East Notes: Martin, Phillies, Blue Jays, Papelbon
A few links from around the NL East and AL East, where the Yankees and Nationals reside in first place at the All-Star break …
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman has no plans to acquire a catcher despite Russell Martin's struggles, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. "We have our catching," Cashman said. "I believe in Russell Martin, period."
- The Phillies are flirting with exceeding MLB's luxury-tax threshold of $178MM, which could affect their dealings with impending free agent Cole Hamels, who's also a potential trade candidate, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The looming threat of a luxury tax stifling a player's contract negotiations is something union chief Michael Wiener said he wouldn't be "happy about," but he understands it's part of the the collective bargaining agreement.
- The Blue Jays will have to pay a tax after overshooting the $2.9MM cap for signing international free agents that kicked in on July 2, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Toronto inked three of BA's top 20 international free agents.
- Former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said his Boston tenure all but ended when ex-manager Terry Francona's 2012 option was not picked up, leaving a managerial void the club would not fill till December, according to ESPNBoston.com. The Sox never made the right-hander an offer, Papelbon confirmed: "(The Red Sox) wanted to see if I could go out and test the market and maybe come back. I don't know if they would (have countered), but I don't go back. I go forward."
Quick Hits: Yankees, Orioles, Selig
Here are some links to read before the Home Run Derby begins, starting with last year's derby winner…
- The Yankees have had internal discussions about a long-term contract for Robinson Cano, Jack Curry of the YES Network writes. GM Brian Cashman acknowledges that the team has considered trying to lock the second baseman up to an extension. "Oh, yeah. But we haven't done it yet," Cashman said.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com suggests the Orioles should seek upgrades aggressively without parting with elite prospects Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado. Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette is working to add starting pitching between now and the end of July and names like Zack Greinke and Wandy Rodriguez have emerged as possibilities.
- Commissioner Bud Selig told reporters he's "very satisfied" with baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement so far, Eric Fisher of the Sports Business Journal tweets.
Quick Hits: Paul, Ross, Tanner, Wells, Martin
Let's check out some links as Saturday turns into Sunday..
- Outfielder Xavier Paul has signed with the Reds and will report to Triple-A Louisville, according to his agency Paragon Sports International on Twitter. Paul was granted free agency by the Nationals earlier this week.
- Cody Ross told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that he rejected a multi-year offer from the Braves to sign a one-year deal with the Red Sox this winter. Ross has a .275/.352/.560 slash line in 220 plate appearances this year.
- The Giants signed left-hander Clayton Tanner and assigned him to Triple-A after he was released by the Reds, according to the Fresno Grizzlies' tranactions page. Tanner, 24, spent several years in the Giants organization before being designated for assignment last summer.
- There is concern for the Angels that there could be distractions if Vernon Wells either grumbles about a lack of playing time upon his return or other players grumble about him taking at-bats away from Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Wells is set to earn $21MM in each season through 2014 and moving him would be far from easy.
- Russell Martin's slump this year could cost him a great deal of money, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The catcher is believed to have rejected a three-year, $24MM offer from the Yankees this offseason, instead choosing to bet on himself.
- Orioles General Manager Dan Duquette confirmed to Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com that the club won't be signing Korean high school pitcher Seong-Min Kim. The O's signing of Kim this winter got them in hot water with the Korean Baseball Association which led to their $550K agreement being voided.
AL East Notes: Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees
Midway through this year's 162-game schedule, all five American League East teams have winning records. The Yankees have the best winning percentage in baseball and the Orioles, Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays have all won more games than they've lost. Here are the latest AL East links…
- Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette estimates that the Orioles have had trade talks with "probably over half the teams," Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com reports. Duquette says he'd like to improve his team's rotation if possible. "We need to find a solution to our starting pitching," he said.
- Top prospects Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy are probably off-bounds in trade talks. “They look to be long-term solutions to help the Orioles," Duquette said.
- Dominican prospect Wendel Rijo agreed to sign with the Red Sox for $625K, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Yankees signed fifth round selection Robert Refsnyder for $206K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The right fielder has a good bat and a good arm, Callis adds.
- The Blue Jays announced that they signed 18th rounder Alonzo Gonzalez, 26th rounder Nathan Desouza and 37th rounder Daniel Devonshire.
Olney On Headley, Rangers, Branyan
The Padres’ most sought-after player may not be Huston Street or Carlos Quentin, Buster Olney writes in his latest column at ESPN.com. Here are the details from Olney:
- Chase Headley could be the most coveted player of the summer, Olney writes. The 28-year-old third baseman has a .372 on-base percentage, earns just $3.48MM this year and has two years of team control remaining after 2012. Some rival evaluators expect Headley’s power numbers would improve if he played at a more hitter-friendly park in a more potent lineup, Olney writes.
- The Dodgers, Pirates, Indians, Orioles and Diamondbacks are among the teams believed to have some interest in Headley, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported yesterday.
