NL East Notes: Murphy, Lee, Marlins
Here’s the latest from the National League East …
- In his latest Mets inbox, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo writes that he can’t envision the club trading Daniel Murphy this summer due to Sandy Alderson’s precedent for not wanting to deal proven commodities. He does provide a list of reasons to back up his belief that the Mets should be shopping Murphy, and he notes that Alderson has wavered at times, dealing Carlos Beltran and Marlon Byrd.
- Cliff Lee remains on track to return by the All-Star break, reports Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com. That would presumably give him at least a few starts to establish his value before the trade deadline (though it is fair to note that Lee could be a plausible August trade candidate). Seidman looks at the market for Lee from the Phils’ perspective, breaking down four possible trade partners (Yankees, Blue Jays, Angels, and Orioles) and what they might be willing and able to offer if Lee is made available.
- The Marlins will base their buy/sell stance in part upon whether the team is within striking distance not only of the wild card, but also the division, reports the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer. “Just looking right now, I would tell you the best shot may be the division,” said GM Dan Jennings. Indeed, the NL East remains largely wide open. If the club does buy, Jennings confirmed prior reports that starting pitching appears a likely target. “Our starting pitching needs to step up a notch,” said Jennings, who explained that the club “loves” recent call-ups Andrew Heaney and Anthony DeSclafani but must assess how they perform at the MLB level at this early stage of their careers.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Orioles Outright Francisco Peguero
TODAY, 7:49pm: Peguero has accepted his assignment and is in the lineup for Norfolk this evening, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
7:39pm: Peguero has rejected the assignment and elected free agency, according to the MLB transactions page.
YESTERDAY: The Orioles announced that they have outrighted the contract of outfielder Francisco Peguero to Triple-A Norfolk.
Baltimore signed Peguero, 26, to a Major League contract this offseason despite the fact that he has just 46 big league plate appearances under his belt. Peguero batted a combined .200/.217/.289 from 2012-13 with the Giants and was released after the season. Once considered one of San Francisco’s top prospects, Peguero is a career .306/.337/.427 hitter in the minors, which is nearly identical to the .307/.338/.429 batting line he’s put together this season with Norfolk. Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette explained his thinking behind the Major League contract to MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes this offseason.
Peguero was one of three minor league free agents signed to Major League deals by the O’s this winter; right-hander Edgmer Escalona — who was also outrighted just yesterday — and lefty Kelvin De La Cruz were both signed to big league deals as well despite having little to no Major League experience.
Minor Moves: Whiteside, Texeira, Slowey, Bell, Schlereth
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves from around the league right here…
- Cubs backstop Eli Whiteside has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A, reports Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 34-year-old, who saw only minimal action with the Cubs, was designated for assignment on Sunday.
- The Braves have inked righty Kanekoa Texeira to a minor league deal, according to the MLB transactions page. The 28-year-old, who last threw in the bigs in 2011 with the Royals, threw effectively over each of the last two seasons at Triple-A with the Reds. He had been pitching for the independent Bridgeport Bluefish in 2014 before joining Atlanta.
- Righty Kevin Slowey has been released by the Marlins, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). Slowey owned a 5.30 ERA through 37 1/3 innings this year, most of which came in relief. He had been a starter for much of his prior time as a big leaguer, and owns a 4.62 ERA over 662 career MLB frames.
- The Yankees have released reliever Heath Bell, reports MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (via Twitter). Bell, who recently signed a minor league deal, had a 7.50 ERA in five appearances at Triple-A Scranton. In 17 1/3 frames at the major league level with the Rays this year, Bell threw to a 7.27 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
- The Tigers have acquired southpaw Daniel Schlereth from the Pirates, reports John Wagner of the Toledo Blade. James Schmel of MLive.com tweets that the Pirates will receive cash considerations. This will be Schlereth’s second stint with the Tigers, as he spent the 2010-12 seasons in Detroit’s bullpen after coming over in the three-team Max Scherzer/Curtis Granderson/Ian Kennedy/Austin Jackson blockbuster. Schlereth’s long-standing control problems have been very apparent this season at Triple-A; he’s walked 18 batters and surrendered 18 hits in 18 2/3 innings en route to a 7.23 ERA. On the plus side, he’s also fanned 18 hitters in that time.
Phillies Sign Grady Sizemore
5:26pm: Sizemore’s deal calls for him to make the MLB minimum if he is called up, tweets ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. Of course, the Red Sox are already obligated to pay Sizemore $1.25MM.
