Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Royals, Rays, Burrell
On this date 41 years ago, Major League owners unanimously elected Bowie Kuhn to a seven-year term as commissioner. It was under Kuhn that the reserve clause was eliminated, paving the way for free agency as we know it.
We've got a lot of links to get to, so let's dive right in…
- Joe Posnanski tries to determine who the worst everyday player in baseball is.
- Royals Review breaks down all the changes the Royals have gone through since the start of last season.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness congratulates Garret Anderson on the worst offensive season in Dodgers history.
- Bright House Sports Network looks at the Rays' history of waiver trades, plus some names they might target this month.
- The Process Report wonders if this season will be Dan Wheeler's last stand in Tampa.
- DRays Bay tries to figure out if Gabe Kapler should be designated for assignment.
- Disciples of Uecker thinks the Jim Edmonds–Chris Dickerson trade was the best for everyone.
- Around The Majors posted a two part series looking at the events that have brought Andres Torres' career back from the dead (parts one & two).
- Meanwhile, Joe Pawlikowski at FanGraphs examines Pat Burrell's resurgence since joining the Giants.
- The Nats Blog breaks down Stephen Strasburg's first bump in the road.
- Red Sox Beacon re-introduces us to Carlos Delgado.
- U.S.S. Mariner looks at the job security of Major League managers, or the lack thereof.
- Camden Crazies explains the Buck Showalter magic going on in Baltimore.
- Randall On Baseball revisits the trade that sent Brandon Morrow to the Blue Jays for Brandon League.
- Baseball 101 looks at a different way of valuing relievers based on the work of Bill James.
- Baseball Analysts analyzed the Rule 5 Draft.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Odds & Ends: Holt, Lee, Klein, Valentine, Villone
Links for Thursday, exactly 23 years after the Braves and Tigers swapped Doyle Alexander and John Smoltz…
- The Indians signed tenth round pick Tyler Holt according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Holt's $500K bonus is the largest we've seen for a player drafted in a double-digit round this year.
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News wonders how much the Texas heat will play into Cliff Lee's decision about whether or not to re-sign with the Rangers after the season.
- MLB.com' Brittany Ghiroli tweets that Orioles' third rounder Dan Klein is expected to report to one of the team's minor league affiliates once he passes his physical, indicating that the two sides have a deal in place.
- Someone familiar with Bobby Valentine’s thinking tells Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that Valentine considers the Mariners managerial opening one of "the most appealing jobs in baseball.”
- The Nationals released Ron Villone, according to Syracuse Chiefs broadcasters Jason Benetti and Mike Couzens (on Twitter). The veteran left-hander, who last pitched in the majors in 2009, posted a 6.59 ERA in Triple A this year.
- The sale of the Rangers is now final, as MLB.com’s Barry Bloom writes.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker previews some of the players who could soon make the jump from Japan to MLB. Wei-Yin Chen, a 25-year-old lefty represented by Alan Nero may be posted this offseason.
- Veracruz, the Mexican team that holds the rights to pitching prospect Luis Heredia, will not entertain offers from MLB clubs until next Wednesday, August 18th, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Tim Chambers, Bryce Harper's college coach, told Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com that Harper, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, is “begging to play.” Chambers expects the Nationals to work out a deal by Monday night’s deadline.
- Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are "fairly close" to an agreement with first rounder Kaleb Cowart, though he expects negotiations to last until Monday, the deadline for signing draft picks.
- Jamey Newberg counts down the ten biggest August trades in recent Rangers history for MLB.com. Rick Helling and Ryan Dempster have prominent roles on the list, which is worth checking out.
Mike Gonzalez: August Trade Candidate
Let's imagine for a minute that the Orioles didn't sign Mike Gonzalez last winter, and his season unfolded in exactly the same way for another team: April struggles, months missed with a shoulder injury and strong outings of late. If all of that happens in, say, a Mariners uniform, would the Orioles want to sign Gonzalez to a one-year $6MM contract for 2011? Maybe, but that's not the kind of deal the Orioles would necessarily want to make.
