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Rosenthal On Bell, Mets, Padilla, Braves

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Dodgers were on the brink of acquiring Heath Bell before the July 31st trade deadline. The Padres will listen to offers for Bell and Adrian Gonzalez again after the season, but they're under less pressure to deal those players with Jake Peavy's contract off the books. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Mets are not considering replacing Omar Minaya with assistant GM John Ricco right now, but we could see Ricco deal with the media more.
  • A pair of NL teams, possibly the Dodgers and Brewers, are "kicking the tires" on Vicente Padilla. Teams are more likely to wait for him to clear waivers than strike a deal now, however.
  • The Braves offered Casey Kotchman to the Pirates for Adam LaRoche before acquiring LaRoche from the Red Sox.  
  • The Rays and Rangers have been claiming players off of waivers aggressively. 
  • Rosenthal notes that the Rockies' revamped 'pen has pitched well so far.  

Alex Rios Claimed; Trade Next?

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MONDAY, 5:26pm: According to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian, Blue Jays manager J.P. Ricciardi has just called a pre-game press conference. Bastian wonders if it'll involve news on the Rios situation. Stay tuned.

SUNDAY, 5:01pm: Ken Rosenthal says that Jays have to let Rios go, regardless of what kind of return – if any – they receive. Freeing up $58.7MM over the next several years is too valuable of an opportunity. As Rosenthal points out, $12MM this offseason (Rios' approximate average salary) could have bought Bobby Abreu, Orlando Hudson, Russell Branyan, and Adam Everett, while leaving $800K to spare.

6:52pm: Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune spoke to White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who abided by league rules stating he can't comment about specific players placed on waivers. He did offer up this, though:

"I’m not confirming or denying any interest or any claims or any thing, but if these things get out on a daily basis, boy, it’s going to be a heck of an August around here in terms of how many players you claim and how many you don’t claim.  It will make your head spin if you follow each report.  A lot of players getting claimed every day. Why is this a big deal?"

 

1:50pm: According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, we should know by "early Tuesday afternoon" where Rios is headed.

SATURDAY, 1:34pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian asked Rios about the waiver claim before Saturday's tilt with the Orioles.  It sounds like everyone is still in the dark.  "I can't do anything," said the outfielder.  "If I get traded, I get traded. I'm going to have to go wherever I get traded to, but I don't know.  At this point I'm thinking that I'm staying here."

For what it's worth, Rios is 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI since the waiver claim was reported.

FRIDAY, 10:02pm: Olney is now reporting that the White Sox "are most likely the team awarded claim on Rios, but the Blue Jays have not confirmed it."  The Sox face a mutual option on right fielder Jermaine Dye after the season, and could also consider using Rios in center field if they acquire him.

8:44pm: Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times reports that the Mariners did not put the claim in on Rios.

7:58pm: John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that "someone high in the front office" confirms that the Reds did not claim Rios.

6:16pm: Henry Schulman of The SF Chronicle says that vice president of baseball operations Bobby Evans "hinted strongly" that the Giants are not the team that claimed Rios.

4:41pm: Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that the Red Sox didn't claim Rios, either.

4:39pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears from a high-ranking Mets official that the Mets did not claim Rios. J.P. Ricciardi didn't get into specifics with MLB.com's Jordan Bastian and just said it's normal to place players on waivers.

2:52pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Alex Rios has been claimed on waivers by an unknown team. The Blue Jays now have three choices:

  • They can let the claiming team have Rios and the $60MM-plus remaining on his contract.
  • They can pull him back from waivers and keep him. 
  • They can work out a deal with the claiming team. 

One executive calls this an "incredible opportunity" for the Blue Jays to shed payroll. 

Odds And Ends: Rios, Mets, Pirates, V-Mart

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A variety of links to look at this morning…

Sherman On Mets’ Offseason Needs

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In his Hardball column for The NY Post, Joel Sherman examines what the Mets should do in the offseason to get the team back to being competitive next year. He notes that the club is likely to operate with a smaller payroll in 2010 because of the financial hit owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon have taken this year, but they'll still need to address positions like catcher, first base, and left field, not to mention multiple spots on the pitching staff.

Sherman suggests the Mets "protect their thin prospect base" after sacrificing so many young players in trades for Johan Santana and J.J. Putz over the last two seasons, and that creating better 25- and 40-man roster depth is imperative considering how the team's skill level thins out beyond it's elite players.

It's unlikely the club will be able to afford big ticket free agents like Matt Holliday and John Lackey, and should instead "augment with good, versatile players" like Mark DeRosa and Chone Figgins. What do you guys think the Mets need to do to get to being a contender?

