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Latest On Mets, Chris Young

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1:44pm: GM Sandy Alderson went on record with Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News (Twitter link) and called reports of Young’s potential release “simply inaccurate.”

10:20am: When asked if releasing Young is a possibility, a Mets official responded with a blunt “no,” tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post.

9:29am: A Mets insider tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that Chris Young’s days with the organization “are numbered.”  The Mets, who would have to eat the remainder of Young’s $7.25MM salary, are debating internally whether to pull the trigger this week.

The Mets could cut ties with Young on Thursday when Juan Lagares is expected to be brought up from his rehab assignment.  The Mets could free up a roster spot by demoting Kirk Nieuwenhuis to Triple-A, but they might prefer to cut Young loose instead.

The Mets are slated to face A’s left-handers Scott Kazmir and Brad Mills, so Young could have an opportunity to change minds in the club’s front office.  Because of the matchups, the lefty-hitting Nieuwenhuis probably won’t get a chance to state his case for staying on the varsity squad.

General Manager Sandy Alderson signed Young to a one-year, $7.25MM deal after a rough season in Oakland where he slashed .200/.280/.379.  So far, Young has followed that up with even worse offensive production.  The 30-year-old is hitting .201/.284/.313 through 58 games.

East Notes: Ortiz, Price, Yankees, Nationals

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Five years removed from what seemed like his demise, David Ortiz remains the Red Sox’s foremost game-changer, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  “I couldn’t even watch TV, any sports channel at the time, because it was nothing but, ’He’s done.’ You’re struggling and people are saying that you’re done, it doesn’t help,” recalled Ortiz. “That’s when your mind has to start processing that and next thing you know, ’I’m out.’ ”  Here’s more out of the AL and NL East..

  • The Rays need to trade David Price as soon as possible, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  The Rays, of course, can’t afford to keep their ace long term and Price has grown increasingly frustrated with the team’s losing.  Meanwhile, Topkin doesn’t see a trade within the division as an impossibility, but he says that it will require an additional premium for the Rays to even consider it.
  • The Yankees have to explore their options for starting pitchers on the trade market, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  The Bombers have the phenomenal pitching of Masahiro Tanaka and a strong late-game bullpen working in their favor, but they feel they are one more rotation injury or significant dip in production from being in trouble.
  • There’s no indication that the Nationals would trade someone like Denard Span to make it possible, but Ryan Zimmerman says that his preference is to stay in left field rather than move back to one of the corner infield spots, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Sabean, Buehrle, Duffy

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On this date in 2012, Jim Thome set a major league mark with his 13th career walk-off home run, a solo shot over the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Phillies a dramatic 7-6 victory over Tampa Bay.  Before that, the 41-year-old shared the record with Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, and Frank Robinson.  Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..

Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

Red Sox Aren’t Targeting Matt Kemp

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The Red Sox have been linked to Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp in the past and a recent report indicated that Boston was spending “significant time” watching him.  However, a source tells Rob Bradford of WEEI that there’s nothing brewing between the two sides regarding the two-time All-Star.

General Manager Ben Cherington & Co. continue to explore options to improve their outfield’s offensive production but the source insists that there’s no momentum towards a deal for Kemp.  For his part, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that the 29-year-old isn’t going anywhere.

In 261 plate appearances this year, Kemp owns a slash line of .274/.333/.460.  That’s not quite the performance from his All-Star seasons in 2011 and ’12 (.315/.387/.567) but its an uptick from his injury filled 2013.  Kemp has also been on an absolute tear over the last ten games.

Fellow Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier was mentioned as a possibility for the BoSox in the spring but Bradford reported in late May that Boston wouldn’t be pursuing him either.

Jimmy Rollins Wants To Stay With Phillies

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Things haven’t gone has planned for the Phillies so far this season, so there has been a great deal of speculation that they could turn into sellers this July.  In a complete fire sale, a mainstay like Jimmy Rollins could be made available, but a trade is the furthest thing from the shortstop’s mind right now.  The former National League MVP says that he plans on sticking around for the long haul in Philadelphia

“I’m not going to volunteer to go anywhere,” Rollins told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “Even if somewhere else was the perfect spot, this is what I know. You weigh that against the instant gratification of winning right now. You leave, and there’s no guarantee you’re going to win anyways. You pack up to leave for a different organization, a different city, and it feels temporary.  I can tell you that I have never honestly thought about waiving my no-trade clause.”

That doesn’t mean that Rollins would use his no-trade clause to block a deal, however.  If the Phillies want him to go, the shortstop says that he doesn’t have to be told twice to do so.  The 35-year-old has full no-trade rights and will be under contract for 2015 once his option vests with the necessary number of plate appearances.  Rollins also told Nightengale that he hopes to play beyond this current contract.

In 311 plate appearances this season, Rollins owns a .244/.330/.387 slash line with eight homers.  While that line is below his career average, it’s a marked improvement from last season’s performance.  Rollins is also playing above average defense at shortstop, as evidenced by his 3.7  USR/150.

Cubs Sign Jake Stinnett

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The Cubs announced via press release that they have signed second-round right-hander Jake Stinnett. Stinnett was selected with the No. 45 overall pick.  The Cubs also announced that they have signed fourth-round left-hander Carson Sands, fifth-round lefty Justin Steele, and seventh-round right-hander James Norwood.  The Cubs inked Stinnett to a $1MM deal, $250K under the suggested slot for the No. 45 pick, tweets Jim Callis of MLB.com.

