Cubs Release Kevin Millar
The Cubs released first baseman Kevin Millar, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The Cubs will go with Chad Tracy for a corner infield bench role instead. Tracy made more sense, given his ability to back up Aramis Ramirez at third base.
Millar, 38, hit .223/.311/.363 in 283 plate appearances for the Blue Jays last year, playing 386.6 innings at first base. In an article Sunday, ESPN's Jim Reeves said Millar is on the Rangers' watch list. However, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes today that the Rangers are not interested.
Cubs Outright Mike Parisi To Triple-A
The Cubs have outrighted righthander Mike Parisi to Triple-A Iowa according to a team press release. Chicago selected Parisi from the Cardinals with the 12th pick of the Rule 5 draft this past December.
As Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post Dispatch explains, Parisi has already gone through the process of clearing outright waivers and being offered back to St. Louis as per the Rule 5 rules. However, since he had been outrighted once before in his career, Parisi was able to elect to become a free agent, which he informed the Cardinals he would do instead of returning to their minor league roster. So after all that, the Cubs retained Parisi on a minor league contract.
The soon to be 27-year-old got smacked around in seven Spring Training outings (7.45 ERA), though he owns a 4.27 ERA in the minors with a 6.6 K/9 and a 3.3 BB/9. He threw 23 innings with St. Louis back in 2008, walking more batters (15) than he struck out (13).
Rangers Acquire Andres Blanco
Gordon Wittenmyer tweets that the Rangers have acquired Andres Blanco from the Cubs in exchange for a player to be named later.
Blanco, 26 in April, posted a line of .252/.303/.341 in 53 games (138 PAs) for the Cubs last season, while playing plus defense at second base, but below average at shortstop (warning: small sample sizes). Blanco's .644 OPS from last season is directly in line with his minor league numbers.
Wittenmyer writes that Blanco was out of options and out of opportunities to make the club this spring. The Rangers have been looking for a back-up infielder since having to void Khalil Greene's contract earlier this spring due to his ongoing struggles with social anxiety disorder.
Blanco is the third infielder acquired by Texas recently. On Wednesday, they traded Edwar Ramirez to the A's for Gregorio Petit, and earlier in the spring claimed Hernan Iribarren off waivers from the Brewers.
Rosenthal’s Latest: D’Backs, Robertson, Pirates
Some notes from Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com…
- The Diamondbacks continue to pursue a number three or four starter in the wake of Brandon Webb's setback. A club official acknowledged that such a pickup was possible, but “I don’t think any team will be willing to give up that kind of pitcher at the start of the season.”
- Rosenthal says the team has infield depth to use in a trade, and reiterated that they'd love to move Chris Snyder and the $11.25MM left on his contract. The Rangers and Red Sox are said to be looking for infielders, and the Mariners could join them following Jack Hannahan's injury.
- The Tigers are shopping Nate Robertson, but Arizona doesn't consider him enough of an upgrade. Zach Duke and Paul Maholm are not available.
- The best available starter may be Chad Gaudin, who was released by the Yankees on Thursday.
- The Brewers considered a Jeff Suppan for Snyder trade, but didn't want to take on Snyder's 2011 salary. Suppan will earn $12.5MM this season, the final one on his contract.
- The Cubs do not expect to make a trade for a reliever before Opening Day, but they've scouted Jason Frasor and Scott Downs, plus Luke Gregerson of the Padres.
- Nick Green has an out clause in his minor league contract, but the Dodgers may add him to the roster to serve as the backup shortstop.
Odds & Ends: Dye, Arguelles, Royals, Astros
Upset over seeing your Syracuse-topped bracket get ruined tonight? Cheer up by reading these news items!
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson thinks the Nationals will make a move to bolster their current right-field platoon. He thinks Jermaine Dye would help the team, though Washington denied any interest in the veteran last week.
- Noel Arguelles hasn't shown much in camp with Kansas City, but ESPN's Keith Law says it's part of the Royals' strategy to take it easy on the 20-year-old.
- Rany Jazayerli of the Rany On The Royals blog looks at how K.C. has only recently gotten back into the habit of drafting local prospects. He also lists some of the local talent that the Royals didn't draft between 1988 and 2003, such as (sorry to mention it again, Royals fans) Albert Pujols.
- The Astros are putting a greater emphasis on foreign scouting, writes The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice.
- Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports.com lists 10 notable scouts who could be future general managers.
- The Cubs could wait until the trade deadline before getting their desired set-up man, says FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi.
Cubs Could Face Major Changes In 2010 Offseason
The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan suggests that unless the Cubs have success in 2010, the team's roster could face a dramatic overhaul next winter. Another disappointing season like their 83-78 performance in 2009 could lead to a rebuild, which must just thrill fans of a team has gone over a century without a World Series title.
Sullivan notes that the Cubs' core of stars are all in their 30's, so let's take a look at the ones perhaps most likely to leave Chicago should the team struggle next season. Manager Lou Piniella is on the last year of his contract, and would almost certainly not stick around for a lengthy rebuild. Ted Lilly and Derrek Lee are free agents, and Lee has already said he doesn't want to begin negotiations on an extension during the season. Perhaps the most intriguing case is that of Aramis Ramirez, who has the option of voiding his contract after the season or remaining with Chicago and earning $14.6MM in 2011. (MLBTR's Tim Dierkes broke down Ramirez's situation last month.)
