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NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Freese, Brewers, Bard

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The NL Central features a pair of matchups this afternoon each at a different end of the spectrum. The division-leading Cardinals are hosting the Pirates and lead Pittsburgh by one-half game while the Brewers and Cubs are at Wrigley Field battling to avoid the cellar. The Brewers sit in fourth place by only one game. In other news and notes from the NL Central:

  • The first place Cardinals can thank their deep farm system (especially in terms of pitching reinforcements) for their place in the standings, but it has had a ripple effect throughout the entire system, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Bernie Miklasz, Goold's colleague at the Post-Dispatch, agrees the Cardinals' young talent has been a tremendous resource; but, with Allen Craig nursing a sprained foot, the club will turn to a grizzled playoff veteran: David Freese.
  • The Brewers have a glaring hole at first base with seven different players starting there this season, but Juan Francisco's audition to win the job for 2014 hasn't gone well, opines Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Since a two-home run, four-RBI game against the Rangers on August 14, Francisco has slumped with only seven hits in 44 at bats (.159), two RBIs, and 23 strikeouts.
  • In an recent online chat, Rosiak explained trading either Yovani Gallardo or Kyle Lohse this offseason wouldn't make sense because it would create more holes in a rotation which already doesn't have enough proven arms.
  • Within that same chat, Rosiak can envision the Brewers cutting ties with Rickie Weeks citing the recent examples of Bill Hall, Jeff Suppan, and Randy Wolf. Rosiak notes those three cases occurred in the final year of their contracts, which is what Weeks is entering in 2014.
  • Right-hander Daniel Bard, claimed on waivers by the Cubs last Wednesday, threw his second bullpen session today, but there is still no timetable for him to see any game action, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.  "It’d be nice to see but it’s his timetable and we’ll evaluate and we’ll find out how he’s doing and how he’s feeling," said manager Dale Sveum. Bard is eligible for arbitration this winter.
  • Earlier today, the Cubs designated infielder Cody Ransom for assignment to create roster space for right-hander Scott Baker, who is making his first MLB appearance in two years.  

Quick Hits: Rodriguez, Middlebrooks, Mariners, Haren

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To round out the evening, here are a few links …

  • The Red Sox had an opportunity to acquire reliever Francisco Rodriguez from the Brewers, reports CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler, but were unwilling to give up young third baseman Will Middlebrooks to do so. Leaving Rodriguez go to the division-rival Orioles, GM Ben Cherington determined that Middlebrooks could still contribute to the team this season. Of course, he has done just that, posting an excellent .972 OPS since being recalled on August 10th.
  • Mariners manager Eric Wedge says that his team has "a lot of guys that have a good chance to be good ballplayers," reports Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, but says he is not sure "we have any superstars." Wedge went on to praise the organization's "volume" of talent. Though intended as a compliment, says Baker, these comments make clear that the team needs to jettison its "risk-averse financial approach" and act boldly on the free agent market to produce a real contender.
  • Nationals' starter Dan Haren had a second straight disastrous outing today, once more failing to hang in past the third inning. While Haren had a chance to end his rocky season on a consistent high note after a solid run through much of July and August, his free agent value seems unlikely to make a real recovery at this point. It will be interesting to see how the market values once-excellent starters like Haren, Josh Johnson, and Roy Halladay, each of whom have suffered through miserable seasons in their walk years.

