Heyman On Twins, Drew, Oswalt, Reyes
The A’s fired Bob Geren today, but most of baseball’s new managers are doing well in 2011, as Jon Heyman explains at SI.com. Here are the rest of Heyman’s notes and rumors from around the league:
- The Twins appear to be having second thoughts about the trade that sent Wilson Ramos to Washington for Matt Capps. Ramos is playing well and Joe Mauer has spent much of the season on the disabled list.
- It wouldn’t surprise people if J.D. Drew and Roy Oswalt retire after the season, according to Heyman. Oswalt and the Phillies have a mutual option for 2012 and Drew is a free agent after the season.
- Jose Reyes’ remarkable play has essentially forced the Mets to make him “a respectable offer.” The prospective free agent has been one of the best players in the game so far this season.
- Mets right-hander Matt Harvey and Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper are too good for Class A, according to Heyman. Harvey has a 2.49 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 and Harper has 14 home runs and a .342/.436/.619 line.
New York Notes: Posada, Reyes, Citi Field
As Paul McCartney gets ready to make his debut at the new Yankee Stadium, here's the latest news from the Big Apple…
- The Yankees "don't want to release [Jorge Posada] at all," but they may be forced into such a move if Posada's hitting doesn't pick up by the All-Star Break, writes ESPNNewYork.com's Ian O'Connor. For now, there is no talk of a Posada release since the club wants to keep him on the roster until Derek Jeter reaches the 3000-hit plateau. Of course, baseball is the last thing on Posada's mind today as his 11-year-old son underwent his latest surgery to attempt to correct a birth defect in his skull. We at MLBTR send our best wishes to the entire Posada family.
- Can the Mets afford the fan backlash that will come from trading Jose Reyes? Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal asks the question, and also gets this interesting quote from author Vince Gennaro: "The odds that this is the new [Reyes] and that he's going to have a five-year run that even remotely resembles this are miniscule….But that's not where the fan base is going to come from. They're going to look at this as one more sign, if he gets dealt, of a lack of commitment by ownership."
- The Mets may explore moving in the fences at Citi Field this winter, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. “There’s always going to be a preferred class, whether it’s pitchers or hitters, in situations like this, but I want to make sure it’s a fair ballpark,” said GM Sandy Alderson.
- Tyler Clippard and Mark Melancon are two of the ex-Yankee relievers who are having fine seasons in 2011, writes Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog.
Contract Notes: Ortiz, Reyes, Ichiro, Ethier
Trade candidate Jose Reyes, 2012 free agent David Ortiz and 2013 free agents Ichiro Suzuki and Andre Ethier are earning a combined $50MM this year, but it's never too early to look ahead at a player's next contract, so here's an update on the outlook for each player's future earnings…
- Ortiz is going to be well-paid in 2012 if he keeps this up, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Red Sox DH has 14 homers and a .324/.390/.602 line this year. I looked at the market for Ortiz last week.
- ESPN.com’s Buster Olney suggests Reyes could be in position to sign for more than the $142MM Carl Crawford obtained this offseason. Reyes leads the National League with a .339 batting average, 84 hits and 11 triples. His .387 OBP and .512 slugging percentage would be career bests.
- Ichiro's agent, Tony Attanasio, told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that “nothing has been done on Ichiro’s contract beyond 2012,” when it expires. Unlike Ortiz and Reyes, Ichiro is in the midst of a disappointing season. The 37-year-old has a .260/.313/.303 line with 14 stolen bases.
- Ethier has left something to be desired as the three-hole hitter in the Dodgers' lineup this year, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. Dilbeck wonders how much a team might pay Ethier considering his relative power outage — the 29-year-old has five homers on the season.
Draft Notes: Brewers, Astros, Bell, Beede, Braves
Let's take a look at some draft-related items as Day 2 wraps up:
- The Brewers took just one Scott Boras client across the first two days: his son, Trent Boras. The younger Boras is a USC commit, but the club will try to convince him otherwise, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
- The Mets could have gone the safe route and taken players that would help them in the immediate future, but instead they went for high-risk, high-reward types, writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.
- Astros first-round pick George Springer sounds as though he's very signable, tweets Stephen Goff of Examiner.com.
- The Pirates are hoping that they will be able to sign high school outfielder Josh Bell, just as they were able to come to terms with pitcher Stetson Allie last year, writes MLB.com's Laura Myers. Allie was a UNC commit, but the Pirates got him to sign with a $2.25MM bonus.
