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Quick Hits: Kazmir, McKeon, Indians, Gonzalez

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Some quick hits as we take in a full slate of games today..

  • The Pirates have checked into Scott Kazmir, but GM Neal Huntington did not indicate whether the discussions are ongoing or if it's moot issue, tweets Rob Biertempfel of MLB.com.
  • If asked, 80-year-old Jack McKeon says that he's capable of taking over the Marlins managerial job on an interim basis, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
  • The Indians have fired hitting coach Jon Nunnally and will replace him with Bruce Fields, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
  • The Cardinals scouted left-hander Scott Kazmir but they do not have interest in pursuing him, a club source told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  While several teams have denied interest in the former All-Star, we learned yesterday that the Mets will consider him.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks back at the long-term deal that Adrian Gonzalez signed with the Padres and how it ultimately affected his future with the Red Sox.
  • In response to a question, Ken Davidoff of Newsday (via Twitter) said that Carlos Zambrano is unlikely for the Yankees.
  • Baseball's international signing period is quickly becoming one of the most important dates on the calendar for many big league teams, writes Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times.  The international signing period begins July 2nd.

Yanks Prefer Left-Handers And Rentals

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8:37PM: The Yankees are "watching everyone, focused on no one," a source tells Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter).

2:23PM: George A. King III of the New York Post lists both Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster as two pitchers of potential interest to the Yankees (which we also heard yesterday), but soon after notes that the Yankees would prefer to add a left-handed starter, and that they also prefer players who are only signed through 2011.

King names Wandy Rodriguez as the best available southpaw starter, though he's anything but a rental; his contract is guaranteed through 2013 with an option for 2014. Dempster better fits the criteria of a rental player; he has a $14MM player option for 2012, but after a disastrous start owns a 3.21 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 56 innings of work since May 1. If he continues to pitch that well through season's end, he can likely find more money on the free agent market. Dempster also has full no-trade protection, making him a difficult target.

Left-handed starters whose contracts expire following the 2011 season include Paul Maholm, Bruce Chen, Jeff Francis, and Zach Duke. Of the four, only Maholm is currently pitching well enough to be considered an upgrade. Mark Buehrle is also a free agent following 2011, but a clause in his contract states that he will receive an extra year at $15MM if he's traded this season.

Maholm earns just $5.75MM this year and has a $750K buyout on his $9.75MM option for 2012. To date, he's compiled a strong 3.12 ERA that's supported fairly well by his 3.53 FIP and 3.89 xFIP. Chen has been solid in 42 2/3 innings for the Royals, but is currently rehabbing from a lat muscle injury. Those names, of course, are pure speculation based on the Yanks' stated desires.

New York is currently sixth in the American League in starters' ERA with a mark of 3.89, but that's been largely supported by surprising performances from Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon, who was recently put on the 15-day disabled list. As King points out, the club expects Phil Hughes to return at some point as well. He's set for a rehab start tomorrow.

Yankees Have “Zero Interest” In Zambrano

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Despite recent reports that the Yankees have been scouting long-time Cub Carlos Zambrano, ESPN's Wallace Matthews spoke to a source who called the rumors "B.S." and said that the Yankees have "zero interest" in acquiring the fiery right-hander.

Matthews' source cites Zambrano's declining fastball velocity (he's checking in at 89.8mph this year) as well as his large contract over the next few seasons:

"He's just not worth the money," the official said. "The Cubs would have to pick up most if not all of the contract. I just don't see it happening."

Zambrano is being paid $17.875MM in 2011, $18MM in 2012, and has a $19.5MM vesting option for 2013, though he would need serious Cy Young consideration over the next two years (Top 2 in 2011 or Top 4 in 2012) plus a clean bill of health at the end of the 2012 season for it to vest. Earlier today we learned that the Yankees prefer rental players and left-handed pitchers, neither of which applies to Zambrano.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi both declined to comment on any potential interest in Zambrano, while pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who spent nine years as a pitching coach for the Cubs, praised Big Z as a person:

"He's a good person," Rothschild said. "Off the field, he's a great family man, he was a good guy to coach, he'll listen (to) all the things you would expect from a professional player. The stuff you see on the field is a result of just the passion he takes to the mound."

