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Quick Hits: Hairston, Angels, Pirates, Phillies

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On this date in 2009, the Indians sent Carl Pavano to the Twins for a player to be named later (Yohan Pino). Pavano won five games down the stretch for Minnesota and has worn a Twins uniform ever since. Pino, meanwhile, now pitches for the Blue Jays' Double-A affiliate in New Hampshire, having been dealt for cash considerations earlier this year. As we wait to find out whether we'll see any major August trades this year, let's check out today's links….

  • The Mets came very close to trading Scott Hairston to the Braves in July, but ultimately nixed the deal, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
  • A club official tells Peter Gammons (Twitter link) that the Red Sox and Yankees are blocking waiver claims on relievers and starters, respectively.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff identifies a few August trade candidates and a few contenders with outstanding needs.
  • The Angels are one team named by Davidoff as an August buyer, and GM Tony Reagins agrees. As he says to Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times, "We think there will be some opportunities later on that may materialize."
  • GM Neal Huntington tells Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Pirates hope to become a "consistent championship caliber organization," rather than merely finishing above .500. Unfortunately for the Pirates and their fans, the team's current nine-game losing streak has put them on pace for a 19th straight losing season.
  • Despite frequently moving prospects for impact players, the Phillies haven't depleted their farm system, writes Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Scott Mathieson Designated For Assignment

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The Phillies have designated Scott Mathieson for assignment, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The right-hander wasn' t out of options, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The move leaves 39 players on the club's 40-man roster.

Mathieson, 27, saw action in just four big league games this season.  In 18 Triple-A relief appearances and six starts this year, Mathieson turned in a 2.92 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9.

 

Quick Hits: Jones, Stanton, Francisco

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The Cardinals acquired Larry Walker from the Rockies seven years ago today. The waiver trade sent minor leaguer Jason Burch and two players to be named later to Colorado, one of whom turned out to be Chris Narveson. 

Will we see any big name players dealt in waiver trades this month? I'm thinking yes. Until then, here are the links for Saturday…

Stark On Twins, Kuroda, Phillies

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The Twins were willing to listen to offers for Francisco Liriano leading up to the trade deadline, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. However, Minnesota wanted a massive prospect return for the left-hander and no club met their asking price. Here’s the latest on the Twins with more of Stark’s notes from around MLB…

  • The chances that the Nationals can restart talks with Minnesota about Denard Span over the winter are not good, Stark reports. Minnesota wanted Drew Storen for their bullpen in an attempt to win now, but the Twins’ sense of urgency figures to disappear this offseason.
  • Rival teams say the Tigers and Red Sox each believed they were closing in on a deal for Hiroki Kuroda before the right-hander decided not to waive his no-trade clause.
  • The Red Sox and Rockies discussed an expanded deal that would have sent Josh Reddick to Colorado and Seth Smith to Boston while considering possible moves involving Ubaldo Jimenez. Talks between the 2007 World Series foes had essentially stopped by Saturday, though.
  • Though GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has publicly said Domonic Brown was not available, Stark hears from three different teams that the Phillies were willing to move the young outfielder in the right deal.
  • Teams that have spoken with the Phillies don’t expect them to be active on the waiver wire this month, since they want to avoid paying MLB’s luxury tax.

Phillies Notes: Lee, Mayberry, Francisco

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The Phillies shut out the Giants last night behind a complete game from Cliff Lee in a game that many consider a possible playoff preview. Here's the latest on the Phillies, who have the best record in baseball at 71-39…

Phillies Hope To Re-Sign Jimmy Rollins

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Ruben Amaro Jr. told Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News that he doesn’t want to let Jimmy Rollins slip away when he hits free agency. The Phillies’ general manager expressed optimism about reaching a new deal with his shortstop after the season.

"Obviously, we'd like to bring Jimmy back,” Amaro said. “And I'd like to think he would want to come back."

Amaro said he probably won’t discuss a deal for Rollins until after the season. The Phillies are up against the luxury tax and will also see Ryan Madson hit free agency this winter. Cole Hamels is an extension candidate, which means Amaro faces major decisions regarding key members of his team in the near future.

I examined Rollins' free agent stock yesterday, suggesting that he and the Phillies could agree to a three-year, $30MM deal. The 32-year-old projects as a Type A free agent, so the Phillies would obtain two top draft picks if they offer arbitration and he declines the offer and signs elsewhere.

Quick Hits: Indians, Bedard, Braves, Phillies

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Links for Thursday, before the Pirates try to reach the .500 mark and the Indians try to climb above it…

  • One GM told Tim Kurkjian of ESPN The Magazine that the Indians gave up an awful lot to get Ubaldo Jimenez, "a guy you're just not sure about." However, reliever Frank Herrmann told Kurkjian that he believes in Cleveland's GM. "We're not going to meddle in the way the front office works," Hermann said. "I would be upset if Chris Antonetti came down to the clubhouse and told me how to hold my curveball."
  • Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that the Red Sox never stopped pursuing Erik Bedard throughout their negotiations for Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda and Rich Harden.
  • Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton told Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com that the Rangers want to prove that last year's World Series run was just the beginning. "We want to show we belong there, that it wasn't a fluke," Hamilton said. 
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Padres should have traded Heath Bell by now or signed him to an extension. Their best remaining option is to trade him this August, even though they have significantly less leverage than they did a month ago, Rosenthal says.
  • Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle can envision the Astros winning as many as 90 games in 2013 – but he can also envision three consecutive 100-loss seasons.
  • The Braves and Phillies will likely reinforce their bullpens internally, as Rosenthal explains. The Braves would like to add a right-hander and Peter Moylan, who is returning from back surgery, and minor leaguers Arodys Vizcaino and Julio Teheran are options. The Phillies, meanwhile, are looking forward to the return of Jose Contreras.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Jimmy Rollins

