Odds & Ends: Mets, Reds, Halos, Skippers
Another batch of links as the Braves and Phillies prepare to get underway on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball…
- According to ex-Mets GM Jim Duquette, via Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, the Mets have canceled their fall instructional league "in an apparent cost-cutting maneuver." If they're making cutbacks in the minors, might they also have cutbacks in mind at the big league level?
- According to Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty reaffirmed Sunday that he currently has no deals in the works. The deadline for waiver trades is tomorrow, August 31.
- Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports continues his "Restoring the Rosters" series with a look at the Angels, who he ranks 10th among all MLB clubs with their impressive what-could-have-been roster.
- Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune discusses some MLB managers who may be on the proverbial "hot seat." Among the names? Cincinnati's Dusty Baker, Cleveland's Eric Wedge and Houston's Cecil Cooper. Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports goes more in-depth with the list.
Discussion: Chone Figgins
Bill Shaikin of the LA Times notes Chone Figgins' speed and versatility will make him a hot commodity this offseason. Figgins is 31 and leads the AL in runs scored. Shaikin's piece adds that similar players tend to age well.
"One-dimensional sluggers do not, he said. But, barring injury, he said there would be no reason to expect Figgins to slow down dramatically. 'When you're talking about a guy who's already 31 and is still a speed player, you're not going to see a sudden decline," Szymborski said. 'There's no real danger he's going to become Sean Casey on the bases in the next few years.'"
Can the Angels afford to lose Figgins' speed? If not, what might it take to retain him? With a career-high .OBP currently over .400, is he playing over his head in a contract year? Figgins is making $5.775MM this season and currently projects as a Type A free agent.
Odds & Ends: Kazmir, Rays, Hoffman, Byrd
We can link to it, we have the technology…
- ESPN's Keith Law feels the Rays received "a tremendous return for a pitcher whose value had really nose-dived over the past 10 months" when they dealt Scott Kazmir to the Angels late Friday evening.
- Manager Joe Maddon says that the team feels they have the depth to cover the loss of Kazmir, and that it won't hurt their chances of getting back to playoffs this year. The depth Maddon speaks of comes in the form of Andy Sonnanstine and prospect Wade Davis, though Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times says Sonnanstine will get the call against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
- Topkin was all over the Kazmir saga yesterday, and now that the dust has settled he says the team can use the savings to keep it's core intact. Several veterans, such as Carl Crawford, have raises built into their contracts, and several of the club's young players will be due big raises in arbitration.
- When asked if closer Trevor Hoffman might go to the Giants after being claimed on waivers, Brewers GM Doug Melvin said "probably not," according to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel.
- Boston reportedly agreed to give Paul Byrd a September callup, but it looks like his shot may come sooner than that. With Tim Wakefield's back acting up again, the Sox will send Byrd to the mound tomorrow night according to John Tomase of The Boston Herald.
- Sheldon Ocker of The Akron Beacon Journal takes an early look at some of the players that could help get the Indians back on track in 2010.
- The Marlins officially introduced first round pick Chad James to the masses this afternoon, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
Reactions to Kazmir Deal
The Scott Kazmir trade caught a few of us by surprise. Let's check out what the wider world of sports has to say about the move:
- Rob Neyer at ESPN says the Rays' rotation shuffle from Kazmir to Wade Davis cuts their playoff chances from 10 percent to 8 percent and opines, "Giving up two percent in exchange for three talented young players … well, on paper that's a move you'd be thrilled to make, every day of the week."
- Torii Hunter is happy he doesn't have to face Kazmir anymore, and he and his teammates are excited about the addition, reports Rhett Bollinger at MLB.com.
- Bill Shaikin at the L.A. Times believes Kazmir is "just what the Angels needed" and that his joining probably spells the end of the John Lackey era.
- Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman says money was not the primary reason for the deal, and he and Rays manager Joe Maddon express faith that the current crop of talent still keeps the team in contention, reports Marc Topkin at the St. Petersburg Times.
Angels Acquire Scott Kazmir
9:31pm: The deal was as expected, according to Bill Shaikin of The LA Times. The Angels get Kazmir in exchange for minor leaguers Torres and Sweeney, plus a PTBNL. The 25-yr old Kazmir is under contract for two more seasons, plus a team option for 2012. With 144 career starts under his belt, the southpaw has put up an impressive 3.92 ERA and 9.8 K/9 while honing his craft in the AL East, and he even has World Series experience.
9:21pm: And we finally have confirmation: Topkin says the Rays have made the trade official.
6:17pm: Man on the scene Marc Topkin hears that the Rays may also receive a player to be named later in addition to Torres and Sweeney.
5:59pm: It's the deal that just won't be made official. Topkin says there won't be a trade announcement made until after tonight's Rays-Tigers game in Detroit. Naturally, the game is in a rain delay.
