Odds & Ends: Santana, Red Sox, Lee, Saunders
Thursday night linkage..
- Indians catching prospect Carlos Santana is making major strides behind the plate, writes The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises.
- Boston GM Theo Epstein doesn't believe that personnel changes in May can make much of an impact, writes Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald.
- Astros outfielder Carlos Lee says that he may retire following the 2012 season, writes Bernardo Fallas of The Houston Chronicle. Lee is due to make $18.5MM in each of the next three seasons.
- The Mariners have promoted Michael Saunders after placing Milton Bradley on the restricted list, tweets Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio Seattle.
- Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com spoke to Scott Podsednik, who said that he wasn't surprised that the White Sox didn't come up with an offer strong enough to keep him. After months of negotiation, Scotty Pods signed a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Kansas City, which included a 2011 club option.
Dunn Doesn’t Think There Have Been Contract Talks
Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn doesn't think that there have been discussions about a contract extension between his agent and the club, writes Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post. Dunn explained that he cannot be certain as he does not concern himself with contract matters.
Earlier today, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com wrote that someone familiar with the Nationals' way of thinking expects Adam Dunn to return to Washington in 2011, though not necessarily via an in-season extension.
Kilgore points out that Dunn's defense has improved this season, as evidenced by his -5.7 UZR/150. This is a marked improvement over his career average UZR/150 of -19.8 at first base. Meanwhile, after a slow start at the plate this season, Dunn is now hitting .231/.386/.484 with 5 HRs in 114 plate appearances.
Dunn, 30, is set to earn $12MM this season on the back end of a two-year, $20MM pact.
Odds & Ends: Marlins, Pena, Jeter, Angels, Prior
Links for Thursday..
- The Marlins will likely need bullpen help before the trade deadline, writes Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
- Until closer Huston Street returns, the Rockies' late-inning relievers need improvement, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post.
- After Carl Crawford was quoted as saying that he and Carlos Pena would not be returning to the Rays, Pena reiterated his desire to remain in Tampa Bay, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders how long of a contract the Yankees should offer Derek Jeter this offseason. Mr. November will celebrate his 36th birthday in June.
- The Angels will try to turn things around with the pieces that they have, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Chris Jenkins of the Union Tribune spoke to Mark Prior, who sees similarities between himself and Stephen Strasburg,
- Baseball's highest-ranking executives are absurdly underpaid, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Most general managers earn between $500K and $2MM annually.
- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa called the late Robin Roberts a "real gentleman" and a "great man", writes MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun. The legendary Phillies pitcher passed away at the age of 83.
Bonser Could Take Schoeneweis’ Spot
If the Red Sox promote Boof Bonser once he is healthy again, the former Twins hurler could take Scott Schoeneweis' spot in the bullpen, writes Dan Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Barbarisi points out the possibility that the BoSox may not want carry two lefties in the bullpen.
If Bonser does bump Schoeneweis from the roster, it is unlikely that he would accept a demotion to the minors. When the 36-year-old was released by the Brewers in late March, he told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that if he was unable to find a big league job, he refused to "toil around in the Minor Leagues". Milwaukee offered the veteran a spot in Triple-A Nashville, but he declined.
Schoeneweis has pitched just 10.2 innings for the BoSox this season. Thus far he has registered 9 strikeouts, 7 walks, and allowed 8 runs.
Bonser is set to pitch his first game in a month this Friday in an outing for Triple-A Pawtucket. Barbarisi writes that Bonser could also remain in the minors as a depth starter in case of injury.
Bengie Molina To Retire After Season?
MONDAY, 2:19pm: FOX Sports' Jim Bowden tweets that Giants manager Bruce Bochy says Molina was just posturing.
SATURDAY, 8:37pm: Giants catcher Bengie Molina says that he will likely call it a career in the majors after the 2010 campaign, tweets Sean Farnham of FOX Sports Radio. Molina added that he is unhappy with the way the Buster Posey situation has been handled.
The news is surprising considering Molina's play so far this season. The 35-year-old is hitting .344/.403/.422 in 72 plate appearances. With that kind of offensive production, it's hard to imagine that the veteran really wants to retire.
A shade over two weeks ago, Molina expressed his frustrations with how his free agency played out this offseason. After turning down a $5.5MM offer from the Mets, Molina ultimately chose to stay in San Francisco for $1MM less. While his 80 RBIs impressed some, his .265/.285/.442 slash line didn't lead to a multiyear offer.
Odds & Ends: Byrnes, Hu, Giants, Red Sox
Sunday night linkage..
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues (via Twitter) wonders if the recently released Eric Byrnes could be the Yankees' short-term replacement for the injured Curtis Granderson.
- Triple-A shortstop Chin-lung Hu may be promoted if Rafael Furcal lands on the DL, writes Evan Drellich of MLB.com. The Dodgers were reportedly shopping Hu in late March and one has to imagine that they're happy to still have him aboard.
