MLB Rejects McCourt’s Deal With Fox
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt was notified today that MLB will not approve the 17-year television rights contract with Fox, reports Yahoo's Tim Brown.
Bud Selig's decision comes as no surprise. Rejection of the Fox deal would mean McCourt's divorce settlement is off and the Dodgers are unlikely to meet payroll at the end of the month. If the Dodgers cannot meet their payroll obligation, MLB will seize and sell the Dodgers, though perhaps not without a legal battle from McCourt.
Trade Candidate: Jamey Carroll
At 7.5 games back in the NL West, the Dodgers might start pondering trading a few impending free agents. In infielder Jamey Carroll, they've got someone who would be useful to many teams.
Carroll, 37, stepped in as the Dodgers' regular shortstop when Rafael Furcal broke his thumb in April. With Dee Gordon now in the mix at short, Carroll is contributing more at second base lately. He has also logged time at third base and the outfielder corners.
Carroll is a top of the order type, with a .357 career OBP and a .376 mark this year. He's earning $1.8MM plus incentives, so his contract won't be an issue for any team. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti hasn't been committed to acquiring draft picks through free agent compensation, but Carroll appears to have a shot at Type B status.
The Rays, Reds, Brewers, Pirates, and Giants are contenders who could use a hand a shortstop, though the Dodgers may not want to deal with a division rival. The Tigers and Cardinals could desire a second baseman, while the Indians, Tigers, White Sox, Mariners, and Rockies might like a third base addition. While the Dodgers probably won't extract a top 100 prospect for Carroll, there's potential for a half-dozen suitors or more. Assuming the infielder ascends to Type B status, the Dodgers should at least be able to acquire a prospect who is on par with a supplemental round draft pick.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Cafardo On Kazmir, Upton, Broxton, Ramirez
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if roster manipulation is rampant in baseball. Cafardo points to the pulled quad muscle injury of Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald as a possible example. McDonald wasn't showing any signs of injury and when asked about it, he gave a "no comment". It's possible that Boston simply wanted to get McDonald more playing time with Mike Cameron eating up the lion's share of the reps. Things such as this, Cafardo writes, are happening all around baseball. Let's see what else is happening around the majors:
- As poorly as left-hander Scott Kazmir has pitched in the last two seasons, there are at least five teams looking at him in the Rockies, Marlins, Padres, Rangers, and Diamondbacks. It also wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees jump into the mix considering their pitching needs.
- There always seems to be a should-we-or-shouldn’t-we-trade B.J. Upton dilemma for the Rays. The Nationals could be a fit as they'd like a young center fielder they can grow with. The question is: is he available? All signs point to yes.
- Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton has been on the shelf since May with an elbow injury, but the club could move him if they're lagging in the standings.
- The Marlins' recent slide has skipper Edwin Rodriguez on the hot seat and it's no secret that the club has been keeping an eye on Ozzie Guillen for quite some time. Guillen has one year remaining on his deal with the White Sox.
- The Dodgers owe Manny Ramirez more than $8MM in deferred payments but the charismatic twelve-time All-Star is collecting a lot more than that. The BoSox owe him quite a bit of money too, roughly $32MM over 16 years. Boston will pay Ramirez through 2026, when he’ll be 54-years-old.
Rosenthal’s Full Count: Marlins, Wandy, Phillies, Rockies
Ken Rosenthal has his lastest Full Count video up over at FOXSports.com. Let's go over the highlights:
- If the Marlins make a managerial change, the most likely candidate would be Nationals' third base coach Bo Porter. Porter spent five years with the Marlins, and three as a Major League coach. Rosenthal wonders if the Nats would let him go to a division rival midseason, and if Porter would accept the job on an interim basis, knowing the Marlins ultimately want Ozzie Guillen. Porter turned down a similar offer last season.
- Rosenthal asked Yankees GM Brian Cashman if he would consider trading for an ace, and Cashman replied, "I'm not Ruben Amaro," referring to the Phillies GM and his affinity for blockbuster trades. Rosenthal names Wandy Rodriguez as a potential target for New York, but says there could be a hangup since the Astros value Rodriguez as an ace, while the Yanks would view him as a back-of-the-rotation addition.