Zambrano said earlier this week that he would waive his no-trade clause if the Cubs approached him about a potential deal, but for the time being, it doesn't sound like he'll end up in Yankee pinstripes should that occur.

Rosenthal’s Full Count: Marlins, Wandy, Phillies, Rockies

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Ken Rosenthal has his lastest Full Count video up over at FOXSports.com. Let's go over the highlights:

  • If the Marlins make a managerial change, the most likely candidate would be Nationals' third base coach Bo Porter. Porter spent five years with the Marlins, and three as a Major League coach. Rosenthal wonders if the Nats would let him go to a division rival midseason, and if Porter would accept the job on an interim basis, knowing the Marlins ultimately want Ozzie Guillen. Porter turned down a similar offer last season.
  • Rosenthal asked Yankees GM Brian Cashman if he would consider trading for an ace, and Cashman replied, "I'm not Ruben Amaro," referring to the Phillies GM and his affinity for blockbuster trades. Rosenthal names Wandy Rodriguez as a potential target for New York, but says there could be a hangup since the Astros value Rodriguez as an ace, while the Yanks would view him as a back-of-the-rotation addition.
  • The Phillies are doing their due dilligence in looking for right-handed hitters and left-handed relievers, but are limited by payroll issues. They also don't currently have regular at-bats for any hitter they'd acquire. Rosenthal says someone like Ryan Spilborghs, making $2MM with the Rockies, is the type of hitter that would be appealing to Philadelphia.
  • The Rockies could be buyers or sellers, depending on their play over the next month. If they're buyers, they'll seek innings-eating pitchers (Rosenthal names Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers and the Twins' Kevin Slowey as possible targets), while if they sell they could look to move Huston Street, Ty Wigginton, and Aaron Cook.

Yankees Sign Dante Bichette Jr.

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The Yankees have signed top draft pick Dante Bichette Jr., reports Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger (on Twitter). He received a $750K signing bonus, above MLB's slot recommendation of approximately $695K.

Bichette, a third baseman/outfielder from a Florida high school, was selected with the compensation pick the Yankees received for the loss of Javier Vazquez (51st overall). Baseball America (subs. req'd) says Bichette's "profile will wind up being that of a power-hitting left fielder." His father, Dante Sr., hit .299/.336/.499 with 274 homers in a big league career that spanned five teams and parts of 14 seasons.

Carlos Zambrano Would Waive No-Trade Clause

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Carlos Zambrano does not want to leave the Cubs, but he told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he would waive his no-trade clause if the team asked him to do so.

"If they come to me and want to trade me, obviously it's because they don't want me here anymore," said Zambrano. "I always say that. I'll be here until the Cubs decide to trade me … I've heard rumors. I've already talked to my family. They said,'It's OK. If you think it's good for you, if you feel you want to be traded, do it.' I don’t want to leave. I've been here 10 years. The town has been special to me, the fans, too."

This morning we learned that the Yankees had several top advisors watch Zambrano recently, though Rosenthal hears that their interest is minimal due to his volatile personality. Since he is due to earn $17.875MM this year and $18MM next, it's likely the Cubs would have to include some cash to facilitate a trade. The Yankees are one of the few teams able to absord that kind of payroll hit, and it's worth noting that their pitching coach, Larry Rothschild, held the same position with the Cubs for the last several years.

Zambrano, 30, owns a 4.59 ERA in 96 innings across 15 starts this season. His strikeout rate (6.3 K/9) is the second lowest of his career and his ground ball rate continues to decline, though his walk rate (3.3 BB/9) is a career best. It's also worth noting that Zambrano's fastball velocity is trending downward as well.

Gammons: Yankees, Others Tampered With Miller

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The Red Sox announced today that Andrew Miller will make his season debut against the Padres on Monday after calling him up from Triple-A before his opt-out clause became an issue. However, in an appearance on WEEI's Mut & Merloni Show today, Peter Gammons said that the Yankees and several other teams tried to get Miller to opt-out of his deal. WEEI.com's Jerry Spar has the transcript.

"I know this," said Gammons, "There were a lot of teams that tampered and tried to get him to do the opt-out, including the New York Yankees. A lot of teams wanted him to opt out on Wednesday. Because of his trust for the Red Sox and how much they’ve invested in him — not in terms of money but in terms of effort to just get his delivery back and be patient with him, he stayed. In some ways, their fortunate. Because I think he could have gotten twice as much money if he had left."

