Athletics Notes: McCarthy, Balfour, Smith, Fuentes
The A's could be gearing up for a sale closer to the deadline, but for now Oakland sits at 37-40 as they enter tonight's game in Texas and may look to see how things play out. In the interim, the club would like to move left-hander Brian Fuentes. Here's the latest out of Oakland..
- In addition to Fuentes, the A's will also be willing to move Brandon McCarthy once he is healthy, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The right-hander has a 2.54 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 through 12 starts this season. However, Rosenthal notes that his injury concerns could require extra rest from which ever team may acquire him. Sources add that the A's are under no financial pressure to make moves.
- The A’s also are open to moving right-hander Grant Balfour, but will seek more in return than they would for McCarthy, Rosenthal writes. Balfour is under control for 2013 with a $4.5MM club option.
- A source also tells Rosenthal that outfielder/DH Seth Smith is unlikely to be traded. Smith makes just $2.415MM this season and is and under club control through 2014.
- Fuentes politely declined to comment when asked about trade rumors or whether he has requested a trade, tweets Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group.
Athletics Looking To Move Brian Fuentes
The Athletics are looking to move left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Oakland may have a larger sale in the coming weeks, but right now they're hanging in the race at 37-39.
Fuentes, 36, has pitched to a 6.85 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 23 2/3 innings. Left-handed batters have been tagging him for a .265/.333/.471 batting line and he lost the team's closer role in short order. Fuentes is owed $5MM this season with a $500K buyout of next year's $6.5MM club option for next season.
Yankees Claim Danny Farquhar Off Waivers
The Yankees have claimed Danny Farquhar off waivers from the Athletics, the team announced. Oakland designated the right-hander for assignment over the weekend.
Farquhar, 25, was claimed off of waivers by the Athletics on June 9th after he was let go by the Blue Jays. The pitcher posted a 2.97 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 20 Double-A appearances for Toronto's affiliate and pitched eight innings for the A's Triple-A squad this year.
Mets Looking For Bullpen Help
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.
Athletics Designate Danny Farquhar For Assignment
The Athletics announced that they have designated right-hander Danny Farquhar for assignment. The move will allow the club to promote fellow righty A.J. Griffin from Triple-A Sacramento.
Farquhar, 25, was claimed off of waivers by Oakland on June 9th after he was let go by the Blue Jays. The pitcher posted a 2.97 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 20 Double-A appearances for Toronto's affiliate and pitched eight innings for the A's Triple-A squad this year.
Gammons On Marlins, Kurt Suzuki
The latest from Peter Gammons of MLB Network (Twitter links)…
- Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria told Gammons that he’s prepared to make additions to his team if necessary. "We still need a couple of parts, and in time we'll go get them," Loria said. The Marlins' offense ranks 14th in the National League in runs scored, so it won’t be surprising if president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest pursues a bat or two this summer.
- Athletics catcher Kurt Suzuki could make sense for the Marlins, Mets or Rays, Gammons tweets. The Marlins have John Buck and Brett Hayes behind the plate, the Mets have Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas, and the Rays have Jose Molina and Jose Lobaton. The A’s called up prospect Derek Norris, so they could be positioned to listen to offers for Suzuki.
Quick Hits: Lee, Pirates, Ortiz, A’s, Royals
The Dodgers are in need of a run producer and the Astros' Carlos Lee is the latest name to surface on the club's radar, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. The veteran has the ability to block trades to 14 teams, and the Dodgers are on that list. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that Lee doesn't want to play in Los Angeles Almost all of the teams on that list are high-revenue teams, providing the first baseman with leverage. More from around baseball on this Thursday night..
- With the Pirates on the lookout for offense, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter) wouldn't be surprised to see them check in on Ryan Kalish or Cody Ross when Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford return to the Red Sox.
- David Ortiz hasn't been happy with the Red Sox for some time and people that have heard his complaints strongly doubt that he would want to return to Boston after this year, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Both the A's and the Giants have had a revolving door at first base for some time, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants have used 24 players at first since J.T. Snow left, and the A's have used 41 since Jason Giambi left the first time.
