Carlos Beltran Rumors: Monday
Yesterday we learned that the Mets are willing to pick up a substantial portion of Carlos Beltran's $18.5MM salary if it means getting better prospects in return for the switch-hitting outfielder. Here's the latest on Beltran, with the most recent updates up top:
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson hasn't yet approached Beltran with a list of possible destinations for the outfielder to approve or turn down, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. As a ten and five player, Beltran has earned the right to block any deal, though he'll waive that right under certain circumstances.
- The Pirates will "kick the tires" on Beltran, a source tells MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
- The Phillies, Giants, Tigers, Brewers, Braves and Red Sox have called the Mets about Beltran, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). The Yankees and Rangers may also have checked in with the Mets, who appear willing to deal Beltran within the NL East.
- The Phillies and Giants are the most likely fits, followed by the Tigers and Braves. The Brewers are focused on adding infield help and Boston's interest has been mild so far.
- Earlier today, Heyman reported that the Mets don't believe Beltran would pass through waivers in August, as he did a year ago.
NL Central Rumors: Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Rasmus
The NL Central lead seems to change hands on a daily basis, meaning we can expect plenty of trade talk over the next two weeks as the Brewers, Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds attempt to gain an edge in a tight race. Here's the latest from out of the division:
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry has "no interest" in moving Matt Garza or Ryan Dempster this season, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com.
- New Astros ownership would like to cut payroll to $60MM, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter). As such, Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers are "being shopped," though Houston will likely hang on to Hunter Pence.
- Discussing those three Houston trade candidates, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the Astros would have to be "completely blown away" to move Pence, but Myers is very much in play, and there could be a decent market for him. Rodriguez falls somewhere in between – the Astros have fielded plenty of inquires, but it would take a big package to get a deal done.
- Heyman thinks that Jamey Carroll would be a good addition for the Brewers (Twitter link).
- Colby Rasmus' father confirmed to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his son has requested a trade in the past. Strauss breaks down some of the reasons why the Cardinals and Rasmus seem to have trouble seeing eye to eye.
Brewers, Royals Have Discussed Wilson Betemit
Unsatisified with the production they're getting from third base, the Brewers have talked to the Royals about acquiring Wilson Betemit according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Kansas City GM Dayton Moore is willing to move Betemit in the right deal according to the FOX scribes.
Casey McGehee hit 23 homers with a .801 OPS last season, but he's hit just .221/.276/.311 with five homers in 362 plate appearances this year. Betemit, 29, has a .285/.345/.415 batting line in 223 plate appearances this season, but he's lost playing time to Mike Moustakas of late. He is making just $1MM this year and can be a free agent after the season. Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Betemit as a trade candidate back in May.
Rosenthal On Nolasco, Rays, Upton, Jimenez
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports brought us another edition of Full Count today while sporting yet another fantastic bow tie. Here are some highlights..
- The Marlins could wind up trading Ricky Nolasco if they fail to get back to the .500 mark. The Rangers have shown interest in Nolasco since last winter and the Yankees could look to reunite him with manager Joe Girardi. If the Fish make such a deal, it won't be in one of their classic salary dumps, it will be instead for baseball reasons. They're looking to increase their payroll ahead of their move into a brand new stadium and they could be major players for free agents this winter.
- The Rays still could end up as sellers but right now they appear to be buyers as they were looking to get Francisco Rodriguez before the Brewers swooped in at the final hour. If Tampa Bay sells, it's doubtful that they'll move any of their starters but B.J. Upton is another story. In theory, the Nationals, Phillies, and Braves could all be potential destinations for the outfielder.
- The three teams with the best chance of meeting the Rockies' asking price for Ubaldo Jimenez are the Yankees, Tigers, and Reds. The concerns with Jimenez are that he's not back to his 2009/early 2010 form and that his velocity has dropped. One scout told Rosenthal that he's not back to his ace form yet but he's getting close.
- The first-place Pirates are after upgrades but they should also improve from within. They have a number of injured players returning such as Jose Tabata, Evan Meek, and Ross Ohlendorf. The Bucs continue to search for a bat but they're not terribly interested in the Cubs' Carlos Pena.
