Rangers Acquire Pudge From Astros
9:55pm: According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Astros will receive a third player in the deal if the Rangers make the playoffs. Sullivan confirms that Vallejo is believed to be the second player and must clear trade waivers.
8:15pm: Jason Grodsky of MLB.com is reporting that the Astros are receiving two players to be named along with Nevarez.
4:07pm: MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros will acquire infielder Jose Vallejo along with Matt Nevarez. Both players are 22.
2:10pm: Pat Lackey of AOL FanHouse hears that minor league reliever Matt Nevarez will head to the Astros along with another player.
1:22pm: Jeff Wilson of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers are responsible for a pro-rated portion of Pudge's $1.5MM contract, which includes $1.5MM in incentives.
1:16pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Rangers are giving up two mid-level prospects to acquire Rodriguez.
12:47pm: MLB.com's Noah Coslov reports that the Rangers acquired Pudge for a player to be named later.
12:18pm: The Rangers are close to re-acquiring Ivan Rodriguez, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sullivan says the Astros would obtain two mid-tier prospects for Rodriguez, who starred with the Rangers from 1991-2002. The Rangers have told Rodriguez that he will back Taylor Teagarden up and Pudge understands the arrangement,
Odds and Ends: Pudge, Reds, Boras, Gordon
Links from around the league on Tuesday evening…
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes that the Astros got good value in return for Pudge Rodriguez.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer talks to Reds GM Walt Jocketty about the plan for his team's future.
- Kevin Kaduk at Yahoo.com argues that Scott Boras neither won nor lost the Strasburg contract negotiations.
- Matthew Pouliot at NBCSports.com writes that the Royals "hit a new low" by demoting Alex Gordon.
- And Baseball America breaks down each team's total spending on the first ten rounds of the draft.
Signing Deadline Roundup: Ackley, Turner
Some more links in the aftermath of yesterday's deadline to sign draft picks…
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star explains in detail that the MLB draft is broken. It certainly seems like things will change after next year, when the CBA expires.
- Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune reports that Dustin Ackley says he'd like to play outfield.
- Click here to read what Divish did as he awaited word on the Ackley signing last night.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the Tigers designated minor leaguer Chris Lambert for assignment, presumably to make room for top pick Jacob Turner on the 40-man roster.
- The Astros had a much more relaxing evening than most teams last night, as Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Odds & Ends: Wade, Rays, Freddy
A handful of links for Saturday afternoon…
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle has a full rundown of the trades Astros general manager Ed Wade has executed in his two years on the job. "Wade took over an organization that was in shambles," Justice writes. "He appears to have done the right things to rebuild the farm system while keeping the big league team competitive."
- According to KWTX in Texas, the Rays have agreed to terms with third-round pick OF Todd Glaesmann. He's expected to receive a signing bonus above his slot recommendation, but exact financial terms are not yet available.
- Freddy Garcia will return to a major league mound Tuesday against the Royals, reports Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. The White Sox signed the veteran to a minor league contract in June.
- Matthew Pouliot of NBCSports.com's "Circling The Bases" is almost one-third of the way through what he calls "a series of articles examining what every team's roster would look like if given only the players it originally signed." He's also ranking the rosters from worst to first. Check it out. The Cincinnati squad is a must-see.
Talkin’ John Smoltz
As Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com notes, 42-year-old right-hander John Smoltz has not considered retirement and is hoping to join a new team soon, either as a starter or reliever. Here's what we know so far:
Smoltz was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on August 7 after posting an 8.33 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP over eight starts. He refused an assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket earlier this week, and the Sox now have only two days to find a trade partner before they must grant him his release. The Marlins, Cardinals, Dodgers, Rangers and Astros are thought to have some level of interest. SI.com's Jon Heyman has spoken with MLB executives who believe the veteran is likely to end up back in the National League.
There's a chance an interested club will jump in and make a deal for Smoltz before he's released, but it would make more sense for teams to sit tight until Monday, and leave Boston with the remainder of his one-year, $5.5 million contract. A release will also negate all bonuses and incentives tied to that deal.
Odds And Ends: Rays, Astros, Ortiz, Coffey
Some links for Friday morning…
- Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays are nearing deals with several top draft picks, including first rounder LeVon Washington.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle doesn't expect the Astros to lower their 2010 payroll by more than about 15%, though attendance is declining steadily.
- Just like old times. As Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe reports, David Ortiz is struggling again.
- How does a 22nd round pick sign for $1MM? Cameron Coffey showed improved stuff this spring, but even he had no intention of signing until the Orioles came at him with a $990k offer recently, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.
