Astros Name Tony DeFrancesco As Interim Manager
The Astros announced that they have appointed Tony DeFrancesco as their interim manager. The 49-year-old was the skipper for the club's Triple-A affiliate.
Dan Radison has been brought aboard as the club's interim first base coach while Ty Van Burkleo will serve as interim hitting coach. At this morning's presser, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow stated that the search for a permanent staff will begin immediately.
The Astros cleaned house late last night, dismissing manager Brad Mills, hitting coach Mike Barnett, and first base coach Bobby Meacham. In total, the club went 171-274 with Mills at the helm.
Cafardo On Ellsbury, Bourn, Ross, Cook, Millwood
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that despite the perception that Jacoby Ellsbury would like to leave Boston down the line, a source says that he would actually like to stay if at all possible. Neither side has asked the other to consider a long-term deal, but that could certainly change in the offseason. Here's more from Cafardo..
- In last week's column, Cafardo wrote that Braves officials thought Michael Bourn would not re-sign when he becomes a free agent due to a less-than-stellar track record with Scott Boras clients. However, Boras told Cafardo that he has had an excellent relationship with General Manager Frank Wren and the club as a whole. The agent says he is not ruling out Atlanta at all and added that Bourn enjoys playing there.
- The Red Sox are very interested in pursuing a new deal with Cody Ross, who will be coming off of a one-year, $3MM pact this winter. With many teams in need of a righthanded bat, he could likely net a Josh Willingham-type three-year, $21MM deal.
- The Orioles, Nationals, and Dodgers may be among teams looking at Red Sox pitcher Aaron Cook now that he is on trade waivers.
- Mariners pitcher Kevin Millwood has not been placed on trade waivers yet but he could be one of the more sought-after pitchers once he is. “He’s got ice water in his veins and he knows how to get big outs,” said a veteran scout. “A guy like that isn’t going to do the Mariners any good going forward but he could solidify a rotation.”
- Cubs personnel are disappointed that Alfonso Soriano won’t waive his 10-and-5 rights to go to the Giants. The outfielder doesn't want to play in a colder climate that could adversely affect his hitting.
Rosenthal On Andrus, Headley, Ichiro, Victorino
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link) has posted his latest edition of Full Count, so let's dive in..
- The Rangers likely promotion of top prospect Jurickson Profar doesn't necessarily mean that they'll trade Elvis Andrus this offseason, but its possible. Profar is 19-years-old with many years of club control ahead of him while Andrus has only two years left on his contract after this season. Andrus is a Scott Boras client, making an extension unlikely.
- The Padres want one more piece for their rotation to support Clayton Richard and Edinson Volquez and Chase Headley could be the piece to help them make that happen. San Diego didn't get the prospect package that they wanted for Headley before the deadline but they could get a solid big league pitcher for him this winter.
- The Giants made a serious run at Ichiro Suzuki at the deadline before he wound up with the Yankees. GM Brian Sabean instead went for Hunter Pence as he felt the lineup needed more power. Rosenthal wouldn't be surprised if the Giants pursue Ichiro in free agency, depending on how they feel about re-signing Melky Cabrera.
- A source told Rosenthal that the Pirates could have gotten Shane Victorino from the Phillies before the deadline for Brad Lincoln. Of course, Pittsburgh instead sent Lincoln to the Blue Jays for Travis Snider.
Red Sox Notes: Blue Jays, Farrell, Varitek
Here's a look at the latest on the Red Sox as they get set to take on the Yankees in the Bronx..
- There has been a great deal of speculation that the Red Sox could look to lure back Blue Jays skipper John Farrell should they choose to part ways with Bobby Valentine, but Farrell shot down the talk, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Farrell reminded reporters that he is still under contract in Toronto while General Manager Alex Anthopoulos noted that the club's policy only allows for departures in the event of a promotion.
- Farrell's contract runs through next season but it may make sense for both Toronto and Boston to work out a deal, opines Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Olney adds that the Red Sox came close to reaching an agreement with Toronto last fall. The Blue Jays, he writes, should present Farrell with an extension offer beyond 2013, and should look to trade him to Boston should he decline.
- While many people have opined that former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek would make sense as the club's next manager, WEEI.com's Kirk Minihane argues that Boston needs an outsider as its skipper.
Minor Moves: Rodriguez, Hamilton, Tomko, D’Backs
Today's minor moves, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy..
- The Braves have signed left-hander Daniel Rodriguez out of the Mexican League, reports Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 27-year-old owns a 2.54 ERA in 117 innings this season, and has led the league in strikeouts in each of the past three years.
- The Cardinals have released Mark Hamilton, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). The 28-year-old put up a .231/.340/.419 line with 15 homers in 359 Triple-A plate appearances this season.
- The Diamondbacks signed right-hander Brett Tomko. The 39-year-old was released by the Reds earlier this month after posting a 3.78 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 12 Triple-A starts.
- The Diamondbacks also signed third baseman Matt Mangini, who was recently released by the Rays. Mangini was with Tampa Bay's Triple-A affiliate but has been assigned to Double-A Mobile. The 26-year-old had a cup of coffee in the majors with the Mariners in 2010.
