Odds & Ends: Bumgarner, Rangers, Kim
Links for Tuesday…
- Giants top pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner surprisingly gets the big league call today, says John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The bad news: Cy Young contender Tim Lincecum is out with back spasms.
- Evan Grant of D Magazine shows how little the Rangers got out of the 2002-05 drafts (including the "DVD" trio), yet they had the game's best farm system coming into the season.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has the reverse standings, which give an idea of the 2010 draft order.
- Eddie Bajek looks at various scenarios where Placido Polanco could ascend to Type A status. It's a good reminder on how the Elias rankings come together.
- Tigers owner Mike Ilitch is behind the decision to let Magglio Ordonez's 2010 option vest, believes John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire finds the upcoming free agent class lacking in depth.
- East Windup Chronicle passes along a report suggesting Byung-Hyun Kim wants to make a comeback. Is he still represented by Scott Boras?
- Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee feels the team can win in 2010 with the same group, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune considers possible moves for next year.
- Brad Penny had a strong preference to pitch in the NL, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Twins players Mike Redmond and Carl Pavano lobbied Penny directly.
- Ben Kabak of River Ave. Blues expresses concern that Derek Jeter's next contract could approach $100MM.
Odds And Ends: Figgins, Peavy, Royals
Some more links to check out…
- Cubs manager Lou Piniella told the Chicago Tribune that he expects his team to be speedier next year. The Tribune suggests Chone Figgins could be a fit for the Cubs. With his versatility and speed, Figgins would be a fit on a number of clubs.
- As MLB.com's Rustin Dodd points out, Figgins has also emerged as one of the league's best defenders at the hot corner.
- Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald believes the White Sox would be wise to rest Jake Peavy for the rest of the season if they're not within five games of the division lead by next weekend.
- Whether Peavy returns this year or not, MLB.com's Mike Bauman says the White Sox have a lot to look forward to in coming seasons.
- A "baseball guy" tells Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star that the Royals are bad because even "their good players aren't very good." Zack Greinke and Billy Butler are presumably exceptions.
Heyman On Holliday, Red Sox, Pedro, Bradley
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman covers numerous examples of National League GMs mining the American League scrap heap.
- Heyman agrees with Jayson Stark's note yesterday, that the Yankees will allow Derek Jeter to enter his walk year unsigned and worry about it after the 2010 season.
- The Cardinals will try hard to retain Matt Holliday, but Heyman believes the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox could be in the mix for the slugger.
- Heyman discusses future shortstop possibilities for the Red Sox – they could retain Alex Gonzalez or go after Marco Scutaro. He says they "don't seem anxious" to bring Orlando Cabrera back.
- Pedro Martinez is looking good, and Heyman says only the Phillies and Rangers had real interest. The Cubs and Brewers were on the fringes.
- Heyman talked to two GMs about the Cubs and Milton Bradley. One thought the Cubs could unload him by eating half his remaining $21MM; another thought they'd need to assume almost all the money. I am not a Bradley apologist; he's certainly been a distraction. But how would subtracting a .394 OBP make the Cubs' middling offense better?
Cubs Acquire Thomas Diamond
1:32pm: The Cubs confirmed the acquisition via a press release. Diamond was simply claimed off waivers from the Rangers. He'll head to Triple A Iowa.
12:23pm: The Cubs acquired righty Thomas Diamond from the Rangers, MLBTR has learned. Diamond, the 10th overall pick in the 2004 draft, was designated for assignment Tuesday by Texas. He had Tommy John surgery in '07, and has struggled with his control since. Diamond has worked as a reliever most of this year.
Cubs assistant GM Randy Bush coached Diamond at the University of New Orleans, by the way.
Odds & Ends: Johnson, Peavy, Nelson
Links for Thursday…
- Pitching prospect Steve Johnson, part of the trade that sent George Sherrill to the Dodgers, found out about the deal via MLB Trade Rumors. Very cool! Tom Sedlacek of the Bowie Baysox did the interview with Johnson.
- MLB.com's Scott Merkin has comments from Jake Peavy about the failed Cubs trade and the two White Sox trades.
- Rays reliever Joe Nelson cleared waivers and accepted a minor league assignment, according to Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune.
- The Phillies designated pitcher Steven Register and catcher Joel Naughton for assignment, according to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Odds And Ends: Grabow, Brewers, Blue Jays
Time for another round of links…
- John Grabow tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he enjoys playing for the Cubs and likes the city of Chicago. Grabow, who becomes a free agent after the season, sounds open to re-signing with the Cubs.
- Manager Ken Macha thinks the Brewers could use some power arms, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors argues that the J.D. Drew contract- $70MM over five years- isn't quite as bad as people think.
- Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi tells Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star that he takes full responsibility for the Blue Jays' disappointing play. The club has faded steadily since its 27-14 start.
