Will Brad Hawpe Be Traded?
Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe was placed on waivers yesterday, reported Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. That means the window to claim Hawpe will expire Wednesday afternoon at the latest. The Rockies "want to move" Hawpe, writes Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
The first question is whether Hawpe will be claimed by one of the other 29 clubs. His playing time has dwindled in recent months, and his .252/.341/.430 line is his worst since 2005. Hawpe has consistently posted poor UZR defensive numbers in right field. This year, for the first time, he's played a few games at first base.
Hawpe has shown enough offense over the past several seasons that he would still appeal to several contenders. The problem is that a claim could compel the Rockies to dump his contract on another team. That club would pay the prorated portion of his $7.5MM salary (currently $1.96MM) plus a potential $500K buyout of his $10.15MM club option for '11 (unless Hawpe voids it, which seems unlikely).
The White Sox were linked to Hawpe in July, and they came up empty looking for a bat last month. The Padres and Braves made additions, so a National League claim seems unlikely. The White Sox would have first crack in the AL, before the Twins, Red Sox, Yankees, or Rays. The Red Sox and Rays may at least consider Hawpe, but I suspect he'll make it through waivers unclaimed. That'd open up trade possibilties for the Rockies, who probably won't get draft pick compensation for the Type A free agent. It'd only be possible if they declined Hawpe's option and then offered arbitration, an unlikely scenario.
Rockies Sign Kyle Parker
The Rockies signed first-rounder Kyle Parker to a $1.4MM bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). Parker, who quarterbacks Clemson's football team, will be allowed to play football, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports (Twitter link). However, he signed for less money than he would have obtained for agreeing to focus on baseball.
Rockies Sign Peter Tago
The Rockies signed prep right-hander Peter Tago, according to the MLB draft's Twitter page. Tago, selected 47th overall in the supplementary first round, gets a $983K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. MLB recommends a $740K bonus for Tago's slot, so the Rockies are paying a little more than the commissioner's office would like. Baseball America says Tago is "a near perfect model of a prep right-hander with a huge upside: projectable frame, easy arm action, calm demeanor and electric stuff." The 18-year-old had committed to playing at UCLA.
As Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes, negotiations between the Rockies and first-round selection Kyle Parker will likely continue until the deadline. Colorado has until 11 CDT tonight to reach an agreement with Parker, who plays quarterback for Clemson.
Here's the complete list of first rounders to sign.
Braves Considering Clint Barmes
The Braves are considering Clint Barmes as one potential way of replacing Chipper Jones, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Braves, who lost Chipper to season-ending knee surgery last week, cannot deal for Barmes yet, since the Rockies have yet to place him on waivers. Martin Prado, who should soon return from the disabled list, would play third and Barmes would play second if the Rockies and Braves were to complete a deal.
The Braves have a number of players in the organization who can play third. Troy Glaus will not return to the hot corner, but Prado, Omar Infante, Brooks Conrad and even Eric Hinske are options.
Aramis Ramirez, Pedro Feliz, Wes Helms, Adam Kennedy, Jose Lopez, Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta, Ty Wigginton, Edwin Encarnacion, Melvin Mora and Willie Bloomquist are among the infielders who could become targets for Atlanta should GM Frank Wren decide to make a trade. The Braves had not asked the Mariners about Chone Figgins as of last Friday.
Odds & Ends: Tigers, Harper, Rockies, Thomas
Let's round up a few more leftover Saturday links….
- Johnny Damon doesn't know whether he'll be back in Detroit next year, but he thinks the club might make a run at Carl Crawford, according to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
- The Nationals are "working hard" to lock up Bryce Harper, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com talked about Harper with several executives and scouting directors, all of whom expect the Nats to get a deal done with their first overall pick.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post fielded followers' questions on Twitter this evening, providing his opinion on a few Rockies-related subjects. Renck expects the Rox to pursue a first baseman and corner outfielder this winter, focusing on players with power. Renck also feels that failing to sign first-rounder Kyle Parker wouldn't be a disaster, given the strength of next year's draft (all Twitter links).
- Michael Thomas, the player to be named later in the Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade, will be converted to a pitcher by the Rangers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Thomas has spent his minor league career to date as a catcher, but his primary strength is his throwing arm rather than his bat.
Odds & Ends: Rockies, Haren, Cowart, Cubs
Links for Tuesday, after a night of drama in Cincinnati…
- The Rockies agreed to sign 15th-rounder Will Swanner to a $490K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. That's third-round money for the 18-year-old.
- Callis writes that “it's a near lock that we'll get an earlier signing deadline” when baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires after next season. Callis suggests the deadline – now August 15th – could move up a month.
- Dan Haren tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he is glad to have landed in Anaheim, since he rooted for the Angels growing up. Haren, who has already been traded three times, is a deal-maker himself, at least when it comes to fantasy football.
- MLB executives tell Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus that Angels first rounder Kaleb Cowart will be a "very tough sign" (Twitter link).
