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Hughes Prefers To Stay In Starting Role

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MONDAY: Hughes clarified to Martino that his strong preference and intention is to remain in a starting role for many years.

THURSDAY: Phil Hughes hasn't made a relief appearance since 2011, but the Yankees right-hander told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that he will be open-minded about a relief role this offseason when he hits free agency, depending on the offers. Asked if a relief role was off the table, he replied:

“No. I mean, I feel like pitching at this level is a blessing in any way. So if teams value me as a starter, that’s great. If not, and that’s their opinion, we’ll see what happens. We will see how it shakes out.”

Hughes, 27, entered play today with a 4.99 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and just a 29.2 percent ground-ball rate. Many feel that his success as a starter during the team's 2009 World Series run means he should be transferred to a bullpen role full-time. For his career, Hughes has a 1.44 ERA as a reliever and a 4.73 ERA as a starter, though that relief sample size is just 56 1/3 innings.

There's also a belief that Hughes — an extreme fly-ball pitcher — simply needs to escape the homer-friendly Yankee Stadium and move to a larger park. That's also understandable, as he's pitched to a 6.18 ERA with 16 homers in 62 2/3 home innings this season (2.3 HR/9) compared to a 3.67 ERA on the road with just six homers allowed on the road. Since moving back into the rotation full-time in 2010, Hughes has a 5.02 ERA and 5.10 FIP at Yankee Stadium. His road marks of 4.08 and 3.81 are much more respectable.

Quick Hits: A-Rod, Rangers, D’Arnaud, Morneau

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Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez currently faces a 211-game suspension stemming from his role in the Biogenesis scandal, but his suspension might have been far shorter, perhaps as few as 50 games, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal writes. "At different points, it could have been way, way less than where it is now," a source tells Rosenthal. Rodriguez has appealed his suspension. Here are more notes from around the Majors.

  • The Mets have decided Travis d'Arnaud's promotion won't be temporary, Rosenthal tweets. The Mets promoted d'Arnaud after starting catcher John Buck went on paternity leave. Now, Rosenthal writes, the Mets plan to keep d'Arnaud on their roster and give him "significant playing time." That would suggest that Buck is likely to play much less. D'Arnaud, 24, has hit .286/.420/.514 across three minor-league levels in 2013 after having missed much of the season with a foot injury.
  • The Rangers are looking for a pitcher to start on Tuesday, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News writes. Texas has a need in its rotation after Alexi Ogando received an anti-inflammatory injection on Saturday. The Rangers will have Matt Garza pitch on Monday, a day earlier than expected. Josh Lindblom, who has made five starts for the Rangers this year, started Sunday night for Triple-A Round Rock, so he isn't a candidate to pitch Tuesday. The Rangers could promote the recently-acquired Travis Blackley, but Fraley raises the possibility that they could deal for a starter like Dan Haren or Erik Bedard, both of whom have passed through waivers.
  • The Indians are not interested in former Phillies outfielder Delmon Young, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer tweets. Hoynes also notes that the Indians have put in waiver claims on "several players," although they have not been able to trade for any.
  • The Twins aren't likely to trade Justin Morneau to the Red Sox, writes Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Morneau cleared waivers on Wednesday, and Sox first baseman Mike Napoli is currently nursing a sore foot. It's not yet clear that Napoli's injury is severe, however, and it's questionable whether Morneau would be an upgrade over options like Daniel Nava and Mike Carp.

AL East Notes: Orioles, A-Rod, Blue Jays

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Wilson Betemit is on his way back from a knee injury suffered in the spring, but that won't prevent the Orioles from hunting for a designated hitter, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. "We want to find another hitter. We have been looking at this issue for a while, and we want to find a solution for DH," Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette says. "[Betemit] can certainly be a solution. He is a good hitter, but he needs some at-bats." Connolly reports that the Orioles do not seem interested in Justin Morneau and have not seriously considered Paul Konerko, both of whom have passed through waivers. Here's more from the AL East.

  • Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees are in the midst of a feud centered on accusations against the Yankees made by Rodriguez attorney Joseph Tacopina. Despite that and Rodriguez's 211-game suspension, the Yankees are not considering releasing Rodriguez, Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger writes. "That’s not something for me. I wouldn’t think that that’s – I don’t think that’s something that would be considered, personally," GM Brian Cashman says.
  • The Blue Jays have done a nice job finding depth players this season, but have struggled overall because bigger-name players aren't producing, SportsNet.ca's Shi Davidi writes. On Sunday, the Jays got a solid start from former waiver claim Todd Redmond, but couldn't put together enough offense to beat the Rays. The Jays have gotten underwhelming results from big-name acquisitions like Josh Johnson, R.A. Dickey, Melky Cabrera and others en route to a 57-67 season so far.

