Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Yankees, Ubaldo, Jays

By Mike Axisa | July 9, 2011 at 8:51pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, so let's recap…

Two GMs tell Rosenthal that the Yankees are more worried about Mariano Rivera's nagging triceps injury than they're letting on. If true, they could increase their efforts to acquire a setup man, though they're hopeful Rafael Soriano will be back from his elbow injury soon after the All-Star break.
The Mets have called the Yankees and offered Francisco Rodriguez according to one source, but they're only interested if the Mets call them at the deadline and offer K-Rod at a minimal price.
The starting pitching market could soon heat up. The Rockies are getting calls about Ubaldo Jimenez and several other players, though they're not shopping their ace right-hander. Rosenthal says they'll listen on anyone besides Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Jimenez is under contract through 2014 (though he can void that option if traded) and could return a significant package of the players, so the team would give a trade serious consideration.
Don't be surprised if the Marlins listen on Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. Florida will try to get back into contention, though they'll likely entertain offers for both pitchers if that doesn't happen. Nolasco is under contract though 2013, Sanchez under team control through 2012.
The Blue Jays offer perhaps the best value on the bullpen market. Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel, and Jon Rauch aren't in the same class as Heath Bell, though all three could pitch better outside of the AL East and have club options for 2012. They all figure to qualify as Type-B free agents as well.

16 Players Receive All-Star Bonuses

By Mike Axisa | July 9, 2011 at 5:40pm CDT

The All-Star Game is fun for fans, but for many players it means another payday. Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball has the list of 15 players receiving bonuses for making the game, led by Derek Jeter's $500K bonus. Carlos Beltran and Tim Lincecum both pulled in six figures as well ($100K each). Curtis Granderson will receive a $25K bonus, but the All-Star Game nod triggers a clause in his contract that increases his 2013 club option from $13MM to $13.5MM. There are more escalators that could raise the value of the option to $15MM.

Howie Kendrick was not listed by Brown but also received a $50K All-Star Game bonus, MLBTR has learned. Several pitchers will have to be replaced on the rosters because they're scheduled to pitch Sunday, which makes them ineligible for the game. That could mean even more bonus money gets handed out.

How The All-Star Starters Were Acquired

By Mike Axisa | July 9, 2011 at 11:16am CDT

Major League Baseball announced the results of the fan voting for the 2011 All-Star Game starters last weekend, so let's take a look at how those 17 players were acquired…

Draft

Rickie Weeks, Brewers – First round pick (2nd overall) in 2003.
Ryan Braun, Brewers – First round pick (5th overall) in 2005.
Derek Jeter, Yankees – First round pick (6th overall) in 1992.
Prince Fielder, Brewers – First round pick (7th overall) in 2002.
Brian McCann, Braves – Second round pick in 2002.
Alex Avila, Tigers – Fifth round pick in 2008.
Matt Kemp, Dodgers – Sixth round pick in 2003.

Trade

Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox – Acquired from the Padres for Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Reymond Fuentes, and Eric Patterson in December 2010.
Curtis Granderson, Yankees – Acquired from the Tigers as part of a three-team trade that cost the Yankees Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, and Phil Coke in December 2009.
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays – Acquired from the Pirates for Robinzon Diaz in August 2008.
Josh Hamilton, Rangers – Acquired from the Reds for Edinson Volquez and Danny Ray Herrera in December 2007.

Free Agency

Lance Berkman, Cardinals – Signed a one-year, $8MM contract in December 2010.
Placido Polanco, Phillies – Signed a three-year, $18MM contract in December 2009.
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees – Re-signed to a ten-year, $275MM contract in November 2007. Was originally acquired from the Rangers for Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias in February 2004.
David Ortiz, Red Sox – Signed a one-year, $1.25MM contract in January 2003.

International Free Agency

Robinson Cano, Yankees – Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2001.
Jose Reyes, Mets – Signed out of the Dominican Republic in August 1999.

Jeter and A-Rod have withdrawn from the game due to nagging injuries and have been replaced in the starting lineup by Asdrubal Cabrera and Adrian Beltre, respectively. The Indians acquired Cabrera from the Mariners for Eduardo Perez in June 2006. Beltre signed with Texas as a free agent in January 2011, landing a five-year. $80MM contract.

