Marlins In Extension Talks With Dan Uggla
Talks between the Marlins and second baseman Dan Uggla about a contract extension are in the "preliminary" stages according to Uggla's agent Terry Bross (as reported by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro) but it appears as if Florida wants to keep its all-time home run leader in the fold. A three-year deal appears to be the target of these negotiations; such a contract would cover Uggla's final year of arbitration and his first two free agency seasons. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported last weekend that the Marlins were looking for a deal with Uggla worth around $30MM over three years, but "the sides are far apart" on the dollar figure.
We first heard of these extension talks amidst the Uggla rumors that cropped up before the trade deadline. Florida was heavily shopping Uggla last winter but now apparently see him as one of the core players that the traditionally thrifty franchise is comfortable with offering a longer-term deal, as they did Josh Johnson last January.
Uggla has certainly done enough on the field to merit a contract — the .284/.372/.520 slash line that he carries into Friday's play represents career bests in all three categories for the 30-year-old. Uggla is no wizard defensively (a -4.7 UZR/150 this season) so if the Marlins do lock him up through 2013, they might consider a position switch down the road. Uggla and the Marlins avoided salary arbitration last winter when the second baseman agreed to a $7.8MM contract for 2010.
Odds & Ends: Rockies, Haren, Cowart, Cubs
Links for Tuesday, after a night of drama in Cincinnati…
- The Rockies agreed to sign 15th-rounder Will Swanner to a $490K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. That's third-round money for the 18-year-old.
- Callis writes that “it's a near lock that we'll get an earlier signing deadline” when baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires after next season. Callis suggests the deadline – now August 15th – could move up a month.
- Dan Haren tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he is glad to have landed in Anaheim, since he rooted for the Angels growing up. Haren, who has already been traded three times, is a deal-maker himself, at least when it comes to fantasy football.
- MLB executives tell Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus that Angels first rounder Kaleb Cowart will be a "very tough sign" (Twitter link).
- Aramis Ramirez told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he has been impressed by Cubs youngsters Andrew Cashner, Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos explained to Tom Verducci of SI.com that he wants to build his rotation around power arms. So far, so good; Blue Jays starters have posted 7.5 K/9 in 2010.
- Check out Tim Dierkes' examination of Peter Bourjos at RotoAuthority if you're wondering about the speedy center fielder's fantasy value.
- The Marlins agreed to sign third rounder J.T. Realmuto for $600K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. That’s nearly double the recommended bonus of $310K.
Odds & Ends: Yelich, Harper, Tigers, Minaya, Guillen
Links on a Friday night…
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that negotiations between the Marlins and first round pick Christian Yelich are progressing slowly, but all signs point to a deal being reached before the August 16th deadline.
- Meanwhile, Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post says there is nothing new to report about talks between the Nationals and first overall pick Bryce Harper.
- Like the Marlins and Yelich, talks between the Tigers and their top picks will go down to the wire according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Four of Detroit's top five selections remain unsigned, including their two first rounders Nick Castellanos and Chance Ruffin.
- When asked about his job security, Omar Minaya responded "The fact of the matter is that I have a contract beyond this year, two years beyond this," according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Owner Jeff Wilpon recently implied that Minaya's job is safe through 2011.
- Jack Curry of the YES Network says (via Twitter) we shouldn't expect the Yankees to have any interest in Jose Guillen. We heard this morning that they were going to keep an eye on the recently DFA'd outfielder.
- Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News spoke to an American League GM who said he can't see Derek Jeter signing anywhere but back with the Yankees after the season. I suspect that's the general belief pretty much everywhere.
- The Tigers have expanded the roles of three front office members, reports Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
Marlins Sign Chad Tracy
The Marlins signed Chad Tracy, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. With Chris Coghlan's season in jeopardy and Jorge Cantu now on the Rangers, Tracy will provide organizational depth for the Marlins. Tracy was an impact player for Arizona in 2005-06, surpassing 60 extra base hits both seasons, but is now a role player who can play both first and third.
The 30-year-old hit .250/.327/.295 with the Cubs this year before they designated him for assignment and released him. The Yankees signed Tracy and stashed him in the minors, but he opted out of his contract less than a month after signing it.
If The Marlins Decide To Sell
After losing their last two games, the Marlins are now seven games out in the NL East. The team had an interesting July, shipping off Jorge Cantu on the 30th and acquiring Will Ohman the following day. Their playoff chances stand at 5.8%, according to Baseball Prospectus, so it's not time to fold 'em yet. But if the Marlins do decide to sell later this month, what can they offer?
Forget about trades of Dan Uggla or Ricky Nolasco. The Marlins would like to extend the pair this winter, and August wouldn't be an ideal time to deal them anyway. Closer Leo Nunez probably will not be traded this month either.
Cody Ross could become available. The versatile 29-year-old outfielder is hitting .274/.326/.414 on the season, but has shown more power in the past. There's been speculation the Marlins might intend to non-tender Ross after the season, making a trade the best course if they fall out of contention. For that reason I'd expect them to wait to place Ross on waivers. The Phillies and Red Sox might still be interested, and there's also the possibility of a team claiming him with an eye on next year.
