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Rosenthal On Garcia, Pirates, Papelbon

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Rosenthal says Florida's Chris Coghlan deserves the NL Rookie of the Year award.  Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, J.A. Happ, Randy Wells, and Tommy Hanson are also in the mix…who do you like?
  • For the AL ROY, Rosenthal sticks with his preseason choice of Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus.  Jeff Niemann, Andrew Bailey, Nolan Reimold, and Gordon Beckham are other top contenders.
  • Rosenthal has a few possible Nationals managerial candidates: Diamondbacks third base coach Chip Hale, Bobby Valentine, and Bob Melvin.  It's also possible Jim Riggleman is retained.
  • I was not aware of this – Freddy Garcia's deal with the White Sox has a 2010 option with a $1MM base and $2MM in incentives.  Garcia has an 89mph fastball these days, but he's posted quality starts in three of four tries (against the Yankees and Red Sox).
  • The Pirates would only trade starters Paul Maholm or Zach Duke if they receive "a young major league starter of similar quality, plus another piece."  I mentioned that the Bucs look pretty good for 2011, but Rosenthal says team officials are not conceding 2010.
  • Rosenthal's source describes a Jonathan Papelbon trade as "pretty unrealistic."  Jayson Stark's sources had a similar opinion.
  • Rosenthal rattles off the teams that have had past interest in Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, who is getting pricey: the Orioles, Twins, Giants, D'Backs, Dodgers, and Cardinals.

The Week Ahead

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Now that we've taken a look at the week that was, let's anticipate what lies ahead. There aren't as many pennant races to watch as usual this year, so keep your eye on the following stories as the week progresses:

  • When Josh Beckett throws his first pitch tomorrow afternoon, his 2010 option will kick in for $12.1MM. 
  • Kevin Millwood will likely pitch against the Mariners on Friday. If he goes eight innings or more, he will have pitched 180 innings on the season and his $12MM option for 2010 will vest.
  • One final option to monitor this week: Magglio Ordonez is a mere 27 plate appearances from seeing his $18MM option kick in for next season. It could happen this week, but, depending on playing time, Maggs may have to wait longer.
  • For recaps of these options and more, check out Tim's post from earlier in the week.
  • Tony Abreu filed a grievance against the Dodgers and Glen Perkins may file one of his own against the Twins. We'll see if either player reaches a resolution with his club this week.
  • Don't rule out trades, either. Could the Rangers acquire an infielder? Could the Phils add a bench bat? 

Perkins May File Grievance

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Last night we learned that a grievance over how an injury was handled caused a snag in the Jon Garland deal, and now it looks like the Twins have a similar grievance on their hands. As Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune reports, southpaw Glen Perkins is considering filing a grievance over how Minnesota handled him as he battled shoulder this trouble this year, possibly delaying his arbitration years.

Perkins had been on the DL since August 9th, but was activated on September 2nd and optioned to Triple-A Rochester. After the demotion, Perkins asked to see another arm specialist and was cleared by Dr. Timothy Kremcheck, but has to wait for the dye used in an MRI to clear before he can pitch again.

The service time Perkins is missing out on while in the minors may cost him a shot at qualifying as a "Super Two," which he had been on pace to do. Had he reached Super Two status, he would have been eligible for arbitration after the season, but because of how the injury was handled, he wouldn't be arbitration eligible for another year.

Odds & Ends: Posey, Maybin, Penny

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Links for Wednesday…

  • Due to Bengie Molina's injury, the Giants have changed their mind and called up top prospect Buster Posey according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.  So Posey's clock starts earlier than planned.
  • Speaking of service time, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith tells me Cameron Maybin's call-up gives him 129 days of service time after this year.  That puts him on the fringe of Super Two status after the 2011 season.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick ranks the impact of trades made by contenders in July.  He talked to an exec who thinks Matt Holliday "could make an extra $3MM a year as a free agent this winter because of his strong finish."
  • Yahoo's Gordon Edes has his trade deadline winners and losers.
  • Ryan Doumit's agent Matt Sosnick shot down recent negativity surrounding his client, while Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gets to the bottom of the catcher's recent benching.
  • Brad Penny still hates the Dodgers, a team he'll face twice this month according to Baggarly.  Baggarly also has a quote from Penny ripping on the Marlins.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has more from Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy, who knows he gained trade value when the team delayed his free agency.
  • J.C. Bradbury of Sabernomics wonders whether the Braves should pick up Tim Hudson's $12MM option for 2010.  Hudson has the right to void that option, not that he would.  Back in January Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the Braves "fully intend to exercise it, barring some unexpected turn of events."
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs notes that Kendry Morales has matched the production of the Angels' former first baseman, $180MM man Mark Teixeira.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has comments from Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes on the team's Jon Rauch–Kevin Mulvey swap.  Piecoro says the D'Backs have about $23MM to work with this winter as they presumably look to add pitching.
  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times guesses Ken Griffey Jr. will retire after this season.

