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NL Central Notes: Pirates, Rizzo, Lucroy

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The Cubs traded Kyle Lohse to the Twins in a four-player trade on this date in 1999. Lohse, now a member of the Cardinals' rotation, is putting together a strong season as he approaches free agency. Here's the latest from the NL Central…

  • The Pirates are "laughably overdue" for some offense, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Though few trades are completed in May and more teams than ever are in the playoff race thanks to the additional Wild Card berths, Kovacevic says the Pirates must find a way to add offense. No team in baseball has scored fewer runs than the Pirates, who are averaging just 2.9 runs per game.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears that the Cubs will be patient with Anthony Rizzo and that a promotion isn’t likely this month (Twitter link). The Cubs acquired the first base prospect from the Padres for Andrew Cashner last offseason, but first baseman Bryan LaHair is hitting well at the MLB level.
  • The Brewers' decision to lock Jonathan Lucroy to an extension looks wise, Heyman writes. The 25-year-old catcher has a .342/.389/.550 batting line in 132 plate appearances this year.

Rosenthal On Saunders, Guthrie, Indians, Blue Jays

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Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • The Diamondbacks are deep in starters and won't wait to see if they fall out of contention before exploring a trade involving one of their arms.  Don't be surprised if Arizona entertains offers for Joe Saunders before the trade deadline, regardless of where they are in the standings.
  • Rockies right-hander Jeremy Guthrie is also likely to be in play.  The club is looking at their younger pitchers and they've got Jorge De La Rosa set to come back soon.  Teams thinking of trading potential free agents might want to act sooner rather than later in order to save a bit more money and get a better return. 
  • The Indians need a right-handed hitter and another starting pitcher, as they still don't know if they'll see Roberto Hernandez (formerly Fausto Carmona) this season.  The problem for the Tribe is that they rank last in attendance in the majors and likely can't increase payroll significantly.  They'll have to ask for cash in deals and that means giving up better prospects in return.
  • The Blue Jays are deep in prospects and could be a major player at the deadline.  They could be in on the Brewers' Zack Greinke and could even be involved with Matt Garza of the Cubs if his contract talks break down.

Cubs Acquire Koyie Hill From Reds

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The Cubs have brought back catcher Koyie Hill after acquiring him from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations, tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.  Hill will be with the club for tonight's game against the White Sox.

Hill, 33, was hitting just .195/.250/.341 for the Reds' Double-A affiliate so far this year.  The veteran spent the previous five years with the Cubs and hit .208/.270/.295 in 252 big league games.  With the retirement of Kerry Wood, Chicago’s 40-man roster still stands at 40 players.

The Reds signed Hill to a minor league deal in late April after he was let go by the Cardinals.

NL Links: Braves, Mets, Oswalt, Dodgers, Wood

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Here are some links from the National League as the Cardinals and Dodgers play baseball's only intra-league game of the night…

  • Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears the Braves have not ruled out signing Roy Oswalt, but he assumes their interest depends on the price (Twitter link). Oswalt has begun auditioning for teams.
  • The Mets, meanwhile, are not in the running for Oswalt according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.
  • Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times praises Dodgers GM Ned Colletti for his job building the team that owns baseball's best record.
  • The Reds tried to sign Kerry Wood this offseason, manager Dusty Baker told John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). "But he loves Chicago, and Chicago loves him," said Baker.
  • The Cubs will announce Wood's new position with the team tomorrow, reports Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). He's expected to become a special assistant.
  • After Wood announced his retirement today, Baseball America compiled some old scouting reports from his days as a prospect. "Scouts say Wood is so advanced that he should be ready for the big leagues faster than all but one or two college pitchers," said the publication when Wood was a high school senior in June 1995, less than three years before he made his big league debut.

Kerry Wood To Retire

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After 14 MLB seasons, Kerry Wood's playing career is coming to an end. The 34-year-old right-hander plans to announce his retirement, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports. Wood will retire after making one more appearance this weekend, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat tweets.

Kerry Wood - Cubs (PW)

Wood debuted with the 1998 Cubs and it didn't take long for him to make an impression. He struck out 233 hitters in 166 2/3 innings as a rookie, including a record 20 strikeouts in one game against the Astros. After being named the NL's 1998 Rookie of the Year, Wood missed his sophomore season to undergo Tommy John surgery. He returned to the rotation in 2000 and started effectively for five seasons, but had trouble staying healthy and transitioned to the bullpen, where he pitched exclusively from 2007-12.

Wood signed a one-year, $3MM contract with the Cubs this offseason, but struggled through nine appearances, allowing nearly one earned run per inning with twice as many walks (11) as strikeouts (5). Wood's contract included a $3MM club option for 2013 which will no longer be in play for GM Jed Hoyer.

The two-time All-Star will retire with a 3.67 ERA, and 86-75 record, 1379 2/3 innings pitched and 1581 strikeouts. Wood, the fourth overall selection in the 1995 draft, earned more than $70MM in his career, according to Baseball-Reference. He is a client of SFX.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

NL Links: Giants, Diamondbacks, Mets, DeWitt

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The Padres placed Orlando Hudson on release waivers earlier today, and the veteran second baseman figures to draw some interest once he clears and becomes a free agent. Here's the latest from around the so-called Senior Circuit…

  • Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com hears from a source that available infield options are "not great" and the Giants must remain patient with Charlie Culberson (Twitter link). Hudson could make sense for San Francisco, though that is just my speculation.
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has spent the last few days with his staff looking over ways to improve his club, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. "I can't tell you if there's going to a move or not," said the GM. "Maybe none, but we just kind of want to re-evaluate where we're at, and if there are any other options out there that might make us better and kind of spark the club a little bit."
  • "The bullpen has been a frustration. There's no question about that," said Mets GM Sandy Alderson to reporters (including MLB.com's Spencer Fordin and Ethan Asofsky) after designating D.J. Carrasco for assignment last night. "At some point, you have to start making changes, and [this] was a step in that direction. It's not that we have outstanding candidates in the minor league system at this point. We've got some good candidates, but like a number of our other prospects, perhaps they're not ready to pitch at this level."
  • Blake DeWitt accepted his outright assignment and will head to Triple-A tomorrow, reports Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago. The Cubs designated DeWitt for assignment then outrighted him off the 40-man roster, but he could have refused the assignment and elected free agency.