The Marlins could flip Ohman, though there are other southpaws out there who have been tougher on lefties. Wes Helms could be moved, though the Marlins are said to be high on him. Reliever Jose Veras would be interesting to some clubs, given his 94 mph fastball and 12.4 K/9. Veras cleared waivers in April, but teams are more desperate now.
Marlins Designate Jorge Sosa For Assignment
The Marlins designated Jorge Sosa for assignment to make room for Sean West, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The Marlins, who signed Sosa in April, designated him for assignment in June and outrighted him to the minors after he cleared waivers.
The 32-year-old right-hander has a 5.87 ERA with 4.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 15.1 major league innings this year. Sosa relies on a low-90s fastball and a hard slider that he uses about 40% of the time. He has a 45% ground ball rate this year, but that's higher than usual for him and the sample size is small.
It seems unlikely that any club will claim Sosa given his struggles at the major league level. In 46 innings at Triple A New Orleans, he does have a 4.11 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.
Waiver Trade Candidates: NL East
The current NL East situation: the Braves and Phillies are in contention, the Marlins and Mets are in the gray area, and the Nationals are out of it. Waiver trade candidates:
The Braves would have to consider letting Derek Lowe's contract go if he's claimed. Kenshin Kawakami is more likely, as he has a more modest $6.667MM salary for 2011 and is currently in the bullpen. The Braves tried to trade Kawakami over the past month, reports MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Nate McLouth's stock is way down, as he's trying to rebuild value in Triple A. He's getting $6.25MM next year, plus another $1.25MM for a 2012 buyout.
Raul Ibanez and Brad Lidge are two Phillies who'd likely clear waivers. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Danys Baez and Greg Dobbs make it through. The Phillies' attempts to free up payroll might have to wait until the offseason though.
The Marlins might be able to move Cody Ross, depending on which team wins a claim. Wes Helms is another trade candidate.
Though he's not going anywhere, Mets pitcher Johan Santana should clear waivers. Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez, and Jason Bay are similar stories, though Bay can't pass through waivers until he returns from the DL. Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, Jeff Francoeur, Alex Cora, and Ryota Igarashi should clear with ease. Rod Barajas, Henry Blanco, and Pedro Feliciano are trade candidates with value who could go if the Mets fall further out of contention, though Barajas would have to return from the DL first.
Could the Nationals trade Adam Dunn, especially if he slips to Type B status? Dunn's been dealt in August before, but the Reds didn't seem to value him the way the Nationals do. The Nats should see Jason Marquis, Willie Harris, and Wil Nieves clear waivers, while Ivan Rodriguez, Adam Kennedy, Miguel Batista, and Livan Hernandez could land with contenders.
For our primer on the waiver trade rules, click here.
Marlins Acquire Will Ohman
The Marlins aggressively pursued bullpen help on deadline day, and ultimately acquired veteran lefty Will Ohman from the Orioles for 25-year-old righty Rick Vanden Hurk.
Ohman, 33 in August, has a 3.30 ERA, 8.7 K/9, and 5.4 BB/9 in 30 innings this year with three home runs allowed. He came a long way since signing a minor league deal in February, even spending a few days as the Orioles' closer. He hasn't displayed any special ability to retire lefties since the '08 season.
Vanden Hurk seems an acceptable return for two months of Ohman. This year at Triple A he posted a 4.68 ERA, 8.0 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9 in 98 innings, allowing 11 home runs. He's had multiple stints at that level and also has 155.6 big league innings under his belt. Strikeouts have been there, but everything else has been an issue (including health). Baseball America ranked Vanden Hurk 13th among Marlins prospects before the '07 season, noting that he was signed at 17 out of the team's Dutch academy. Did you know the Marlins had a Dutch academy? BA described Vanden Hurk as "smart and coachable."
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun first tweeted that Ohman was traded, and Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel tweeted that Vanden Hurk was the return.
Multiple Teams Eyeing Brandon League
2:06pm: Aside from the Dodgers and Rays, add the Marlins to the mix for League according to Stark. Not a big surprise.
1:51pm: The Rays are unlikely to make a deal today, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
1:41pm: The Dodgers are also in on League, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
1:13pm: The Rays are interested in Scott Downs and Brandon League, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). Tampa Bay added Chad Qualls this morning, but lost Grant Balfour to the DL for 4-6 weeks with an intercostal strain (Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reporting on Twitter).
Downs and his former teammate, League, will not come cheap, according to Sherman, but the Rays continue looking for relief help despite a thin, highly-priced market. The Giants may be in serious talks with the Blue Jays regarding Downs and reportedly have interest in League, too.
Cody Ross Unlikely To Be Traded
SATURDAY, 9:21am: The Marlins are unlikely to trade Ross, reports Rosenthal, as they can't find the right deal.
FRIDAY, 5:05pm: Executives of one team heard that they could acquire Ross for the right offer, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Braves and Red Sox have interest in Ross and could acquire the outfielder for the right price, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
3:39pm: Cody Ross is "off the table," according to Frankie Piliere of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter). The Braves and other clubs are now looking in different directions. It appears that Chris Coghlan's injury made the Marlins more inclined to keep Ross, though MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says Ross was off the table before Coghlan's ill-fated celebration (Twitter link).
Earlier today, it appeared that the Braves were one of three teams “coming hard” after Ross, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney and Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that a number of teams were pursuing Ross (Twitter links only).