Quick Hits: Mariners Napoli, Cardinals, K-Rod
The struggles of Jackie Bradley Jr. serve as a reminder that Spring Training stats are a mere "snapshot in time," writes SB Nation's Rob Neyer. He adds that Spring Training stats "describe the random nature of raw performance statistics as much as they describe fundamental abilities." Here are some links from around the league…
- The excellent play of Endy Chavez is going to force the Mariners to make a roster decision, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. With Michael Saunders coming off the DL next week, the team will have to make a move or carry six outfielders. Jason Bay seems like the most logical candidate as the odd man out, in my personal opinion.
- There was a point this offseason where Brian Grieper, Mike Napoli's agent and friend, thought Napoli's career in baseball was over, writes WEEI.com's Alex Speier. Napoli was diagnosed with avascular necrosis in both hips this offseason but has been healthy through the early portion of the season.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak is comfortable with the relievers he has despite the bullpen's struggles thus far, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. As Strauss notes, it's difficult to find help from outside the organization at this point in the season.
- The Marlins were never interested in Francisco Rodriguez, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the Miami Sun-Sentinel. K-Rod signed a minor league deal with the Brewers yesterday.
- Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times writes that Padres president Tom Garfinkel apologized for the behind-closed-doors comments he made about Zack Greinke which were linked to the public. Garfinkel said flatly that Greinke threw at Carlos Quentin on purpose and also made comments which hinted at Greinke's previous battles with social anxiety disorder.
Marlins Designate John Maine For Assignment
The Marlins have designated John Maine for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for Tom Koehler, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter).
The 31-year-old Maine tallied 7 1/3 innings for the Fish over the course of four appearances, but the results weren't pretty. The right-hander allowed 10 runs on 15 hits and five walks, leading to a 12.27 ERA. This was Maine's first big league action since 2010 with the Mets. Maine underwent shoulder surgery in May of 2010 and hasn't been able to get his career back on track since. From 2006-08 with the Mets, Maine totaled a 3.93 ERA in 421 innings for the Mets.
NL East Notes: Wheeler, D’Arnaud, Simmons, Nolasco
The day after he was rocked for six earned runs in 1 2/3 innings, the Phillies placed lefty John Lannan on the DL with a strained quadriceps in his left knee. There's no word yet on who will replace him in the rotation, but he could be out six-to-eight weeks. Tonight, the fourth-place Phillies and Cole Hamels host Adam Wainwright and the first-place Cardinals. Elsewhere in the NL East:
- "Let's just say if this continues, certainly we've gotta start visiting that here pretty soon," Mets manager Terry Collins told Mike Francesa of WFAN in regard to a question about quality reinforcements including top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler. The Mets' rotation has struggled beyond Matt Harvey and Jon Niese. GM Sandy Alderson was noncommittal, telling Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, "It was always a case that it would be Zack’s sufficiency and the major-league team’s need. If those two things merge, the need and the performance converge, then it is a possibility. That could happen sooner or it could happen later." Ackert hears that people within the organization privately do not feel Wheeler is ready, plus the Mets would like to avoid the pitcher achieving Super Two status after the 2015 season (necessitating a promotion in mid-June or later).
- Meanwhile, another top Mets prospect won't be seeing Citi Field anytime soon. Catcher Travis D'Arnaud, acquired from Toronto in the R.A. Dickey trade, fractured a bone in his left foot yesterday in a Triple-A game.
- The Nationals' depth is on display, explains James Wagner of the Washington Post, with Kurt Suzuki seamlessly taking over as the starting catcher after Wilson Ramos suffered a hamstring injury.
- Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons is now represented by SFX, MLBTR has learned. He'd previously been with The Sparta Group, up until the August switch. A few new additions to our agency database include Jonathan Gray (advised by Jay Franklin of BBI Sports Group), Oswaldo Arcia (Martin Arburua), and Tony Cingrani (Curtis Dishman).
- "He's decent for a club that needs a starter. There are worse No. 5 starters in the big leagues right now, but he's not the pitcher he used to be," a scout told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in reference to the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco, Miami's highest-paid player by a long-shot at $11.5MM, is a strong candidate to be traded this summer.