- Blue Jays top pick Tyler Beede says that the decision on whether to sign will be based on money, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Toronto selected Beede with the 21st overall pick in the draft.
- The Braves didn't take a high schooler until the 11th round (Seth Morando, an infielder from Buchanan High School in California), but that doesn't mark a shift in philosophy for the club, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- With pick No. 685, the Reds selected left-hander Amir Garrett, a left-handed pitcher out of Findlay College Prep in Nevada, who has committed to play basketball for St. John's. The chances of him signing, however, are "infinitesimal", according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter). A source close to the family told Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated that Garrett would sign if he were selected in the first seven rounds and offered a bonus of around $1.5MM.
Mets Notes: Draft, DePodesta, Wright
Despite all the drama, ownership issues, trade rumors and injuries at Citi Field this year, the Mets have a 28-31 record and sit just five games out of the NL wild card. Newsday's David Lennon wonders if "can [Sandy] Alderson afford to deal away the likes of [Jose] Reyes and [Carlos] Beltran if the Mets are still showing a pulse, however faint, for a playoff spot?" In my opinion, the Mets shouldn't fool themselves into thinking they're true contenders. Putting off a rebuild for a longshot chance at the postseason is the kind of short-term thinking that has put the Mets in this tough situation in the first place.
Some more Amazin' items…
- The Mets have traditionally stuck close to MLB's slotting recommendations, but this year are prepared to pay above slot if necessary, reports Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. Costa notes that Alderson was one of the MLB executives involved in creating the original slotting system in 2000.
- As noted in Costa's piece, only the White Sox have spent less on the draft than the Mets have in the last five years. The Mets spent $3.9MM to sign their picks from the first 10 rounds of the 2010 draft, which was roughly 4% above slot, mostly due to Matt Harvey's $2.5MM bonus.
- Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger profiles Paul DePodesta, the Mets' VP of scouting and player development and the man in charge of running the club's draft operations.
- The Mets "owe it" to David Wright to trade him, writes Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. Madden compares Wright's situation to that of Hubie Brooks, another popular Mets third baseman who didn't want to leave New York when the team dealt him to Montreal in December 1984. The Mets received Gary Carter back in that trade, however, "and you have to believe Alderson has been entertaining the same thoughts about a Wright deal being potentially similarly transforming," Madden writes.
Keith Law’s Final Mock Draft
Keith Law of ESPN.com has written up his final projections for tonight's draft. Here are some of the latest highlights (Insider subscription needed):
- The D'Backs select UCLA righty Trevor Bauer with the No. 3 pick, meaning two of the first three picks will be Bruins after the Pirates take Gerrit Cole at No. 1 overall.
- The Orioles, turned off by Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen's hefty contract demands, take prep righty Archie Bradley out of Oklahoma at No. 4. Dylan Bundy then falls to the Royals at No. 5, which Law says would be a steal, and Hultzen slides back to the D'Backs at No. 7, a "dream scenario" for Arizona. That could lead to tricky negotiations considering Hultzen's demands and the fact that the pick is unprotected after Barret Loux didn't sign last year, but Bauer and Hultzen would represent quite a boon to the D'Backs' rotation in the near future.
- The Mets meet their organizational mandate to take a pitcher at No. 13, selecting UConn righty Matt Barnes.
- The Brewers, with an unprotected pick at No. 15, need to take a signable player, and may be looking at Vanderbilt righty Sonny Gray or Oregon lefty Tyler Anderson.
- The Red Sox probably won't spend too wildly at No. 19 and could focus on a high-probability player like Alex Meyer of Kentucky as they did a year ago with Kolbrin Vitek.
Quick Hits: Reyes, Pirates, Garvey-Hershiser
A few items of note for Sunday afternoon. On this day in 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Tim Beckham with the No. 1 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft.
- ESPN's Adam Rubin shares a video interview with Jose Reyes in which the Mets shortstop says he doesn't think about the constant trade rumors surrounding him because all he can control is his on-field performance.
- Mike Pelfrey told Mark Hale of the New York Post that it would be tough for him as an individual, tough for the team, and tough for the fans to lose Reyes, whom he deems irreplaceable.
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch covers the additional lefty relief options the Pirates have in Triple-A, and says that if a roster move needs to be made in order to appease manager Clint Hurdle's desire for another southpaw, Jose Ascanio is the most likely to be designated for assignment.
