Quick Hits: Cubs, Braves, Quentin, Utley
The Cubs are trying to break an 11-game losing streak, their longest in 15 years, as they take on the Pirates this afternoon at PNC Park. Manager Dale Sveum has changed closers, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Sveum didn't reveal who would replace Rafael Dolis if a save opportunity presents itself, but Sullivan writes he did mention James Russell and Casey Coleman.
Here are some more links on this Sunday before Memorial Day.
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman tweets the Braves may be looking for starting pitching because of the struggles of Mike Minor and Jair Jurrjens. Bowman cautions money will be an issue.
- Manager Bud Black told reporters including Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune that Carlos Quentin could make his Padres debut this week when the team travels to Chicago. Quentin has yet to play this season because of knee surgery performed in March.
- Chase Utley also hasn't seen action in 2012 because of a knee injury. Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes Utley is feeling better but there is still no timetable for his minor league rehab. Salisbury points out Utley has been working in left field to ease the strain on his knees and to work on his agility.
- Kevin Mulvey has retired, reports ESPN New York's Adam Rubin. Mulvey had been pitching in relief with the Mets' Double-A affiliate. Mulvey was part of the Johan Santana trade and rejoined the Mets late in spring training after being released by the Diamondbacks.
Quick Hits: Oswalt, Dempster, Diamondbacks, Jones
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- The Dodgers inquired on Roy Oswalt at one point but don't appear involved now, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). This morning we learned that Oswalt would still rather play for the Rangers or Cardinals than the Red Sox.
- Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster hopes to stay in Chicago even though he knows that he could be trade bait, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I want to be here and be part of what’s going to be a bright future," Dempster said. "Sometimes you have to endure some of the tough times in the present to get to that. We’ll just see how it goes."
- At certain points, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers put out feelers with other teams to see what another catcher might cost in trade and didn't like what he heard, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Arizona realized what they have in catcher Miguel Montero and locked him up to a five-year extension over the weekend.
- Orioles center fielder Adam Jones told reporters that securing a no-trade clause in his six-year, $85.5MM contract was important to him, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- The Nationals could be interested in bringing back Erik Komatsu, who was DFA'd by the Twins earlier today, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.
Cafardo On Oswalt, Willingham, Figgins, Soriano
The number of players on the disabled list is actually down overall this season, but you'd have a hard time getting the Red Sox, Phillies, and Yankees to take solace in that, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. One theory on the prolonged absences is that players are waiting to make sure they’re 100 percent before they get back on the field at the advice of agents like Scott Boras. "I’ve heard people say that about Boras clients, but I’ve also seen Boras clients who play through all sorts of pain and come back sooner than they’re supposed to," said Boston GM Ben Cherington. “Jason Varitek and Johnny Damon played through anything." Here's more from Cafardo..
- While Roy Oswalt was eager to work out for the Red Sox after turning them down before the season, he would still rather play for the Rangers or Cardinals, a major league source tells Cafardo. As of last week, the Red Sox have not discussed money with him, even though they liked what they saw.
- It's not yet known if Twins outfielder Josh Willingham will be available but he'll be in demand at the trading deadline or when the Twins feel they’re in a sell-off mode. One GM said of Willingham, "Of all the guys out there, he’s one who can significantly impact your offense immediately."
- The Mariners didn’t release Chone Figgins after Miguel Olivo came off the disabled list, but it doesn’t appear that he will be with the club much longer. At some point, a team with a lot of injuries might be willing to take him on if the M's pick up some of the $15MM remaining on his contract.
- The Cubs are willing to eat most of Alfonso Soriano’s $48MM if they can trade him. Unfortunately, Soriano isn't producing. Epstein approached the Red Sox about Soriano before the season and while they were discussing Marlon Byrd, but not since. Even with their outfield injuries, Boston hasn't come calling for the 36-year-old.
- There’s a feeling that Royals outfielder Alex Gordon could be had in a deal, but it would take an overwhelming package involving a front-line starter.
Sveum, Dempster Talk About Potential Moves
The Cubs have the worst record in baseball (15-30) and they've lost their last ten games, the franchise's longest losing streak in 15 years. Manager Dale Sveum told Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times that the next few weeks will be important as they try to shape their roster going forward.
"You get to that point in the year where decisions, roster moves, a lot of things like that [have to be made]," he said. “You get to the point where if you’re not playing well things start changing a lot."
