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Central Notes: Cubs, Twins, Reds

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The Cubs held a press conference today to discuss their $500MM plan to "save Wrigley Field and invest in the city."  The deal has not been finalized, but an agreement has been reached with the city of Chicago.  "If this plan is approved, we will win the World Series for our fans and our city," said owner Tom Ricketts.  Elsewhere in baseball's central divisions:

  • The Twins recalled one of their best prospects today from Triple-A, promoting outfielder Oswaldo Arcia and placing Wilkin Ramirez on paternity leave.  Arcia, a 21-year-old from Venezuela, was ranked the 41st best prospect in the game by Baseball America and placed 59th on Keith Law's list for ESPN.  Arcia seems unlikely to stick, with Ramirez due back in three days.
  • Another top central division prospect may have his service clock started soon, as John Fay of Cincinnati Enquirer says the Reds "will likely call up left-hander Tony Cingrani from Triple-A to make [Johnny] Cueto's next scheduled start."  Cueto is on the DL with a strained right lat muscle, and the Reds limited to Cingrani to two innings in his Sunday Triple-A start.  Cueto will miss three or four starts, Reds manager Dusty Baker told reporters today.
  • "I think he has a chance to be a true No. 1," a scout tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports regarding Twins prospect Alex Meyer.  The Twins acquired Meyer from the Nationals straight up for Denard Span in November.
  • Though Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and Rangers GM Jon Daniels have not discussed swapping Oscar Taveras and Jurickson Profar, ESPN's Jim Bowden continues to advocate this potential "challenge" trade.  Bowden admits that his first trade as Reds GM was a challenge trade in its own right, as he dealt Paul O'Neill and a minor leaguer to the Yankees for Roberto Kelly.  Concludes Bowden, "True, that O’Neill-for-Kelly deal will haunt me to my grave, but it was the gutsiest trade I’ve ever made."     

Cafardo On Willingham, Headley, Iglesias, Red Sox

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that MLB is working to address the lack of African-American participation in baseball, both on the field and in the stands.  While the RBI program [Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities] has seen more than 200 of its kids drafted to major league teams, Cafardo writes that it hasn't sparked the kind of interest that leads to a kid getting his friends together and playing an informal game at the park.  Here's more from today's column..

  • The feeling is that if the Twins aren’t in the race in early July, Josh Willingham would become available. “He’s a power righthanded bat that any contender could stick right in the middle of their lineup and get outstanding production,” said one National League GM. “You’d have to give something up, but he’d be worth the expenditure. He can really hit.”
  • Scouts and GMs say Chase Headley could be the most sought-after player at the trade deadline. Part of it is that the Padres star plays third, is a good hitter, and teams in contention believe he would really thrive if he played for a winner.
  • The Pirates really wanted shortstop Jose Iglesias in the Joel Hanrahan deal as their scouts felt he would eventually hit.  For now, it looks like his offense has improved.  “The Pirates really wanted a young shortstop they could build around and Iglesias was the guy they earmarked,” said one baseball executive. “The jury was out by some teams’ evaluations on him, but there was no denying his defense and no denying that he had a chance with the bat as he matured. Maybe that time has come.”
  • One scout who watched the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate recently gave high marks to the club for their haul in last year's mega-deal with the Dodgers.  "If Ben Cherington never makes another trade he can rest assured that the two kids he got from the Dodgers [Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa] have tremendous arms."  The scout added that he would like to see the Red Sox continue to extend De La Rosa as a starter.
  • There’s a feeling among Astros personnel that Chris Carter, who was acquired from the A’s, could emerge as a 30-home run guy.  Carter has been hot after a 1-for-19 start to the season.

Twins Kicking Tires On Julio Borbon

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The Twins are kicking the tires on Rangers center fielder Julio Borbon, a team official tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.  Wolfson senses the Twins won't trade for Borbon, but could claim him off waivers if he's available to them.  Wolfson notes that struggling rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks is a factor for the Twins.

Borbon, 27, was designated for assignment by the Rangers yesterday.  During the first month of the season, last season's records are used to determine waiver order, so the Astros, Cubs, and Rockies will have a crack at Borbon before the Twins if he does hit waivers next week.  Borbon hit .304/.349/.433 in 584 Triple-A plate appearances last year.

