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Many Teams Scouting Brewers’ Relievers

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Brewers relievers John Axford, Francisco Rodriguez, and Mike Gonzalez are a popular bunch.  A Dodgers scout was sent to Milwaukee this week to watch the available trio, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, while the Red Sox, Orioles and Tigers have scouts in Milwaukee this week and the other NL West teams are interested in the Brewers' relievers as well as Yovani Gallardo.  Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports has a new report too, saying the Tigers, Orioles, and Diamondbacks have scouted the Brewers' relievers in recent days and weeks.

Morosi says the D'Backs and Brewers have discussed Axford, Rodriguez, and Jim Henderson, while Knobler says the Brewers have told teams Henderson won't be dealt.  Interest from the Tigers and Orioles appears more preliminary, writes Morosi, and the Tigers and Brewers have not had formal talks recently.

Rodriguez and Gonzalez will be eligible for free agency after the season, while Axford is under team control through 2016 as an arbitration eligible player.  As a Super Two with 106 career saves to his credit, Axford's salary jumped to $5MM this year.  As Morosi notes, Axford's salary might scare some teams off, though his lack of saves this year will slow down his arbitration raises.  Even though a team can technically own Axford's rights through 2016, the focus for a team acquiring him has to be on 2013, with tendering him a contract even for 2014 a decision that will require more information and some thought.  It's one of the reasons the Brewers are reportedly willing to move him.

Indians Focused On Garza, Gallardo

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The Indians seek a top-of-the-rotation type of starting pitcher, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, and the pursuit has led them to focus exclusively on the Cubs' Matt Garza and the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo.  Heyman notes that no deal is close on either front.  The Indians have decent rotation depth, so they're not interested in lesser starters.

The Indians are on Gallardo's no-trade list, as first reported by Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish in June.  He could approve a trade to Cleveland, but it would represent an additional hurdle for the Indians and Brewers.  As Brewers GM Doug Melvin explained to Anthony Witrado of Sporting News in June, "That Yovani is not a free agent like guys like [Zack] Greinke or Anibal Sanchez last year, he has more value than just two months of a rental, so the package from another team has to be something that will wow me."  Gallardo is under contract through 2014 with a club option for '15.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported earlier today that the Indians and Rangers "are known to have strong interest" in Garza.  A Garza trade appears to be a question of "when," rather than "if." I imagine the Cubs' focus in Garza talks will be on pitching, and I would guess they'd bring up members of the Indians' Triple-A rotation such as Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco, and Trevor Bauer.  The Indians also seek bullpen help, notes Heyman, a need the Cubs could accommodate with Kevin Gregg or James Russell.

Cardinals Release Ty Wigginton

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The Cardinals announced they have released infielder Ty Wigginton, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and others.  The team also promoted catcher Rob Johnson.  Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier today that the Cards were considering a roster move involving Wigginton and their bench.

Wigginton, 35, signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Cardinals in December.  He hit .158/.238/.193 in 63 plate appearances, however, and playing time was scarce with better options on the roster such as Matt Adams.  The Cardinals are on the hook for the $3.6MM or so remaining on Wigginton's contract, less the pro-rated portion of the league minimum if he finds his way back to the Majors.

Cubs Release Shawn Camp

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The Cubs released reliever Shawn Camp yesterday, according to the team transactions page.  Camp had been designated for assignment Wednesday, upon the Cubs' bullpen shake-up.

Camp, 37, posted a 7.04 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 2.74 HR/9, and 48.8% groundball rate in 23 innings for the Cubs.  With 538 career appearances, Camp ranks third all-time among those hailing from Virginia.  He tied for the MLB lead last year with 80 appearances, a career high.

Garfinkel Resigns As Padres President/CEO

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Tom Garfinkel has resigned as the Padres' president and CEO, according to a team press release.  Executive chairman Ron Fowler will assume his responsibilities on an interim basis until a replacement is hired.  Garfinkel's job involved overseeing the club's non-baseball operations.

Garfinkel followed Jeff Moorad from the Diamondbacks to the Padres in 2009.  He was in the news in April after making an insensitive comment about Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke at a season ticket holder event.

Cardinals Exploring Options With Wigginton

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The Cardinals are "considering a roster move before tonight’s game against Houston that could bring clarity to veteran Ty Wigginton’s role with the club and reshape the club’s bench," sources tell Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  A minor league assignment for Wigginton is among a handful of options the club is exploring, writes Goold.

Wigginton, 35, signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Cardinals in December.  He's hitting .158/.238/.193 in 63 plate appearances, however, and playing time has been scarce.  The Cardinals' bench consists of backup catcher Tony Cruz, plus Matt Adams, Daniel Descalso, Shane Robinson, and Wigginton.

Giants To Sign Jeff Francoeur

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The Giants have reached an agreement on a minor league deal with free agent outfielder Jeff Francoeur, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The Royals had released the 29-year-old earlier this month.

Francoeur hit .208/.249/.322 in 193 plate appearances this month, following a down 2012 with an even worse campaign.  Amid a resurgent 2011 season, the Royals signed Francoeur to a two-year, $13.5MM extension.  They'll be on the hook for the $3.2MM or so remaining on his contract, less the pro-rated league minimum if Francoeur returns to the Majors.  There is the expectation that he will join the big league team after getting some ABs and work in in left field, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Francoeur is represented by CSE.

A right-handed hitter, Francoeur hasn't done much damage against lefties since that 2011 season.  The Giants still aren't risking much by giving him a shot to contribute in left field; Rosenthal says they figure to use him in a platoon with Andres Torres, with Gregor Blanco manning center field in the absence of the injured Angel Pagan.

