NL Central Notes: Brewers, Braun, Castro
Every club but the Astros is within two games of first place in the NL Central, where Joey Votto is following his MVP season up with a phenomenal start. Here's the latest from baseball's biggest division…
- The Brewers have signed infielders Hainley Statia and Angel Gonzalez to minor league deals and assigned them to extended Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (on Twitter).
- Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. told McCalvy that he was pleased to see Ryan Braun sign long-term in Milwaukee, where he is under contract through 2020. Ripken, of course, spent his entire 21-year career with the Orioles.
- Starlin Castro committed three errors in one inning yesterday, but as Yahoo's Jeff Passan explains, the 21-year-old shortstop has overcome bigger obstacles than that. Before he signed with the Cubs, Castro's father took him out on a fishing boat in the Dominican Republic and gave him a taste of a life he might have known if he hadn't become a pro ballplayer.
Gabe Gross Retires
Gabe Gross has decided to retire, reports Jon Johnson of The Enterprise Ledger. Said Gross:
"I just felt like my heart wasn’t into it. This and quitting football are the two hardest decisions I’ve ever made."
Gross signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in February, and after a March release he was ready to hang up his cleats. But then he took the Marlins up on an offer last week. When his Sunday physical was delayed, he thought about it for an extra day and decided to retire to spend time with his wife and two kids.
The 31-year-old finishes his career having earned approximately $5MM, including his signing bonus as the 15th overall pick out of Auburn by the Blue Jays in 2001. He posted a .239/.330/.385 line in seven seasons for the Jays, Brewers, Rays, and Athletics. Gross was involved in the 2005 deal in which the Jays also sent Dave Bush to the Brewers for Lyle Overbay.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Brewers, Sampson, Yankees
Some links for Sunday afternoon..
- The Dodgers have become an embarrassment to the sport of baseball, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- Brewers right fielder Corey Hart is set to return on Tuesday and the club will have to clear a roster spot, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, both Erick Almonte and the recently-promoted Brandon Boggs are out of options.
- Although Chris Sampson was somewhat shocked on April 1st when he learned that the Rockies would be releasing him, he was optimisitic that opportunities would likely fall into his lap toward the end of April, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. Sampson signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins yesterday.
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald sees Jarrod Saltalamacchia's coronation as the Red Sox's starting catcher as being indicative of the lack of catching depth in the majors.
- Cutter Dykstra isn't exactly expected to accomplish what his father did, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 21-year-old was recently shipped to the Nationals from the Brewers.
- The Yankees no longer have the largest payroll of any sports team on the planet as a pair of soccer teams have unseated them, according to Nick Harris of Sporting Intelligence.
Olney On Rangers, Bell, Dodgers
Reds slugger Joey Votto could be on his way to a second-straight MVP award, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Pitchers now work around Votto with extreme wariness and the 27-year-old can no longer predict what's coming. Because of that, the first baseman has adapted and learned to work with what he's given. Here's more from Olney..
- The Rangers bullpen has taken a major blow after losing closer Neftali Feliz to the disabled list. This is a difficult time to land a reliever, especially a closer, because other teams will have a skyhigh asking price. For example, Olney writes that if Texas were to call the Padres about Heath Bell, the Padres would ask for a great deal in return, even though Bell is likely to be dealt this season.
- In the highest offices of a handful of other teams, there is heavy speculation that Brewers owner Mark Attanasio would be the most likely candidate to move from one team to the Dodgers. This can only happen, of course, if Major League Baseball maintains their hold on the club and if they decides to have an established owner take over the Dodgers. Such a scenario, Olney writes, would take months to play out.
Quick Hits: Figueroa, Mock, Martin, Mets
Links for Saturday night, after Jose Bautista extended his on-base streak to ten consecutive plate appearances…
- The Brewers formally announced their minor league contract with infielder Luis Figueroa, reports MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (on Twitter). The deal was first agreed to last weekend.
- Left-hander Lee Hyde was designated for assignment by the Nationals earlier today, but Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post reports that Garrett Mock was also a candidate to get the axe. He was spared and instead placed on the disabled list.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand that the Yankees tried to acquire Russell Martin via trade in each of the last three seasons (Twitter link). Cashman got his man this winter, signing him as a free agent after the Dodgers non-tendered him.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson indicated to Andy Martino of The New York Daily News that there just aren’t any moves to be made right now. “In this situation, there’s not a lot that someone in my situation can do,” said Alderson. “It’s almost organic. [If any moves] happen, if it’s going to happen from within.”
Rosenthal On Fielder, Marlins, Yankees, Giants
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports brings us another edition of Full Count. Here are some highlights..
- Prince Fielder is off to a great start and one GM predicts that he'll be one of the most interesting free agents of all-time. The GM says that Fielder runs hard and is more athletic than most people think. He's about to turn 27 years old which means that he's about four-and-a-half years younger than Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols. A team like the Cubs could use Fielder against Pujols, saying that if he doesn't meet their price, they could sign Fielder instead.
- The Marlins are second in the National League in ERA and first in bullpen ERA by a wide margin. Theyr'e going to have to keep winning with pitching as Hanley Ramirez is off to a slow start, Logan Morrison is out with an injured foot and Mike Stanton still hasn't found his form since coming back from a hamstring strain. Last week, Rosenthal pointed out the potential availability of Mark DeRosa and this week he says that the veteran would be a perfect fit in Florida.
- The Yankees will soon face some decisions regarding their rotation. Kevin Millwood has an out in his contract if he's not in the majors by May 1st. The club might have better options such as Adam Warren and possibly Hector Noesi or David Phelps. In addition to those prospects, Carlos Silva is working his way back into shape and Phil Hughes is about to start a rehab assignment this week.