Rosenthal On Freese, Cardinals, Reynolds, Dodgers

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has lots of good stuff in this weekend's edition of Full Count.  Here's a look at some of the highlights..

  • The Cardinals' promotion of Kolten Wong could be the first step towards the club trading David Freese.  Obviously, Freese isn't having a good year, but the free agent market at third base this offseason will be very thin this season and will be headlined by veterans such as Juan Uribe and Michael Young.  Freese is under club control through 2015 and while he's not an All-Star, it's easy to see teams making a play for him.
  • Mark Reynolds had interest from a number of clubs but he signed with the Yankees because they offered him the best opportunity of any interested club.  The Orioles thought about a reunion, but he only would have DH'd against left-handed pitching.  The Royals also thought about Reynolds, but they expect Mike Moustakas to come back soon from his calf injury and the Rangers checked in but didn't have an immediate major league opening.  
  • The Dodgers will be the x-factor in Robinson Cano's free agency and they could be spurred by their recent success to make a play for him.  The Dodgers have been indicating that they won't spend like crazy forever and could dedicate their resources to new deals for Clayton Kershaw and Hanley Ramirez.  However, they could also move one of their surplus outfielders and find the spare cash for the second baseman.

Quick Hits: Jordan, Johnson, Manuel, Soriano, Baez

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Let's have a look at a few stray notes before calling it an evening …

  • Nationals starter Taylor Jordan will be shut down for the year after throwing a combined 142 innings in his first full year back from Tommy John surgery, reports James Wagner of the Washington Post. (For some reason, we've yet to hear of any outrage over the decision.) The 24-year-old emerged this season and became one of the few nice surprises for the sputtering Nats. With a 3.66 ERA over 51 2/3 innings, Jordan has certainly established himself as a viable rotation option for next year, which could impact the Nationals' off-season shopping plans. While Jordan registered only by 5.1 K/9 (against 1.9 BB/9), his FIP (3.48) and xFIP (3.79) backed up his solid results. 
  • With Orioles closer Jim Johnson continuing to struggle to finish games, CSN Baltimore's Rich Dubroff writes that he is increasingly becoming a non-tender candidate. Earning $6.5MM this year, Johnson should see a multi-million dollar raise through arbitration if the O's decide to hold onto him. (He does have 39 saves, best in baseball, to go with his league-worst 9 blown.) The team has a younger, cheaper option in Tommy Hunter who could step into the role, though Dubroff wonders if he can take on save chances with the same frequency as has Johnson.
  • Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the details of the Phillies' firing of manager Charlie Manuel. The Phils' front office knew it was moving on without Manuel for months, says Gelb, but finally decided to pull the trigger now in order to have a look at his anticipated replacement, Ryne Sandberg. 
  • While the Yankees' acquisition of Alfonso Soriano drew a lot of criticism at the time, it is hard to complain about the performance he's put up since arriving in the Bronx. Depending upon how one works the statistics, in fact, his recent run is downright historic. In just 19 games with his new/old club, Soriano has racked up an outstanding 1.5 WAR (according to Baseball-Reference). Of course, the naysayers' concerns related more to the rest of the Yankees' team, and its reasonable prospects for the playoffs, than to Soriano himself. Sure enough, New York's playoff odds have continued to fall since the deal was consummated.  
  • Cubs' shortstop Javier Baez continues to tear the cover off of the ball as he ascends the minor-league ranks, making the 20-year-old a dark-horse candidate to earn a big league roster spot next year. As Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald writes, there are many good reasons (cost, control, and development among them) for the Cubs to be hesitant. Nevertheless, manager Dale Sveum noted, “when you have that kind of numbers and power, sometimes you do force the issue. It’s not in the plans right now, but we’ve all seen it happen.”

AL Notes: Reynolds, Green, Callaspo

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We'll begin a quiet morning in baseball with a few links from the American League …

  • Mark Reynolds started his Yankee tenure with a bang, ripping a two-run homer, going two-for-five, and adding another RBI on the evening. As Mark Feinsand and Roger Rubin of the New York Daily News report, Reynolds and his new teammates and manager all seemed pleased with his signing after the game. The Yanks will hope that Reynolds catches one of his patented hot streaks down the stretch this year.
  • The Angels' acquisition of young second baseman Grant Green in exchange for Alberto Callaspo is looking better and better in the eyes of MLB.com's Lyle Spencer (via Twitter). Spencer says that Green evidently has the kind of talent that it is worth taking a chance on. After an underwhelming (0-for-15) stint with the Athletics earlier this year, Green has been on fire early in his Angels tenure. In his 36 plate appearances with the Halos, Green has posted a .433/.528/.500 triple-slash. 
  • For his part, Callaspo's .229/.308/.371 line since joining the A's corresponds to the OPS+ mark (92) he put up in Anaheim this year. With his defensive metrics trending down, Callaspo seems unlikely to put up more than one win above replacement this season (whether measured by Fangraphs or Baseball Reference) for the first time since he became a regular. He will earn $4.875MM next season before becoming a free agent the following year.

