NL Central Notes: Garcia, Pujols, Pirates, Cozart
The Brewers acquired C.C. Sabathia on this date in 2008. The left-hander strung together one dominant outing after another and led Milwaukee to its first postseason series since 1982. Here's the latest from the NL Central as we await this summer's first blockbuster deal…
- When asked about the possibility of signing a contract extension with the Cardinals, Jaime Garcia told B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com (on Twitter): "I'm not saying yes or no, but if something is going on, when the time comes, you guys will find out."
- Now that he has made an exceptionally quick return from the disabled list, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols looms as the biggest potential difference-maker in the division, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains.
- Manager Clint Hurdle told Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Pirates discussed some external options yesterday, when management met to determine its plan for summer roster moves.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he isn’t going to make moves for the sake of shaking things up.
- Fay points out that someone named Zack Cozart is registered at the Reds’ team hotel (Twitter link). Though it could be a coincidence, it seems likely that the shortstop prospect is getting the call to the big leagues.
Quick Hits: Pirates, Mariners, Rangers
Links for Wednesday…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports that Pirates GM Neal Huntington led a meeting today that focused on the team's outlook leading up to the trade deadline. Part of the meeting revolved around internal pieces, specifically players due to come off the disabled list soon.
- The Mariners announced in a press release that they've signed fourth rounder John Hicks, a catcher from Virginia. MLB's slot recommendation for the 123rd pick is approximately $234K.
- The Rangers have signed Dominican right-hander Pedro Payano according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (on Twitter). He received a $650K bonus.
Pirates Considering Summer Acquisitions
The 45-41 Pirates are in second place in the NL Central and, for the first time in a long time, they could be buyers this summer. Manager Clint Hurdle told Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune Tribune-Review that team management will meet today to determine what moves to make this month.
"We're just trying to be smart with the moves we make," Hurdle said. "We want to make sure we bring in a good skill-set that fits in the clubhouse as well."
The Pirates have ten players on the disabled list, including Joe Beimel, Ross Ohlendorf, Ryan Doumit, Chris Snyder, Pedro Alvarez, Ronny Cedeno and Jose Tabata, so Hurdle believes help could come from within. If some injured Pirates return later in the season, the team could improve without forfeiting prospects or taking on salary.
Looking Back At The Pirates’ Last Playoff Run
It’s been a while since the Pirates were relevant. Top Pittsburgh prospect Jameson Taillon was less than one year old when the Pirates last posted a winning record in 1992. A generation of Pittsburgh sports fans has had to rely on the city’s football and hockey teams for excitement.
Some things haven’t changed in the last 19 years – members of the '92 Pirates like Miguel Batista, Tim Wakefield and manager Jim Leyland are still around – but it’s been long enough that we aren’t used to the possibility that Pittsburgh could be a buyer at the trade deadline. The 45-41 Pirates are now legitimately in contention, so it’s time to entertain the notion that GM Neal Huntington will be looking to add Major Leaguers rather than prospects this month.
The last time the Pirates made the playoffs, GM Ted Simmons completed a pair of midseason trades that helped deliver Pittsburgh to its third consecutive NLCS. First, Simmons sent minor leaguer Tony Mitchell to the Indians for speedy outfielder Alex Cole on July 4th. A week later, the Pirates sent third baseman Steve Buechele to the Cubs for left-hander Danny Jackson.
Looking back, it’s easy to see that the deals helped Leyland’s Pirates to a 96-win season. But at the time, they weren’t considered blockbusters.
“I would consider them trades that no one was even paying attention to,” said Simmons, who is now a senior advisor to Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik.
Simmons knew Cole as a strong defender who could get on base, and wanted to add him to a Pirates outfield that already featured Andy Van Slyke in center field and Barry Bonds in left. Cole became an everyday player for the Pirates, posting a .278/.335/.361 line down the stretch, and Mitchell, the prospect he was traded for, never made it to the Major Leagues.