Stinnett, 22, posted a 2.67 ERA in 16 starts and one relief appearance in his senior year for Maryland.  The 6’4″ hurler struck out a school single-season record and Atlantic Coast Conference-high 132 batters and walked just 30. Stinnett also became the seventh pitcher in program history to throw a no-hitter when he shut down Massachusetts on March 1st.

ESPN.com’s Keith Law (Insider sub. req’d) rated Stinnett as the No. 51 prospect in this year’s class while Baseball America had him as the 67th best prospect and MLB.com had him pegged at No. 72.

Rosenthal On A’s, Angels, Rasmus, Indians

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Somehow, someway, Athletics GM Billy Beane is going to pull something off between now and the deadline, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Between the inexperience of Sonny Gray and Jesse Chavez, Scott Kazmir’s past health troubles, and other question marks, the A’s could use some rotation reinforcements.  Oakland isn’t deep enough in minor league talent to land the Cubs’ Jeff Samardzija or Rays’ David Price, but Rosenthal is certain that Beane will find something out there.  Here’s more from his always informative column..

  • The Angels don’t necessarily need rotation help, but they’d like to add a starter nonetheless.  They are currently without a lefty reliever, and another rotation piece would allow them to move left-hander Hector Santiago to the bullpen.  Rosenthal speculates that Padres righty Ian Kennedy and Mets righty Dillon Gee could be fits.
  • The qualifying offer reduces the desire of some teams to trade QO candidates before they hit the open market.  Blue Jays center fielder Colby Rasmus and Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa are examples of potential free agents who are unlikely to be moved since their clubs would like the option of making an offer and an acquiring team would not be able to extend one.  If not for the QO possibility, Toronto might opt to move Rasmus for a pitcher and re-install a platoon of Anthony Gose and Kevin Pillar in center.
  • The Indians are in difficult spots with potential free agents shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and right-hander Justin Masterson.  Cabrera isn’t a strong QO candidate thanks to his so-so defense, so one option would be to trade him for another infielder to alternate with Mike Aviles.  The same goes for Masterson, though he probably doesn’t have much trade value with an ERA of 5.05 with 8.1 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9.

Carlos Quentin Open To Waiving No-Trade Clause

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If teams come calling on Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin, the veteran is willing to think about waiving his no-trade clause to help facilitate a deal, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Quentin’s complete no-trade clause was a big part of why he agreed to sign a team-friendly three-year, $27MM extension with San Diego a couple of years ago, but he would entertain the idea of going elsewhere this summer.

For Quentin to draw interest, of course, he’ll have to start doing better at the plate.  He currently owns a .192/.294/.342 slash line with a .637 OPS, exactly 200 points below his career .837 OPS.  However, there are no shortage of teams looking for a big bat and an American League team could use Quentin as a DH and give his aching knees a rest.  Quentin won’t greenlight any old trade to the AL, but he’ll think about it for some teams.

A trade could put Quentin in a playoff race but it could also carry financial incentive.  Quentin makes $9.5MM this year, $8MM in 2015, and has a $10MM mutual option in 2016. That option does not have a buyout, but a $3MM buyout will trigger if he can somehow play 320 games from 2013-15.  It might be a longshot regardless — he is 212 games shy of that number — but he might have a shot of reaching 320 games if he plays DH over the next year and a half.

San Diego hasn’t yet approached Quentin about the possibility of a trade, but Heyman writes that they seem to be aware that he’s ready to be reasonable should the situation arise.

Mets Agree To Terms With Michael Conforto

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The Mets have agreed to sign first-round pick Michael Conforto to a $2.97MM deal, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com (on Twitter).  The Oregon State outfielder was rated as one of the best college bats in the draft by Callis.  Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported earlier this week that a deal was on the verge of being completed.

Michael Conforto

The reported value of the deal just about matches the slot for the No. 10 overall pick.  The outfielder out of Oregon State was ranked as the No. 8 prospect in this draft by ESPN’s Keith Law and Baseball America while Jonathan Mayo and Callis of MLB.com ranked him 17th.

Conforto batted a whopping .345/.504/.547 with seven homers, 16 doubles and a pair of triples in 59 games for Oregon State in 2014 — his junior season. Law praised Conforto’s power to his pull side, also noting that he works counts well and is able to hit the ball to the opposite field. Law expressed real concerns about Conforto’s defense, however, questioning his range and his throwing arm in left field. BA offered a bit of a different take, writing that he improved his previously fringy defense and is now adequate, and their scouting report projected him as a 20-25 homer hitter down the road. MLB.com shared some of the defensive concerns and worried that he might swing and miss too much, however that scouting report also projected him to hit 25-plus homers with regularity at his peak.

The Mets have reportedly signed third-rounder Milton Ramos for roughly $100K over slot, and they went $200K over slot on 13th-rounder Erik Manoah as well, but they didn’t have to go over the suggested value on their first-round pick. The team made up for its over-slot deals with Ramos and Manoah by saving $517K on its picks in the fourth through tenth rounds.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rangers Release Daniel Bard

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The Rangers have released Daniel Bard, according to Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News.  Texas signed the 28-year-old to a minor league deal in late January.

Bard was once a dominant setup man for the Red Sox, but following an outstanding run from 2009-11, things have deteriorated significantly.  A failed experiment by the Red Sox to move him into the rotation saw the beginning of severe control problems for Bard and health issues haven’t helped things either.

In those strong three seasons for the Red Sox, Bard posted a 2.88 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.  In a handful of outings for the Rangers’ Single-A affiliate this season, Bard allowed 13 runs, allowed nine walks, and hit seven batters.

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