Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Astros Looking To Trade Myers, Keppinger

By Mike Axisa | June 17, 2011 at 6:34pm CDT

The Astros are currently an MLB worst 25-45 and are in the process of being transferred to a new owner, so they certainly figure to be sellers at the trade deadline. MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that they are looking to trade both Brett Myers and Jeff Keppinger, two names that have frequented the trade rumor circuit in recent months (Twitter links). Ladson doubts that the Nationals would have interest in either.

Myers might not be very marketable these days. He'll be 31 in August, and he's pitched to a 5.03 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 87 2/3 innings this season. The 18 homers he's allowed are the most in baseball and his fastball velocity has fallen off considerably. Myers will earn $7MM this season and $11MM next season before a $10MM club option ($3MM buyout) for 2013 comes into play.

Keppinger seems like a much more practical trade candidate. He's hitting .301/.329/.370 since coming off the disabled list following a foot injury, and last year he hit a respectable .288/.351/.393 with more walks (51) than strikeouts (34) in 575 plate appearances. Keppinger has plenty of experience at second, third, and short, and his $2.3MM salary is a little easier on the wallet. He is also under team control next year as an arbitration-eligible player.

The Yankees have been connected to both players at times, though we recently learned that they "don't have a match" for Myers. Keppinger was more of an offseason target for them.

Carlos Zambrano Would Waive No-Trade Clause

By Mike Axisa | June 17, 2011 at 6:06pm CDT

Carlos Zambrano does not want to leave the Cubs, but he told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he would waive his no-trade clause if the team asked him to do so.

"If they come to me and want to trade me, obviously it's because they don't want me here anymore," said Zambrano. "I always say that. I'll be here until the Cubs decide to trade me … I've heard rumors. I've already talked to my family. They said,'It's OK. If you think it's good for you, if you feel you want to be traded, do it.' I don’t want to leave. I've been here 10 years. The town has been special to me, the fans, too."

This morning we learned that the Yankees had several top advisors watch Zambrano recently, though Rosenthal hears that their interest is minimal due to his volatile personality. Since he is due to earn $17.875MM this year and $18MM next, it's likely the Cubs would have to include some cash to facilitate a trade. The Yankees are one of the few teams able to absord that kind of payroll hit, and it's worth noting that their pitching coach, Larry Rothschild, held the same position with the Cubs for the last several years.

Zambrano, 30, owns a 4.59 ERA in 96 innings across 15 starts this season. His strikeout rate (6.3 K/9) is the second lowest of his career and his ground ball rate continues to decline, though his walk rate (3.3 BB/9) is a career best. It's also worth noting that Zambrano's fastball velocity is trending downward as well.

Gammons: Yankees, Others Tampered With Miller

By Mike Axisa | June 17, 2011 at 5:46pm CDT

The Red Sox announced today that Andrew Miller will make his season debut against the Padres on Monday after calling him up from Triple-A before his opt-out clause became an issue. However, in an appearance on WEEI's Mut & Merloni Show today, Peter Gammons said that the Yankees and several other teams tried to get Miller to opt-out of his deal. WEEI.com's Jerry Spar has the transcript.

"I know this," said Gammons, "There were a lot of teams that tampered and tried to get him to do the opt-out, including the New York Yankees. A lot of teams wanted him to opt out on Wednesday. Because of his trust for the Red Sox and how much they’ve invested in him — not in terms of money but in terms of effort to just get his delivery back and be patient with him, he stayed. In some ways, their fortunate. Because I think he could have gotten twice as much money if he had left."

MLB's tampering rules say "there shall be no negotiations or dealings respecting employment, either present or prospective, between any player, coach or manager and any club other than the club with which [the player] is under contract or acceptance of terms," which in English means that a team is not allowed to discuss employment with a player while he is under contract with another team. Yankees GM Brian Cashman responded to the report by saying they were simply "not true," reports Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger (on Twitter).

Miller, 26, pitched to a 2.47 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 65 2/3 innings for Boston's Triple-A affiliate this year. In his last four starts before the promotion, he struck out 26 and walked just three in 25 1/3 innings.

Cuddyer Would Waive Limited No-Trade Clause

By Mike Axisa | June 17, 2011 at 4:37pm CDT

Michael Cuddyer's limited no-trade clause consists of just three teams, but he indicated to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com that he wouldn't stand in the way of a trade to one of those teams if it came down to it.

