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NL Notes: Cubs, Weiss, Rockies, Manuel

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On this date in 1961, 40-year-old Warren Spahn became the 13th pitcher in MLB history to win 300 games as he went the distance in the Milwaukee Braves' 2-1 victory over the Cubs. The complete game was the 317th for the left-hander, who also drove in Milwaukee's first run with a sacrifice fly. Spahn was enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 with 363 victories, the most by any left-hander and the most by any pitcher who played his entire career in the live ball era. Here's more from this era's National League: 

  • Cubs catcher Welington Castillo is having a strong season behind the plate and he's showing the club he can be a valuable piece for the future. The same can't be said for the rest of the catchers in the Chicago farm system and the position is thin enough that GM Jed Hoyer said this weekend the front office plans to make acquiring more backstops a priority this winter, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  
  • Walt Weiss signed only a one-year contract to manage the Rockies this season, but he told the Denver Post's Patrick Saunders he wants to return in 2014. "Yes, sure. I knew it wasn't going to be all fun and games," Weiss said. "I have been through enough Major League seasons to understand that you'll get beat up. But I want to be a part of building something special here. That's what drives me."
  • The final weeks of the season provide the Rockies a platform for cold-hard analysis, opines Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies need more talent and Renck names Giancarlo Stanton and Nelson Cruz as aquisitions who could fill the club's void of a right-handed power bat and Jesse Crain should be a free agent priority as a much needed late-inning arm.
  • The Phillies need to provide clarity to their managerial situation, according to Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Brookover writes the assumption is Charlie Manuel will step aside for Ryne Sandberg and, if that is the Phillies' desire, the announcement should be made now so Manuel can use the remainder of the season as a well-deseved bow for being the franchise's winningest manager while also giving the players, who will be around when Spring Training opens in February, an idea of what they can expect from their next manager.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Cubs, Bell, Garcia

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Before looking ahead, let's take a quick look back at former Braves shortstop Johnny Logan, who passed away yesterday. The four-time all-star racked up over thirty wins above replacement in his thirteen year career, most of which were accumulated during his 1953-61 run with the Braves in Milwaukee. Remaining in Milwaukee and becoming an avid supporter of the Brewers, Logan was also one of many golden era ballplayers to respond generously to letters from fans. Read Tom Haudricourt's obituary and this excellent biography from Bob Buege for more on Logan. Here are some notes from around the league:

  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer does not sound optimistic about the chances of pulling off any August deals, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. While the team might be interested in bringing back youth in exchange for players like Kevin Gregg, Dioner Navarro, David DeJesus, and Nate Schierholtz, Hoyer says that such players "are not likely to clear [waivers]."
  • Meanwhile, Hoyer says he is pleased with the development of the club's pitching corps. "I certainly feel much better about our pitching than I did a year ago," he said. "You read the game reports and we have better arms down there than we did a year ago. We just have to keep doing that year after year after year after year." The club seems primed to get an extended look at one of the young hurlers it added in its flurry of July trades. Wittenmyer reports that Jake Arrieta –who was acquired in the Scott Feldman deal — is expected to take a spot in the team's rotation for the rest of the season. Arrieta, who has made one successful spot start for the Cubs, owns a 3.56 ERA with 39 strikeouts (against 16 walks) over 30 1/3 innings with Triple-A Iowa.
  • With the Nationals' future managerial needs becoming an increasing priority, the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore writes that Pirates coach Jay Bell could be another name to watch. Much like previously mentioned possibility Matt Williams, Bell was a hard-nosed ballplayer who has a history with GM Mike Rizzo. Given his less developed track record on the bench, however, Kilgore says he may profile more as a coaching option at this stage.
  • The White Sox are not hesitating to challenge recently-acquired youngster Avisail Garcia. After the club cleared a lineup spot by dealing outfielder Alex Rios, Garcia will make his first start for Chicago today. According to MLB.com's Joey Nowak, via Twitter, the Sox seems committed to playing Garcia in center field. His former club, the Tigers, had viewed Garcia as a corner outfielder, fellow MLB.com writer Jason Beck tweets. While opinions vary, Baseball America's Matt Eddy opines that Garcia can handle center, at least while he's young. 

