's already made $250K for staying on the roster for 30 days, and will make another $500K for staying on the roster for 60 days. Every start after his tenth (he's started eight) will earn Wang another $100K.
SI.com's Tom Verducci says Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts can learn a lot from the Red Sox, who were aggressive in their search for a GM after John Henry bought the team in 2002. Billy Beane and J.P. Ricciardi were among the Boston's first choices before hiring Theo Epstein.
Within the same piece, Verducci notes that the Brewers haven't won a series against a non-Cardinals winning team since Memorial Day. He wonders if all of Milwaukee's wins against sub-.500 teams is making them seem better than they really are.

Wang Wants To Return To Nationals In 2012

By Mike Axisa | September 9, 2011 at 9:12pm CDT

The Nationals have spent the last two seasons waiting for Chien-Ming Wang to get back onto a big league mound, which he finally did earlier this summer. Because of the way the team has stuck with him, Wang told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he would like to return to Washington in 2012.

"They have taken care of me a lot the past two years. So I want to come back," said Wang. "I want to help them get more wins. I just want to get back, no matter the salary."

The 31-year-old sinkerball specialist is having an odd statistical year, with more walks (13) than strikeouts (12) in 44 2/3 innings across eight starts. He's getting by thanks to a 53.9% ground ball rate, which is very good but a notch below where he was before shoulder troubles set in a few years ago.

Earlier tonight we learned that Wang could end up making more than $1MM in incentives if he stays in the rotation the rest of the season. The Nats signed him to a one-year deal worth $1MM guaranteed, and he's scheduled to become a free agent after the season.

Dodgers Links: Blake, Vogelsong, Burke

By Mike Axisa | September 9, 2011 at 7:50pm CDT

One year ago today, the Dodgers released Ronnie Belliard after he hit just .216/.295/.327 with two homers in 185 plate appearances. Mini-Manny spent some time in the minor leagues this year, but he called it a career in June. Here's the latest from Chavez Ravine…

Jim McDowell, agent for Casey Blake, told MLBTR that his client had a post-surgery follow-up appointment this morning, and that everything checked out fine. Blake had surgery to repair a neck issue. He'll be able to begin his offseason workouts after six weeks of downtime, by which point the Dodgers will have already declined his $6MM option.
John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Dodgers offered Ryan Vogelsong a contract this past offseason, but the he declined (Twitter links). "I couldn't see myself being a Dodger," said the right-hander, who has a 2.62 ERA in 154 1/3 innings with the Giants.
Steve Sugarman, spokesman for Frank McCourt, told Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times that Bill Burke's $1.2 billion offer to buy the Dodgers was "unsolicited and a surprise." The team has not yet publicly responded to the offer, and Sugarman made it clear that Burke is not an acquaintance of McCourt's.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Gillies, d’Arnaud, Giants

By Mike Axisa | September 9, 2011 at 12:05pm CDT

On this date in 2007, the Brewers became the third team in history to begin a game by hitting back-to-back-to-back home runs. Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, and Ryan Braun all did their damage against Phil Dumatrait of the Reds, who gave up five hits and four runs before leaving the game in the top of the first without retiring a batter.

Here is the best the baseball blogosphere had to offer over the last week, as the 2011 season begins to wind down…

In a post at Brotherly Glove, Phillies prospect Tyson Gillies wrote about his long road back from injury.
MLB Reports interviewed Casey Bond, a former Giants minor leaguer turned actor. Bond plays Chad Bradford in the upcoming Moneyball movie.
At Home Plate talked to Joey Gathright about what he learned from Jose Canseco in independent ball before hooking on with the Red Sox.
Phoul Ballz spoke with Blue Jays prospect Travis d'Arnaud.
The Nats Blog compared Stephen Strasburg's return to the comebacks of other pitchers who came back from Tommy John surgery.
Bay City Ball says the Giants should play for 2012 this month.
Redleg Nation agrees with Reds pitching coach Bryan Price when he says that Aroldis Chapman should start.
Infield Chatter broke down the Red Sox's pitching problems.
BoSox Injection calls Tim Wakefield a liability.
Rant Sports Indians calls the Victor Martinez trade a huge win for the Indians.
Rising Apple takes a closer look at the players the Mets got in exchange for Francisco Rodriguez.
Disciples of Uecker muses about the Brewers' infield defense.
Chicago Now says the Cubs should look at John Coppolella, the Braves president of baseball administration, to be their next GM.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Outright To Triple-A: Matt Palmer

By Mike Axisa | September 3, 2011 at 12:18pm CDT

It's September call-up season, so there's lots of 40-man roster movement going on. We'll keep track of the day's outright assignments right here…

The Angels have outrighted Matt Palmer to Triple-A according to Pacific Coast League transactions page. The 32-year-old right-hander made three generally ineffective spot starts for the Halos in April, and he's spent the majority of the season with their Triple-A club (6.70 ERA in 23 starts).

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