With extension talks between the team and Matt Garza reportedly going "very well," the Cubs' most marketable piece of trade bait is right-hander Ryan Dempster. The 35-year-old owns a 2.14 ERA in 54 2/3 innings spread across eight starts, and his walk (2.5 BB/9), home run (0.5 HR/9), and hit (7.1 H/9) rates are the best they've been in years.
"I’m not an idiot. I know how things go," he said. "I know how it goes with players in contract years and the team not necessarily doing like they’re supposed to be doing, there’s always a possibility of things. There’s a possibility of being traded anytime."
Dempster has full no-trade protection as a five-and-ten player, though he seems open to waiving it under the right circumstances.
"If it’s something they want to approach me with, then I’ll have to cross that bridge when I get to it," he said.
Dempster exercised his $14MM player option this past winter and is still owed approximately $10.1MM the rest of the season. The Cubs would have to offer Dempster a qualifying offer to receive draft pick compensation after the season, but if traded, his new club will not be eligible to receive picks under the new collective bargaining agreement.
NL Central Notes: Berkman, Cubs, Lucroy, Astros
The light-hitting Pirates again didn't generate much offense on Friday, scoring just one run against the Cubs. Fortunately for the Bucs, that lone run was all they needed — five Pittsburgh hurlers (started off by A.J. Burnett's scoreless 5 1/3 frames) combined to shut out Chicago in a 1-0 result. The Cubs have now suffered 10 consecutive losses.
Here's the latest from around the division…
- Lance Berkman was considering retirement two years ago before playing in pennant races with the Yankees and Cardinals reignited his love of baseball, writes Richard Justice for MLB.com. Berkman discussed retirement again in the wake of his recent knee injury, but he is expected to miss only 8-10 weeks of action, rather than the entire season. Justice can see Berkman signing to play DH with the Astros when they move to the AL West next season, but I'm not sure if Berkman's love of his old team would overcome his desire to play for a contender, should one exist this winter.
- The Cubs are expected to focus on Major League roster moves once the June 4 amateur draft passes, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
- Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy's rise to the majors is profiled by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Lucroy is enjoying a huge breakout season and the five-year, $11-13MM extension he signed with Milwaukee in March is looking like a great bargain for the team, especially given the much more expensive deals signed by catchers Yadier Molina and Miguel Montero.
- "Rumors continue to swirl that Astros scouts prefer Byron Buxton but that higher-ups want someone who can provide more immediate help," writes Jim Callis of Baseball America. Callis thinks Houston should take Buxton, a high school outfielder who Callis compares to Matt Kemp, Justin and B.J. Upton in terms of overall tools.
- Astros legend Craig Biggio has been given the title of special assistant with the team, owner Jim Crane tells Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
Minor Moves: Maine, Hernandez, Lindsay
The latest minor moves…
- The Yankees will sign right-hander John Maine to a minor league deal, Evan Drellich of MLB.com tweets. The Red Sox recently released the 31-year-old, who has missed considerable time with shoulder injuries. He posted a 7.43 ERA in 46 innings with the Rockies' top affiliate in 2011 before signing with the Red Sox this January.
- The Cubs signed infielder Diory Hernandez, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. The Astros had released Hernandez earlier in the week.
- The Diamondbacks signed right-hander Gaby Hernandez from the independent Frontier League, Eddy tweets. The 26-year-old pitched at Triple-A for the Diamondbacks and White Sox last year.
- The Dodgers released right-hander Shane Lindsay, Eddy tweets. The reliever had walked more than one batter per inning at Triple-A this year.
Quick Hits: Guerrero, Nationals, Cubs
The Mets traded for Mike Piazza on this date in 1998. He would go on to hit .296/.373/.542 with 220 home runs in eight seasons with the Mets, establishing himself as one of the best offensive catchers ever. Here are today's links…
- Vladimir Guerrero says signing with the Blue Jays brings his career full circle, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets. The former Montreal Expos star says he would like to hit 51 more home runs and reach 500 for his career.
- The Nationals are not actively pursuing a trade for catching depth, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times. They’d consider adding a veteran backup, but aren’t willing to part with anything significant in a deal. Jesus Flores is the Nationals' starting catcher following Wilson Ramos' ACL tear and Sandy Leon's high ankle sprain. Carlos Maldonado is on the MLB roster to back Flores up.
- The Cubs will face some difficult decisions this summer, when they must decide which players to keep and which players to trade, ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes. It seems likely that they'll trade Ryan Dempster, but deciding whether to trade Bryan LaHair and Matt Garza could be more difficult for GM Jed Hoyer.
NL Central Notes: Pirates, Rizzo, Lucroy
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
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
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.