Mets Won’t Non-Tender Ike Davis
There's still plenty of doubt about Ike Davis' future in Queens, but the Mets aren't willing to lose him for nothing. There is no consideration being given to the idea of non-tendering the first baseman in December, team insiders tell Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
With Lucas Duda and the shaky Davis both in the fold, a decision has to be made regarding the club's plan at first base, so the possibility of trading Davis remains. However, club officials believe that Davis will not be cost prohibitive in 2014 in a way that would force them to cut him loose. Davis, 26, earned $3.125MM this season as a first-year arbitration eligible player.
It's extremely rare for a player’s salary to decrease during their arbitration years, but the Mets appear to think they may have a case for a salary reduction if it ever got to a hearing, Rubin writes. A player could receive as much as a 20% cut from his previous year’s salary either through an arbitration hearing or a pre-hearing settlement, leaving Davis' floor to be $2.5MM for 2014.
Rubin found only a handful of salary cuts in arbitration over the years with the most recent one taking place in 1993. Royals pitcher Aaron Crow agreed to a 20% pay cut before the 2013 season, but that was an unusual case in which he was not yet arbitration eligible and his 2012 salary had been worked out when he was drafted No. 12 overall three years earlier.
Even if Davis gets a salary similar to his $3.125MM pay this year, it won't be a major impediment for the Mets, especially when considering the amount of money they have coming off of the books.
NL East Notes: Ruiz, Harvey, Collins, Sandberg
Mets manager Terry Collins appears to be safe for next season, but GM Sandy Alderson told Jim Bowden (Twitter link) and Jim Duquette of SiriusXM that an official determination won't be made until after the current season. However, Alderson gave yet another strong endorsement for the experienced skipper (link). "He's done an excellent job with the resources he's had, [we're] very pleased with what he's done," said the GM. Here's more out of the NL East..
- The Phillies should re-sign catcher Carlos Ruiz because of his offensive resurgence and because the alternatives aren't ideal, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Ruiz told reporters, including MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, he has not heard from the Phillies about next year but is open to negotiate whenever they want. "Everything depends on the Phillies. If they want to talk before the end of the season, we're OK with that. If not, we'll wait and see what we've got in the market. It's not in my hands, you know?" said the 34-year-old, who will become a free agent at the end of the season.
- Alderson told Bowden and Duquette that the club will have money to spend on the free agent market this winter (link). The GM made it clear that he will target free agent bats this offseason but also noted that he'd like to add a starter, even if Matt Harvey elects not to have surgery (Twitter links).
- Speaking of Harvey, he'll have a second visit with Dr. James Andrews this week and a determination will be made by the third week of September (link).
- Collins isn't the only NL East manager whose job isn't locked down for 2014. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro told the SiriusXM duo (Twitter links) that he is still analyzing Ryne Sandberg's performance and hasn't decided yet if there will be an interview process for the position. From the conversation, Bowden didn't get the impression that it's a slam dunk that Sandberg will have his interim tag removed.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Rosenthal On Angels, Gibson, LaRoche, Dodgers
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports brings us his latest edition of Full Count this weekend. Let's take a look inside..
- There's still a month to go in the regular season, but the Angels are already scouting pitchers they could go after in free agency or in trades. The needs in the rotation will be less glaring if they re-sign Jason Vargas – that would give them a front four of Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards, and Vargas. The Halos nearly traded Howie Kendrick for a package headlined by the Dodgers' Zach Lee in July and they could pursue something similar with teams deep in young starters this offseason, like the Nationals and Mets.
- A number of Diamondbacks players are frustrated with manager Kirk Gibson's changing lineups and they relate more with third base coach Matt Williams, but he could leave to manage the Nationals or another club once the season is through. However, the D'Backs have no plans to replace Gibson with Williams or anyone else.
- The first base free agent market will be thin this offseason with Justin Morneau, James Loney, and Mike Napoli headlining the class. The trade market doesn't look much better, but it does have a few options. Adam LaRoche of the Nationals figures to be among them as they look to move Ryan Zimmerman to first and Anthony Rendon to third. The Mets' Ike Davis will probably be another and he could benefit from a move to a more hitter-friendly park.
- The Dodgers will not lack rotation options next offseason – they'll try to re-sign Ricky Nolasco and they'll eventually get Chad Billingsley and Josh Beckett back. The team also has three minor league prospects in Lee, Ross Stripling, and Matt Magill, who figure to pitch at some point in 2014. The good news is that the Dodgers should be deep enough to give them time to develop.
Cubs Designate Cody Ransom For Assignment
The Cubs announced that they have designated Cody Ransom for assignment. The move allows the club to activate pitcher Scott Baker from the 60-day disabled list.
Ransom, 37, did well at the plate for the Cubs this season, hitting .203/.304/.449 in 57 games. The Cubs first acquired the veteran off waivers in mid-April after the Padres waived him. For his career, the infielder owns a .213/.303/.400 slash line.
To keep track of Ransom and everyone else in DFA limbo, check out the MLBTR DFA Tracker.
