Odds & Ends: Bannister, Padres, Giants
A few more links before we call it a night…
- Brian Bannister indicated that he was flattered by all of the interest teams showed in him at the deadline, says MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs and USS Mariner fame wrote about the haul the Padres received in exchange for Jake Peavy at MLB.com's Corey Brock's blog.
- Gary Petersen of The Mercury News wrote about the moves made by San Francisco's competition for the Wild Card, and how it affects the Giants.
Brewers Sign Corey Patterson
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy tweets that the Brewers have signed outfielder Corey Patterson to a minor league deal, assigning him to Triple-A Nashville. The 29-yr old Patterson hit .133-.133-.133 in 15 plate appearances with the Nationals earlier in the year, but spent most of the season in Triple-A. Washington released him last week.
The Yankees had also expressed interest in signing Patterson.
Discussion: Which Players Could Be Trade Targets In August?
The trade deadline came with went with much excitement and fanfare, but if you're an MLBTR reader you know that the trading doesn't stop there. You can read all about how post-deadline waiver wire trades go down here, but long story short is that player can still be traded if they clear waivers or are claimed.
Last year we saw the likes of Adam Dunn, Greg Maddux, and Matt Stairs (among others) dealt after the deadline, and we're wondering who you think are some players that could be moved this year. Here's a list of players who were on the market but not moved, but that is just a jumping of point. Let us know what you think in comments.
Odds & Ends: More Deadline Reactions
A few more links in the aftermath of the trade deadline…
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that Nationals interm GM Mike Rizzo "didn't have a choice but to trade Nick Johnson because the latter did not want to negotiate an extension with the Nationals." Johnson is looking for a two year deal according to Ladson.
- ESPN's Keith Law ranks the prospects traded at this year's deadline. Brett Wallace, acquired by Oakland in the Matt Holliday deal, tops the list.
- John Sickels of Minor League Ball chimes in with his thoughts on all of this year's deadline trades.
- The Padres signed sixth rounder James Needy to a $298K bonus according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Needy is just the second player this year to sign a deal worth more than $100K over MLB's slot recommendation.
- As exciting as yesterday was, Ryo at NPB Tracker tells us that the trade deadline in Japan went by rather quietly. There has been exactly one trade made all year in Nippon Professional Baseball, and it involved just two players filling supporting roles. Where's the fun in that?
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Yankees, Dodgers, Pirates
The tireless Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up. Let's dive in…
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Rosenthal that he was "very aggressive" going after pitching help, whether it be high-end starters, low-end starters, or relievers. "I was on all of it," Cashman said.
- Cashman specifically targeted Jarrod Washburn, but the Mariners asked for top prospect Austin Jackson in return. The Yankees were also "one of several clubs" to inquire about Felix Hernandez.
- Rosenthal says Heath Bell was their primary target among relievers, as the idea was to make him the primary setup man for Mariano Rivera, and possibly put Phil Hughes or Alfredo Aceves back into the rotation.
- The Dodgers "never got close" in their attempted blockbuster for Adrian Gonzalez and Bell. The deal would have helped Los Angeles' rotation by shortening the game from the back end with another elite reliever.
- They still have issues in the rotation however, as Jason Schmidt topped out at 87 last night. Only two National League clubs have gotten fewer innings out of their starters than the Dodgers.
- We won't know the true result of the Pirates' firesale until 2011 or 2012, but the early returns on the Jason Bay trade are not good. Rosenthal says the Rays may have been willing to pay more for Bay at the time, possibly including the since-traded Jason Hammel and/or Edwin Jackson in a package.
- Hitters and relievers will be in "ample supply" during the August waiver period, but quality starting pitchers … not so much. Doug Davis might be one of the best available starters, and the Diamondbacks will need to be realistic about a return since they are unlikely to offer him arbitration after the year.
- There was "precious little action" on Davis in July. When Rosenthal mentioned to a club official that the offers for Davis might not be much better in August, the official responded "they can't be much worse."
Mariners DFA Chris Shelton
The Mariners designated first baseman Chris Shelton for assignment today, according to a team press release.The move frees up a roster spot for lefty Luke French, who the M's acquired in the Jarrod Washburn trade yesterday.
Shelton hit .231-.286-.308 in just 28 plate appearances with Seattle, spending most of the year in Triple-A Tacoma.
Dodgers After George Sherrill
TUESDAY: Paul Hoynes reported earlier that the Dodgers might be shifting efforts from Cliff Lee to Sherrill, and Gordon Edes at Yahoo agrees. Edes says the Dodgers could package Elbert as well as third baseman Blake DeWitt to fill in the Orioles' immediate needs. He also lists the Phillies among four other teams interested in Sherrill.
MONDAY: Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that the Dodgers "are in hard on" Orioles closer George Sherrill. The O's, in turn, have been looking at LHP prospect Scott Elbert, "but have reservations about him." Elbert missed just about the entire 2007 season with shoulder surgery, but has recovered nicely to strike out 20 batters in 17.1 big league innings.
The Dodgers have been looking for pitching help for some time, and they added a key lefthander to the roster today, activating Hong-Chih Kuo from the disabled list.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Diamondbacks, Buchholz
Just a few more links before the end of the night…
- Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette says the Pirates have "put on hold any attempt to sign shortstop Jack Wilson and second baseman Freddy Sanchez to contract extensions and, instead, are entertaining trade offers for those players." He mentions that the club's efforts to trade their double play tandem could extended beyond Friday's trade deadline.
- Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic says the Diamondbacks aren't anticipating any deals right now because there aren't many teams clamoring for pitchers Jon Garland and Doug Davis, plus the D-Backs aren't particularly motivated to move closer Chad Qualls.
- Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz says "I think I'll be here" after the trade deadline according to Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe. Here, of course, meant Boston.
Angels Turning Their Attention To Lee
Tim Brown and Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports report that the Angels have "shifted their emphasis" to Cliff Lee after being frustrated in their pursuit of Roy Halladay. The Halos do not want to part with Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar, Brandon Wood, and another prospect for a single pitcher, even one as great as Halladay, and they believe they can land Lee with a lesser package.
The article also mentions that the Angels are also looking for a power arm to add to their pen.
Giants Acquire Ryan Garko
8:52pm: Via email, ESPN's Buster Olney says the Tribe will call up Andy Marte to take Garko's place on the roster. Marte is hitting .330-.371-.599 with Triple-A Columbus, and has six homers in his last ten games.
8:46pm: MLB.com's Anthony Castovince says there is no player to named in the deal. It's Garko for Barnes, straight up.
8:31pm: Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus says the Indians received LHP prospect Scott Barnes and a player to be named later in the deal. Barnes was the Giants 8th round pick in 2008, and has a 2.85 ERA in 18 starts with High-A San Jose. Baseball America rated him the Giants' 9th best prospect coming into the season.
8:22pm: Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse is reporting that Giants have acquired Ryan Garko from the Indians. Garko, 28, was hitting .285-.362-.464 in 273 plate appearances coming into today, playing mostly first but spending some time in the corner outfield spots.
The Giants have been looking to add a bat to their lineup pretty much all season.