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Olney’s Latest: Bell, Phillies, B.J. Upton

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Buster Olney of ESPN.com has passed along some interesting tidbits tonight via Twitter. He also touched on some of these notes in his daily column this morning. Here's Olney's latest:

  • The Padres' sweep at the hands of the Twins this weekend could hasten their decision on if and when they should trade closer Heath Bell, Olney thinks. The sooner the Friars deal Bell, the more they can ask in return (Twitter links).
  • The Phillies are looking for a right-handed hitter and have checked in on the Twins' Michael Cuddyer and the Athletics' Josh Willingham (Twitter link). Olney first reported the Phils' interest in a righty stick last week. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Phils are seeking someone cheap, such as the Rockies' Ryan Spilborghs, because of payroll constraints.
  • The Rays will listen to offers for B.J. Upton but probably won't deal him unless they can obtain a good bat, although that wouldn't necessarily have to happen within the same trade (Twitter link).

Cafardo On Kazmir, Upton, Broxton, Ramirez

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if roster manipulation is rampant in baseball.  Cafardo points to the pulled quad muscle injury of Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald as a possible example.  McDonald wasn't showing any signs of injury and when asked about it, he gave a "no comment".  It's possible that Boston simply wanted to get McDonald more playing time with Mike Cameron eating up the lion's share of the reps.  Things such as this, Cafardo writes, are happening all around baseball.  Let's see what else is happening around the majors:

  • As poorly as left-hander Scott Kazmir has pitched in the last two seasons, there are at least five teams looking at him in the Rockies, Marlins, Padres, Rangers, and Diamondbacks.  It also wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees jump into the mix considering their pitching needs.
  • There always seems to be a should-we-or-shouldn’t-we-trade B.J. Upton dilemma for the Rays. The Nationals could be a fit as they'd like a young center fielder they can grow with.  The question is: is he available?  All signs point to yes.
  • Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton has been on the shelf since May with an elbow injury, but the club could move him if they're lagging in the standings.
  • The Marlins' recent slide has skipper Edwin Rodriguez on the hot seat and it's no secret that the club has been keeping an eye on Ozzie Guillen for quite some time.  Guillen has one year remaining on his deal with the White Sox.
  • The Dodgers owe Manny Ramirez more than $8MM in deferred payments but the charismatic twelve-time All-Star is collecting a lot more than that.  The BoSox owe him quite a bit of money too, roughly $32MM over 16 years.  Boston will pay Ramirez through 2026, when he’ll be 54-years-old.

Rosenthal’s Full Count: Marlins, Wandy, Phillies, Rockies

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Ken Rosenthal has his lastest Full Count video up over at FOXSports.com. Let's go over the highlights:

  • If the Marlins make a managerial change, the most likely candidate would be Nationals' third base coach Bo Porter. Porter spent five years with the Marlins, and three as a Major League coach. Rosenthal wonders if the Nats would let him go to a division rival midseason, and if Porter would accept the job on an interim basis, knowing the Marlins ultimately want Ozzie Guillen. Porter turned down a similar offer last season.
  • Rosenthal asked Yankees GM Brian Cashman if he would consider trading for an ace, and Cashman replied, "I'm not Ruben Amaro," referring to the Phillies GM and his affinity for blockbuster trades. Rosenthal names Wandy Rodriguez as a potential target for New York, but says there could be a hangup since the Astros value Rodriguez as an ace, while the Yanks would view him as a back-of-the-rotation addition.
  • The Phillies are doing their due dilligence in looking for right-handed hitters and left-handed relievers, but are limited by payroll issues. They also don't currently have regular at-bats for any hitter they'd acquire. Rosenthal says someone like Ryan Spilborghs, making $2MM with the Rockies, is the type of hitter that would be appealing to Philadelphia.
  • The Rockies could be buyers or sellers, depending on their play over the next month. If they're buyers, they'll seek innings-eating pitchers (Rosenthal names Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers and the Twins' Kevin Slowey as possible targets), while if they sell they could look to move Huston Street, Ty Wigginton, and Aaron Cook.