- The Giants' patchwork job on offense may be enough for the club to make a serious run at the NL West title, says Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.
- Two players in Boston's farm system who played together for quite a while will be reunited at the Triple-A level, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.
Mariners Release Eric Byrnes
The Mariners have released Eric Byrnes, according to Larry LaRue of The News Tribune. The veteran outfielder has posted a .443 OPS this season in 34 plate appearances.
The 34-year-old agreed to a one-year deal with Seattle in late January. While Byrnes is earning $11MM in the final year of the three-year pact he signed with the D'Backs, the Mariners are responsible for just $400K of that sum.
Seattle has also made a trio of in-house adjustments, sending Matt Tuiasosopo to Triple-A while promoting Ryan Langerhans and Josh Wilson. All four roster moves have been confirmed by a team press release.
Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio Seattle (via Twitter) points out that Langerhans and Wilson were not on the 40-man roster, meaning that another move is on the horizon. She later tweeted that the move will not be shifting a player to the 60-day DL and it will likely not involve a player on the 25-man roster (also via Twitter).
Earlier this evening, both Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner and Larry Stone of The Seattle Times predicted that Byrnes' days in Seattle were numbered.
Traded Players’ Slow Starts
Sample size be damned, let's take a look at the players who are off to slow starts after being dealt in the offseason:
- Javier Vazquez: Vazquez has struggled mightily so far in his return to New York. In five starts, the 33-year-old has an ERA of 9.78 with 7.8 K/9 and a ghastly 5.9 BB/9. Something is definitely off with Vazquez, as the velocity on his fastball has dipped from 91.1 mph last season to 88.9 mph this year.
- Melky Cabrera: How about the Braves' end of the trade? The Melk Man is hitting .195/.287/.221 so far in 88 plate appearances. Cabrera has been a great value in years past, but at this rate he won't be worth his reasonable $2.6MM salary for 2010.
- Juan Pierre: It seemed as though the White Sox acquired Pierre from the Dodgers on the cheap this winter, both monetarily and talent-wise. Los Angeles is on the hook for $10.5MM of the $18MM owed to the speedy outfielder in the next two seasons. However, after having one of the best offensive seasons of his career in 2009, Pierre has an OPS of .447.
- Curtis Granderson: Somehow, the Yankees have the third highest winning percentage in the majors and two players on this list. Granderson has a slash line of .225/.311/.375 thus far and will look to boost those numbers when he returns from the DL. Meanwhile, Austin Jackson is doing quite well in Detroit.
- Julio Lugo: I told y'all we'd see Julio again. The right-handed batter is OPSing .274 for the O's this season. However, it should be noted that Lugo has made just 30 plate appearances thus far this season. That's a rather diminutive sample size, even for a month-old season.
- Kevin Kouzmanoff: The A's picked up Kouzmanoff in a deal with the Padres in January. The third baseman has started in 24 of Oakland's 26 games this season and is hitting .245/.284/.319.
What other traded players have struggled thus far in 2010?
Cardinals To Receive Cash For Lugo
The Cardinals will likely choose to receive cash to complete the Julio Lugo trade with Baltimore, GM John Mozeliak told Brian Feldman of ESPN Radio in St. Louis. The Cardinals have a choice between receiving a player to be named later or cash considerations for the veteran infielder.
Feldman opines that this demonstrates the lack of value Lugo really had as spring went along. It's hard to argue with that reasoning. Lugo became expendable when Felipe Lopez fell into their laps at a bargain rate.
The 34-year-old hasn't exactly been mashing for the O's so far this season, as evidenced by his .107/.167/.107 slash line. Something tells me we might see Julio again when we run the "Traded Players' Slow Starts" post later this evening.
Rosenthal On Marlins, Oswalt, Rangers
Let's see what Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has for us in his latest Full Count video..
- If the Marlins do not start playing more consistently, manager Fredi Gonzalez will be on the hot seat. Florida is one win below .500, which probably does not strike most as a failure considering their modest $47.4MM. However, as Rosenthal put it, owner Jeffrey Loria is not exactly "Mr. Patient". At the start of Spring Training, Loria said that the team had all the ammunition needed to make the postseason.
- Roy Oswalt could be the best starter available at the deadline, depending on three factors. The team must be willing to move him, the 32-year-old must be willing to waive his no-trade clause, and a team must be willing to take on the rest of his contract. Oswalt will only approve deals to certain clubs and two of them, the Braves and Cardinals, are already flush with starting pitching. Money will be a major factor, as he is set to earn $15MM this season and $16MM in both 2011 and 2012. The final year of the deal holds a $2MM buyout.
- Rangers pitchers Matt Harrison and Rich Harden are effectively on notice. Tommy Hunter is set to begin a rehabilitation assignment and Derek Holland has been stellar thus far in Triple-A. There are even more arms waiting in the farm system, including Tanner Scheppers, the 44th overall selection in the 2009 draft.