- Miguel Tejada is off to a rough start in 2011 as he looks less-than-sharp in the field and is hitting just .209/.239/.328. The Giants don't have any great internal options at shortstop, so Rosenthal says to keep an eye on Jose Reyes, Marco Scutaro, J.J. Hardy as possible trade targets.
Ryan Braun Links: Friday
Details and reactions continue to trickle in on the sizable extension Ryan Braun signed with the Brewers on Thursday. Here are the latest:
- Braun's extension includes at least $18MM in interest-free deferrals to be paid out in equal increments between 2022-31, blogs Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (per The Associated Press). All told, Milwaukee will be paying Braun till he's 47.
- Braun's extension makes less sense than the one Troy Tulowitzki signed with the Rockies, and it may even be riskier than Ryan Howard's with the Phillies, writes Dave Cameron of Fangraphs. The fact that Braun is a bat-first player and has a shaky glove at a non-premium defensive position doesn't bode well for the Brewers' side of the deal. Interestingly, Cameron suggests Braun could eventually move to first base, which is likely to be vacated by Prince Fielder, who is a free agent at season's end and is not expected to re-sign with Milwaukee
- To that end, while most have surmised that the Brewers' immense financial commitment to Braun signifies the end of the Prince era in Milwaukee, Fielder himself hopes that is not the case, blogs McCalvy. "You never know," Fielder said. "I hope they have a little left for me."
Brandon Wood Rumors: Pirates, Blue Jays
26-year-old infielder Brandon Wood was designated for assignment late Tuesday by the Angels, and there is "zero chance of him clearing waivers," tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale. He'd be a fit for many clubs at shortstop or third base, as I outlined here, but he's more likely to land with a club that can give him some leeway to struggle in the Majors. Claims are due in by noon eastern time today, reports Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The latest:
- The Blue Jays "expressed interest in trading for Wood as recently as this offseason," according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, so they could be interested now.
- The Pirates will "almost surely" place a claim, tweets Dunlap. They have first dibs, as 2010 records are used within the first 30 days of this season to determine waiver order. The team's 40-man roster is currently full, so they'll either have to designate someone for assignment or put someone on the 60-day DL if they win a claim on Wood. Keep in mind that claims might not come into play if a team simply trades for Wood.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (Twitter link) that his team discussed going after Wood, but demurred since Milwaukee has no spot for him. I named the Brewers as one potential candidate for Wood yesterday.
Quick Hits: Braun, Lohse, Franklin, Wood
Some news items as Matt Kemp is once again a walkoff hero for the Dodgers…
- Ryan Braun and his agent, Nez Balelo, initially approached the Brewers about the long-term extension Braun signed with the team today, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We didn’t have to do this and he didn’t have to do this,” said GM Doug Melvin. “Very rarely does it happen where a player understands a franchise and where he’s at, and where he wants to be in the future."
- ESPN's Keith Law discusses the Braun extension, Joe Mauer's future at catcher and several draft prospects in a chat with fans.
- Kyle Lohse is finally living up to his contract and helping the Cardinals' rotation survive without Adam Wainwright, writes Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Ryan Franklin's recent criticism of St. Louis fans might ensure that this is his last year with the Cardinals, says ESPN Insider's Doug Mittler.
- How does Brandon Wood compare to other disappointing prospects? Baseball America's Ben Badler investigates (BA subscription required).
- Adrian Gonzalez talks to Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune about how the slugger is adjusting to the heightened expectations that come with playing for the Red Sox.
- Baseball America's Matt Eddy has this week's compilation of minor league transactions.
Dodgers Takeover Links: Thursday
Yesterday MLB made a move to wrest ownership of the Dodgers from Frank McCourt, taking over financial operations for the club. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles wrote, "Never in the modern history of professional sports has there been such a hostile takeover." The decision was an accumulation of all of McCourt's missteps, writes Yahoo's Tim Brown. The takeover is a hot topic today, so we'll be adding the latest links in the top bullets.
- Bud Selig said the Dodgers' ownership problems are "not similar" to the Mets' financial situation, reports John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times. Selig made a slight comparison between Major League Baseball's takeover of the Dodgers and when the league stepped in to handle the Rangers' sale last year.
- History isn't on McCourt's side, as the courts have traditionally upheld the commissioner's jurisdiction over the sport, reports Victoria Kim, Chris Goffard and Dan Weikel for the L.A. Times.
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio "dismissed…completely" any interest in buying the Dodgers, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Athletics owner Lew Wolff is also not interested in the Dodgers, reports Shaikin.
- A rival executive doubts McCourt will sue, talking to ESPN's Buster Olney. The owner seems to have little chance at winning and is already short on cash.
- This link is from yesterday, but Jonah Keri's article for FanGraphs on what it was like when MLB owned the Expos is a good read. Meanwhile, Keri's colleague Dave Cameron notes that the Dodgers were already notorious for making payroll-neutral deals, so GM Ned Colletti can probably keep doing that this summer.
- Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and White Sox executive Dennis Gilbert are "the two parties most often mentioned as interested buyers," assuming MLB tries to force a sale. Tom Werner, part of Boston's ownership group, is not interested, learned Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Shaikin notes that Selig "has anticipated the possibility of a legal challenge by McCourt, which could delay any ownership change."
- MLB "will now have approval rights over every significant expenditure by the team, including a trade or contract extension," write David Wharton and Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. Former Braves and Nationals executive Stan Kasten is a candidate to be Selig's point man in charge of the Dodgers, according to ESPN Los Angeles. John McHale Jr. and Corey Busch are other possibilities.
- Dodgers outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier reiterated to Dylan Hernandez that they want to remain with the team. Both players are looking at eight-figure arbitration rewards for 2012, after which they can become free agents.