Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Rays, Twins, Ackley

By Mike Axisa | April 9, 2011 at 5:51pm CDT

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

Rival executives are already speculating that the Rays could be sellers at the trade deadline in the wake of Evan Longoria's injury and Manny Ramirez's retirement. James Shields and B.J. Upton are most likely to go.
The Twins nearly traded for David Eckstein in 2009, but they're not going to sign him or anyone else to fill in for the injured Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The team is currently over-budget, so they'll fill the hole from within.
The Mariners are having second base trouble for the second straight season, but Rosenthal spoke to some scouts who said the position figures to be a question for the foreseeable future. Top prospect Dustin Ackley will hit, but they say his defense is sketchy.

Ian Snell Considering Return

By Mike Axisa | April 9, 2011 at 10:10am CDT

It's been less than a month since Ian Snell abruptly announced his retirement, but the right-hander is now considering a return according to MLB.com's Evan Drellich.

"He told the world he's retiring, and that's what we thought was going to happen," said Joe Sroba, Snell's agent. Sroba said further news about a potential return could come within a week, and that the Cardinals were a possibility. Snell had been in camp with St. Louis as a non-roster player before retiring.

Snell, 29, had his best season with the Pirates in 2007, when he posted a 3.76 ERA in 208 innings. That performance earned him a three-year, $8.6MM extension, but he quickly lost effectiveness.

Poll: Manny Ramirez & The Hall Of Fame

By Mike Axisa | April 9, 2011 at 8:46am CDT

It was quite a shock when Major League Baseball abruptly announced the retirement of Manny Ramirez yesterday, and by now you know the circumstances of his decision. Manny tested positive for a banned substance and instead of going through the appeal and suspension processes, he called it quits. It was his second positive test, so he would have faced a 100-game suspension.

Ramirez’s career started in 1993, though he wasn’t a full-time player until 1995. He’s a .312/.411/.585 career hitter with 555 homers and 1,831 RBI. His six-year peak from 1999-2004 (ages 27-32) featured a .327/.428/.633 batting line and a 168 OPS+. Although he never won an MVP, Manny has four top-four finishes in the voting and nine top-ten finishes. He was a 12-time All-Star, a two-time Hank Aaron Award winner (given to the top hitter in the league as voted on by the fans), and the MVP of the 2004 World Series.

As a player, Ramiez’s Hall of Fame credentials are undeniable. He was no worse than one of the five best hitters of his generation, having enough of an impact with the bat to negate his poor defense. But he’s also the only big leaguer to ever test positive for banned substances on two occasions, putting some of his accomplishments in question. We have to look no further than Mark McGwire to see how the Hall of Fame voters feel about banned substances, but what about you?

Should Manny be inducted into the Hall of Fame?

No 73.70% (11,438 votes)

Yes 26.30% (4,082 votes)

Total Votes: 15,520

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mariners, Cousins, Walden

By Mike Axisa | April 8, 2011 at 11:26am CDT

April 8th has been a busy day in baseball history. Three years ago the Mets played the final home opener at 45-year-old Shea Stadium, with the win going to a pitcher that was older than the ballpark (Jamie Moyer, who was 46 at the time). Both PNC Park and Petco Park opened on this date (2003 and 2004, respectively) as well. Todd Helton set a Rockies' club record by reaching base seven times in one game (2003), Chan Ho Park became the first Korean to play in MLB (1994), Kent Mercker threw a no-hitter against the Dodgers (1994), Carlos Baerga became the first player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning (2003), and Frank Robinson became the first African-American manager in history (1975). Last, but certainly not least, Hank Aaron hit his 715th career homer on this date in 1974, passing Babe Ruth to become baseball's all-time home run king.

