Rockies Claim Wandy Rodriguez
2:42pm: The Rockies won the claim on Rodriguez, tweets Rosenthal, and talks are ongoing. The Rockies are particularly low on starting pitching depth at the moment, and may have the idea of another miracle playoff run in the back of their minds. They're currently 8.5 games out. Otherwise, Rodriguez would provide veteran depth for the next few seasons with Ubaldo Jimenez gone. As Rosenthal notes, the Rockies aren't going to want to give up anything of value if they're to take on Rodriguez's entire contract.
1:12pm: Lefty Wandy Rodriguez has been claimed on waivers by an unknown team, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Currently Rodriguez is owed just $1.38MM for the rest of this season, plus $36MM for 2012-14 assuming he exercises a player option for the final season. The Astros have the option of dumping that commitment on the other club, working out a trade with the team, or pulling Rodriguez back.
Rodriguez, 32, has a 3.31 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9, and 45.3% groundball rate in 147 innings this year.
Rockies Notes: Pomeranz, Willingham, Cuddyer
On this day in 2006, the Rockies signed Juan Nicasio as a 19-year-old amateur free agent. Five years later, the right-hander, who started 13 games for Colorado this season, is recovering from surgery to his C-1 vertebrae. As Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post wrote earlier this week, such an injury can lead to paralysis or even death, but Nicasio is "doing at least as well as anyone associated with the Rockies could have hoped for," and intends to pitch again. We wish him the best of luck in his comeback. Here are the rest of today's Rockies notes:
- Drew Pomeranz, who joined the Rockies this week to complete the Ubaldo Jimenez trade with Cleveland, underwent an emergency appendectomy last night, according to the Tulsa Drillers twitter feed. Pomeranz's agent, Steve Rath, confirmed news of the surgery, which figures to end the left-hander's season, to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
- In a separate piece for the Post, Renck briefly discusses the Rockies' outfield possibilities for 2012. According to Renck, players like Josh Willingham or Michael Cuddyer could be free agent targets, while Eric Young Jr.'s recent strong play in the outfield is improving his trade value. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also addressed the Rockies' desire for a big bat, either in the outfield or at third base, in his Full Count video yesterday. Renck adds that Colorado would be "first in line" if the Mets made David Wright available this winter.
- In another Denver Post column, Renck and Armstrong provide readers with an extended look at how this year's blockbuster trade with the Indians came about.
Quick Hits: Anthopoulos, Marlins, Harden, Bogusevic
Todd Helton celebrated his 38th birthday with a 3-for-6 performance (that included a homer) against the Dodgers today. Best of all for Helton, the Rockies picked up a 7-6 win in a 13-inning affair against their NL West rivals.
Some news from around the majors….
- "There is a strong belief" that the Blue Jays have discussed a contract extension with general manager Alex Anthopoulos, writes Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. The catch is, the terms of Anthopoulos' original deal in 2009 were never made public, so the end date of the GM's current contract is unknown to all but himself and the club. Anthopoulos' quotes to Griffin would seem to indicate that he is staying in Toronto for years to come.
- The Marlins have denied several requests from teams to interview GM Michael Hill and VP of player personnel Dan Jennings for open front office positions over the last few years, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Rodriguez feels the two men have earned the right to run their own team since Larry Beinfest calls the shots in Florida, though in Hill's case, he would have to be offered a president position to leave since he's already a general manager.
- If Rich Harden is traded this month or just reaches the end of his one-year contract, he's still a candidate to return to the Athletics in the offseason, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Harden has family in the Bay Area, enjoys pitching in Oakland and has "a great relationship with pitching coach Ron Romanick."
- Slusser also notes that the A's were looking for a first baseman for Harden at the deadline (like Lars Anderson from Boston), but since they've acquired Brandon Allen in the interim, the A's could ask for an outfielder or third baseman in a potential Harden trade package.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle looks at how Brian Bogusevic went from a failing minor league pitcher to a productive member of the Astros' outfield.
- "It's important to have talented players in uniform in Pittsburgh," Pirates owner Robert Nutting told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "That's exactly what we're trying to do, whether it's through a long-term assurance in a contract or whether it's bringing in great talent (through the draft)." The Bucs have had an expensive week, spending $17MM on draft picks, signing Jose Tabata to a contract extension and closing in on another multiyear deal with Neil Walker.