Olney’s Latest: Choate, Bell, Isringhausen, K-Rod

By Mike Axisa | July 9, 2011 at 9:29am CDT

In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney notes that while the market for right-handed relief pitching is bountiful, the market for lefties is pretty thin. The Nationals will talk about Sean Burnett but the Cubs will not discuss Sean Marshall, though one southpaw to keep an eye on is Randy Choate. Olney says the Yankees have already asked the Marlins about his availability.

Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…

The Padres are unlikely to trade Heath Bell to the Diamondbacks even though the latter would love to have him. Padres owner Jeff Moorad used to run the D'Backs.
"The key guys this time of year really aren't the general managers," said one GM. "The owners are the key guys. Because they'll decide whether to add payroll, and when to raise the white flag on the season."
Jason Isringhausen of the Mets is "destined to draw a whole lot interest" because he's cheap and experienced. A handful of GMs feel that a Francisco Rodriguez trade is "all but impossible" because of his vesting option.
Teams have received their preliminary 2012 schedule, and the chances of realignment dwindle with each passing day.
Labor negotiations are progressing as scheduled, though recent buzz that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement could be announced at the All-Star Game has been dismissed.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Jayson Nix

By Mike Axisa | July 9, 2011 at 8:48am CDT

Let's keep track of all the day's outrights right here…

The Blue Jays have outrighted Jayson Nix to Triple-A according to MLB.com's transactions log. Nix had been designated for assignment a week ago after hitting .169/.245/.309 in 151 plate appearances for Toronto.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Uehara, Pagan, Red Sox

By Mike Axisa | July 8, 2011 at 1:16pm CDT

Eleven years ago today, the Yankees swept the Mets in baseball's first two-park doubleheader since 1903. Doc Gooden returned to Shea Stadium and pitched the Yankees to a 4-2 win in the first game, then Roger Clemens gave the Yankees another win by the same score at Yankee Stadium in the nightcap. The two clubs had a game rained out in the Bronx earlier that month.

Here is this week's collection of links from around the baseball blogosphere…

Phoul Ballz spoke to Brad Lidge after one of his recent minor league rehab outings.
Penn League Report interviewed Rays' second rounder Lenny Linsky.
Pirates Prospects revisits some of the Pirates' recent trades (part one, part two).
The Days of Yost tackled the Brewers' shortstop problem (part one, part two, part three).
Bleacher Nation compiled a complete list of Cubs trade candidates.
Brotherly Glove thinks the Phillies should pursue Koji Uehara.
FanSpeak mused about a Laynce Nix for B.J. Upton trade.
Rising Apple says the Mets should trade Angel Pagan, not Carlos Beltran.
Meanwhile, CitiField Nine believes the Mets should start over by trading David Wright and Jose Reyes.
BoSox Banter don't want the Red Sox to trade prospects for a rental.
SoDo Mojo thinks Kyle Seager would be best used as a trade chip.
The Nats Blog wrote about Jordan Zimmermann's pitch limits and what they tell us about Stephen Strasburg.
The Todd Van Poppel Rookie Card Retirement Plan isn't sure what to make of Guillermo Moscoso.
Tomahawk Chop wonders if the Braves would be willing to trade Brandon Beachy.
Chicken Friars asks Padres fans if they'd rather keep Heath Bell or Mike Adams.
Padres Future checked in on the state of the Padres at each position.
D'Backs Central breaks down the Diamondbacks' bullpen.
We Should Be GMs came up with a new stat in honor or Ryan Howard.
Motor City Bengals says the Tigers will sink or swim with their veteran infielders.
Splashing Pumpkins analyzed Nate Schierholtz's batting stance.
Pitchers & Poets wrote about the problem with the pick-off throw.
Call To The Pen listed their first half MVPs for the AL Central.
Beer Leaguer took a look at Mark Buehrle's Hall of Fame chances.
MLB Reports discussed the possibility of adding two teams to the league.
The Hardball Times broke down the Home Run Derby participants.
Infield Chatter wrote about the impact of social media on MLB.

