NL Central Notes: Cubs, Castro, Reds, Baker
A look at news on Reds and the Cubs..
- Starlin Castro's agent, Paul Kinzer, told Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune that he planned on tabling contract talks until after the season until the Cubs approached him. The two sides are working on a new deal that would keep him in Chicago through 2018 and possibly beyond.
- Manager Dusty Baker and the Reds still have yet to have talks about a contract extension and Baker says that he doesn't expect to do so anytime soon, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Meanwhile, team president Bob Castellini told Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com that he hopes to have Baker as a part of the Reds organization for a long time. Castellini wouldn't tip his cap as to when contract talks could get started between the two sides but indicated that the timing would likely be agreed upon mutually.
- Castro has instructed Kinzer not to give him updates on the negotiations and to only notify him when a deal is done, tweets Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com.
Quick Hits: Padres, Cubs, Bourn, Sheets, Braves
Earlier today, the Indians released right-hander Derek Lowe after designating him for assignment earlier this month. The veteran is willing to start or relieve and there's reportedly a sense that he'll return to the National League. While we keep an eye on where the veteran might land, here's tonight's look around baseball..
- As first reported by Jim Callis of Baseball America, Padres scouting director Jaron Madison is leaving the organization to join the Cubs. The 36-year-old will take over as Chicago's scouting director while Tim Wilken has been reassigned to the role of Special Assistant to president Theo Epstein, the team announced.
- One Braves official believes that if Michael Bourn had an agent other than Scott Boras he might already have a new contract with the club, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. People who know Nationals GM Mike Rizzo believe that Bourn has always been at the top of his wish list and the Phillies, Reds, and Marlins are also potential suitors this winter.
- Ben Sheets wasn't entirely confident about his return to the big leagues, but the veteran has looked tremendous so far, Knobler writes. The 34-year-old isn't sure how long he'll continue pitching but he says that he wants to leave on his own terms as opposed to being forced out by injury.
Central Notes: Overbay, Indians, Pirates, Burnett
Some links pertaining to baseball's two Central Divisions, which are currently led by the White Sox and Reds…
- The Reds aren't interested in Lyle Overbay, general manager Walt Jocketty told reporters including John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Jocketty mentions Overbay's defensive limitation and says his team likes Xavier Paul. Overbay was released by the D-backs earlier today.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti is exploring the trade market for both Johnny Damon and Derek Lowe, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Antonetti feels there's a chance that he can complete trades within their respective 10-day windows. Cleveland recently designated Damon and Lowe for assignment.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Antonetti is happy with the job Manny Acta has done and expects him to be the Indians' manager in 2013. Antonetti did concede that the front office and coaching staff may have over-evaluated the roster's talent in Spring Training.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington says he is actively monitoring the waiver wire and will make claims to improve his team or block others from improving theirs, writes Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- The Pirates haven't explored an extension with A.J. Burnett as of yet, Huntington told reporters including the Tribune-Review's Rob Biertempfel (Sulia link). Huntington says the team's focus is currently on making the playoffs.
Outrighted: Brackman, Costanzo
The latest outright assignments from around MLB…
- The Reds outrighted right-hander Andrew Brackman to Class A Bakersfield, according to the team's website. The Reds designated Brackman for assignment on the afternoon of the non-waiver trade deadline after he posted a 6.80 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 49 innings at Class A and Triple-A.
- The Reds outrighted third baseman Mike Costanzo to Triple-A Louisville, according to the team's website. The Reds designated Costanzo for assignment two days ago to create roster space for Dioner Navarro.
Minor Moves: Sanches, Reds, McPherson
The latest minor moves…
- Sanches wasn't unemployed very long. Christopher Dabe of The Beaumont Enterprise reports that the right-hander has signed with his hometown Astros.
- The Phillies released right-hander Brian Sanches, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Philadelphia outrighted Sanches to the minor leagues late last month.
- The Reds released veteran right-hander Brett Tomko, according to the team's assistant director of media relations, Jamie Ramsey (on Twitter). Tomko had been pitching at Triple-A.
- The White Sox signed Tommy Manzella to a minor league contract, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. Manzella, who was the Astros' Opening Day shortstop in 2010, has spent the last two years in the minors. The 29-year-old played for affiliates of the Brewers and Diamondbacks this year, posting a .229/.308/.271 batting line in 295 plate appearances.
- The White Sox released Dallas McPherson from their Triple-A team, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). The former top prospect posted a .253/.335/.463 line with Charlotte this year after re-signing with the White Sox organization this past offseason.
