Odds & Ends: White Sox, Lee, Pomeranz, Ripken
Another round of links, as Nick Swisher prevents Cliff Lee's trade value from getting too high…
- GM Kenny Williams told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the White Sox aren't desperate for anything right now.
- Reporters asked Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik about Lee, but Zduriencik just repeated that the Mariners are focusing on winning as many games as possible, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that the Phillies have a scout at tonight's Yankees-Mariners game, though it could be part of the scout's normal coverage.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Mets infielder Ruben Tejada would not be enough to anchor a deal for Lee, but prospect Wilmer Flores could be (Twitter links). Earlier today, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes looked at the Mets' ability to acquire Lee without giving up Jenrry Mejia.
- Now that the Indians have given first rounder Drew Pomeranz his physical, they're one step closer to starting negotiations with the left-hander, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.
- Cal Ripken Jr. told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that he may take a job in the Orioles organization. So could Ripken become the team's next manager? No.
- Many players read MLBTR, but something tells me Adam Dunn isn't one of them. He told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he hates trade rumblings when he's involved in them. The Nationals are open to making deals and teams are interested in Dunn.
Shane Lindsay Clears Waivers
MONDAY: The Indians assigned Lindsay to AA, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter).
FRIDAY: The Indians have designated Shane Lindsay for assignment, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince (via Twitter). The move was made in order to clear room for Jayson Nix, who was picked up off of waivers earlier this afternoon.
Lindsay, 25, was claimed off of waivers from the Yankees on the first of the month, two weeks after the Yanks claimed him from the Rockies. In 13.2 innings for Colorado's Triple A affiliate this year, the righthander posted a 6.59 ERA with 19 Ks and 17 walks. Baseball America's Prospect Handbook questioned if the Australian could ever stay healthy enough to capitalize on his raw ability.
Mets’ Targets Include Cliff Lee, Ted Lilly
The Mets will be in on Seattle ace Cliff Lee – that appears certain. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Omar Minaya has notified Jack Zduriencik of his interest, and the Mets are scouting Lee's starts.
Contrary to a Kevin Burkhardt report last night, Sherman says the Mets "would not need a negotiating window to sign Lee long-term even if it includes top prospect Jenrry Mejia in a package." However, between the injuries to potential trade chips Mejia and Angel Pagan and the ownership approval needed to pull the trigger, Minaya faces hurdles in acquiring Lee.
Sherman writes "the Mets have little interest" in Roy Oswalt and Fausto Carmona. Instead, Cubs southpaw Ted Lilly might head up their list of Lee alternatives. Lilly has been excellent since signing a four-year, $40MM deal with the Cubs in December of '06. The contract has about $6.4MM remaining. Though Lilly profiles as a Type A free agent after the season, an arbitration offer is in question. I doubt Lilly's limited no-trade provision will be an obstacle, as he's probably eager to return to the playoffs. The Cubs have about a month to decide whether to cash in their chips, and Lilly is their best one.
Odds & Ends: Branyan, Orioles, D’Backs, Marlins
Links for Sunday..
- Returning to a former team is nothing new for Russell Branyan, writes JR Radcliffe for MLB.com.
- Eric Wedge had a great interview with the O's, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic writes that D'Backs manager A.J. Hinch doesn't want his players to worry about being dealt.
- Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez was sorry to see skipper Fredi Gonzalez go, writes Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald.
- Andy MacPhail said that the O's "gambled" and lost when they gave Garrett Atkins a one-year, $4.5MM deal, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.
- Carlos Gomez hopes that he can live up to the expectations the Brewers had for him when they acquired him from the Twins, writes MLB.com's Jordan Schelling.
- Former Oriole and current MASN broadcaster Rick Dempsey isn't sure if his upcoming meeting with O's GM Andy MacPhail can be considered an official interview for the managerial position, writes Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer doesn't envision a club taking Jhonny Peralta at the trade deadline.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry stands by his investment in Carlos Zambrano, writes the Daily Herald's Bruce Miles. Hendry gave the hurler a five-year, $91.5MM extension in 2007.