5:00pm: Topkins tweets that the deal should be finalized within an hour.
4:40pm: Sherman says that no money is changing hands in the deal, so the Angels are absorbing the over $20MM owed to Kazmir over the next two years.
4:33pm: Joel Sherman of The NY Post hears from a source that the deal is done, and Kazmir is "definitely going to the Angels."
4:23pm: The original report from MLB.com's Lyle Spencer has been changed, and now says that the proposed deal has fallen through.
4:17pm: Topkin tweets that there still has been no confirmation of the trade, and that Kazmir is just walking around the clubhouse talking on his phone. I suspect that's not out of the ordinary, though.
3:59pm: Topkin now reports that manager Joe Maddon's usual pre-grame media session has been pushed back.
3:43pm: Marc Topkin reports that Kazmir remains in the Rays clubhouse. He hasn't been told anything about a trade and actually thought the writers who asked him about one were kidding.
3:34pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com and ESPN.com's Buster Olney confirm that the Angels are close to acquiring Kazmir. There's at least $23.5MM remaining on Kazmir's deal and Heyman says the Rays want to spend that on other players. Kazmir receives $800k if he's traded.
2:58pm: The Angels are close to acquiring Scott Kazmir from the Rays, according to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer. Spencer reports that the Rays are "on the verge" of sending Kazmir west for a pair of prospects, Alexander Torres and Matthew Sweeney.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Kazmir, Torres
My momma always said, "Odds & Ends posts are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get…"
- Joel Sherman of The NY Post says that the Yankees negotiated with then-free agent Paul Byrd earlier in the summer, but refused to meet his request of a guaranteed September call-up. Once the Red Sox signed Byrd, Yanks' brass assumed that they had agreed to Byrd's demand, and then claimed Chris Carter off waivers in hopes of creating some 40-man roster havoc for their main rival.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci provides some insight into why the Rays traded (or will trade, since we're still waiting on an official announcement) Scott Kazmir. He notes that while he is still very young, Kazmir's velocity has been dropping and his strikeout rate is declining.
- Alex Torres, one of the players involved in the Kazmir trade, was named one of this week's hottest prospects in Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet.
Odds And Ends: Oliver, Wolf, Penny
Links for Thursday morning…
- Darren Oliver doesn't know for sure if he'll play again next year, but he tells Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he's leaning towards returning for another season
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Mets made the wrong choice last winter, when they went after Oliver Perez instead of Randy Wolf, who has quietly out-performed Perez for less money.
- Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald wonders if Brad Penny could return to the Marlins, now that the Red Sox released him.
- Padres starter Clayton Richard has been outstanding since joining the Padres in the Jake Peavy trade, as Adam Rosenberg of MLB.com notes.
Angels Had Interest In Wagner; Still Looking
The Angels had interest in Billy Wagner before the Red Sox worked out a waiver trade to acquire the lefty from the Mets, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. The Angels may or may not have claimed Wagner- GM Tony Reagins wouldn't say- but the Red Sox, who have a worse record than LA, had priority regardless.
The Angels have an inexperienced group of relievers after Brian Fuentes and Darren Oliver, so Reagins said the club continues to monitor the waiver wire and explore possible trades.
Angels Rumors: Abreu, Reagins, Free Agency
Some Angels rumors, from around the league:
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, who says the Angels are the Yankees' biggest threat, spoke with Bobby Abreu and heard that he wants to return to LA next year.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan shows that the Angels, unlike most of their rivals, have managed to hold onto most of the players from their 2006 team.
- It's not a coincidence. GM Tony Reagins says the Angels hold onto the talent they acquire and try to avoid making drastic moves.
- The Angels will see Abreu, Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, Chone Figgins and others hit free agency after the season, so they have a franchise-defining winter coming up.
Draft Updates: Brewers, Rays, Yankees
Some more news on signings is trickling in — let's dig in:
- Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is hearing that the Brewers have essentially agreed to terms with 39th overall pick Kentrail Davis but aren't announcing it so as to not drive up the price of other picks before the deadline. There was a worry that the two sides weren't completely close earlier today. I understand the reasoning behind the secrecy, but doesn't this feel like something that needs to change? It's not like all of these contract figures have been on lockdown in the first place, and chances are they're not going to be in the future either.
- Jim Callis at Baseball America reports that the Rays awarded fifth-round pick Jeff Malm a bonus of $680k, about five times the slot recommendation for that selection.
- George A. King III at the New York Post says that the only obstacle in the way of Slade Heathcott and John Murphy becoming Yankees are their upcoming physicals. Heathcott and Murphy are the Yanks' first- and second-rounders, respectively.
- We know that the Angels have come to terms with Jake Locker, their 10th-round pick, on a $150k bonus. Locker is a top football prospect too, though, and he will reportedly be given free reign to pursue that career, says Jim Callis. Sounds like a pretty nice deal.