5:02pm: Sizemore’s opt-out can be exercised if he is not in the majors by the All-Star break, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com.
4:25pm: The Phillies have signed Grady Sizemore to a minor league deal, the club announced. He will join the club’s Triple-A affiliate, and will have an opt-out opportunity in July, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
After coming on strong in the spring and early portion of the season, the 31-year-old faded for the Red Sox before being released. Through 205 plate appearances with Boston — his first since 2011 — Sizemore posted a .216/.288/.324 line. Once an above-average baserunner and center fielder, Sizemore’s marks in those areas were at or below average.
Nevertheless, the former All-Star did show flashes of his former excellence and managed to stay on the field. For a Phillies club that has received average-to-awful performances from its current outfield alignment, the move provides another option moving forward.
Royals Designate Donnie Joseph For Assignment
The Royals have designated lefty Donnie Joseph for assignment, tweets Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star. In a series of corresponding moves, the club has also activated swingman Bruce Chen and optioned reliever Tim Collins to Triple-A.
Joseph had one regrettable appearance this year, allowing six earned in just two thirds of an inning, but did make six scoreless outings last year. Through 25 2/3 frames at Triple-A in 2014, Joseph owns a 3.86 ERA with 10.5 K/9 against 7.0 BB/9.
Rangers Designate Brad Snyder For Assignment
The Rangers have designated outfielder/first baseman Brad Snyder for assignment, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). His roster spot will be taken by Carlos Pena, whose contract was purchased.
Snyder, 32, has only seen 71 MLB plate appearances in his career, just under half of which came this year with the Rangers. He was a first-round pick of the Indians back in 2003, and once figured as a top-100 prospect, but has largely stalled out at the upper minors. In parts of eight seasons at Triple-A, he owns a .288/.351/.507 triple-slash.
Pena, meanwhile, makes an interesting return to the club with which he debuted back in 2001. The first baseman, now 36, was dealt away to Oakland after just 72 plate appearances with the Rangers and ultimately played 12 seasons with numerous other clubs before making his return. His career line stands at .233/.348/.465.
Angels Seek To Add Pen Lefty And Perhaps Closer
JUNE 24: Obtaining bullpen help in advance of the trade deadline is a top priority, GM Jerry Dipoto told Jim Bowden in an an appearance on Sirius XM MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).
In addition to indicating that a left-handed reliever is a definite need, Dipoto suggested that the Halos may be interested in adding a new 9th inning option as well. Incumbent closer Ernesto Frieri owns a 5.83 ERA on the year, though he has registered 11.0 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9, leading to mixed views from other metrics (5.00 FIP, 3.08 xFIP, 2.42 SIERA).
MAY 29: With the loss of southpaw Sean Burnett fresh on the heels of his return to the MLB roster, the Angels may explore the trade market for alternatives, according to a report from MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez (via Twitter). “If the chance at acquiring somebody is there, we’re certainly going to be open to the idea,” GM Jerry Dipoto said of the possibility of adding a southpaw via trade.
The need is exacerbated, Gonzalez notes, by the fact that the team’s lone current left-hander — Wade LeBlanc — “needs to be stretched out” as a starter, according to manager Mike Scioscia. Temporarily, at least, the club could give another chance to Nick Maronde, who has been hit hard at all levels this year, or go to one of its marginal minor league options: Buddy Boshers, Brandon Sisk, and Dustin Richardson. Alternatively, says Gonzalez, demoted starter Hector Santiago could be a hypothetical possibility, or the team could choose to lean on righties Michael Kohn and Ernesto Frieri, who have reverse platoon splits over their career.
Even if the Halos look internally at present, though, the club seems a good bet to look to add another left-handed pen piece over the summer. Looking ahead, Gonzalez notes that several arms could become available. He lists Antonio Bastardo of the Phillies, the recently-acquired Troy Patton of the Padres, and the Reds’ Sean Marshall as names to watch.
Twins Sign Second-Rounder Nick Burdi
JUNE 24: The deal is official, tweets Twins’ director of communications Dustin Morse. Burdi will head to Class-A Cedar Rapids. He will indeed receive a full-slot bonus of $1,218,800, reports John Manuel of Baseball America (via Twitter).
JUNE 17: The Twins and second-rounder Nick Burdi are closing in on a deal, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter links). Burdi, a right-hander who spent this past season as Louisville’s closer, will receive close to the full slot value of $1,218,800, according to Heyman. He adds that Burdi is scheduled to take his physical for the Twins within the week.
