Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Athletics Rumors

Bay Area Notes: Ellis, Breslow, Fuentes, Whiteside

By | at

Here's the latest on the A's and the Giants, including some trade rumors between the two clubs themselves…

  • "The Giants are not pursuing" A's second baseman Mark Ellis, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  (Twitter links).  The Giants at least checked in on Ellis but have cooled their pursuit for a variety of reasons, including Ellis' salary, his poor performance this season, Oakland's trade demands and the presence of Bill Hall, Emmanuel Burriss and Freddy Sanchez (who could still return from the DL) on the roster.   
  • Rival scouts have been watching Brian Fuentes and Craig Breslow, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Of the two southpaws, the Athletics would be more apt to move Fuentes since he has around $7.6MM remaining on his contract through 2012, whereas Breslow still has two more arbitration years left.  Fuentes also stirred up controversy earlier this season when he criticized then-manager Bob Geren.  These two pitchers and Jerry Blevins made MLBTR's Tim Dierkes' recent list of potentially-available left-handers.
  • Eli Whiteside has been ignoring the rumors about the Giants' catching search, reports Chris Haft and Adam Berry for MLB.com.  The incumbent starter has been hitting well lately, which Whiteside attributes to getting regular playing time.
  • Another internal option for the Giants: Triple-A catcher Hector Sanchez.  Schulman reports that Barry Zito was very complimentary about Sanchez's game-calling abilities during Zito's recent rehab stint at Fresno.  Sanchez, 21, has a .299/.327/.495 line in 226 plate appearances this season, though just 42 of them have been at the Triple-A level.

AL West Notes: Figgins, Angels, Willingham

By | at

No American League West team is truly out of contention. The Rangers lead the way with a 40-36 record, the Mariners and Angels are hovering around .500 and the A's are back within 5.5 games of the division lead after a recent six-game winning streak. Here's the latest on the AL West: 

  • The Mariners still owe Chone Figgins over $20MM between now and the end of the 2013 season, but the infielder is playing poorly, so Larry Stone of the Seattle Times runs through the team's options. Stone concludes that the Mariners probably have to cut down on Figgins’ playing time and hope he finally heats up so that they can get some value from him, either in a trade or on the field. 
  • Angels GM Tony Reagins told Kevin Baxter of the LA Times that international free agency is an increasingly important and challenging source of talent for MLB teams. This year's international signing period begins July 2nd (link via the Baltimore Sun).
  • One scout for a contending team told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that Josh Willingham's Achilles injury could scare teams considering the outfielder as a possible trade target. The A's put Willingham on the disabled list, but he could return in early July, in time to reestablish his trade value.

Olney On Hanley, Phillies, Ellis

By | at

Some people in the Marlins organization believe new manager Jack McKeon has exactly what it takes to deal with Hanley Ramirez, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Here’s the latest on the Marlins’ shortstop, who is having the worst offensive season of his career:

  • Ramirez’s stock “has dropped to Enron levels.” Some rival evaluators say that his poor start is more than a slump and that the shortstop needs to improve his physical condition.
  • “If he doesn't change his body,” one scout said. “He's going to have to move [to a different position] sooner rather than later."
  • Click here to check out Olney’s analysis of Ramirez from yesterday.
  • No one believes the Phillies when they say they have limited financial flexibility for possible trades, Olney writes.
  • The Orioles are another possible fit for Mark Ellis of the A’s. The Giants, one team with some interest in Ellis, have been considering other possible infielders, according to Olney.

Quick Hits: Twins, Ellis, Cole, Hultzen

By | at

The Mets released Wily Mo Pena on this date two years ago. The slugger resurfaced with the D'Backs yesterday, when he homered in his first MLB game since 2008. Here are some links for Wednesday night as Pena attempts to hit another homer or two…

  • A scout tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Twins seem less likely to become sellers than they were a few weeks ago (Twitter link). Minnesota has re-entered the playoff race thanks to a 14-3 tear. 
  • Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group hears that the Giants are not one of the six teams on Mark Ellis’ no-trade list (Twitter link). Ellis has lost his starting second base job in Oakland and the Giants have had internal talks about obtaining him.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that top draft choices Gerrit Cole (Pirates) and Danny Hultzen (Mariners) will sign for roughly $10MM or so. Two high school arms, Archie Bradley (D’Backs) and Dylan Bundy (Orioles), will likely obtain $6-7MM and some executives see high school outfielder Bubba Starling (Royals) signing for more than Cole or Hultzen.
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick examines the case for expanding active rosters to 26 players. Teams now have sprawling bullpens and demanding travel schedules, so there's support for bigger rosters from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd, Marlins infielder Wes Helms and others.