I'm not sure if these links will have any historical significance, but they're all well worth your time…

Through The Fence Baseball lists some fallacies from week one of the baseball season.
U.S.S. Mariner looks at the rebuilding Mariners and their recent drafts.
Marlin Maniac examined a recent and interesting decision by Scott Cousins.
Baseball Time In Arlington isn't ready to believe in Matt Harrison just yet.
Capitol Avenue Club doesn't like the way the Braves have treated Kenshin Kawakami.
The Golden Sombrero wonders if Alex Gordon is finally breaking out.
True Grich is quite pleased that Jordan Walden is closing games for the Angels.
Ivy Report asks if Pedro Martinez would be a good fit for the injury-riddled Cubs' rotation.
The Shea Faithful wonders if Willie Harris is the next Endy Chavez.
Twins Territory Talk has some expectations for Justin Morneau.
Rising Apple pens an open letter to Mike Pelfrey.
The Knuckle Blog examines the worst player in the league, a guy that was traded this past offseason.
Harness The Halo writes about the difference Vernon Wells is making off the field with his charity work.
Baseball Junk Drawer gives each team a theme song, going with the Ramones this year.

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

Completed $100MM+ Contracts

By Mike Axisa | April 6, 2011 at 9:39pm CDT

The nine-figure contract is still a relatively new phenomenon in baseball. There have only been 26 contracts worth $100MM or more given out in baseball history, and we're just now starting to see the first wave of those deals expire. Here are the eight such contracts that have expired…

Alex Rodriguez (ten years, $252MM) – A-Rod originally signed this deal with the Rangers, then opted out of the last three years and $81MM while with the Yankees. He hit .304/.400/.591 and won three MVP awards during the seven years of the deal, then landed another ten-year contract worth $275MM.
Derek Jeter (ten years, $189MM) – The Yankees' captain hit .310/.380/.445 during this contract, then signed another three-year pact worth $51MM this past offseason.
Manny Ramirez (eight years, $160MM) – Manny spend the vast majority of this contract with the Red Sox, hitting .315/.415/.595 in the process. He then signed a two-year deal worth $45MM.
Mike Hampton (eight years, $121MM) – This deal didn't go as well as the first three; Hampton pitched to a 4.81 ERA in 147 starts, missing time with numerous injuries. He spent most of the contract with the Braves after originally signing it with the Rockies.
Jason Giambi (seven years, $120MM) – Giambi's time with New York was tainted by injury and PED controversy, but he still hit an impressive .260/.404/.521.
Ken Griffey Jr. (nine years, $112.5MM) – Another big money deal marred by injury, The Kid hit .269/.361/.510 almost entirely with the Reds during the contract.
Kevin Brown (seven years, $105MM) – Brown dealt with some injuries during the life of the contract, but pitched to a 3.23 ERA for the Dodgers and Yankees before retiring.
Albert Pujols (seven years, $100MM) – The guaranteed portion of this deal is over,though the Cardinals exercised their $16MM club option to keep him around this season. Pujols hit .334/.443/.635 with three MVP awards during the first seven seasons of the contract.

Carlos Beltran's seven-year, $119MM deal with the Mets will expire after season. Todd Helton's nine-year, $141.5MM deal with the Rockies would have expired as well, but he agreed to a restructured deal last March that tacked on two guaranteed years in exchange for a lower salary in 2011.

Cot's Baseball Contract was used for this post.

How Teams Obtained Their Current Closers

By Mike Axisa | April 6, 2011 at 7:39pm CDT

The day before the season started, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at how each team acquired their Opening Day starter. Let's fast forward to the end of the game, and do the same for each team's current (not necessarily Opening Day) closer…

Trades (10)