- The Phillies haven’t decided to trade Cole Hamels, but the Rangers are already viewed as favorites to acquire the left-hander should Philadelphia make him available.
- The Dodgers could consider Russell Branyan, Olney suggests. Branyan, who has 194 career MLB home runs, has 11 homers and a .302/.436/.660 batting line in 133 plate appearances for the Yankees' Triple-A team this year.
Rosenthal On Red Sox, Blue Jays, Greinke, A’s
We hear a lot of talk about buyers and sellers this time of year, but as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out in his latest column, some teams will do neither this summer and other teams will do both. Here are Rosenthal’s latest notes with less than four weeks to go before July 31st:
- The Red Sox could be positioned to trade an outfielder this month if their rehabbing players return as expected. Boston figures to pursue starting depth in trades; the Red Sox aren’t considering trades involving Josh Beckett.
- The Yankees will probably not sign Josh Hamilton or Cole Hamels this offseason, since they aim to avoid the MLB luxury tax by 2014 and that means cutting back on extravagant free agent signings.
- Under GM Frank Wren the Braves won more games while spending less money than every team but the Rays from 2009-11, Rosenthal notes.
- If the Blue Jays trade players on the brink of free agency such as Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson, they’d look to acquire players who can help them win next year. And if the Blue Jays don’t like what other teams are offering, they’ll keep their potential free agents. Toronto’s not likely to overpay in a “go for it” trade, Rosenthal writes.
- The Blue Jays aren’t trading Colby Rasmus, who has become more driven, according to a team official.
- Rosenthal suggests the Athletics could look to acquire players midseason if they stay in the playoff mix. Bartolo Colon is the player the A’s are most likely to trade, Rosenthal writes.
- The Mets are actively seeking relief help, but it’s highly doubtful they’d trade for Huston Street, who publicly criticized Mets bench coach Bob Geren last year. The Mets, who insist they won’t trade top prospects, are likely to wait until the end of the month before making any trades.
- The Cardinals wouldn’t be willing to meet the Brewers’ asking price for Zack Greinke, Rosenthal notes. St. Louis is more likely to pursue a mid-rotation starter.
- The Diamondbacks believe they need a third baseman more than a starting pitcher.
Minor Moves: Chuck James, Matt Antonelli
We'll track the latest minor moves here…
- Chuck James has indicated that the Mets released him from Triple-A Buffalo, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). The Mets signed the left-hander to a minor league deal in December and he posted a 4.57 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 18 appearances at Triple-A.
- The Yankees released infielder Matt Antonelli, the team announced on its website. The Yankees claimed Antonelli from the Orioles in May then removed him from their roster to create space for Chad Qualls this past Sunday. Antonelli, a 27-year-old former first round pick, posted a .203/.333/.294 batting line in 172 plate appearances at Triple-A this year.
Yankees Claim McDonald, Designate Schwinden
The Yankees acquired Darnell McDonald from the Red Sox, the outfielder announced on his personal Twitter account. The Yankees claimed McDonald off of waivers, Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger tweets. The team designated Chris Schwinden for assignment in a related move, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets.
The Red Sox designated McDonald for assignment after he posted a .214/.309/.369 batting line in 99 plate appearances this year. The 33-year-old can play all three outfield positions and has a .248/.313/.396 batting line in parts of six seasons with the Orioles, Twins, Reds and Red Sox. McDonald joins a Yankees outfield that includes, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Andruw Jones, Dewayne Wise and the injured Brett Gardner.
It's been a busy month for the 25-year-old Schwinden. The Blue Jays claimed him off of waivers from the Mets on June 2nd and the Indians claimed him off of waivers from Toronto four days later. Schwinden has a 4.31 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 14 starts for four Triple-A teams this year. He also appeared in three games for the Mets.
Yanks Have “No Intention Of Joining” Hamels Bidding
The Yankees are currently in wait-and-see mode despite injuries to both CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, though they could make a move for a starter before the trade deadline. ESPN's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter) that the team has "no intention of joining" the bidding for Cole Hamels unless the asking price diminishes dramatically, however.
Over the weekend we heard that the Phillies had started to gauge trade interest in their homegrown ace left-hander, and that they're looking for a package of four or five prospects with an emphasis on help at third base and in the outfield. Since the Yankees are aiming to get below the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014, trading prospects for the southpaw and then keeping him long-term may not be feasible.
Latest On Yankees’ Search For Pitching
The Yankees are in wait-and-see mode for now, but could pursue starting pitching before July 31st, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports write. With C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte on the disabled list, the Yankees’ rotation now includes Freddy Garcia and David Phelps.
Zack Greinke doesn’t interest the Yankees, who are concerned about how players will adjust to playing in New York. The Yankees could pursue Cole Hamels, but they aim to lower payroll below $189MM by 2014 to avoid the luxury tax, so keeping the left-hander long term wouldn’t be easy given the team’s existing commitments. The Yankees like Matt Garza and he may be their most realistic option if they’re willing to meet the Cubs’ steep asking price.