Russell Branyan Trade Reactions
The Mariners' acquisition of Russell Branyan last night came as the first major surprise of this year's trading season, given Seattle's place in the standings. Here's a collection of a few early reactions to the move, examining both teams' perspectives:
- When Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times heard about the trade, he thought it was a hoax. After hearing the rationale from GM Jack Zduriencik, Baker suggests that, in addition to improving this year's lineup, the move is also about Seattle's front office restoring credibility in the clubhouse.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer calls the move "deeply weird" for the Mariners, though he concedes that they probably didn't give up much.
- With Matt LaPorta playing so well in the minors, it was time for the Indians to stay on the phone until they found a taker for Branyan, writes Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune is glad that opposing pitchers will finally have "someone to think about" in the Mariners' lineup.
- The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes discussed the deal with Indians GM Mark Shapiro, who said: "Russell held up his end of the bargain…. The season just isn't what we envisioned."
Mariners Acquire Russell Branyan
Russell Branyan is returning to the Mariners. The Indians sent the slugger to Seattle for minor leaguers Ezequiel Carrera and Juan Diaz in a surprising trade, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. The Mariners will pay the remaining money owed to Branyan this season (approximately $1.1MM), while the Indians figure to pick up the buyout for Branyan's $5MM mutual option, tweets Castrovince. If the Mariners and Branyan exercise the option, the Indians will be off the hook financially, but will send the M's a player to be named later.
The Mariners are 31-43, far removed from contention even after today's win in Milwaukee. Despite their recent hot streak, few expected the M's to trade minor leaguers for big league talent. Instead, the Mariners seemed likely to shop Cliff Lee, who appeared to be available for the right offer. Tonight's trade doesn't mean the Mariners won't listen to offers for Lee. The move could impact the team's 2011 roster, considering Branyan's mutual option for next year.
After hitting 31 homers for the Mariners last year, Branyan considered re-signing in Seattle and ultimately rejected a one-year deal with a club option for 2011. The back problems that sidelined Branyan at the end of 2009 limited interest last winter and he went on to sign a one-year, $2MM deal with the Tribe.
Branyan rewarded the Indians for their investment with ten homers and a .262/.328/.488 line. That's much more production than the Mariners have received from their first basemen, who have hit .195/.279/.295 as a group, with five homers. The Indians, meanwhile, create space for Matt LaPorta by moving Branyan.
Not only do the Indians make room for LaPorta, they add Carrera, a 23-year-old outfielder who the Mariners acquired in the J.J. Putz deal, and Diaz, a 21-year-old shortstop. Baseball America ranked Carrera 15th among Mariners prospects before the season and explained that his speed, defense and pesky approach point to a future as a valuable reserve. Diaz, not considered one of the Mariners' top prospects pre-season, has a .779 OPS in A ball this year.
Odds & Ends: Patterson, Marlins, League, Zambrano
Some Saturday links as the Red Sox suffer their latest injury, this one involving Clay Buchholz and running the bases…
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Red Sox's acquisition of Eric Patterson came together quickly; they had yet to inquire about him as recently as noon Eastern time today.
- Marlins' first base coach Dave Collins abruptly resigned today, reports Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. He wonders if the move may be related to an imminent Bobby Valentine hiring, but president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said that was not the case (all Twitter links).
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says (via Twitter) that Brandon League is the Mariners' second best trade chip behind Cliff Lee. The hard-throwing righty reliever is owed approximately $590K the rest of the season, and is under team control for two more years.
- With the Yankees facing off against the Dodgers, Tyler Kepner from the New York Times reminds us that Alex Rodriguez was almost a Dodger back in 1993. Fortunately for the Mariners, the first pick still alternated yearly between the AL and NL back then.
