East Notes: Mets, Byrd, Cano, Ortiz
Earlier today, Mark Simon of ESPNNewYork.com turned in his 2013 mid-season report card for the Mets. It hasn’t been a banner semester for most of the Metropolitans, but Marlon Byrd gets an A- for his play and Simon notes that he’ll be Mets remembered very fondly if he nets a good prospect in a deadline deal. Meanwhile, GM Sandy Alderson gets a C for his efforts, though it’s really more like an incomplete as he’ll be judged more by what he does with a more flexible payroll this winter. Here’s more out of the AL and NL East..
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports looks as the offseason ahead of the Yankees‘ Robinson Cano. A number of teams with potential openings at second base could get involved, including the Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies (if they move on from Chase Utley), Mets, Orioles, Nationals and Mariners. Ultimately, however, Rosenthal expects Cano to stay in pinstripes.
- Despite his performance, Red Sox star David Ortiz knows that age is catching up with him, writes CSNNE.com’s Sean McAdam. Ortiz isn’t ready to lay out a timetable, but he says that the two-year pact he signed this past offseason could be his last.
- Mets infielder Ruben Tejada is making an agency change, leaving Peter Greenberg and the Legacy Group for Barry Praver & Scott Shapiro, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). You can keep track of everyone’s representation with MLBTR’s Agency Database.
All-Star Notes: Scherzer, Harvey, Davis
Tonight's American League All-Star starter Max Scherzer knows the best place for MLB players to find out if they're on the move. "It's crazy how that works. You're traded out of the blue, and the only way you find out is by MLB Trade Rumors. All of the media and all of your friends know, but you don't hear it from the people doing it," the Tigers righty told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Scherzer went on to describe himself as a "pretty fanatical fan" of this website, of which he is a near-daily reader. Be sure to check out Nightengale's article, which focuses on Scherzer's experiences with former slugger and current Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire. As Scherzer and other players prepare for tonight's All-Star game at Citi Field, here are your related links…
- We learned yesterday that nothing is cooking regarding a contract extension for Scherzer, who is eligible for free agency after the 2014 season. Talking to Nightengale, Scherzer said, "It's funny, everybody wants to speculate on teams, and X amount of dollars, but if I go out there and pitch well, everything will take care of itself."
- How about National League starter Matt Harvey, who fronts the Mets' rotation and is also represented by Scott Boras? Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to Boras, who said, "Usually the team will come to you, it is not up to the player to start negotiations. I would also say this, where the team wants to go in these situations and what the true value of the player is are not often that close." That's not terribly encouraging, but Mets fans can rest easy knowing Harvey will not be arbitration eligible until after the 2015 season, and will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2018 campaign.
- Though he didn't make the American League squad, Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes took home the Home Run Derby belt last night, besting Bryce Harper. To learn about the journey Cespedes and his family took in defecting from Cuba, check out this article from Susan Slusser and Demian Bulwa of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Another good read is the harrowing story of Marlins All-Star Jose Fernandez, who also defected from Cuba. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince has it here, and Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald has another good look at Fernandez here. Fernandez has not yet reached the riches Cespedes has, as he was subject to the 2011 amateur draft.
- With 37 home runs at the All-Star break, the Orioles' Chris Davis is another of the All-Star Game's big stories. Davis treats Roger Maris' 61 home runs in 1961 as the record, discounting the six times it was bested from 1998-2001 by Barry Bonds, McGwire, and Sammy Sosa. Yahoo's Jeff Passan surveyed 15 All-Stars and found that most treat Bonds' 73 as the record despite his PED ties. The Reds' Joey Votto was most critical of Davis' stance, telling Passan, "If Chris feels like 61 is the home run record, maybe he’s just selfishly pegging that number as the home run record so if he passes it he can wear a crown or something like that. There would be a lot of money in that."
- The Nationals were highly interested in Davis when the Rangers made him available in 2011, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post. Instead, Davis joined the Orioles along with Tommy Hunter in a July 2011 deal for reliever Koji Uehara and $2MM.
- More than half of the 78 All-Stars were acquired by their current team through the draft, an international signing, or a trade while still in the minors, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal in his analysis.
Quick Hits: Wilpon, Rios, Mozeliak, Blue Jays
National League All-Star starter Matt Harvey has become a well-known name around baseball…though not necessarily a well-known face. Harvey personally explored his relative anonymity in a comedy bit tonight on The Late Show With Jimmy Fallon (YouTube link). If it makes Harvey feel better, I rarely hear, "Hey, are you Mark Polishuk from MLB Trade Rumors?!" when I'm strolling around New York. Here's some news from around baseball on the eve of the All-Star Game…
- Jeff Wilpon promised that the Mets are willing to spend in 2014, the team COO said in an interview on WFAN radio (and partially transcribed by Newsday's Neil Best). The Mets will be helped when the Johan Santana and Jason Bay contracts expire this winter, which will by themselves free up $43.625MM in payroll space. "We haven't set a payroll for next year, but I can tell you we're ready to invest with those big contracts coming off the books," Wilpon said. "We have the money to invest. We're going to invest it prudently. Sandy [Alderson] is going to set a path."
