NL Central Notes: Sandberg, Pirates, Rasmus
On this date three years ago, the newly acquired C.C. Sabathia homered and pitched a complete game to help the Brewers beat the Reds 3-2. The Brewers' latest acquisition, Francisco Rodriguez, probably won't get too many chances to swing the bat this summer, but he could help Milwaukee reach the playoffs again…
- Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg told ESPN Chicago's "The Waddle & Silvy Show" that he wants to manage in the Major Leagues and would consider returning to Chicago if the Cubs asked him to manage at some point. Sandberg, who was a candidate for the Cubs' managerial opening over the winter, now manages Philadelphia's Triple-A affiliate. ESPNChicago.com has highlights from the conversation.
- The Pirates announced that they have signed fourth round pick Colten Brewer and eighth round pick Jason Creasy. Now that they've signed the pair of high school right-handers, Pittsburgh has locked up 16 players from last month's draft.
- The Rockies like Colby Rasmus, but don't match up well with the Cardinals on a potential trade, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Cardinals might be willing to trade Rasmus, who ranks 41st on Dave Cameron's annual list of players with the most trade value at FanGraphs.com.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said in a chat today that the Cardinals would most covet Jeremy Hellickson in a potential trade involving Rasmus and the Rays.
Rockies, Blue Jays Sign Venezuelan Pitchers
The Rockies and Blue Jays each agreed to terms with a 16-year-old pitching prospect from Venezuela, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Colorado agreed to terms with right-hander Antonio Senzatela and the Blue Jays agreed to sign right-hander Manuel Cordova. Neither player's bonus is known.
Senzatela has a projectable body and can touch 93 mph, according to Badler's subscriber-only report. His breaking ball is below average at this point, but that didn't stop the Rockies and Phillies from showing interest.
Cordova falls short of 90 mph on the radar, but some scouts project him as a power arm of the future. The Blue Jays have also signed Venezuelan prospect Wilmer Becerra, Dominican shortstop Dawel Lugo and Venezuelan outfielder Jesus Gonzalez since the international signing period opened on July 2nd, as Badler points out.
West Notes: Rockies, Padres, Mariners
Baseball's western divisions have the Rangers, Angels, Giants, and Diamondbacks as contenders, with the Mariners, Athletics, Rockies, Dodgers, and Padres looking like potential sellers. Today's links:
- There's little the Rockies could obtain that would justify trading Ubaldo Jimenez, explains Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. It was revealed Saturday that the Rockies will listen on their ace, but Renck says Dan O'Dowd is the rare GM who will engage in trade talk that's headed nowhere just to understand other teams' needs.
- O'Dowd told MLB.com's Thomas Harding that he's looking for a strike-throwing pitcher who's under team control beyond 2011. The Rockies, who have been eyeing pitching for a while, will look for deals that make sense for the team's present and long-term well-being, O'Dowd says.
- The Padres want "impact players in return for their movable pieces," tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. The Padres' best trade chips are relievers Heath Bell and Mike Adams, though Ryan Ludwick, Aaron Harang, and Chad Qualls should draw interest.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner runs through the Mariners' trade chips, led by Brandon League and Erik Bedard.
- Righty Doug Mathis is headed for Korea to play with the Samsung Lions, tweets Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net. To make it official, he'll need his release from the Athletics' Triple-A club. Kurtz notes that Ryan Garko would be released from the Lions to make room.
Quick Hits: Reds, Berkman, Vogelsong, Blue Jays
Links for Tuesday night, after a second consecutive win for the National League All-Stars…
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he’s talking to clubs about possible trades, though discussions are still in their early stages. "We have not had specific or significant trade talks with anyone at this point," Jocketty said. "All discussion with other teams has been more general info gathering.” The Reds are monitoring Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies.
- Lance Berkman told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he would have signed in Colorado if the Rockies had made him a "decent" offer last offseason (Twitter link). "They had other fish to fry," Berkman said. "And they fried them."
- ESPN.com’s Keith Law hears that top Blue Jays pick Tyler Beede didn’t report to the summer classes he had signed up for at Vanderbilt (Twitter link). It could be an indication that he's going to sign instead of going to college.
- As Patrick Newman points out at FanGraphs, Colby Lewis, Ryan Vogelsong, Chris Resop and Scott Atchison are among the MLB pitchers who pitched overseas before succeeding for their current MLB teams.
- Mike Lopresti of USA Today explains how Vogelsong went from Triple-A discard to National League All-Star.
- Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner points out that Brett Myers' trade value could diminish if other right-handed starters become available this month.
Ubaldo Jimenez On Reds’ Radar
The Reds have Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez "on their radar," report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, the Rockies "have yet to engage in meaningful dialogue about Jimenez with the Reds or any other club," and the Reds are not certain to be trade deadline buyers.
