Brewers Have Discussed Extension With Weeks
Asked whether he's discussed an extension with Rickie Weeks, Brewers GM Doug Melvin replied in the affirmative. Melvin added that he told Weeks last night about Corey Hart's new deal. Weeks' agent Lon Babby was recently named president of basketball operations of the Phoenix Suns, but Melvin said that situation is between Babby and Weeks.
Weeks, 28 in September, has finally combined performance and health in 2010. He's got a .276/.375/.488 line on the season, and with 22 home runs he trails only Dan Uggla among second basemen. Weeks is earning $2.75MM this season, and should get a big raise for his final arbitration year in 2011 if an extension is not reached beforehand.
Brewers Extend Corey Hart Through 2013
The Brewers announced today that they've extended right fielder Corey Hart through 2013. ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the extension is worth $26.5MM. The contract covers Hart's final arbitration season and two free agent years. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets the details: a $1MM signing bonus, $6.5MM in 2011, $9MM in '12, and $10MM in '13 plus a limited no-trade clause.
Hart wasn't far from being a non-tender candidate after a disappointing 2009 season. The Brewers retained him but lost an arbitration hearing regarding his 2010 salary ($4.8MM). Hart bounced back in a big way, making the All-Star team and posting a .288/.346/.565 line so far. He's tied for sixth in the NL with 23 home runs. His name was a rumor mill staple last month until a wrist injury sidelined him, though GM Doug Melvin implied today that discussions did not get to a serious stage. Just yesterday Hart talked about his desire for an extension; it turns out assistant GM Gord Ash had been hammering out the deal over the past week or so with Hart's agent Jeff Berry.
Also in Hart's service time class: Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks, who are under team control through 2011.
Odds & Ends: Ankiel, Ohman, Tigers, Mets, Rangers
Links for Sunday, as a handful of players suit up for new teams….
- Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth are happy to be playing meaningful games with the Braves, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
- Will Ohman had a hunch that he would be moved before the deadline, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- The Tigers have yet to make a blockbuster deadline deal under GM Dave Dombrowski, writes Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter) thinks it's very likely that the Mets will sign their first round selection, pitcher Matt Harvey. However, Callis doesn't feel that the pitcher is worth going over slot for.
- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could be putting himself in position to buy the Rangers, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
- Cristian Guzman initially vetoed a deal to the Rangers, but changed his mind, according to Anthony Andro of the Dallas Morning News. MASN's Ben Goessling notes that the Nationals will pay for the rest of Guzman's salary this year (approximately $2.78MM), but will also receive $1.1MM from the Rangers.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney looks back on the deadline deals in his latest Insider-only blog, writing that "what in the world was Washington thinking?" was a question frequently asked by frustrated rival executives.
- The Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin says that the price of bullpen help was too steep for the Red Sox, who made "competitive offers" on Scott Downs, Brandon League, and Brian Fuentes.
- Daniel Paulling of the Kansas City Star reports that Gil Meche won't have season-ending surgery after all, since doctors told the right-hander it would have kept him out of action in 2011 as well.
- The Brewers were never close to making any trades, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Hart Wants Contract Extension
Corey Hart is going public with his desire for a contract extension in Milwaukee, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Hart, who has been with the Brewers for his entire major league career, remained with the club after being linked to the Giants in the weeks leading up to the deadline.
Hart will be under club control through 2011, but says that he wants to stay with the club for longer:
"They know that," the two-time All-Star said. "I think, obviously, there are different variables. They have to figure out what to do with Prince [Fielder] and whether I'm part of what their long-term [plan] is."
As McCalvy points out, the Brewers haven't had an easy time negotiating with Hart's agent Jeff Berry in the past. Their most recent duel resulted in the two sides going to arbitration over Hart's contract following the 2009 season. Berry's client won the hearing, the Brewers' first since 1998.
After flirting with dealing Hart at the deadline, one has to wonder if Milwaukee will look to deal him in the offseason rather than lock him up long-term.
Cafardo On Lee, Edmonds, Dunn, Kelly
In this week's installment of his Baseball Notes column, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo breaks down the winners and losers of the trade deadline. His assessment includes a few surprises, such as praising the inactive Blue Jays for "not settling for pennies on the dollar." Here are the rest of the highlights from Cafardo's piece:
- This year's deadline could make teams even less willing to include no-trade clauses in future contracts. Players like Derrek Lee and Roy Oswalt took advantage of their clauses, making it difficult, or in Lee's case impossible, for their respective clubs to move them.
- Having said that, Cliff Lee "has made it clear" he wants a no-trade clause in his next deal, having played for four different clubs in the past two seasons. As the best pitcher available this winter, he should be in a position to make that demand.
- The Brewers would like to keep Jim Edmonds around past this season if he's healthy and willing to return. It appears, however, that he's leaning toward retirement.
- Had David Ortiz not turned his season around earlier this year, the Red Sox would have been one of the teams in on Adam Dunn before the deadline.
- With the Red Sox' starting rotation currently full, a few teams thought Boston may part with Casey Kelly. According to Cafardo, the Sox may try to move Daisuke Matsuzaka when they feel Kelly is major league ready.
Giants Still Active
2:56pm: It doesn't look like anything will happen with the Giants and Hart, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
2:28pm: Lots of familiar names still in play for the Giants, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, including perhaps Corey Hart again.