Brandon League, Mariners – Acquired from the Blue Jays with Johermyn Chavez in a December 2009 trade for Brandon Morrow.
Chris Perez, Indians – Acquired from the Cardinals with Jess Todd in a June 2009 trade for Mark DeRosa.
Sean Burnett, Nationals – Acquired from the Pirates with Nyjer Morgan in a June 2009 trade for Joel Hanrahan and Lastings Milledge.
Joel Hanrahan, Pirates – Acquired in the trade that sent Burnett to Washington.
Huston Street, Rockies – Acquired with Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith from the Athletics for Matt Holliday in November 2008.
Leo Nunez, Marlins – Acquired from the Royals for Mike Jacobs in October 2008.
Neftali Feliz, Rangers – Acquired from the Braves with four others in a July 2007 trade for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay.
Heath Bell, Padres – Acquired with Royce Ring from the Mets for Jon Adkins and Ben Johnson in November 2006.
Matt Thornton, White Sox – Acquired from the Mariners for Joe Borchard in March 2006.
Joe Nathan, Twins – Acquired with Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser from the Giants for A.J. Pierzynski in November 2003. Nathan has since signed a long-term contract extension.

Free Agent Signings (10)

Francisco Cordero, Reds – Signed a contract worth $46MM over four years in November 2007.
Francisco Rodriguez, Mets – Signed a contract worth $37MM over three years in December 2008.
Brandon Lyon, Astros – Signed a contract worth $15MM over three years in December 2009.
Jose Valverde, Tigers – Signed a contract worth $14MM over two years in January 2010.
Brian Fuentes, Athletics – Signed a contract worth $10.5MM over two years in January 2011.
J.J. Putz, Diamondbacks – Signed a contract worth $10MM over two years in December 2010.
Kevin Gregg, Orioles – Signed a contract worth $10MM over two years in January 2011.
Jose Contreras, Phillies – Signed a contract worth $5.5MM over two years in November 2010. Originally signed with Philadelphia in January 2010.
Ryan Franklin, Cardinals – Signed a contract worth $1MM over one year in January 2007. Franklin has since signed two extensions to remain in St. Louis.
John Axford, Brewers – Signed a minor league contract in March 2008.

Draft Picks (5)

Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers – Selected in the second round of the 2002 draft.
Craig Kimbrel, Braves – Selected in the third round of the 2008 draft.
Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox – Selected in the fourth round of the 2003 draft.
Jordan Walden, Angels – Selected in the 12th round of the 2006 draft.
Brian Wilson, Giants – Selected in the 24th round of the 2003 draft.

International Free Agent Signings (2)

Carlos Marmol, Cubs – Signed as an amateur free agent in July 1999.
Mariano Rivera, Yankees – Signed as an amateur free agent in February 1990.

Rule 5 Draft Picks (1)

Joakim Soria, Royals – Selected from the Padres in December 2006.

A few of these guys are just temporary fill-ins. Andrew Bailey (draft pick), David Aardsma (trade), and Brad Lidge (trade) will take over for Fuentes, League, and Contreras, respectively, once healthy. The Blue Jays haven't had a save opportunity yet, so we don't know for sure who will fill in for the injured Frank Francisco (trade). The Rays haven't had a save opportunity yet either, and we don't know if Joel Peralta (free agent), Kyle Farnsworth (free agent), Jake McGee (draft pick), or someone else will get the call.

Tribe, Red Sox, Cubs Release Former High Draft Picks

By Mike Axisa | April 3, 2011 at 1:22pm CDT

SUNDAY: The Indians also released a former high pick according to this report from the AP (via ESPN), cutting ties with Preston Mattingly. The son of former AL MVP and current Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, Preston was drafted 31st overall by the Dodgers in 2006. The Indians acquired him in a minor league trade on Sept. 26 this past season.

The high school shortstop signed a $1MM bonus out of the draft, but has since been converted to an outfielder and tallied just a .232/.275/.334 line through 1,667 minor league plate appearances. At the time, Baseball America described him as a "well-kept secret … with bat speed, pop and an advanced approach. "

FRIDAY: The Red Sox have released outfielder Jason Place and the Cubs have released right-hander Aaron Shafer, MLBTR has learned. Neither player was among their team's top 30 prospects according to Baseball America's Prospect Handbook.