Quick Hits: Hughes, Tanaka, Angels, Infante

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A change of scenery could allow Phil Hughes to be more like the pitcher everyone thought he would be in 2007, but it's unlikely the Yankees will ever see that pitcher, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.  Hughes could be given a qualifying offer this winter, but it seems more likely that this stage that the Bombers will simply let him walk rather than risk being on the hook for nearly $14MM.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • The Rangers aren't expected to make the same kind of push for Masahiro Tanaka that they did for Yu Darvish prior to the 2012 season, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. Though they've scouted the right-hander, the Rangers don't see Tanaka as being a Darvish-caliber pitcher at the present. As Sullivan notes, Darvish had a 1.99 ERA in seven seasons in Japan, averaging 2.4 BB/9 and 8.9 K/9. Tanaka's Japanese stats - 2.32 ERA in seven seasons, 1.9 BB/9 and 8.5 K/9 – are similar, but reports suggest he doesn't have Darvish's overpowering fastball.
  • In an article for ESPN Insider, Dan Szymborski examines MLB teams that have seen large drop-offs in a recent update to ESPN's Future Power Rankings scoring system, which projects overall franchise strength for the next five seasons. The Angels top the list following disappointing seasons by Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, but it's too early to declare that Pujols won't return to being an offensive contributor, Szymborski says. He also advises that the club make a play for free-agent pitchers such as Matt Garza or Hiroki Kuroda this offseason to bolster a struggling rotation. The Blue Jays, Brewers, Nationals and Reds round out the list.
  • Omar Infante's new agent, Gene Mato, negotiated Anibal Sanchez's big five-year, $80MM deal with the Tigers this winter, MLB.com's Jason Beck notes. With a .319/.346/.453 line this year, Mato's new client could emerge as one of this offseason's top middle infielders, potentially complicating matters for the Tigers. Hernan Perez, 22, could be in line to inherit Detroit's second base job, but he may not be ready to do so by next season, Beck says.

Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

Top Prospect Promotions: Paxton, Nelson, Schoop

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Check here for today's promotions of top prospects around baseball….

  • The Mariners have called up left-hander James Paxton, Don Ruiz of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.  Paxton, 24, was ranked before the season as one of the game's top prospects by MLB.com (57th) and Baseball America (#87) and he has posted a 4.45 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 2.26 K/BB rate over 145 2/3 innings in his first taste of Triple-A this year.  The southpaw is the second top M's pitching prospect this week to receive a promotion, after Taijuan Walker.  Paxton is under team control through the 2019 campaign and he'll have to be added to Seattle's 40-man roster.
  • The Brewers have called up right-hander Jimmy Nelson, manager Ron Roenicke told reporters (including MLB.com's Adam McCalvy).  Nelson, a second-rounder from the 2010 draft, has been a starter for the last three seasons but the Crew will use him as a reliever.  MLB.com ranked Nelson as the top prospect in the Brewers system and the 88th-best prospect overall, saying that the 24-year-old has "a heavy fastball that elicits ground balls and sits in the low 90s."  Nelson posted a 3.25 ERA, 9.6 K/9 and 2.51 K/BB rate in 27 starts at Double-A and Triple-A this season, though he didn't perform quite as well at Triple-A.  Since he's being called up at this late date in the season, Nelson won't gain Super Two status and will be under team control through 2019.
  • The Orioles have called up middle infielder Jonathan Schoop, according to David Hall of the Virginian Pilot (Twitter link).  Schoop was ranked as the 50th-best prospect in baseball by ESPN's Keith Law (ESPN insider subscription required) before the season and MLB.com ranks him as the fourth-best prospect in the Baltimore organization.  Schoop, 21, hails from Curacao and has gradually evolved from a shortstop to a second baseman over his five minor league seasons could possibly be Brian Roberts' replacement at the position in the Major Leagues.  Schoop was limited to 285 PA at Triple-A Norfolk this season due to a stress fracture in his back, and he hit .255/.298/.397 with nine homers for the Tides.  He will be under team control through 2019, as Schoop's late callup won't give him Super Two status.  Besides Schoop, the O's have also called up Henry Urrutia and right-hander Josh Stinson.
  • As expected, the Reds have purchased the contract of outfielder Billy Hamilton, according to a tweet from his now-former club, the Triple-A Louisville Bats. Hamilton currently stands as the 17th-best prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. The 22-year-old burner has scuffled somewhat in his first season at Triple-A, seeing his on-base percentage drop to a career-low .308 mark and carrying a .651 OPS. Nevertheless, he has swiped 75 bases in 90 attempts, added some pop (he has a career-best six home runs), and transitioned from shortstop to center field. Baseball Prospectus has a full scouting report on Hamilton (subscription required) as he reaches the bigs for the first time.
  • The White Sox have brought up two of the organization's top prospects, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com tweets. In addition to well-regarded youngster Marcus Semien, the club has purchased the contract of righty Erik Johnson, who John Sickels of Minor League Ball ranks as the 76th-best prospect in the game. Though he missed the top-100 list of MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo, Johnson did appear at the number two slot among White Sox prospects, with Mayo explaining that he has the repertoire to become a mid-rotation starter. The 23-year-old has an excellent 1.57 ERA over 57 1/3 innings since reaching Triple-A, where he maintains a 8.9 K/9 ratio against 3.0 BB/9.