- A Dodgers sale is not yet imminent, but Orel Hershiser has joined Steve Garvey and others, forming the Garvey-Hershiser Group, in hopes of bidding on the team should it be put up for sale by MLB, writes Jeff Painter of the Los Angeles Daily News. The Dodgers could be made for sale if Frank McCourt can't make the next payroll payments, according to Painter. Reports of Garvey's interest in purchasing the Dodgers first surfaced when MLB seized control of the team in April.
- Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, slated for Tommy John surgery this week, hopes to "come back to the game with the Red Sox uniform," writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. Since it typically takes pitchers at least a calendar year to return from the surgery, Dice-K, whose six-year contract expires after 2012, may have played his last game for Boston and perhaps in MLB.
- The Phillies' debt situation is broken down by David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News in the wake of Friday's news that the Phils are one of nine teams in violation of MLB's debt service rules. The takeaway: The Phils are in relatively solid financial standing, as the franchise is paid off, with their current debt representing only a "momentary hiccup," writes Murphy.
Cafardo’s Latest: Beltran, Guerrero, Marquis, Soria
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe discusses Buster Posey and Scott Cousins, examines what went wrong with Daisuke Matsuzaka, and lists 25 of baseball's most passionate people. Here are the other highlights from Cafardo's piece:
- A National League talent evaluator on Carlos Beltran: "A contending team is going to get Beltran at the trading deadline, and they’re going to be very happy with him. He can still hit. He can be an emotional guy, but put him in a place where it counts, and he’ll produce for you."
- At least a couple National League teams are eyeing Vladimir Guerrero as a potential trade deadline pickup. As Cafardo notes, the primary concern for NL clubs is how significant a defensive liability Guerrero would be.
- Jason Marquis could be had in a trade if the Nationals received young talent in return. Cafardo speculates that Josh Reddick would be enough to acquire Marquis, but the Red Sox appear to be content with Tim Wakefield at the back of their rotation for now.
- Joakim Soria's demotion from the closer's role doesn't make him any more available via trade. Cafardo spoke to Royals people who said the team still wasn't considering dealing Soria.
Quick Hits: Giants, Tejada, Mets, Hall
The draft is right around the corner but there's still plenty more going on in the world of baseball..
- The rise of Emmanuel Burriss combined with the return of Pablo Sandoval could push Miguel Tejada out the door, writes Carl Steward of the Mercury News. Even though eating Tejada's contract is less than ideal, Giants GM Brian Sabean has often said that he wants the best 25 players active and contributing, regardless of contract.
- The Mets have released Double-A outfielder Carlos Guzman, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Guzman, 25, was let go in order to make room Bubba Bell and Erik Turgeon, who are moving down from Triple-A Buffalo.
- Mets manager Terry Collins plans to continue using closer Francisco Rodriguez in high-leverage, non-save situations late in games, write Anthony DiComo and Aaron Taube of MLB.com. The Mets have used K-Rod liberally despite his looming 2012 option for $17.5MM, which vests if he finishes 55 games this year.
- Astros GM Ed Wade checked with both Drayton McLane and new owner Jim Crane before releasing Bill Hall, tweets Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. Wade called the move "a big economic hit before [Crane] even takes control of the club."
Rosenthal On Wood, White Sox, Reyes, Rays, Dodgers
Let's check out the latest edition of Full Count from FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal..
- Cubs reliever Kerry Wood is likely to be in high demand at the deadline, in part because his salary this year is just $1.5MM. The Cubs gave him a full no-trade clause and Wood told Rosenthal that he hasn't thought about what he would do if the team asked him to waive it. After all, Wood came back to Chicago to be with his family and to lay the groundwork for a job with the organization after his career is through.
- The White Sox expect teams to inquire about their surplus of starting pitching, with Edwin Jackson as their most obvious trade candidate as he is a potential free agent. However, GM Ken Williams wouldn't necessarily seek offense in return. Instead, they'd prefer a right-handed reliever or even prospects. If the White Sox were to add a bat, they wouldn't know where to put it in the lineup.
- The Rays have been sliding as of late but are still in contention in the AL East so we can expect them to be buyers. With offense as their biggest need, it wouldn't be surprising to see them inquire on Jose Reyes, but they likely won't land him. Tampa Bay would have to part with top-notch prospects to pull off such a deal, and prospects are more valuable for the Rays than they are for most teams.
- The Dodgers were hoping to bounce back in the NL West once they got healthy, but a second rash of injuries has left them depleted again. If the Dodgers ever do get healthy, Rosenthal expects them to go after a power bat to put in left field or at third base.