Quick Hits: Braves, Mariners, Balfour, Posting System

By | at

Today the Diamondbacks purchased the contract of Wily Mo Pena with the aim of employing him in the middle of their order as a designated hitter during the AL leg of their interleague schedule.  The D'Backs had open spots on the 40-man roster for Pena, who hasn't played in the bigs since '08 but has a .363/.439/.726 line with 21 home runs in 271 Triple-A plate appearances.  Today's links…

  • Braves GM Frank Wren spoke to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the state of the trade market, saying teams are "starting to reach out and talk to each other." He added that they "talked to a number of clubs about where they think they’re going to be going at the trade deadline, but that’s even somewhat nebulous on a lot of clubs."
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times explored the idea of the Mariners trading either Jason Vargas or Doug Fister for offensive help and tried to figure out what a realistic return would be.
  • In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney mentions that Grant Balfour of the Athletics is among the relievers expected to be available this summer. He speculates that the Rangers could be a fit.
  • Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal looked at how the Red Sox were about to snag Anthony Rizzo in the sixth round three years before he was a key piece in the Adrian Gonzalez trade.
  • NPB has decided against pursuing changes to the posting system according to a Japanese report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Reasons include the difficulty of changing things on MLB's side, as well as the potential for large posting fees offered by the current system.
  • In the wake of Andrew Miller's return to the big leagues, WEEI.com's Alex Speier listed the seven pitchers in the last 15 years that reached the Majors the year they were drafted. It's not a pretty list.

Giants Asked Questions About Mark Ellis

By | at

The Giants "asked questions" about Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis over the weekend, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Schulman's Ellis note was parenthetical, in an article that focused on the lack of clear sellers here in late June.  Still, the assumption is that the Giants asked those questions of Athletics brass, as the teams faced off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Ellis, 34, was hitting .211/.245/.287 in 224 plate appearances this year before hitting the DL with a hamstring strain.  The Athletics' longest-tenured player, Ellis is expected to be activated from the DL tomorrow, wrote Jane Lee and Tom Green of MLB.com on Saturday.  The strong play of rookie Jemile Weeks in 12 games complicates the second base situation. 

Even with the A's hanging around the fringes of contention at 5.5 games out, Ellis could be expendable.  Earlier this month I named him as a viable second base trade candidate, with the Giants one of six potential suitors.  Ellis has good pop for the position, and his defense is highly regarded.  Still, he's a tough sell right now with a $6MM salary.  The Giants have a need given Freddy Sanchez's shoulder injury, but in-house they've got Emmanuel Burriss and Bill Hall as well as Mike Fontenot and Mark DeRosa on the DL.

According to our Transaction Tracker, Billy Beane and Brian Sabean have never matched up for a trade.  They represent the game's longest-tenured GMs.

Olney’s Latest: Bell, Phillies, B.J. Upton

By | at

Buster Olney of ESPN.com has passed along some interesting tidbits tonight via Twitter. He also touched on some of these notes in his daily column this morning. Here's Olney's latest:

  • The Padres' sweep at the hands of the Twins this weekend could hasten their decision on if and when they should trade closer Heath Bell, Olney thinks. The sooner the Friars deal Bell, the more they can ask in return (Twitter links).
  • The Phillies are looking for a right-handed hitter and have checked in on the Twins' Michael Cuddyer and the Athletics' Josh Willingham (Twitter link). Olney first reported the Phils' interest in a righty stick last week. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Phils are seeking someone cheap, such as the Rockies' Ryan Spilborghs, because of payroll constraints.
  • The Rays will listen to offers for B.J. Upton but probably won't deal him unless they can obtain a good bat, although that wouldn't necessarily have to happen within the same trade (Twitter link).

Athletics Sign Doug Mathis

By | at

The Athletics have signed Doug Mathis to a minor league deal according to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League transactions page. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants back in April, but apparently became a free agent at some point since then.

Mathis, 28, made 13 starts for San Francisco's Triple-A affiliate and posted a 3.60 ERA in 65 innings. He struck out 7.5 batters per nine innings while walking 4.3 per nine. Mathis appeared in 45 games (six starts) for the Rangers from 2008-2010, pitching to a 4.84 ERA in 87 1/3 innings. The Athletics have a full five-man rotation on the disabled list right now (Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden, Rich Harden, Brandon McCarthy, and Tyson Ross), so Mathis will give them some much needed depth.