Jackson appealed to the Pirates, who wanted to add a southpaw to their rotation, yet Simmons wasn't completely confident in the left-hander's health. After scouting Jackson in depth, the Pirates were convinced that the former first rounder and 20 game winner had recovered from earlier injuries and regained his form. Fifteen starts later, Jackson had a 3.36 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 for Pittsburgh.
Though the deals worked out well for Simmons and the Pirates in 1992, circumstances could not be more different this summer. Few expected the Pirates to be in contention before this season and now that they have a chance to end their streak of losing seasons at 18, ownership may push for an attempt at a playoff run.
Huntington could follow Simmons’ example and make modest acquisitions for the pennant race, or he could even look to supplement his roster with splashier trades. As long as the Pirates continue contending, Pittsburgh’s current GM will have the support of one of his predecessors.
“Everybody’s rooting for the Pirates,” Simmons told MLBTR. “Everybody – including me."
Minor Moves: Cesar Valdez
Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…
- The Pirates announced that they traded right-hander Cesar Valdez to the Marlins for cash or a player to be named later. It wasn't long ago that Valdez was a PTBNL himself. The D'Backs sent him to Pittsburgh in December to complete the deal that sent Zach Duke to Arizona. Valdez, who pitched 20 innings for the D'Backs last year, has spent this year at Triple-A. The 26-year-old has a 3.86 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 42 innings at Indianapolis.
Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Harden, Dodgers, Ring
Some links for Sunday afternoon…
- Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets that All-Star Joel Hanrahan doesn't have a bonus for being selected to the All-Star Game built into this year's contract with the Pirates, but you can bet his 2012 contract will have one.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Rich Harden could make sense for the Rockies or Diamondbacks if he continues throwing well.
- Olney quotes ESPN's Evan Cohen in this tweet, pointing out that the Dodgers owe $74MM to 40 creditors, which is more than twice the $31MM they have committed to players for 2012.
- The New York Post's Joel Sherman spoke to a Yankees executive and says it's unlikely that they pursue Royce Ring (Twitter link), who opted out of his contract with the Mariners today. Ring had a solid 2010 season for the Yanks' Triple-A affiliate.
- The Indians could use an outfielder and Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer outlined some possible trade targets for the Tribe. Ryan Ludwick, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, and Jason Kubel are among the names suggested.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) expects Padres reliever Chad Qualls to be dealt.
- Between Latin American prospects Elier Hernandez and Nomar Mazara, Ben Badler of Baseball America (via Twitter) prefers the potential of Hernandez. Hernandez signed with the Royals yesterday for $3.05MM while Mazara agreed to a record setting deal worth more than $5MM with the Rangers.
Pirates Sign Elvis Escobar
The Pirates have signed Venezuelan center fielder Elvis Escobar for $570,000, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. This is yet another significant international signing by the Pirates who inked Colombian outfielder Harold Ramirez to a deal yesterday.
Escobar is a 5-foot-9, 165-pound lefty with advanced baseball instincts and feel for hitting, Badler writes. The 16-year-old is the son of Jose Escobar, who played ten games with the Indians as a middle infielder in 1991. His older brother, Giants lefthander Edwin Escobar, signed with the Rangers for $350K in 2008. Escobar is also a cousin of Kelvim Escobar and Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar.
Pirates Notes: Ramirez, Huntington, Trades
Let's check out some notes on the Pirates as they finish out the second act in their doubleheader against the Nationals..
- Rene Gayo, the Pirates' Director of Latin American scouting, had high praise for outfielder Harold Ramirez, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "He's a real exciting player. Plays like Willie Mays," said Gayo. Earlier today, the Bucs signed Ramirez for $1.05MM.
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly sounds as if he's ready to extend GM Neal Huntington's contract, writes Biertempfel. Huntington is signed through the end of this season.
- As the Bucs look to upgrade their offense this year and build for the future at the same time, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says that Huntington might want to consider standing pat.
Pirates Sign Harold Ramirez
The Pirates have agreed to terms with Colombian outfielder Harold Ramirez, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America. Ramirez will reportedly receive a signing bonus of $1.05MM.
