Blue Jays Sign Dawel Lugo
The Blue Jays have signed Dominican shortstop Dawel Lugo, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 16-year-old recieved a $1.3M signing bonus, the largest bonus given to a Latin American infielder this year.
Badler's subscriber-only scouting report describes Lugo as having "a solid swing, good bat speed and makes consistent contact with natural loft, showing the potential for plus power down the road." Some expect him to move off short down the line, likely to third base.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Shields, Reyes, Pineda
The Rockies and Padres played the shortest game in Coors Field history three years ago today, just one hour and 58 minutes worth of baseball. Aaron Cook needed just 79 pitches in the five hit shutout, and his teammates scored all the runs they'd need in the four-run fifth inning. Here is this week's batch of links, which will hopefully be worth more of your time than Cook give the Padres three years ago…
- Phoul Ballz interviewed Hall of Famer and Phillies' Triple-A manager Ryne Sandberg.
- Lasorda's Lair interviewed ESPN play-by-play guy Dan Shulman
- Amazin' Avenue provided a transcript of Paul DePodesta's conference call with bloggers.
- Baseball Time In Arlington muses about the Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez, and the Rangers.
- The Process Report wonders if the Rays can trade James Shields.
- Rays Colored Glasses believes Tampa should make a run at Jose Reyes.
- Dave Cameron thinks the Mariners should listen to offers for Michael Pineda.
- Capitol Avenue Club took inventory of the Braves tradeable assets.
- Camden Crazies expects the Orioles to make a trade or two this month.
- Pirates Prospects wonders if the Pirates should make a move at the trade deadline.
- Rooftop View believes Matt Garza could be the biggest trade chip of the summer.
- Cubs Billy Goat Blog compares Starlin Castro to similar players.
- D'Backs Central says it's time for the Diamondbacks to cut ties with Zach Duke and Juan Miranda.
- Motor City Bengals points out that the Tigers avoided disaster by landing Victor Martinez.
- Bronx Baseball Daily tried to figure out which prospects the Yankees should trade.
- Splashing Pumpkins comes to the defense of Bruce Bochy.
- The Flagrant Fan lists some of this year's unluckiest pitchers.
- Call To The Pen compares Justin Verlander's and Cliff Lee's month of June.
- COSFBA compares some nameless players with a fantasy angle.
- Baseball Nation classifies MLB's closer celebrations.
- The Platoon Advantage enlisted several other sites and conducted a mock expansion draft.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Potential Suitors For Mike Cameron
The Red Sox cut ties with veteran outfielder Mike Cameron yesterday, designating him for assignment after he hit just .149/.212/.266 in 105 plate appearances this year. "Rest assured I'll play again," said Cameron to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). "I'm not going out that way."
Despite his poor season and last year's injury riddled campaign (just 48 games), Cameron figures to draw interest based on his track record. He hit .250/.342/.452 with 24 homers as a full-time player just two seasons ago, and he went deep at least 20 times every year from 2006 through 2009. That power might be gone at 38 years old, but his three homers this year suggest that he might still be able to provide double digit long balls given enough playing time.
With approximately $3.625MM left on his contract this year, it's very likely that Cameron will clear waivers and hit the open market. Any team would then be able to sign him for the pro-rated league minimum, which is attractive to clubs on a budget. Let's look at some teams that could be potential suitors for Cameron…
- Braves – Martin Prado is dealing with a staph infection and temporary fill-in Jordan Schafer is hitting just .222/.295/.310. Wilkin Ramirez, Atlanta's current righty outfield bat off the bench, has been unimpressive in limited playing time.
- Cardinals – There's no way to replace Albert Pujols, but St. Louis was able to slide Lance Berkman over to first and stick Jon Jay in right field. The lefty bat is hitting .289/.340/.356 against southpaws, but Cameron could replenish some outfield depth.
- Giants – This one is probably a long shot because their outfield is already crowded, but the game's worst offense (just 285 runs) is in desperate need of help, particularly in the power department.
- Indians – Shin-Soo Choo will miss a substantial amount of time after having thumb surgery, and the incumbent righty hitting outfielder (Austin Kearns) has been ineffective both overall (.194/.282/.265) and against lefties (.244/.292/.267).
- Mariners – Jeff Sullivan of Lookout Landing tackled this one.
- Nationals – They've been looking for a center fielder basically all season, and if nothing else, Cameron would give them a platoon partner for Roger Bernadina (.208/.255/.271 vs. LHP).
