Yankees Acquire Ichiro Suzuki
A legendary figure in Seattle will be changing uniforms, but won't have to go farther than the visitors' clubhouse to join his new team. The Yankees, who are playing in Seattle tonight, have acquired Ichiro Suzuki and cash from the Mariners in exchange right-handers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar, the teams have confirmed.
Within the press release, Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln revealed that Ichiro requested the trade:
“Several weeks ago, Ichiro Suzuki, through his long time agent, Tony Attanasio, approached Chuck Armstrong and me to ask that the Mariners consider trading him. Ichiro knows that the club is building for the future, and he felt that what was best for the team was to be traded to another club and give our younger players an opportunity to develop."
The 38-year-old Ichiro has never known life outside of Seattle in the Major Leagues, but will jump from a last place team to a first place team as a result of the transaction. The two-time batting champion's production has tapered off considerably in recent years, and he's hitting just .261/.288/.353 this season. A move from the spacious Safeco Field to Yankee Stadium could very well help boost his offensive production, however.
Ichiro, who is a free agent following the 2012 season, is owed roughly $6.7MM of his $17MM salary. The Yankees will be responsible for $2.25MM of that salary, meaning the Mariners are including somewhere around $4.5MM to facilitate the deal. Baseball's new collective bargaining agreement prevents teams from acquiring compensatory draft picks for players who didn't spend the entirety of the season on their roster. In other words, Ichiro is strictly a rental.
The Yankees' interest likely picked up when Brett Gardner suffered another setback in his rehab. Because Ichiro has 10-and-5 rights, he had the chance to veto this trade, but approved a deal to the Yanks. Mitchell is on the Yankees' 40-man roster, but Farquhar is not, which means the Mariners will not have to make a corresponding move.
Mitchell, 25, has appeared in four games for the Yankees this season, pitching to a 3.86 ERA in 4 2/3 innings. In 85 2/3 career Triple-A innings, he has a 3.81 ERA with a 6.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. The Yankees selected him out of Clemson University in the 10th round of the 2008 draft.
The 25-year-old Farquhar was taken just 11 picks earlier in the same draft, by the Blue Jays. He spent time in the Jays and Athletics organizations this season, and was claimed off waivers by the Yankees on June 26 after the A's designated him for assignment. Farquhar owns a 4.65 ERA in 69 2/3 Triple-A innings, where he's posted a 7.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.
Jack Curry of the YES Network first broke the news (on Twitter), and Joel Sherman of the New York Post added details surrounding the money that was exchanged (Twitter link).
Quick Hits: Upton, Red Sox, Yankees, Dempster
The Yankees have inquired on Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton and Joel Sherman of the New York Post opines that GM Brian Cashman should make it happen. Sherman argues that three of their best trades of the past two decades involved landing outfielders in their 20s who had fallen out of favor with their clubs: Paul O’Neill, Curtis Granderson, and Nick Swisher. Upton would fit the profile as some in the D'Backs organization have questioned his heart and motivation. Here's more from around baseball..
- With the Red Sox possibly eyeing some major acquisitions before the deadline, Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal runs down the movable pieces and the near untouchables in their farm system.
- One National League official told Ken Davidoff of Newsday (via Twitter) that he expects Ryan Dempster of the Cubs to be the "first domino to fall", followed by the Twins' Francisco Liriano.
- The new collective bargaining agreement and the altered free agent compensation system has made this year's deadline harder to figure out that most, writes Tim Britton of The Providence Journal.
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) opines that while the Astros' purge might make sense from a baseball perspective, it is harmful from a business perspective as it will turn off a large section of fans.
Quick Hits: Yankees, Span, Giants, Cardinals, Mets
Some links from around the league as Saturday turns into Sunday…
- With Brett Gardner out for the year, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says the Yankees have called the Phillies about Shane Victorino, the Diamondbacks about Justin Upton, and the Twins about Denard Span. "The Twins are asking for a ton (for Span)," he hears.
