Nationals Release Matt Stairs
The Nationals announced today that they have released Matt Stairs. He'd been designated for assignment on Wednesday to open up a spot for Jonny Gomes.
Stairs, 43, hit .154/.257/.169 in 74 plate appearances for the Nationals this year. In his 19-year career he's played for the Expos, Red Sox, Athletics, Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Royals, Rangers, Tigers, Blue Jays, Phillies, Padres, and Nationals. His body of work may surprise you: .262/.356/.477 in 6023 plate appearances, with 265 home runs and almost $19MM in earnings.
Phillies Release Danys Baez
The Phillies released reliever Danys Baez after he cleared waivers, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. He'd been designated for assignment a week ago to create a spot for Brad Lidge.
Signed to a curious two-year deal before the 2010 season, Baez produced a 5.81 ERA, 4.9 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 1.2 HR/9 in 83 2/3 innings for the Phillies. He still posts healthy groundball rates, at least.
Rosenthal On Yankees, Wandy, Ubaldo, Bailey
The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- Yesterday's push by the Yankees to acquire Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez came from ownership, not GM Brian Cashman. SI's Jon Heyman wrote yesterday that the Yankees offered to pay $21MM of the $38MM left on Rodriguez's contract, implying they feel that Rodriguez is worth less than $7MM a year. Rosenthal says the Astros were willing to pay $2MM of Rodriguez's salary this year (essentially all of it) "or $5MM if his [player] option for 2014 were exercised." I'm in the minority, but I'm with the Astros in thinking paying Wandy down to the range of Ted Lilly's contract is reasonable. At any rate, Rosenthal says the Astros and Yankees never even got to the point of discussing names.
- Cashman has seven untouchables in trade discussions, a rival GM told Rosenthal.
- More than a handful of teams called the Indians "to gauge the club’s willingness to flip Ubaldo Jimenez less than 24 hours after acquiring him." The Indians wanted Jimenez for themselves though. Rosenthal adds that the Indians entertained a "flurry of offers" for starter Fausto Carmona before the deadline.
- Rosenthal says he was unfair to print a rival executive's quote last week about how Astros GM Ed Wade was trying to make a "job-saving" deal for Hunter Pence.
- Athletics GM Billy Beane explained to Rosenthal that "ultimately a trade is a bilateral and not a unilateral process," suggesting that teams were not engaging in back-and-forth negotiations for his players. Also, Rosenthal hears that the Rangers offered Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland (who ultimately got them Mike Adams) plus shortstop prospect Leury Garcia for closer Andrew Bailey.
Why Carlos Pena Wasn’t Traded
The non-waiver trade deadline came and went yesterday with nary a Carlos Pena rumor. At first glance you'd think an impending free agent with 20 home runs would be on the move, but Pena remained with the 43-65 Cubs. Why?
For one thing, Pena is moveable in August. Cubs GM Jim Hendry explained to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, "The guys that we kept, for the most part, are guys that still have a chance to be involved next year, and if we do make a trade or two in August, that’s still no more or less significant than if we made them [Sunday]." There's a decent chance Pena would clear waivers, especially since $5MM of his $10MM contract is due in January. If not, the Cubs could just hand over the contract.
Another reason Pena stayed is that Hendry doesn't have anyone to replace him. The GM explained that the Cubs had Tyler Colvin to step in for Kosuke Fukudome, but have no such replacement for Pena. Bryan LaHair has 29 home runs at Triple-A Iowa, but he's 28 and this is his sixth stint at the level. Personally this explanation doesn't do much for me, as the Cubs are going to remain terrible this year whether Pena or LaHair starts at first over the final two months.
I imagine Hendry was also limited by the scant number of contenders in need of first base or DH help. Pena is best marketed as a first baseman, and with the Pirates adding Derrek Lee it's tough to find a contender in need of help at the position.
Wittenmyer mentions draft pick compensation, but Pena is actually below Type B status at present. Plus, the Cubs have often been reluctant to offer arbitration to free agents.
One last possibility is that Pena was not traded because the Cubs want to re-sign him and that's generally easier when you retain a player. Pena, a Scott Boras client, said he'd love to stay in Chicago and is excited about the team's future, but hasn't really looked ahead to next year. The Cubs will have options, with a large amount of payroll flexibility and Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols potentially on the market.