Reds Designate Mike Costanzo For Assignment
The Reds have designated Mike Costanzo for assignment, the team announced (on Twitter). The move creates room on the roster for Dioner Navarro.
Costanzo, 28, had one single and one walk in 21 plate appearances for Cincinnati this season, good for a .056/.095/.056 batting line. The infielder was involved in two high profile trades in 2007, first the Brad Lidge–Michael Bourn swap and then the Miguel Tejada–Luke Scott deal.
Quick Hits: Brewers, Pirates, A’s, Broxton, Snider
Phones across the country were ringing off the hook today, but it doesn't appear that was the case in Milwaukee. Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin said, "I didn’t have any calls from a General Manager all day," according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter). Here's more from around baseball as we head into August..
- Pirates skipper Clint Hurdle says that the club had inquired about Gaby Sanchez and Chad Qualls in each of past two offseasons, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- A's assistant GM David Forst says that while the club had "plenty of conversations" leading up to the deadline, nothing was really close to happening, writes Jane Lee of MLB.com. Forst implied that Oakland will look to make a waiver deal if a solid opportunity arises.
- Reliever Jonathan Broxton strikes Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) as an odd fit for the Reds. Law notes that the Reds' bullpen is strong while they really could have used help at the top of the lineup.
- Travis Snider chose not to blame the Blue Jays for his shortcomings on the diamond and says that he is looking forward to a fresh start with the Pirates, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. The outfielder was sent to Pittsburgh for right-hander Brad Lincoln earlier today.
- After a busy July, Astros manager Brad Mills was glad to see the deadline pass without having to say goodbye to more players, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
NL East Notes: Pence, Victorino, Johnson
The Phillies traded Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino this morning and the Marlins followed up those moves by trading Gaby Sanchez and Edward Mujica later in the day. The Braves welcomed new acquisitions Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson to Atlanta, but deadline day was relatively quiet for the Mets and Nationals. Here are the latest notes from the NL East…
- The Phillies are slightly under the luxury tax limit following today’s trades, GM Ruben Amaro told reporters, including Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The Phillies opened the season with a $172MM payroll, and the MLB luxury tax affects teams that spend more than $178MM.
- At one point the Phillies considered trading Hunter Pence, obtaining a center fielder, and re-signing Shane Victorino for right field, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Instead, the Dodgers acquired Victorino, and the Giants traded for Pence.
- Marlins right-hander Josh Johnson drew interest from the Rangers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Reds and others, but Miami kept him, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes (on Twitter).
- GM Mike Rizzo said the Nationals made all their splashy moves this past winter, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. "We like who we are, and we like where we’re at and we like the composition of the roster,” Rizzo said.
Reds Designate Andrew Brackman For Assignment
The Reds have designated Andrew Brackman for assignment, Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter). In related moves, the Reds acquired Jonathan Broxton, placed Bill Bray on the disabled list, and called up Todd Redmond.
Brackman has spent the 2012 season in the Reds' minor league system, posting a combined 6.80 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 49 innings at Class A and Triple-A. Cincinnati signed Brackman to a Major League deal in January.
Reds Acquire Jonathan Broxton
The Reds added a late-inning reliever to the NL's best bullpen today, acquiring Jonathan Broxton from the Royals, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The Reds sent Triple-A lefty Donnie Joseph and Double-A righty J.C. Sulbaran to the Royals in return, tweets Rosenthal's colleague Jon Paul Morosi.
Broxton, 28, has bounced back this year to post a 2.27 ERA in 35 2/3 innings, although his peripheral stats aren't great with a 6.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. He has posted a career-best 56.6% groundball rate, a large part in why he's allowed just one home run. Broxton is throwing 95 miles per hour again and has racked up 23 saves, though I'm guessing he'll join Sean Marshall in setting up Aroldis Chapman. Broxton is on a one-year deal and has $1.4MM remaining in base salary.
Joseph, 24, has a 1.72 ERA, 11.7 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, and one home run allowed in 52 1/3 relief innings across Double and Triple-A this year. Baseball America ranked him 27th among Reds prospects prior to the season, suggesting at the time he could become a power reliever in the bigs if able to improve his mechanics.
Sulbaran, 22, has a 4.04 ERA, 9.5 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, and 1.46 HR/9 in 104 2/3 innings as a starter at Double-A this year. Baseball America ranked him 12th among Reds prospects prior to the season, praising his stuff but expressing concern with his maturity and secondarypitches. They saw his future as a potential No. 3 starter at that time.
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