- Aramis Ramirez told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he has been impressed by Cubs youngsters Andrew Cashner, Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos explained to Tom Verducci of SI.com that he wants to build his rotation around power arms. So far, so good; Blue Jays starters have posted 7.5 K/9 in 2010.
- Check out Tim Dierkes' examination of Peter Bourjos at RotoAuthority if you're wondering about the speedy center fielder's fantasy value.
- The Marlins agreed to sign third rounder J.T. Realmuto for $600K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. That’s nearly double the recommended bonus of $310K.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Blue Jays, Morrow, Delgado
Some links to check out as Brandon Morrow just misses no-hitting the Rays…
- Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter) doesn't like the chances of the Cards signing their 12th-round pick, outfielder Austin Wilson.
- Toronto's negotiations with first-round pick Deck McGuire will likely go down to the wire, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
- Morrow told FOX Sports' Jim Bowden (Twitter link) that he was happy to be traded to the Blue Jays this offseason because he knew he would be a starter and not a reliever.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that the Indians signed 13th-rounder Michael Goodnight for $315K. Goodnight has a fastball that reaches 94 mph and a plus slider.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers aren't pursuing the recently DFA'ed Jose Guillen.
- Carlos Delgado told Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal that he and his agent spoke to the White Sox, Rockies, and Mariners before deciding to sign with the Red Sox. In a separate article, WEEI's DJ Bean writes that Delgado is more focused on winning a championship than anything else.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post explains how the Yankees have to develop their own bench players because no free agents want to sign with them only to sit on the bench most of the time.
- Jason Churchill and Keith Law of ESPN take a look at some teams that need to land a few of their tough-to-sign draft picks before the August 16th deadline (Insider req'd).
- Karen Price of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes about the newest Pirates and the difficult transition they've had to make following the trade deadline.
- Meanwhile, the Chris Snyder pick up does not make a Ryan Doumit trade inevitable, says Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times says that Ozzie Guillen and Paul Konerko are happy with the moves the White Sox did not make.
- The Cardinals are trying to find a long-term fix at the hot corner, writes Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. David Freese will be out indefinitely after suffering a setback as he rehabbed from an ankle injury.
Stark On Padres, Manny, Wandy, Harang
The Rangers appear to be headed toward stability, but they added $4.6MM in payroll before the trade deadline and, as ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports, that left some rival executives unhappy. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:
- The Padres had asked the Cardinals about Ryan Ludwick more than once leading up to the trade deadline.
- GM Jed Hoyer had also inquired on Jake Westbrook and even Roy Oswalt.
- When the White Sox called the Dodgers to ask about Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers ended the conversation quickly. That didn't stop the Rays and two other American League teams from calling the Dodgers, however. We should note that GM Ned Colletti told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that he only fielded one call about Manny (Twitter link).
- Not one team pursued Jose Guillen seriously before the deadline. The Royals designated the outfielder for assignment today, so we'll see in the next ten days if any teams have mild interest.
- Joe Beimel drew lots of interest last weekend, but the Rockies never seriously shopped him.
- A number of teams tried to acquire Wandy Rodriguez, including the Twins, Reds, Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays.
- The Reds tried to determine interest in Aaron Harang, so they could attempt to move him in August if he returns from the DL and proves that the back spasms that sidelined him are no longer an issue.
Odds & Ends: Pedro, DeShields, Myers, Lee
Links for Thursday, as Juan Pierre picks up his 500th career stolen base…
- Pedro Martinez said he has recently received offers to pitch this year, but still doesn't intend to play in 2010, according to this AP report on ESPN.com.
- Mets owner Fred Wilpon implied to Mike Puma of the New York Post that Omar Minaya will definitely be his GM in 2011.
- Top Astros draft pick Delino DeShields Jr. told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he's excited to begin his pro career. DeShields' deal could be finalized today.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse that he has no concern about Brett Myers' health. "He's a 29-year-old horse," Wade said.
- Chuck Greenberg's group, which won the auction to buy the Rangers for hundreds of millions, plans to pursue Cliff Lee when he hits free agency after the season, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Yesterday, we saw that GM Jon Daniels has interest in bringing the left-hander back.
- Tim Redding, who had been pitching in the Yankees system, signed with the Samsung Lions of the Korean Professional Baseball League, according to Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times-Tribune (Twitter link).
- Over at RotoAuthority, Tim Dierkes wonders what to expect from Mike Minor as a fantasy baseball option this year.
- The Yankees had interest in Willie Harris before the deadline, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- The Rockies 'kicked the tires' on Derrek Lee last month, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
Indians Re-Claim Wes Hodges
THURSDAY: The Indians claimed Hodges back from the Rockies, according to Castrovince (on Twitter).
TUESDAY: The Rockies claimed infielder Wes Hodges off waivers from the Indians, tweets MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. Hodges had been designated for assignment on Friday to make room for Josh Tomlin.
Hodges, a second-round pick of the Indians in 2006, was hitting .270/.316/.423 this year in his second Triple A stint. He came up as a third baseman, but has been playing first base and DH this year. Baseball America ranked him 27th among Indians prospects heading into the season, citing health issues and the move off third base.