"I care so much about this organization," said Cuddyer. "I do … I care so deeply about this team, that if it helps the organization…"

As for the three teams included in the no-trade clause, well not even Cuddyer is sure who they are: "Can't remember … I think Oakland is one. Toronto. And … I'm not sure."

Cuddyer's loyalty to the Twins is admirable, and there figures to be a market for his services before the trade deadline. Steve Adams explored Cuddyer's trade candidacy last weekend, noting that similar players like Casey Blake and Mark DeRosa have yielded decent returns in the last few years.

The 32-year-old Cuddyer is making $10.5MM this year, though the Twins could eat some of that in exchange for a better return. He's hitting .282/.347/.449 in 259 plate appearances this year, and he has experience playing first, second, third, and the corner outfield spots. Cuddyer's .292/.381/.491 career batting line against left-handed pitchers could also be a big help to a number of clubs.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Phillies, Cuban, Kazmir

By Mike Axisa | June 17, 2011 at 11:40am CDT

Three years ago today, the Mariners fired GM Bill Bavasi after five years at the helm. Seattle was an MLB worst 24-45 at the time, and they went on to become the first team in history to lose 100 games with a $100MM payroll. Current GM Jack Zduriencik took over after the season and immediately went to work rebuilding the team around Felix Hernandez and Ichiro Suzuki.

Here are this week's links as we draw closer to the trade deadline…

Crashburn Alley says the Phillies should proceed with caution if they pursue Josh Willingham in a trade.
Cracked Bell Sports makes a case for Philadelphia letting Ryan Madson walk after the season.
Brotherly Glove bids farewell to J.C. Romero.
The Blog That Boredom Built explains why the Twins need to update their evaluation methods.
The Cub Reporter looked ahead to the Cubs roster and payroll obligations going into the 2012 season.
Bleacher Nation tells us what Cubs owner Tom Ricketts' vote of confidence in GM Jim Hendry really means.
Lasorda's Lair says that Mark Cuban's next project should be to save the Dodgers.
From The Upper Deck evaluated Pirates GM Neal Huntington's trades.
Bay City Ball wrote about the Giants' unlikely aces.
Camden Crazies praised Orioles' shortstop J.J. Hardy.
SF Giants Rumors spoke to Baseball America's Jim Callis about the Giants' top two draft picks.
Beer Leaguer refutes Ozzie Guillen's claim that Paul Konerko is a Hall of Famer.
FanSpeak says the Nationals need to trade Tyler Clippard.
Two Guys And A Sports Blog explains why MLB needs Bryce Harper.
That's The Bottom Line thinks the Mets should trade David Wright instead of Jose Reyes.
Rising Apple lists ten players the Mets should trade before Wright or Reyes.
River Ave. Blues explored the concept of restructuring the Yankees' front office.
Bronx Bombers Report wonders if the Yankees should pursue Scott Kazmir.
D'Backs Central, meanwhile, wonder if the Diamondbacks should go after Kazmir.
Call To The Pen looked at two breakout players from the 2005 Devil Rays that were cut this week.
Tomahawk Chop tries to figure out what the Braves will do once Nate McLouth is healthy.
The Hardball Times tackled the myth of Dan Haren, with a fantasy twist.
MLB Reports makes a case for expanding and changing the MLB playoffs.
Baseball Nation matches up some baseball players with their representative volcanoes.

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

Cardinals Will Look Into J.C. Romero

By Mike Axisa | June 16, 2011 at 6:59pm CDT

The Cardinals had interest in J.C. Romero over the winter, and now a source tells Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they will look into picking him up after he was designated for assignment by the Phillies earlier today. Earlier this week we heard the Cardinals have the money to make a midseason pickup.

St. Louis has two lefties in the bullpen at the moment: Trever Miller and Brian Tallet. Miller has done the job (2.92 ERA in 12 1/3 innings), but Tallet's 7.15 ERA in 11 1/3 innings is an eyesore. Romero spent time on the disabled list with a calf injury earlier this year, and he has a 3.86 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 6.6 BB/9, and 52.9% groundball rate this year in 16 1/3 innings.

