MLBTR Originals
Let's take a look back at some of the original reporting and analysis from MLBTR's writing team this week..
- Over the next few months we'll be looking for potential non-tender candidates. We turned the spotlight on Braves outfielder Melky Cabrera and Rockies second baseman Clint Barmes in recent days.
- We rolled out even more previews of starting rotations in 2011. This week we covered the Tigers, Royals, and Indians. For the Tigers piece, Ben Nicholson-Smith spoke to Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Armando Galarraga.
- We've seen some interesting deals go down on August 25th in years past, writes Tim Dierkes.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith broke down the Dodgers' big decision.
- On Sunday MLBTR released another round of Elias Rankings projections courtesy of Eddie Bajek.
- If you missed out on Tim Dierkes' weekly chat, you can read the transcript here.
- We took a look at arbitration-eligible players on the Blue Jays, Rays, Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles this week.
- Did you know that eight players who signed for over $1MM this offseason have been dumped so far this year?
- Howard Megdal named David Cone this week's "Jack Of All Trades".
- Mike Axisa delivered his weekly look at the blogosphere.
- Several teams spent big on the draft when they weren't expected to, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith. Ben spoke to Blue Jays scouting director Andrew Tinnish, Indians scouting director Brad Grant, and Pirates GM Neal Huntington for the article.
- MLBTR readers voted on the Blue Jays' bullpen, whether an NL team would claim Manny Ramirez, Austin Kearns' future and discussed Manny Parra's future, Cody Ross' trade value, and whether the Cubs will sign Adam Dunn.
Week In Review: 8/22/10 – 8/28/10
It's Sunday night and that means it's time to take a look back at the week that was..
- Multiple teams claimed Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez off of waivers but the White Sox emerged with the winning claim. It was said that the Dodgers would not be willing to part with the slugger for nothing, though it now appears that they may do just that.
- The Twins acquired Brian Fuentes from the Angels on Friday in exchange for a player to be named later. The 35-year-old has $1.89MM left on his contract this season.
- As August 31st fast approaches, the White Sox and Phillies are said to be eyeing relief options. Several interesting bullpen arms including Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, and Kevin Gregg have been waived and claimed by teams, though Toronto isn't likely to move any of them.
- Even though Nats GM Mike Rizzo wants to sign him to an extension, Adam Dunn is likely headed for free agency.
- Cody Ross was awarded to San Francisco, though they were likely trying to block the Padres from getting him. Matt Downs was DFA'd by San Francisco to make room for the outfielder.
- The Dodgers claimed Rod Barajas off of waivers from the Mets to fill in for the injured Russell Martin.
- On Friday the Rays announced that they have officially signed Brad Hawpe to a deal. Hawpe was designated for assignment by the Rockies and received interest from the Red Sox, Rangers, and Padres.
- The Yankees say that they're content to stand pat rather than deal for a starter before Tuesday.
- Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla is said to be seeking $55-60MM across five years. However, Uggla says that talks between the two sides have slowed down.
- A pair of Tigers vets, Jhonny Peralta and Johnny Damon, want to return to the club in 2011. The Red Sox put in the winning claim on Damon this week but the slugger refused to return to Boston.
- Yankees hurler C.C. Sabathia says that he won't "even consider" leaving the Yankees when his player option comes up after next season.
- The Phillies inked Nate Robertson to a minor league deal. The pitcher will be assigned to their Triple-A affiliate.
- Joaquin Arias was designated for assignment by Texas to make room for Alex Cora.
- Milwaukee released reliever David Riske, who was owed $1MM for the remainder of 2010.
- Arizona released infielder Bobby Crosby after the 30-year-old spent less than one month with the squad.
- Veteran Jermaine Dye says he wants to return in 2011.
- Trever Miller's 2011 option, worth $2MM, will now vest.
- Royals veteran Willie Bloomquist would like the opportunity to be an everyday player again. He will be a free agent at the end of this season.
Heyman On Ramirez, Yankees, Diamondbacks
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated has a new column up this evening. Let's dive in and see what he has for us..
- Heyman writes that a deal sending Manny Ramirez to the White Sox would be in the best interests of all parties involved. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has lamented the monster deal given to Ramirez ever since he signed off on it, so it wouldn't make sense to hang on to him, particularly when they're not playing him regularly. Some close to the slugger believe that the Dodgers are simply trying to rankle him enough so that he'll happily leave. If that is indeed the plan, then it seems to be working. Earlier today it was reported that Ramirez is telling friends that he can't wait to join the White Sox.
- Dodgers starter Ted Lilly would be a great get for the Yankees but he likely wouldn't make it down to them. Even if it were to fall all the way to the Bombers, there's little chance the Dodgers would deal him anyway. With Andy Pettitte sidelined, the Yankees could certainly use a pitcher before the deadline strikes.
- The Padres' success on the field makes former GM Kevin Towers look good and could boost his candidacy for future openings. Heyman opines that Yankees' scouting director Damon Oppenheimer would be a fine choice for the job as well.
- By putting in a claim on Ramirez, the Rays showed that they are serious about winning this season. Their window may be closing as Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, and Rafael Soriano can all leave via free agency after this season.
Twins Designate Loek Van Mil For Assignment
The Twins have designated pitcher Loek Van Mil for assignment, according to a team press release. The move was made in order to make room for Brian Fuentes on the 40-man roster.
The Netherlands native has spent most of this season with the club's Double-A affiliate, posting a 6.37 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 6.7 BB/9 in 29.2 innings. Van Mil is best known for being the tallest player in the minor leagues at 7'1".
