The Nationals’ Decision To Pass On Adam Dunn
No one, the Washington Nationals included, expected Adam Dunn to be this unproductive in 2011. The slugger, whose home run hitting ability seemed all but automatic from 2004-10, has an unexpectedly low .161/.294/.296 line with only 11 home runs this year. If the Nationals had anticipated this kind of dropoff for Dunn, they wouldn’t have maintained interest in him for as long as they did.
A year ago this time, Washington was still considering the possibility of extending Dunn, who was having a characteristically strong season and the plate on his way to free agency. After posting a .260/.356/.536 line with 38 homers, Dunn signed a four-year, $56MM deal with the White Sox, turning down overtures from rumored suitors such as Detroit and Oakland.
Because Dunn turned down the Nationals’ three-year offer to join the White Sox, the Nats obtained two compensatory draft picks in June. Last night they signed both of those picks, right-hander Alex Meyer, selected 23rd overall, and outfielder Brian Goodwin, selected 34th overall, in addition to their other top picks. By reaching deals with the 6’9” Meyer and Goodwin, a former Cape Cod League standout, the Nationals added significant talent to their system and even though the two players cost $5MM in total, Washington is already drawing praise for its aggressive approach.
The Nationals had interest in Dunn on a multiyear deal last year, so they were wrong about him just like the White Sox and many other teams (I was wrong, too). But their decision not to outbid Chicago turned out to be an excellent one. Instead of an expensive, positionless and now unproductive player, they added two potentially impactful prospects for a fraction of the price.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
White Sox Release Brian Bruney
AUGUST 15th: The White Sox released Bruney, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
AUGUST 6th: The White Sox have designated Brian Bruney for assignment according to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The move frees up a roster spot for Zach Stewart, who will start tomorrow and push Jake Peavy back to Sunday.
Bruney, 29, pitched to a 6.86 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 19 2/3 innings for Chicago this year. Stewart will be making his ChiSox debut after being acquired from the Blue Jays in the Edwin Jackson–Mark Teahen trade last weekend. Peavy appears to be getting an extra day of rest after throwing 115 pitches on Monday, his most since last May.
John Danks Wants To Remain With The White Sox
There were a few trade rumors circling around John Danks heading into this year's deadline, but if the southpaw had his way, he'd remain in Chicago for years to come. Danks tells The Chicago Sun-Times that he and agent Jeff Berry have engaged in some low-level negotiations with the team about a contract extension.
“There’s been a little bit of talks here and there, but nothing super serious,’’ Danks said. “It hasn’t gotten to the point where it’s been a back-and-forth negotiation. It’s been more, ‘OK, we’ll throw this out there, No, OK then we’ll throw this out there.’ It will be another ‘No,’ and then it kind of dies out.
“This is my first choice. I love it here. This is all I know, and I love everything about it. I’ve heard it said that I want free agency, I want to go back to Texas, I just want to move on. That couldn’t be further from the truth, so we’ll see how it works out. There’s a business side to it, and I think it goes both ways. It will play out the way it’s supposed to play out, and hopefully that’s here.’’
Danks has one more year of arbitration eligibility and can become a free agent after the 2012 season. The left-hander is earning $6MM this year and, despite a rough 0-8 start and a stint on the DL with an oblique injury, Danks' numbers (3.90 ERA, 2.61 K/BB rate, 6.8 K/9 rate) are about on par with his career norms. He looks to be on pace for the $10-11MM salary that MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested Danks could receive in 2012 if he had "a normal platform season."
Danks turned down a four-year, $15MM extension offer from Chicago during the 2009-10 offseason, which looks like a smart move in hindsight. He said he and Berry hadn't discussed figures in a while and denied a report that he wanted "Mark Buehrle-type money," which would make his extension worth roughly $14MM per season.
Though the White Sox ultimately told teams that Danks wasn't available, he was seen as potential trade bait last month if Chicago wanted to avoid paying that 2012 arbitration payout and get a solid return in a deal. Danks admitted that he and another Sox pitcher, Gavin Floyd, were logical trade candidates if the Sox decided to cut costs and rebuild.
"I think [Floyd and I] would be two of the more likely guys to go if they went that direction,’’ Danks said. “I can’t see them doing that, personally, just because we have [Adam] Dunn and [Alex] Rios coming back, so you have pieces there for next year. But if it comes down to that point and they’re looking to go that way, Gavin and I would be possibly two of the first guys to go.’’
Heyman On Nationals, A’s, Reyes, White Sox
Two of baseball’s interim managers are expected to return in 2012, Jon Heyman of SI.com reports. Here are the details and other notes from around the league…
- The Nationals have intended all along for interim manager Davey Johnson to manage the next two seasons, though he’s officially a consultant for 2012-13. Heyman reports that Johnson can have the Nationals’ managing job if he wants it, though Washington will likely conduct an official search.
- A’s interim manager Bob Melvin is also expected to return next year, though he doesn’t have a contract for 2012 yet.
- Jose Reyes, a free agent, after the season, wants to remain with the Mets, according to Heyman’s sources. The Mets seem to be prepared to offer a five-year deal and might be willing to expand their offer to six years. We heard this morning that the Mets aren’t comfortable with the idea of a Carl Crawford-like seven-year deal.
- Highly regarded White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper isn’t under contract for 2012 and Chicago’s other coaches aren’t either.
Central Notes: Bourn, Guillen, Soto, Rhodes
The latest from the Central divisions….
