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Heyman On Riggleman, Hardy, Melvin

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Much to everyone’s surprise, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman stepped down yesterday. Baseball writers, including MLBTR’s Howard Megdal, have been buzzing about the move since. Jon Heyman of SI.com now weighs in on the decision before providing other notes from around the league…

  • Riggleman had considered resigning a few times before actually doing so yesterday, according to Heyman. In the past, agent Burton Rocks advised Riggleman to wait it out, but the skipper’s patience evidently wore thin this week despite his club’s hot streak.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo wants a veteran manager, according to Heyman. Rizzo will consider Davey Johnson, the 68-year-old former manager who is currently one of Rizzo’s advisors. 
  • The Orioles are considering an extension for J.J. Hardy and would like to limit the deal to two or three years. Hardy, 28, is hitting .304/.366/.532 in his contract year.
  • Though teams have to conduct thorough searches for every managerial opening, interim boss Bob Melvin will remain Oakland’s permanent manager “barring something unforeseen,” according to Heyman.

Orioles Notes: Guthrie, Roberts, Minor Leagues

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The Nationals may be generating most of the headlines today, but there's also some news coming from the Beltway's other team.  Here's the latest from the Orioles…

  • Jeremy Guthrie is perhaps Baltimore's most attractive trade candidate, but MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli doesn't think the right-hander will be moved.  "It would take a significant haul on the Orioles' side to give up Guthrie," Ghiroli writes, and she also points out that Guthrie is the only veteran and only innings-eater on the club's pitching staff.  Ghiroli cites the Indians and Rangers among the teams who have shown interest in Guthrie.  
  • From that same mailbag item, Ghiroli thinks the Orioles should start looking for a new long-term answer at second base.  Brian Roberts will be 36 when his deal runs out after the 2013 season and the former All-Star is already a question mark due to injuries.  Short-term, however, the O's have no second base prospects ready to step in and Roberts has a no-trade clause in his contract.
  • The lack of minor league production from several of the Orioles' top prospects "has to be considered an organizational-wide failure," writes The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec.  The development system has been further skewed since "for years, Oriole minor leaguers have been getting promotions because of a desperate need at the big league level, not because they’ve necessarily earned a shot."

Quick Hits: Twins, Ellis, Cole, Hultzen

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The Mets released Wily Mo Pena on this date two years ago. The slugger resurfaced with the D'Backs yesterday, when he homered in his first MLB game since 2008. Here are some links for Wednesday night as Pena attempts to hit another homer or two…

  • A scout tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Twins seem less likely to become sellers than they were a few weeks ago (Twitter link). Minnesota has re-entered the playoff race thanks to a 14-3 tear. 
  • Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group hears that the Giants are not one of the six teams on Mark Ellis’ no-trade list (Twitter link). Ellis has lost his starting second base job in Oakland and the Giants have had internal talks about obtaining him.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that top draft choices Gerrit Cole (Pirates) and Danny Hultzen (Mariners) will sign for roughly $10MM or so. Two high school arms, Archie Bradley (D’Backs) and Dylan Bundy (Orioles), will likely obtain $6-7MM and some executives see high school outfielder Bubba Starling (Royals) signing for more than Cole or Hultzen.
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick examines the case for expanding active rosters to 26 players. Teams now have sprawling bullpens and demanding travel schedules, so there's support for bigger rosters from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd, Marlins infielder Wes Helms and others.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Accardo, Blue Jays

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Wade Boggs hit his first MLB home run on this date 29 years ago. Power wasn't an essential part of Boggs' game, but he won five batting titles and collected 3,010 hits in his 18-year career with the Yankees, Red Sox and Devil Rays. Here's the latest on Boggs' former division:

  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports knows there's no perfect team in baseball, but he says the Red Sox are as close as it gets. Only Philadelphia has a better record than Boston, which entered today's action with an AL-best 44-29 record.
  • Jeremy Accardo could be a free agent by tomorrow. The Orioles reliever has to choose between an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk with a big league salary or free agency and uncertain job prospects, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). 
  • Blue Jays manager John Farrell told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that the Blue Jays will consider possible changes before opening their series against the Cardinals (Twitter link). “We need a spark, that’s clear,” Farrell said. “How we look to do that we’ll examine in this room first.” The Braves just swept the 36-39 Jays out of Atlanta.

How Many Sellers Right Now?

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Just when you start to count out the Twins and A's, they reel off winning streaks and re-enter the contention picture.  Right now, only six teams are at least eight games out of their division or wild card: the Orioles, Royals, Marlins, Cubs, Astros, and Padres.