- The Rangers could avoid giving up top prospects for White Sox right fielder Alex Rios, depending on how much of Rios' contract Texas is willing to eat, ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett writes. Rios is owed roughly $4.85MM for the rest of 2013, $12.5MM in 2014 and a $13.5MM club option for 2015 that can be bought out for $1MM. The Rangers are one of several teams interested in acquiring Rios, though his trade stock has dipped due to a six-week slump.
- “A lot of teams you think might normally would be breaking things up aren’t,” Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “There just aren’t a lot of players that are truly available. That could change. That’s my observation today.” The Cardinals are known to be interested in acquiring starting pitching and have recently been connected to Matt Garza, though the Cards aren't too keen to trade within the NL Central and are unlikely to make a deal that would cost them one of their top prospects.
- Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Cecil all tell Sportsnet's Shi Davidi that the Blue Jays already have the talent to turn their season around. Bautista, for one, doesn't think GM Alex Anthopoulos necessarily needs to make any further roster additions. “Alex is not out on the field playing for us, we’re totally capable of playing a lot better baseball than we’ve shown, we just need to play better as a team,” Bautista said. If the Jays don't make any moves, Bautista "wouldn’t look too much into it" since Anthopoulos “made plenty of moves in the off-season to make our team the best team that he could put on the field.”
- The three prospects acquired by the Nationals in the Michael Morse trade have performed well for Washington thus far, MASNsports.com's Byron Kerr observes. Right-handers A.J. Cole and Blake Treinen have pitched well at high A-ball and Double-A, respectively, while southpaw Ian Krol reached the Majors and delivered a 1.80 ERA, 13 strikeouts and just one walk over 15 relief innings for the Nats.
- Chase Lambin turned 34 years last week and has played 12 years of professional baseball in the minors and in Japan, but the veteran has still yet to reach the Major Leagues. Kent Babb of the Washington Post profiles Lambin, who currently plays for the Royals' Triple-A affiliate.
- The Mets' infamous long-long-term deferred contract with Bobby Bonilla is actually a pair of contracts that will pay the retired slugger $42MM between 2004 and 2035, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports. While the Orioles are paying part of Bonilla's ongoing salary, the Mets are solely responsible for another 25-year deferred payment plan, this one to Bret Saberhagen. The former two-time Cy Young Award winner has received $250K per year from the Mets since 2004.
Odds & Ends: Hughes, Byrd, Cubs, Yankees
Giants fans have been concerned about Tim Lincecum as of late, but he looked stellar last night as he pitched a no-hitter against the Padres. The Freak tossed an eye-popping 148 pitches to get there, one shy of the watermark set by Edwin Jackson in 2010. Here's more from around baseball..
- Phil Hughes has been mentioned quite a bit as a trade candidate for the Yankees and while one might expect them to seek out a piece to help them in 2013, like a righty-hitting corner bat with power, they would prefer a player that they can control in the future, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. If the Yankees keep Hughes, they are prepared to give him the 2014 tender (roughly $13.8MM) as they believe that outside teams will bid on him even with compensation attached. In the event that they're wrong, the Bombers see it as low risk to have Hughes on a one-year deal and believe, at worst, he would still be tradeable.
- The Mets could trade Marlon Byrd, but Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) opines that nobody is going to give them anything close to a significant piece for a rental with a .313 OBP. This weekend, General Manager Sandy Alderson said that he isn't in a rush to deal the outfielder.
- The Cubs figure to be an attractive trade partner for contending clubs this summer, but president Theo Epstein didn't see it working out that way. "We wanted to be buyers this year," Epstein told reporters, including MLB.com's Chad Thornburg. "With a few breaks, this year, we could've been in a much different situation. Some one-run games early change, and different bullpen situations [we'd have different results]. The goal every year is to be in position where you're looking to add and have a strong pennant push."
- After helping the Cubs top the Cardinals, Matt Garza spoke with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link) about what the immediate future might hold for him. While he says that he's focusing on pitching the best he can, he admits that it would be tough for him to leave the Cubs. Meanwhile, he still pegs the odds of signing an extension with Chicago at 50/50.
- Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record writes that Yankees fans hoping for a major splash shouldn't hold their breath between now and the end of the month. “There’s not a lot out there for [GM Brian Cashman],” said one rival executive, who added that Michael Young isn’t currently available and the Bombers aren’t particularly interested in Byrd.
