Twins Rumors: Potential Free Agents, Mauer
We already know that the Twins weren't able to swing a deal with the Cubs for pitcher Rich Harden today, but the Minnesota rumors don't end there. Let's recap some miscellaneous items…
- Twins GM Bill Smith said there will be no negotiations with potential free agents Carl Pavano, Orlando Cabrera, Joe Crede, and Mike Redmond until after the season, according to Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune.
- After word got out that the team has the money to keep megastar Joe Mauer in Minnesota, R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs took a look at the math and says that "unless Mauer really loves the area and takes a team friendly deal, I’m not sure they can meet his market value, and maybe you could argue they shouldn’t given the risks associated with being a catcher."
One thing to remember is that the Twins have brand new Target Field set to open next year, and new stadiums are almost always a cash cow for at least the first few years.
Marlins DFA Luis Ayala
Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel tweets that the Marlins have designated reliever Luis Ayala for assignment to make room on the roster for Cameron Maybin. Ayala had a bloated 11.74 ERA in 10 appearances for the Marlins, but a much more tolerable 4.18 ERA in 32.1 IP for the Twins earlier in the year.
Indians Rumors: Debt, Shapiro, Wedge
Terry Pluto of The Cleveland Plain Dealer sat down for a chat with Indians team president Paul Dolan and some other front office personnel. Lots of interesting information came to light, so let's dig in…
- Dolan indicated that the team was $16MM in the red in July and headed towards $20MM. The trades of Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, and Carl Pavano bring that number down to about $12MM.
- Jake Westbrook's injury will actually save the team money because insurance will cover about 50% of his $11MM salary.
- Had the Tribe not made any moves at the deadline, they would have been looking at about $30MM in losses next year because of declining attendance.
- Dolan has "no plans" to sell the team, nor has he received any serious offers.
- "Mark Shapiro will be the general manager next year; that has never been in question," said Dolan. "He has done a very good job of rebuilding the franchise once after the 1990s. Our fans may not realize it, but our franchise is viewed around baseball as one of the better ones in the game."
- The future of manager Eric Wedge will be decided after the season, and the $1.3MM owed to him in 2010 will "not be factor."
- Pluto also provides some notes about several Tribe prospects, including Carlos Carrasco and Michael Brantley. Carrasco was acquired in the Lee trade, Brantley in last year's CC Sabathia deal.
Yankees Acquire Freddy Guzman
The Yankees have acquired speedy outfielder Freddy Guzman from the Orioles, according to The Star Ledger's Marc Carig. Baltimore gets a player to be named later in the deal
Guzman will head to Triple-A Scranton initially, and was hitting .219-.261-.289 in stops with the top minor league affiliate of three different organizations this year. The Orioles signed him to a minor league deal earlier this month.
Teams Interested In Mike Cameron
Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that there has been interest in Brewers centerfielder Mike Cameron, and that the Tigers may be one of the teams that checked in on him. Cameron cleared trade waivers late last week, likely due to the fact that he's still owed about $1.75MM of his $10MM base salary, not to mention another $750K in easily reachable bonuses based on plate appearances.
Cameron, 36, is hitting .258-.358-.459 in 517 plate appearances this year, his best offensive season since 2006. His once outstanding defense in center has declined a bit, but his +7.7 UZR/150 is still well above average. The Yankees expressed interest in his services last offseason. If a team acquired Cameron after today, he would be ineligible for the postseason roster.
Pirates Sign Jorge Julio
According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, the Pirates have signed righty Jorge Julio to a minor league deal. He's been assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Julio, 30, had been released by the Rays earlier this month after posting a 5.96 ERA in 22.2 IP with their Triple-A affiliate. With the Brewers earlier this year, Julio had a 7.79 ERA in 17.1 IP.
Dodgers Acquire Ronnie Belliard
Chico Harlan of The Washington Post reports that the Nationals traded infielder Ronnie Belliard to the Dodgers following today's game. Washington will receive A-ball pitcher Luis Garcia and a player to be named in the deal.
Belliard, 34, was hitting .247-.297-.376 in 203 plate appearances for the Nats this year, spending time at first, second and third base. He is in the final year of the two year, $3.5M extension he signed during the 2007 season. Garcia, 22, has a 2.92 ERA in 34 appearances (15 starts) in the Low-A Midwest League this season, and was not considered one the Dodgers' top 30 prospects by Baseball America this spring.
Discussion: September Callups
It's hard to believe that it's almost September, no? The sun is going down a little earlier these days, it's getting a bit more breezy out, and the playoff races are starting to heat up. Teams can start calling up extra players on Tuesday, so clubs out of contention will hold auditions for next year while teams in the race will add extra weapons off the bench and bodies to keep their regulars rested.
Who do you want to see your favorite team call up? If you're a Pirates fan, do you want to see Pedro Alvarez in September? What about Jason Heyward or Buster Posey? Mike Stanton? Remember, a player has to be on the 40-man roster to be in the Major Leagues, so a callup might not be as easy as you think.
Forgive the self promotion, but if you're a Yankees fan, I wrote about who the team may call up in September earlier this week at my usual spot, River Ave Blues.
Odds & Ends: White Sox, Twins, Mets
Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen. Odds and ends post!!!
- Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune writes that if White Sox GM Kenny Williams wants to make a move that could help his team, time is running out. Getting Jake Peavy back and healthy would be about as good of a pickup that a team could make this time of year.
- The Star Tribune's Patrick Reusse says that Twins GM Bill Smith should have been operating like Cleveland's Mark Shapiro at this year's trade deadline, "looking to the future rather than the present."
- Joel Sherman of The NY Post writes about the parallels between the current Mets club and the Orioles teams of the mid-to-late 90's. He also notes that the Amazin's should brace themselves for decreased ticket sales and a smaller payroll next year.
- ESPN's Peter Gammons explains how teams took advantage of their payroll flexibility at the deadline.
Brad Penny Rumors: Sunday
Brad Penny isn't scheduled to clear waivers until early next week, but we've already heard that several clubs are interested in picking him up for the stretch run. The Oakland A's are one of those teams, but Susan Slusser of The SF Chronicle says that the team believes Penny "might be claimed on release waivers and he likely would accept because he is close to getting some bonuses."
Meanwhile, ESPN's Buster Olney hears that in all likelikood, Penny's decision will come down to whatever team appears to have the best chance of winning a championship. Pitching for a contender would allow him to "better set himself up for his impending free agency." This is just my belief, but if he wants to boost his stock prior to free agency he's best off heading back to the National League.