2013 Contract Issues: Chicago Cubs

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The Cubs are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (4)

  • Ryan Dempster - Dempster owns a 1.74 ERA through six starts and could be traded this summer. The Cubs may make the 35-year-old a qualifying offer after the season, but I don't expect them to. Dempster's ERA is definitely not sustainable and he's bound to start declining at some point, so the Cubs may look to ensure that it doesn't happen on their roster and payroll.
  • Shawn Camp - Camp has pitched well for the Cubs, and the team may have interest in retaining him on a minor league deal for 2013. 
  • Reed Johnson - Johnson, 35, has been a valuable extra outfielder in recent seasons, but the Cubs' offseason plans won't revolve around him.
  • Jeff Baker - Baker, who is off to a slow start at the plate, won't necessarily be asked to return.

Contract Options (2)

  • Paul Maholm: $6.5MM club option with a $500K buyout. Maholm has stayed healthy this year and $6.5MM isn't unreasonable for a back-end starter with some upside.
  • Kerry Wood: $3MM club option without a buyout. Wood has struggled through nine appearances, as his 8.64 ERA indicates. However, this has the potential to be a bargain for the Cubs if the right-hander can stay healthy and show signs that he's the same pitcher he was in 2011.

Arbitration Eligible (8)

The Cubs face a relatively expensive projected arbitration class that includes some of the team's best players. Soto and Garza will earn raises next winter as they go to arbitration for the final time. Samardzija and Castro seem primed for salaries of at least $2MM (unfortunately for Samardzija, starters Rick Porcello and David Price didn't seem to be able to use their generous pre-arbitration salaries to boost their arbitration earnings this past offseason). Wells, Volstad and Stewart could each be traded or non-tendered if the Cubs aren't comfortable locking them in for raises and roster spots going forward.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Cubs have approximately $35MM committed to next year's payroll, including Alfonso Soriano's $19MM salary. They have spent at least $100MM on payroll in each of the past five seasons, so president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer should have financial flexibility even after accounting for arbitration raises.

Minor Moves: Zavada, DeWitt, Cubs, Diamondbacks

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Today’s minor moves..

NL Central Notes: Rizzo, Pirates, Appel, Cardinals

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The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-6 win over the Cubs this afternoon.  Yadier Molina was the hero for St. Louis, delivering a walkoff RBI single to cinch the victory.  Here's the latest from around the NL Central…

  • Theo Epstein was hesitant to make the trade that brought Anthony Rizzo to the Cubs since Epstein didn't want to give up Andrew Cashner, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago.  It was Cubs GM Jed Hoyer who "aggressively pushed" for the deal.  Levine covers a number of different Cubs (and White Sox) topics in this online chat with readers.
  • The Pirates aren't likely to make a trade to address their hitting problems, GM Neal Huntington told reporters (including Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review).  “There are very, very few trades of substance made in May and there are few trades of substance made in June, so our solutions are going to have to come internally unless we’re willing to be less than intelligent and dramatically overpay. That’s just the way it is," Huntington said.  “We’re certainly looking externally, but the extra wild card has made it that much more of a challenge. There are fewer sellers out there, and we’re going to have to be creative.”
  • ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) has released his first 2012 mock draft and he projects the Astros to take Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall pick.  "The general feeling is that they'll take the college arm over the higher-upside, higher-risk outfielder, Byron Buxton," Law writes, though he notes that Houston's decision could also be determined by which player is willing to sign for the lowest price beneath the $7.2MM slot figure for the first pick.
  • Carlos Beltran and Rafael Furcal's hot starts have fueled the Cardinals' big offensive numbers, writes Scott Miller for CBS Sports.

Rosenthal On Braves, Dempster, Rizzo, Astros

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One scout told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the work of the Braves’ hitting instructors and the performance of Kris Medlen has made the difference for the team so far in 2012. Atlanta GM Frank Wren agrees with that assessment, according to Rosenthal, who offers notes and rumors from around the league in his latest column:

  • The Cubs are more likely to trade Ryan Dempster if they sign Matt Garza to an extension. However, Dempster’s ten and five rights allow him to veto any trade, so he’ll have leverage if the Cubs look to make a move. It doesn’t seem likely that Dempster will sign a below-market extension to stay in Chicago, Rosenthal writes.
  • The Cubs don’t have immediate plans to call up Anthony Rizzo, who figures to stay in the minor leagues until an opening emerges.
  • Releasing Alfonso Soriano doesn’t appear to be an option; the outfielder has approximately $50MM remaining on his contract with the Cubs.
  • General managers criticize the collective bargaining agreement, Rosenthal reports. Some low-revenue teams dislike spending restrictions on the draft, since they feel the limitations will drive up the price of MLB talent.
  • Chien-Ming Wang, who is now rehabbing at Triple-A, could be valuable insurance for the Nationals, since they’ve decided to cap Stephen Strasburg’s innings.
  • Brett Myers’ 2013 option likely vests with approximately 55 games finished, Rosenthal suggests. The right-hander will obtain a $500K bonus if the Astros trade him.
  • One scout says Blue Jays catching prospect Travis D’Arnaud looks like Russell Martin did with the Dodgers.
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