Week In Review: 7/31/11 – 8/6/11
Here's a look back at the week following the trade deadline..
- The Mets remain highly unlikely to offer Jose Reyes a contract similar to Carl Crawford's contract at seven-years, $142MM. Reportedly, both the guaranteed money and the length of Crawford’s contract would be unappealing to the Mets.
- No surprise here, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn’t want to let Jimmy Rollins slip away when he hits free agency.
- After a career that has spanned nearly two decades, Matt Stairs announced that he's retiring. The 43-year-old was designated for assignment by the Nationals last Wednesday and released on Monday.
- The Twins recently approached Michael Cuddyer about a contract extension and floated the idea of a two-year, $16MM deal. The conversations didn’t progress from there and Cuddyer appears to prefer to postpone negotiations until after the season.
- The Braves are in the market for a right-handed pinch hitter who can complement the left-handed hitting Eric Hinske off of the bench.
- Closer Heath Bell intends to accept arbitration after the season from the Padres if the two sides have not worked out a contract extension. Later on, Padres owner Jeff Moorad said that he doesn't mind if Bell accepts arbitration after the season.
- Baltimore released Justin Duchscherer, who never appeared in a game for the Orioles. The 33-year-old right-hander spent the entire season on the disabled list with a strained left hip after signing a one-year deal in February that paid him $700K plus incentives.
- Later that day, the Orioles claimed Jo-Jo Reyes after the Blue Jays designated the left-hander for assignment.
- After opting out of his deal with the Athletics, pitcher Willie Eyre agreed to a deal with the Orioles.
- Brett Carroll refused an outright assignment from the Brewers and is now a free agent.
- The Mariners released Jack Cust, who was designated for assignment last week.
- The Athletics designated left-hander Jerry Blevins for assignment in order to call up Adam Rosales from Triple-A.
- David Purcey was designated for assignment by the Tigers to clear a spot for reliever David Pauley.
- The Rangers designated Arthur Rhodes for assignment, to create roster space for newly-acquired right-hander Mike Adams.
- The Phillies released reliever Danys Baez after he cleared waivers. The veteran had been designated for assignment recently to create a spot for Brad Lidge.
- This week we learned that Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma hired Paul Cobbe of Sosnick-Cobbe Sports as his new agent several months ago.
- First baseman Lyle Overbay was DFA'd by the Pirates.
- Red Sox righty Clay Buchholz is unlikely to pitch again in the regular season due to a stress fracture in his back which explains why the Red Sox picked up Erik Bedard.
MLBTR Originals
Here's a rundown of MLBTR's original content from this past week….
- This week, MLBTR was the first to learn that the Orioles claimed pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes after he was DFA'd by Toronto. We were also the first to report the O's release of Justin Duchscherer.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith took a look at Jimmy Rollins' impending free agency and gauged the market for reliever Matt Capps.
- I looked back at the July deals made in the American League (East, Central, West) and the National League (East, Central, West)
- Even though the trade deadline has passed, there's still the potential for more significant trades in the month of August. Tim Dierkes gave us his August trade candidates by team.
- Nippon-Ham Fighters ace Yu Darvish is represented by Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group as well as Don Nomura, MLBTR confirmed.
- Mike Axisa gave us an update on players with 2012 vesting options. Bobby Abreu recently got his $9MM option vested for next season.
- The 40/60/80 arbitration rule doesn't work to the extent that some suggest it does, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith.
- We released an update on the Elias Rankings and outlined the free agents who switched leagues.
- We had a lot of great content in this week's edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In. If you have a suggestion for BBWI, you can reach Mike Axisa at this email address.
- It came as a surprise to many of us when the Padres didn't trade Heath Bell at the trade deadline. This week, 44% of our readers said that the Friars should now sign the closer to a two or three year extension this offseason. For more on Bell, check out Dan Mennella's recent post on him over at CloserNews.com.
- MLBTR was the first to learn that right-hander Willie Eyre opted for free agency this week.
- Last offseason, six prominent Rays relievers hit free agency and signed elsewhere for a total of $67.65MM. How are they faring in 2011? We also checked in on this year's Rule 5 picks.
- Did you miss our weekly chat? Don't fret, you can check out the transcript right here.
- This year there have been four converted relievers have who started extensively in 2011 and Ben Nicholson-Smith gave us an update on how they're doing so far.
- The recently-launched CloserNews.com is looking for writers.
NL West Notes: Rockies, Giants, Beltran, Padres
Let's check out a few items from the National League West..
- While some Rockies fans are clamoring for the Mets' David Wright, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post says that the club should zero in on Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer this offseason. While Cuddyer alone won't make Colorado a playoff team next year, he would provide them with a much needed power corner outfield bat.
- The Giants are 2-8 since acquiring Carlos Beltran, but it's not fair to expect him to turn the offense around by himself, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
- The Padres' expanded scouting department made pulling off the Mike Adams deal rather easy, writes MLB.com's Corey Brock. The club has hired eight new scouts since A.J. Hinch took over as vice president of the department which allowed them to have more than nine different looks at pitchers Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland.