Quick Hits: Santana, Liriano, Porter, Samardzija

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The Royals' trade for Ervin Santana was the best move of the offseason, ESPN's Buster Olney writes. Santana has posted a 2.97 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in a resurgent season in Kansas City. Right behind the Santana deal, Olney says, was the Braves' deal for Justin Upton and Chris Johnson, followed by the Orioles' signing of Nate McLouth. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • Olney's ESPN colleague Jerry Crasnick writes about Francisco Liriano's surprising season with the Pirates. Sure enough, just hours after Crasnick's article was published, Liriano allowed ten runs against the Rockies at Coors Field. But he has still been a big part of the Pirates' stellar year, and for very cheap — Liriano has a complex contract based on the timing of his return from a broken humerus suffered last offseason, but the deal tops out at $4.75MM for 2013, and includes a reasonable vesting option for 2014. Crasnick also names the Rays' James Loney, the Mets' Marlon Byrd, and others as being among the best cheap signings of the offseason.
  • Astros manager Bo Porter isn't planning on returning to Washington to manage the Nationals after Davey Johnson retires at the end of the season, Brian McTaggart and Chris Abshire of MLB.com report. "I'm the Houston Astros manager," says Porter. "I'm 100 percent entrenched into getting our situation here to where it is we want to be. The situation in Washington is completely out of my hands and — I'm going to give you my famous one — out of my jurisdiction." Porter is in the midst of a multi-year contract with the Astros, McTaggart and Abshire note, and could only leave for the Nats if the Astros decided to trade him or just let him depart. Neither scenario seems likely, however.
  • Jeff Samardzija has struggled recently, but the Cubs don't think his contract situation has anything to do with it, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Samardzija allowed nine runs on Thursday against the Phillies, four starts after allowing nine against the Angels. "We’ve had some dialogue at different times, but nothing’s really changed on that front, so I don’t see why he would start pressing now as opposed to other times," says Cubs GM Jed Hoyer. Before the non-waiver trade deadline, Samardzija's name occasionally appeared in trade rumors, but it never looked particularly likely that the Cubs would deal him. The two sides reportedly will discuss a contract extension after the season is over. Samardzija is eligible for free agency after 2015.

Minor Moves: Mike Ekstrom, Julio Borbon

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Here's your collection of minor moves from Tuesday…

  • The Angels released right-hander Mike Ekstrom from Triple-A Salt Lake, according to the Pacific Coast League's transactions page. Ekstrom, who turns 30 at the end of this month, posted a 5.19 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 26 innings for the Bees this season. He's appeared in the Majors for at least one inning each year from 2008-12, but he has just a 5.61 ERA in 61 career big league innings.
  • Julio Borbon has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). The Cubs designated the speedster for assignment last Friday after he hit just .202/.284/.279 in 117 plate appearances after being claimed off waivers from the Rangers earlier this year.
  • Six players are currently in DFA limbo: Laynce Nix of the Phillies, Michael Schwimer of the Blue Jays, Brent Lillibridge of the Yankees, Adam Rosales of the Rangers, Josh Sullivan of the Rockies and Yusmeiro Petit of the Giants.

Cubs Claim Thomas Neal

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The Cubs have claimed outfielder Thomas Neal off waivers from the Yankees, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (Twitter link). Neal, 25, was designated for assignment by the Yankees over the weekend. To make room on the 40-man roster, Rafael Dolis was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Neal received only thirteen plate appearances over four games with the Yankees this season after signing a minor league deal over the winter. Across 297 Triple-A plate appearances, Neal was producing at an attractive .325/.391/.411 clip. Once a highly-regarded prospect with the Giants, Neal is still only 25 years old. The move makes sense from the Cubs' standpoint, as the team recently designated Julio Borbon for assignment.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

NL Central Notes: Brewers, Huntington, Ramirez

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Here's a look at the latest out of the National League Central..

  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes the right side of the infield and filling out the starting rotation are the major decision points for the Brewers' brain trust before the team gathers next spring in Phoenix.
  • Within the same piece, Haudricourt notes the rationale of Pirates GM Neal Huntington for not trading away prized prospects for a much-needed outfield bat. "We were willing to do something stupid," Huntington said. "We just weren't willing to do something insane."
  • While the players involved in the Matt Garza trade are getting settled in with their new clubs, there are still Rangers players that could wind up joining the Cubs, including Neil Ramirez.  Ramirez, who could be the PTBNL if the Cubs don't instead opt for a duo of different Texas pitchers, is waiting to learn his fate, write T.R. Sullivan and Master Tesfatsion of MLB.com.

Ed Creech contributed to this post.

