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Cubs Notes: Hoyer, Castro, DeJesus

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Last night we learned that the Cubs and shortstop Starlin Castro have been working on a long-term deal which could span six years or more.  A six-year deal would take care of all of the 22-year-old's arbitration years and two of his free agent seasons.  More on the Cubs..

  • Hoyer indicated that the Cubs aren't likely to spend big on a marquee free agent this winter in an appearance on "Chicago Tribune Live", writes CSNChicago.com's Patrick Mooney.  While the GM wouldn't completely rule out making a splash on the open market, he was less-than-enthusiastic about the prospect of spending big money on players that are on the back half of their career.
  • Instead, Hoyer says that the club will focus on keeping their in-house talent, which is consistent with last night's news on Castro.  “We have to build from within and build young players, because the days of going out and signing young free agents is over. Teams lock up their guys. Look at how many long, multiyear deals teams are signing with their pre-arbitration players," Hoyer said.
  • With the news of a new deal for Castro in the works, ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter) notes that since last fall, the Cubs have had a policy of no no-trade clauses.
  • Mooney writes that it is unclear if the Giants would be interested in David DeJesus in the wake of Melky Cabrera's suspension or how he fits in the waiver process, but the outfielder says that he wants to remain with the club.  DeJesus' contract calls for him to make $4.25MM this season and next with a $6.5MM club option ($1.5MM buyout) for 2014.

Cubs Sign Horacio Ramirez

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The Cubs have signed left-hander Horacio Ramirez to a minor league deal, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.  The 32-year-old, who has spent the year in independent ball, has been assigned to Triple-A Iowa.

Ramirez posted a 1.96 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in twelve starts for the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League this year.  The hurler spent last season with the Angels where he saw nine innings of big league work while posting a 3.96 ERA with 3.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 45 Triple-A outings.

West Links: Melky, Soriano, Felix, Murphy

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Wednesday was a busy day for baseball's two West divisions, as the Giants lost Melky Cabrera for 50 games while Felix Hernandez threw the first perfect game in Mariners history. Here is Thursday's news and notes from the left coast…

  • Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants have a decision to make in the wake of Cabrera's suspension. The 28-year-old is due to become a free agent after the season and team seemed likely to explore a multiyear extension before yesterday's news broke.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean has not been much of an Alfonso Soriano fan through the years, so he seems unlikely to pursue him following Cabrera's suspension according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Yesterday we heard that Soriano is unlikely to approve a trade to San Francisco anyway.
  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post wonders if the Mariners' willingness to commit to Hernandez and Hernandez's willingness to remain in Seattle will fall in line when the right-hander hits free agency after 2014.
  • In a chat with David Laurila of FanGraphs, David Murphy says getting traded to the Rangers was the best possible opportunity for him and his career. Murphy was part of the trade that sent Eric Gagne to the Red Sox in 2007.

Cabrera Fallout: Soriano, Cubs, Giants, Dodgers

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Alfonso Soriano told Theo Epstein & Co. that he would not accept a trade to the Giants when San Francisco showed interest in him prior to the July 31st deadline.  The club may have renewed interest in the veteran after Melky Cabrera was hit with a 50-game suspension, but the Cubs outfielder says that he still doesn't think that the Giants would be a good fit for him, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  "San Francisco is not good weather to play in. It's on the West Coast and I've never played on the West Coast. We'll see what happens if they call. I'll talk to my family then and see. It's not my call. I know it's 50 percent of my call, but it's my family's [call] too. I'd talk to my family and see what happens," Soriano said.  More on Cabrera and the Giants.. 

  • The suspension changes the complexion of the National League West race, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Cabrera theoretically could return to action for the sixth game of the postseason, but it's unlikely that the Giants would leave a roster spot open for him without knowing what he'll be able to contribute.
  • Cabrera's sudden turnaround in San Francisco seemed too good to be true, and it turns out that it was, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  It's possible that teams will entirely discount his strong play in 2012 when he's on the open market this winter, but others may seize the opportunity to buy low.
  • Cabrera's agents didn't pursue an in-season extension once they were notified of his positive test, Heyman tweets. 
  • There's no doubt that the Giants heard of Cabrera's positive test at the time they acquired Hunter Pence, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  While the official word didn't come out until this afternoon, there were strong whispers of the news in late July.
  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs opines that Cabrera might have cost himself $60-70MM this winter.  Cameron also doesn't see the 28-year-old having many suitors in free agency.
  • The Giants appear to be in serious trouble without their star slugger, but that doesn't mean that the Dodgers can rest on their laurels and celebrate, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.

Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Marmol Clear Waivers

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Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Marmol have cleared trade waivers, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Soriano is now eligible to be traded anywhere, pending his approval due to his ten-and-five rights.

Soriano, 36, is hitting .264/.319/.490 with 21 homers on the season, and he's still owed approximately $45MM through the end of the 2014 season. Heyman hears that Chicago was willing to pay all but $3MM annually of his contract. He told the Cubs he would not accept a trade to the Giants before the deadline, though Heyman speculates they could get involved again following the news of Melky Cabrera's 50-game suspension.

Earlier this month, nearly 9,000 MLBTR readers said they believe the Cubs will be able to trade Soriano this month. The 29-year-old Marmol has pitched to a 4.46 ERA in 36 1/3 innings this season. He is owed approximately $12MM through the end of the next season.

