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Quick Hits: Miller, Dodgers, D’Backs, Rays, Trades

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Here are a few items of note as Justin Verlander narrowly misses his second no-hitter of the season:

  • Red Sox lefty Andrew Miller, currently in Triple-A, will remain with Boston and not opt out of his contract, as we inferred earlier today. Now, we know why: Miller will likely soon be called up and added to the rotation, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
  • With their financial future hazy, the Dodgers should take notes on how successful small-market teams like the Rays and Marlins operate, writes Tom Krasovic of West Coast Bias.
  • The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with seven more Draft picks — bringing their total up to 30 of the 52 players they selected — including third-rounder Justin Bianco, according to a club press release.
  • The Rays signed second-round pick Granden Goetzman, writes Anthony Chiang of MLB.com.
  • This season's relative league-wide parity has led to a slow-developing trade market, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (via Twitter). An AL executive told Morosi, "Too many teams still in it."

Dodgers Links: McCourt, Padilla, Carroll

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The Dodgers sit at 31-37, in fourth place and seven games back in the NL West with 58% of their season remaining.  They're 11th in the league with 3.93 runs scored per game.  The Dodgers' starters rank eighth with a 3.82 ERA, while their relievers are dead last at 4.77.  The latest links:

  • Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is expected to meet payroll tomorrow, reports Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times, but he has almost no chance to make payroll on June 30th without a cash infusion.  About $30MM is owed on the 30th.  In theory, MLB could complete their investigation of McCourt's finances this month and Bud Selig could approve the Fox deal, saving the team for McCourt.  Otherwise, Shaikin says Selig could seize the team and put it up for sale.  Meanwhile, McCourt is involved in divorce settlement talks with his ex-wife Jamie.
  • Righty Vicente Padilla could be out of the season due to neck surgery, Shaikin's colleague Jim Peltz learned from Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.  Padilla signed for a $2MM base salary in December.  He was anointed the team's closer for a brief period of time.  Instead they'll continue to piece things together until perhaps Jonathan Broxton returns this month.
  • How about a positive story?  Yesterday Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports named Dodgers infielder Jamey Carroll one of his unlikely All-Stars.  The 37-year-old is hitting .319/.383/.389 in 255 plate appearances and appears to be in line for another multiyear deal after the season.     
  • Recently signed righty Ian Snell joined the Dodgers' Triple-A team, writes Kirby Arnold of The Everett Herald.

Quick Hits: Magglio, Betemit, Manny, Indians

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Wandy Rodriguez looked sharp in his return from the disabled list tonight.  The Astros left-hander allowed four walks and two hits over six shutout innings as Houston notched a 8-3 win over Atlanta.  You'll be reading a lot about Rodriguez at MLBTR this summer since, with so few difference-making pitchers on the market, Rodriguez could arguably be the top arm available at the trade deadline.

Some links….

  • Magglio Ordonez could be on the market very soon, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Ordonez is a defensive liability in the outfield the Tigers can't put him at DH since that could cost Victor Martinez or Alex Avila at-bats.  Ordonez is still owed $5.8MM this season and he has a no-trade clause, so Morosi figures Detroit "would probably need to swap one burdensome contract for another" to move the veteran slugger.  The Yankees, Mariners and Angels are listed as contenders who could use DH help.
  • Wilson Betemit is drawing attention from several scouts, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  Betemit is hitting .289/.348/.411 for the Royals this season but lost his starting third base job to Mike Moustakas.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith profiled Betemit's trade candidacy last month and noted that at a 2011 salary of just $1MM, Betemit is bargain for any club needing third base help.   
  • The Royals have signed five more of their draft picks, with seventh-rounder Kellen Moen the highest pick yet to sign with the club this year.
  • As if the Dodgers didn't have enough financial problems, the club owes Manny Ramirez a deferred payment of $8.33MM by June 30, reports Molly Knight of ESPN The Magazine.  Ramirez is owed a total of $25MM in deferred money from the Dodgers, which will be split up into three equal payments this year, next year and in 2013.
  • The Indians announced the signings of three picks from the 2011 draft.  Outfielder Bryson Myles (sixth round) was the highest-picked of these signings.

Dodgers Outright Hector Gimenez To Double-A

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The Dodgers have outrighted catcher Hector Gimenez to Double-A Chattanooga, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Gimenez had been on the 60-day disabled list, according to a team tweet.

The 28-year-old Gimenez appeared in just four games for the Dodgers in April before being shelved with a knee injury. Prior to that, he hadn't appeared in the big leagues since 2006, when he was with the Astros, with whom he signed as an amateur free agent in 1999.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Hiroki Kuroda

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Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda has established himself as a top-of-the-rotation starter in three-plus Major League seasons since coming over from Japan. With a respectable career strikeout rate (6.6 K/9), fine control (2.2 BB/9) and the ability to induce ground balls (roughly 50%), Kuroda should draw interest as one of the better pitchers in what looks to be a so-so class of free-agent hurlers this offseason, including C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle, Chris Carpenter and Joel Pineiro.

