Rasmus Denies Making Trade Request
8:20pm: Rasmus denied making a trade request earlier this season, according to B.J. Rains of FoxSportsMidwest.com.
"I never did that,” said Rasmus following today's game. "I don’t know where that’s coming from. I just want to play baseball and have fun…I love being here. I love the fans. I’m moving forward and just trying to play hard and I’m happy we won today."
Tony La Russa also addressed the topic in today's post-game press conference. The manager insisted that he doesn't have an issue with Rasmus and that he will see significant playing time down the stretch.
2:04pm: Pujols had even more to say on the matter, writes Passan.
“If he doesn’t want to be here next year, we need to figure out a way to get him out of here and find somebody that wants to be here and play,” said the nine-time All-Star. “That’s a reality.
“That’ll show you right there a young player that doesn’t respect what he’s got,” Pujols added. “He needs to find out the talent and ability that he has and pretty much keep his mouth shut and play the game. Let the organization make those decisions, not himself.”
1:55pm: First baseman Albert Pujols has weighed in on the situation, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
"We need to figure out a way to get him out of here," said the nine-time All-Star.
1:26pm: Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa confirmed that center fielder Colby Rasmus has requested a trade, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, La Russa declined to delve much deeper into the matter with reporters.
"What do you want me to say? Ask Colby. Just ask Colby," said the manager. "He can handle it however he wants to handle it. He's capable of explaining himself and what he was thinking at the time."
Despite La Russa's suggestion, Rasmus would not confirm his trade request before taking the field against the Reds this afternoon. He also declined to say whether he hoped to remain with the club next season. La Russa seems to think that the center fielder has had a change of heart.
"I think he's thinking probably the grass is not greener other places and that this is a good situation, a great organization, teammates, everything. That's what I think. You can ask him," said La Russa, who also said that the outfielder made a similar request in his rookie season.
Rasmus came to GM John Mozeliak with his request during the Cards' July 23-25 series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, according to a source familiar with the situation. After the center fielder arrived late to the park, La Russa threatened to option him to Triple-A in a closed door meeting. However, when talking to Rasmus, Mozeliak assured him that he would be staying put.
Poll: Colby Rasmus
Earlier today, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa confirmed that Colby Rasmus requested a trade earlier this season. While La Russa seems confident that Rasmus' desire to be relocated has since cooled off, the 24-year-old was reluctant to address the story and would not say whether he wanted to return to St. Louis in 2011. This also isn't the first time that the talented center fielder has asked for a one-way ticket out of town: La Russa acknowledged that Rasmus requested a trade in his rookie year last season.
With what appears to be a serious rift, one would imagine that the Cards would look to deal their unhappy outfielder. However, GM John Mozeliak is obviously less-than-thrilled about the prospect of parting with a 24-year-old star in the making. Rasmus has followed up a strong 2009 debut with an even better 2010. In 117 games, the left-handed hitter has a slash line of .264/.349/.495 with 19 homers. While his -7.0 UZR/150 this season doesn't impress, his 13.5 UZR/150 from his rookie campaign shows that he is capable of playing better in the field.
There's no question that Rasmus would yield a strong return for the Cardinals, but St. Louis would obviously prefer to keep the burgeoning hitter. With his dissatisfaction now public, it may not be advantageous for the Cardinals to move him this offseason. Albert Pujols says he should go, Tony La Russa won't say much, but we want to know what you have to say.
If you were in the position of GM John Mozeliak, would you trade Rasmus this offseason?
Week In Review: 8/29/10 – 9/4/10
It's time to take a look back at the highlights of this past week which included the waiver trade deadline..
- Unquestionably, the biggest story of the week was the White Sox being awarded Manny Ramirez after submitting the winning claim. Chicago will owe the slugger $3.8MM for the remainder of 2010 but three-quarters of that will be deferred without interest. White Sox GM Kenny Williams doesn't think that the quirky superstar will be a clubhouse distraction.
- Texas swung a deal for Jeff Francoeur by sending Joaquin Arias to the Mets. The Rangers DFA'd Brandon Boggs to make room for him.
- The Marlins and pitcher Ricky Nolasco are far apart on terms for a long-term contract. The hurler still has two arbitration years left because of his Super Two status.