Red Sox, Twins, Astros Interested In Harang

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The Red Sox, Twins and Astros are all interested in trading for Aaron Harang, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports (on Twitter). The Rockies hold Harang's trade rights after recently acquiring him from the Dodgers for catcher Ramon Hernandez, although the Rockies designated Harang for assignment immediately after the deal.

Harang pitched 179 2/3 innings for the Dodgers in 2012, posting a 3.61 ERA, 6.6 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9. The Dodgers had an abundance of starting pitching and didn't have much use for him in 2013, and given his age (34) and declining peripherals (not to mention the fact that the Rockies have already designated him for assignment), it's unlikely even a team in need of pitching would be willing to give up much for him. The fact that the Dodgers are paying $4.25MM of the $7MM he's owed in 2013 (he also has a $2MM buyout and a mutual option for 2014) should make him a somewhat more attractive trade target, however.

The Red Sox could be looking for a replacement for John Lackey, who left his start Saturday with an injury. Alfredo Aceves currently appears likely to take Lackey's place. The Twins and Astros both have weak rotations and could use a veteran to eat innings, although Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN in Minneapolis wrote Saturday (on Twitter) that a Twins official said the team was not interested in Harang.

Minor Moves: Flacco, M’s, Twins, Tigers, Braves

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Here are your minor moves for Friday (all links courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy on Twitter)…

  • Long-time Orioles farmhand Mike Flacco — the brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco — has retired, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com (Twitter link). The 26-year-old first baseman hit .253/.335/.378 in 353 minor league games. Flacco had been with the High-A Salem Red Sox.
  • The Mariners released minor league Rule 5 pick Eric Farris, and the second baseman quickly latched on with the Twins, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The M's plucked Farris off of the Brewers' roster in December.
  • The Tigers released defensive wizard Cale Iorg. The shortstop hit just .199/.240/.313 in parts of three seasons at Double-A. MLB.com's Adam McCalvy points out (via Twitter) that Iorg is the son of Brewers first base coach Garth Iorg.
  • The Pirates acquired catcher Troy Snitker from the Braves in a trade. The 24-year-old was taken by Atlanta in the 19th round of the 2011 draft and has spent the bulk of the last two seasons in rookie ball.
  • Also within that link, Eddy reports that the Phillies acquired shortstop Jose Mojica from theYankees. Mojica hit just .226/.265/.305 for the Bombers' Advanced-A affiliate in 2012.
  • The Braves released Dimasther Delgado, who appeared on three organization top 30 lists. The 24-year-old left-hander has a 3.93 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in two years of Advanced-A ball.
  • The Rays have released right-hander Jason McEachern, who was a 13th-round selection in the 2008 draft. Eddy notes that McEachern was a projectable high school arm that made it to Class-A but never took a step forward in his fastball velocity. The 22-year-old has a 4.96 ERA in 201 Class-A innings.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Central Notes: White Sox, Tigers, Wells, Hicks

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Here's a look at the latest out of the American League Central..

  • White Sox manager Robin Ventura believes that this year's team has more potential than last year's squad, thanks in part to offseason additions that make them a stronger postseason team, writes Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The White Sox kept their starting pitching in tact while adding Jeff Keppinger and Matt Lindstrom to the fold.
  • Jason Beck of MLB.com wonders if the Tigers might make a move for Casper Wells after he was designated for assignment by the Mariners yesterday.  Detroit had interest in making a move for Wells towards the end of spring training and will likely have to work out a trade for the outfielder before he hits the waiver wire if they want to grab him.  
  • The future is now for Twins prospect Aaron Hicks, writes MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.  The center fielder, who is ranked 72nd on Baseball America's Top 100 list and 98th on MLB.com's Top 100, was given the starting job despite the fact that it starts his service clock earlier.

