Jason Pridie Elects Free Agency
Outfielder Jason Pridie has asked the Athletics for his release and the team has granted his request, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. Pridie signed with the A's last offseason but didn't play a game in the Oakland organization following a 50-game suspension for a drug violation.
Pridie, 28, appeared in 101 games for the Mets last year, posting a .231/.309/.370 batting line in 236 plate appearances and playing all three outfield positions. He also has MLB experience with the Twins.
Cafardo On Red Sox, Morneau, Broxton, Lee
The Red Sox could be in the enviable position of being both buyers and sellers at the deadline, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Once their outfield is healthy, Cody Ross, Daniel Nava, Ryan Sweeney, Scott Podsednik, and Marlon Byrd could be trade bait. Kevin Youkilis is obviously a major chip and guys like Aaron Cook, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Mark Melancon, and Kelly Shoppach may also find themselves on the block. The Nationals are in a similar position as they could sell off pitchers John Lannan and Chien-Ming Wang while still contending. Meanwhile, the two teams most willing to move players will be the Astros and Cubs. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Twins will likely entertain offers at the trading deadline for Justin Morneau but won’t necessarily deal him. The Blue Jays are a team to watch as they are trying to do something significant to help their offense. Morneau earns $14MM this year and next and the Jays have money saved. Toronto also has the kind of prospects Minnesota desires.
- A decision the Royals made last week will likely enhance Jonathan Broxton’s trade value. They have been cautious with him because of past elbow issues but are no longer barring him from pitching consecutive days. Broxton has a 1.74 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 20.2 innings this year.
- Despite the Astros’ surprising start, they will still listen to offers for their top trade candidates. That includes closer Brett Myers, lefty starter Wandy Rodriguez, first baseman Carlos Lee, right-hander Brandon Lyon, and shortstop Jed Lowrie.
- Lee could be a fit for the Dodgers as they look to replace Matt Kemp's power bat, but Lee has always had West Coast teams on his no-trade list.
- Eventually, Twins GM Terry Ryan try to make the best possible deals for assets such as outfielder Josh Willingham, starters Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano, closer Matt Capps, and infielder Jamey Carroll.
- A's starters Bartolo Colon and Brandon McCarthy, relievers Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes, outfielder Coco Crisp, catcher Kurt Suzuki, and others are in play. They also wouldn’t be against moving Josh Reddick.
Minor Moves: Fiorentino, Padilla
Today's minor moves..
- The Athletics have released Triple-A outfielder Jeff Fiorentino, according to Casey Pratt of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). Fiorentino was released as one of two moves to free up spots for Daric Barton and Tyson Ross.
- The Padres signed outfielder Jorge Padilla to a minor league contract, according to CBSSports.com's transactions page. Padilla, 33 in August, had a 29-game cup of coffee with the Nationals in 2009 for his only big league service time. He's a career .292/.360/.413 hitter in parts of 15 minor league seasons.
Padres Claim Neil Wagner
The Padres announced that they have claimed right-hander Neil Wagner off of waivers from the Athletics. The Padres optioned Wagner to Triple-A and moved James Darnell to the 60-day disabled list in related moves.
Wagner, 28, made his MLB debut last year, pitching out of the Athletics' bullpen six times. He has been pitching at Triple-A Sacramento this year and has a 5.49 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 19 2/3 innings. He has a 3.58 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in seven minor league seasons.
Two Walk-Year Closers With Declining Trade Value
The new playoff system may or may not impact the number of buyers and sellers this summer, but there's one thing about the trade deadline that won't change: pitching will be in demand. It is every year and in all forms — starters and relievers, right-handers and left-handers, aces and innings-eaters — there's a market for all of them.
A popular target for clubs looking to add bullpen help is the proverbial "closer on a bad team." The Rangers were 14.5 games out when they traded Eric Gagne to the Red Sox in 2007 and the Nationals were 13.5 games out when they traded Matt Capps to the Twins in 2010, just for example. The upcoming free agent class is littered with closers, but two of them have seen their trade value drop because of poor performance in recent weeks.
Brandon League, Mariners
League saved 37 games and was an All-Star a year ago, but this season he's pitched to a 4.43 ERA with a 44.4% ground ball rate that is well below his career norm (60.3%). Manager Eric Wedge removed the 29-year-old right-hander from the closer's role following last night's blown save, already his fourth of the season. He told reporters (including Larry Larue of The News Tribune) they'll instead "match up with what we think works" in the ninth inning.
Grant Balfour, Athletics
Three poor performances (two blown saves) in late-April and early-May cost Balfour his job as closer, and now he's working the seventh inning in Oakland thanks to Ryan Cook's emergence. The 34-year-old veteran has a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings, though his strikeout (7.0 K/9) and walk (3.3 BB/9) rates are both trending in the wrong direction for the second straight season.
Both League and Balfour are scheduled to become free agents after this season, though Balfour's contract includes a $4.5MM club option ($350K buyout) for 2013. With pitchers like Jonathan Broxton, Huston Street, and Francisco Rodriguez providing quality rental bullpen help alternatives on the trade market, the Mariners and A's could be left with nothing to show for their free agent-to-be relievers.
Photo via US Presswire.
Quick Hits: Marquis, Bourn, Nats, Athletics
Links from around baseball as the Cubs look to snap their ten-game losing streak tonight in Pittsburgh..
- Twins GM Terry Ryan said Jason Marquis was placed on release waivers, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Other clubs have 48 hours to claim Marquis, who was DFA'd on Tuesday.
- Braves centerfielder Michael Bourn could be a possible target for the Nationals and while he wouldn't directly talk about playing for Washington, he told reporters that he likes what the club has to offer, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. "They are good. They have some real good pitching," Bourn said. "They made some key acquisitions, and they have Gio Gonzalez over there now. They bring a good starter every night."
