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NL East Notes: Murphy, Capuano, Dickey, Fish, Phils

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The Mets and Dodgers could help each other with a trade of Daniel Murphy for a reliever, speculates ESPN's Buster Olney.  While the Mets need bullpen help, the Dodgers would use Murphy at third base, which the Mets feel is his best position (and where he's blocked by David Wright in New York).  The two sides came close to a trade involving Murphy last December.

Here's the latest from around the NL East…

  • R.A. Dickey had to struggle just to stick with the Mets, relates Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal in this story of how Dickey went from being the low man on the Mets roster to one of baseball's biggest surprises of 2012.
  • The Mets passed on re-signing Chris Capuano since they didn't think the lefty could handle a starting role and wasn't worth a two-year contract, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  Capuano has enjoyed a big comeback season with the Dodgers, with whom he signed a two-year, $10MM deal last winter.
  • Several of the Marlins' top executives were called to Miami for a meeting today, according to Clark Spencer of the MIami Herald.  Sources are split on whether the meeting is standard business or "is anything but" normal procedure, as Spencer figures the club's disastrous June record will be the major topic of conversation in either case.
  • David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News breaks down how much payroll the Phillies have spent by position over the last five seasons, with the bullpen getting less of a share every year.
  • If you missed it earlier tonight, the Phillies have explored trading Jim Thome to an American League team.

Mets Looking For Bullpen Help

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At 5.21, the Mets have the worst bullpen ERA in baseball by three-tenths of a run. Closer Frank Francisco is out with an oblique injury and Bobby Parnell has taken over ninth inning responsibilities, leaving the setup work to Jon Rauch and Miguel Batista. Ken Davidoff of The New York Post writes that the club is looking for bullpen help outside the organization.

“It’s not too early to do the research,” said assistant GM John Ricco. “It’s probably too early to make a move, although each year there is several pre-emptive ones. For the seller more than the buyer.”

Ricco also indicated that sometimes “you try to catch lightning in a bottle,” using the team's 2006 acquisition of Guillermo Mota as an example. Mota pitched to 6.21 ERA in 34 games for the Indians before being sent to New York and posting a 1.00 ERA in 18 appearances that year.

GM Sandy Alderson told Davidoff that the club hasn't ruled out the possibility of adding payroll, but they are weary of trading top-shelf prospects for volatile relievers. Davidoff mentions that the Mets are likely to get involved in any trade talks for Brett Myers and Huston Street, and not to rule out Grant Balfour as well.

Draft Signings: Kivel, Reynolds

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Let's keep track of the day's notable non-first and supplemental first round draft signings here, with the latest up top…

  • Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that the Reds have signed tenth round pick Jeremy Kivel for a $500K bonus — well above the slot recommendation of $125K. Kivel, a high school right-hander out of Texas, can throw his heater at 95 mph but missed most of this season due to a torn ACL.
  • Second rounder Matt Reynolds has signed with the Mets according to his Twitter feed. The third baseman out of Arkansas was the 71st overall pick, which is slotted for $724K.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Mets Designate Vinny Rottino For Assignment

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The Mets have designated Vinny Rottino for assignment, the team announced (on Twitter). The move creates room on the roster for left-handed reliever Justin Hampson.

Rottino, 32, hit .182/.308/.394 in 39 plate appearances this season. He did his best work against left-handers (.200/.355/.480) and played first, third, and left field. The 32-year-old Hampson has not appeared in the big leagues since 2008 and owns a 3.38 ERA in 96 relief innnigs.

Quick Hits: Rizzo, Bauer, Mets, Lillibridge

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R.A. Dickey's streak of not allowing an earned run came to an end during the third inning of Sunday night's game against the Yankees. With 44 2/3 innings of earned run-free baseball, Dickey's performance pales in comparison to Orel Hershiser's record 59 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball set in 1988 while with the Dodgers. What makes Hershiser's feat even more impressive is that he actually continued the streak into the playoffs as he threw eight more run-free innings to give him 67 in total. Here's the latest news from around the league…

  • Anthony Rizzo is expected to make his Cubs debut this Tuesday against the Mets at Wrigley Field, writes David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. The franchise's top prospect has mastered the art of hitting Triple-A pitching as he's currently the owner of a .349/.410/.710 batting line.
  • Trevor Bauer, the third pick in the 2011 amateur draft, will make his Major League debut for the Diamondbacks on Thursday after enjoying extensive success at the minor league level, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. The right-hander has a 2.79 ERA, 10.9 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 at Triple-A this season.
  • The Mets are in desperate need of bullpen help, but will probably have to wait until after the All-Star break to make a move as there are currently very few sellers, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
  • Utility man Brent Lillibridge tweets his gratitude to the White Sox organization and his love for the city of Chicago as he looks forward to the next chapter of his career with the Red Sox. Lillibridge, 28, is headed to Boston after being traded with Zach Stewart in exchange for Kevin Youkilis and cash earlier on Sunday.

Cafardo On Garza, Lowrie, Greinke, Red Sox, Liriano

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The rest of the baseball world is waiting for the Yankees to get old, but so far that hasn't happened, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  "They’ve been saying that ever since I’ve been around," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "They said it after 2001. They said it after we were reshuffling in 2003, and in 2004, my therapist said I wasn’t supposed to talk about it. After 2009, we can’t be winning with older guys…So I’ve always heard it. As long as we’re winning, people can keep saying it."  Here's more from today's column..