Marlins Notes: Stanton, Fernandez, Aardsma
Though the Marlins are baseball's worst team at 2-11, their rotation has hung in pretty well with a collective 3.52 ERA. Kevin Slowey, Ricky Nolasco, and rookie Jose Fernandez have led the way. Tonight, they have Alex Sanabia facing the Nationals at Marlins Park. The latest on Miami's team:
- Giancarlo Stanton probably has more trade value than the Rays' David Price currently, ESPN's Buster Olney writes based on conversations with about a half-dozen team officials. That seems a given, with Stanton under team control for an extra year. Olney's early "educated guess" at the front-runners for Stanton: the Rangers, Mariners, Tigers, and Cardinals. Stanton, 23, has missed several games with a bruised shoulder, which he will test today with a few swings according to Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. As of Sunday, the Marlins were not interested in trading Stanton, tweeted Peter Gammons of MLB Network. In a poll of over 13,000 MLBTR readers last Thursday, 40% felt Stanton would be traded during this season, while about 31% expected the Marlins to wait until the offseason.
- "There's more downside than upside" in the Marlins' decision to promote Fernandez to the big league club to start the season, writes Jim Callis of Baseball America (subscription required). Callis feels Fernandez is subject to increased injury risk, and finds the team's failure to wait 12 days before promoting him to be short-sighted. Fernandez only made one start prior to April 12th, at which point the Marlins could have purchased his contract and controlled him through 2019 instead of 2018. Even if you feel the Marlins will just trade Fernandez once he gets expensive, he would've had more trade value with an extra year of control.
- "The Marlins made a strong financial offer, and more important, they had a plan for me," reliever David Aardsma told Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal, adding, "They made that clear to me, that if I pitch well, I have an opportunity to claim a role." Barbarisi's article is a good read, as he followed Aardsma through the process of being released by the Yankees and landing with Miami. The Marlins' bullpen has been one of the league's worst, with five relievers sporting ERAs over 5.00.
Quick Hits: Robinson, Andrus, Profar, Appel
Sixty-six years ago today, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier when he made his Major League debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers. After an 0-for-3 debut, Robinson went on to hit .297/.383/.427 with 12 home runs, a league-leading 29 stolen bases and won Rookie of the Year honors. As MLB.com's Richard Justice writes, the movie "42" introduces Robinson to a new generation of Americans and helps to immortalize the legacy of one of America's most courageous figures: "Robinson paid an incomprehensible price in the pain he endured and the responsibility he carried," writes Justice.
Baseball as we know it would not be the same were it not for Robinson's courage, talent and perseverance. Here's a look at some news from around the league on Jackie Robinson day…
- In his latest MLB.com mailbag, T.R. Sullivan writes that the Elvis Andrus extension, while risky for the Rangers, is still beneficial to the team. He credits Scott Boras for "astutely putting risk" on Texas.
- Within that same piece, Sullivan writes that the Rangers would trade a package of prospects highlighted by Jurickson Profar "in the blink of an eye" if it meant landing David Price from the Rays or Giancarlo Stanton from the Marlins.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America feels that Mark Appel has plenty of leverage in the upcoming draft and will likely sign a bonus in the $6MM neighborhood. As Callis notes, teams can't risk offering something like a $5MM "take it or leave it" offer and signing the rest of their picks. Doing so could ultimately lead to paying over slot to sign Appel, costing them future picks. It's in the best interest of whoever drafts Appel to sign him first, and doing so could prove highly expensive.
- Callis also notes that Appel and Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray have established themselves as the clear-cut top two prospects in the draft.
- Major League Baseball is making progress on its investigation of the Biogenesis scandal, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. However, it appears MLB is looking for "a smoking gun" before taking what could be its only chance to question players such as Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun who have been connected to the Miami clinic. Heyman confirms that MLB has purchased Biogenesis documentation, but notes that the MLBPA will be sure to question documents that were produced after a cash transaction.
Marlins “Not Interested” In Trading Giancarlo Stanton
Teams that have inquired about Giancarlo Stanton have been told by the Marlins they are "not interested" in dealing their star outfielder, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network. Gammons specifically lists the Red Sox, Mets, and Rangers as teams who have checked in with Miami.
Yesterday, we learned the Rangers are reportedly doing early reconnaissance and prep work for what it would take to land Stanton while Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he hasn't had any conversations with the Marlins since early spring. Stanton has become the hottest name on the pages of MLBTR and more than 70% of our readers feel the Marlins will trade the 22-year-old sometime before Spring Training opens next year.