- A's skipper Bob Melvin insists that the promotion of Derek Norris isn't about creating trade bait when it comes to Kurt Suzuki, writes Jane Lee of MLB.com. Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that Oakland would probably like to move the catcher and his $6.45MM salary.
- Carlos Beltran says that the Royals never made him a concrete, multi-year offer to keep him during his time there, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. "I don't really recall getting a real offer. I knew they talked about having something done, but we never got to the point where we were serious about it," the outfielder said.
Athletics Agree To Terms With Matt Olson
The A's have agreed to terms with supplementary first-round pick Matt Olson, according to a team release. Olson, a high school first baseman, was taken with the 47th overall pick, which the A's received as compensation for David DeJesus signing with the Cubs last winter. No financial details were announced but Baseball America's Jim Callis reports (Twitter link) that Olson's deal matches the MLB-recommended bonus price of slightly under $1.08MM for the 47th overall selection.
Oakland also confirmed that Daniel Robertson, another supplemental first-rounder, had agreed to terms. Jim Callis reported earlier this week that the two sides had agreed to a $1.5MM bonus that matched Robertson's recommended price as the 34th overall selection. The A's also agreed to terms with three more picks — Melvin Mercedes (16th round), Derek DeYoung (18th) and Tyler Johnson (33rd) — to bring their total of signed picks to 31 out of 43 drafted players.
Rosenthal On Royals, A’s, Barney, Orioles
Many baseball people expect the Padres to trade Carlos Quentin, but the team is in a fluid situation, so that assumption is not safe, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The Padres should have some payroll flexibility this offseason, so they could keep the outfielder despite their modest budget. Here are Rosenthal’s latest rumors:
- Jeff Francoeur has played through ailments and injuries this year and the Royals like his leadership, so they aren’t necessarily looking to trade him.
- Last August the Royals offered Melky Cabrera the same two-year, $13.5MM contract Francoeur eventually signed, but Cabrera declined the offer and the Royals traded him a few months later.
- Rosenthal suggests the A’s aren’t eager to trade veterans for marginal returns. The team is hovering around .500 and plays 18 of its next 28 games at home. The A’s would probably love to trade Kurt Suzuki, Rosenthal writes.
- One exec predicts the Phillies don’t have enough confidence in their outfield depth to trade Hunter Pence this summer.
- An agent predicts Cole Hamels will sign a monster free agent contract this coming offseason and Rosenthal says the Phillies won’t go near $150MM for six years or $175MM for seven years.
- Rival teams frequently ask about Darwin Barney and it’s possible the Cubs will trade the second baseman.
- The Orioles seem to have the most interest in trading for Diamondbacks left-hander Joe Saunders, Rosenthal reports.
- The Orioles’ Triple-A team, which includes Miguel Tejada, Jamie Moyer and Dontrelle Willis, tops the Orioles’ MLB team in career earnings, Rosenthal notes.
- One executive suggested a growing number of teams could request 72-hour windows to negotiate extensions with trade targets this summer because of the provision in the new collective bargaining agreement that prevents teams from obtaining draft pick compensation for players acquired midseason. However, players wouldn’t necessarily be interested in signing and it’d cost teams time and leverage.
Minors Moves: Hill, Carlson, Ka’aihue
We'll keep track of today's minor league moves here, with the latest up top..
- The Cubs outrighted catcher Koyie Hill to Triple-A Iowa, writes Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com. Hill, who appeared in 11 games with the North Siders this season, was designated for assignment Thursday.
- The Red Sox released reliever Jesse Carlson, tweets Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. Carlson, a left-hander, missed most of 2010 and all of 2011 due to a shoulder injury. He signed a split contract with Boston last offseason.
- The A's announced that first baseman Kila Ka'aihue cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento. The Hawaiian, acquired from the Royals for Ethan Hollingsworth last September, was designated for assignment by Oakland last week.