  • About six teams have been in contact with the Cubs consistently regarding Matt Garza: the Braves, Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Jays, and Royals.  Epstein is looking for a great package to part with Garza as he is the club's biggest chip.  However, teams have some concern over whether the pitcher can control his emotions.
  • The Tigers could be heavily in the mix for Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie and Detroit would likely move him to second to fill a need.  Cafardo wouldn't be shocked if he is on the Phillies’ radar as well. Houston has a few other chips in Brett Myers, Brandon Lyon, and Wandy Rodriguez that could help contenders.
  • When teams ask about Zack Greinke's availability, they are getting "not yet" from the Brewers.  However, Cafardo writes that he'll be available as soon as they get the right offer because there doesn’t seem to be any chance of Milwaukee signing him long-term. 
  • There has been a lot of talk about Scott Podsednik being used as a trade chip but Cody Ross and Daniel Nava could also be made available by the Red Sox.
  • Francisco Liriano's recent pitching has made him a viable trade chip for the Twins.  It would still be hard for a contender to trust him, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be moved.
  • A National League talent evaluator thinks the Mets should give some thought to trading R.A. Dickey while his value is skyhigh.  The Mets don't have the money to make the deadline upgrades that they need, so they could instead continue with their three- or four-year plan by making the right-hander available.

Draft Signings: Flexen, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays, Nats

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The deadline for signing draft picks is just three weeks away, now that it’s been moved up under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. Here are the latest noteworthy signings from the second round of the draft and on…

  • The Mets gave 14th round pick Chris Flexen an above slot $374,400 bonus, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (on Twitter). The high school right-hander is represented by Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
  • The Dodgers signed third rounder Onelki Garcia for an under-slot $382K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The Cuban southpaw owns a 90-93 mph fastball and a good curveball according to Callis.
  • The Dodgers also signed eighth rounder Scott Griggs for $135K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The UCLA right-hander received the full slot value.
  • The Yankees signed third round selection Nathan Mikolas for $400K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The high school first baseman has a very good bat and some power potential, according to Callis.
  • The Rays signed third round selection Andrew Toles for $397K, Callis tweets. The speedy outfielder is a strong defender in center field, Callis writes.
  • The Nationals announced that they signed third rounder Brett Mooneyham, a left-hander out of Stanford University. Amanda Comak of The Washington Times says (on Twitter) that he received $429K.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Mets, Giants, Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays designated Edwin Encarnacion for assignment on this date two years ago, and he cleared waivers two days later once the 29 other MLB teams had passed on him. Encarnacion now has 20 homers and a .283/.351/.574 slash line, so he's making a strong case for inclusion in next month's All-Star Game. Here are today’s links…

  • The Rockies would have to be overwhelmed to trade Rafael Betancourt or Matt Belisle, so deals are highly unlikely, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). Teams don't generally view the Rockies as a team with lots of assets to trade, according to Olney.
  • The Mets are going to wait a few weeks before "digging into" the trade market, Olney tweets.
  • GM Brian Sabean told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that the Giants identified Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan as trade targets this past offseason because, in spite of their flaws, they’re both impact MLB players. “We're talking about switch-hitters who can hit almost anywhere in the lineup, play all three outfield positions and help you on both sides of the ball. There's a lot to like," Sabean said. Check out Crasnick’s piece for a detailed look at how the Giants scouted and built their new-look outfield.
  • The Blue Jays have been telling teams they can’t take on any salary, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

Draft Signings: Chargois, Lovegrove, Oswalt

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The latest noteworthy draft signings from around MLB, starting with a trio of pitchers…

  • The Twins have signed second round selection J.T. Chargois, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter). Chargois served as Rice's closer, and Callis notes that he can get his 93-95 mph fastball as high as 98 mph to go along with a plus curveball.
  • The Indians signed third round selection Kieran Lovegrove for $400K, as Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer first reported yesterday. The high school right-hander has a fastball that sits in the low 90s and has touched 94. His slider can be a wipeout pitch, and he has the makings of a decent changeup, according to Baseball America. The ASU recruit was born in South Africa, and he played some cricket growing up. He and two teammates have their own charity, the Going to Bat foundation.
  • The Mets signed seventh round selection Corey Oswalt for an over-slot bonus of $475K, Callis reports (on Twitter). The projectable high school right-hander has a fastball that sits in the 89-92 mph range.

Quick Hits: Bay, Indians, Brewers

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Happy Father's Day to all dads!  Jim Thome, a father of two, became just the fourth player in baseball history to hit 100 home runs for three different clubs with his solo shot in the Phillies' game against the Blue Jays. Thome joins Alex Rodriguez, Reggie Jackson, and Darrell Evans in that exclusive club. 

  • Mets manager Terry Collins told reporters, including Adam Rosenbloom of MLB.com, he is concerned about the playing career of Jason Bay, who is on the disabled list with his second career concussion. "We've got to put ourselves in his shoes, and decide what we think is the best for the future," Collins said.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti will not show any apprehension approaching the trade deadline after the mixed results of the Ubaldo Jimenez deal last year, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I continue to trust our process and evaluators," said Antonetti. "If we feel the right guy is out there, and it's the right trade, we'll certainly be willing to make it. I don't think we'd operate any differently."
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes the Brewers recent sweep at the hands of the Royals may cause the team to be sellers at the trade deadline. Haudricourt points out the Brewers will have several question marks heading into 2013 including the starting rotation, first base, outfield, and shortstop.
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