AL East Links: A-Rod, Jeter, Ellsbury, Myers, Jones

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According to a "60 Minutes" report, members of Alex Rodriguez's inner circle obtained unredacted Biogenesis documents in February and leaked the names of Ryan Braun, Francisco Cervelli and Danny Valencia (who was later cleared) to Yahoo Sports.  Michael Radutzky of CBS News writes.  Rodriguez talked to the media (including Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York) today and denied leaking the names of any fellow player, particularly his Yankee teammate Cervelli.  The third baseman also warned that more details in the case would be made public in the coming days: 

"You know, I've been a member of this union for 20 years, and it is important for all the guys to understand that my loyalty is to this union and it would never happen, it would never occur and it didn't happen. Let's make one thing clear: For the next seven weeks, it is going to be a very bumpy road. Every day expect a story like this, if not bigger."

Here are some more items from around the AL East…

  • Given the uncertainty of Rodriguez's situation and Derek Jeter's health, the Yankees will need to explore alternatives at third base and shortstop this winter, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.  Under Sherman's scenario, Jeter would play half his games at shortstop and the rest at first base or as the Yankees' primary DH against right-handers.
  • As least 12 teams project to be suitors for Jacoby Ellsbury this winter, Fangraphs' Paul Swydan writes.  The Red Sox are one of those teams, as "GM Ben Cherington isn’t letting Ellsbury go without a fight," though Swydan notes that the Sox could be in a position crunch in left field (with Jackie Bradley, Daniel Nava and Jonny Gomes) if they re-sign both Ellsbury and Mike Napoli.
  • The Rays still look like the winners of the Wil Myers/James Shields trade, despite the Royals' recent hot streak, Grantland's Rany Jazayerli opines.
  • The hiring of Buck Showalter was the key move that turned the Orioles from also-rans into contenders, outfielder Adam Jones writes in a guest piece for Buster Olney's column (ESPN Insider subscription required).

Yankees To Sign Mark Reynolds

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The Yankees have agreed to terms with Mark Reynolds, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports. Heyman indicates that Reynolds will "help with their righthanded power," and indicates he'll be used to spell Alex Rodriguez at third and Lyle Overbay at first. If that's the case, Reynolds would likely play in place of the left-handed Overbay against lefty starters.

The Indians released Reynolds on Monday after he hit .207/.315/.373 in 384 plate appearances this season. Cleveland signed Reynolds to a one-year, $6MM deal in the offseason, and they're still on the hook for the bulk of what's left of that contract — the Yankees will only have to pay Reynolds a pro-rated league-minimum salary.

The 30-year-old Reynolds has 196 career big-league home runs, but has struggled with strikeouts throughout his career. His 223 whiffs in 2009 are the most ever in a season, and he has had two other seasons in the top five all time. As Reynolds has aged, his strikeouts have led to difficulties posting respectable batting averages, and the low averages and weak defense have offset his prodigious power.

Mike Zagurski Exercises Opt-Out Clause

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Left-hander Mike Zagurski has exercised the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Yankees and is now a free agent, according to his agent, Marc Kligman (on Twitter).

The 30-year-old Zagurski allowed 10 runs in six innings with the Pirates this season but has been dominant in Triple-A this season. The former 12th-round pick has a 2.66 ERA with 14.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 47 1/3 innings between the Pirates' and Yankees' Triple-A affiliates this season. He's limited opposing left-handers to .244/.310/.321 batting line in the minors.

Quick Hits; Qualifying Offers, Replay, A-Rod, Hawkins

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With ESPN's Buster Olney on vacation, Scott Boras stepped in as a guest blogger for ESPN today and wrote about his take on the new collective bargaining agreement, specifically the qualifying offer system and draft pools. Boras writes that the qualifying offer system is flawed because it punishes veteran players for having strong years. Veterans who receive qualifying offers but are on the wrong side of 30 are punished due to the "artificial scarcity" of draft dollars. Boras also tackles the hard slotting system and how he feels young American talent is punished under the new CBA in his blog, which is an excellent read. Here's more from around the league…

  • MLB owners are meeting today to discuss a massive expansion of instant replay in Major League Baseball, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The proposed expansion would make replay available on virtually every aspect of the game with the exception of balls and strikes, but it would also be costly to implement. One executive said the start-up fee would likely be $25-40MM.
  • Alex Rodriguez has to be extremely careful if he brings a federal lawsuit against MLB, writes Tom Harvey of the New York Daily News.  If the Yankees veteran goes through with it, he'll be forced to address his allegations of drug use and his link to the Biogenesis clinic.
  • Mets reliever LaTroy Hawkins was convinced two months ago that this season would be his last, but the 40-year-old now sees himself pitching in 2014, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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