Essentially, the O's have guaranteed Gonzalez a one-year $6MM deal for 2011. That, along with $1.7MM this year, is what remains on his contract and it's not necessarily the kind of deal the O's want on the books. It stands to reason that Baltimore would consider trading the left-hander if he clears waivers, though the Orioles may want to see him succeed in Baltimore given their initial $12MM investment.
Gonzalez is on waivers, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Orioles may not want to move the left-hander, but they will soon see whether he clears waivers. It's entirely possible that he'll clear, since his salary is substantial and teams are probably not fully convinced by Gonzalez's nine-game stretch of effectiveness. The Phillies are one potential fit and the Red Sox, who acquired a left-handed reliever last August, are another.
The Orioles may prefer to keep Gonzalez in the hopes that he provides some value in Baltimore. The Orioles showed that they aren't desperate to move payroll when they held onto Ty Wigginton, Jeremy Guthrie and others at the trade deadline. However, they would have to consider letting Gonzalez go if a rival team claims him.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Park, Garza, Wieters
On this date four years ago, the Mets locked up franchise cornerstone David Wright to a six-year deal worth $55MM guaranteed. A club option for 2013 could put another $15MM in his pocket, and he's already earned an extra $300K in award based incentives. Wright, just 23 at the time and now a .307/.387/.517 career hitter, would have become a free agent after this season had he not opted for the long-term security. Can't say I blame him.
Here's a look at what's being written in the baseball corner of the blogging universe…
- Mets Paradise hosts a post-trade deadline roundtable discussion with fellow Mets bloggers.
- 1 Blue Jays Way interviews Toronto prospect Danny Farquhar.
- NPB Tracker recaps the deals made on the July 31st trade deadline in Japan.
- River Ave. Blues wonders what would have happened if Alex Rodriguez hadn't opted out of his contract after the 2007 season.
- Pittsburgh Lumber Co. defends the Pirates' Chan Ho Park pick-up.
- Bright House Sports Network thinks Matt Garza's time with the Rays may soon come to an end.
- Camden Crazies looks at what's wrong with Matt Wieters.
- SD Sports Net deciphers the Padres' deadline deals.
- More Hardball breaks down the young players the Pirates have coming up through the system.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Orioles Will Pay Showalter $1.5MM Per Season
The Orioles' decision to hire Buck Showalter has paid off so far; the team is 2-0 under its new manager. And according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, the Orioles are paying Showalter handsomely (Twitter link). The longtime manager will earn $1.5MM per season through 2013, when his deal expires.
Manager salaries are often undisclosed, but Showalter appears to earn more than most of his counterparts. He's not the highest-paid manager, however. Joe Torre is about to complete a three-year $13MM deal.
Waiver Trade Candidates: AL East
Last year, Ronnie Belliard, Jose Contreras, Jon Garland, Scott Kazmir, Jon Rauch, Billy Wagner, Bill Hall, Ivan Rodriguez, Aubrey Huff, Alex Gonzalez, David Weathers, Carl Pavano, Chad Gaudin, and Gregg Zaun were traded in August. Alex Rios and Russ Springer also changed teams as waiver claims. Here's our primer on the rules. Let's take a look at candidates to be traded or claimed in 2010, starting with the AL East.
The Orioles traded Miguel Tejada and Will Ohman last week, but kept Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott. Both could be moved, but the O's don't have an obvious replacement for Wigginton. Scott is under team control through 2012, and dealing him in August would limit the trade talks to the one team winning the claim. Jeremy Guthrie isn't going anywhere. Kevin Millwood will probably clear waivers, as he's earning $12MM and has given up five earned runs in each of his last five starts. Cesar Izturis could be dealt if the Orioles don't mind starting Julio Lugo at shortstop the rest of the year. Mark Hendrickson has been better against lefties than Ohman or Javier Lopez; I'm surprised there wasn't more July interest.
The Red Sox discussed sending Mike Lowell to the Yankees via the Rangers on Friday, reported Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Lowell would clear waivers, and Rosenthal feels that the Phillies, Rays, and Twins are potential matches. The Sox seemed willing to part with Manny Delcarmen in July; he could be claimed by a non-contending AL team willing to tender him a contract for 2011.