Place, 22, was the 27th overall pick in the 2006 draft and signed for $1.3MM. He had a fine professional debut that season (.292/.386/.442 in 132 rookie ball plate appearances), but has struggled in the four years since. He climbed as high as Double-A, and is a .234/.315/390 career hitter.

Shafer, 24, was a second round pick in 2008 (65th overall). He signed for $625K. Shafer picked well in relief last year (2.68 ERA in 80 2/3 IP), but that's only because he dominated Single-A (0.96 ERA in 46 2/3 IP) while getting hammered in Double-A (5.03 ERA in 34 IP).

MLBTR's Steve Adams also contributed to this post.

NL Notes: Kroon, Edmonds, Dodgers, Padres

By Mike Axisa | April 2, 2011 at 8:10pm CDT

Links for Saturday, as Ichiro Suzuki will attempt to pick up the one hit he needs to tie Edgar Martinez for the most in Mariners history (2,247)…

Giants pitcher Marc Kroon confirmed (via Twitter) that he has decided to remain with the Giants and report to Triple-A Fresno. The right-handed reliever said at various points this offseason that he would not accept a demotion to the minors.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer wasn't shocked by Edmonds' recent comments regarding the Reds.
MLB.com's Mark Sheldon passes along a quote from Jim Edmonds, who blasted the Reds in a recent radio interview. "The worst thing I did was accept that trade for [Reds GM] Walt Jocketty," said Edmonds, who went from the Brewers to the Reds last summer. "I should have shut it down and went home. I would be healthy right now and probably playing." He also criticized the Reds' medical staff.
ESPN's Tim Kurkjian listed 11 stories to watch in 2011, including the impending free agencies of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers opened the season with a payroll exceeding $95MM, up from $83MM last year. The team also owes $15MM in salary deferments from previous seasons.
Tim Sullivan of The San Diego Union-Tribune explains why a recent Forbes report indicating that the Padres had a $37.2MM operating income in 2010 could be misinterpreted.

Lame Duck General Managers

By Mike Axisa | April 2, 2011 at 11:10am CDT

By now, I'm sure you've looked over our list of players that will be free agents after the 2011 season numerous times, but what about general managers? With some help from Cot's Baseball Contracts, here's the list of GMs without contracts for 2012…

Andy MacPhail, Orioles – Technically, MacPhail isn't the GM, he's the president of baseball operations. He's still the guy calling the shots though. Last October we heard that he doesn't have any plans to approach owner Peter Angelos about a new deal before his current one expires.
Neal Huntington, Pirates – Team president Frank Coonelly said he expects Huntington to be in Pittsburgh "for a long time" earlier this year.
Walt Jocketty, Reds – Cincinnati is clearly a team on the rise, so it seems likely that ownership would want to bring Jocketty back after the season.
Dave Dombrowski, Tigers – A few months ago we heard that the fates of Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland could be a package deal based on the team's performance in 2011.
Brian Cashman, Yankees – The third longest-tenured GM in the game would seem to be on rocky ground after being over-ruled by ownership on the Rafael Soriano signing, but we heard afterwards that he still has the "full backing" of the Steinbrenners.

Phillies Release Matt Anderson

By Mike Axisa | April 2, 2011 at 9:45am CDT

The Phillies have released Matt Anderson from minor league camp, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter). The right-hander joined Philadelphia on a minor league contract in January.

Anderson, 34, hasn't played in the big leagues since 2005. He was the first overall pick of the 1997 draft, signing for $2.5MM. His best year came with the Tigers (the team that drafted him) in 2001, when he saved 22 games with a 4.82 ERA in 56 innings. Anderson hasn't played in affiliated ball since 2008, and the old story is that he wrecked his pitching shoulder in May 2002 during a pre-game octopus-tossing promotion at a Detroit Red Wings' game. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick spoke to Anderson recently and got to the bottom of the incident and his injuries.

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