If the Rockies do seriously entertain trading Jimenez, it will shake a trade market bereft of front-end starting pitchers. Rosenthal said on Saturday that the Rockies "are not shopping Jimenez, but they will listen on anyone other than Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez." Rosenthal said that "if the Rockies get an offer that makes sense, they will give it serious consideration."
Jimenez, 27, has lost almost three miles per hour off his average fastball velocity this year, though his peripheral stats haven't changed much since a 2010 season that placed him third in the NL Cy Young voting. He's got a 4.14 ERA overall, but a 2.52 ERA in his last eight starts. This is not a "buy low" situation – Jimenez is under team control very cheaply through 2013. Jimenez has extra value to Colorado, since he can void his $8MM club option for '14 if traded. Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post tweets that while the Rockies always listen when teams call, they'd have to be overwhelmed to move Jimenez, receiving multiple arms.
Rosenthal and Morosi kick around the idea of a Reds package starting with Homer Bailey, Mike Leake, or Travis Wood, but I think that could be beat if teams like the Yankees, Cardinals, Tigers, Phillies, or Pirates come calling.
NL West Notes: Colletti, Ethier, Beltran, Young
Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, former Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday and former Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez will all take part in tonight's Home Run Derby. Here’s the latest from the NL West as we await tonight’s power display…
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has the support of owner Frank McCourt, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Colletti's contract expires after next year.
- Andre Ethier told Shaikin that he and Kemp expect to be with the Dodgers “for the long run” (Twitter link). Both are on track to hit free agency after the 2012 season.
- Kemp told Lyle Spencer of MLB.com that he hopes to stay with the Dodgers long-term.
- Carlos Beltran wouldn't be shocked if the Giants trade for him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Giants will consider adding rental players and Beltran has said that he would waive his no-trade clause under the right circumstances.
- Michael Young told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that at one point he thought he was going to be traded to Colorado and wanted to join the Rockies (Twitter link). Young was the subject of near-constant trade rumors earlier in the year, after he requested a trade and the Rockies had interest in acquiring him.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Yankees, Ubaldo, Jays
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, so let's recap…
- Two GMs tell Rosenthal that the Yankees are more worried about Mariano Rivera's nagging triceps injury than they're letting on. If true, they could increase their efforts to acquire a setup man, though they're hopeful Rafael Soriano will be back from his elbow injury soon after the All-Star break.
- The Mets have called the Yankees and offered Francisco Rodriguez according to one source, but they're only interested if the Mets call them at the deadline and offer K-Rod at a minimal price.
- The starting pitching market could soon heat up. The Rockies are getting calls about Ubaldo Jimenez and several other players, though they're not shopping their ace right-hander. Rosenthal says they'll listen on anyone besides Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Jimenez is under contract through 2014 (though he can void that option if traded) and could return a significant package of the players, so the team would give a trade serious consideration.
- Don't be surprised if the Marlins listen on Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. Florida will try to get back into contention, though they'll likely entertain offers for both pitchers if that doesn't happen. Nolasco is under contract though 2013, Sanchez under team control through 2012.
- The Blue Jays offer perhaps the best value on the bullpen market. Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel, and Jon Rauch aren't in the same class as Heath Bell, though all three could pitch better outside of the AL East and have club options for 2012. They all figure to qualify as Type-B free agents as well.
Rockies Sign Supplemental Pick Story
July 8th: Story signed for a bonus of $915K, which is above the recommended bonus of $764K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).
June 30th: The Rockies have agreed to terms with supplemental first round pick Trevor Story, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). Colorado selected the high school shortstop with the 45th overall pick earlier this month.
Baseball America ranked Story 40th among eligible prospects before the draft, calling him a quality, surefire shortstop. Some scouts believe he could be close to a five-tool player because he can reach 92 mph with his fastball and has good range, pop in his bat, speed and baserunning skills. He had committed to Louisiana State. Click here for a complete list of top draft picks to sign.
Rockies Sign Joe Mather
The Rockies have signed Joe Mather to a minor league contract and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate according to MLB.com's transactions page. He elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Braves late last month.
Mather, 29 later this month, hit .213/.273/.307 with one homer in 83 plate appearances for Atlanta this year. He's a career .228/.283/.384 in three big league seasons, and he has experience playing all three outfield spots and first base. The righty bat already has a homer for Colorado's Triple-A squad despite being there for all of two games.
Rockies Don’t Plan To Be Sellers
The Rockies don’t need to shed salary this summer and don’t plan to be sellers regardless of their record, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies are now 41-46 and if they continue struggling they may move Aaron Cook and Ian Stewart, but Huston Street and Ty Wigginton are likely staying put.
For now, the Rockies will attempt to add a pitcher who’s under team control beyond 2011. They’ve asked the Twins about their starters, but Minnesota is reluctant to trade until they’re further out of the race.
Though Brett Myers and Carlos Beltran are among the best players available, the price tags for those players make them unappealing to Colorado. GM Dan O’Dowd won’t consider trading prospects for a ‘rental player’ unless Colorado is leading the division, according to Renck (the Rockies now trail by 7.5 games).