- The Rockies have dealt some notable right-handed prospects in recent years, but as Rich M of Inside The Rockies details, the club hasn't lost any significant arms.
- Scott Van Slyke's impressive minor league campaign should earn him a chance at the Dodgers' first base job in Spring Training, argues Jon Weisman of ESPN Los Angeles. Van Slyke, 25, has a .343/.424/.576 line in 474 plate appearances for Double-A Chattanooga this season. Incumbent first baseman James Loney is expected to be non-tendered by L.A. this winter.
- Ryan Madson's meltdown against the Nationals on Friday night is a sign that the Phillies need to stop using him on three consecutive days, opines Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. You can catch up on all the latest info about the Phillies' bullpen and every other late-game situation in baseball on MLBTR's sister site, Closer News.
Jason Hammel “Likely” A Trade Candidate This Winter
Jason Hammel has lost his rotation job to Alex White, and now Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that the right-hander's days in Colorado may be coming to a close. "Hammel’s future with the organization beyond this season is in doubt," Renck writes. "It’s likely the Rockies will attempt to trade him over the winter."
It's quite a drop in stature for Hammel, who signed a two-year, $7.75MM contract with the Rockies in January and looked to be becoming a fixture in Colorado's rotation. He got off to a very solid start this year (a 2.63 ERA after his first six starts) but has struggled since, with his ERA ballooning to 5.24. Hammel has struggled to miss bats, posting a 4.7 K/9 rate that is well below the career 6.6 K/9 he carried into 2011. Hammel's ground ball rate has dropped to 43.7% from the 46.4% rate he posted in 2009-10 and his HR/FB rate is up a full point (to 10.7%) over the previous two seasons as well — a dangerous bump for a Coors Field pitcher.
Hammel is owed $4.75MM next season and still has a fourth year of arbitration eligibility left as a Super Two before being eligible for free agency after the 2013 season. Given his young age (Hammel turns 29 in September) and his home/road splits (a career 5.17 ERA at Coors), the Rockies would surely find some interested takers for Hammel on the trade market. Still, given the number of question marks in Colorado's 2012 rotation, it's hard to imagine the Rockies wouldn't give Hammel one more try to see if he can stick as a starter.
Rosenthal’s Full Count: Cubs, Zimmerman, Minor, Rox, Span
Ken Rosenthal has his weekly Full Count Video up over at FOXSports.com, so let's take a look:
- All GMs — past, present, and prospective — would love a crack at the Cubs' recent opening, says Rosenthal. Some GMs who are in their last contractual year, like Brian Cashman of the Yankees, line up better than others. Rosenthal feels the Rays might let Chicago interview Andrew Friedman, but finds it highly unlikely that the Red Sox would allow the Cubs to interview Theo Epstein, who is under contract through 2012.
- While the Nationals have spent almost $40MM on the Amateur Draft in the past three seasons, Rosenthal says they'd be wise to check in with their first draft pick ever: Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman is controlled through 2013, but Rosenthal likens him to another prominent young star, saying that Zimmerman is to the Nats what Troy Tulowitzki is to the Rockies. He feels the Nats should approach their cornerstone about a similar extension before he gets so close to free agency that he considers testing it.
- The Mets were far from the only team interested in Mike Minor at the July 31st trade deadline. The Indians offered the Drew Pomeranz to the Braves in exchange for Minor, thinking that with Atlanta trying to acquire Hunter Pence at the time, the Astros may prefer Pomeranz to Minor. Cleveland would get a more Major League-ready arm in return, but the Braves had no intention of dealing Minor.
- The Rockies will look to add a big bat this winter, preferably at third base or a corner outfield spot. If they can find a third baseman despite a weak market, they may be inclined to pursue a leadoff hitter like the Twins' Denard Span. Rosenthal says the Rox have long coveted Span, and almost drafted him in 2002, but instead took Jeff Francis due to concerns over Span's asking price. Minnesota grabbed Span 11 picks later at No. 20 overall, though they showed a willingness to move him at this year's deadline when negotiating with the Nats.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Edgar Gonzalez, Reggie Willits
Saturday's outright assignments…
- The Rockies have outrighted Edgar Gonzalez to Triple-A according to Pacific Coast League transactions page. The 28-year-old righty appeared in just one game for Colorado before being designated for assignment to make room on the roster for J.C. Romero.
