Atkins Looking For Fresh Start
Garrett Atkins, recently designated for assignment by the Orioles, is headed home to California to wait out his fate. MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli spoke to the corner infielder, who would be willing to sign a minor league deal with a new club. Ghiroli notes that interested teams would wait until after he clears waivers. Atkins is not thinking about retirement.
Atkins, 30, signed a one-year, $4.5MM deal with the Orioles on December 22nd after being non-tendered by the Rockies. The signing was considered one of the worst of the offseason in our March executive poll. Having logged 152 plate appearances with a .214/.276/.286 line in 2010, Atkins' stock has only dropped further.
Atkins told Ghiroli that he is ready to move on from the Orioles. However, he told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that he would consider playing in the minors for another organization. That approach worked for Pat Burrell, who is hitting well for the Giants after a stint in their minor league system.
Odds & Ends: Branyan, Orioles, D’Backs, Marlins
Links for Sunday..
- Returning to a former team is nothing new for Russell Branyan, writes JR Radcliffe for MLB.com.
- Eric Wedge had a great interview with the O's, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic writes that D'Backs manager A.J. Hinch doesn't want his players to worry about being dealt.
- Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez was sorry to see skipper Fredi Gonzalez go, writes Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald.
- Andy MacPhail said that the O's "gambled" and lost when they gave Garrett Atkins a one-year, $4.5MM deal, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.
- Carlos Gomez hopes that he can live up to the expectations the Brewers had for him when they acquired him from the Twins, writes MLB.com's Jordan Schelling.
- Former Oriole and current MASN broadcaster Rick Dempsey isn't sure if his upcoming meeting with O's GM Andy MacPhail can be considered an official interview for the managerial position, writes Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer doesn't envision a club taking Jhonny Peralta at the trade deadline.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry stands by his investment in Carlos Zambrano, writes the Daily Herald's Bruce Miles. Hendry gave the hurler a five-year, $91.5MM extension in 2007.
Cafardo On Baylor, Haren, Konerko, Bedard
With the Marlins and Orioles searching for new managers, Don Baylor wonders why he isn't being considered for either job, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Baylor would love a chance to manage Baltimore, the franchise that drafted him over four decades ago, in the second round of the 1967 amateur draft. Let's check out Cafardo's other notes….
- The Yankees, Twins, Nationals, Cardinals, and Tigers had scouts watching Dan Haren's most recent start.
- There were a few teams hoping Paul Konerko would be available this summer, but with the White Sox suddenly just a game and a half out of first place, they obviously don't plan to trade their home run leader.
- Cliff Lee may not be the only Seattle left-hander on the trade block next month. Erik Bedard is due back soon, and Cafardo thinks that the Mariners could try to move him if he looks healthy in July.
- Scott Schoeneweis would like to catch on with a club as a situational lefty, but "his phone isn't ringing."
- D.J. Carrasco could be traded before the deadline. Carrasco's numbers this season haven't been overly impressive (4.12 ERA, 1.76 K/BB), but if the relief market is as thin as Buster Olney indicated this morning, the right-hander should draw some interest.
Olney’s Latest: Giants, Zambrano, Fielder, Orioles
In today's Insider-only blog entry, ESPN.com's Buster Olney ranks baseball's most irreplaceable players, with Albert Pujols and Adrian Gonzalez heading his list. Here are a few other highlights from the column:
- Responding to Henry Schulman's San Francisco Chronicle piece about the Giants' need for bullpen help, Olney identifies two roadblocks. According to general managers, the relief market is "very, very thin." On top of that, a group of GMs polled by Olney named Brian Sabean as the most difficult GM to trade with.
- The Cubs have tried to deal with Carlos Zambrano's past outbursts because of his talent and his $91.5MM contract. After the latest blow-up though, it appears the club has run out of patience. According to Olney, there's "an overriding perception within the organization" that Zambrano hasn't cared about living up to his end of the deal.
- Given the non-existent extension negotiations between Prince Fielder and the Brewers, Olney says the team has two options: trade Fielder and receive a lesser return than fans would expect, or keep the 26-year-old and try to re-sign him after 2011.
- Buck Showalter had a very good interview with the Orioles, who will also interview Eric Wedge this week (Twitter link).
Olney’s Latest: Zambrano, Starting Pitchers, Indians
In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney writes about how Diamondbacks' manager A.J. Hinch went against the grain by leaving Edwin Jackson in to throw 149 pitches as he no-hit the Rays last night. One unnamed manager blamed the media for the pitch count craze, but I want to add that much of it has to do with teams protecting investments. With the rise of salaries throughout the game even from just ten years ago, teams don't want to unnecessarily put a pitcher in the line of danger, so to speak.
Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- The Cubs may wish they could get rid of Carlos Zambrano following his latest tirade, but Olney points out that there's still $45MM left on his contract. Chicago would have to eat a huge chunk of that money to unload him.
- The trade market doesn't figure to be very robust this summer because there just isn't a lot of money available around the league. The starting pitching market probably won't budge until Cliff Lee is dealt, at which point second tier fodder like Ben Sheets and Kevin Millwood would draw more attention.
- The Indians' two most marketable players are Austin Kearns and Russell Branyan because neither is making big money. Kearns is owed approximately $417K the rest of the season, Branyan $1.11MM, and both will become free agents as season's end.
Odds & Ends: Bumgarner, Tracy, Oswalt, Atkins
Links for Friday night, as Edwin Jackson tosses a 149-pitch no-hitter against his former team….
- Madison Bumgarner was scratched from tonight's Triple-A start, fueling speculation that the Giants would call him up to start tomorrow's game. However, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that the team still plans to start Joe Martinez tomorrow, with Bumgarner as the backup option.
- In his weekly appearance on WEEI's Big Show, Peter Gammons discusses the Red Sox' bullpen issues and the best one-year signing of this past offseason.
- Bill Ladson of MLB.com wonders if the Nationals will be interested in the recently DFA'd Chad Tracy, given Tracy's connection to Nats GM Mike Rizzo.
- Although it looks as if the Rangers won't be able to afford Roy Oswalt, you can add Texas to the list of teams the pitcher would be willing to play for, according to the Dallas Morning News. Oswalt has previously said he'd accept a trade to anywhere he could contend.
- Garrett Atkins tells MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link) that being released by the Orioles would be a "welcome opportunity." It appears as though Atkins will soon be designated for assignment.
- Following a blow-up during today's game, Carlos Zambrano has been suspended indefinitely by the Cubs, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. When Zambrano returned to the Cubs' rotation, we discussed Tom Gorzelanny as a trade chip, but as long as Zambrano remains suspended, that possibility looks less likely.
- The Astros signed their second-round pick, right-hander Vincent Velasquez, per a team release.
- Dusty Baker says Gary Matthews Jr. "has got to get his act together" before the outfielder earns a shot at the Reds' big league lineup, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
Padres Interested In Starting Pitching
The Padres have allowed the fewest runs in the majors thanks to a strong rotation and a phenomenal bullpen, but they could pursue starting pitching next month, according to Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse. Krasovic hears that the 42-30 Padres are “extra interested” in potential free agents, since they’re confident those pitchers would want to re-sign in San Diego.
Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie isn’t a potential free agent until after 2012, but he’s open to playing for the Padres.
"Yes, I'd love to play in San Diego," Guthrie, said, before saying that he won’t ask the Orioles for a trade. Guthrie says he loves Baltimore, but wouldn’t mind if Padres GM Jed Hoyer traded for him. The Padres front office wants to be careful with young starters Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc and Clayton Richard, so they're interested in adding pitching depth. Veterans Kevin Correia and Jon Garland are also part of a Padres rotation that has combined for a 3.36 ERA in 2010.
Odds & Ends: Pomeranz, Marlins, Everett, Valentine
Links for Wednesday…
- Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that fifth overall pick Drew Pomeranz is scheduled to go to Cleveland on Monday to take a physical and "hear the Indians' sales pitch." Hoynes says there have been no negotiations to date.
- Marlins' president David Samson told Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald that they're "not ready to say for certain that trade didn't work," referring to the Miguel Cabrera blockbuster (Twitter link). Both Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin, the two centerpieces of the deal for Florida, have struggled in the big leagues and are currently in the minors.
- Upon hearing about Boston's interest in his services, Adam Everett said "I haven't heard that, but great team, great city, and it sounds interesting," according to FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi (via Twitter).
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets the leaders in wins above replacement, or WAR, from last year's free agent class. Andy Pettitte tops the list, followed closely by Livan Hernandez and Aubrey Huff.
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post notes (via Twitter) that the Marlins spoke with Bobby Valentine this morning. The Marlins' opening interests Valentine.
- Prince Fielder and Corey Hart tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that they realize they could be traded. Morosi says the Brewers should trade Hart for pitching, but Hart would prefer to stay in Milwaukee.
- Kenny Williams told Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune that the White Sox could become buyers.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Blue Jays could trade pitching away this trade deadline (Twitter link).
- Chris Iannetta told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he did his best to ignore rumors that the Red Sox were interested in him.
- At this point, Pedro Martinez doesn't want to think about whether he'll play this year. He told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he doesn't know anything right now.
- Steve Gould of the Baltimore Sun reminds us that 2009 first rounder Matt Hobgood is still a teenager and says Orioles fans should be more patient with the tall righty.
- MLB.com's Fred Claire shows that the Orioles are looking for the kind of stability that was once found in Baltimore and that the Angels now have.
The Latest On The Orioles’ Managerial Search
Earlier today we updated you on the Marlins' managerial search following their dismissal of Fredi Gonzalez, so now let's do the same for Baltimore. We already know that Bobby Valentine has withdrawn his name from consideration for the job.
President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail confirmed to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli that he and owner Peter Angelos met with current ESPN analyst and long-time big league manager Buck Showalter for several hours today about the team's managerial job (Twitter link). Showalter has a strong track record of helping turn young teams into contenders, specifically his stints with the Yankees, Diamondbacks, and Rangers.
Former Indians' manager Eric Wedge is expected to receive a second interview according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun, though it has not yet been scheduled. He adds that MASN broadcaster and former Orioles player Rick Dempsey is expected to interview for the job as well. He has interviewed for the job twice in the past.
The Orioles are currently under the watch of interim manager Juan Samuel, who replaced Dave Trembley after he was fired earlier this month.
Orioles Want Young Shortstop For Wigginton
The Orioles figure to be major players on the trade market this summer, though Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweets that the team will not move Ty Wigginton unless they receive a young shortstop in return. Rosenthal calls it a "self-defeating stance," because no team will meet that demand.
Baseball America rated Baltimore's farm system as the ninth best in the game coming into the season, but basically all of their top shortstop prospects are in Single-A. They hope to have their shortstop of the future in Manny Machado, who they selected with the third overall pick in the draft a few weeks ago.
As for Wigginton, the 32-year-old is enjoying a fine season for the last place O's, hitting .274/.359/.487 with 13 homers while playing every day at primarily second base. He offers power and extreme versatility, capable of playing anywhere on the field except short, center, pitcher, and catcher. Every team in the league could use a guy like him.
Wigginton is just one of several Orioles' veterans that could be on the block, joining Kevin Millwood, Miguel Tejada, Cesar Izturis, Will Ohman, and Luke Scott. Reports indicate that the team is not looking to shed payroll, however.