Ramirez, 16, is 5-foot-11, 175 pounds and has received high praise for his speed, instincts and feel for hitting from the right side of the plate, according to Badler. Even though he has plus-plus speed, Ramirez likely doesn't have the arm to play center field.
This deal ranks as the second biggest international bonus ever given out by the Pirates. The top honors belong to Luis Heredia, who signed for $2.6MM last August.
Potential Suitors For Mike Cameron
The Red Sox cut ties with veteran outfielder Mike Cameron yesterday, designating him for assignment after he hit just .149/.212/.266 in 105 plate appearances this year. "Rest assured I'll play again," said Cameron to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). "I'm not going out that way."
Despite his poor season and last year's injury riddled campaign (just 48 games), Cameron figures to draw interest based on his track record. He hit .250/.342/.452 with 24 homers as a full-time player just two seasons ago, and he went deep at least 20 times every year from 2006 through 2009. That power might be gone at 38 years old, but his three homers this year suggest that he might still be able to provide double digit long balls given enough playing time.
With approximately $3.625MM left on his contract this year, it's very likely that Cameron will clear waivers and hit the open market. Any team would then be able to sign him for the pro-rated league minimum, which is attractive to clubs on a budget. Let's look at some teams that could be potential suitors for Cameron…
- Braves – Martin Prado is dealing with a staph infection and temporary fill-in Jordan Schafer is hitting just .222/.295/.310. Wilkin Ramirez, Atlanta's current righty outfield bat off the bench, has been unimpressive in limited playing time.
- Cardinals – There's no way to replace Albert Pujols, but St. Louis was able to slide Lance Berkman over to first and stick Jon Jay in right field. The lefty bat is hitting .289/.340/.356 against southpaws, but Cameron could replenish some outfield depth.
- Giants – This one is probably a long shot because their outfield is already crowded, but the game's worst offense (just 285 runs) is in desperate need of help, particularly in the power department.
- Indians – Shin-Soo Choo will miss a substantial amount of time after having thumb surgery, and the incumbent righty hitting outfielder (Austin Kearns) has been ineffective both overall (.194/.282/.265) and against lefties (.244/.292/.267).
- Mariners – Jeff Sullivan of Lookout Landing tackled this one.
- Nationals – They've been looking for a center fielder basically all season, and if nothing else, Cameron would give them a platoon partner for Roger Bernadina (.208/.255/.271 vs. LHP).
- Phillies – Ben Francisco has been disappointing against lefties (.200/.317/.314) this year, plus Cameron could give them platoon partners for both Domonic Brown and Raul Ibanez.
- Pirates – It's strange to think of the Pirates as buyers, but they're over .500 and just two games back in the NL Central. Jose Tabata is on the DL and Matt Diaz has been a disappointment (.268/.297/.331).
- Rangers – Julio Borbon is back in Triple-A and David Murphy can't hit lefties (.177/.235/.194), plus they could probably use the depth since Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz are known to visit the DL from time to time.
- Rays – Matt Joyce and Sam Fuld have cooled off considerably, though the righty hitting Justin Ruggiano has done a swell job in limited playing time (.300/.328/.500). That might not last though.
- Tigers – Ryan Raburn (.207/.244/.348) and Magglio Ordonez (.200/.268/.279) have been big disappointments, and Austin Jackson isn't tearing the cover off the ball either (.248/.312/.364). All three are right-handed and could be replaced, though Jackson figures to keep the center field job.
- Twins – Injuries have decimated the Twins outfield, though at 8.5 games back of a playoff spot, they might be looking to sell off veterans rather than add one.
Jack Curry of the YES Network heard that the Yankees "probably" won't have interest in Cameron (Twitter link), but several other teams figure to come calling once he clears waivers and is available on the cheap. It's easy to see Cameron fitting on the 25-man roster of nearly even team, though the amount of playing time he'll receive is sure to factor into his decision.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.