Rosenthal On Marlins, Crawford, Dodgers
Good stuff from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports; let's get into it…
- The Marlins have made Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross available, but are currently holding off on Dan Uggla and Ricky Nolasco. Rosenthal finds Cantu to be a fine fit for the Rockies, although it might leave Melvin Mora without much of a role. President Larry Beinfest said yesterday that the Marlins will be active one way or another, but their moves will not be financially motivated. I'll still note that Cantu, a free agent after the season, has $2.74MM left on his contract. He's just below Type B status at the moment. Ross has $2.03MM left on his contract this year and is under team control through 2011.
- Unlike nearby teams such as the Giants and Padres, the Angels prefer a rental player if they are to acquire a first baseman. One reason is that Kendry Morales will be back next year, and the other is that the Halos "intend to pursue Carl Crawford as a free agent." A blockbuster signing of that nature would push Bobby Abreu to the DH spot.
- The Dodgers would like to add a reliever and a starter, though they may look internally at Kenley Jansen for the 'pen.
Available Leadoff Hitters
For contenders looking to acquire a new leadoff hitter, here are a few potentially available options (100 plate appearances leading off required):
- Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports finds the D'Backs likely to retain their second baseman, as he's under team control for 2011. We've read that Josh Byrnes was willing to listen on Johnson, but it's less clear what Jerry Dipoto is planning.
- Rickie Weeks, Brewers. It appears that Weeks would be even tougher to pry loose, as ESPN's Buster Olney recently tweeted that the Brewers have no interest in trading him.
- Fred Lewis, Blue Jays. He cost only cash for the Jays to acquire, so perhaps they'd consider flipping him.
- Scott Podsednik, Royals. The Royals hold a $2MM club option on Pods for 2011, though if he tallies 146 more plate appearances he can void it. He should be available.
- David DeJesus, Royals. It's rumored the Royals will wait a little longer before deciding whether to trade DeJesus, who can be retained in 2011 for $6MM. The Padres and Giants could make sense.
- Corey Patterson, Orioles. He's never been known for getting on base, but he's doing a decent job overall back with Baltimore. But if he's healthy, you'd think the Orioles would want to give more playing time to another former Cubs "next big thing," Felix Pie.
- Nyjer Morgan, Nationals. Four days ago, Rosenthal noted that "some within the Nats’ organization are in favor of trading Morgan to clear center field for Roger Bernadina." However, the Nats would be selling low on Morgan.
- Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports recommended a month ago that the Cubs consider moving both players. Theriot is under team control through 2012 as an arbitration-eligible player, while Fukudome is signed through '11 at a large salary and has no-trade protection against 15 teams.
Minor League Transactions: Meyer, Colome
The latest minor league transactions from Baseball America's Matt Eddy…
- The Astros released second baseman Drew Meyer, who was then signed by the Angels. Meyer has already racked up 39 plate appearances for the Salt Lake Bees.
- The Dodgers released reliever Jesus Colome. They'd signed him on June 24th, but he made only three appearances for the Isotopes before being let go.
- Other familiar names were cut, including Brian Buscher (Indians), Ruddy Lugo (Tigers), and Mike Koplove (Mariners). The Red Sox signed Argenis Reyes, who had been playing independent league ball.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Mariners, Red Sox
Four years ago today, the Rays sent Aubrey Huff and cash to the Astros for Ben Zobrist and Mitch Talbot. The Astros finished 1.5 games out in '06 despite Huff contributing 13 home runs, and GM Tim Purpura chose not to offer arbitration after the season. On to today's links…
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees have no plans to acquire a starting pitcher – "Cliff Lee was a special case." Speaking of Lee, he told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the trade from the Phillies did not sour him on the team, and he's not opposed to any club once he reaches free agency.
- The Blue Jays had a scout at this weekend's Cardinals-Astros series, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Strauss wonders if shortstop Alex Gonzalez could be a match for the Cards, and he notes that the Jays have had previous interest in Brendan Ryan.
- Mariners president Chuck Armstrong and CEO Howard Lincoln weren't aware of the full extent of pitcher Josh Lueke's 2008 trouble with the law, reports Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Lueke went to Seattle as part of the Lee trade.
- Talking to WEEI's Alex Speier, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein explained that in the case of Casey Kelly and other prospects, he'd rather challenge them against advanced competition than allow them to compile numbers and trade value at more age-appropriate levels.
- In the same article, Speier notes that the Red Sox have agreements, pending physicals, with a pair of international free agents. One is a righthanded pitcher, the other an outfielder.
- As part of an extensive Q&A with Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times, Commissioner Bud Selig says he would not consider contracting the Athletics or Rays if their ballpark situations are not resolved.
Blue Jays Make Gregg, Frasor, Downs Available
10:47am: The Jays have made Gregg, Frasor, and Scott Downs available, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford. Bradford feels that the Red Sox are a potential match for one of them.
Frasor's control has slipped this year, especially against lefties. He's getting more groundballs than last year, though more hits have dropped in too. Frasor has been better lately and remains a useful arm. He has $1.21MM remaining on his contract. At the moment, he profiles as a Type B free agent after the season. Downs, meanwhile, has trimmed walks and hits compared to '09. The lefty is owed $1.83MM; MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith analyzed the potential Type A free agent a week ago.