West Notes: Giants, Teagarden, Harden, Angels

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Jhoulys Chacin lowered his ERA to 2.81 today after allowing just one run on three hits in six innings today against the Padres.  Chacin picked up his eighth win of the season and improved his case for inclusion on the NL All-Star Team.

Some notes from both divisions out west….

  • The Giants are looking to the Rangers as a potential source of catching help, reports CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler.  Taylor Teagarden is cited as a possible candidate once Mike Napoli returns from injury and resumes backing up Yorvit Torrealba.  Knobler says the Giants' catching search has extended to the minor leagues as the club has sent scouts to look at various Triple-A backstops.
  • Rich Harden looked good in his most recent simulated game and the Athletics are looking to send Harden on a rehab assignment in Triple-A next week, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
  • The Angels have signed 30 of their 49 draft picks, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  The highest pick to sign thus far is fifth-round outfielder Andrew Ray.
  • The Angels and Rockies were the only MLB teams in the top 10 of ESPN The Magazine's annual list of the best franchises in sports, reports Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times.  The Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers topped the list, while the Angels were fourth and the Rockies eighth.  The lowest-ranked baseball team?  The Mets, who ranked 117th out of 122 teams in MLB, the NFL, NHL and NBA.

East Notes: Jays, Reyes, Goetzman, Phillies

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It was on this day in 1948 that Babe Ruth made his last public appearance at Yankee Stadium during a celebration of the Stadium's 25th anniversary.  With several of his teammates from the 1923 World Series champion Yankees looking on, Ruth's #3 uniform number was retired, marking the second retired number in Yankees history after Lou Gehrig's #4 was immortalized in 1939.  Ruth passed away soon after this ceremony, on August 16, 1948.

Since the Babe grew up in Baltimore and spent his whole career in New York and Boston, let's stick to some items from the east coast….

  • The Blue Jays have focused on drafting high schoolers under GM Alex Anthopoulos, a strategy that Fangraphs' Reed MacPhail says is a sign that Toronto is ready to spend what it takes to get their picks signed.
  • A Jose Reyes extension could look like the disastrous contracts given to Luis Castillo and Chone Figgins if Reyes' speed lessens as it did with those players, points out Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  That said, Sherman asks "If Reyes played for another team wouldn’t the Mets be going crazy trying to sign him in the offseason? Especially if they were pretending to be the big-market team that ownership wants to claim this franchise still is?"
  • Reyes' "value is greater to the Mets than to other clubs." writes MLB.com's Marty Noble, who thinks the Mets should try to keep such a valuable asset.
  • Granden Goetzman, a second-round pick of the Rays (75th overall) tells The Bradenton Herald's Prep Rally blog that he will sign with the club tomorrow provided he passes a physical.
  • The Phillies have had interest in Rockies outfielder Ryan Spilborghs in the past, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  Renck isn't sure if Spilborghs is still on the Phils' radar as they search for right-handed hitting outfielders.
  • The Phillies released catcher Joel Naughton to create Triple-A roster space for Jason Grilli's activation from the DL, tweets MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.  Naughton (a native of Melbourne, Australia) has a career minor league line of .261/.318/.356 in seven seasons, though he only has 13 plate appearances above the high Class-A level.
  • The Red Sox have reached agreements with seven of their 2011 draft picks, reports WEEI.com's Alex Speier.  Sixth-rounder Miguel Pena is the highest-drafted of the signed players.

Claudio Vargas Retires

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Right-hander Claudio Vargas has retired, according to the Pacific Coast League's transactions page.  Vargas signed a minor league deal with the Rockies this winter and he had an 11.08 ERA in 26 innings for Triple-A Colorado Springs this season.  According to Baseball Reference, Vargas earned just over $5.7MM in his career.

Vargas, 33, was originally signed as an amateur free agent by Florida in 1995 and pitched for the Expos/Nationals, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Mets and Dodgers in his eight-year pro career.  He retires with a career ERA of 4.83 in 217 games (114 of them starts).  Vargas' best season was 2009, when he posted a 1.74 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 36 relief appearances with the Brewers and Dodgers.