Rangers Notes: Stanton, Borbon, Orioles
Yesterday, we learned that the Rangers are "growing confident" that they'll be able to find a taker for Julio Borbon after designating him for assignment last week. We already know that the Twins are among the teams with interest in the 27-year-old, but another interested club has emerged. Meanwhile, the Rangers are in the early stages of plotting what would be a much bigger move. Here's the latest out of Arlington, courtesy of ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider sub. req'd).
- The Rangers are doing early reconnaissance and prep work on what it would take to land Giancarlo Stanton down the road, according to Olney. In a poll last week, roughly 70% of MLBTR readers said that the Marlins star would be traded either this season or following the 2013 season. Only 4% see Stanton signing a long-term deal to remain with Miami.
- The Orioles have interest in trading for Borbon, but the asking price is high. The out-of-options outfielder posted a .304/.349/.433 slash line for Triple-A Round Rock in 2012. Recently, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan suggested that the Rangers might get a reliever in return for Borbon.
NL Notes: Lohse, Lilly, Mets
The Brewers' Kyle Lohse visited with his old team in the Cardinals' clubhouse on Saturday, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports. Lohse signed with the Brewers after a long offseason that began with Lohse and his agent, Scott Boras, declining the Cardinals' qualifying offer. There wasn't much of a market for Lohse after that, mostly because the team that signed him would have to sacrifice a draft pick. He finally signed a three-year, $33MM deal with the Brewers. Lohse reflects on the twisting path that led him to Milwaukee: "[Declining the Cardinals' qualifying offer] makes me look bad, [because] that's a lot of money. But is it fair value for what I had done? No," says Lohse. "Even going back on it, I'd still do the same thing. You have to go out and take your chances. Now, going forward, I don't know what other people in my situation are going to do." Here are more notes from the National League:
- Ted Lilly's status with the Dodgers is in question, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com writes. The Dodgers asked Lilly to make two more rehab starts, but Lilly declined, feeling he is ready for the majors. The Dodgers don't currently have a job available for him on their crowded pitching staff, however. The Dodgers would reportedly like to trade Lilly, who they owe $12MM in 2013.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson denies recent rumors connecting his team to the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton, Matt Balasis of MetsMerized Online reports. Alderson says his team has not had talks with the Marlins since early spring. Alderson also says the Mets will not trade catcher John Buck.
Marlins Sign David Aardsma
The Marlins have signed right-handed reliever David Aardsma, according to a tweet from the 31-year-old. According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, on Twitter, it is a minor league deal.
MLBTR previously reported that Aardsma cleared waivers on April 6, and was weighing interest from multiple MLB clubs. Aardsma will hope to prove that he is ready to return to regular big league action. He has only thrown one inning in the majors since the 2010 season, when he saved 31 games for the Mariners and posted a 3.44 ERA in 49 2/3 innings. Aardsma underwent Tommy John surgery in 2011.
Brewers, Marlins, Others Interested In K-Rod
8:58pm: The Angels aren't interested in signing Rodriguez, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports (via Twitter).
7:50pm: Right-hander Francisco Rodriguez is drawing interest from such teams as the Angels, Brewers, Marlins and a few others, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports. The free agent reliever drew little attention on the open market during the offseason, with only the Mets briefly being linked to Rodriguez, though Scott Boras (Rodriguez's agent) said two weeks ago that he expected his client to soon find a new team.
Rodriguez recorded an even 72 strikeouts in 72 innings with Milwaukee last season, posting a 4.38 ERA and 2.32 K/BB. It seemed as if a return to the Brewers was unlikely but given how the club's bullpen has struggled early this season, it isn't surprising that the Crew are checking in on a known quantity. Rodriguez could even find himself in line to become a closer again if he re-signs with the Brewers given that incumbent closer John Axford recently lost his job, though Jim Henderson is slated to receive the lion's share of the save opportunities.
The Angels and Marlins are also in need of bullpen help, owning respective bullpen ERAs of 4.94 (19th in MLB) and 6.31 (28th in MLB) heading into Friday's action. Angels righty Ryan Madson isn't expected back from elbow surgery for a few weeks while Miami closer Steve Cishek has a 15.43 ERA after three outings this season.