Quick Hits: Waiver Trades, Hamilton, Blazek, Bard

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Twins GM Terry Ryan says he has no qualms about blocking potential August trades by making waiver claims, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes (via Twitter). Ryan says he was surprised that Marlon Byrd — who's having a strong season and makes a paltry $700K — made it all the way through waivers until the Pirates claimed him. The Reds, for example, had waiver priority on the Pirates and might well have chosen to claim Byrd, both because Byrd would have cheaply improved their own team and also to prevent the rival Pirates from getting him. Here are more notes from around baseball.

  • The Cardinals are the first big-league team that will have to figure out how to stop Billy Hamilton of the Reds, Max Schmetzer of MLB.com writes. Of course, that means that the basestealing phenom will have to battle against Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. "We have film on [Hamilton]," says Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. "We're not going to ask the pitchers to be quicker on him or the catchers to throw quicker." Before the season, Hamilton was ranked the No. 20 prospect in baseball by Baseball America and No. 30 by ESPN's Keith Law. Even in a disappointing 2013 season, Hamilton managed to swipe 75 bases for Triple-A Louisville.
  • Reliever Michael Blazek spent several days in "limbo" before being shipped from the Cardinals to the Brewers in the John Axford deal, Adam McCalvy and Kevin Massoth of MLB.com write. The Cards technically optioned Blazek to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, but he was actually just waiting in his hotel in St. Louis, presumably to be called up when rosters expanded on Sunday. Instead, in his third day away from the team, he learned he was headed to Milwaukee.
  • Daniel Bard was recently designated for assignment by the Red Sox, but claiming him on waivers could be a tricky proposition, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. That's because the claiming team would have to decide by early December whether to take Bard to arbitration, where he would receive a minimum of about $1.5MM next year. That might be a lot to pay a player who appears to be nowhere near the pitcher he was in 2009 through 2011, when he was a solid relief option.

Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

Cardinals Acquire John Axford

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SUNDAY: Blazek is indeed the player who will go to Milwaukee in exchange for Axford, Haudricourt tweets. The Brewers have confirmed the transaction in a press release adding Blazek will join the club tomorrow.

SATURDAY: Reliever Michael Blazek may be the PTBNL, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. The Cardinals optioned Blazek, 24, to their Triple-A affiliate on Thursday, but he never reported to the team. According to Haudricourt, he was probably told to wait and see if he clears waivers and is moved to Milwaukee in the deal.

The right-handed Blazek threw 10.1 innings for the Cardinals this season in his first taste of the big leagues, posting a miserable 6.97 ERA. However, he was much better in 45 2/3 minor league innings, compiling a 1.97 ERA across stops at Double-A and Triple-A. If Blazek is claimed by either the Marlins or the Cubs – the only two NL clubs with worse records than the Brewers - the Cardinals would likely pull Blazek back and complete the trade at the end of the season, Haudricourt says.

FRIDAY, 10:56am: Brewers GM Doug Melvin told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that the player will be announced next week but wouldn't divulge whether he is a pitcher or position player. Melvin added that there's no cash in the deal, meaning the Cardinals are assuming all of Axford's salary (Twitter link).

10:03am: The Brewers announced, via press release, that they have traded right-hander John Axford to the Cardinals. The Cardinals also announced the trade, via Twitter, adding that they will send a player to be named later to Milwaukee.  Axford

Axford, 30, has a 4.45 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 43.8 percent ground-ball rate in 54 2/3 innings for the Brewers this season. He lost the closer's role almost immediately this season and saw his ERA soar over 10.00 but rebounded in May, June and most of July. His struggles have returned of late, as he's allowed runs in seven of his past 13 appearances, pitching to an 8.25 ERA in that time.