- The Phillies are doing their due dilligence in looking for right-handed hitters and left-handed relievers, but are limited by payroll issues. They also don't currently have regular at-bats for any hitter they'd acquire. Rosenthal says someone like Ryan Spilborghs, making $2MM with the Rockies, is the type of hitter that would be appealing to Philadelphia.
- The Rockies could be buyers or sellers, depending on their play over the next month. If they're buyers, they'll seek innings-eating pitchers (Rosenthal names Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers and the Twins' Kevin Slowey as possible targets), while if they sell they could look to move Huston Street, Ty Wigginton, and Aaron Cook.
Olney’s Latest: McCourts, Reyes, Bell
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about Vanderbilt catcher Curt Casali, who one evaluator called an "absolute steal" by the Tigers as a tenth round pick in this year's draft. "He's a smart guy, and he's been calling his own pitches," said the evaluator. "You don't see that a lot in college baseball these days, because the pitches are called from the bench."
Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- No matter what happens with the McCourts' divorce settlement, the Dodgers will be weakened. If Frank McCourt keeps the team, he'll be forced to use millions of dollars from the proposed FOX television deal to pay off the settlement. If he sells, the new owner will be stuck with a deal that is designed to infuse cash for McCourt now rather than help the franchise long-term.
- Two executives told Olney that they can't imagine being able to give up what the Mets would require in return to trade Jose Reyes. The Mets will be criticized no matter what, whether they trade Reyes, re-sign him, or let him walk as a free agent.
- Teams are beginning to "accelerate talks" with the Padres about Heath Bell, and multiple sides are preparing to exchange trade proposals.
McCourts Settle Divorce, Contingent On Fox Deal
Frank and Jamie McCourt announced a divorce settlement, reports Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. However, the settlement is contingent upon MLB's approval of the Dodgers' deal with Fox, which SI's Jon Heyman says won't happen (Twitter link). McCourt disagrees. In the Fox deal is not approved, it's back to divorce court. A decision is expected Tuesday, Jamie's attorney told Shaikin (Twitter link).
Shaikin reports that the McCourts also "agreed to a one-day trial so that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon could make a final determination of whether the Dodgers belong solely to Frank McCourt or whether the team should be considered community property." If the Dodgers are ruled community property, the team is likely to be sold as a result.
Click here to view the McCourts' settlement agreement, from the L.A. Times.
Quick Hits: Rays, Pena, Phillies, Dodgers, Royals
Dustin Ackley will make his debut tomorrow, but Blue Jays righty Zach Stewart got his first taste of The Show today against the Orioles. Stewart, acquired by former Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi in the July '09 Scott Rolen deal, ranked 44th on Keith Law's preseason top 100 prospects list for ESPN. On to today's links…
- Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that the Rays are on the verge of signing supplemental first round picks Jeff Ames and James Harris. The team signed two other supplemental first rounders earlier today.
- Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe hears that the Diamondbacks are considering calling up Wily Mo Pena for interleague play (on Twitter). Pena has not been in the big leagues since 2008, but he's hitting .356/.431/.736 with 21 homers for Arizona's Triple-A affiliate, and he could DH in AL parks.
- Andy Martino of The New York Daily News speculates about the possibility of Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran winding up with the Phillies at the trade deadline.
- The Phillies "are making inquiries on established and pricey veterans" as they search for a right-handed hitting outfielder, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. We covered this topic on Monday, under the impression that pricey players were not a fit. If the Phillies do have these types on the radar, players like Michael Cuddyer and Ryan Ludwick could enter the mix in my opinion.
- MLB is interviewing former Dodgers executives as its investigation nears its conclusion, reports Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.
- The first player from the 2011 draft class could be the Diamondbacks' Trevor Bauer, in the opinion of ESPN's Jason Churchill and Keith Law, assuming they sign him (Insider required).
- I talked Royals with Nick Wright of 610 Sports yesterday; download an mp3 of the audio here.
Quick Hits: Miller, Dodgers, D’Backs, Rays, Trades
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
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
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.