Because of Kuroda's age, his seeming affinity for Los Angeles and the Dodgers' uncertain financial standing, it'll be interesting to see how his second foray into free agency in as many years plays out. Kuroda, who will turn 37 in February, signed a one-year, $12MM pact with the Dodgers in November 2010. I think that was a relatively modest deal considering Kuroda was coming off his best (and healthiest) season, but it did include a full no-trade clause, and Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported that Kuroda didn't even entertain offers from other clubs before re-signing with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers probably won't be big spenders so long as they are being managed by MLB, and it's uncertain when the team will be sold. However, Kuroda has already shown a willingness to exchange cash (and perhaps years) for security. Assuming he remains happy in Los Angeles, I could see him taking a similar deal with the Dodgers this offseason. If he chooses to test the market, or if the team wishes to go in another direction, I think he could probably find a two-year deal at a similar annual salary, likely without the benefit of a blanket no-trade.

Of course, considering his age, there's always the chance Kuroda could simply call it a career or return to NPB, where a couple of clubs were reportedly interested in his services last offseason.

Quick Hits: Pirates, Cabrera, Realignment, Oeltjen

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Links for Saturday, as a pair of offseason headliners (Cliff Lee and Matt Garza) prepare to face off in Philadelphia this afternoon…

  • The Pirates have been asking around for a catcher but have found that the asking prices are high as clubs want to take advantage of their situation, tweets Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.  Pittsburgh is in a bind with Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder on the disabled list.
  • As the Giants look for infield help, ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter) says that Orlando Cabrera is a name to keep an eye on.  The veteran just lost his everyday job in Cleveland and the Giants were close to inking him over the winter.
  • After the Orioles tabbed Dylan Bundy with the fourth overall pick in the draft, Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun takes a look at Adam Loewen, the No. 4 pick that got away.
  • Major League Baseball and the players' association have discussed doing away with divisions altogether and balancing out the leagues to 15 teams each, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.  The new structure would have teams vying for five playoff spots in each league.  The odds of this happening, however, are still less than 50-50, according to one source.
  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times says that Trent Oeltjen could have become a free agent if the Dodgers didn't add him to the Major League roster by June 15th (Twitter link). Oeltjen was called up two days ago.
  • In a piece for ESPN, Jim Bowden wrote about how GM's prepare to make trades, a process that usually begins with low-ball offers being exchanged.
  • The writers at FanGraphs conducted a franchise player draft, selecting a player they would build a team around. Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki were the first two off the board.
  • The Royals have signed 16 draft picks according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. The highest signed pick was ninth rounder Aaron Brooks.

2012 Vesting Options Update

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Now that the calendar has flipped to June, let's check in on the status of the various vesting options around the league…

  • Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu has already come to the plate 276 times this year, so this one seems life a safe bet to vest, barring injury.
  • Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Furcal is back on the disabled list with an oblique strain, and he's still a month away from returning. He has only 69 plate appearances this year, so this one won't vest.
  • Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. Garland has been on the disabled list twice this year (the first two times of his career), and he's currently out with a sore shoulder. He only has 54 innings to his credit and won't be back anytime soon, so this one won't vest.
  • Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the year. K-Rod has already finished 25 games, putting him on pace for 65 at season's end. A trade to a team that would use him as a set-up man would change everything, but right now the option figures to vest.
  • Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 26 games and finished 11, putting him on pace for 69 and 29, respectively.
  • Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. He's appeared in 20 games so far, putting him on pace for 50. Rhodes' workload could increase down the stretch.
  • Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. He's already appeared in 28 games and is on pace for 71. It's worth noting that even if the option doesn't vest, the Royals would still control Soria as an arbitration-eligible player in 2012.
  • Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 17 games so far, so a stint on the disabled list did not help his cause.

Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.

Mark Buehrle is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2011 season and although he doesn't have a traditional option in his contract, he gets an extra year at $15MM tacked onto his current deal if he's traded at some point this season.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

Quick Hits: Beltran, Santana, Bundy, Hultzen

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On this date three years ago, Ken Griffey Jr. hit home run number 600 off of Marlins lefty Mark Hendrickson. Slugger Jim Thome will resume his quest for 600 homers once the Twins activate him from the disabled list (Thome has 593 career homers). Here are today's links…

  • The Mets are willing to eat some of Beltran's $18.5MM salary in order to get quality prospects in return, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. Approximately $11.4MM is still owed to him this year.
  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers have signed second round pick Alex Santana (on Twitter). MLB's slot recommendation for the 73rd overall pick is approximately $500K.
  • Orioles' scouting director Joe Jordan spoke to MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli about this week's draft, saying they "don’t expect" to set any bonus records for first rounder Dylan Bundy. You can see Baltimore's five largest amateur signing bonuses here.
  • Danny Hultzen (Mariners), Taylor Jungmann (Brewers) and Tyler Anderson (Rockies) are among the 2011 draftees who could make an impact in the Major Leagues before long, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
  • We’re looking forward to seeing pitchers like Hultzen in the big leagues, but building a rotation through the draft is harder than it seems, as Tom Verducci shows at SI.com. Even first rounders have a high rate of failure, Verducci explains.
  • Former first rounder Scott Kazmir has a 15.15 ERA with a 13K/16BB ratio in Triple-A, so it appears that it's only a matter of time before the Angels release him, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com explains that he would pursue a two-year, $30MM extension with David Ortiz if he were running the Red Sox. Big Papi's consistency, history of health and hot bat all figure in to Bowden's analysis. Ortiz has a .326/.394/.612 line with 15 homers.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Todd, Gibbons, Kouzmanoff,

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Here's where we'll keep track of all players who get outrighted to Triple-A today…

Outrighted To Triple-A: Gibbons, Castro, Vasquez

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Let's keep track of all of today's outright assignments right here …

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