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In theory, the Yankees’ negotiations with Derek Jeter could have provided a model for the Phillies, whose star shortstop hits free agency this offseason. Jimmy Rollins is a longtime fixture in Philadelphia, so there are definite parallels between him and Jeter, who signed a three-year $51MM deal with the Yankees in December. But given how publicly contentious those negotiations became, it’s not easy to imagine the Phillies following the Yankees’ example.

Jimmy Rollins

Instead, the Phillies could look to lock Rollins up during the five day period after the World Series, when they’ll have exclusive rights to him, wait and bid for his services against other teams, or let him walk (likely with an offer of arbitration and the expectation that he would decline). Rollins may not be an MVP candidate anymore, but he’s a valuable enough player that he should draw lots of interest this offseason if the Phillies let him reach the open market.

That said, he won’t be the premier available shortstop. That honor goes to Jose Reyes, who could ask for Carl Crawford money. The rest of the market includes Rafael Furcal, Jamey Carroll, Clint Barmes and others, though Rollins will likely be the most appealing option once Reyes signs.

There’s a lot to like about Rollins, who turns 33 after the season. He has a .264/.337/.399 line with 13 home runs and 24 stolen bases this year.  Only six shortstops (Reyes, Troy Tulowitzki, Yunel Escobar, Jhonny Peralta, Asdrubal Cabrera and Alexei Ramirez) have more wins above replacement than Rollins this year and Jeter is the only shortstop with more WAR since 2000, when Rollins broke into the league, according to FanGraphs.

Rollins also has three Gold Gloves on his mantle and the stats suggest he has earned his hardware. UZR says he is an above-average defender in 2011 and has been for nine consecutive seasons.

However, Rollins’ on-base average was just .296 in 2009 and only .320 in 2010, so there has to be some concern about his ability to reach base, despite his solid .337 mark so far in 2011. Since the Phillies will presumably offer arbitration and Rollins projects as a Type A free agent, he’ll cost any team other than Philadelphia a top draft pick.

He figures to surpass the three-year, $22.25MM deal J.J. Hardy signed last month, but it’s hard to imagine a deal worth more than Jeter’s $51MM. Rollins is worth more to the Phillies than any other team because of his history in Philadelphia, just as Jeter means more to the Yankees than he would to any other club. That doesn’t mean the Phillies are going to hand their shortstop a blank check, however. If Rollins does stay in Philadelphia, it's not hard to imagine the sides agreeing to a three-year deal in the $30MM range.

Minor Moves: Fien, Bocock

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The latest minor moves…

  • The Astros have released right-hander Casey Fien, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter link).  Fien had a 4.81 ERA and an 8.9 K/9 ratio in 21 relief appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City this year.  The 27-year-old righty last pitched in the Majors in 2010 as a member of the Tigers.
  • The Phillies traded shortstop Brian Bocock from their Triple-A team to the Pirates' Triple-A team, according to the transactions page for the International League. Bocock, 26, has MLB experience with the Giants and Phillies. In 2107 minor league plate appearances over the course of six seasons, he has a .227/.302/.307 line.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Beane, Bourn, Beltran

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The Cardinals acquired Woody Williams from San Diego on this date ten years ago. The right-hander pitched 75 innings of 2.28 ERA ball and helped the Cardinals reach the postseason, where they lost to the eventual World Champion Diamondbacks. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • As Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun points out, Buck Showalter took over the Orioles one year ago today. In 162 games under Showalter, the Orioles are 76-86. The honeymoon is over, but Showalter is "the most prepared and observant person [Connolly has] been around in this game."
  • The Phillies may tinker with their roster in August by calling up a reliever or acquiring a bat in a minor trade, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
  • Yahoo's Steve Henson looks back at the 13 most lopsided trades in baseball history. If you guessed that Jeff Bagwell, Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek would appear on the list, you're right.
  • Moneyball has become a "period piece," Tom Verducci writes at SI.com. The advantages Billy Beane once had in Oakland have been neutralized by stadium revenue for other clubs and savvy front offices around baseball. "The biggest problem we have is that until we get a stadium it's going to be treading water for us," Beane said. "There cannot be any long-term planning. It's likely to get worse before it gets any better. It's going to be more than challenging."
  • GM Jon Daniels says the Rangers checked in on Michael Bourn without pursuing him seriously, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick examines the Giants' feeble offense and the impact that Carlos Beltran will have on it. 
  • As Scott Miller of CBSSports.com shows, the Diamondbacks have once again become relevant in the NL West thanks, in large part, to an improved pitching staff.
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