Quick Hits: Mariners, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Bailey
Friday night linkage..
- The Mariners are receiving calls on Jamey Wright and Adam Kennedy, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Both the Red Sox and the Yankees have scouts at tonight's Mets–Phillies game, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has made the rounds of his minor league teams and is willing to part with pieces at the deadline, writes Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Club ownership has told Towers that he will have some financial flexibility if he wants to add some payroll at the Deadline.
- The Athletics have received calls on Andrew Bailey, though their current position is that they would need to be overwhelmed by an offer, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday looks at some of the best mid-season rentals in recent years. No surprise here, No. 1 is the Brewers' acquisition of C.C. Sabathia in 2008.
- Over at Fangraphs, Dave Cameron continues his 2011 Trade Value series with a look at players ranked No. 25-21.
Francisco Rodriguez Waives Vesting Option
5:05PM: Rodriguez's buyout will now increase from $3.5MM to $4MM with the Mets paying the original buyout and the Brewers paying the remainder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. K-Rod's vesting option now kicks in with the same 55 games finished, though the clause is now meaningless (via Twitter).
4:10PM: Francisco Rodriguez has agreed to waive his $17.5MM vesting option for 2012 in exchange for additional compensation, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The reliever will hit the open market at the end of the 2011 season.
The Brewers can now use Rodriguez without worrying that they'll have to pay him $17.5MM in 2012. The reliever's option would have become guaranteed for that amount if he had finished 55 total games this season, and he finished 34 with the Mets before heading to Milwaukee.
Rodriguez had the Brewers on his no-trade list, but his former agent did not properly submit the list, so it was not in effect when the Mets sent the 29-year-old to the Brewers. Rodriguez recently hired Scott Boras, who will represent him this fall. The last time the closer hit free agency, he signed a three-year $37MM deal with New York on the heels of his 62-save season.
Brewers Were On Francisco Rodriguez’s No-Trade List
The Brewers were one of ten teams on Francisco Rodriguez's no-trade list, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). However, as David Waldstein of the New York Times reported yesterday, the Mets never received the list from agent Paul Kinzer, so it didn't serve its intended purpose. Though Rodriguez has nothing against the Brewers, he lost out on potential leverage, according to Heyman.
The Mets traded Rodriguez to Milwaukee Tuesday night, not long after the reliever switched agents from Kinzer to Scott Boras. The 29-year-old has finished 34 games and a clause in his contract dictates that his $17.5MM option for 2012 becomes guaranteed if he finishes 55 games this season. Otherwise, the Mets will pay for a $3.5MM buyout and Rodriguez will hit the open market.
Francisco Rodriguez Trade Links
Shortly after the All-Star game last night, the Brewers came out of nowhere to acquire Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez and $5MM from the Mets for two minor league players to be named later. The deal came together quickly, tweets ESPN's Adam Rubin. The Mets couldn't afford to wait much longer, because K-Rod has a $17.5MM option for 2012 that vests with 55 games finished, and the reliever racked up 34 closing for the Mets. Details and links on the deal…
- Agent Paul Kinzer never submitted the list of ten teams to which Rodriguez could block trades, according to David Waldstein of the New York Times. The Mets didn't want to lose the freedom to deal Rodriguez anywhere, so they made the deal once Rodriguez switched agents to Scott Boras. The Mets thought Boras would submit a list of ten teams or file a grievance in an attempt to do so.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Jim Memolo and Mel Antonen of MLB Network Radio that the list of five minor league players the Mets will choose from in September does not include the Brewers' "top top guys," but they are "players that could play in the big leagues."
- The Brewers were not among the ten teams to which Rodriguez could block a trade, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. That comes as no surprise, because new agent Scott Boras had indicated recently that his client would not approve a trade to set up if the team was among those ten. The smart money is on K-Rod setting up for Brewers closer John Axford, though there's room for the new acquisition to safely finish ten or more games.
- Though the agent had no influence on the trade, Rosenthal and Morosi note that it benefits Boras to get Rodriguez to free agency after the season, commission-wise. I imagine Boras found all of this to be the likely scenario when he began representing K-Rod.
