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AL East Notes: Ellsbury, Yankees, Gregg

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This weekend's series between the Rays and Red Sox has made things a little more interesting in the AL East. With another win today, Tampa Bay would pull to within 3 1/2 games of the second-place Red Sox. Both teams have only intra-division games left on the schedule, including four more against each other next weekend. Here's a round-up of the morning's AL East links, as Jon Lester and James Shields prepare to square off in St. Petersburg:

  • Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald discusses the upcoming arbitration case for Jacoby Ellsbury, who is putting up MVP-caliber numbers while earning $2.4MM this season. As Lauber writes, it's not easy to find appropriate comparables for the Red Sox outfielder. Lauber cites Andruw Jones, Hunter Pence, and Carlos Beltran as some names that could come up during negotiations.  Last month, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes explained that Ellsbury's salary should exceed $6MM.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post praises the Yankees' bench, pointing out that the club's depth is one reason for its AL East lead. GM Brian Cashman noted that the Yanks weren't desperate for reinforcements at the trade deadline this year: "We did our trade deadline deals in the winter. Our supplemental moves kept us from having to trade assets in July for answers."
  • The Orioles can't go into next season with Kevin Gregg as their closer, argues MASN's Steve Melewski. The right-hander is under contract for 2012 ($5.8MM), but has been inconsistent at the back of Baltimore's bullpen this year, posting a 4.45 ERA and 6.3 BB/9. Another reason why the O's may want to keep Gregg away from the ninth inning next season? He has a $6MM option for 2013 that would vest if he finishes 50 games in 2012. As the team's closer this season, he has just 43 games finished, but he recorded more than 50 in each of his previous four seasons.
  • For the latest updates on the Orioles closing situation, along with 29 others, be sure to follow @closernews on Twitter or visit CloserNews.com.

Rosenthal On Wright, Showalter, Sizemore

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Let's take a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • There are conflicting signals over the Mets' willingness to deal David Wright.  They've turned away suitors and the subject has hardly come up in internal discussions.  However, others in baseball think the club will look to deal Wright if they re-sign Jose Reyes.  Wright's club option for 2013 becomes void if he's dealt, making him a free agent after next season.
  • Orioles owner Peter Angelos is willing to give Buck Showalter virtually anything that he wants.  Sources tell Rosenthal that Angelos has told the skipper that he can stay on as manager while assuming the role of General Manager.  The club will have to work out Andy MacPhail's siutation before making any moves.
  • The chances of a new labor agreement being struck by the World Series seem to be diminishing.  Things are tough to handicap as things can pick up at anytime, but the two sides are very far apart on the draft.  The owners want hard slotting and a worldwide draft which would be a difficult undertaking.  Of course, free agent compensation, the luxury tax, and revenue sharing are also among the chief topics of discussion.
  • Grady Sizemore's future with the Indians might hinge on how he performs in the final weeks of the season.  The Tribe holds a 8.5MM option on Sizemore for 2012 but they'll be reluctant to exercise it on a player who hasn't played much recently.  One potential solution would be a contract extension with a lower base salary but the outfielder might prefer to test the open market.

Heyman On Orioles, Cubs, Astros

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The Orioles may have trouble attracting GM candidates with stature, assuming president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail leaves after the season, Jon Heyman writes at SI.com. Owner Peter Angelos is involved in all the big decisions the Orioles make, sometimes making the calls himself. Angelos loves manager Buck Showalter and there’s some buzz that Angelos could make his manager the GM as well, as unlikely as that seems. Here’s the latest from Heyman:

  • Showalter was Angelos’ choice last year, though MacPhail appeared to be leaning toward current Mariners manager Eric Wedge.
  • Cal Ripken Jr. doesn’t appear to have interest in becoming a general manager and people close to the longtime Orioles shortstop say they can’t see him working under Angelos as a GM.
  • It’s hard to imagine Rangers executive John Hart agreeing to work under Angelos, unless he gets real autonomy.
  • Angelos wouldn’t like the idea of hiring a Yankee to turn his franchise around and it appears unlikely that Brian Cashman would leave New York for Baltimore.
  • Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine, who grew up rooting for the Orioles, figures to be a candidate for the job.
  • Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts has started calling around “in earnest” about possible GMs.
  • If the Astros move to the American League, MLB will add an extra Wild Card team next year.
  • Mets executives see Justin Turner as a utility player.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Blake Davis

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The latest players to get outrighted to Triple-A…

  • The Orioles outrighted Blake Davis to their Triple-A roster after the infielder cleared waivers, according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. Davis, 27, appeared in 25 games for the Orioles this year, posting a .254/.323/.390 line in 65 plate appearances. He played short, second and third in the Major Leagues and also appeared in the outfield at Triple-A. 