Matt Garza Rumors: Tuesday

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Righty Matt Garza may have put the finishing touch on his Cubs career last night by allowing one run in seven innings in a win against the White Sox.  The latest on the best available starter:

  • Garza's start was scouted by the Rangers, Indians, Pirates, Blue Jays, and Padres, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Those aren't necessarily suitors for Garza this month, however.  Morosi says the Rangers and Indians are "known to have strong interest," while the Red Sox, Nationals, and Dodgers can't be ruled out.  Morosi believes Garza probably wants to be paid like Anibal Sanchez on his next contract, which would mean a five-year, $80MM deal.  The difference is that Sanchez was coming off three consecutive healthy seasons.
  • Though Garza told reporters last night the possibility of a contract extension is 50-50, few believe it's actually a coin flip.  Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times explains, "Team sources, however, characterize the recent, brief talks as confirmation that the sides aren’t much, if any, closer than they were more than a year ago when they first engaged in talks with little progress."  Garza suggested it would be "one hell of a party" to win with the Cubs, and Wittenmyer does note that team is leaving open the possibility of trading Garza now and talking to him again in the offseason.

Cubs, Garza Talking Extension

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11:48pm: Garza tells reporters (including Gordon Wittenmyer) that there is a "50-50" chance he signs an extension.  Garza helped his trade value even more tonight by allowing just one earned run over seven five-hit innings in the Cubs' 8-2 win over the White Sox.

3:15pm: Garza and the Cubs are not close on his value, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, and a trade is still the likeliest outcome.  There are "no teeth" to the reported extension talks, adds Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, who tweets, "He'll be traded."

1:30pm: For the first time in more than a year, the Cubs are having discussions with Matt Garza about a long-term extension, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  A trade remains possible for the 29-year-old, who is perhaps the best available starter.  A similar report comes from Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com, whose source says the sides haven't had serious discussions about a long-term deal but haven't ruled it out.  The reports from Heyman and Rogers came within minutes of each other, though Heyman mentioned it first on MLB Network.

Garza has made nine starts this season since returning from a stress reaction in his elbow and a lat strain.  The injuries ended his season last year on July 21st.  This year, Garza has a 3.45 ERA, 8.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.10 HR/9, and 37.8% groundball rate in 57 1/3 innings.  He's allowed three earned runs in his last 30 innings.  Garza takes on the White Sox tonight at U.S. Cellular Field.

Garza's value is difficult to peg, given his history of durability followed by the long layoff.  Last offseason five starting pitchers received deals of three or more years, most of whom did not have draft pick compensation attached.  A salary in the $13-15MM range seems appropriate for Garza, but from a team point of view it would be difficult to guarantee more than three years.

Cubs Notes: Garza, Free Agents, Bryant, Tseng

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Of the six trades made during the first week of July, the Cubs were involved in four of them.  The most recent trade occurred last night, as the Cubs shipped right-handed bench bat Scott Hairston to the Nationals for pitching prospect Ivan Pineyro.  The Cubs are expected to continue stockpiling young players this month in more trades.  The latest on the team:

  • The Dodgers and Indians both believe Matt Garza will be traded and have been "heavily scouting" the right-hander, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports.  The Giants and Rangers are also scouting Garza's start tonight (Twitter links).  The Dodgers' continued involvement is interesting given their recent acquisition of Ricky Nolasco, though it's probably no surprise that the Dodgers are again targeting as many notable players as possible.
  • The Cubs have been quick to trade players after signing them as free agents in the Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer era, but Hoyer said today on a conference call he doesn't think free agents will shy away from the team for that reason.  "I would hope that we cease being sellers on an annual basis," Hoyer explained, also noting that each situation is taken on an individual basis and, for example, "A lot of places weren’t willing to guarantee [Scott Feldman] a rotation spot coming off a so-so year in Texas."  MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has the full quotes on her blog.
  • Garza perhaps the best available starting pitcher, has "opened a lot of eyes the way he's thrown the last four, fives times out," said Hoyer.  Garza, a 29-year-old in his contract year, has allowed only three runs over his last 30 innings and takes on the White Sox tonight at U.S. Cellular Field.
  • Both the Cubs and Nationals will receive a player to be named later in the Hairston trade, but Hoyer told reporters that component "will not affect the balance of the deal."
  • Third baseman Kris Bryant is one of five first-rounders who remains unsigned; the Cubs drafted him second overall.  Hoyer was reluctant to provide an update on negotiations with adviser Scott Boras, but said, "We’re confident we’ll get it done. We’ll make it an exceptionally fair offer. If Kris wants to be a Cub and be a professional baseball player, I’m confident we’ll get a deal done. Sometimes it takes a deadline to make a deal, and we have a deadline coming up shortly. In a lot of ways, I think it’s a plus at this point."  Draft guru Jim Callis of Baseball America expects all five first-rounders to sign by Friday's deadline.
  • 18-year-old Taiwanese righty JenHo Tseng, ranked #29 on Jesse Sanchez's top 30 international prospect list for MLB.com, is "known for his upright, quick delivery and a fastball that has reached 95 mph."  The Cubs have emerged as the favorite for Tseng, tweets Sanchez, and he's expected to command at least $1.5MM.  Assuming Eloy Jimenez's $2.8MM deal with the Cubs is finalized, and the Cubs add Tseng at around $1.5MM, they appear a lock to exceed their bonus pool by more than 10% even if they max it out by acquiring more pool space.  As explained by Ben Badler of Baseball America, the penalty for going 10-15% over the pool is a 100% tax on the overage and, more importantly, a $500K per player cap in the 2014-15 spending period.  15% or more means a $250K cap. 

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