Odds & Ends: Cubs, Sheffield, Brewers, Relievers
Here's a few links to take in as you recover from the work week…
- Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball reports that The Tribune Co. has reached an agreement to sell a 95% interest in the Cubs to The Ricketts Family
- Bart Hubbuch of The NY Post tweets that Omar Minaya said the Mets "have no intentions of releasing Gary Sheffield or putting him on irrevocable waivers."
- Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel reports that the Brewers have designated catcher Carlos Corporan for assignment. Corporan singled in the only big league plate appearance of his career back in May.
- Cliff Corcoran at SI.com ranks the top ten setup men in the league. Two of them were acquired not long before this year's trade deadline, one signed as a free agent last winter, and another signed a long-term extension before the season. A fifth player wasn't even in the big leagues at the start of the year.
- Make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter. It's the future, man.
Odds And Ends: Rizzo, Rangers, Hall
More links for the morning…
- Adam Dunn tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson that it would have been wrong for the Nats to give the GM job to anybody but Mike Rizzo, who will be formally introduced in about four hours.
- Via Twitter, ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports that the Rangers signed Dominican righty David Perez for $425k.
- Bill Hall tells Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that he put too much pressure on himself after inking a $24MM deal with the Brewers.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff points out that the Mets can watch Jeff Francoeur play 40 more games before they have to decide whether to offer him a contract for next year.
- As Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker shows, Yusei Kikuchi is a Japanese high schooler who can throw 96mph and has attracted at least some interest from MLB teams.
Odds And Ends: Jeter, Uggla, Cubs, Hall
Links for Thursday morning…
- Derek Jeter, whose contract expires after next season, says he isn't thinking about his next deal or how long he'll keep playing, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel asks: Are the Marlins better off holding onto Dan Uggla after the season and paying him about $7MM in arbitration, or should they trade him?
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he takes resonsibility for his team's frustrating season.
- Jeff Sackmann of the Hardball Times says Doug Melvin was justified in handing Bill Hall a long-term contract, even though it didn't work out for the Brewers.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports expects Vicente Padilla to be on his best behavior with the Dodgers, who need him badly.
- In his latest roundup of top Rangers prospects at MLB.com, Jamey Newberg notes that it doesn't look like Justin Smoak will reach the majors this year.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles will audition Luke Scott at first base between now and the end of the season.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says the Astros won't see their attendance improve if they put another "old, bad, boring" team on the field next year.
Mariners Acquire Bill Hall
According to the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker, the Mariners have acquired Bill Hall from the Brewers. There's an announcement expected before game time. According to Baker's sources, the Brewers will receive minor-league pitcher Ruben "Buddy" Flores in return. The Brewers will reportedly pay the rest of the $6.8MM salary due Hall this year and a large portion of his $8.4MM he earns in 2010.
Hall, 29, has had a rough year, putting up a .606 OPS in 234 PA, but perhaps he'll be able to find his swing with a change of scenery. He could fit into a platoon role against lefties, where the Mariners have struggled this season, and can at least defensively fill in the vacancy at third left by the ailing Adrian Beltre.
Flores is a 25-year-old righty and put up a 2.30 ERA and a 53/28 K/BB ratio in 43 innings in Single-A this year but has been lit up to the tune of a 13.06 ERA since being moved to High-A ball. He's a little old to be considered a prospect, but he projects as a middle reliever if he can put it together.
Deal For Bill Hall In The Works?
Brewers GM Doug Melvin tells MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he's speaking with teams interested in Bill Hall. The Brewers have until Friday to deal Hall, who they designated for assignment last Wednesday. Melvin suggests that a trade is a real possibility.
Draft Updates: Unsigned Picks, Tigers, Brewers
Two hours to go…
- ESPN's Keith Law says he's hearing "lots of reports of deals that are done, including "unsigned" first-rounders, whose contracts are being throttled by MLB to prevent other players/agents from using them as leverage." He expects there to be a flood of announcements from 11pm-12:30am ET tonight, so stay tuned.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the Tigers continue to negotiate with the agents for first rounder Jacob Turner, second rounder Andrew Oliver, and sixth rounder Daniel Fields. Turner and Oliver are Scott Boras clients, Fields isn't.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo says the Brewers continue to be aggressive in the later rounds, landing 16th rounder Scooter Gennett.
Brewers Sign Kentrail Davis For $1.2MM
Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that the Brewers signed outfielder Kentrail Davis for $1.2MM, the most any supplemental pick has received this year. ESPN.com's Keith Law, who was right on this one as well, notes that Davis had a disappointing sophomore year and may be limited to left field as a pro. The Brewers have now signed their top 18 picks.
Draft Updates: Brewers, Red Sox, Matzek
More updates, as the deadline approaches…
- Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that the Brewers signed third rounder Brooks Hall for $700k. Hall was a two-way player in high school, but he'll focus on pitching as a pro.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com points out that the Red Sox, who didn't draft any Scott Boras clients, have spent aggresively on players who fell because of perceived signability issues.
- DJ Bean of WEEI.com shows that the Red Sox have a history of drafting and spending aggressively under Theo Epstein. However, they are able to "draw a line in the sand" when necessary.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that the Rockies and Tyler Matzek are still far apart in their negotiations, though that doesn't mean they won't agree to a deal.
Heyman On Red Sox, Davis, Padilla
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Red Sox are "thought to have offered a five-prospect package of [Clay] Buchholz, Michael Bowden, Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and a position player" for Roy Halladay. The club apparently offered the Mariners an even better deal for Felix Hernandez. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- The Brewers offered nothing more than salary relief for Doug Davis, so the D'Backs held on.
- There's a decent chance the Blue Jays will find a new GM. As one exec points out, no one gets to rebuild twice without making the playoffs.
- The Rangers gave up on Vicente Padilla because they consider him a bad teammate.
Draft Updates: Brewers, Rays, Yankees
Some more news on signings is trickling in — let's dig in:
- Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is hearing that the Brewers have essentially agreed to terms with 39th overall pick Kentrail Davis but aren't announcing it so as to not drive up the price of other picks before the deadline. There was a worry that the two sides weren't completely close earlier today. I understand the reasoning behind the secrecy, but doesn't this feel like something that needs to change? It's not like all of these contract figures have been on lockdown in the first place, and chances are they're not going to be in the future either.
- Jim Callis at Baseball America reports that the Rays awarded fifth-round pick Jeff Malm a bonus of $680k, about five times the slot recommendation for that selection.
- George A. King III at the New York Post says that the only obstacle in the way of Slade Heathcott and John Murphy becoming Yankees are their upcoming physicals. Heathcott and Murphy are the Yanks' first- and second-rounders, respectively.
- We know that the Angels have come to terms with Jake Locker, their 10th-round pick, on a $150k bonus. Locker is a top football prospect too, though, and he will reportedly be given free reign to pursue that career, says Jim Callis. Sounds like a pretty nice deal.