2:17pm: The Diamondbacks, Giants, and Blue Jays have discussed a three-way deal, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. For the moment I'll leave the speculation to the commenters, but we know the Giants like Kelly Johnson from Arizona as well as Jays relievers and Jose Bautista. The Jays have had interest in Johnson as well.
Adam Dunn Rumors: Friday
The latest on Nationals slugger Adam Dunn…
- The Giants are involved a number of pursuits, but do not seem serious about Dunn, writes Rosenthal.
- The White Sox are once again saying that they're out of the Dunn sweepstakes, according to Rosenthal (Twitter links). Barring a mystery team, Rosenthal finds it hard to envision a Dunn trade.
- The Nationals told teams that Edwin Jackson was key to obtaining Adam Dunn from them, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Many teams tried to obtain Jackson, the White Sox got him and now the Nationals say they aren't so sure they want the righty. Obviously, teams are frustrated with the Nationals (all Twitter links).
- The Nats are becoming frustrated as they try to obtain equal value for Dunn, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). Rival teams say that Washington's asking price is enormous.
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo told MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling that he won't lower his asking price for Dunn (Twitter link).
- Dunn says he'd be comfortable DHing for the rest of the year, according to multiple reporters, including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link). That is music to the ears of White Sox, Rays and Yankees fans.
- The Rays are convinced that the Yankees will acquire Dunn, Peter Gammons told WEEI.com. Gammons suspects that if the Nationals trade Dunn, the Yankees will acquire him. The Rays haven't given up hope, since they have had a special assignment scout watching Dunn all week, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (Twitter link).
- The White Sox remain in talks with the Nationals for Dunn even after the Edwin Jackson trade, write Rosenthal and Morosi. Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Nationals want Jackson in a Dunn trade, but the White Sox hope to keep him out of the deal.
- The White Sox are focused only on Dunn and not Prince Fielder or Lance Berkman, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has heard varying opinions about whether the Yankees are truly out on Dunn.
- Yesterday's Dunn rumors are tough to sort out, rife with conflicting reports. The White Sox, Yankees, Rays, Giants, and Tigers were linked, though the Tigers might be out.
Odds & Ends: Lowell, Perez, Zambrano, Ross
Links for Friday, with less than 24 hours before the deadline…
- The Pirates acquired minor league outfielder Mitch Jones from the Braves, according to MLB.com's transactions page. David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Braves obtained cash in return (Twitter link).
- The Rangers are the only team that has slight interest in Mike Lowell, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
- The Mets shopped Oliver Perez today, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- The Cubs are resigned to the fact that if they want to trade Carlos Zambrano, it will have to happen in the winter, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports will believe that Cody Ross is unavailable once the deadline passes tomorrow. Until then he's a skeptic (Twitter link).
- Teams like Joe Beimel, but are only offering the Rockies non-prospects, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Rockies are shopping Randy Flores.
- GM Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash explained to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that the Brewers look for "plus" fastball velocity, quality breaking pitches, solid arm action and delivery and height in the pitchers they pursue.
- The Rangers are talking to rival teams to determine if there's interest in Rich Harden or Scott Feldman, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
- The Astros wanted Chad Billingsley in exchange for Roy Oswalt, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (Twitter link). The Dodgers countered with a four-prospect offer, but the Astros preferred the Phils' offer.
- The Royals aren't making much progress on deals, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (Twitter link).
- I answered questions from Neil Keefe and broke down the trade deadline in detail at WFAN.com.
Red Sox Asked About Jim Edmonds
The Red Sox asked the Brewers about Jim Edmonds, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Edmonds isn’t sure that he wants to be traded to a contender, but has received assurances from GM Doug Melvin that the club will present him with potential deals before completing anything.
The 40-year-old is hitting a robust .289/.353/.513 this season with eight homers. Edmonds makes $850K this year and becomes a free agent after the season, so his contract will not be an obstacle for any team. Boston also has interest in other outfielders, including Cody Ross.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Abreu, Mets, Edmonds
A few assorted links, as the trading finally picks up…
- After missing out on Roy Oswalt, the Cardinals are looking elsewhere for pitching, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Mid-level starters like Jake Westbrook or Aaron Cook could be fits for the Cards. The asking price for Cook, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, is a bullpen piece and a prospect.
- The Angels don't appear to have made Bobby Abreu available, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
- The Mets finalized their over-slot deal with Erik Goeddel, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). They agreed to give the 21-year-old righty a $350K bonus. MLBTR first reported an agreement had been reached on July 4th.
- The Dodgers designated Jack Taschner for assignment according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).
- The Astros released Tommy Everidge to make room for Brett Wallace, according to the Round Rock Express website.
- Teams have asked the Brewers about Jim Edmonds, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
- GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that things are quiet for the Brewers right now.
- The Rangers pursued Roy Oswalt and Prince Fielder aggressively, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter).
- The Mets asked the Cubs about Tom Gorzelanny, according to Heyman (Twitter link).
- The White Sox signed former major leaguer Jon Adkins to a minor league deal, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- The Twins, Phillies and Giants are losing interest in Ty Wigginton, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Jason Frasor tells Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star that he hears the latest from MLB Trade Rumors whether he wants to or not, since his friends tell him about the latest rumors.
- I talked trades with Rob Shaw and Michelle Steele of Bloomberg Sports. You can check out the video clip at USA Today.