Axford is earning $5MM in 2013 after avoiding arbitration for the first time this past offseason. Of that $5MM, roughly $847K remains. As a Super Two player, Axford will be eligible for arbitration three more times and can be controlled through the 2016 season.

In Axford, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak has acquired a flamethrowing righty that served as the Brewers' closer for nearly three full seasons. He posted a 3.04 ERA with 11.4 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and 105 saves in 201 innings for the Brew Crew from 2010-12. Despite his struggles this season, he's still averaging 95.2 mph on his fastball, which is very close to his career mark of 95.5 mph.

We heard last night that the Brewers were looking to trade one of their relievers in advance of Saturday, which is the deadline for acquired players to be eligible for postseason play with their new teams. Shorty before the trade, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that the Cardinals may be open to adding a reliever from outside the organization to help a bullpen that has been taxed in the season's second half. Earlier this morning, we speculated that Axford might be a fit for the Cardinals on MLBTR's Facebook page.

Goold also tweeted that this is the first trade between the Brewers and Cardinals since 2003. On Aug. 27 of that year, the Brewers traded right-hander Mike DeJean to the Cards for a PTBNL that ended up being Mike Crudale.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Brewers Outright Mark Rogers

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We'll keep track of tonight's outright assignments here..

  • The Brewers announced that they have outrighted Mark Rogers off of their 40-man roster, setting him up for minor league free agency. The former No. 5 overall pick has had injury trouble for some time and hasn't been able to put it all together. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter link) says that Rogers has been healthy as of late and even hit 93 mph in his last start for the club's high-A affiliate, but wasn't being considered for a September call-up. However, assistant GM Gord Ash says the door isn't completely closed to a return (link). Rogers was ranked as a top 100 prospect by Baseball America in 2005 and 2006.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Trade Notes: Morse, Axford, Kubel

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With the post-season eligibility deadline at midnight tonight, the August revocable waiver trade market is coming to a close. We just saw a big trade go down with Justin Morneau heading to Pittsburgh, and could still see more action over the afternoon and evening. One situation to keep an eye on is the possibility of the Red Sox going after a reliever, although the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham tweets that nothing is in the works for Boston at the moment.

In the meantime, let's round up some links on the recently completed deals:

  • The Orioles ultimately found Michael Morse to be "a little better fit" than Josh Willingham, GM Dan Duquette told reporters including MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko, leading the team to pull the trigger on his acquisition. "Morse has a big, physical presence and has some power, and hopefully he can bounce back and have a good month," said Duquette. "He has experience and he's been to the playoffs. Those are all good things."
  • Morse's former manager with the Nationals, Davey Johnson, noted that he "shudder[s] to think" about the impact Morse could have hitting in Camden Yards, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. "That ballpark is made for him," said Johnson. "He's that right-center hitter, and that's the jet stream. He's a good fit there."
  • The Cardinals and Brewers were talking all week about a deal and swapping names before settling on the trade that sent reliever John Axford to St. Louis, reports Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Manager Mike Matheny explained: "There's a lot of experience there, a lot of upside. It's hard to forget that two years ago this guy was one of the top relievers in the game."
  • Don't look for any more players to depart Milwaukee via trade, according to a tweet from Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. GM Doug Melvin says that the team is likely to stand pat after nabbing a player to be named later and clearing some cash in the Axford deal. 
  • After picking up struggling outfielder Jason Kubel, the Indians now face the question of how to use him. As Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports, manager Terry Francona praised GM Chris Antonetti for "trying to help us," but did not seem clear about how Kubel would be deployed. Francona says he first needs "to see how healthy [Kubel] is for the outfield," but did indicate that the 31-year-old could see some time at DH, sharing duties with fellow lefty Jason Giambi. "We love having G [Giambi] do what he does, but he can't do it every day," Francona explained. "It will be nice to have another bat here. If he gets hot, or gets a couple of big hits, it certainly isn't going to hurt anything." Of course, as low-average, low-speed, power-first, defensively-limited left-handed hitters, Kubel and GIambi seem somewhat redundant at this point if one of them does not regularly play in the field.