Cafardo On Ruiz, Napoli, Hudson, Sizemore
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that there are several top teams that will have surpluses in certain areas this offseason that will be second guessing whatever move they make. In the case of the Dodgers, they have four strong outfielders in Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier, and Carl Crawford. One would imagine that Ethier, who is frequently in trade rumors, would be the one to go, but GM Ned Colletti could also give some thought to dealing Kemp if the right offer comes along. Here's more from today's column..
- After bouncing back from a slow start, catcher Carlos Ruiz is desirable again and the Phillies are more enthused about the idea of re-signing him. That may prove to be difficult once Ruiz gets to the open market as he’d be a cheaper alternative to Brian McCann or Jarrod Saltalamacchia and more consistent than Dioner Navarro.
- According to Mike Napoli's agent Brian Grieper, there still haven't been contract talks with the Red Sox. It appears they will play it out and decide about a qualifying offer. One possibility is that they put Xander Bogaerts at third and Will Middlebrooks at first, taking Napoli out of the equation.
- Tim Hudson, 38, wants to return from the ankle fracture he suffered in July. Hudson, who should cleared for baseball activities by mid-December, will be a free agent but wants to stay in Atlanta. It'll come down to the money for the veteran, who earned $9MM this season.
- Grady Sizemore tried to get back playing this season, but he needs more time for his knees to heal. He'll likely be ready for a major league camp next spring and work out for teams this offseason to show he’s healthy. If he looks OK, he’ll probably get a few teams interested.
- Some still believe that it was a mistake for the Angels to only pay Mike Trout $510K this season and that he won't forget it when it comes time to work out a new deal with the club.
Minor Moves: Gonzalez, Fedroff, Rincon, Okajima
We'll keep track of today's minor moves here..
- The Astros outrighted Edgar Gonzalez to Double-A Corpus Christi, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Houston signed Gonzalez to a minor-league deal in May after he was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays and opted for free agency after clearing waivers. Gonzalez struggled in his 10 innings with the Astros' major league club, coughing up a 7.20 ERA.
- The Indians outrighted outfielder Tim Fedroff and shortstop Juan Diaz to their Triple-A affiliate, according to the MLB.com transactions page. Fedroff, 26, has hit .242/.334/.306 in 594 plate appearances for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers this year. Diaz, 24, has a .242/.317/.348 line over 495 plate appearances for the same team.
- The Royals outrighted third baseman Edinson Rincon to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, according to the MLB.com transactions page. He's appeared in just 24 games for Royals minor league affiliates this season.
- The Reds released Justin Freeman, according to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (on Twitter). Freeman gave up two runs in a one-inning appearance for the Reds this year, but has a 3.57 ERA in 307 1/3 career minor league innings.
- The Athletics announced that Hideki Okajima has been outrighted to the club's Triple-A affiliate. The veteran reliever was designated for assignment by Oakland earlier this week to create space for fellow bullpen arm Pat Neshek. The 37-year-old Okajima pitched to a 4.22 ERA for Triple-A Sacramento with 9.5 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 42 2/3 innings of work. He also saw some brief time in the Majors with Oakland this season, allowing a run on seven hits and a pair of walks in four innings of work.
- The outright of Okajima three leaves players in DFA limbo, according to the DFA Tracker: James McDonald, Alex Liddi,and Hector Ambriz.
AL East Notes: Tazawa, Huff, Francisco, Napoli
Red Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa has struggled with consistency despite good numbers overall, and Tim Britton of the Providence Journal says he is a growing concern. Britton cites coaches and players (including Tazawa himself) that peg the issue as Tazawa's usually excellent splitter. He has left the pitch up at times and failed to separate it from his fastball in terms of velocity, which could be the cause of his reduced ground-ball rate (34.1%) and increasing propensity for allowing the long ball (1.2 HR/9). Some argued that the club should have acted before the end of August to add another righty to the bullpen mix, but the club stood pat. Of course, Brandon Workman has been stingy of late after struggling early on, giving the club another right-handed arm down the stretch. Here's more out of the AL East..
- Working his way from the waiver wire to the Yankees' starting rotation, lefty David Huff has been solid for the Bombers, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. McCullough has the story of Huff's up-and-down career, and his emergence for New York late this season as the team tries to claw back into the post-season picture. After 16 innings of 1.13 ERA pitching out of the pen, Huff got the starting nod today for a critical matchup against the Red Sox. He was hit hard in the early going, however, surrendering nine earned runs in three innings and change.
- The Yankees should put together a trade for Mets right-hander Frank Francisco, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com suggests in a tweet. Though Francisco wouldn't be eligible for the Yanks' postseason roster, he could help them in the season's final month, Rubin says. The 33-year-old was activated by the Mets from the disabled list today and hasn't appeared in a game this season. Fransico had a 5.53 ERA and an ugly 4.5 BB/9 in 42 1/3 innings for the Mets last year, but struck out 10 batters per nine innings.
- Mike Napoli's agent Brian Grieper responded, "He has stuck to his routine all season … we'll see," when asked if his client will ever appear behind the plate again, according to a tweet by Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. After appearing in at least 61 games at catcher every year since making the majors in 2006, Napoli hasn't caught in a game in 2013, spending the majority of his time at first base. Though the ability to catch would allow Napoli to provide more value to a club as he re-enters the free agent market, his diagnosis of avascular necrosis in the hips last offseason has likely been a factor in deciding where he plays.