Odds & Ends: Chapman, Pirates, Westbrook

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Some more links to go along with what's been a slow Sunday thus far:

  • If you haven't already, take a look at Jorge Arangure Jr.'s article on Aroldis Chapman. Arangure covers Chapman's journey and the decisions and sacrifices that he made when he defected from the Cuban national team. There are also two videos (one Insider only) to go along with the story. It's lengthy, but a great read. Peter Abraham offers a cautionary note regarding Chapman: "…keep in mind that the same things were being said about Jose Contreras and he’s just another guy at this point. There’s a lot more to being a great pitcher in the majors than having a good arm."
  • Dejan Kovacevic has some of Pirates general manager Neal Huntington's thoughts on several issues, including the club's recent losses and the need for a left-handed reliever. Jen Langosch has some of Huntington's thoughts as well, on topics including the farm system and newly-acquired Ronny Cedeno. Huntington would rather have a quality arm who can retire both left- and right-handed hitters than just a left-handed specialist.
  • Bad new for Indians fans: Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Jake Westbrook experienced another setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and will see Dr. Lewis Yocum this week. Westbrook isn't sure if the pain is something he should expect and work through, or if there are new issues in his arm. General manager Mark Shapiro has said that if Westbrook is healthy, he'll be Cleveland's opening day starter in 2010.
  • Buster Olney has a new article up, and talks about the Dodgers' shrinking lead on the NL West. Olney wonders if, with a growing need for starting pitching, the Dodgers will call on John Smoltz to try his hand back in the National League. Olney stresses that the Smoltz idea is just his own personal speculation.
  • Joel Sherman's Sunday Hardball column looks at how to fix the Mets for 2010. His solution begins with Mark DeRosa and Chone Figgins.

Odds & Ends: Berroa, Yankees, Scheppers, Pirates

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More odds, more ends, more links…

  • Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog reports that the Mets have designated Angel Berroa for assignment. Berroa's tenure in Flushing lasted 31 plate appearances, in which he fashioned a .148-.233-.185 batting line.
  • George A. King III of The NY Post reports that the Yankees placed second baseman Robinson Cano, as well as relievers Brian Bruney, David Robertson, and Mark Melancon on waivers this past Wednesday. King says it's "highly unlikely the Yankees will deal Cano."
  • MLB.com's Daniel Paulling spoke to Greg Genske, agent for Rangers' supplemental first round pick Tanner Scheppers, and reports that Genske is "setting up an audition for Scheppers for about a half dozen Japanese teams within a couple of weeks." Genske hasn't decided whether or not to invite the Rangers to workout, and also mentions that Scheppers has been given a clean bill of health.
  • In addition to eighth rounder Colton Cain, the Pirates have also signed fourth round pick Zackry Dodson according to MLB.com's Jen Langosch. Team president Frank Coonelly denied a report that the team reached an agreement with Dodson last month.
  • Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report that Chris Resop has left the Hanshin Tigers and returned home to the States to recover from pain in his throwing elbow. Resop doesn't have any immediate plans to return to Japan, and Patrick says he's unlikely to get another shot with Hanshin.

Odds And Ends: Wagner, Red Sox, Scherzer

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An assortment of links to get the day started…

Mets Acquire Anderson Hernandez

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The Mets acquired second baseman Anderson Hernandez from the Nationals, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says the Nats obtain minor league second baseman Greg Veloz in return.

Hernandez, 26, already played for the Mets from 2005-07. This year he's hitting .251/.310/.320. Veloz, 21, is hitting .232 without much power or plate discipline in high-A ball.

Olney On Heyward, Draft, Payroll Cuts

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Top prospect Jason Heyward reminds ESPN.com's Buster Olney and Mississippi Braves manager Phillip Wellman of the same player: Darryl Strawberry. Heyward's still in AA, but he's only 19 and he has an OPS over 1.200 so far in the upper minors. He's easily one of the top prospects in baseball, along with teammate Freddie Freeman. Braves GM Frank Wren notes that pitchers Julio Teheran, Craig Kimbrel and Jose Ortegano have all impressed this year as well. 

One AL executive pointed out that the Mets, who are the only team with one of the eight highest payrolls in baseball not currently in a playoff spot, are the only one of baseball's top-spending teams that closely follows the commissioner's recommendations on signing draft picks. Another official believes the teams with the worst systems are often the ones that don't spend over-slot.

Finally, Olney hears that many teams will attempt to slash payroll this offseason.
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