Rosenthal On Rangers, Ramirez, Finances
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports brings us another edition of Full Count. Fans of Manny Ramirez will especially enjoy this. Let's dive right in..
- Despite their recent ownership issues, the Rangers seem to have no problem with spending big. One of the reasons that they claimed Manny Ramirez on waivers was to prevent him from getting to two of their potential postseason foes, the Rays and the Yankees. It's probably for the best that they didn't submit the winning claim as seeing Ramirez or Vladimir Guerrero in the outfield would have caused some problems. Right now they should be fine offensively with Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler, two big right-handed bats, coming off of the DL soon. However, they had been interested in obtaining a fourth outfielder such as Reed Johnson.
- The Dodgers could let Ramirez go to the White Sox regardless of where they are in the standings. Rosenthal notes that he has played in just three of six games since coming off of the disabled list. In the last hour we learned that the twelve-time All-Star will not start in tonight's contest against the Rockies.
- Based on this week's events it appears that Major League Baseball is doing better financially than we are led to believe. Leaked financial reports showed that the Marlins and Pirates are taking in a decent amount of money and the small-market Rays took a $4MM gamble on claiming Manny Ramirez. Rosenthal asked a GM how three teams could take that chance and the GM replied that no one really could take that risk but everyone wants to win.
Odds & Ends: Ramirez, Twins, Inge, Pirates, Dodgers
Saturday afternoon linkage..
- Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets that the Dodgers have left Manny Ramirez out of the lineup for a third consecutive game. One has to wonder if this means that the Dodgers are ready to send Ramirez to the White Sox.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) asked Twins GM Bill Smith if the club's payroll has reached $100MM. He responded, "I've quit checking."
- There's no evidence yet of serious trade talks between the Dodgers and the White Sox regarding Manny Ramirez, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- A source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that he would be very surprised to see the Tigers trade Brandon Inge before Tuesday's deadline.
- Commissioner Bud Selig has no issue with the Pirates' financial statements which were made public earlier this week, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
- Dodgers players don't seem to be too concerned about the divorce of the McCourts in this article by Beth Harris of the Associated Press.
Bloomquist Wants To Be Everyday Player
Royals veteran Willie Bloomquist is intrigued by the possibility of being an every day player elsewhere as he heads into free agency, writes Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. After setting career highs in plate appearances and games played in 2009, the soon-to-be 33-year-old has taken on a dramatically reduced role this season.
“I’d be lying,” the utility player said, “if I said the National League didn’t entice me. I could play pretty much every day whether I’m starting or not. That’s awful enticing.”
However, Bloomquist is more at ease with having a reserve role than he once was. Two years ago, the right-handed batter was anxious to leave Seattle via free agency for Kansas City in order to see more playing time. To date, Bloomquist has yet to receive a contract offer from the Royals but he might be willing to re-up with the club before testing the waters of free agency.
“After the season,” Bloomquist said, “they have the [exclusive] rights to talk to me for a couple of weeks. If something comes up that’s decent and fair, then why rock the marriage? On the other hand, it could definitely be in my interest to see what’s out there.”
The former Seattle Mariner has earned a combined $3.1MM in his two seasons with the Royals.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Ross, Lee, White Sox, Dodgers
Sunday night linkage..
- The Nats still expect to see Yunesky Maya pitch for them before the end of the year, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- The Pirates opened up their books to the media and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the goods.
- Florida held on to Cody Ross until August because they had hoped to reassert themselves in the playoff chase, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- It doesn't sound as though Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter) likes the Mets chances of landing Cliff Lee this offseason.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that Ken Williams isn't on the road with the White Sox but he doesn't know if the GM is going after someone on the waiver wire.
- Dodgers skipper Joe Torre thinks that late season callups can create an unfair advantage, writes MLB.com's Evan Drellich.
Poll: Austin Kearns’ Future
Over at River Ave. Blues, contributor Steve H wonders if the Yankees will retain Austin Kearns in 2011. Has Kearns, he asked, done enough to warrant a large raise or a chance to hook on somewhere as a starter? If the answer to one of those questions is "yes" (particularly the first question), then the odds of him playing elsewhere next season increase.
The slugger has certainly impressed so far in New York, hitting .351/.415/.514 with 1 home run in 13 games. When combined with his time in Cleveland, his slash line reads .281/.360/.429 with nine homers in 97 games. Those numbers aren't too shabby for a guy making $750K this season. In fact, using his Wins Above Replacement metric, Fangraphs estimates that he would make $6.2MM in free agency with his play this year. No one would make the case for Kearns to command that kind of money on the open market this year, but the point remains that he has produced more than your average sub-$1MM player.
So, the question is..
Will Austin Kearns re-sign with the Yankees or go elsewhere?
Lowell Still Likely To Retire After Season
Boston infielder Mike Lowell told reporters that he's still likely to retire after this season, writes Alex Speier of WEEI. Lowell first suggested that 2010 would be his final season back in April.
"I'm pretty much set in knowing what I'm going to do after this year," the four-time All-Star said. "It will be fun. It will be fun enjoying my kids."
Injuries caused Lowell to play just 47 games this season in which he hit .226/.305/.380 with four homers. That slash line is a far cry from his career posting of .279/.342/.465 across 13 big league seasons.
The 36-year-old has been involved in trade rumors since the last quarter of 2009 when he was nearly sent to Texas for catcher Max Ramirez. However, a torn radial collateral ligament in Lowell's right thumb caused the Rangers to get cold feet and back out of the swap. There's still a possibility the veteran could finish the year elsewhere as he cleared waivers in early August.
Lowell has earned roughly $76.5MM in his career thanks in large part to the three-year, $37.5MM contract he signed with Boston in November of 2007.