Some teams may prefer to make trades now, to get an extra month from their acquisition.  That means the best of the trade market looks like this, assuming the six non-contenders will listen on these players, their contracts don't prevent deals, and the players are healthy:

  • Hitters: J.J. Hardy, Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds, Luke Scott, Vladimir Guerrero, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, Wilson Betemit, Omar Infante, Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Jeff Baker, Carlos Pena, Reed Johnson, Hunter Pence, Jeff Keppinger, Carlos Lee, Michael Bourn, Clint Barmes, Ryan Ludwick, Brad Hawpe
  • Starting pitchers: Jeremy Guthrie, Jeff Francis, Bruce Chen, Kyle Davies, Javier Vazquez, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Doug Davis, Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Aaron Harang
  • Relievers: Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara, Kevin Gregg, Mike Gonzalez, Joakim Soria, Leo Nunez, Randy Choate, John Grabow, Kerry Wood, Chad Qualls, Heath Bell

Cross off the Cubs players with crazy contracts and the Astros and Orioles who may never hit the market, and there's not much out there aside from relievers right now.  In theory, the state of the market should improve the return for guys like Ludwick and Francis, at least until more sellers show up.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Rizzo, Gonzalez, Orioles

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On this date in 1997, the Reds called Aaron Boone up and sent his brother, Bret, to the minors. Bret would emerge as a power threat the following year and average 26 homers per season for the next seven years. Aaron put together a solid 12-year career that featured an All-Star Game berth and one of the most memorable home runs in Yankees history. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner runs through some possible left field targets for the Mariners, including Ryan Ludwick and Luke Scott.
  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he doesn't want 21-year-old first baseman Anthony Rizzo to try to replace Adrian Gonzalez, the man he was traded for last winter. "Adrian Gonzalez at 21 years old was toiling in Triple-A," Hoyer said. "It took Adrian a number of years before he really established himself as a Major League player."
  • Hoyer says he's not surprised that Gonzalez has turned in a "monster" season for the Red Sox so far. Unfortunately for the Padres, they couldn't afford him long-term.
  • The Orioles have agreed to terms with third round right-hander Mike Wright, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The MLBPA Alumni Association is working on a program that will transition players to jobs beyond the playing field, according to Evan Drellich of MLB.com. Most Major Leaguers retire without millions of dollars saved up, so the program will be important for players like veteran minor leaguer Andy Tracy, who expects to retire after the season.

Reds Eyeing Starting Pitching

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The Reds are searching for starting pitchers that they could acquire between now and the end of July, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.com (Twitter links). Cincinnati has interest in Jeremy Guthrie, according to Knobler (though many teams likely have interest in the Orioles’ righty, who has a 3.56 ERA through 91 innings).

The Reds' current rotation consists of Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez and Travis Wood. However, Arroyo has been hittable and Volquez is walking 5.9 batters per nine innings. Homer Bailey is on the disabled list along with Sam LeCure and Matt Maloney, two occasional starters for Dusty Baker, so internal help could be on the way.

Guthrie figured prominently into Tim Dierkes' list of potentially available starters earlier in the month.

Orioles Designate Jeremy Accardo For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated Jeremy Accardo for assignment, reports MLB.com Britt Ghiroli (on Twitter). The move frees up a roster spot for infielder Blake Davis, who was recalled from Triple-A.

Accardo, 29, signed a one-year deal worth $1.08MM this offseason, though Baltimore could have controlled him as an arbitration-eligible player in 2012. He came into today with a 4.50 ERA but nearly as many walks (15) as strikeouts (20) in 32 innings. The three runs Accardo gave up in just one-third of an inning tonight appear to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Miller, Maybin, Bedard

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Congratulations to the Boston Bruins on winning their first Stanley Cup since 1972.  This year's major sports champions have now come from Boston, the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Wisconsin.  All three of those regions could be gunning for their second championship parade of the year come November — the Red Sox, Rangers and Brewers are all in first place in their respective divisions.

Some news and items from around the majors….

  • The Orioles have a lot of pieces that can be moved this summer, writes Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.  He lists Koji Uehara and Jeremy Guthrie as possible trade candidates, but Schmuck predicts Vladimir Guerrero and Derrek Lee will finish the season in Baltimore since "neither…has done enough to create real value for the club."  Schmuck also notes that Andy MacPhail may not pursue a full fire sale since finishing with a .500 record would be a positive step for a team that hasn't had a winning record since 1997.
  • Andrew Miller has indeed opted to remain with the Red Sox and he will start for the team against San Diego on Monday, reports Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.
  • David Villavicencio of FOX Sports Florida has the story of Marlins first-round pick Jose Fernandez, who escaped to the United States from his native Cuba on his fourth attempt.  Florida took the right-hander with the 14th overall pick and though Fernandez has committed to the University of South Florida, the story makes it sound as if he's eager to sign.
  • Erik Bedard still carries too much risk for the Yankees to make a play for at the trade deadline, argues Mike Axisa of the River Avenue Blues blog.  Also, as Axisa notes, the Mariners aren't likely to deal the Canadian southpaw since they're contending in the AL West.
  • "China, as well as India, Taiwan, and South Korea, represents one of the next great market inefficiencies," writes Bradley Woodrum for Fangraphs.  A team that establishes a foothold in East Asia will have first dibs on a huge, untapped area for finding future baseball talent.
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