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

Extension Candidate: Ian Kennedy

By Mike Axisa | July 7, 2011 at 10:04pm CDT

It's not often that we see a trade where both sides end up happy, so a three-team trade where all parties end up pleased with their end are rare. A year and a half later, I think it's safe to the say the Diamondbacks, Tigers, and Yankees are all happy with their haul from last winter's Curtis Granderson–Max Scherzer–Ian Kennedy–Edwin Jackson (plus others) swap. Many questioned Arizona's motives behind the trade, but as Joe Pawlikowski of FanGraphs recently explained, it's the deal that keeps on giving for them.

Kennedy was everything the Diamondbacks could have hoped for in the first year after the trade, giving them 32 starts and 194 innings with a 3.80 ERA last season. His peripheral stats were strong as well: 7.79 K/9, 3.25 BB/9, 4.33 FIP, and 2.4 wins above replacement. Kennedy's second year in Arizona has gone even better; his 3.38 ERA is supported by a 3.50 FIP, and he's maintained a similar strikeout rate (7.58 K/9) while lowering his walk rate (2.35 BB/9) and increasing his ground ball rate (40.5%). After just 112 1/3 innings, he's already provided his team 2.3 wins above replacement.

Let's compare Kennedy to one of his peers at a similar point of their career…

Romero signed a five-year contract worth $30.1MM last August, a deal that also includes an option for a sixth year. It bought out his last remaining pre-arbitration year, all three arbitration-eligible seasons, and at least one free agent season. The Diamondbacks have Kennedy under team control through 2015, and he won't be eligible for arbitration until the 2013 season. A five-year deal would buy out the same years of his career as Romero's deal, and it would still allow Kennedy to hit the free agent market at age 31, young enough to land one more big contract.

It's worth mentioning that both Yovani Gallardo and Jon Lester received similar five-year contracts worth $30MM or so, the kind of deal Kennedy has set himself up for when you adjust for inflation. There's no pressure on the D'Backs to sign their young right-hander to a long-term deal now, but doing so could save the team some major bucks down the line.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Giants, Yankees, Orioles

By Mike Axisa | July 7, 2011 at 8:42pm CDT

Our condolensces go out to the friends and family of Dick Williams. The long-time player and manager passed away at age 82 today.

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told MLB.com's Greg Johns that "we're wide open." He added that they've "had dialogue" about potential trades, but haven't found a match and won't make a deal until they find one that makes sense.
MLB.com's Adam Berry notes that Mike Fontenot is coming off the disabled list soon, which could mean the end of Bill Hall's time with the Giants.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Yankees have a scout at Nationals Park tonight, presumably to see Sean Burnett. Earlier today we heard that they've discussed the lefty internally.
Meanwhile, ESPN's Buster Olney hears that the Yankees are doing normal pre-deadline due diligence and are discussing many players (on Twitter), but they are not close to any deals.
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com that he'd like scouting director Joe Jordan to return next year. The contracts of both men are up after the season.
The Mets have signed seventh rounder Cole Frenzel, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. The first baseman from Arizona was the 222nd overall pick.
Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears that the Cardinals are expected to finalize a deal with third rounder C.J. McElroy (Twitter link). "Just details" are left to be finalized. MLB's slot recommendation for the 109th overall pick is approximately $284K.

Mets “Very Unlikely” To Trade Reyes In Season

By Mike Axisa | July 7, 2011 at 7:49pm CDT

Amid reports of "secret" extension talks, Mets GM Sandy Alderson told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York that they are "very unlikely" to trade Jose Reyes in season (Twitter link). He said that was true even before the shortstop was placed on the disabled list with a hamstring injury.

Over the weekend we heard there was "almost no way" the Mets would deal their star, and Alderson's statement reinforces that position. The team may also be considering a substantial contract offer when Reyes hits free agency after the season. Either way, other clubs don't figure to stop calling since Alderson could just be posturing.

Rockies Sign Joe Mather

By Mike Axisa | July 7, 2011 at 7:35pm CDT

The Rockies have signed Joe Mather to a minor league contract and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate according to MLB.com's transactions page. He elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Braves late last month.

Mather, 29 later this month, hit .213/.273/.307 with one homer in 83 plate appearances for Atlanta this year. He's a career .228/.283/.384 in three big league seasons, and he has experience playing all three outfield spots and first base. The righty bat already has a homer for Colorado's Triple-A squad despite being there for all of two games.

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