Cuddyer Would Waive Limited No-Trade Clause

By | at

Michael Cuddyer's limited no-trade clause consists of just three teams, but he indicated to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com that he wouldn't stand in the way of a trade to one of those teams if it came down to it.

"I care so much about this organization," said Cuddyer. "I do … I care so deeply about this team, that if it helps the organization…"

As for the three teams included in the no-trade clause, well not even Cuddyer is sure who they are: "Can't remember … I think Oakland is one. Toronto. And … I'm not sure."

Cuddyer's loyalty to the Twins is admirable, and there figures to be a market for his services before the trade deadline. Steve Adams explored Cuddyer's trade candidacy last weekend, noting that similar players like Casey Blake and Mark DeRosa have yielded decent returns in the last few years.

The 32-year-old Cuddyer is making $10.5MM this year, though the Twins could eat some of that in exchange for a better return. He's hitting .282/.347/.449 in 259 plate appearances this year, and he has experience playing first, second, third, and the corner outfield spots. Cuddyer's .292/.381/.491 career batting line against left-handed pitchers could also be a big help to a number of clubs.

When Batting Champions Get Traded

By | at

It shouldn't come as any surprise that if Jose Reyes, the current National League leader in batting average, gets traded, the move will be almost entirely unprecedented. Generally, players at the top of the league leaders category in batting average are considered irreplaceable, and stay put. But as should be obvious by now, these aren't ordinary times for the New York Mets.

But the only time a batting champion was ever dealt mid-year, it was by the arch rivals of the New York Mets back in the most successful period of the franchise's history. The year was 1990. The player was Willie McGee, the team the St. Louis Cardinals, and the statistical ramifications were truly wacky.

It had been a rough year for the Cards, who'd won a National League pennant in 1987, and 86 games in 1989. A team whose best seasons were built around speed, defense and pitching saw all three areas decline. Other than John Tudor, the pitchers were decidedly average- and Tudor, now 36, pitched just 146 1/3 innings.

The hitters were slowing down, too. Ozzie Smith turned 35. Vince Coleman, who'd stolen more than 100 bases three times, swiped just 77. Terry Pendleton hit .230 with six home runs, and no one had the power of Jack Clark – the home run leader was a young catcher named Todd Zeile, who clouted 15.

But Zeile, along with young outfielders Bernard Gilkey and Ray Lankford, appeared to be the foundation of the next Cardinals team. That made for a very different fit in the manager's chair, and halfway through the season, the great Whitey Herzog called it quits. Rebuilding mode was on.

But that didn't stop McGee, who'd already won a batting title and MVP back when the stakes were higher in 1985. Playing primarily center field, McGee posted a .335 batting average in 125 games during his age 31 season. The Oakland Athletics had Dave Henderson in center field, and wanted a better defensive alternative to the aging Hendu. So on August 29, Oakland traded Felix Jose, Stan Royer and Daryl Green to St. Louis for the magical McGee.

Jose was supposed to be the centerpiece of the deal, but he simply never developed into the top-tier slugger the Cardinals wanted. (Actually, his numbers mirror, rather dramatically, his minor league production). McGee's pace fell off as well, and he hit just .274 with the Athletics- enough, however, to get them to the 1990 World Series. McGee, a free agent-to-be like Reyes, then signed with the San Francisco Giants that winter.

Thanks to the math of the time, however, McGee's .274 didn't prevent him from winning a batting title. Back then, totals accrued in the American League were considered separate from NL totals. So McGee, with his .335 NL average in the required number of plate appearances, sat frozen atop the batting average leaderboard. Thus, he edged out the full seasons of Eddie Murray (.330), Dave Magadan (.328) and Lenny Dykstra (.325). George Brett's .329 took home AL honors. McGee's combined .324 average wouldn't have won either league.

How baseball would handle the leaderboard if Jose Reyes switched leagues is still unclear. Currently, Reyes trails Adrian Gonzalez, the AL leader in batting average, by a single point. But if Reyes should get dealt while winning a batting title, Mets fans cannot accurately bemoan an unprecedented occurrence. And in a fascinating twist, the GM who'd deal Reyes, Sandy Alderson, is the same GM who traded for McGee with the Athletics. Maybe the man just hates untainted batting titles.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top