Red Sox Acquire Eric Patterson
The Athletics have traded outfielder Eric Patterson to the Red Sox for minor league lefty Fabian Williamson, according to the team's official Twitter feed. Patterson had been designated for assignment earlier this week.
The Red Sox just lost Dustin Pedroia for as much as six weeks with a fracture in his foot, and the 27-year-old Patterson has considerable experience playing second base. He's a career .224/.301/.340 hitter in 378 big league plate appearances, and is capable of playing all three outfield positions in addition to the keystone spot.
Boston originally acquired Williamson from the Mariners for David Aardsma last January. The 21-year-old has a 3.72 ERA with a 5.5 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 this season, playing for the team's High-A affiliate.
Olney’s Latest: Zambrano, Starting Pitchers, Indians
In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney writes about how Diamondbacks' manager A.J. Hinch went against the grain by leaving Edwin Jackson in to throw 149 pitches as he no-hit the Rays last night. One unnamed manager blamed the media for the pitch count craze, but I want to add that much of it has to do with teams protecting investments. With the rise of salaries throughout the game even from just ten years ago, teams don't want to unnecessarily put a pitcher in the line of danger, so to speak.
Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- The Cubs may wish they could get rid of Carlos Zambrano following his latest tirade, but Olney points out that there's still $45MM left on his contract. Chicago would have to eat a huge chunk of that money to unload him.
- The trade market doesn't figure to be very robust this summer because there just isn't a lot of money available around the league. The starting pitching market probably won't budge until Cliff Lee is dealt, at which point second tier fodder like Ben Sheets and Kevin Millwood would draw more attention.
- The Indians' two most marketable players are Austin Kearns and Russell Branyan because neither is making big money. Kearns is owed approximately $417K the rest of the season, Branyan $1.11MM, and both will become free agents as season's end.
A’s Won’t Trade Young Players
The A’s aren’t looking to make major changes this summer, but they won’t deal their young players even if they do make trades, GM Billy Beane told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The A’s haven’t ruled out making moves, but they want to build up a base of young talent.
"That's one of the reasons we acquired Conor Jackson,” Beane said. “Not just for right now, but he's a younger player and his age makes him very attractive."
Two A’s veterans, Ben Sheets and Coco Crisp, have been tabbed as potential trade candidates, but Slusser says Sheets “isn’t stirring up interest” and points out that Crisp has barely played. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported that the A’s can afford to cover some of the $5.4MM remaining on Sheets’ salary in order to obtain better prospects. The right-hander has a 3.79 ERA, less than one hit allowed per inning pitched and twice as many strikeouts as walks since the Blue Jays lit him up for nine runs on May 2nd.
Even contenders are hesitant to deal young players, so it would be surprising if the A's, who are 10.0 games out of a playoff spot, decided to trade young talent away.
Odds & Ends: Reds, Marlins, Athletics, Haren
Thursday night linkage..
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty came to the defense of his manager, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Bobby Valentine is said to love the Marlins' scouting system and new ballpark, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- A's GM Billy Beane told Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com that skipper Bob Geren's job is safe.
- Dealing Dan Haren could help replenish Arizona's thin farm system, writes MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
A’s Discussing Multi-Year Deal With Suzuki
The A's continue to discuss a multi-year deal with catcher Kurt Suzuki, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. A's GM Billy Beane told Slusser that he's optimistic about completing a deal with Suzuki and agent Dan Horwits, though nothing is imminent. Back in the spring, the A's had "preliminary talks" with Suzuki about an extension.
Suzuki, 26, will qualify for arbitration for the first time after this season and won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season. In 204 plate appearances this season, he is hitting .266/.324/.436 with eight homers. Suzuki has thrown 29% of would-be base stealers out in 2010 and in his career.
Back in April, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes showed that recent catcher extensions have typically valued the player's three arbitration seasons at $7-11MM in total. Suzuki has more experience than his peers did when they reached arbitration, so he could seek $12MM for the three remaining years he's under team control.
Amateur Draft Signings: Wednesday
To keep track of which first rounders and supplemental-round picks have agreed to terms so far, follow our complete list. Here's the latest news on lower draft picks who have signed:
- The Astros have signed two more draft picks according to a team press release: 10th rounder Evan Grills and 30th rounder Kellen Kiilsgaard.
- The Athletics signed seventh-round pick Jordan Tripp and three other players, according to a team release. Oakland's top four picks remain unsigned, but the team has locked up 15 of its next 16 selections.
- James Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Tigers agreed to terms with three draftees, including third-rounder Rob Brantly.