NL Notes: Trade Deadline, Cedeno, Detwiler

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This year's quiet trade deadline is indicative of a brand of baseball in which youth is prized and the strategy of absorbing salary in deadline trades isn't as viable as it once was, Derrick Goold says in an article for the St. Louis Post Dispatch. With sellers such as the White Sox asking for "top 50" or "top 15" prospects in trades for their veterans, according to Goold, NL Central contenders the Cardinals, the Reds and the Pirates opted to stick with the teams they already had in place. Moving too many prospects in a trade is "the quickest way to head in the wrong direction," Pirates GM Neal Huntington opined. On to more Saturday night NL links:

  • The Padres signed shortstop Ronny Cedeno to a minor league deal with the knowledge that starting shortstop Everth Cabrera may be suspended on Monday in connection with the Biogenesis investigation, GM Josh Byrnes told Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribune. “From Josh’s standpoint, we have to make sure we are covered at shortstop in case we need one,” manager Bud Black said.
  • Cubs GM Jed Hoyer expects the waiver trade period to be more active than the non-waiver one, Manny Randhawa of MLB.com reports. However, Hoyer notes that there's some luck involved in putting together a trade after July 31. "If the wrong team claims a guy and won't give up any talent, you're kind of stuck, so waiver deals can work out, but you can also get stuck and not be able to make a deal," Hoyer said.
  • Nationals starter Ross Detwiler's lingering back issues may cause him to miss the rest of the season, manager Davey Johnson indicated in an article by Amanda Comak of The Washington Times. As Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post reported in July, many rival executives expected the Nats to acquire a starter after Detwiler hit the DL early last month. However, GM Mike Rizzo's lone July deal was a trade to acquire bench bat Scott Hairston from the Cubs.

NL Notes: Wrigley, Cubs, Rockies, Nationals

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The Wrigley Field improvement project received final approval from the Chicago City Council yesterday. That does not necessarily mean, however, that all obstacles to half-billion-dollar renovation plan are out of the way. Both the Cubs and the Wrigleyville Rooftops Association are still speaking publicly about possible court battles. Cubs' executives have repeatedly cited the resolution of the Wrigley Field improvement issues as a key factor in increasing the team's payroll. Here's more from the Cubs and the rest of the National League …

  • According to team president Theo Epstein, "it's been a great month for the Cubs," reports Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times. While he warns that "progress won't be linear" and declined to put a timetable on the big club's return to contention, Epstein expressed excitement over the team's future.
  • With the Rockies suffering a disheartening sweep at the hands of the Braves, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes that team ownership should (but won't) either sell its interest in the club or "clean house." Less dramatically, Saunders suggests some moves that the Rockies should make to continue their upward trajectory next season. Among them: extend left-handed starter Jorge De La Rosa, add at least one veteran starter, move Michael Cuddyer to first base, and pick up a power-hitting corner outfielder in free agency.
  • The Nationals' recently-promoted GM (and now President of Baseball Operations) Mike Rizzo will look to improve the club's bench over the month of August, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Nats made one of the most impactful post-deadline deals in baseball last year, adding Kurt Suzuki to bolster a thin catching corps over the stretch run. With the Nationals hanging on by a thread as a plausible postseason candidate, Rizzo is understandably uninterested in pursuing players that are pure rentals.

Cubs Designate Julio Borbon For Assignment

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The Cubs have designated outfielder Julio Borbon for assignment, tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. A corresponding roster move will come tomorrow.

Borbon was picked up off of waivers from the Rangers back in April. After 117 plate appearances this year, his triple-slash line stands at .192/.276/.260. He has also stolen seven bases. The 27-year-old Borbon was a trade candidate back when he was designated by Texas, and ultimately was claimed by the team that then had the second-highest waiver priority. After his poor run in Chicago, however, it seems unlikely that he'll draw as much interest this time around. 

 

Cubs Sign Eloy Jimenez

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The Cubs announced the signing of Eloy Jimenez, who was rated as the top international prospect in this year's July 2nd class  by both Baseball America and MLB.com.  The two sides first reached agreement on a deal on July 3rd and formalized things nearly a month later.

The deal is worth $2.8MM bonus as well as a $250K college scholarship, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.  That's a signficant payday for a 16-year-old, but he actually turned down an even more lucrative offer to sign with the Cubs (Twitter link).  The Cubs got a lot done on the international market, signing Jimenez, Gleyber Torres ($1.7MM), Jen-Ho Tseng ($1.625MM), Jefferson Mejia ($850K), and Erling Moreno ($800K). In total, the Cubs spent $7.895MM on int'l free agents.

As Steve Adams explained in his analysis of the Cubs' international expenditures, the Cubs have gone far over their alotted bonus pool.  The Cubs will likely face the maximum penalties for international spending next summer, which means that they won't be able to give any player more than $250K in 2014=15.  They'll also have to pay a 100% tax on the overage.

The outfielder is 6'4" and 200 pounds, and Baseball America's Ben Badler says that his average raw power and flat swing produce line drives — a combination that could lead to above-average home run power in the future. MLB.com raved about Jimenez in their Top 30:

"Considered the crown jewel of the Class of 2013, Jimenez has one of the best baseball bodies available this year and is considered to be the total package. The teenager has impressed scouts with his intelligence, plus-speed, and gap-to-gap power that is expected to improve as he grows into his body."

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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