- The Mets called around and offered similar deals to other teams, including the Yankees, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. He says the Brewers were willing to take on more money than any other team. Alderson told the Brewers they had other deals for Rodriguez, so they'd have to pull the trigger now to get him, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. The Yankees declined because they were wary of having two emotional relievers – K-Rod and Rafael Soriano – working before their preferred ninth inning, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Joe Pawlikowski of FanGraphs says the trade is a big bet on Axford for the Brewers.
- ESPN's Keith Law says the Brewers should have gone after a reliever who misses more bats, given the team's porous defense. With all due respect to Law, I can't find an available reliever with a higher strikeout rate than Rodriguez's 9.7 per nine, outside of Koji Uehara.
- K-Rod will diminish his free agent value if he makes any waves about his role with Milwaukee, writes Rosenthal.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson had to be the adult in the room and make this deal, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Dan Mennella discusses the fantasy baseball ramifications of the trade over at CloserNews.
Brewers Seek Boost On Left Side Of Infield
The Brewers aren't done trading yet. They're working to improve the left side of their infield, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Brewers want a definite upgrade over shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt or third baseman Casey McGehee, but they aren’t close to making a deal, since few quality infielders are available in trades.
Jamey Carroll isn’t available now and J.J. Hardy will likely sign an extension with the Orioles, according to Rosenthal. The Brewers would like to obtain a player with a good glove and they can consider adding payroll on a case-by-case basis.
Brewers shortstops (Betancourt, Craig Counsell and Josh Wilson) have combined to rank 28th in MLB with a .267 OBP. Brewers third basemen (mostly McGehee and Counsell) rank 28th in MLB with a .206 average, a .264 OBP and a .277 slugging percentage. Betancourt has a .237/.255/.342 line while McGehee checks in at .223/.279/.315.
Brewers Acquire Francisco Rodriguez
The Brewers surprised some people by trading for Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke last offseason and it turns out GM Doug Melvin wasn't done dealing for impact pitchers. The Brewers and Mets announced that Milwaukee has acquired Francisco Rodriguez and cash for two players to be named later. The Mets will choose the players from a list of five Brewers minor leaguers by a date in September, tweets MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.
“Francisco has been one of the best relievers in the game for many years,” Melvin said in a statement. “He is a high-quality arm who will be a tremendous asset to our bullpen as we prepare for the final months of the regular season and playoffs.”
The Brewers obtained almost $6MM in the deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Mets pay slightly less than half of the $4.9MM Rodriguez earns in 2011 and will be responsible for the $3.5MM buyout for his 2012 option.
The 29-year-old has a 3.16 ERA with 9.7 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 52% ground ball rate in 42 2/3 innings of relief this year. Those aren't the only numbers that matter for Rodriguez and the Brewers, however. He has finished 34 games and a clause in his contract dictates that his $17.5MM option for 2012 becomes guaranteed if he finishes 55 games this season. Otherwise, the Mets will pay for a $3.5MM buyout and Rodriguez will hit the open market.
Rodriguez, who signed a three-year $37MM free agent contract after saving 62 games in 2008, recently hired Scott Boras. The agent suggested earlier in the week that his new client would be unlikely to accept a trade to one of the ten teams on his no-trade list if it meant becoming a setup man. Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that manager Ron Roenicke will decide how to use Rodriguez and current closer John Axford depending on the situation.
It's not the first time that Melvin has made the first major trade of the summer. Back in 2008, he acquired C.C. Sabathia from the Indians in a deal that helped send the Brewers to the postseason for the first time since 1982. The 49-43 Brewers are now tied with the Cardinals atop the National League Central standings, one game ahead of the Pirates and four games ahead of the Reds.
Jon Heyman of SI.com first reported the move (Twitter links). For our instant take on the fantasy baseball ramifications of this deal for the Brewers and Mets, check out Dan Mennella's post at CloserNews.com, and be sure to follow @closernews on Twitter.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI. First published Tuesday, July 12th at 10:58pm.