Brewers Looking To Trade Reliever

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The Brewers are working to trade one of the team's relievers before Saturday's post-season roster deadline, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter). Nothing is expected to be announced tonight, however.

As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes explained earlier this month, the Brewers have several bullpen assets that are August trade candidates. Two righties, John Axford and Burke Badenhop, could be candidates. Axford, a 30-year-old former closer, is making $5MM this season and carries a 4.45 ERA to go with a 8.9 K/9 rate that is a step down from his career numbers. Axford does come with three more years of team control, but he would have to be considered a strong non-tender candidate. Badenhop, who is on a $1.55MM deal and will enter his final season of arbitration eligibility in 2014, is not a power pitcher but has an above-average 3.17 K/BB ratio to go with his 3.75 ERA this year.  

Lefty Mike Gonzalez, who signed a $2.25MM one-year deal in the off-season, is another possibility. He has scuffled to a 4.34 ERA, but does sport an excellent 11.0 K/9 and filled a big role for the Nationals down the stretch last year. He has been more effective against lefties than righties this year, though the .258/.327/.413 line he has surrendered to left-handers hardly qualifies him as a shut-down southpaw.

Placed On Waivers: Gallardo, Morse, Bell, Lopez

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Here's Monday's list of players that have been placed on revocable trade waivers…

  • Yovani Gallardo — Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter) reports that Gallardo has been placed on waivers by the Brewers.  The starter drew interest this summer as a player who could help not just for 2013, but beyond, as he is under contract for $11.25MM next season with a $13MM club option for 2015.  Gallardo is having a down year, but he has had two strong starts against the Reds this month since coming off of the DL.  For his career, Gallardo owns a 3.76 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.
  • Mike Morse — Rosenthal also reports that Morse was placed on waivers by the Mariners.  Morse's teammate, Kendrys Morales, was claimed off of waivers earlier today, giving Seattle two bats to dangle to interested clubs.  Will either player be moved?  We can surmise that the M's held on to impending free agents like Morse, Morales, and Raul Ibanez with the idea of retaining them beyond this season.  On the year, Morse owns a .227/.282/.414 slash line with 13 homers in 301 plate appearances – down from his career line of .285/.338/.480.
  • Heath Bell — Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Bell, 35, has been placed on waivers. He came to the Diamondbacks from the Marlins this offseason in a three-team trade that also included the A's. Bell has rebounded, to an extent, from a rough 2012 season that saw him post a 5.09 ERA in his only season with the Marlins. He's pitched to a 3.88 ERA with 10.0 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 41.9 percent ground-ball rate. His HR/FB ratio is at a sky-high 17.2 percent, which has bloated his ERA. xFIP predicts that with a league-average HR/FB rate (roughly 11 percent), Bell would have an ERA of 3.05. His K/BB numbers and the fluky nature of high HR/FB rates suggest he's in for some improvement in the ERA department, but he's under contract for $9MM this season and again in 2014. The Marlins are picking up $8MM of that salary, but he'd be an expensive acquisition. I'd expect Bell to clear waivers.
  • Javier Lopez — Heyman also tweets that the 36-year-old Lopez has been placed on waivers by the Giants. Lopez has a masterful 1.99 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a monstrous 64 percent ground-ball rate. He drew significant interest from multiple teams prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. San Francisco GM Brian Sabean reportedly had exorbitant asking price at the time, seeking top prospect Danny Salazar from the Indians in exchange for Lopez. A free agent at season's end, Lopez is owed roughly $813K over the remainder of the year and seems likely to be claimed.

For a reminder on how revocable trade waivers and August trades work, check out MLBTR's August trades primer. You can see who is available to be traded to any team by checking MLBTR's list of players who have cleared waivers.  Zach Links contributed to this post.

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