Olney On Waiver Trade Candidates
ESPN's Buster Olney talks waivers in his latest blog post, and I can't help but join in.
- The Twins are currently seven games out in the AL Central. If they slip further from contention, Olney wonders what will happen if they place outfielder/designated hitter Jason Kubel on waivers later this month. He projects currently as a Type B free agent. I wonder if the draft pick alone would compel a non-contending AL team to make a claim, with less than a million bucks remaining on his contract after August.
- Olney sees such a scenario as possible for Rays reliever Kyle Farnsworth, who profiles as a Type A. He could see the Blue Jays jumping in for the draft picks, though I imagine the Rays would keep him for the same reason.
- Would Reds catcher Ramon Hernandez or Padres closer Heath Bell make it to an NL contender? Or would Type A status again factor in? Olney sees the A's pulling back Josh Willingham rather than dumping his contract, probably because he's a Type A currently. I wonder if Willingham would accept an arbitration offer though.
- Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena is a good candidate to be moved as a salary dump, with half of his $10MM due in January.
- Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez is expected to clear waivers, with over $38MM left on his deal through 2014. Just to play devil's advocate: Wandy is a bargain this year with just $2.27MM remaining, so it's possible one contender could decide they can stomach three years and $36MM from 2012-14, and make a claim.
- Guys like Carlos Quentin and Jeremy Guthrie would be claimed, but dealing them in the offseason probably makes more sense.
Buchholz Unlikely To Pitch Again In Regular Season
Red Sox righty Clay Buchholz is unlikely to pitch again in the regular season due to a stress fracture in his back, reports Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. McAdam's source believes postseason pitching is possible, though it'd be a tall order.
That explains why the Red Sox picked up Erik Bedard yesterday, though Bedard was actually Plan C after Hiroki Kuroda and Rich Harden. The Sox had a deal in place to acquire Kuroda for Tim Federowicz and another prospect Saturday night, reports McAdam, but the righty rejected it. The Kuroda talks were later used as a base for GM Theo Epstein to acquire Trayvon Robinson, who they sent to Seattle in the Bedard deal.
August Trade Candidates
Last August, players such as Jim Edmonds, Mike Fontenot, Derrek Lee, Brian Fuentes, Manny Delcarmen, and Jeff Francoeur were traded, while Cody Ross, Rod Barajas, and Manny Ramirez were claimed off waivers. The previous year Carl Pavano, Aubrey Huff, Ivan Rodriguez, Billy Wagner, Jon Rauch, Scott Kazmir, Jose Contreras, Jon Garland, and Jim Thome were dealt, and Alex Rios was claimed off waivers. So while nothing compares to July, we'll still see some veterans change teams this month (though the White Sox should probably cool it on the waiver claims). Nearly everyone will be placed on waivers, but here's my speculation on some who could be dealt or claimed this month, or who might clear waivers at least.
- Rays: Johnny Damon, Kelly Shoppach, Kyle Farnsworth
- Blue Jays: Aaron Hill, Mark Teahen, Frank Francisco, Rajai Davis, Trever Miller, John McDonald, Jose Molina, Brian Tallet
- Orioles: Vladimir Guerrero, Mike Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, Cesar Izturis, Mark Hendrickson
- White Sox: Jake Peavy, Alex Rios, Adam Dunn, Juan Pierre, Omar Vizquel, Will Ohman, Ramon Castro
- Twins: Joe Nathan, Carl Pavano, Matt Capps, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome, Kevin Slowey
- Royals: Kyle Davies, Bruce Chen, Jeff Francis, Matt Treanor
- Athletics: David DeJesus, Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, Brian Fuentes, Hideki Matsui, Conor Jackson, Rich Harden
- Mariners: Chone Figgins, Jack Wilson, Chris Ray, Jamey Wright, Adam Kennedy
- Mets: Jason Bay, Ryota Igarashi, D.J. Carrasco, Scott Hairston, Tim Byrdak, Willie Harris, Jason Isringhausen
- Marlins: Mike Cameron, Javier Vazquez, Omar Infante, Wes Helms, Greg Dobbs, DeWayne Wise
- Nationals: Ivan Rodriguez, Jonny Gomes, Rick Ankiel, Todd Coffey, Livan Hernandez, Chien-Ming Wang, Laynce Nix
- Reds: Francisco Cordero, Ramon Hernandez, Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cairo, Dontrelle Willis, Jeremy Hermida, Fred Lewis
- Cubs: Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Pena, John Grabow, Rodrigo Lopez, Reed Johnson, Koyie Hill
- Astros: Carlos Lee, Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, Jason Michaels
- Rockies: Aaron Cook, Huston Street, Mark Ellis, Rafael Betancourt, Ty Wigginton, Ian Stewart, Ryan Spilborghs, Jason Giambi
- Dodgers: Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jonathan Broxton, Casey Blake, Juan Rivera, Juan Uribe, James Loney, Rod Barajas, Matt Guerrier, Jamey Carroll, Dioner Navarro, Mike MacDougal, Aaron Miles
- Padres: Heath Bell, Aaron Harang, Chad Qualls
I left off a few players who would easily clear waivers but I can't fathom being dealt, such as the Mets' Johan Santana. Contenders also have movable parts such as Austin Kearns, Pat Burrell, Mark DeRosa, Xavier Nady, Arthur Rhodes, and Matt Diaz.