- Phillies – Ben Francisco has been disappointing against lefties (.200/.317/.314) this year, plus Cameron could give them platoon partners for both Domonic Brown and Raul Ibanez.
- Pirates – It's strange to think of the Pirates as buyers, but they're over .500 and just two games back in the NL Central. Jose Tabata is on the DL and Matt Diaz has been a disappointment (.268/.297/.331).
- Rangers – Julio Borbon is back in Triple-A and David Murphy can't hit lefties (.177/.235/.194), plus they could probably use the depth since Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz are known to visit the DL from time to time.
- Rays – Matt Joyce and Sam Fuld have cooled off considerably, though the righty hitting Justin Ruggiano has done a swell job in limited playing time (.300/.328/.500). That might not last though.
- Tigers – Ryan Raburn (.207/.244/.348) and Magglio Ordonez (.200/.268/.279) have been big disappointments, and Austin Jackson isn't tearing the cover off the ball either (.248/.312/.364). All three are right-handed and could be replaced, though Jackson figures to keep the center field job.
- Twins – Injuries have decimated the Twins outfield, though at 8.5 games back of a playoff spot, they might be looking to sell off veterans rather than add one.
Jack Curry of the YES Network heard that the Yankees "probably" won't have interest in Cameron (Twitter link), but several other teams figure to come calling once he clears waivers and is available on the cheap. It's easy to see Cameron fitting on the 25-man roster of nearly even team, though the amount of playing time he'll receive is sure to factor into his decision.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Mets Links: Fire Sale, Einhorn, Sabathia
The Mets will welcome their crosstown rivals to CitiField this weekend, so here are some links to peruse before game time…
- After winning six of their last eight games and 14 of their last 23, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the team's firesale has been put on hold. Morosi still expects them to move some veterans, but perhaps not for another few weeks.
- Mark DeCambre of The New York Post reports that talks with David Einhorn over the purchase of a minority stake in the team are still ongoing even though the two sides were expected to wrap things up by June 30th. Einhorn agreed to purchase about 33% of the team for $200MM, and talks are being described as "exclusive" and "positive."
- Kevin Kernan of The New York Post says the Mets should make a run at CC Sabathia this offseason, assuming he opts out of his contract with the Yankees. Even if they fail to sign him, Kernan says it will send a positive message to the fanbase.
Olney On Deadline Plans For AL Teams
ESPN's Buster Olney outlined plans for National League teams heading into the trade deadline yesterday, and today he follows up with the American League in an Insider-only column that comes highly recommended. Here's a brief recap…
- The Mark Ellis trade could just be the first domino that falls for the Athletics. Other veterans like Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, and Grant Balfour could follow him out the door.
- The Twins aren't as willing to trade now as they were a few weeks ago, and the big question they have to ask themselves is if eating a chunk of the $5.5MM left on Michael Cuddyer's contract is worth it to trade him.
- We've heard this before, but B.J. Upton and Kyle Farnsworth of the Rays figure to draw interest.
- The Red Sox and Angels don't have a lot of financial flexiblity and are more likely to target smaller pieces.
- Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera, and Wilson Betemit are all affordable and reasonably productive, but Olney notes that the Royals might want to keep some veterans around so the youngsters don't get pounded.
- The Indians and Mariners will not blow up their rebuild processes despite their surprising runs at contention. Erik Bedard's injury took away Seattle's best chip.
- Poor seasons from Alex Rios and Adam Dunn make it difficult for the White Sox to do anything. They need those two to get back on track more than anything.
- The Yankees are convinced their internal pitching options are better than what's available on the market right now. A Rafael Soriano setback would put them in the reliever market.
- It's all about right-handed relief pitching for the Rangers, who will have plenty of options to choose from. The Blue Jays have lots of bullpen help to deal.
- The Tigers are asking around about pitching, specifically left-handers.
- The Orioles are having an internal debate about whether or not to trade Jeremy Guthrie, but they are expected to at least listen to offers.
Quick Hits: Rockies, Pelfrey, Verlander, Brewers
Links for Thursday…
- The Rockies have signed second round pick Carl Thomore, reports Nick Groke of The Denver Post. Thomore, a high school outfielder from New Jersey, was the 77th overall pick of the draft, and that carries a slot recommendation of approximately $472K.
- Multiple sources have told Jeff Passon of Yahoo! that labor talks between the owners and players' union are going well, unlike labor talks in the other major sports (Twitter link).
- Mike Pelfrey faced the Tigers this afternoon, and Jason Beck of MLB.com notes that Detroit had interest in the righty during the 2005 draft (Twitter link). The Mets took him one pick before the Tigers could grab him though.