Twins Acquire Jon Rauch For Kevin Mulvey

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TUESDAY: Arizona will receive pitcher Kevin Mulvey as the player to be named later in the Rauch trade, according to John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR.  Mulvey, of course, joined the Twins in February of last year as part of the Johan Santana trade.  The 24 year-old righty has a 3.93 ERA with 113 strikeouts and 54 walks in 149 Triple A innings this year.

FRIDAY: The Twins acquired Jon Rauch from the Arizona Diamondbacks for a player to be named later, according to an MLB.com press release. Rauch, who should become a free agent after next season, makes $2MM this year and his contract includes a $2.9MM club option for 2010. 

The 6'11'' righty has allowed 57 hits and 17 walks in 54.1 innings, striking out 35. Rauch, who turns 31 next month, has seen his strikeout rate dip and his walk rate rise this year, though his ERA is identical to last year's 4.14 mark.

Twins Rumors: Potential Free Agents, Mauer

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We already know that the Twins weren't able to swing a deal with the Cubs for pitcher Rich Harden today, but the Minnesota rumors don't end there. Let's recap some miscellaneous items…

  • Twins GM Bill Smith said there will be no negotiations with potential free agents Carl Pavano, Orlando Cabrera, Joe Crede, and Mike Redmond until after the season, according to Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune.
  • After word got out that the team has the money to keep megastar Joe Mauer in Minnesota, R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs took a look at the math and says that "unless Mauer really loves the area and takes a team friendly deal, I’m not sure they can meet his market value, and maybe you could argue they shouldn’t given the risks associated with being a catcher."

One thing to remember is that the Twins have brand new Target Field set to open next year, and new stadiums are almost always a cash cow for at least the first few years.

Twins Have Enough Money To Re-Sign Mauer

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There will be a bidding frenzy for Joe Mauer if he hits the free agent market after next season, as anticipated. But the Twins are in a position to make him a strong offer, according to Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press. Team president Dave St. Peter said the team has enough money to keep Mauer around after next year.

The Twins are in the middle of a pennant race thanks in large part to Mauer's season-long hot streak at the plate and strong defense. Mauer says he isn't thinking about his contract status, but he's no doubt boosting his value with his MVP-level play.

Crede: Retirement Rumors Are False

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Joe Crede tells MLB.com's Tyler Mason that in spite of some recent rumors suggesting he's considering retirement, he has no such intention.

"I know I have more years in me. I still love the game," Crede said. "I have no plans of retiring."

The Chicago Tribune reported Saturday that Crede might opt to retire after the season, but Crede says he has no idea how those rumors emerged. Crede has had back trouble throughout his career, but he's only 31 and he's managed 15 homers this year.

Brad Penny Rumors: Monday

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2:00pm: Heyman reports that Brad Penny went unclaimed and is now free to sign with any club. In his SI.com column, Heyman suggests the Giants are favorites to sign him

1:18pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Giants are the "strong favorites" to sign Penny if he clears waivers. Should the Giants sign Penny, they would pay him the pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary and the Red Sox would cover everything else.

10:08am: Jon Heyman of SI.com notes that the Twins are interested in Brad Penny. Twins officials did not deny that the team may claim Penny on waivers, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. A number of other teams are also pursuing the big righty, but the Marlins and Giants are reportedly frontrunners. Penny could clear release waivers today, at which point he would become a free agent. Then, he'd be able to sign with the team of his choice. A team could still claim Penny off waivers, but they would have to take on his contract.

The Twins will use Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins out of the bullpen when they return from their respective injuries, so they could use Penny in their rotation.

Rich Harden Rumors: Monday

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1:24pm: Rosenthal reports that the Cubs held onto Harden, Heilman and the rest of their players.

12:38pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Cubs aren't likely to deal Harden. Many teams claimed the righty and it's likely that an NL team won the claim.

12:22pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Cubs are less motivated to move Harden now than they were last week. The team has started playing well and has an outside shot at the NL Wild Card.

11:29am: Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago hears that the Cubs will hold onto Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman, who were claimed by the Twins and Giants, respectively. (Other teams may have claimed them as well).

10:37am: Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune hears that the Twins have not yet requested Rich Harden's medical records from the Cubs. A trade seems unlikely, according to Christensen's source. 

Harden has been on the DL seven times since 2005, so the team would presumably want to examine the records before making a deal. However, Harden has been pitching well lately and the Twins are looking for starting pitching help, so they could consider dealing for him without looking at his medical records.

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