- The Giants are in the market for bullpen help according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). He says Jonathan Broxton of the Royals could be a possible fit.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said his team has both short and long-term payroll flexibility and will likely seek bullpen help at the deadline according to the AP (via ESPN). He indicated that he is open to trading within the division as long as a top prospect isn't involved.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters (including Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger) that the presumption is his team will be buyer before the deadline (Twitter link). The next 7-10 days will dictate their moves, however.
Yankees Have Some Interest In Rick Ankiel
The Yankees have some interest in picking up Rick Ankiel according to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post (on Twitter). Earlier this week we heard that they didn't have any interest in the outfielder, but Brett Gardner is out for the year with an elbow issue and Nick Swisher left last night's game with a leg problem.
Ankiel, 33, was designated for assignment by the Nationals a few days ago. He hit .228/.282/.411 with five homers in 171 plate appearances this season, including .237/.299/.437 in 148 plate appearances against righties. Ankiel signed a one-year deal worth $1.25MM with Washington this past offseason.
AL East Links: Orioles, Yankees, Victorino, Red Sox
The Blue Jays are the only team in the AL East with a losing record and they're only one game under .500. The Yankees have a healthy eight-game lead but the Orioles, Rays, Red Sox, and Jays are all within three games of a Wild Card spot. With ten days until the trade deadline, here's the latest from baseball's deepest division…
- "We're still looking around … I'm not really interested in making a trade just to make a trade, but I'll try to do what I can to add to the ballclub," said Orioles GM Dan Duquette to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The O's acquired Omar Quintanilla yesterday to add depth following Brian Roberts' injury.
- Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun expects the Orioles to make another trade or two prior to the deadline. He doubts they'll sell low on Jake Arrieta or Brian Matusz and says Duquette could target a hitter over a pitcher in a significant deal.
- The Yankees remain in contact with teams dangling bullpen pieces according to George A. King III of The New York Post, though Joba Chamberlain could be activated off the DL before the end of the month.
- Kevin Kernan of The New York Post makes a case for the Yankees to acquire Shane Victorino following the news of Brett Gardner's likely season-ending elbow surgery.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier looked at the Red Sox's rotation and Josh Beckett in particular leading up to the trade deadline.
AL East Notes: Shields, Rays, Blue Jays, Orioles
Several teams, including the Tigers and Angels, had scouts in attendance for Rays right-hander James Shields' start against Seattle today, write Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Red Sox, Yankees, Pirates, Giants, and Blue Jays also had scouts on hand, indicating that Shields could be a hot commodity as the deadline approaches. As for Detroit, sources say that the Tigers have had interest in Shields for years and could ply him away with catching prospects Rob Brantly and James McCann. The Rays aren't necessarily shopping Shields but GM Andrew Friedman will listen to offers on him as well as Jeremy Hellickson, Alex Cobb, and Wade Davis, sources say. Here's more out of the AL East..
- As you might imagine, the ten-player deal between the Blue Jays and Astros wasn't exactly easy to put together. Houston GM Jeff Luhnow told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter) that he had 20 conversations with Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos last night alone.
- Orioles GM Dan Duquette told reporters, including Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun that he's on the lookout for high on-base percentage hitters. “Hopefully, [Omar Quintanilla] is a good on-base man. Take a look at his OBP capabilities with the Mets. He was good. We hope he brings the same [thing] with us. … "[But] we are looking at our on-base capabilities. No question. We need to do a better job with that," Duquette said.
- Anthopoulos told reporters that the two teams will work out the player to be named later in the trade by the end of August, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.
Yankees Notes: Ankiel, Pierre, Wandy, Figueroa
It was on this day in 1961 that commissioner Ford Frick suggested that "a distinctive mark" would be placed on a new home run record if a player eclipsed Babe Ruth's then-record of 60 homers in more than 154 games (the length of Ruth's season in 1927). Though no such notation ever used in any sort of official record, it was still popularly believed that Frick and Major League Baseball had asterisked Roger Maris' 61-homer season.
Here's the latest from Yankee Stadium…
- The Yankees don't have interest in Juan Pierre or Rick Ankiel, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter links). The Bombers' search for outfield help will intensify with the news that Brett Gardner will undergo arthroscopic elbow surgery, though Gardner's agent Joe Bick says Gardner still hopes to return this season, reports Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
- Wandy Rodriguez is "not even on [the Yankees'] radar," a source tells Marc Carig (Twitter link). The Yankees reportedly had scouts on hand to watch Rodriguez pitch on Wednesday.