Super Two Watch: Rizzo, Gordon, Weeks, Phelps

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Since the Marlins called Mike Stanton up to the Major Leagues a year ago today, he has hit 35 home runs and posted a .257/.332/.520 line. Stanton was clearly MLB-ready and Florida's timing worked out in another respect, too. The Marlins slugger will have just two years and 118 days of service time after the 2012 season, which hasn’t typically been enough for super two eligibility and an extra year of arbitration.

A year later, another group of prospects is appearing on MLB rosters and, as always, there are service time implications for all involved. Before we get too worried about whether these prospects will qualify for super two status, let’s be clear about a few variables.

It’s too early to know how much service time will be required for super two status three offseasons from now, because the cutoff date changes most years. Plus, baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires after 2011, so there’s no guarantee that the super two will even exist a few years from now (though coming up with an alternative that satisfies baseball’s owners and the players’ association will not be easy). Finally, most players who reach arbitration do get optioned to the minor leagues at some point, so there’s a good chance some of the players below will return to the minors before becoming arbitration eligible.

With that in mind, here are the service time implications for a few recent callups:

  • Anthony Rizzo, Padres – If Rizzo debuts tomorrow, as Dan Hayes of the North County Times reports he will (Twitter link), he'll pick up a maximum of 112 days of service time this year and the Padres probably won't have to worry about super two status.
  • Dee Gordon, Dodgers – Tom’s son was called up Monday and he has already had his first three-hit game. Gordon can pick up a maximum of 115 days of service time this year. Last year’s cutoff was unusually low at two years and 122 days, so the Dodgers appear safe.
  • Jemile Weeks, Athletics and Charlie Blackmon, Rockies – Both players got the call yesterday, which means they can pick up a maximum of 114 days of service time this year. It’s likely not enough for super two status, even if they never see the minors again.
  • Cord Phelps, Indians – Phelps, the first member of the Indians’ 2008 draft class to reach the majors, will debut today. He won’t pick up more than 113 days of service time this year, so the Indians probably won’t have to worry about super two status for Phelps, Lonnie Chisenhall or Jason Kipnis.

 

Quick Hits: Ramirez, Indians, Fowler

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Let's take a breather from the draft news with some Quick Hits..

  • Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez reiterated his agent's comments from earlier today, saying that he "wouldn't accept a trade", writes Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.  The veteran is in the final year of a five-year, $75MM deal
  • The Indians announced that they released infielder Wes Hodges to create Triple-A roster space at Columbus for Nick Johnson, who joins the Clippers today (Twitter link). Hodges, a 2006 second round pick, had a .219/.276/.325 line at Triple-A this year, though he posted a .270/.308/.430 line with 15 homers there last year.
  • The Rockies probably couldn't move Dexter Fowler for much right now if they wanted to, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  The centerfielder is hitting .238/.340/.348 so far this year.

Rockies Release Jose Lopez

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JUNE 7TH: The Rockies officially released Lopez, according to their Twitter page.

MAY 26TH: The Rockies designated infielder Jose Lopez for assignment, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding (on Twitter). It has been a busy night for the Rockies, who sent Felipe Paulino to Kansas City earlier this evening.

Lopez, 27, has played second and third base for the Rockies this year, posting a .210/.234/.290 line. His .264/.295/.396 career line reflects his limited on-base skills and modest power. The 2006 All-Star averaged 15 homers per season for the 2006-10 Mariners.

Earlier tonight, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Rockies were looking to add athleticism to their bench. Lopez, who earns $3.6MM this year, was generating minimal trade interest, according to Rosenthal. Jon Heyman of SI.com notes that the Blue Jays and Indians had some interest in Lopez over the winter (Twitter link).

NL West Notes: Rizzo, Towers, Rockies

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Here are a few items of note out of the NL West, where only 7.5 games separated the first- and last-place clubs entering Tuesday's action:

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