On the surface, the Cubs losing three of their top players and their veteran manager doesn't look like good news. But, if the worst happened and all four left, the Cubs would suddenly be left with a lot of open money with Lee, Lilly and Ramirez all off of the books. The trio is set to earn a combined $40.75MM in 2010 according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, and if Ramirez opted out of his contract, that would free up the $14.6MM owed to him in 2011 and the possible $16MM that he could earn in 2012 should he reach his vesting options.
The Cubs would still have a lot of money tied up in the likes of Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano in the short-term. But, with the Lee/Lilly/Ramirez millions to spend and a minor league system ranked seventh in baseball by ESPN's Keith Law, a rebuilding process under a new manager (and probably a new general manager) might not be too long or painful. It could give Chicago a chance to invest in some younger talent rather than re-sign Lee or Lilly.
Two Clubs Interested In Boof Bonser
At least two teams are interested in Boof Bonser, sources tell Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. McAdam hears that the Cubs and D'Backs are interested in the right-hander. Bonser is out of options, so the Red Sox would have to attempt to put him through waivers if they want to send him to the minors.
Odds & Ends: Crawford, Alvarez, Mauer, Aumont
Some links for your Friday…
- Tom Verducci of SI.com said on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show that he expects Carl Crawford to sign with the Yankees after the season, because "nobody is going to outbid them." The Yankees and Red Sox both love Crawford, according to Verducci.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Dodgers should spend more aggressively, especially considering they led the league in attendance last year.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com points out that Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek, Bill Hall and Jeremy Hermida will combine to make only $10MM or so less than the entire Pirates team this year. Why is that noteworthy? All four Red Sox are expected to be bench players.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry is under contract through 2012, but he tells ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that he knows "these jobs aren't forever."
- The Pirates say Pedro Alvarez needs seasoning above AA, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Sending the third baseman to the minors limits his MLB service time, so it's a sound financial decision by the Pirates.
- The A's haven't called Joe Beimel, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The A's worked out Wagner Mateo on Tuesday, according to Slusser.
- ESPN.com’s Buster Olney thinks that the Joe Mauer contract negotiations, which remain cordial, could continue in a few months if the sides don’t reach a deal in Spring Training.
- The Dominican prospect already worked out for the D'Backs and will likely work out for the Indians.
- Twins minor league director Jim Rantz told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that another Dominican prospect, Miguel Sano, has "tremendous upside." Kovacevic says it's still too early to know how much the Pirates missed out on when Sano signed with the Twins instead of the Pirates.
- Phillies prospect Phillippe Aumont tells Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun that he thought he was heading to the Blue Jays at one point this offseason.
- Carl Crawford tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times that he's comfortable with the speculation about his future since it "comes with the territory." Crawford is a free agent after the season.
David Purcey Drawing Attention
Blue Jays lefty David Purcey is "drawing attention from clubs," tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal also notes that the Cubs had a scout on hand Sunday for Jason Frasor's ugly Sunday stint (four hits and four earned runs in a third of an inning). Rosenthal says Frasor was under the weather during the appearance.
Purcey, 28 in April, was J.P. Ricciardi's first-round pick in 2004. He posted respectable strikeout rates at most minor league stops, but was plagued by control problems. He seemed to figure it out by his third Double A stint in '07, trimming his walks per nine to 2.3. However, surgery to remove cysts in his forearm and triceps cut that season short. Purcey kept the walks down the next year at Triple A, and showed flashes of brilliance in his '08 MLB debut season. The '09 season was a step back, with Purcey losing his rotation spot by May due to his walk problem.
Now MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says the Blue Jays have trimmed Purcey's repertoire and are leaning toward making him a reliever. Once the Blue Jays' #3 prospect, Purcey's outlook has been downgraded over the years by Baseball America from a potential #2 starter to a mid-rotation guy to a reliever. He still brings the power stuff that made him a first-round pick in '04, and there might be another club out there with ideas on fixing his command.
Cubs Notes: Castro, Bullpen, Silva
MLB.com's Carrie Muskat answered a few Cubs-related questions from readers today in a mailbag. Within the piece, she addresses some potential roster moves for the Cubs. Here are the highlights:
- Look for super-prospect Starlin Castro to start the year in the minors, where he'll be able to play every day. The Cubs are hoping Mike Fontenot can back up Ryan Theriot at shortstop. That way, the club can use their final bench spot on a player with some pinch-hitting pop, rather than a reserve infielder like Andres Blanco.
- Asked if the Cubs will fill their bullpen holes through free agency or trades, Muskat acknowledges that GM Jim Hendry has been looking for an experienced right-handed reliever since before the Winter Meetings. However, the club could still stand pat, using younger, in-house options to fill out their bullpen. As Muskat notes, "there's nothing wrong with youth as long as they get the job done."
- One reader poses the idea of Carlos Silva moving to the bullpen as a right-handed setup man. Muskat suggests that, given some more time with pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Silva could be successful at the back of the rotation.