- In the comments of his blog, the Atlanta Journal Constitution's David O'Brien says that conversations with people across the Braves organization yesterday have him convinced more than ever that Fredi Gonzalez will be the Braves' next manager.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs may have reached the "breaking point" with Carlos Zambrano, and says they're probably better off eating the $45MM left on his contract and trading him away.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier says that Dustin Pedroia's foot injury is going to test Boston's less than stellar infield depth.
- Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Indians will probably be able to make smaller deals like they did last year with Rafael Betancourt (to the Rockies) and Ryan Garko (to the Giants).
Olney’s Latest: Zambrano, Starting Pitchers, Indians
In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney writes about how Diamondbacks' manager A.J. Hinch went against the grain by leaving Edwin Jackson in to throw 149 pitches as he no-hit the Rays last night. One unnamed manager blamed the media for the pitch count craze, but I want to add that much of it has to do with teams protecting investments. With the rise of salaries throughout the game even from just ten years ago, teams don't want to unnecessarily put a pitcher in the line of danger, so to speak.
Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- The Cubs may wish they could get rid of Carlos Zambrano following his latest tirade, but Olney points out that there's still $45MM left on his contract. Chicago would have to eat a huge chunk of that money to unload him.
- The trade market doesn't figure to be very robust this summer because there just isn't a lot of money available around the league. The starting pitching market probably won't budge until Cliff Lee is dealt, at which point second tier fodder like Ben Sheets and Kevin Millwood would draw more attention.
- The Indians' two most marketable players are Austin Kearns and Russell Branyan because neither is making big money. Kearns is owed approximately $417K the rest of the season, Branyan $1.11MM, and both will become free agents as season's end.
Indians Claim Jayson Nix
The Indians claimed Jayson Nix off of waivers from the White Sox, according to the White Sox (via Twitter). The claim comes a week after the White Sox designated Nix for assignment.
Nix flashed power and speed in limited playing time last year, hitting 12 homers and stealing ten bases in 12 attempts. The utilityman posted a .716 OPS a year ago, but his 2010 mark has fallen to .513 in 57 plate appearances. Nix has been as versatile as ever this year, playing second, third, short and right, but he hasn't replicated the power or speed he flashed in 2009.
Odds & Ends: Pomeranz, Marlins, Everett, Valentine
Links for Wednesday…
- Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that fifth overall pick Drew Pomeranz is scheduled to go to Cleveland on Monday to take a physical and "hear the Indians' sales pitch." Hoynes says there have been no negotiations to date.
- Marlins' president David Samson told Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald that they're "not ready to say for certain that trade didn't work," referring to the Miguel Cabrera blockbuster (Twitter link). Both Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin, the two centerpieces of the deal for Florida, have struggled in the big leagues and are currently in the minors.
- Upon hearing about Boston's interest in his services, Adam Everett said "I haven't heard that, but great team, great city, and it sounds interesting," according to FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi (via Twitter).
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets the leaders in wins above replacement, or WAR, from last year's free agent class. Andy Pettitte tops the list, followed closely by Livan Hernandez and Aubrey Huff.
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post notes (via Twitter) that the Marlins spoke with Bobby Valentine this morning. The Marlins' opening interests Valentine.
- Prince Fielder and Corey Hart tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that they realize they could be traded. Morosi says the Brewers should trade Hart for pitching, but Hart would prefer to stay in Milwaukee.
- Kenny Williams told Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune that the White Sox could become buyers.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Blue Jays could trade pitching away this trade deadline (Twitter link).
- Chris Iannetta told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he did his best to ignore rumors that the Red Sox were interested in him.
- At this point, Pedro Martinez doesn't want to think about whether he'll play this year. He told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he doesn't know anything right now.
- Steve Gould of the Baltimore Sun reminds us that 2009 first rounder Matt Hobgood is still a teenager and says Orioles fans should be more patient with the tall righty.
- MLB.com's Fred Claire shows that the Orioles are looking for the kind of stability that was once found in Baltimore and that the Angels now have.