Midseason Trade Candidates

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The regular season is about to begin, and before you know it, fans of struggling clubs will be combing rosters for players their team can acquire from even worse clubs come July.  With apologies for being a wet blanket, things look particularly dire this year for the Astros, Twins, Marlins, Mets, and Cubs.  They comprise our very early list of potential midseason sellers, which will surely grow in the coming months.  What can other teams scavenge from them?

Astros

The Astros are in complete teardown mode.  Their highest-paid player is starter Bud Norris, at $3MM.  He's under team control through 2015 and will appeal to anyone looking for more than a rental.  He'll just have to show some consistency first.  Lucas Harrell, meanwhile, is under team control through 2017, but I still think GM Jeff Luhnow will listen.  Wesley Wright is a credible left-handed reliever.  Otherwise, we're down to newly-signed veterans like Carlos Pena, Jose Veras, and Erik Bedard.

Twins

With first baseman Justin Morneau entering a contract year, he's a good candidate to be dealt this summer.  The 2006 MVP is only 31 years old, and enters the season free of health concerns.  Josh Willingham may be a popular target, though he's signed through next season and the Twins weren't willing to deal him last summer.  Veterans such as Jamey Carroll and Ryan Doumit could draw some interest.  I'm not sure the Twins would be willing to trade from their rotation, but Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey are not long-term pieces.

Marlins

Teams will be clamoring for Giancarlo Stanton, but he's the only reason to see the Marlins right now and he's under team control through 2016.  Expect plenty of rumors.  The Marlins will get more for starter Ricky Nolasco if they assume some of the $11.5MM owed to him, not that I expect that.  Then we're mostly down to veteran pickups like Placido Polanco, Juan Pierre, Jeff Mathis, and Jon Rauch. 

Mets

Johan Santana's shoulder will cause him to start the season on the DL.  If he looks decent in May and June, and the Mets pick up most of his $31MM tab, and he waives his no-trade clause, maybe they can get a prospect back.  Other players in the last year of contracts or on one-year deals such as John Buck, Frank Francisco, and Brandon Lyon should be available.  Ike Davis and Jon Niese will draw interest, but seem like building blocks for the Mets.

Cubs

This might be the year the Cubs finally move Alfonso Soriano, who has two years and $36MM left on his deal, plus a full no-trade clause.  The Vernon Wells trade has to give the Cubs hope toward the idea of picking up less than half the tab.  Matt Garza is entering his contract year, and could be one of the better starters available if he's healthy and the Cubs prefer not to extend him.  The Cubs also have starters Scott Feldman and Scott Baker on one-year deals.  Closer Carlos Marmol, earning $9.8MM, will be difficult to unload given his control issues.  David DeJesus, who has a club option for 2014, could be a useful piece for someone.

Best hitter available: Justin Morneau

Best starting pitcher available: Matt Garza

Best reliever available: Rafael Betancourt

July 2nd Rumors: Aybar, Devers, Zapata, Jimenez

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Kiley McDaniel of sbb.scout.com has a primer on the international signing period, which begins July 2nd every year.  That's when 16-year-olds from countries such as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela can be signed by Major League teams.  The latest from McDaniel:

  • There is no super elite prospect this year, writes McDaniel.  He notes that under the new collective bargaining agreement, most teams will have budgets in the $1.5-4MM range, as determined by the 2012 MLB standings.  The Astros could have north of $7MM to spend, however.  McDaniel notes that teams can trade for up to 50% of their assigned cap.
  • In another article, McDaniel looks at particular players in this July 2nd class.  Dominican shortstop Obispo Aybar could get a $1MM bonus, even though MLB is investigating his age and clubs believe he is 18 or 19.
  • Dominican third baseman Rafael Devers has been connected to the Red Sox, with a possible bonus over $1MM.
  • Right fielder Micker Zapata, born on the island of St. Thomas but trained in the Dominican in recent years, has drawn interest from the Phillies, Mariners, Twins, and Indians.  McDaniel notes that Zapata "speaks perfect English from his upbringing in St. Thomas."
  • Dominican right fielder Eloy Jimenez has shown similar tools to Zapata with plus speed, a right field arm, and big raw power to his pull side.  Jimenez has been rumored to be in line for a bonus that would likely top the class, ranging from $2.5MM-$3MM and is most often linked to the Astros.  
  • Gleyber Torres is a Venezuelan shortstop who doesn’t offer a ton of projection but has the smoothness and skills to put him into the top group of talents in this class.  The Cubs are said to like him and they could spend over $2MM on him. 
  • Fellow Venezuelan shortstop Yeltsin Gudino is rumored to be in line for over $1MM with the A's and Mariners mentioned most often. 
  • Dominican shortstop Franly Mallen is further along than Gudino and has caught the attention of a number of teams.  Rumor has it that a couple of clubs have already offered him a bonus in the high six figures. 
  • Dominican righties Mayky Perez and Marcos Diplan are the top two pitchers this year.  Perez is 6’5, 205 pounds and shows three average or better pitches with a physical, projectable frame.  Diplan, meanwhile, is skinny at 6’0, 160 pounds and boasts a 90-94 mph fastball with an above average breaking ball.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Twins Notes: Hicks, Butera, Young, Betancourt, Garcia