- The Twins agreed to sign their second-round pick, high school shortstop Niko Goodrum, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (via Twitter).
Olney On Rangers, Sheets, Gonzalez, Orioles
Lawyers in the game say the Rangers don’t have a good chance of completing their ownership transfer by the July 31st trade deadline, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. That means Roy Oswalt won’t likely play for the Rangers this year. But GM Jon Daniels, who would like to add a veteran starter, could acquire Cliff Lee if he gets creative. Taking on salary would be a challenge, since the Rangers have borrowed $20MM or more from MLB to operate. Here are the rest of Olney’s rumors:
- The A’s can afford to cover some of the $5.5MM remaining on Ben Sheets’ contract in a trade if it means they acquire better prospects. Since few teams want to take on payroll, the A’s, who paid part of Matt Holliday’s salary after trading him to the Cardinals last year, could improve the return they get for Sheets by absorbing money again.
- Olney says recently-fired manager Fredi Gonzalez has been “a dead man walking” since the end of the 2009 season.
- The Orioles aren’t in a rush to trade their veterans, partly because the team is struggling so much.
A’s May Hold Onto Ben Sheets, Deal Coco Crisp?
When Ben Sheets signed a one-year, $10MM contract with Oakland in January, it was widely assumed that the A's would try to flip Sheets to a contending team at the trade deadline, provided that the right-hander proved he was healthy and returned to his past form. Sheets has made 15 starts and had some ups and downs in performance (a 4.66 ERA, 1.65 K-BB ratio), but was still seen as a candidate to be moved in July.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, however, reports that barring a "compelling" offer, the Athletics intend to keep Sheets for the remainder of the season. The club likes how Sheets has acted as a mentor to their young pitchers and his eight-figure contract isn't too much of a burden on the payroll.
Since Sheets doesn't even currently project to be a Type-B free agent under the most recent Elias rankings, it would seem unlike the A's to just let him walk as a free agent after the season. It's possible the club thinks they could re-sign him at a lower price, but a healthy Sheets is bound to attract the attention of several teams over the winter.
Rosenthal also notes that Coco Crisp could be dealt, but Oakland "will need to be motivated to move" the veteran outfielder. Rosenthal argues that Crisp's $5.75MM option for next season fits into the club's budget, but Crisp has battled injuries for the last two seasons and has just a .719 OPS since 2006. If the A's can't move him at the deadline, it seems more likely that Crisp would be bought out for $500K.
Odds & Ends: Millwood, Mariners, A’s, Dunn
As we settle in for a Tim Lincecum/Roy Oswalt pitching matchup in Houston tonight, here are some news items…
- According to Fangraphs' Dave Cameron, Kevin Millwood is what Carl Pavano was at last year's trade deadline — a veteran starter whose high ERA hides some good peripheral numbers.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times thinks the Mariners' hitting problems aren't to be blamed on Safeco Field.
- CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban has some hot-stove speculation about the Giants and A's, including hinting at "a major shakeup" coming to the Oakland roster.
- Adam Dunn tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he doesn't want to be traded.
- Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com calls the Orioles' trade for Jake Fox "pretty much the nail in the coffin" for Garrett Atkins' playing time and possibly his tenure in Baltimore altogether. Ghiroli guesses that Atkins could be designated for assignment by as soon as Saturday when Brad Bergesen is ready to return to the majors.
- John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Giants utilityman Mark DeRosa will undergo wrist surgery and will miss the rest of the season (Twitter link). San Francisco signed DeRosa to a two-year, $12MM contract in December that was criticized as too costly given DeRosa's age (35) and the fact that he underwent wrist surgery last November. DeRosa has since said that the first surgery didn't solve his wrist problems, thus accounting for his .537 OPS this season.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer thinks the Reds will pick up a reliever before the trade deadline (via Twitter).
- Outfielder/first baseman David Winfree has signed a minor-league deal with Seattle, tweets Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times-Tribune. Winfree was playing for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton before being released last week.
- The Sports Bank blog looks at some of Chicago's options if the White Sox indeed try to acquire a left-handed hitter.
Oakland Designates Eric Patterson For Assignment
Outfielder Eric Patterson has been designated for assignment by the Athletics, according to the team's official Twitter page. The move comes as a result of Coco Crisp's activation from the disabled list.
Patterson joined the A's in 2008, coming from Chicago as a part of the Rich Harden trade. Patterson had a slash line of .221/.299/.339 in 325 plate appearances with the team over the last three seasons. With a .641 lifetime OPS and a below-average UZR/150, it's hard to see another club making a move for Patterson unless they need a pinch-runner — Patterson is 22-for-24 in career stolen base attempts.