7:50am: The Blue Jays have made closer Kevin Gregg available, tweets Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Elliott adds that the Jays re-routed a scout to Seattle for the final two games of this weekend's Yankees-Mariners series, implying that the Jays might consider the Yanks a potential match for Gregg.
Gregg doesn't appear concerned with trade rumors, based on his comments to MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith Saturday. Gregg's one-year, $2.75MM deal with the Blue Jays seemed curious in February, but he was installed as the team's closer in April when Jason Frasor struggled. Gregg has a 3.67 ERA, 9.7 K/9, and 4.7 BB/9 with three home runs allowed in 34.3 innings this year. He's saved 20 of 23 and bumped his groundball rate from last year.
After the season Gregg's team can choose to retain him for zero, one, or two years. His club option is for $4.5MM in 2011 or $8.75MM for 2011-12. He currently profiles as a Type B free agent, and an arbitration offer seems possible. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos figures to aim for more than the value of one supplemental draft pick if he trades Gregg now. Gregg has $913K remaining on his contract, plus a potential $750K buyout on the option.
Padres Prefer To Avoid Rental Players
Padres GM Jed Hoyer would much prefer to acquire players under control beyond 2010, reports Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union Tribune. It's a preference Hoyer shares with Giants GM Brian Sabean, who came right out and said "we are not interested in free agents" on June 30th.
The Padres share another desire with their division-rival Giants: both clubs are looking for a bat. Padres director of minor league operations Mike Wickham explained to Sullivan, "We have to do something to give us a chance to score more runs, knowing our pitching is (probably) going to regress a little bit. And we don't have to give away the farm to do it."
This is my speculation, but it seems likely that Hoyer and Sabean are inquiring on many of the same players. David DeJesus, Jose Bautista, Corey Hart, and Josh Willingham could be matches for either club.
So far free agent Jermaine Dye has been linked to the Padres but not the Giants. Dye may not be controllable beyond this year, but he'd only cost money. Another player recently on the Padres' radar: Cliff Lee. Hoyer apparently inquired, but Sullivan says the Padres' GM was "dismissed with some variation of, 'Go away, kid, you bother me.'"
Poll: Home Run Derby Winner
Tonight's Home Run Derby features five first-timers: Corey Hart, Chris Young, Nick Swisher, Hanley Ramirez, and Vernon Wells. Miguel Cabrera, Matt Holliday, and David Ortiz will also compete. Today's poll question:
Who will win the Home Run Derby?
What The Mariners Wanted For Cliff Lee
Annoyed your favorite team didn't strike a deal with the Mariners for Cliff Lee? At least consider the details of Jack Zduriencik's high asking price, as reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
According to Sherman, the Mariners general manager set out to acquire "an interested organization's best position prospect with less than one year of service." He was offered none better than the Rangers' Justin Smoak. The Yankees' Jesus Montero was apparently the next-best position prospect offered. Zduriencik also targeted players such as Ike Davis of the Mets, Desmond Jennings of the Rays, Domonic Brown of the Phillies, Gordon Beckham of the White Sox, and Brett Lawrie (who would've had to have come from the Brewers in a three-way deal). Sherman notes that the Mets never offered a player better than Fernando Martinez; Jenrry Mejia and Wilmer Flores "were never part of discussions."
Sherman also gets into the failed Yankees-Lee deal like only he can. He gathered that the Yankees and Mariners had a deal in principle, at which point teams expect you to stop talking to other clubs. Sherman expects the bad blood to linger, making the Yanks unwilling to deal with the Mariners in the future. The Yankees were also apparently "rankled" by Seattle's confusingly high asking price for Jarrod Washburn last summer. Another thought: an executive recently wondered aloud to me how Kevin Towers was involved in the Lee trade talks. Towers has a close relationship with both Brian Cashman and Zduriencik.
From the Rangers' point of view, GM Jon Daniels indicated today to The Ticket's Norm Hitzges that he continually had an open dialogue with the Mariners. Daniels felt that the Rangers were in second place Friday morning, until he adjusted his offer.
Elias Rankings Update
After the season the Elias Sports Bureau will take all players over the 2009-10 period, divide them into five groups for each league, and rank them based on various statistics. Then each player will be labeled a Type A, B, or none. Those designations and the possible accompanying arbitration offers determine draft pick compensation (click here for a refresher).
Eddie Bajek has reverse-engineered the Elias rankings, and he's providing that information exclusively at MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a look at how the players rank for the period beginning with the 2009 season running through July 6th, 2010. The Google spreadsheet below has separate tabs for each position group. The players have about three more months to change these rankings. You can also go directly to the Google spreadsheet here and download the rankings in Excel here.
Advertise With MLBTR
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Though certainly not limited to this demographic, the most common MLBTR reader is an 18-34 year-old male. If you're looking to reach this crowd, MLB Trade Rumors is the perfect place to advertise. And since there is no ad agency acting as a middle man, MLBTR is able to keep rates low compared to other major sports websites. If you are interested in advertising and would like to learn more, please contact mlbtradvertising@gmail.com.