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.
Astros Place Rodriguez, Myers, Barmes On Waivers
9:12:pm: The Astros also placed Clint Barmes on waivers, reports Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle. Houston was telling teams that their shortstop was unavailable before the trade deadline, and Barmes has indicated a willingness to stay with the club beyond this season.
2:01pm: The Astros have placed Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers on waivers, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The move starts the timetable for potential trades involving Rodriguez and Myers.
Rival teams now have two business days to place a claim on the starting pitchers, both of whom have signed extensions in the past year or so. If no one claims them, the Astros will be free to trade with all clubs. If a team makes a claim, the Astros will have the choice of handing the claimed player and his salary over, pulling him back off of waivers or working out a trade with the claiming team within two business days. By placing the starters on waivers now, the Astros are giving teams an extra two days – the weekend – to contemplate making a claim.
Though it's not usually noteworthy for players to hit waivers in August, Rodriguez and Myers have both been considered trade candidates this summer and it won't be surprising if they are dealt. Myers has $14MM guaranteed on his contract after 2011 and Rodriguez has $23MM guaranteed plus a $13MM option that becomes a player option after a trade.
Stark On Draft, Astros, Phillies
There’s a disconnect between ownership groups and baseball operations departments for some small market teams, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Owners want hard slotting for draft picks, but their front office employees like having the freedom to accumulate talent by spending aggressively in the draft. Here are the details and the rest of Stark’s notes from around MLB…
- Some small-market teams would like to see stiffer luxury tax rates and thresholds imposed, the implementation of an international draft and penalties for teams whose payrolls dip below a certain level.
- The idea of supplying small-market teams with extra draft picks has also been “tossed around,” Stark reports.
- Unless the perfect player falls into the Phillies’ laps, they are going to rely on Jack Cust for left-handed pop. In other words, they aren’t prepared to overpay for someone like Jason Giambi, Jim Thome, Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon.
- MLB doesn’t expect that anything will prevent Jim Crane from completing his purchase of the Astros, according to Stark.
Astros Release Nelson Figueroa
The Astros have released right-hander Nelson Figueroa, according to Steve Campbell of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Figueroa had been on the disabled list before getting released.
Figueroa started the season in Houston's rotation, but the Astros designated him for assignment in May after he posted an 8.69 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 29 innings. The 37-year-old spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 6.50 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 81 2/3 innings.
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).
Quick Hits: Nationals, Ichiro, Astros, Starling
On this date ten years ago, John Smoltz struck out four batters and picked up his first regular season save. Then, on this date in 2009, the Red Sox released Smoltz, who had an 8.33 ERA at the time. The potential Hall of Famer went on to provide seven solid starts for the Cardinals later that season and hasn't pitched in the Majors since. Here are today's links…
- Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that GM Mike Rizzo did a "fantastic job" to sign Anthony Rendon, Alex Meyer, Brian Goodwin, Matt Purke and others on Monday night. Lerner believes the Nats now have one of the best farm systems in the game.
- Just because the Yankees signed Derek Jeter to a $51MM deal last winter doesn’t mean the Mariners should extend Ichiro Suzuki, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes. Arguing that Ichiro deserves Jeter-like treatment doesn’t make sense to Baker “for reasons that start on the field and end off of it.” The Mariners outfielder is under contract for $17MM in 2012.
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com identifies five players we shouldn't give up on, including Pedro Alvarez and Ian Stewart.
- No one at the MLB owners meetings is questioning whether Jim Crane, the incoming Astros owner, is a viable candidate to take over the team, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
- Top Royals pick Bubba Starling said at a press conference today that his offense could still improve because he played three sports in high school and hasn't had the chance to devote himself to hitting (Associated Press link via ESPN.com).
Astros Sign George Springer
The Astros have signed first round pick George Springer, according to John Manuel of Baseball America (on Twitter). It's a $2.525MM deal, according to Zoodig on Twitter. Legacy Sports Group represents the outfielder, who was the 11th overall selection in the June draft. Houston also signed third rounder Jack Armstrong Jr., according to Manuel and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that Armstrong obtained a $750K deal (Twitter link).
I spoke to Springer before the draft and you can check out the interview transcript here.
You can keep track of which top picks have signed with MLBTR's list.
NL Central Notes: Zambrano, Cubs, Astros
On draft signing deadline night, let's catch up on the NL Central…
- Carlos Zambrano apologized to his teammates and Cubs fans for his latest tirade and, according to the Chicago Tribune, he wants to remain "a Cubbie for the rest of [his] life."
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) that Zambrano's grievance against the Cubs is expected to be heard soon, with his side arguing for a shorter penalty since he had been ejected from Friday's game before leaving the stadium.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports recalls some of the Cubs notable big money busts, including the disgruntled Zambrano and Milton Bradley.
- In a separate article, Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports examine what's holding up the sale of the Astros.
Astros Choose Santana To Complete Pence Trade
The Astros have selected outfield prospect Domingo Santana from the Phillies as the player to be named later to complete the Hunter Pence trade, tweets Alyson Footer. The Astros had previously acquired prospects Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, and Josh Zeid from the Phillies for Pence and $2MM on July 29th.
Santana, 19, is hitting .269/.345/.434 in 391 Low-A plate appearances this year while playing right field and DH. Baseball America ranked him ninth among Phillies prospects prior to the season, praising his athleticism and raw power.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Wandy, Reds, Rays
Here's the latest Full Count video clip from Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com:
- The Astros may place lefty Wandy Rodriguez on waivers next week, and it's possible but unlikely that Rodriguez will be claimed by another team. He stands to earn $36MM over the next three seasons, which could be a deterrent for teams considering a claim, but if he clears, the Diamondbacks and other teams may show interest in working out a trade.
- The Reds have not seen a significant spike in attendance coming off last season's division title and will likely be relatively inactive this offseason.
- The Rays considered trading center fielder B.J. Upton in July, but they may hold him this offseason and allow him to walk in free agency after 2012. The Rays value Upton highly and think they may not be able to spend his 2012 salary, which Rosenthal estimates will be roughly $7MM, any better on another player or players.
- Tampa might be more willing to trade righty James Shields, who would probably yield a greater return than Upton.
- The Yankees will not release catcher Jorge Posada, which is why they're having trouble squeezing prospect Jesus Montero to the big leagues. The Yanks do not want to go to an 11-man pitching staff, which they'd have to do if they called up Montero.