- The Yankees have released right-hander Nelson Figueroa, according to Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times-Tribune (passed on by Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog). Figueroa, 38, signed a minor league deal with New York in April and had a 3.96 ERA in 17 Triple-A games, nine of them starts.
- Darnell McDonald has cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A, reports Collins. The Yankees designated McDonald for assignment on Tuesday to create roster space for C.C. Sabathia's return from the disabled list.
East Notes: Rays, Infante, Ankiel, Moyer
On average, the ten teams in baseball's two East divisions are four games over .500. Here’s the latest from the two divisions…
- Rays president Matt Silverman says MLB needs to make significant changes to its economic structure, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. “We have advocated for meaningful change, especially when it comes to addressing the dramatic imbalances in our game,” Silverman said. “Meaningful change has not occurred.” The Rays were one of two eligible teams that didn’t obtain an additional draft pick in yesterday’s competitive balance lottery. Silverman called the picks “trifling.”
- The Tigers have barely obtained any offensive production from second base this year, so John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press discusses the possibility of a reunion with Omar Infante in light of yesterday's report linking the Tigers to the Marlins infielder.
- The Nationals recently asked a Mets person if they'd have interest in Rick Ankiel, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). The Nationals believe the recently-designated Ankiel is a Major League caliber player and they expect him to be picked up by another club, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). Peter Gammons of MLB Network suggests on Twitter that Ankiel would be a "great fit" for the Yankees.
- Jamie Moyer intends to continue pitching, Tom Mahon of the Philadelphia Daily News reports. "I'm not retired," Moyer said, adding that his agent is working to find a fit for him. Moyer, 49, has been a free agent since the Blue Jays released him two weeks ago.
Olney On Royals, Red Sox, Dempster
The Royals' rotation has a 5.42 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 this year, and they're averaging barely five innings per start. As ESPN.com’s Buster Olney explains, the Royals are perusing the market for starting pitchers who could help now and in the future. Here are the details:
- The Royals have indicated to other teams that they believe they’re about two years away from being serious contenders. They’re looking for starters who could be obtained now and kept for a couple more seasons.
- The Red Sox are also more interested in adding long-term pieces than two-month rentals, Olney writes. While there’s no indication the Red Sox are willing to trade Jon Lester, some wonder whether the left-hander would benefit from a change of scenery.
- One GM suggested Ryan Dempster would be better off avoiding trades to American League teams this summer. Dempster, a lifelong National Leaguer, can veto any trade. An agent agreed that Dempster would be better off in a pitcher-friendly environment. "If he gets hit hard, it'll cost him," the agent told Olney. The Dodgers are viewed as the favorites to acquire Dempster, who will hit free agency after the season.
- Olney suggests Nate Schierholtz could be a nice addition for the Yankees. The Giants outfielder has said he’d be open to a trade.
Quick Hits: Greinke, Hunter, Ruggiano, Marlins
Here's the latest from around the league as Wednesday turns into Thursday…
- There doesn't appear to have been much contract dialogue between the Brewers and Zack Greinke, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. As of today, there is no evidence that a formal offer has been made even though we heard last week that the team was prepared to make one.
- Torii Hunter told Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times that he's willing to take a big paycut to return to the Angels next season. Hunter is in the final year of his five-year, $90MM deal. If things don't work out with the Halos, the outfielder said he would consider playing for the Yankees, Rangers, or Dodgers. Retirement would be an option as well.
- The Marlins have no intention of trading Justin Ruggiano, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). The 30-year-old outfielder is hitting .368/.440/.705 in 111 plate appearances for Miami this season.
- Frisaro also notes (on Twitter) that the Marlins are not dangling Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Reyes, or Mark Buehrle. Yesterday we heard that the team could become sellers if they don't turn things around in the coming weeks.
- The Yankees, Tigers, and Royals were all on hand to watch Wandy Rodriguez get knocked around by the Padres this afternoon according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. The left-hander remains available before the trade deadline.