Dodgers Don’t Intend To Pursue Robinson Cano
Robinson Cano is expected to sign the largest contract of the offseason, but it doesn't sound like the Dodgers will be a major factor in those dicusssions. USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that the Dodgers have privately stated they don't intend to pursue Cano or bid on any other high-priced free agents this offseason.
Many have expected the Dodgers to be one of the biggest players for Cano's services this winter based on the way they've spent since new ownership took over the club in 2012. The Dodgers took on the contracts of Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett (and, to a lesser extent, Nick Punto) in blockbuster trades last summer. Then, in the offseason, they shelled out $147MM for Zack Greinke, $42MM for Yasiel Puig, $36MM for Hyun-Jin Ryu and $22.5MM for Brandon League. And that's to say nothing of the $6MM obligation they took on in acquriing Ricky Nolasco last month or the $85MM extension given to Andre Ethier last Spring.
Last month, Dodgers president Stan Kasten said the club was comfortable guaranteeing salaries through age 36, which could present a problem in pursuing the soon-to-be-31-year-old Cano, as a six-year offer would be shorter than the contract he appears likely to sign. Cano, unsurprisingly, occupies the No. 1 spot on Tim Dierkes' Free Agent Power Rankings — a claim to which he has laid stake all season.
Dodgers, Twins, Braves In On Guerrero; BoSox Out
8:42pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link) confirms that the Braves have indeed evaluated Guerrero and would be "interested if [the] price is right." Since Andrelton Simmons is already locked in at shortstop, the Braves would move Guerrero to second or third base.
7:34pm: The Red Sox are not one of the finalists for Guerrero's services, Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown reports (via Twitter).
6:50pm: The market for Cuban shortstop Alexander Guerrero is down to four teams, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter links). The Dodgers, Twins, Red Sox and Braves are the clubs still in the mix to sign the 26-year-old. The Reds have also checked in on Guerrero, though they might not be (or are no longer be) a serious contender since Wolfson didn't include them in his first group.
The Dodgers and Twins had previously been cited as two of the then-three clubs known to be interested in Guerrero, and agent Rudy Santin denied reports that his client already had a seven-year deal in place with Los Angeles. Guerrero defected from Cuba in January and is still waiting to be unblocked by the U.S. government before he can pursue a contract with a Major League team.
NL Notes: Mets, Manuel, Wilson, Choo, Abreu
The Pirates' failure to sign Mark Appel with the eighth overall selection in the 2012 draft created a ripple effect where the Mets passed on free agent Michael Bourn and eventually gave playing time to rookie Juan Lagares, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. As compensation for not coming to terms with Appel, the Pirates were awarded the ninth overall pick in this past June's draft, knocking the Mets' choice (11th) out of the protected Top Ten. This was an important considersation for the Mets in deciding to not bid on Bourn, explains Sherman, who cites this as a pefect example of "sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make." Here's news from other NL teams who aren't neccessarily going to follow that old adage:
- Ex-Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio (via Bowden on Twitter) he wants to continue managing and is open to all opportunities, including the Nationals.
- In that same interview (also from a Bowden tweet), Manuel says the Phillies' plan is to "reload," not "rebuild," needing regular players to fill holes, including adding a starter, and redoing the bullpen.
- Speaking of the Phillies, little has changed with the radio silence regarding their agreement with Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, who reported earlier this month the two sides have hit a snag in finalizing their six-year, $48MM deal.
- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly told reporters, including Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, they will have a better idea at the end of today when Brian Wilson will be activated. GM Ned Colletti was a guest of Bowden and Duquette on MLB Network Radio and said the call should be made in "another day or two" (as quoted by Gurnick's colleague, Andrew Simon). Colletti also explained he signed Wilson because he only cost money, not prospects, and there's a familiarity with him from his days as the Giants' closer. "We think it's a very low-risk, high-reward situation," said Colletti. "He wanted to be here. He has a home in L.A. Rivalry and all that aside — we all know what that's all about — he wanted to restart his career and we're going to give him that opportunity here in the near future."
- Four years and $60MM is the guess as to the asking price of Reds centerfielder Shin-Soo Choo in free agency this winter, tweets the Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay. Choo placed fifth in MLBTR's most recent 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings.
- The Pirates have scouted Cuban first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu in three recent international tournaments and will be on hand for his expected September showcase, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "We like him," GM Neal Huntington said. "It will be interesting to see where the bidding goes." That bidding could exceed $60MM.
Rosenthal On Freese, Cardinals, Reynolds, Dodgers
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has lots of good stuff in this weekend's edition of Full Count. Here's a look at some of the highlights..
- The Cardinals' promotion of Kolten Wong could be the first step towards the club trading David Freese. Obviously, Freese isn't having a good year, but the free agent market at third base this offseason will be very thin this season and will be headlined by veterans such as Juan Uribe and Michael Young. Freese is under club control through 2015 and while he's not an All-Star, it's easy to see teams making a play for him.
- Mark Reynolds had interest from a number of clubs but he signed with the Yankees because they offered him the best opportunity of any interested club. The Orioles thought about a reunion, but he only would have DH'd against left-handed pitching. The Royals also thought about Reynolds, but they expect Mike Moustakas to come back soon from his calf injury and the Rangers checked in but didn't have an immediate major league opening.
- The Dodgers will be the x-factor in Robinson Cano's free agency and they could be spurred by their recent success to make a play for him. The Dodgers have been indicating that they won't spend like crazy forever and could dedicate their resources to new deals for Clayton Kershaw and Hanley Ramirez. However, they could also move one of their surplus outfielders and find the spare cash for the second baseman.