Rays Sign Draft Picks Blake Snell, Kes Carter

By Mike Axisa | June 16, 2011 at 6:06pm CDT

7:06pm: MLBTR has learned that Snell has signed for $684K, exactly slot money. He is represented by Adam Karon and Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe Sports. Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that Carter signed for $625K, which is slightly below slot.

5:25pm: The Rays have signed supplemental first round draft picks Blake Snell and Kes Carter, reports Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). No word on either player's signing bonus, but MLB's slot recommendation for the 52nd and 56th overall picks is approximately $684K and $644K, respectively.

Snell, a high school left-hander from Washington, was the 52nd overall selection, taken with the pick Tampa Bay received as compensation for losing Joaquin Benoit. Baseball America's Advanced Draft Database (subs. req'd) notes that he throws 88-92 with a curveball and changeup that are "just average at best."

Carter, an outfielder from Western Kentucky, was the 56th overall selection and was taken with the pick the Rays received for losing Randy Choate. Baseball America says he flashes all five tools with a smooth lefty swing and good plate discipline. They note that his health and struggles against left-handed pitchers are a concern.

Angels Unable To Spend More Money In 2011

By Mike Axisa | June 16, 2011 at 5:52pm CDT

The Angels have lost seven of their last ten games and sit three games back of the Rangers in the AL West, but owner Arte Moreno has told GM Tony Reagins not to spend any more of his money this year according to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. This will obviously limit the team's ability to make a splash at the trade deadline.

The Angels released Scott Kazmir yesterday, eating the $9.5MM left on his contract. They are also paying Gary Matthews Jr. $11.4MM to play for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate this year. Reagins was able to add Russell Branyan for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum last month, but he's hitting just .161/.229/.161 in 35 plate appearances since signing.

As Saxon notes, the team doesn't have much immediate help sitting in Triple-A, with the best of the bunch being veterans Paul McAnulty and Jeff Baisley. He wonders if teams would have interest in Joel Pineiro ($8MM salary), Fernando Rodney ($5.5MM, but currently on the disabled list), or Bobby Abreu ($9MM, but his 2012 option is close to vesting), which could potentially free up some cash via trades. Either way, Reagins is going to have to get creative to upgrade his team this summer.

Quick Hits: Pirates, Cabrera, Realignment, Oeltjen

By Mike Axisa | June 11, 2011 at 3:26pm CDT

Links for Saturday, as a pair of offseason headliners (Cliff Lee and Matt Garza) prepare to face off in Philadelphia this afternoon…

The Pirates have been asking around for a catcher but have found that the asking prices are high as clubs want to take advantage of their situation, tweets Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Pittsburgh is in a bind with Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder on the disabled list.
As the Giants look for infield help, ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter) says that Orlando Cabrera is a name to keep an eye on. The veteran just lost his everyday job in Cleveland and the Giants were close to inking him over the winter.
After the Orioles tabbed Dylan Bundy with the fourth overall pick in the draft, Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun takes a look at Adam Loewen, the No. 4 pick that got away.
Major League Baseball and the players' association have discussed doing away with divisions altogether and balancing out the leagues to 15 teams each, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The new structure would have teams vying for five playoff spots in each league. The odds of this happening, however, are still less than 50-50, according to one source.
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times says that Trent Oeltjen could have become a free agent if the Dodgers didn't add him to the Major League roster by June 15th (Twitter link). Oeltjen was called up two days ago.
In a piece for ESPN, Jim Bowden wrote about how GM's prepare to make trades, a process that usually begins with low-ball offers being exchanged.
The writers at FanGraphs conducted a franchise player draft, selecting a player they would build a team around. Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki were the first two off the board.
The Royals have signed 16 draft picks according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. The highest signed pick was ninth rounder Aaron Brooks.

Giants Sign First Rounder Joe Panik

By Mike Axisa | June 11, 2011 at 12:58pm CDT

The Giants have signed first round pick Joe Panik according to a team press release. His signing bonus is unknown, but MLB's slot recommendation for the 29th overall pick is approximately $1.1MM.

Baseball America ranked the middle infielder as the second best prospect to come out of New York in 2011. Nationally, Panik was ranked 67th by the publication. The St. John's product is said to have a plus bat and likely projects to second base.

Panik, 20, is the first middle infielder taken by the Giants with a first-round pick since shortstop Royce Clayton in 1988.

the first middle infielder selected by the Giants with a first-round pick since shortstop Royce Clayton in 1988.

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