- Tigers outfielder Don Kelly cleared waivers and accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo. Kelly was outrighted after being DFA'd on August 3rd.
- The Twins released right-hander Eric Hurley, who elected free agency from the Angels last month. The 2004 first-round pick was once viewed as a high-ceiling prospect but has yet to appear in the majors since a five-game stint with the Rangers in 2008.
New York Notes: Hairston, Shoppach, Patterson
The first place Yankees are playing the fourth place Red Sox tonight while the third place Mets take on the first place Nationals. Here is the latest out of the Big Apple…
- The Mets have not yet had contract extension talks with Scott Hairston, though he is receptive to the idea according to ESPN New York's Adam Rubin. Rubin notes that the Amazin's signed Tim Byrdak to an extension at this time last year, so the GM Sandy Alderson regime has set a precedent for midseason deals.
- Rubin also reports that the Mets acquired Kelly Shoppach to see how he fits with their pitching staff and philosophies before considering re-signing him after the season. He notes that Pedro Beato, who went to Boston in the trade for Shoppach, had fallen out of favor in New York.
- The Mets have voided the minor league contract of the recently-signed Scott Patterson, reports Rubin. The right-hander came down with a shoulder injury in Triple-A.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) opines that second base prospect David Adams could eventually be trade fodder for the Yankees as he is blocked by Robinson Cano at the Major League level. Adams was supposed to be part of the 2010 Cliff Leenon-trade.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Cubs, Starlin Castro Working On Long-Term Deal
FRIDAY, 5:58pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that it would be a six or seven-year contract with a club option for one additional year. Castro is a Super Two, so the Cubs would be buying out all of four years of arbitration eligibility plus two or three free agent years. Talks continue to progress and a deal could be completed by next week.
THURSDAY, 10:58pm: Castro's agent Paul Kinzer confirmed to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com that he has had talks with the club about a new deal. "I've been working with the Cubs on contract negotiations for a period of time," Kinzer said. "Starlin would like to be a Chicago Cub for many years to come."
8:23pm: The Cubs are working on a long-term deal with shortstop Starlin Castro, two industry sources told David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. The deal could be for six or more years and is expected to be finalized before the end of the 2012 season.
A six-year deal would buy out Castro's remaining arbitration years and two years of free agency which he would reach after the 2016 season. Castro's agents at Wasserman Media Group are likely to look at fellow shortstops Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, and Troy Tulowitzki as possible comps for the 22-year-old.
Earlier this year, Mike Axisa estimated that the Cubs will have to spend roughly $20MM to cover his arbitration years and $12-15MM for each year of free agency. Theo Epstein & Co. have an additional year of arbitration to cover as the shortstop is likely to qualify as a Super Two.
One baseball source opined to Kaplan that the Cubs were foolish to promote the shortstop as early as they did in the 2010 season. Had they waited longer to bring Castro to the big leagues, they could have delayed the start of his service clock and prevented him from achieving Super Two status.
Castro's offensive production hasn't been as strong as it has in the previous two seasons as he's hitting .276/.307/.422 with 12 homers in 495 plate appearances. Defensively, Castro has a UZR/150 of 5.1, the best of his three campaigns.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
NL Central Notes: Cubs, Castro, Reds, Baker
A look at news on Reds and the Cubs..
- Starlin Castro's agent, Paul Kinzer, told Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune that he planned on tabling contract talks until after the season until the Cubs approached him. The two sides are working on a new deal that would keep him in Chicago through 2018 and possibly beyond.
- Manager Dusty Baker and the Reds still have yet to have talks about a contract extension and Baker says that he doesn't expect to do so anytime soon, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Meanwhile, team president Bob Castellini told Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com that he hopes to have Baker as a part of the Reds organization for a long time. Castellini wouldn't tip his cap as to when contract talks could get started between the two sides but indicated that the timing would likely be agreed upon mutually.
- Castro has instructed Kinzer not to give him updates on the negotiations and to only notify him when a deal is done, tweets Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com.
Red Sox Release Mark Prior
The Red Sox have released right-hander Mark Prior, according to Brendan McGair of the Pawtucket Times (via Twitter). The move was made in order to create space for the newly-acquired Pedro Beato.
Prior, 31, hooked on with the Red Sox in early May as he looked to attempt yet another comeback. During his time in Triple-A Pawtucket, Prior posted a 3.96 ERA with 13.7 K/9 and 8.3 BB/9 in a small sample size of 25 innings of work. The second-overall pick in 2001 was brilliant in the early portion of his career but has not pitched in the majors since 2006 thanks to a series of shoulder problems.
Nationals Designate Cesar Izturis For Assignment
The Nationals announced that they have designated infielder Cesar Izturis for assignment. The move will allow the club to reinstate shortstop Ian Desmond from the 15-day disabled list.
Izturis' stay in Washington lasted just eleven days as he was claimed off of waivers from Milwaukee on August 6th. The 32-year-old saw time at all four infield positions while posting a .235/.248/.333 batting line for the Brewers in 2012.