Twins Acquire Miguel Sulbaran To Complete Butera Trade
The Twins announced that they have acquired Class A left-hander Miguel Sulbaran from the Dodgers as the player to be named later in July 31's Drew Butera trade. It's a surprisingly good return for Butera, as Sulbaran was ranked as Los Angeles' No. 14 prospect by MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
The 19-year-old Sulbaran has pitched to a 3.01 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 92 2/3 innings this season. In his free scouting report, Mayo writes:
"Sulbaran has a good feel for his low-90s fastball and can add and subtract velocity from it as needed. His curveball is his best offspeed pitch and both his slider and changeup show promise."
Butera, 29, has hit .208/.239/.292 in 114 Triple-A plate appearances this season. He's strictly a defensive catcher, though his glove typically draws very high praise from scouts. He's received 534 Major League plate appearances and totaled a .182/.230/.262 batting line with five homers.
Dodgers Outright John Baker To Triple-A
We'll keep track of tonight's minor moves here..
- The Dodgers announced that they have outrighted catcher John Baker from the 40-man roster, leaving the current count at 39. The 32-year-old was claimed off of waivers from the Padres back in mid-June and has hit just .183/.278/.247 in 108 Triple-A plate appearances in the Dodgers organization. For his big league career, Baker owns a .258/.342/.364 slash line across parts of six seasons.
NL West Notes: Mattingly, Cabrera, Young Jr.
The red-hot Dodgers suffered just their third loss of the second half last night and have expanded their lead on the NL West to five games over the second-place Diamondbacks. Here's the latest out of the division…
- It's easy to forget what a dreadful situation the Dodgers were in just two short months ago, but manager Don Mattingly offered a reminder when speaking to reporters, including Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Mattingly said that team president Stan Kasten approached him and told him that they would have to let him go if things didn't turn around. There was plenty of speculation back in May regarding Mattingly's job security, but this is the first that either side has acknowledged how close he may have come to getting fired.
- Suspended Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera gave an emotional, bilingual speech to his teammates, apologizing to them behind closed doors prior to Monday's game, writes MLB.com's Jamal Collier. Collier adds that Cabrera took a banned substance in the spring of 2012 to help heal a shoulder injury at the advice of former ACES employee Juan Nunez – the same employee who was reportedly behind Melky Cabrera's web site scandal.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes that former Rockies outfielder Eric Young Jr. has no ill feelings towards Colorado after being traded to the Mets earlier this season. "I’m more appreciative they made the move they did, because I wouldn’t be in this situation if they didn’t," Young told reporters on Tuesday. Young has been outstanding with the Mets, hitting .270/.350/.362 with a home run (of the walk-off variety) and 15 steals in 19 attempts.
Rosenthal On Rios, Rangers, Dodgers, A’s
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has his latest edition of Full Count up. Let's run through some of the highlights…
- Some teams considering a trade for the White Sox's Alex Rios might consider the remainder of his contract – $13MM in 2014 and a $13.5MM club option for 2015 – to be a benefit. According to Rosenthal, Rios ranks fifth in wins above replacement among all right fielders since the start of the 2012 season. That's ahead of both Nick Swisher and Shane Victorino, who were able to sign large free agent deals last offseason. Rosenthal says Rios could still be traded this month or after the season.
- Rangers officials told Rosenthal that they had more conversations about major leaguer-for-major-leaguer trades leading up to the deadline than ever before in their push to acquire a bat for their struggling lineup, but nothing came to fruition. Texas made almost every player on their roster available in trade talks, including the newly acquired Matt Garza.
- The Dodgers opted not to bid on Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez because they were unsure of whether he profiled as anything more than a back-end starter or reliever. They also want to create opportunities for prospects such as Zach Lee and Chris Reed.
- The A's decision this weekend to send Tommy Milone – the owner of a 4.39 ERA in 133.1 innings this year – to Triple A was aimed at adding another arm to the bullpen, as they don't need a fifth starter until Aug. 13. However, that Aug. 13 starter could end up being prospect Sonny Gray. The A's were originally considering putting Gray in the bullpen, but they could get left-hander Brett Anderson back within two weeks as a reliever, Rosenthal says.
Placed On Waivers: Saturday
The July 31st trade deadline is behind us, but teams can still make waiver trades happen in the month of August. We'll keep track of players placed on waivers today in this post..
- The Dodgers have placed reliever Brandon League on waivers, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). League is obviously a notable name that could draw interest from clubs seeking relief help, but his contract could be a deterrent. League is owed $1.5MM for the rest of this season, $7.5MM in 2014, and $7.5MM in 2015 with a vesting player option for 2016.
Three Teams Vying For Cuban Shortstop Guerrero
August 3: The Twins are among the clubs interested in Guerrero, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). "We like him," said Twins VP Mike Radcliff. "We're still watching him." Wolfson names the Dodgers as the continuing favorites to land Guerrero.
Guerrero reportedly possesses good power but profiles more as a second baseman at the big league level, according to Baseball America (subscription required).
July 23: Despite reports out of the Dominican Republic earlier today that Cuban shortstop Alexander Guerrero had agreed to a seven-year deal with the Dodgers, Guerrero's agent Rudy Santin tells MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that no such thing is true. Three teams are still in the mix for Guerrero, who has yet to be unblocked by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control, and no agreement is in place with any of the interested parties.
The Dodgers are indeed one of at least three teams interested in Guerrero, and Santin says at least one of the interested suitors is an AL club. Guerrero will host a showcase for scouts on Wednesday in the Dominican Republic and play in a game Thursday.
Guerrero reportedly defected from Cuba in January, as noted at the time by Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports. The 26-year-old OPSed .997 or better each year in Cuba from 2009-11. It's unclear if there's any connection, but surprise reports earlier this morning said that the Dodgers were out of the running for prized Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez. This is just my speculation, but perhaps Dodgers GM Ned Colletti and his staff have shifted their focus to a position player due to their depth at starting pitcher.