If Nick Johnson somehow takes a positive turn and comes off the DL this month, perhaps the Yankees would look to move him. Marcus Thames could be the odd man out with Austin Kearns now in the fold.
The Rays optioned Dioner Navarro to Triple A in June and could try to move the remainder of his $2.1MM salary. Lance Cormier or Gabe Kapler could be dumped if the Rays find suitable replacements.
One Blue Jay certain to clear waivers is Vernon Wells, even though his power has returned this year. Lyle Overbay is a reasonable trade candidate, though the Jays seemingly didn't get too far in July discussions. Edwin Encarnacion already cleared waivers in June. Brian Tallet has handled lefties well, and will probably clear waivers given his $2MM salary. Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Kevin Gregg, and John Buck will probably be retained for future draft pick compensation.
Marlins Acquire Will Ohman
The Marlins aggressively pursued bullpen help on deadline day, and ultimately acquired veteran lefty Will Ohman from the Orioles for 25-year-old righty Rick Vanden Hurk.
Ohman, 33 in August, has a 3.30 ERA, 8.7 K/9, and 5.4 BB/9 in 30 innings this year with three home runs allowed. He came a long way since signing a minor league deal in February, even spending a few days as the Orioles' closer. He hasn't displayed any special ability to retire lefties since the '08 season.
Vanden Hurk seems an acceptable return for two months of Ohman. This year at Triple A he posted a 4.68 ERA, 8.0 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9 in 98 innings, allowing 11 home runs. He's had multiple stints at that level and also has 155.6 big league innings under his belt. Strikeouts have been there, but everything else has been an issue (including health). Baseball America ranked Vanden Hurk 13th among Marlins prospects before the '07 season, noting that he was signed at 17 out of the team's Dutch academy. Did you know the Marlins had a Dutch academy? BA described Vanden Hurk as "smart and coachable."
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun first tweeted that Ohman was traded, and Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel tweeted that Vanden Hurk was the return.
Rays Pursuing Luke Scott
2:21pm: Teams haven't been too aggressive on Scott, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles would want a solid return since Scott is under team control for two more seasons beyond this one.
2:08pm: Scott is getting play but not from the Dodgers, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
1:55pm: The Dodgers are making a push for Scott and the Rays are in the mix, tweets Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse.
1:02pm: The Rays and Orioles are in trade talks, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. He wonders if Luke Scott or Will Ohman would be the Rays' target. However, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets that an Orioles trade before the deadline is highly unlikely.
Twitter Rumors: Lowell, Ross, Dotel, Heilman
A home for today's random Twitter rumors…
- The Red Sox might not activate Mike Lowell today because they're trying to trade him, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- The Marlins are getting tons of calls on Cody Ross but aren't inclined to move him, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Marlins are wavering on their stance not to deal Ross, and the Braves are making a push.
- The Sox made a run at the Cubs' Sean Marshall and were shot down, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. Marshall is having a dominant year out of the Cubs' pen.
- Though the Giants have inquired on Orioles lefty Will Ohman, a deal is unlikely according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Action has been light on Octavio Dotel so far, tweets Morosi.
- The Diamondbacks aren't sure about trading Aaron Heilman, reports Ken Rosenthal, but could move Chad Qualls and Adam LaRoche. SI's Jon Heyman says the D'Backs have gotten nibbles on Qualls but nothing is close yet.
- The Indians are getting "significant hits" on Jake Westbrook, says ESPN's Buster Olney. The Cardinals and Yankees have checked in, reports Stark.
Orioles May Be Done Dealing
The Orioles shipped Miguel Tejada out of town yesterday, and they might be done dealing according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Connolly doesn't anticipate more trades, but he ranks the Orioles most likely to go: Ty Wigginton, Will Ohman, and Luke Scott.
The Orioles lost a suitor for Wigginton when the Rangers acquired Jorge Cantu, and they like Wiggy's instruction of young players. Connolly says to forget about starter Jeremy Guthrie being dealt – he's been told it's a near impossibility and that the O's would have to be blown away.