Willie Eyre Opts For Free Agency
Righty Willie Eyre opted for free agency yesterday, MLBTR has learned. The 33-year-old had been pitching for Oakland's Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.48 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, and 0.7 HR/9 in 62 innings. He last pitched in the Majors in '09 with the Rangers.
Red Sox Acquire Erik Bedard In Three-Team Deal
Southpaw Erik Bedard hasn't pitched into August since 2007, but the Red Sox are hoping he can bolster their rotation for the rest of the season. The Sox acquired Bedard from Seattle today in a complicated trade:
- Red Sox get: starter Erik Bedard, reliever Josh Fields (both from Mariners)
- Mariners get: outfielder Trayvon Robinson (from Dodgers), outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang (from Red Sox)
- Dodgers get: catcher Tim Federowicz, reliever Juan Rodriguez, starter Stephen Fife (all from Red Sox)
Bedard, 32, has a 3.45 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.08 HR/9, and 41.7% groundball rate in 91 1/3 innings this year. That's his highest innings total since '07, as he endured multiple shoulder surgeries. With Daisuke Matsuzaka out for the season, Clay Buchholz battling back problems, and Jon Lester missing time this month with a strained shoulder muscle, the Sox will take whatever they can get from Bedard. Bedard recently returned from a month-long layoff due to a knee sprain. He's owed only $324K in additional base salary, but can make millions more in incentives.
In Robinson, the Mariners came away with the best prospect in the deal. The 23-year-old outfielder is hitting .293/.375/.563 at Triple-A. Baseball America ranked him tenth among Dodgers prospects heading into the season, saying he's "loaded with athleticism" and "could have four average or better tools." Chiang, signed by the Red Sox out of Taiwan in 2006, has a breakout .338/.399/.647 line at Double-A. The Mariners added two quality outfield prospects without giving up much.
The Ms did have to surrender Josh Fields, their first-round draft pick from 2008. The 25-year-old has experienced control problems in the high minors. Baseball America ranked him 24th among Mariners prospects prior to the season, writing, "he could be a useful middle reliever if he can tighten up his control."
Federowicz, a 23-year-old Double-A catcher, must have been the key to the deal for the Dodgers. He's a well-regarded defensive backstop, but has a .275/.337/.397 line at Double-A. Overall Dodgers' involvement is a bit of a head-scratcher, but we'll see if prospect experts agree.
Rodriguez, 22, has a 5.19 ERA with 13.4 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 59 innings of relief at Class A this year. In parts of four professional seasons, he has a 3.31 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. Fife, 24, has spent the past two seasons in the rotation of Boston's Double-A affiliate at Portland. He has a 3.66 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 103 1/3 innings this year.
Jon Heyman, Gordon Edes, and Jon Heyman broke the story with ESPN.com's Buster Olney reporting the specifics of the trade. Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Pirates Acquire Ryan Ludwick
The Pirates added another veteran bat today, acquiring right fielder Ryan Ludwick from the Padres for cash or a player to be named later. The player to be named will come from a list of three minor league players, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports (on Twitter).
Ludwick, a right-handed hitter, could at least fill the role the Pirates envisioned when they signed Matt Diaz in the offseason. The 33-year-old is hitting .238/.301/.373 and has $2.2MM left on his contract. The Bucs added veteran first baseman Derrek Lee yesterday to an offense that ranks 12th in the NL with 3.82 runs scored per game.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports broke the story.