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The Twins announced yesterday that they will hand the reins in center field over to top prospect Aaron Hicks. The 2008 first-rounder ranked 72nd on Baseball America's Top 100 list and 98th on MLB.com's Top 100. Here's some more on the Twinkies as we draw closer to the end of Spring Training…

  • General manager Terry Ryan told MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger that Hicks won the Opening Day job because he doesn't believe in holding players back for service time reasons: "'Can you imagine if we sent somebody out who did what the kid did?' Ryan said. 'And I had to look at [Josh] Willingham, [Justin] Morneau, [Glen] Perkins, [Joe] Mauer and those guys who are trying to win, and I'm going to stop that guy? I just don't believe in that.'"
  • Other teams are interested in catcher Drew Butera, who the Twins optioned to Triple-A yesterday, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). However the Twins prefer to keep Butera, who they signed to a $700K contract in order to avoid arbitration this winter. The 29-year-old is just a .183/.232/.265 career hitter but is regarded as a terrific defensive catcher.
  • The Twins contacted Chris Young this offseason and had interest in him at one point according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, but an official tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that the team no longer considers him a fit (Twitter link). Young is set to opt out of his contract with the Nationals.
  • The Twins were approached by representatives for both Yuniesky Betancourt and Freddy Garcia, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, but the team passed on both players (Twitter links).
  • Outfielder Wilkin Ramirez, who signed a minor league deal with the Twins, has all but guaranteed himself a spot on the Opening Day roster, tweets MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. A corresponding 40-man roster move will need to be made in the coming days.

Multiple Teams Showing Interest In Chris Young

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MONDAY: The Blue Jays, Orioles, Twins, Indians, Cubs, Cardinals, Red Sox, Brewers and Mets all have scouts on hand for Young's start against the Astros today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). However, as he's quick to note, that doesn't necessarily mean that each team is there to scout Young specifically.

For what it's worth, Young was terrific in his outing, scattering two hits, a walk and an unearned run over four innings to go along with a pair of strikeouts.

SUNDAY, 2:10pm: The Pirates are intrigued by Young, tweets the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Rob Biertempfel. However, Biertempfel wonders whether the Pirates can assure Young he'd be on roster the whole year and, if not, whether or not Young would be interested.

11:25am: The minor league deal that Chris Young signed with the Nationals last month contains an opt-out clause that he can exercise today. However, Young is scheduled to pitch in a Grapefruit League game tomorrow. Dan Kolko of MASNsports tweets that Young is planning on making that start tomorrow and then making a decision. Young says he has received interest from other teams, and it was reported on Friday that Young likely won't make the roster.

The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore adds that the Nationals hope to retain Young and view him as the clear favorite for a rotation spot if one of their starting five were to suffer an injury. Young is interested in staying in the organization in the event that he can't find a Major League job elsewhere.

The 33-year-old Young posted a 4.15 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 115 innings for the Mets last season. However, teams in smaller ballparks will likely be wary of Young's alarming 58.2 percent fly-ball rate. Among pitchers with 100 innings or more, Young's fly-ball rate was far and away the highest in baseball, while his 22.3 percent ground-ball rate was far and away the lowest.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

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