- The Angels have outrighted Reggie Willits to Triple-A according to PCL transactions. He came to the plate just 28 times for the Halos this year, then was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for Jerome Williams.
Quick Hits: Damon, Choate, Braves
August 18th featured significant trades in 2009 (Ivan Rodriguez to the Rangers) and 2010 (Derrek Lee to the Braves). So far, today we've seen the Rangers acquire Tim Wood from the Pirates. Here are today’s links…
- As of today Jason Giambi and Jim Thome had yet to be placed on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal wonders if Johnny Damon, who has already cleared waivers, could be a fit for the Phillies.
- Marlins left-hander Randy Choate told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he's not likely to pitch again this season. The left-hander, who is under contract for 2012, would have been an August trade candidate if healthy.
- Chipper Jones told David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Braves have more pitching than they know what to do with. “It’s almost embarrassing how much talent we have at the minor league level that can help this ballclub,” he said (Twitter link).
League Notes: Selig, Astros, HGH, Draft Slots
With the owners meeting in Cooperstown, N.Y., this week, there's plenty of administrative items of note to pass along. Here's the latest:
- One conversation that has come up frequently at the meetings is how long Bud Selig will remain MLB commissioner and who his successor will be, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday. Davidoff speculates that the 77-year-old Selig, currently signed through 2012, will serve one more term before stepping down. Davidoff names following as potential successors: former MLB executive Bob DuPuy, Mets GM Sandy Alderson, D'Backs president Derrick Hall, former Braves and Nationals president Stan Kasten, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, and current MLB executive Rob Manfred.
- As expected, the potential sale of the Astros from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane wasn't even addressed during the meetings, the Associated Press reports. We learned last night that no one is questioning Crane's viability, but Selig has declined to comment on the exact cause of the holdup, so there is some kind of disconnect here. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com examined the situation a couple days back.
- In the wake of former Rockies minor leaguer Mike Jacobs' positive test and subsequent release, Selig said today he would like to see HGH testing in the Major Leagues, too, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). I wondered in that post whether HGH testing would come up during negotiations for the new CBA this offseason, but I think this pretty much answers that. Expect to hear more about it this winter.
- Another issue that figures to come up during CBA negotiations is draft slotting. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reported yesterday that Selig has promised to the owners the implimentation of a hard-slotting system for draft bonuses, whereby each pick would be signed for a predetermined sum. Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com, for one, thinks this is a bad idea, as it will scare away premium athletes like the Royals' Bubba Starling, who could choose to play in the NFL or NBA rather than MLB (Twitter links).
Rockies Release Mike Jacobs
The Rockies have released minor league first baseman Mike Jacobs following his 50-game suspension for testing positive for HGH, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter). He apologized to the Rockies and said he hopes to sign with a team in 2012, Renck reports (Twitter link).
Jacobs, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in December after he spent time with the Mets and Blue Jays organizations in 2010. He was hitting .298/.376/.534 with 23 homers for Triple-A Colorado Springs in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but he did not appear in the big leagues in 2011.
Jacobs becomes the first player ever suspended for using HGH, which is not tested for in the Major Leagues, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. HGH testing was introduced in the minor leagues before the 2010 season.
With a new collective bargaining agreement to be negotiated this offseason, I wonder whether HGH testing will be one of the issues on the table.
Drew Pomeranz Joins Rockies
WEDNESDAY: The Rockies announced that Pomeranz is officially theirs, and he'll start tonight for Double-A Tulsa.
TUESDAY: Southpaw Drew Pomeranz has officially joined the Rockies organization, according to this tweet from the pitcher. He'll head to the Rockies' Double-A affiliate in Tulsa. Pomeranz's inclusion as the headliner in the Indians' acquisition of Ubaldo Jimenez has been baseball's worst-kept secret since the trade deadline. He had to wait until today to begin his Rockies career because drafted players cannot be traded until one full year after signing.
Pomeranz, 22, made three starts for the Indians' Double-A club prior to the trade and didn't miss a beat, posting strong numbers similar to those he had in 15 High-A starts. Baseball America ranked him as the 14th best prospect in baseball in July, while ESPN's Keith Law had him 35th in his rankings that month. Prior to the season Baseball America praised his plus fastball and curveball, but noted that he must "corral his control."