MLB's tampering rules say "there shall be no negotiations or dealings respecting employment, either present or prospective, between any player, coach or manager and any club other than the club with which [the player] is under contract or acceptance of terms," which in English means that a team is not allowed to discuss employment with a player while he is under contract with another team. Yankees GM Brian Cashman responded to the report by saying they were simply "not true," reports Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger (on Twitter).

Miller, 26, pitched to a 2.47 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 65 2/3 innings for Boston's Triple-A affiliate this year. In his last four starts before the promotion, he struck out 26 and walked just three in 25 1/3 innings. 

Cubs Rumors: Zambrano, Dempster, Soriano

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A few Cubs rumblings from ESPN's Bruce Levine…

  • Yankees scouts watched Carlos Zambrano pitch on the Cubs' recent road trip, writes Levine.  Levine notes that these were not advance scouts, but rather top advisers to GM Brian Cashman.  Hopefully they saw his start against the Cardinals rather than the Phillies.  Levine is of the opinion Zambrano would waive his no-trade clause, as a friend of the pitcher told him earlier this month, "At this point Carlos would probably let the Cubs trade him to Siberia."  As a 4.50 ERA guy in the National League with clubhouse concerns and over $28MM remaining on his contract through 2012, Zambrano would be a tough sell for any team.
  • Some of the Yankees top evaluators have more interest in Ryan Dempster, reports Levine, as you might expect.  They'll get a look at him Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.  Dempster has $7.7MM remaining on his contract this year, as well as a $14MM player option for 2012.  He also has full no-trade rights and strong ties to Chicago.
  • Alfonso Soriano told Levine he expects to stay with the Cubs (he's signed through 2014), but if the team wants to trade him he wouldn't stay.  Soriano, who is owed about $64MM through '14, has a full no-trade clause.
  • I tackled the possibility of the Cubs becoming sellers earlier this month.  They're ten games out in the NL Central and the wild card.

Yankees Release Amaury Sanit

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The Yankees released righty Amaury Sanit to open a 40-man roster spot for Brian Gordon, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff.  To clear a spot on the 25-man roster, Lance Pendleton was optioned to Triple-A.

Sanit had been on the DL for an elbow injury.  The 31-year-old Cuban tossed 19 innings at Triple-A this year and another seven with the big club.  You can read about his story over at Mike Ashmore's Thunder Thoughts blog.

Scott Kazmir Rumors: Thursday

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27-year-old lefty Scott Kazmir was released by the Angels yesterday.  The team ultimately received 188 innings of 5.31 ball, plus 10 2/3 postseason innings, since acquiring him on August 28th, 2009.  The Angels gave up prospects Alexander Torres and Matt Sweeney that day, and infielder Sean Rodriguez was included as a player to be named later.  The Angels still owe Kazmir over $9MM to cover his salary for the rest of the season and the buyout on his club option.  Today's Kazmir links…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he hasn't looked into the possibility of acquiring Kazmir but will eventually, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.  Cashman commented, "I know he's struggled."
  • Kazmir is a "possibility" for the Mets, GM Sandy Alderson said in response to a question on WFAN's Benigno and Roberts (MetsBlog has more info).  However, when pressed on the topic by Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, Alderson admitted his interest in Kazmir is the same as it is for everybody who hits the wire (Twitter link).  Kazmir, of course, is a former first-round pick of the Mets who was traded by former GM Jim Duquette to the Devil Rays in '04.  Kazmir's history with the organization is a factor, Alderson told Dan Martin of the New York Post.
  • My take: signing Kazmir is a low-risk proposition that almost any team could justify, taking him on as a minor league project for the next several months similar to what the Nationals are doing with Oliver Perez.  But that's only if Kazmir wants to sign right now and finds a good fit.
  • "I don't have any regrets," Angels GM Tony Reagins said of the '09 Kazmir trade, speaking to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.  Explained Reagins, "You make decisions in this business and live with the consequences."
  • Angels manager Mike Scioscia remarked to ESPN's Mark Saxon and the AP, "He's still young and I'm sure at some point we hope he can unlock that secret of where he needs to be."
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