- Interestingly enough, Justin Verlander (who pitched against the Mets this afternoon) was close to pitching for them at one point as Brian Costa of The Wall Street Journal explains. The Mets were prepared to draft Verlander with the third overall pick in 2004, but the Tigers grabbed him with the second pick.
- Brewers manager Ron Roenicke expects a position player to be demoted once Takashi Saito is ready to be activated off the disabled list this weekend, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about nine players that have stepped up to help their teams following injury. Hot stove afterthoughts Ryan Vogelsong and Phil Humber top his list.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America rounded up this week's collection of minor league transactions, which includes a ton of draft and undrafted free agent signings.
AL Links: Royals, Red Sox, Indians, Mariners
Some links from the so-called junior circuit…
- Royals GM Dayton Moore told MLB.com's Dick Kaegel that any move the team makes before the trade deadline would be something "we felt would help us long term." Kaegel notes that Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francis, and Bruce Chen are all candidates to move.
- "I can't sit here and say we'll definitely make a blockbuster trade,'' said Red Sox GM Theo Epstein to Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston. "For one thing, there's not a huge market for sellers right now. But it's a long way from July 31. Market dynamics change, our own situation can change.'' It's been reported that Boston is unable to take on payroll at the deadline.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian spoke to Indians GM Chris Antonetti, who said that "dialogue with other teams has certainly picked up over the last few weeks." Bastian says the team is likely to make smaller, incremental upgrades, but they are not opposed to dealing prospects.
- Indians manager Manny Acta told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes that Melvin Mora and Mike Cameron are “interesting” possibilities (Spanish link on Twitter). Mora was released yesterday and Cameron was designated for assignment today.
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times looked back at what the Mariners did at the deadline over the last few seasons, which includes attempts to rebuild and "go for it."
- With a 3.14 ERA through 117 2/3 innings, Rangers ace C.J. Wilson has put himself in a great position heading into free agency, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
Dodgers Have Not Had Serious Talks About Kuroda
Despite interest from several teams, the Dodgers have not had any serious trade discussions about right-hander Hiroki Kuroda according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi notes that tomorrow's start against the Angels will give teams a chance to evaluate Kuroda against an AL lineup.
Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers is said to hold the 36-year-old righty in high regard, and team ownership recently said they'll be able to take on payroll at the deadline. Kuroda will require compensation to waive his no-trade clause, though it's unclear exactly what kind of compensation he's looking for. The Reds and Rockies scouted his most recent start, and Morosi reminds us that the Yankees are always lurking.
Kuroda has a stellar 3.10 ERA through 101 2/3 innings this year, and his strikeout (6.8 K/9) and walk rates (2.5 BB/9) are right in line with his career norms. He is getting fewer ground balls in 2011 (44.6%) compared to the rest of his career (49.7%), so it's not surprising that he's giving up a career high 1.1 homers per nine innings.
Scott Kazmir Worked Out For Rangers
Free agenty left-hander Scott Kazmir worked out for the Rangers earlier this week, reports Anthony Andro of The Star-Telegram. Kazmir was healthy for the workout but the team hasn't made any decision yet.
"We've talked with him, doing our due diligence," said GM Jon Daniels. "Not sure if anything's going to come of it, but we try to look at every opportunity to see if someone can help us."
Kazmir posted a 3.51 ERA and 742 strikeouts in 689 2/3 innings for the Rays between 2005 and 2008, including a league-high 239 K's in 2007. Since then, he has dealt with a number of injuries, and Tampa Bay dealt him to the Angels in August 2009. The southpaw has managed just a 5.31 ERA and 5.7 K/9 in 35 starts with Los Angeles. The Angels released Kazmir earlier this month, and since then we've heard that a number of teams have interest in signing him.
The Rangers are focusing on bullpen help at the moment, and they currently have three lefties in their bullpen: Arthur Rhodes, Darren Oliver, and Michael Kirkman.
O’Dowd: “Little” Financial Room To Make Move
The Rockies shored up their second base situation earlier today by acquiring Mark Ellis from the Athletics, and GM Dan O'Dowd told Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post that he still has a "little" financial room to make another move (Twitter link).
Colorado has reportedly been calling other teams to gauge the pitching market, and they're one of several clubs showing interest in Hiroki Kuroda. The Rockies took on $1MM of the $3MM left on Ellis' contract and they started the year with a payroll just over $82MM. If they are willing to match last year's payroll ($84MM or so), they would still have another million bucks to play around with.