- Matt Kemp is reportedly seeking a deal similar to that of Nick Markakis but knows that he won't get that out of the Dodgers.
- The Dodgers will be on the lookout for a big bat and a catcher this offseason. They will also pursue an extension with Ted Lilly. The Yankees had the winning claim on the lefthander but couldn't get a deal done with Ned Colletti & Co.
- The Rockies bolstered their bullpen by acquiring Manny Delcarmen from the Red Sox. Boston received minor league righty Chris Balcom-Miller in return.
- Righthander Chad Durbin wants to return to the Phillies and it sounds like the feeling is mutual.
- Mark Prior inked a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. The righthander will turn 30 on Tuesday.
- For the umpteenth time, the Rangers were on the cusp of acquiring Mike Lowell but ultimately did not.
- Washington extended Livan Hernandez's deal, giving him a $1MM, one-year pact laden with incentives.
- Two MLB stars have parted ways with their agents. Alex Rodriguez is no longer with Scott Boras and Jayson Werth is looking for new representation.
- Oakland signed Jeremy Hermida and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate. He was cut loose by the BoSox earlier in the week.
- The Mets are open to a multi-year deal with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
- Milwaukee will be on the lookout for pitching this winter.
- The Red Sox claimed Mike Napoli on waivers but couldn't reach a deal with the Halos.
- Minnesota shipped Loek Van Mil to the Angels to complete the Brian Fuentes deal. The Twins DFA'd the 7'1" pitcher earlier in the week.
- Colorado signed Luis Ayala.
- Former big league catcher Mike Rivera found a new home with the Marlins.
- The Padres DFA'd righthander Cesar Carrillo on Wednesday.
White Sox Hope To Retain Garcia
White Sox GM Ken Williams says that he hopes to re-sign Freddy Garcia after his contract runs out this season, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. There was some speculation that there might not be room in the rotation for the veteran righthander.
Earlier this month, Garcia told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that a proverbial game of musical chairs could leave him without a place to sit.
"Look around," said Garcia. "Now they got (Edwin) Jackson, another pitcher with a lot of money. So they want to get (Jake) Peavy back next year, who knows? They got (John) Danks, (Mark) Buehrle and (Gavin) Floyd. I don't know what the situation is for me."
Having six starters in the mix would give the White Sox some much needed insurance as Peavy might not be healthy by Opening Day. Rookie Chris Sale is also likely to being the season in the minors to convert back into a starting pitcher.
In 25 starts this season, Garcia has turned in a 4.82 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. His 142 major league innings so for in 2010 eclipse his combined IP from 2007-2009.
Heyman On Fielder, Kemp, Mets, Jeter
In his latest column for Sports Illustrated, Jon Heyman writes that the waiver trade deadline was a dud outside of the Manny Ramirez claim by the White Sox. Even though the waiver trade deadline was somewhat quiet, this offseason should bring us plenty of interesting storylines. Here's what Heyman has in hot stove news..
- The Brewers are still holding out hope that they can re-sign Prince Fielder. Meanwhile, others in baseball believe that they have virtually no chance of retaining the slugger. Milwaukee's chances of hanging on to Fielder took a hit when the Twins re-upped Joe Mauer for $180MM. Fielder wants at least that much but it's likely too rich for Milwaukee's blood.
- Heyman hears that Matt Kemp is seeking a deal with the Dodgers similar to Nick Markakis' contract. Markakis inked a six-year, $66MM extension with the O's in January of 2009. In fact, as a center fielder with power, Kemp sees himself as more valuable. However, the soon-to-be 26-year-old knows that he won't get that kind of deal with the Dodgers.
- Speaking of the Dodgers, Heyman says that it's tough to envision Ted Lilly approaching the $12MM salary he got from the Cubs.
- Mets GM Omar Minaya has told friends that he enjoys scouting and talent evaluation. Heyman wonders aloud if this is a precursor to Minaya has accepted that he will be assigned to a new position. Some in the organization wonder if owner Fred Wilpon traveling to the minors with assistant GM John Ricco means that the Mets intend to elevate Ricco to the GM position. It's possible, however, that Ricco was just assisting on a scouting mission.
- It's hard to quantify Derek Jeter's value to the Yankees though early guesses of him earning $25MM per season in his next contract seem high at the moment.