- The Athletics met with Clorox CEO Don Knauss but the team is definitely not for sale and no offer was made, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Clorox and a handful of other East Bay Companies recently announced that they are working to keep the A's in Oakland with a new stadium.
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes that the Athletics knew that they were getting a promising righty when they acquire Ryan Cook along with Jarrod Parker and Collin Cowgill in the Trevor Cahill trade, but they weren't expecting this kind of dominance.
2013 Contract Issues: Oakland Athletics
The Athletics are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:
Eligible For Free Agency (4)
- Brandon McCarthy - McCarthy, now on the disabled list, figures to be in high demand this offseason. If the right-hander returns from the DL on schedule and the A's are out of contention by the end of July, he could be traded.
- Brandon Inge - Scott Sizemore should return in 2013, eliminating the Athletics' need for a second everyday third baseman. Note that Inge signed a new one-year contract with the Athletics and that the 2013 option on his previous deal with the Tigers is no longer in play.
- Bartolo Colon - In theory, Colon could also be available this summer. He has pitched well for the A's and they might have interest in re-signing him to a similar low-risk deal in 2013.
- Jonny Gomes - Bob Melvin has maximized Gomes' exposure to left-handed pitching and the early results are excellent. Perhaps the Bay Area native will re-sign and complement the likes of Seth Smith for another year.
- Manny Ramirez – Let's see what Ramirez does in 2012 before speculating about his role on the 2013 team.
Contract Options (2)
- Grant Balfour: $4.5MM club option with a $350K buyout. It's been a rough ten-game stretch for Balfour, who could be a summer trade candidate if he recovers from his current slump.
- Brian Fuentes: $6.5MM club option with a $500K option. Fuentes would be among the top left-handed relievers available this summer if the A's are willing to listen to trade offers for him. It would seem un-Athletics-like for the team to exercise this option and commit 10% of its payroll to a 37-year-old pitcher who won't pitch more than 5% of the team's innings. But if he puts together a strong season, the club could pick up the option and trade him.
Arbitration Eligible (7)
- First time: Jerry Blevins, Cliff Pennington
- Second time: Seth Smith, Daric Barton, Adam Rosales
- Third time: Dallas Braden, Joey Devine
Injuries and poor performance have created considerable uncertainty for some of Oakland's arbitration eligible players. Devine could be non-tendered, depending on his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Barton, off to another slow start at the plate, could be cut loose as well. As long as Braden's recovery from shoulder surgery progresses well, he figures to be retained this December. If not, he'll be non-tendered, too.
2013 Payroll Obligation
The A's have committed nearly $29MM to next year's team, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. The franchise typically spends $50-65MM on its players, so GM Billy Beane should have some money at his disposal this offseason. However, the team's uncertain long-term future will presumably have some effect on Beane's ability to pursue free agents.
Quick Hits: Pirates, Manny, Luebke, Luhnow
Some links from around the league on a day when Max Scherzer became the first pitcher since 1988 to induce 15 swinging strikeouts in one game…
- We're just two weeks shy of the three-year anniversary of the trade that sent Nate McLouth from the Pirates to the Braves in exchange for Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke, and Gorkys Hernandez. Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review points out that with Locke being recalled from Triple-A, all four players involved in that trade — even McLouth himself — are on the Pirates' 25-man roster.
- Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News chronicles Manny Ramirez's journey to the Athletics, and ponders which Manny will show up in Oakland. Manny, who began a 10-game minor league assignment this weekend, has a chance to rewrite what was a disappointing ending to his career, writes Brown.
- Nothing is certain, but Padres lefty Cory Luebke is strongly leaning toward undergoing Tommy John surgery, writes Dan Hayes of the North County Times. Luebke was transferred to the 60-day DL today, which opens a spot on the Pads' 40-man roster.
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is personally scouting candidates for his team to select with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's MLB draft, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Luhnow isn't revealing which players he's scouting. He told reporters the Astros "aren't close" to knowing which player they'll draft, but are feeling more comfortable with the information they've gathered.
Franchise Notes: Padres, Athletics
Here’s the latest on the upcoming sale of one California team and the possible relocation of another…
- MLB has vetted five possible ownership groups for the Padres and the sale of the team could be complete in weeks if not months, Dan Hayes of the North County Times reports. Some of the groups that had interest in buying the Dodgers also appear to have interest in the Padres, which has sped the process up. Some estimate that the Padres will sell for $600-700MM.
- Athletics owner Lew Wolff told the San Francisco Chronicle that he doesn't intend to leave the Bay Area. Wolff believes that "there is only one location that'll provide [the A’s with] a badly needed new venue, and that location is … in downtown San Jose." Bud Selig established a committee to examine the Athletics' situation in 2009, but the commissioner said yesterday that there's no timetable for resolution.
- The time has come for Wolff to start firing off lawsuits in an attempt to move the Athletics to San Jose or sell the team, ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets.
AL West Notes: Scioscia, Dipoto, Athletics
The Rangers named 35-year-old Bobby Valentine their manager on this date in 1985. Valentine, now the skipper in Boston, managed the Rangers for eight seasons. Here's the latest from the AL West, starting with the managerial situation in Anaheim…
- There could be a divide developing between longtime Angels manager Mike Scioscia and new general manager Jerry Dipoto, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times writes. However, Scioscia says he doesn’t think about the possibility that further changes could come and Dipoto said "Mike has done a fabulous job."
- Commissioner Bud Selig says there’s no timetable for resolution on the Athletics’ stadium situation, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Selig said it’s up to Athletics owner Lew Wolff to consider relocation possibilities, Gerry Spratt of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. “That’s really his decision to make,” Selig said. The commissioner noted that a move would require approval from baseball’s other owners.