Front Office Notes: Cubs, Red Sox

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Here's the latest on two big market front offices…

  • The Cubs announced that they have dismissed vice president of player personnel Oneri Fleita in a press release. Fleita had been with the club since 1995 and oversaw their minor league player development program.
  • The Cubs also dismissed baseball information manager Chuck Wasserstrom according to Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).
  • Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told Sullivan that he plans to make more front office changes, ultimately leading to growth of the department (Twitter links). Assistant GM Randy Bush is in "good standing" with the team.
  • In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney argues that Red Sox owner John Henry should give full control of the team's baseball operations to GM Ben Cherington in the wake of the latest Bobby Valentine revolt rumors.
  • "There is a disconnect in communication between the players and upper management," said Mets catcher Kelly Shoppach to Andy Martino of The New York Daily News about his former team, the Red Sox (Twitter link).

Non-Tender Candidate: Ian Stewart

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It's been a little more than nine years since Ian Stewart was selected by the Rockies with the 10th overall pick in the 2003 draft. Selected out of high school, Stewart would spend the next five years ranking between No. 4 and No. 57 on Baseball America's list of Top 100 prospects.

Stewart's production at Triple-A makes it easy to see why he was so highly regarded. In 226 games he's amassed a .291/.373/.540 batting line and homered roughly once every twenty times he's stepped to the plate. The Major Leagues, however, have been another story entirely.

The Rockies gave Stewart more than 1,400 plate appearances to cement himself as a regular, and played him at both third base and second base along the way. The minor league success never fully carried over, as Stewart batted .236/.323/.428 for the Rockies before being traded to the Cubs along with Casey Weathers in exchange for Tyler Colvin and DJ LeMahieu last winter.

Things got worse for Stewart in Chicago, where he batted just .201/.292/.335 in 202 plate appearances before a left wrist injury cut his season short. Stewart earned $2.2375MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility this past offseason. Despite the injury and poor performance, he accumulated more than 200 plate appearances on the season, leading MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to project a slight raise to $2.3MM.

Stewart will turn 28 during the first week of the 2013 season, and his past 338 plate appearances have resulted in a paltry OPS+ of 50. The Cubs have also recalled Josh Vitters, signaling that they're likely ready to explore alternatives to the failed Stewart experiment. It appears very possible that he will reach free agency sooner than he ever anticpated.

In the event that he's non-tendered, Stewart's status as a once elite prospect and his career ISO of .185 at the Major League level could lead an offensively starved team to look at him as a buy-low candidate. It may be a long shot, but it wouldn't be the first time a general manager caught lightning in a bottle, and the signing would come with minimal risk attached.

Quick Hits: Padres, Cubs, Bourn, Sheets, Braves

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Earlier today, the Indians released right-hander Derek Lowe after designating him for assignment earlier this month.  The veteran is willing to start or relieve and there's reportedly a sense that he'll return to the National League.  While we keep an eye on where the veteran might land, here's tonight's look around baseball..

  • As first reported by Jim Callis of Baseball America, Padres scouting director Jaron Madison is leaving the organization to join the Cubs.  The 36-year-old will take over as Chicago's scouting director while Tim Wilken has been reassigned to the role of Special Assistant to president Theo Epstein, the team announced.
  • One Braves official believes that if Michael Bourn had an agent other than Scott Boras he might already have a new contract with the club, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  People who know Nationals GM Mike Rizzo believe that Bourn has always been at the top of his wish list and the Phillies, Reds, and Marlins are also potential suitors this winter.
  • Ben Sheets wasn't entirely confident about his return to the big leagues, but the veteran has looked tremendous so far, Knobler writes.  The 34-year-old isn't sure how long he'll continue pitching but he says that he wants to leave on his own terms as opposed to being forced out by injury.

Players Who Cleared Waivers

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This is a running list of players who have cleared waivers, based on published reports. Once a player clears waivers, he can be traded to any team (barring a no-trade clause). This list can always be found in the sidebar under MLBTR Features. Player names are linked to the source articles.

Updated 8-31-12

Infielders

Nick Punto, Red Sox - Punto earns $1.5MM this year and will earn the same amount in 2013.

Outfielders

Carl Crawford, Red Sox - Crawford has $102.5MM remaining on his contract after 2012, so he was expected to clear waivers. Crawford can block trades to two clubs, but no team can flip him to the Yankees after acquiring him from Boston.

Alfonso Soriano, Cubs – Soriano can block any trade. He earns $18MM per season through 2014.

Juan Pierre, Phillies – Pierre earns $800K in 2012 and he'll hit free agency after the season.

Catchers

Joe Mauer, Twins – Mauer earns $23MM per season through 2018.

Starting Pitchers

Joe Saunders, Diamondbacks – Saunders earns $6MM in 2012 and will hit free agency after the season.

Roy Oswalt, Rangers – Oswalt earns $5MM in 2012 and will hit free agency after the season.

Kevin Millwood, Mariners – Millwood earns $1MM in 2012 and will hit free agency after the season.

Relief Pitchers

Carlos Marmol, Cubs - Marmol will earn $9.8MM in 2013 before hitting free agency.

Pitching Notes: Blue Jays, Lee, Garza, Oswalt

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The Blue Jays announced that right-handers Drew Hutchison (Tommy John surgery) and Dustin McGowan (arthroscopic shoulder surgery) will undergo operations on Thursday. Hutchison is expected to return within a year or so, but no timetable is listed for McGowan, who had previous shoulder surgeries in 2008 and 2010. Here are some more notes pertaining to MLB pitchers…

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