East Notes: Rays, Byrd, Brown, Red Sox
The Rays tend to stand pat at the trade deadline, and you can expect the same this time around, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Right now, the Rays have one of their best squads in the past six seasons, strong pitching, a solid bullpen, and the offense is doing better than expected. "I like what we have now," manager Joe Maddon said. "With everybody staying well I don't anticipate us doing anything." Here's more out of the AL and NL East..
- Consistent with what we've been hearing, the Mets say that they aren't in a rush to trade outfielder Marlon Byrd, writes Mike Puma of the New York Post. ”It would have to be significant [talent],” Alderson said before last night's game. “I don’t want to add to the speculation because I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we want to remain competitive.” Byrd is hitting .267/.313/.498 with 15 homers while the Mets are 40-50, 12 games back from the first place Braves.
- Domonic Brown is shining for the Phillies, but they almost let him get away, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Brown was an untouchable during talks in 2009 with Toronto for Roy Halladay but two baseball sources said Brown's name was discussed in the 2011 trade with the Astros for Hunter Pence.
- The Red Sox aren't feeling pressured to make a trade before the deadline, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Even if Clay Buchholz has another setback, the BoSox can still get by with what they have, in Silverman's estimation.
East Notes: Red Sox, Mets, Byrd, Buchholz
The Red Sox bolstered their bullpen last night when they acquired Matt Thornton (and cash) from the White Sox in exchange for minor league outfielder Brandon Jacobs. The left-hander hasn't been quite as sharp this season as he has in years past, but Boston hopes that he'll help fill their need for a quality southpaw after losing Andrew Miller for the season. Here's more out of the AL and NL East..
- Mets assistant GM J.P. Ricciardi told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter) that the club will only move Marlon Byrd if they can get a serious return. Andy Martino of the Daily News heard earlier this week that the Mets were unlikely to trade the veteran, though one scout noted that GM Sandy Alderson & Co. could just be looking to drive up the price.
- Clay Buchholz's timeline for returning has been pushed back a bit, which could lead the Red Sox to put a little more thought into acquiring a starter before the deadline, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Buchholz was originally scheduled to make a rehab start tomorrow, but he'll instead spend some time regaining his arm strength with bullpen sessions.
- In speaking to season ticket holders, Orioles Executive Vice President Dan Duquette explained that the club has the financial resources to make deals that are worthwhile, writes Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com. “The addition of Scott Feldman to our team was a sign that we want to be in this thing,” Duquette said.
- Ed Rendell of the Philadelphia Daily News suggests that the Phillies should look to add a quality reliever like Jesse Crain of the White Sox while moving Carlos Ruiz, who he has value given the lack of quality catching out there.
East Links: Byrd, Phillies, Yanks, Young, Joba, Urrutia
Matt Warden of River Ave. Blues completed his 2013 series on potential Yankees' trade targets, highlighting the Rockies' Tyler Colvin, Peter Bourjos of the Angels, the Mariners' Kendrys Morales and Raul Ibanez, and Logan Morrison of the Marlins. Here's more out of baseball's Eastern divisions…
- The Mets aren't likely to trade Marlon Byrd, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. General manager Sandy Alderson will likely employ the same strategy he did with Scott Hairston last summer. However, one scout told Martino that he's not sure if the team's plan to stand pat is just posturing to drive up trade prices.
- The Phillies would be buyers right now if it were July 31, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters (including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). Amaro said he doesn't feel he has a replacement for Jonathan Papelbon and needs his closer to contend. However, he also doesn't want to part with young talent, and Zolecki calls the Phillies' situation "fluid."
- The Yankees and Red Sox at one point appeared to be one of the most serious contenders for the Phillies' Michael Young, George A. King III of the New York Post writes. However, the Red Sox's main focus is now on bullpen help. Young isn't opposed to playing in the Bronx, according to King.
- Within that same post, King notes that Howie Frieling, a special assignment scout for the Phillies, was in attendance to watch the Yankees against the Twins last week. The Phils also sent Sal Agostinelli, their director of international scouting, to watch the Yankees on Wednesday.
- King adds that Joba Chamberlain's trade stock is falling, and the Phillies "have questions about what is perceived as the reliever’s immaturity," King says. In addition, one team that was previously interested in Chamberlain told King that they don't plan to make an offer for him because it's believed that the Yankees could eventually release him.
- Marlon Byrd told Daniel Nelson of Mets Merized Online that he'd love to stay with the Mets but understands that he could be shipped to a contender at the deadline. "Sandy Alderson’s going to do anything possible to make this organization the best it can be," Byrd says.
- Orioles prospect Henry Urrutia is "getting closer" to being an option, Buck Showalter told reporters, including Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Urrutia entered the season as the Orioles' No. 13 prospect, according to Baseball America, but has likely upped his stock with a big performance at Double-A and Triple-A. The Cuban defector is hitting .365/.429/.536 with seven homers in 280 minor league plate appearances this season.
Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Reliever Trade Talk: Parnell, Red Sox, Giants
The Twins and Mets "should learn from the mistake the Royals made with Joakim Soria," writes Dave Cameron of FanGraphs, and trade closers Glen Perkins and Bobby Parnell. Cameron's argument is convincing: "Relievers, even really good young relievers, should be viewed as ripe fruit. They are great for a while, but you don’t store ripe fruit for the future planning on having a healthy snack later. You consume it now or waste it." The latest from around the relief trade market:
- The Mets would need to be "blown away" to trade Parnell, tweets David Lennon of Newsday. The 28-year-old is under the Mets' control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player. Lennon hears the Red Sox are not looking for a closer, so he doubts they would overpay for late-inning help. The Red Sox have done just that since allowing Jonathan Papelbon to leave as a free agent, in trades for Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan.
- Red Sox assistant GM Mike Hazen labeled the bullpen as "an area that's shown the biggest inconsistencies," on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show this morning. Hazen suggested one or two of Brandon Workman, Pedro Beato, or Jose De La Torre could step into a role in the "front side" of the bullpen, "or we go external."
- Earlier today, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com heard the White Sox were seeking "high-end prospects" for lefty Matt Thornton.
- Boston's top pitching scout, Eddie Bane, is watching White Sox relievers Thornton, Lindstrom, and Addison Reed, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Red Sox would love a healthy Crain, adds Cafardo.
- Another of many teams the Red Sox may turn to is the Giants; Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Boston and Detroit have checked in with San Francisco on bullpen arms in case they decide to sell. Morosi seesJavier Lopez as one potential trade candidate, with the Giants having lost four in a row to drop to 6.5 games out. Other veterans in the Giants' pen include Sergio Romo (signed through 2014), Jeremy Affeldt (signed through '15), Jose Mijares (under control through '14), and Santiago Casilla (signed through at least 2015). Casilla could be activated today following a stint on the DL for a knee injury.
- Check out an updated FanGraphs leaderboard I created of potentially available relievers here.
NL Notes: Wilson, Pence, DeJesus, Marcum
Free agent and former Giants closer Brian Wilson has been training in Hawaii and could pitch for scouts near the beginning of August, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets. Wilson had Tommy John surgery in 2012 and has not pitched since last April. Here are more notes from around the National League.
- Giants outfielder Hunter Pence told Jim Bowden on Sirius XM MLB Network Radio (via Twitter) that while the club hasn't made him an offer in the last two months, he enjoys playing in San Francisco and would like to stay there. Pence avoided arbitration with the Giants prior to this season by agreeing to a one-year, $13.8MM deal and will be eligible for free agency for the first time this winter.
- Cubs outfielder David DeJesus' recent injury means he's unlikely to be headed out of Chicago by the trading deadline, and he's just fine with that, the Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer reports. "I love Chicago. I love playing here," says DeJesus. "[I]f I can be a part of the team chancing over and bringing the winning feeling to Chicago … We’ve been playing some good baseball the last month. I want to be a part of it."
- Mets offseason acquisition Shaun Marcum will be shut down for the season due to an issue with his pitching hand, according to a report from Ed Coleman of WFAN that has been confirmed by Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). Even though the signing didn't pay off for the Mets, Rubin recently explained that incentives in the deal would have cost the club even more if he continued to pitch.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
East Notes: Red Sox, Parnell, Howard, Bay
The Red Sox were already in a tough spot with their bullpen, but things got worse when they learned that left-hander Andrew Miller will likely require season-ending surgery on his left foot, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. While one might expect them to hit the trade market for a reliever, that may not happen between now and the deadline. "I guess you lose a guy, he has to be replaced somehow," GM Ben Cherington told reporters. "We still think we have some internal options we can consider. We may take a look at some of those in different ways over the course of the next few weeks. We've got to have an open mind." Here's more from the AL and NL East..
- The Mets plan to hang on to closer Bobby Parnell, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post opines that they should think about changing their minds. There are several teams, including the Tigers and Red Sox, that are desperate for late-inning solutions and there isn't much out there.
- Ryan Howard's contract with the Phillies is a total loss, opines Dan Szymborski of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Howard's dip in performance is not a surprise, but exactly what is to be expect from a one-dimensional slugger in his early 30s. Howard makes $20MM this season, $25MM per year through 2016, and must be paid $10MM in 2017 if his $23MM option isn't picked up.
- Now with the Mariners, Jason Bay looks back fondly on his tenure with the Red Sox, writes John Tomase of the Boston Herald. Bay had to make a team's roster for the first time in his big league career but he says that he is enjoying his time in Seattle.
- The Marlins asked the Dodgers for righty Chris Withrow in the Ricky Nolasco deal, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, but were told he wasn't available. In the post, Frisaro also explains why not to expect trades of Giancarlo Stanton or Steve Cishek.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.