Hendry Noncommittal On Harden’s Future
Cubs starter Rich Harden has piled up 152 strikeouts in 129 innings this year, and doesn't turn 28 until November 30th. With a strong, healthy September, the oft-injured righty could be a hot commodity on the free agent market after the season. Will the Cubs attempt to re-sign him? Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times couldn't get much out of GM Jim Hendry, who has to sort through Harden's health outlook and contract demands, as well as his team's ownership situation. Wittenmyer says Hendry "seems interested in the idea" of bringing Harden back, and the pitcher would like to stay.
At the least, it'd make sense for the Cubs to offer arbitration to Harden after the season. He currently projects as a Type A free agent, meaning the Cubs would snag two draft picks if he rejects an arb offer to sign elsewhere. Arb offers are not always obvious to predict, however – I was surprised last year when GMs chose not to make offers to players such as Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Adam Dunn, Randy Wolf, and Kerry Wood (several of those decisions showed excellent foresight).
As for the Twins' recent waiver claim of Harden, Hendry called it a non-story. A dozen Cubs were claimed on waivers and pulled back, Aaron Heilman also among them. What's surprising to me is that no NL team thought Harden merited a claim.
Rich Harden Rumors: Sunday
8:26pm: Count Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune among those who believe a trade will get done by Monday's deadline: "The guess here," Rogers writes, "is that Twins GM Bill Smith is going to wake up on Monday, consider how catchable the Detroit Tigers remain, and pay the price." The Twinkies currently stand 65-65 — 4.5 games back of Detroit in the AL Central.
12:57pm: Joe Christensen says "doubts have emerged" about the Twins completing a trade with the Cubs for Rich Harden. Christensen quotes sources who say "the Cubs had yet to open a window for the Twins to negotiate a long-term deal with Harden." Twins officials have yet to confirm or deny that they were the team that claimed Harden.
Christensen notes the Twins would deal for Harden even without a long-term extension given Harden will be a Type A free agent.
Perrotto’s Latest: Twins, Damon, Franklin, Penny, Dye
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus brings us his latest from around the leagues:
- When they come off the DL, Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins will be used in relief. So, the Twins are hoping to add a starter who can pitch in the playoffs. This means they have until tomorrow at midnight to do so.
- The Yankees would like to re-sign Johnny Damon to a one year deal and give Austin Jackson a second year to develop at Triple-A, while pursuing Matt Holliday and Jason Bay in the offseason.
- The Marlins and Giants are frontrunners to land Brad Penny.
- The Cardinals expect to exercise Ryan Franklin‘s $2.75MM club option and then sign an extension with their closer for 2011.
- The Royals want to extend G.M. Dayton Moore who is signed through 2010.
- Perrotto says the Cubs are likely to deal Milton Bradley this winter, even if it means eating a large portion of the $21MM owed to him through 2011.
- Jermaine Dye will more than likely not see his $12MM option exercised by the White Sox after a dip in production in tandem with the salary demands of Alex Rios and Jake Peavy.
- For the postseason, the Dodgers are seeking “a left-handed bat with power” for their bench.
- The Nats are auditioning Livan Hernandez as a veteran innings eater for 2010.
- The Diamondbacks may non-tender Conor Jackson.
- Brewers manager Ken Macha said G.M. Doug Melvin “scoured the area for pitching” before the deadline but was unable to add a starter because he refused to trade Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar.
- After making seven trades this year, the Pirates are the youngest team in the MLB.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Penny, Harden, Lidge
Rumor machine Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count Video up at FoxSports.com. Let's dive on in…
- The outcome of this weekend's games could determine which team the recently released Brad Penny signs with. The Giants and Marlins are the two teams pursuing him the most, but the Giants are in a better position in the NL Wildcard standings.
- The Yankees, Twins, and A's are also expressing interest in the righthander, but "what pitcher in his right mind would want to stay in the American League?"
- The A's and Padres have even "floated the idea" of signing Penny beyond the rest of this season, but Penny's best bet might be to go to a team like the Giants and reestablish himself in a pennant race, then go back into the free agent pool this winter on a high note.
- The Cubs are more open to dealing Rich Harden to the Twins than you might think. The Cubs could receive two high draft picks if they offer Harden arbitration after the season and he signs elsewhere, but that's a risky strategy. Given his injury history, the club might not want to take a $10MM or so hit if he accepts, even for only one year.
- The bigger question with Harden may be how aggressive the Twins will be in trying to deal for him. Remember that stars Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan have said the team needs more to contend, with Morneau mentioning that the team needs to impress Joe Mauer since he's due to become a free agent after next season.
- Yes, the Yankees were messing with the Red Sox when they claimed Chris Carter off waivers, but Boston's 40-man roster only has 38 players on it at the moment. Daisuke Matsuzaka will assume one of those spots when he comes off the 60-day DL, and the other is reserved for Paul Byrd.
- People might need to relax when it comes to Brad Lidge's struggles. His recent blown save against the Pirates might be the result of overuse, as Lidge was pitching for the fourth straight day. He had done it twice before this season, but he entered game three of that stretch with a four-run lead. Manager Charlie Manuel may need to be more careful with how he uses his closer down the stretch.