- Veteran Alfredo Amezaga, who was shipped from the Rockies to the Marlins yesterday, is delighted to get a new start with his former club, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
Quick Hits: Nimmo, Indians, Rays, Starling, Pomeranz
Links for Saturday evening..
- Without directly saying so, Mets GM Sandy Alderson intimated that it's no big deal that first-round pick Brandon Nimmo remains unsigned, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
- After dealing right-hander Alex White and left-hander Drew Pomeranz, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer looks at the arms that remain in the Indians' farm system.
- Suddenly, the Rays find themselves with a surplus of catchers, writes MLB.com's Bill Chastain.
- Royals first-round pick Bubba Starling is not on Nebraska football's official 105-man roster and won't practice at NU until he decides on his baseball future, tweets Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star.
- Indians prospect Drew Pomeranz officially transferred from Double-A Akron to the Arizona League Indians today, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Pomeranz will work out in Arizona until he can officially be dealt to the Rockies on August 15th.
- The newest member of the Marlins Alfredo Amezaga has always been known as utility man but reports are that he's gained a bit of weight and is better suited for either second or third base rather than shortstop, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
Ortiz Upset With Lack Of Contract Talk
Since the start of the season, David Ortiz has become increasingly concerned with the Red Sox because of his contract situation, a source close to the player told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com.
"David is (too) proud and respectful to say how he feels in public, but the guy feels hurt, upset by the way that he is being ignored by the Red Sox…After all he's done here and having a good season, he was at least hoping to be approached by the team to talk about his future," the source said.
Less than two months ago, Ortiz told Rojas that the club had yet to come to him to discuss a new contract and the veteran said that he wasn't expecting that to change. More recently, Big Papi told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he wasn't worried about his next deal.
So far this season, Ortiz has a slash line of .289/.378/.537 with 21 homers. The 35-year-old is earning $12.5MM in the final year of his deal.
Rosenthal On Jimenez, Red Sox, Rockies, Beltran
In the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal, we learn how this year's trade deadline could have turned out drastically different..
- The Rockies wanted five of Boston's top prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez: Will Middlebrooks, Kyle Weiland, Josh Reddick, Felix Doubront, and Ryan Lavarnway. The Red Sox would have gotten more than just Jimenez in return as Rosenthal tweets that the Rockies offered Jimenez and outfielder Seth Smith in return for the quintet of prospects. There were other possible fits in such a deal including Ryan Spilborghs, Chris Iannetta, and Rafael Betancourt.
- The Rangers had enough prospects to get Carlos Beltran in addition to Koji Uehara and Mike Adams at the deadline. To do that, they would have needed to take either Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland out of the Adams deal as the Mets are fond of both. Rosenthal was told that one of the two pitchers was in the offer for Beltran.
- The Indians traded their two best pitching prospects to land ace Ubaldo Jimenez but the deal wasn't just for this season. Cleveland is mindful of the big picture and they have their key pieces locked up for the next few years. Jimenez, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Shin-Soo Choo are under control for the next two seasons while Justin Masterson and Chris Perez are under control for the next three. If the Tribe doesn't win in the next few years, they can always flip some of those players for prospects.
Scott Mathieson Designated For Assignment
The Phillies have designated Scott Mathieson for assignment, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (via Twitter). The right-hander wasn' t out of options, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The move leaves 39 players on the club's 40-man roster.
Mathieson, 27, saw action in just four big league games this season. In 18 Triple-A relief appearances and six starts this year, Mathieson turned in a 2.92 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9.
Marlins Designate Joe Thurston For Assignment
The Marlins have designated Joe Thurston for assignment, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (via Twitter). The move was made in order to make room on the roster for the newly acquired Alfredo Amezaga.
Thurston was just recently promoted to the Marlins' big league roster and started at second base against the Cardinals last night. The 31-year-old was impressive at the Triple-A level this year, hitting .315/.401/.477 with nine homers in 104 games.
Marlins Acquire Alfredo Amezaga From Rockies
The Marlins have acquired Alfredo Amezaga from the Rockies for minor league infielder Jesus Merchan, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (via Twitter). Joe Thurston was designated for assignment in order to make room for Amezaga on the active roster.
In nine big league seasons, Amezaga has a slash line of .251/.311/.339. The 33-year-old didn't impress at the plate in 20 big league games for the Rockies this season but managed a .305/.385/.444 slash line in 67 games for their Triple-A affiliate. Amezaga played four seasons for the Fish from 2006 through 2009.
Merchan, 30, hit .268/.313/.328 in 196 plate appearances for Triple-A New Orleans this season.
Zambrano, Farnsworth Placed On Waivers
The Cubs' Carlos Zambrano and the Rays' Kyle Farnsworth were among the players placed on waivers yesterday, according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons (via Twitter). Teams have 48 business hours to make a claim on either player, giving them until Tuesday. This news doesn't necessarily mean that the Cubs and Rays are looking to deal Zambrano and Farnsworth, respectively. Hundreds of players are expected to hit the waiver wire in the month of August.
Earlier this week, both players were identified as August trade candidates by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes.