NL Central Links: Rizzo, LaHair, Brewers, Astros
The Reds paid a hefty price to acquire Mat Latos from the Padres this offseason, sending Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, Brad Boxberger, and Edinson Volquez to San Diego in exchange for the young ace. Latos has been largely disappointing, but turned in his best start of the season tonight, striking out a career-high 13 in a one-run complete game effort. Here are some more links related to the division…
- The Cubs officially called up Anthony Rizzo, the team announced, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that they now view Bryan LaHair as an outfielder. The Cubs, however, would be willing to move LaHair for "the right offer," according to Morosi (Twitter link).
- The Brewers may be one good week away from contention, but the club could always be one bad week away from selling, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Zack Greinke, Francisco Rodriguez, Shaun Marcum, and George Kottaras would all appeal to other clubs, to varying degrees. Milwaukee's farm system has been depleted by trades for Greinke, Marcum, and C.C. Sabathia and could stand to be replenished, opines Rosenthal. He's careful to note that this could be a dicey PR move, as Milwaukee could surpass 3MM fans on the season and selling would send a bad message.
- Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle details the Astros' draft strategy and how it led to the signing of Rio Ruiz for a bonus that was leaps and bounds above slot ($1.85MM). General manager Jeff Luhnow tells Levine that he considers Ruiz, Carlos Correa (No. 1 overall) and Lance McCullers Jr. (No. 41 overall) all to be first round talents.
Cafardo On Garza, Lowrie, Greinke, Red Sox, Liriano
The rest of the baseball world is waiting for the Yankees to get old, but so far that hasn't happened, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "They’ve been saying that ever since I’ve been around," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "They said it after 2001. They said it after we were reshuffling in 2003, and in 2004, my therapist said I wasn’t supposed to talk about it. After 2009, we can’t be winning with older guys…So I’ve always heard it. As long as we’re winning, people can keep saying it." Here's more from today's column..
- About six teams have been in contact with the Cubs consistently regarding Matt Garza: the Braves, Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Jays, and Royals. Epstein is looking for a great package to part with Garza as he is the club's biggest chip. However, teams have some concern over whether the pitcher can control his emotions.
- The Tigers could be heavily in the mix for Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie and Detroit would likely move him to second to fill a need. Cafardo wouldn't be shocked if he is on the Phillies’ radar as well. Houston has a few other chips in Brett Myers, Brandon Lyon, and Wandy Rodriguez that could help contenders.
- When teams ask about Zack Greinke's availability, they are getting "not yet" from the Brewers. However, Cafardo writes that he'll be available as soon as they get the right offer because there doesn’t seem to be any chance of Milwaukee signing him long-term.
- There has been a lot of talk about Scott Podsednik being used as a trade chip but Cody Ross and Daniel Nava could also be made available by the Red Sox.
- Francisco Liriano's recent pitching has made him a viable trade chip for the Twins. It would still be hard for a contender to trust him, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be moved.
- A National League talent evaluator thinks the Mets should give some thought to trading R.A. Dickey while his value is skyhigh. The Mets don't have the money to make the deadline upgrades that they need, so they could instead continue with their three- or four-year plan by making the right-hander available.
Draft Notes: Astros, Ruiz, Virant, Rays, Tigers
Earlier today we learned that the Astros signed fourth-round pick Rio Ruiz for $1.85MM, well over the slot recommendation for his pick. Here's more on Ruiz and today's other draft signings..
- Ruiz's signing effectively ends any chance Houston had of inking eleventh-rounder Hunter Virant, writes Jim Callis of Baseball America. The California high school left-hander dropped in the draft because of his demand for a seven-figure bonus.
- Rays second-round selection Spencer Edwards announced via Twitter that he has signed with the club. The Texas high school shortstop was tabbed with the No. 88 pick.
- The Tigers have agreed to terms with the club's 23rd round draft selection, right-hander Drew Harrison, according to Director of Media Relations Brian Britten (via Twitter). The University of Oklahoma product stands at 6'4" and was once a coveted prospect for his ability at the plate.
Astros To Sign Rio Ruiz
The Astros are set to sign fourth-rounder Rio Ruiz for $1.85MM, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Houston was able to spend big on the third baseman after signing first-overall pick Carlos Correa for well under the slot recommendation.
Ruiz, who comes out of Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California, was pegged to be a first-round selection before his season was ended prematurely by a blood clot in his neck. The youngster was believed to be one of the toughest signs out of Houston's 2012 class, along with Lance McCullers Jr. (signed last weekend) and eleventh-round pick Hunter Virant.
2013 Vesting Options Update
Let's check in on the players who have vesting options for the 2013 season…
- Jason Bartlett, Padres – $5.5MM option vests with 432 plate appearances. Bartlett came to the plate just 98 times before being placed on the disabled list with a knee injury. There is no firm timetable for his return and it seems unlikely that the option will vest at this point.
- Kevin Gregg, Orioles – $6MM option vests with 50 games finished. Gregg has finished just six of the team's 70 games and it seems likely that Baltimore will keep the option from vesting.
- Brett Myers, Astros – $10MM option vests with 45 games finished or based on a points system. Myers has finished 23 of the club's 70 games and is a trade candidate. If he continues to close, the option seems likely to vest.
Chipper Jones has an option worth $9MM+ that will vest with 123 games played, but he's already rendered the option moot by announcing his plans to retire after the season. Chipper has played in 38 of the Braves' first 70 games.
Alex Gonzalez has an option worth $4MM that will vest with 525 plate appearances, but he is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Gonzalez came to the plate just 89 times before the injury, so the Brewers do not have to worry about this one kicking in.
Minor Moves: Mills, Carrasco, Ambriz
The latest minor moves..
- The Indians traded first baseman Beau Mills to the Reds for cash considerations, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. The former first-round pick has been assigned to Double-A Pensacola.
- The Braves signed reliever D.J. Carrasco to a minor league deal. The Mets, who are responsible for the majority of Carrasco's $1.2MM salary, released the 35-year-old in late May after he allowed six hits, including two home runs, in 3 2/3 innings, according to the CBSSports.com transactions page.
- The Astros signed right-hander Hector Ambriz to a minor league deal. The Indians released Ambriz this past Sunday after he posted a 3.55 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 33 Triple-A innings, according to CBSSports.com.
Quick Hits: Lee, Pirates, Ortiz, A’s, Royals
The Dodgers are in need of a run producer and the Astros' Carlos Lee is the latest name to surface on the club's radar, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. The veteran has the ability to block trades to 14 teams, and the Dodgers are on that list. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that Lee doesn't want to play in Los Angeles Almost all of the teams on that list are high-revenue teams, providing the first baseman with leverage. More from around baseball on this Thursday night..
- With the Pirates on the lookout for offense, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter) wouldn't be surprised to see them check in on Ryan Kalish or Cody Ross when Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford return to the Red Sox.
- David Ortiz hasn't been happy with the Red Sox for some time and people that have heard his complaints strongly doubt that he would want to return to Boston after this year, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Both the A's and the Giants have had a revolving door at first base for some time, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants have used 24 players at first since J.T. Snow left, and the A's have used 41 since Jason Giambi left the first time.
- A's skipper Bob Melvin insists that the promotion of Derek Norris isn't about creating trade bait when it comes to Kurt Suzuki, writes Jane Lee of MLB.com. Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that Oakland would probably like to move the catcher and his $6.45MM salary.
- Carlos Beltran says that the Royals never made him a concrete, multi-year offer to keep him during his time there, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. "I don't really recall getting a real offer. I knew they talked about having something done, but we never got to the point where we were serious about it," the outfielder said.
Astros Will Listen On Wandy Rodriguez
The Astros will listen to offers for left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, and teams are watching the left-hander in anticipation of the July 31st trade deadline, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. The Yankees, Giants and Blue Jays had representatives in attendance for Rodriguez’s start against the Royals last night, Morosi reports.
Rodriguez, 33, has a 3.29 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 95 2/3 innings this year. He earns $10MM this year, $13MM next year and his contract includes a $13MM vesting option for 2014. The '14 option becomes a player option if the Astros trade Rodriguez.
The Yankees’ rotation has been tremendous of late, but the Giants and Blue Jays have potential openings because of injuries and poor performances. It’s worth noting that the presence of scouts doesn’t necessarily reflect serious interest from potential suitors. Teams routinely evaluate players around the league to prepare for possible roster moves.
Astros Sign McCullers
MONDAY: The Astros announced that they signed McCullers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).
SUNDAY, 4:44 pm: McCullers will receive a $2.5MM bonus, the most over slot so far this year, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle tweets McCullers' bonus is between the slot values of the 12th and 13th overall picks and was made possible by the savings on the signing of Carlos Correa.
4:05 pm: The Astros will sign their supplementary first round draft choice right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers pending the successful completion of a physical Monday morning, reports Laura Keeley of the Tampa Bay Times. The recommended slot value for the 41st selection is $1,258,700. The Astros received the pick as compensation for losing Clint Barmes.
According to Baseball America, McCullers has a strong, athletic body and pitches with power and aggression. The majority of scouts believe he projects as a reliever. McCullers will forego his scholarship to the University of Florida.
Cafardo On Youkilis, Lowrie, Manny, Red Sox
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe asked 55 people in baseball if they'd rather have Bryce Harper or Mike Trout. The final tally: Harper 25, Trout 24, six undecided. Athletics GM Billy Beane was one of the six on the fence and likely had the best quote of anyone. "Beatles or Stones? They’re both great, aren’t they?" Here's more from Cafardo's column..
- The Pirates and Dodgers could be the teams most willing to pull the trigger on Kevin Youkilis. The recent shift from third base to first has been a plus for scouts watching him, though he hasn’t performed well enough yet to wow anyone.
- Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie has 12 homers this year and his offensive ability may make him a target at the trading deadline. However, one AL GM pointed out that health concerns will impact his value.
- Cafardo wonders if the Blue Jays might consider Manny Ramirez after letting Vladimir Guerrero go.
- While Daisuke Matsuzaka would probably like to remain in the major leagues and in Boston, Matsuzaka will be in demand in Japan since he is still relatively young and still considered a big name, according to a major league source. The right-hander could earn another multiyear deal if he does well this season.
- Some baseball people wouldn't be shocked to see the Red Sox move Daniel Bard if he gets himself straightened out. Theo Epstein has always been a big fan and Cafardo wonders out loud if something could be worked out with the Cubs for Matt Garza. Garza, he opines, would be a perfect fit for an AL East team.
- The Dodgers could pull the trigger on Ryan Dempster soon and the Blue Jays also seem to have serious interest.
- Teams are reassessing their commitment to scouting Japanese players. One GM said, “Is all the money spent and devoted to scouting really yielding any great player? You’ve had Kei Igawa, Daisuke Matsuzaka, the kid from Minnesota [Tsuyoshi Nishioka], and really, is the money spent worth it?"