Orioles Designate Davis, Hendrickson For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that they designated infielder Blake Davis and left-hander Mark Hendrickson for assignment to create 40-man roster space for right-hander Jeremy Accardo and left-hander Clay Rapada. Baltimore's 40-man roster remains full.

Davis, 27, appeared in 25 games for the Orioles this year, posting a .254/.323/.390 line in 65 plate appearances. He played short, second and third in the Major Leagues and also appeared in the outfield at Triple-A.  Davis posted a .280/.323/.384 line in 252 plate appearances for Baltimore's top affiliate this year.

Hendrickson pitched just 11 innings for the Orioles after signing a minor league deal with Baltimore in January. He posted a 2.87 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 59 2/3 innings at Triple-A.

Non-Tender Candidate: Luke Scott

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Luke Scott had the best full season of his career in 2010, ranking sixth in the American League with a .535 slugging percentage.  As a late bloomer with lightly-regarded defense, Scott has been going year to year through arbitration and is an oft-cited comparable due to the healthy raises he's received.  In his last time through, he beat the midpoint of his and the Orioles' submissions and received a $2.35MM increase, bringing his 2011 salary to $6.4MM.  Scott's offseason, of course, was better known for a Winter Meetings interview with Yahoo's David Brown than his arbitration raise.

Scott

Scott, 33, had his projected position changed twice during the offseason.  When Derrek Lee was signed to play first base Scott became the designated hitter, and then he became the left fielder upon the Vladimir Guerrero signing.

Scott's season started out with a whimper as he battled a groin strain in April, and then a shoulder issue became public in May.  He decided to play through a torn labrum in his shoulder, using a combination of rehab and a June cortisone injection.  But then Scott bruised his knee in late June, and he landed on the disabled list a week later.  During that DL stint the pain in his shoulder worsened, and after another cortisone shot and a rehab assignment he was activated in late July.  It only took one game for Scott to realize he had to have surgery on his shoulder.  From what I've heard, Scott is a disciplined and devoted offseason worker, and is expected to be ready for Spring Training next year.

Scott didn't add much in the way of counting stats in 2011 – nine home runs, 22 RBI, and 24 runs.  So, we project his salary to be in the $6.4MM range again.  Is that a worthwhile gamble for the Orioles, who have gotten power production this year from J.J. Hardy, Mark Reynolds, Adam Jones, and Matt Wieters?  Scott's recovery progress leading up to the December non-tender deadline will be a big factor, but I'm leaning toward the Orioles tendering him a contract.  The O's will have a lot of payroll space, and the free agent market doesn't offer much in the way of alternatives who have Scott's power potential and will sign a one-year deal under $7MM.  The x factor will be a potential new GM in Baltimore, who could certainly find reasons to cut Scott as part of a mini-shakeup.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Beltway Notes: Strasburg, Livan, MacPhail, Roberts

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The Nationals took a 63-73 record into today's action, putting them on pace to finish with a better record than the Orioles (55-81) for the sixth time since the Nats moved to Washington after the 2004 season.  Of course, since neither team has topped the .500 mark in that stretch, the Battle of the Beltways isn't exactly recognized as a top-tier baseball rivalry.

Here are the latest items about the Nats and the O's….