Jeff Todd and Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: D’Backs, Blue Jays, Red Sox
On this date in 2005, Dontrelle Willis became the first pitcher in the thirteen-year history of the Marlins to win 20 games in a season when the team beat the Nats at RFK Stadium, 12-1. The high-kicking southpaw had established a franchise record for victories in his last start with his 19th win. Here's this week's look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Inside The Zona looks at Paul Goldschmidt's plate discipline this season.
- AL Eastbound & Down defends Alex Anthopoulos' job in Toronto.
- Replacement Level Red Sox crunches the numbers in Boston.
- Phillies Nation tries to untangle the headache that is the Phillies' 40-man roster.'
- Shutdown Inning talks about Yu Darvish's home run epidemic.
- A's Farm has the top performers in the Oakland system.
- Camden Depot weighs in on the struggles of Matt Wieters.
- Blogging Mets has potential free agent outfielders for Sandy Alderson to consider.
- Federal Baseball looks at Anthony Rendon's year so far.
- Rays Colored Glasses has a hypothetical trade for Rays and Mets fans to ponder over.
- MLB Injury News asks if the Tommy John epidemic can be prevented.
- Kings Of Kaufmann examines some power options for KC this winter.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Quick Hits: Hughes, Tanaka, Angels, Infante
A change of scenery could allow Phil Hughes to be more like the pitcher everyone thought he would be in 2007, but it's unlikely the Yankees will ever see that pitcher, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. Hughes could be given a qualifying offer this winter, but it seems more likely that this stage that the Bombers will simply let him walk rather than risk being on the hook for nearly $14MM. Here's more from around baseball..
- The Rangers aren't expected to make the same kind of push for Masahiro Tanaka that they did for Yu Darvish prior to the 2012 season, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. Though they've scouted the right-hander, the Rangers don't see Tanaka as being a Darvish-caliber pitcher at the present. As Sullivan notes, Darvish had a 1.99 ERA in seven seasons in Japan, averaging 2.4 BB/9 and 8.9 K/9. Tanaka's Japanese stats - 2.32 ERA in seven seasons, 1.9 BB/9 and 8.5 K/9 – are similar, but reports suggest he doesn't have Darvish's overpowering fastball.
- In an article for ESPN Insider, Dan Szymborski examines MLB teams that have seen large drop-offs in a recent update to ESPN's Future Power Rankings scoring system, which projects overall franchise strength for the next five seasons. The Angels top the list following disappointing seasons by Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, but it's too early to declare that Pujols won't return to being an offensive contributor, Szymborski says. He also advises that the club make a play for free-agent pitchers such as Matt Garza or Hiroki Kuroda this offseason to bolster a struggling rotation. The Blue Jays, Brewers, Nationals and Reds round out the list.
- Omar Infante's new agent, Gene Mato, negotiated Anibal Sanchez's big five-year, $80MM deal with the Tigers this winter, MLB.com's Jason Beck notes. With a .319/.346/.453 line this year, Mato's new client could emerge as one of this offseason's top middle infielders, potentially complicating matters for the Tigers. Hernan Perez, 22, could be in line to inherit Detroit's second base job, but he may not be ready to do so by next season, Beck says.
Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Poll: Will Adam Dunn And Paul Konerko Retire?
For most teams that aren't playoff-bound in September, the talk surrounding the club is centered on the team's future and young talent. However, the focus for White Sox fans in the last couple of days have been on a pair of veterans who may call it quits following this season.
Paul Konerko has hinted all season that 2013 could be his final season as he battles through a multitude of injuries. The 37-year-old's age has undeniably been showing this season as he has a .244/.314/.358 slash line, his worst in any season as a full time major leaguer. However, he's been telling friends as of late that he wants to continue playing and return to the White Sox in 2014.
Meanwhile, teammate Adam Dunn told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he could conceivably walk away from the game, which is surprising for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, Dunn is owed $15MM next season and it's rare to see anyone walk away from that kind of cash. Secondly, Dunn has been hitting quite well over the last couple of months and is even hitting for average. The veteran may be frustrated with the White Sox's season overall, but he can't beat himself up for his individual performance. For what it's worth, he seemed to walk his comments back a bit earlier today.
“Apparently everybody is retiring,” Ventura said of talk that Konerko and Dunn could call it quits, according to Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com. “When you’re frustrated that probably comes up a lot, but I don’t see it happening. I don’t see Dunner going anywhere. I think those are just things you talk about. He’s probably at a point in his career where you can bring the subject up about when is the right time, when isn’t, but I fully expect him to be in spring training with us.”
Ultimately, how do you see things playing out for the White Sox vets?
Will Konerko And Dunn Retire?
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Both will continue playing 60% (6,358)
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Konerko will retire, Dunn will continue playing 28% (2,981)
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Dunn will retire, Konerko will continue playing 6% (685)
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Both players will retire 6% (638)
Total votes: 10,662