- As Callis notes, the Rangers signed fifth round righty Nick McBride for $325k, which nearly doubles MLB's recommended bonus for his slot.
Stark On Smoltz, Reds, Strasburg, Thome
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark adds the Astros to the list of teams interested in John Smoltz. Here are the rest of his rumors:
- The Cubs could look for another bat and another starter, but it depends on how healthy Aramis Ramirez, Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano are.
- Stark points out that Aaron Harang's 2011 club option becomes a more expensive $14MM mutual option if he's traded. The Reds haven't seemed willing to take on cash in a trade involving Harang or rotation-mate Bronson Arroyo.
- The Yanks don't appear to have interest in either Reds starter, or John Smoltz, for that matter.
- Don't expect any serious negotiating to occur between the Nationals, Scott Boras and Stephen Strasburg before the last minute. Most execs who Stark surveyed expect Strasburg to sign in the end.
- The Braves could re-sign Adam LaRoche after the season, when the first baseman will hit free agency.
- Jim Thome still impresses scouts and should be able to find work as a DH after the season.
- Some teams doubt Vicente Padilla's character because the Rangers are ready to part with him even though they need pitching.
- Some of Alex Rios' former teammates question the outfielder's work ethic and desire.
- Stark hears that Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann were claimed on waivers and quickly pulled back by the Rays.
- The Braves made a quick run at Victor Martinez before the Red Sox acquired him, but didn't get very far.
- Though their negotiations with Aaron Crow could theoretically continue into late spring, the Royals may impose a deadline of their own to sign their top pick.
Odds And Ends: Tate, Draft, Tejada, Jays
Some afternoon links…
- Jason Jennings of 99.9 The Fan reports that Donavan Tate left the UNC football program and appears likely to sign with the Padres.
- The Orioles expect to know within two days whether they'll sign second rounder Michal Givens, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Mets expect to sign their top pick, Steven Matz, according to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News. The lefty could command a seven figure bonus.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says the Astros could bring Miguel Tejada back next year, though they haven't decided what they'll do.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports that Jays manager Cito Gaston isn't sure he wants to manage after his contract expires at the end of next season.
- Joe Posnanski says Alex Rios has the seventh worst contract in the game. Rob Neyer's take: Ricciardi has signed players to lousy contracts, but he may be the right guy in the wrong place at this point. My take: Posnanski's too hard on the deal.
Odds And Ends: Astros, Branyan, Helton, O’s
More links as Colby Rasmus and Pablo Sandoval turn 23…
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle reports that attendance has dropped 12% at Astros games this year and could fall further. Team owner Drayton McLane won't say how much he'll spend on payroll next year.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says there's room for Russell Branyan on next year's Mariners team. Could $10MM over two years work for both sides?
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says Todd Helton has a chance at a Hall of Fame plaque, whether or not the first baseman is comfortable discussing his chances at immortality.
- The Orioles agreed to sign fifth rounder Ashur Tolliver for $200k, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. They also agreed to terms with Randy Henry for $365k and Ryan Berry for $418k. All three bonuses are higher than recommended.
Several Clubs Interested In Smoltz
We touched on this earlier tonight, but let's expand on it a bit. ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that the Texas Rangers and some National League clubs have expressed interest in acquiring the recently DFA'd John Smoltz, which is an indication that he'll have another opportunity to pitch this year if he's up to it. The other night we heard from Cardinals GM John Mozeliak that they were unlikely to pursue the future Hall of Famer, and it seems unlikely that Boston would made a deal with Texas since the two clubs are in a tight race for the American League Wildcard.
The Red Sox would not only like Smoltz to accept a minor league assignment so he could transition to the bullpen, but they also want to restructure a clause in his contract that pays the righty $35K for every day he's on the Major League roster. Olney mentions that teams like the Dodgers, Cubs, Brewers, and Astros were looking for pitching, but he says that it's "highly unlikely that any NL team would be willing to take Smoltz in a trade without some financial adjustment from the Red Sox, perhaps with Boston kicking in money to pay off a large portion of his base salary and roster bonus." Interested clubs could also wait it out and see if Boston releases Smoltz, when they could sign him for nothing more than the pro-rated minimum.
The 42-yr old Smoltz pitched to an 8.32 ERA in six starts with Boston, but teams will line up to take a chance on a player with his track record and pedigree. Of course, before anyone goes and acquires him, Smoltz will first have to decide if he wants to keep pitching.