  • Stephen Strasburg talks to The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore about his year-long rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery.  Strasburg is scheduled to make his 2011 debut on Tuesday against the Dodgers, and is penciled in for three more starts in September if things proceed as planned.  Strasburg is on a 60-pitch limit for Tuesday and will be on an innings cap for the 2012 season.
  • Livan Hernandez will be shut down after his start on Sunday so the Nationals can take look at some younger pitchers, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  Hernandez agreed to the move and will be "a mentor/coach" for the club's young pitchers, perhaps with an eye towards a coaching job after his retires.  Hernandez wants to return to Washington next season and has even offered to pitch middle relief, noting he will not go to the bullpen for any other team. 
  • If Hernandez doesn't re-sign, Adam Kilgore hears from a source that the Marlins are the top candidates to sign the veteran hurler. 
  • With Andy MacPhail rumored to be leaving at the end of the season, MASNsports.com's Amber Theoharis looks back at MacPhail's three best moves as the Orioles' president of baseball operations. 
  • This is probably no surprise given MacPhail's possible departure, but Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun expects "a significant front office overhaul" in Baltimore.  In that same piece, Zrebiec also discusses how Kevin Gregg is a popular clubhouse figure and a valuable mentor to the Orioles' young pitchers, but the right-hander is having a difficult time closing games.  Gregg is under contract for $5.8MM in 2012, with a $6MM club option for 2013.
  • Also from Zrebiec, Brian Roberts has been told by doctors that his concussion problems shouldn't be career-ending.  The second baseman hasn't played since May 16 after suffering his second concussion in as many seasons.

Quick Hits: Brewers, August Winners, Free Agents

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Twins minor leaguer Kyle Gibson, the No. 22 overall draft pick in 2009, will undergo Tommy John surgery, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Best wishes to Gibson on making a full recovery and perhaps debuting in the Majors late in 2012.

Here are a few other items of note on this Thursday afternoon:

  • The Brewers were interested in acquiring lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez from the Orioles before Baltimore dealt him to Texas, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “We had the irons in the fire,” Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin said. The Brew Crew remains without a southpaw in their bullpen.
  • The Diamondbacks were among the five winners of August's post-deadline trade period, opines Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. Arizona shored up its infield by acquiring infielders John McDonald and Aaron Hill from Toronto in exchange for Kelly Johnson. Morosi's other winners: The Rangers, Tigers, Braves and Indians.
  • Impending free agents, however established they may be, should still be scouted dilligently, writes Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required). For example, though some of us may take it for granted that Albert Pujols' fractured wrist is fully healed, scouts from interested teams will be watching all of his final at-bats for even the slightest change in his swing or approach. After all, Bowden explains, with tens, and sometimes hundreds, of millions of dollars at stake, every bit of info helps.

Orioles Claim Pedro Strop; Gonzalez Trade Complete

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THURSDAY: The Orioles announced that they claimed Strop from the Rangers. Baltimore obtained cash in the Gonzalez deal and used it to claim Strop, according to Connolly. The Gonzalez deal is now complete.

WEDNESDAY: Right-hander Pedro Strop will go to the Orioles as the player to be named in the deal that sent Mike Gonzalez from Baltimore to Texas, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.

Strop, 26, has appeared in 11 games for Texas this season and has a 3.72 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 in 9 2/3 innings. The Dominican Republic native has also posted a 3.59 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 47 2/3 innings of relief for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate this season. 

In parts of three MLB seasons, Strop's average fastball has clocked in at 94.7 mph. Strop, who originally signed with the Rockies as a shortstop prospect, didn't start pitching professionally until his age-21 season.

List Of Teams Interested In Yu Darvish

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Yu Darvish apparently intends to pitch in the Major Leagues next year and it would be surprising if he doesn't draw interest from ten-plus teams. The 25-year-old right-hander has a 1.54 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 175 innings this season. Those numbers are typical for Davish, who entered the season with a 1.81 ERA, 9.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in four years with the Nippon Ham Fighters. 

Here's a list of which teams have been linked to Darvish in the last calendar year:

  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is in Japan and saw Darvish pitch, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.
  • The Nationals maintain interest.
  • The Yankees have scouted him heavily.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels watched Darvish in June.
  • The Orioles had interest last offseason.
  • The Red Sox have been linked to Darvish.
  • The Rays watched Darvish about a year ago.

At this point, we don't know whether the clubs above were simply being diligent or whether they intend to make serious bids for Darvish. This list can't be considered comprehensive because other teams have likely been covert about their interest. What we can say at this point is that Darvish would be a welcome commodity in a starting pitching market that's light on top-of-the-rotation pitchers.

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