- Unsurprisingly, Heyman writes that Texas will non-tender Jeff Francoeur this offseason.
Discussion: Adrian Beltre
Last month, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith examined some potential suitors for Adrian Beltre's services this offseason. The 31-year-old should have no shortage of opportunities coming his way this winter after his resurgent 2010 campaign in Boston. It seemed unlikely before this season that the former Dodger and Mariner would reach the necessary 640 plate appearances to activate a $10MM player option for 2011, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal, but with a month to go and just over 100 plate appearances needed, it now seems probable.
Many people in the baseball world, including Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter), believe that the Scott Boras client will decline the player option without much thought. After all, Beltre could land a three- or four-year deal on the open market this winter. Our own Tim Dierkes writes that the veteran may start the bidding at about $50MM over four years.
Will the third baseman rake in more than $10MM per season on a multi-year deal?
Odds & Ends: Wakamatsu, Lilly, Delcarmen, Rays
Links for Thursday night..
- It will take time for Don Wakamatsu to rejoin the "hot list" of managerial candidates, opines T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
- The Cubs were wise to deal Ted Lilly and Derrek Lee rather than let them walk in free agency, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
- Manny Delcarmen was shocked to learn that he was dealt to the Rockies, according to the Associated Press.
- The Royals will keep their Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, Nebraska through 2014, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
- Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times tweets that the Rays have extended their agreement with Double-A Montgomery through 2014.
Dodgers Will Seek Big Bat, Catcher This Offseason
The Dodgers hope to lure a bopper to Los Angeles this winter in order to shore up the middle of their lineup, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has already acknowledged that adding a big bat will be a top priority this season.
There are some intriguing offensive options that will hit the open market this season including Adam Dunn, Carl Crawford, and a trio of former Dodgers in Jayson Werth, Paul Konerko, and possibly Adrian Beltre. While those players will all come with hefty price tags, the Dodgers will have as much as $38MM coming off of their payroll at season's end. That's money that the club could use in free agency though Gurnick writes that Colletti is more likely to get a power hitter via trade.
Gurnick also writes that Los Angeles needs a starting catcher, adding that Russell Martin was a question mark even before breaking his hip. The backstop has seen his offensive production drop significantly in the last two years, hitting just .249/.350/.330 with 12 homers.
Nationals Notes: Hudson, Morgan, Norris
Let's take a look at some Nationals tidbits courtesy of MLB.com's Bill Ladson..
- Recently, Ladson said that he would be writing about the Nats possibly signing Orlando Hudson for the third year in a row. However, the Nats beat writer now believes that the club has its second baseman of the future in Danny Espinosa. Pat Corrales, the team's senior assistant in player development, believes that the 23-year-old is the best all-around player in the organization. Espinosa was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse in early August and has posted a .295/.349/.463 slash line in 24 games.
- One reader asks if the Nationals can find a way to get beleaguered outfielder Nyjer Morgan's head back into the game. Ladson isn't sure why Morgan has been struggling this year but says that he could see Washington dealing him this offseason. Unsurprisingly, however, he doesn't envision the club getting much in return. People in the organization have said that he should be a fourth outfielder, an idea which likely wouldn't sit well with the 30-year-old.
- Even after acquiring Wilson Ramos from the Twins for Matt Capps, Ladson says that the Nats should hold on to fellow catcher Derek Norris. The Nats have historically had trouble with their depth at catcher and could use the security of having Norris in the fold. The former fourth-round pick was ranked second in the Nats' farm system by Baseball America heading into this year, ahead of Espinosa, Drew Storen, and Ian Desmond.
Odds & Ends: Crawford, Ramirez, Hernandez, Orioles
Sunday night linkage..
- The risk factor in signing Carl Crawford depends on the length of the deal given to him, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
- In a pinch-hitting appearance, Manny Ramirez was ejected from today's game after the very first pitch for arguing balls and strikes. Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News wonders (via Twitter) if the slugger intentionally got himself tossed.
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo says that Livan Hernandez deserved to receive a contract extension before the season's end, writes Gene Wang of the Washington Post.
- The Orioles will end their 53-season relationship with Bluefield, West Virginia where the club has its Rookie-level affiliate, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.