Burdi was thought by most to be the top college reliever in this year’s draft class. He ranked 34th on MLB.com’s Top 200 draft prospects list, 36th on Baseball America’s Top 500 and 56th on the Top 100 of ESPN’s Keith Law. Burdi’s blistering fastball has reached otherworldly heights, touching 103 mph and sitting comfortably in the 96-100 mph range. BA’s scouting report adds that he throws a power slider that can run as high as 92-93 mph but sits more in the 87-90 mph range with good depth. Law noted his ability to miss bats and generate ground-balls, adding that he has a good chance to be a big league reliever and perhaps even a closer.
This is actually the second time the Twins have drafted Burdi, as they took him in the 24th round out of high school back in the 2011 draft. He was the first of many high-profile college relievers selected by the Twins. Many reports on the Twins’ draft noted that they landed the two hardest-throwing relievers in this year’s class in Burdi and third-round selection Michael Cederoth. The Twins have already signed Cederoth as well as first-rounder Nick Gordon, so bringing Burdi into the fold would secure their top three picks. Fans that are interested in learning more about Burdi can check out the conversation he had with MLBTR’s own Zach Links for our Draft Prospect Q&A series.
Pirates Outright Jose Tabata
The Pirates have outrighted Jose Tabata to Triple-A Indianapolis, the team announced via press release. The move clears space for second baseman Neil Walker to be activated from the disabled list.
Clearly, this is a disappointing outcome for both team and player, as Tabata was once viewed as a building block for the Pirates as they were re-tooling in 2011. Tabata inked a six-year, $15MM extension with the Bucs at the time that contains a trio of club options which can boost the deal to a total of $37.5MM. At the time of the extension, he had backed up a .299/.346/.400 rookie campaign with a .264/.351/.362 batting line and was just a nine days removed from his 23rd birthday.
Tabata, also a threat on the basepaths and a solid defensive left fielder, seemed to have quite a bit of upside, but his bat never progressed much after signing the deal. He hit .243/.315/.348 the following season and has batted .267/.328/.377 in 869 plate appearances since the contract was signed. With Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and now Gregory Polanco occupying the regular outfield spots, Tabata doesn’t have a route to everyday at-bats, though it’s somewhat surprising, given his solid glove in left and decent numbers against lefties, that he wasn’t kept on the roster in a reserve capacity.
Tabata is owed roughly $1.59MM over the remainder of the current season, $4MM in 2015 and $4.5MM in 2016. The buyout on his first option is $250K, meaning he’s guaranteed roughly $10.34MM through the end of 2016. As a player with more than three years of Major League service time that was outrighted, Tabata has the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency, though in doing so he would forfeit the remaining guarantee on his contract, making the option more or less a moot point.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington reportedly shopped Tabata throughout Spring Training this season but was unable to find a taker.
Rays Prepared To Move David Price
While no deal is imminent at the moment, rival officials tell ESPN’s Buster Olney that the Rays are prepared to move David Price “right now” if the right offer presents itself (ESPN Insider subscription required and recommended).
Olney notes that the Rays’ litany of injuries and surprisingly poor performances from Evan Longoria and Wil Myers have buried Tampa in the AL East cellar. Waiting for another month or more to move Price presents the Rays with a great risk, he points out, using Matt Garza as an example. The Cubs intended to trade Garza two summers go but waited too long and saw their No. 1 starter go down with a season-ending injury. Olney goes on to write:
“The expectation of rival officials is that sometime in the days ahead, some team is going to call Rays GM Andrew Friedman with the right offer, with enough pitching included to fill Tampa Bay’s organizational need.”
Olney also highlights Price’s improved performance and velocity of late, noting that the league-wide need and his resurgence have made the conditions almost perfect to move the former Cy Young winner. Indeed, while Price’s velocity has been anything but consistent, Fangraphs’ velocity chart on him shows a gradual increase from the beginning of the season, and he’s averaged 93.4 mph or better in five of his past eight starts.
Tampa is said to prefer to trade Price to the National League — or at the very least out of the AL East — but the suitors for Price will be plentiful. Olney speculates on the Giants, Dodgers and Cardinals as possible fits. Other clubs that have been connected to Price in recent weeks have been the Blue Jays and the surprising Marlins. Miami’s NL East rivals, the Braves, are reportedly unlikely to join a pursuit of Price. That’s not surprising, given how much the team had to stretch payroll simply to accommodate Ervin Santana in Spring Training.