- The Astros wanted Ross Detwiler as part of any package the Nationals offered for Michael Bourn, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Washington didn't want to part with its young southpaw, so the Nats' chance to acquire Bourn the day before the trade deadline evaporated. Bourn instead went to one of Washington's NL East rivals.
- In a video interview with Graham Bensinger of Yahoo Sports, Ozzie Guillen says that he recently told White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf that "If you want me to stay, a lot of things [have] got to be better." Guillen also said, however, that he wants to remain in Chicago and is fully committed to his current team, despite some rumors connecting him to the Marlins job in 2012. "It'd be an honor for me to manage the Marlins," Guillen said. "Do I want to manage the Marlins? No, because I'm managing the White Sox now."
- Guillen's future is also a topic in Doug Padilla and Bruce Levine's Cubs-and-White Sox chat for ESPN Chicago. Padilla and Levine discuss why both teams kept players like Carlos Quentin and Marlon Byrd at the trade deadline, Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn's potential as a future GM and why Mike Quade is playing so many veterans.
- Also of note from the chat is Levine's news that the Pirates were interested in Geovany Soto, but were told by the Cubs that Soto wasn't available.
- The Cardinals may have interest in Arthur Rhodes, who was designated for assignment today by the Rangers. MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that the Cards have "held significant interest [in Rhodes] in recent years" and notes that Tony La Russa made some vague quotes both praising Rhodes and saying his team needed another southpaw reliever.
- The Royals may have to do some roster juggling in August and September to find playing time for all of their young prospects, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
AL Central Trades
Here are this month's trades in the AL Central, headlined by the deal that brought Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians..
Indians
- Acquired outfield prospect Thomas Neal from the Indians for shortstop Orlando Cabrera.
- Acquired Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies for Joe Gardner, Alex White, Matt McBride and a player to be named later. The deal is expected to include left-hander Drew Pomeranz once he's eligible to be traded in mid-August.
- Acquired right fielder Kosuke Fukudome and about $3.9MM from the Cubs for minor leaguer outfielder Abner Abreu and reliever Carlton Smith.
Royals
- Acquired infielder/outfielder Yamaico Navarro and reliever Kendal Volz from the Red Sox for infielder Mike Aviles.
- Acquired prospects Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez from the Tigers for Wilson Betemit.
Tigers
- Acquired starter Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley from the Mariners for third baseman Francisco Martinez, outfielder Casper Wells, southpaw Charlie Furbush, and a player to be named later. The PTBNL is reportedly one of the Tigers' top three picks from the 2010 draft, meaning that it's either Nick Castellanos, Chance Ruffin, or Drew Smyly.
- Acquired Wilson Betemit from the Royals for prospects Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez.
Twins
- The Twins didn't complete any of the deals they discussed.
White Sox
- Acquired reliever Jason Frasor and starter Zach Stewart from the Blue Jays for starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen.
AL Central Notes: Hunter, Thornton, Rauch, Indians
The American League Central welcomed a handful of new players this week – most notably right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. Yet many other trades didn't materialize. Here are the details on some deals that could have impacted the division…
- The Tigers tried to acquire Tommy Hunter from the Rangers before the Orioles obtained him in the Koji Uehara deal yesterday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Tigers did acquire Doug Fister for their rotation.
- The Brewers called on every good left-handed relief option out there, including White Sox southpaw Matt Thornton, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (on Twitter).
- The Twins talked to the Blue Jays about re-acquiring Jon Rauch, but talks went nowhere, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
- The Indians discussed as many as 75 players leading up to the deadline, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter).
White Sox Seeking Rotation Depth
The White Sox are now in search of rotation depth, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). After trading Edwin Jackson on Wednesday, General Manager Ken Williams & Co. believe that they are in need of starting pitching.
Without Jackson, the White Sox have gone from a six man rotation to a starting five which consists of Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, and Philip Humber. Earlier today, Williams said that it was highly unlikely that he would make another trade before the deadline.
Matt Thornton Rumors: Saturday
Left-handed reliever Matt Thornton has a 3.28 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.50 HR/9, and 47.3% groundball rate in 35 2/3 innings this season for the White Sox, which is only a down year by his lofty standards. Thornton signed a three-year extension in March. He has $1MM remaining this year, $5.5MM in 2012, $5.5MM in '13, and a $6MM club option or $1MM buyout for '14. That's a total of $13MM guaranteed through 2013 for the hard-throwing 34-year-old. The latest rumors:
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that another deal is highly unlikely (Twitter link).
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post senses that the White Sox have really fallen out of love with Thornton and would love to move his contract (Twitter link). He says the Yankees are watching Thornton.
- The Diamondbacks would love to acquire Thornton but it can't happen given Chicago's demand of top prospects, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
- The Red Sox are pushing hard for Thornton and right fielder Carlos Quentin, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
- Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Rangers are pursuing Thornton, but would only be open to Chicago's request of Derek Holland if the Sox include a starter such as John Danks.
John Danks Not Available
2:11pm: The White Sox are telling teams Danks is not available, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. It seems that Rosenthal threw his name out there as more of an example, anyway.
11:19am: The Rangers are pursuing White Sox reliever Matt Thornton, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and the Sox want starter Derek Holland in return. He adds that the Rangers would only move Holland for Thornton if the White Sox expanded the deal to include a starter such as John Danks. That'd make for an interesting story, with Sox GM Kenny Williams having stolen Danks from the Rangers in '06 for Brandon McCarthy.
Holland, a 24-year-old southpaw, is under team control through 2015. Danks, meanwhile, is a free agent after the 2012 season. Thornton will be signed through '14 if his club option is exercised.