Stark On Posada, Cubs, Madson
The nuances of this year’s interleague schedule could impact the playoff picture, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark explains. In the AL West, for example, the Rangers play the Astros (owners of the worst record in baseball) six times, while the A’s play the first-place Giants six times. Stark also delivers a number of rumblings from around the league. Here they are:
- There are no signs that the Yankees have really considered releasing Jorge Posada, but at least one scout thinks the switch-hitter could easily find another job if the Yankees cut him loose.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry says he hasn’t discussed next year’s spending plans with owner Tom Ricketts, since he’s focused on turning the 2011 team around.
- Don’t count on seeing Aramis Ramirez’s name on MLBTR much this summer. Not only can the third baseman veto any trade, a deal would guarantee him $16MM in 2012 (though he could still opt out).
- Ryan Madson seems ready to test the open market after the season. Since taking over for Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge, Madson seems like a possible long-term closer, but he figures to generate interest as a free agent after the season.
Quick Hits: Posting System, Wright, Phillies
Royals southpaw Danny Duffy makes his MLB debut tonight against the Rangers, a team that hits lefties well with players such as Michael Young and Mike Napoli. Read about the service time implications for Duffy here, and predict his debut line in the comments. Today's links:
- NPB will review the posting system, reports Patrick Newman. One interesting suggestion from Rakuten is to award negotiating rights to the top three bidders.
- Third baseman David Wright talked to ESPN Radio New York's Mike Lupica about his future with the team, saying he wants to finish his career with the Mets. Listen here and read the transcript here.
- Great article from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, who ranks ugly endings for beloved players, complete with "animosity quotients."
- The Phillies' biggest need is a right-handed bat, writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, and the Twins' Michael Cuddyer could be a feasible fit. Cuddyer, however, is earning $10.5MM this season. Earlier today I tossed the Phillies in as a speculative match for left-handed bat Garrett Jones. It's admittedly a rough gauge, but the Phillies' OPS against righties ranks 13th in the NL while their OPS against lefties ranks sixth.
NL East Links: Lopez, Beltran, Baez, Braves
Six years ago today, two NL East clubs pulled off a rare intra-division trade when the Phillies sent Marlon Byrd to the Nationals for Endy Chavez. Byrd hit .245/.318/.366 in 471 plate appearances with the Nats before signing with Texas as a free agent while Chavez hit .215/.243/.299 in 118 plate appearances with Philadelphia. He moved on to the Mets as a free agent after the season.
Let's check in on the latest news from the only division with three 21+ win teams…
- Because Rodrigo Lopez would earn a $1MM salary upon reaching the majors, Julio Teheran and Mike Minor seemingly stand as the more likely candidates to step into the Braves rotation, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
- Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post wonders if the Mets would be willing to trade Carlos Beltran to the Yankees given the potential fan backlash if he performs well in the Bronx.
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says that Phillies' reliever Danys Baez could be in trouble if he's not pitching well when Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras come off the disabled list.
- The Braves are likely to wait until tomorrow to put Brandon Beachy on the disabled list after he left yesterday's start with a strained oblique according to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). He says they'll add Scott Proctor to the bullpen, who will fill the final spot on the 40-man roster, then possibly use Mike Minor in Beachy's place since Rodrigo Lopez would require a 40-man move. Julio Teheran is another 40-man roster option as well, says MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
Minor Deals: Brewers, Clevlen, Alaniz, Boleska
The D'Backs released Ron Mahay and the Mariners claimed Jeff Gray. Here are the rest of today's minor moves…
- The Brewers released Alex Periard and Demetrius McKelvie, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (Twitter links).
- The Reds signed Brent Clevlen, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Clevlen, a former top prospect who's now 27, has big league experience with the Tigers and Braves.
- The Phillies released Adrian Alaniz, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The 27-year-old right-hander struggled in eight appearances at Class A this year, posting a 7.71 ERA. He has a 3.19 ERA with 7.8 K/0 and 3.0 BB/9 in five minor league seasons, but has yet to pitch above Double-A.
- The Pirates released Double-A right-hander Tom Boleska, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Boleska, a 24-year-old right-hander, has a 2.73 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in five minor league seasons, but has struggled in 12 appearances at Double-A this year.
- The Mets acquired Bubba Bell from the Indians and assigned him to Triple-A, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The Indians acquired Bell from the Red Sox in March and he hit .292/.346/.375 at Triple-A..
2012 Contract Issues: Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series. Here's what the team faces after the 2011 season:
Eligible For Free Agency (7)
- Raul Ibanez will probably be allowed to leave, freeing up some cash and leaving an opening in left field for the Phillies.
- Shortstop Jimmy Rollins hasn't been a power guy for several years, but he is sporting a career-best walk rate currently. There is a lot of baseball left to be played, but Rollins, 33 in November, could be the cheaper free agent alternative to Jose Reyes. The Phils don't have an obvious replacement for Rollins.
- Ryan Madson, a Scott Boras client, is four-for-four in save opportunities this year with Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras out. Madson wants to finish his career with the Phillies and be a closer. The team could let Lidge go and sign Madson for something like three years and $18MM.
- Danys Baez, Brian Schneider, Ross Gload, and J.C. Romero will also be eligible for free agency.
Contract Options (2)
- Roy Oswalt: $16MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout. Oswalt is undecided on whether to play next year. He's currently on the DL with back pain, so the option seems up in the air for both sides.
- Brad Lidge: $12.5MM club option with a $1.5MM buyout. Lidge is recovering from a shoulder injury; it's tough to see the Phillies picking this one up.
Arbitration Eligible (6)
- First time: Wilson Valdez, Scott Mathieson
- Second time: Kyle Kendrick, Ben Francisco, Pete Orr
- Third time: None
- Fourth time: Cole Hamels
Not all of these players will make it to the point of being tendered contracts. The only lock is Hamels, who signed an extension in January of '09 but left his fourth arbitration year open. He's working from a $9.5MM salary and having a strong year so far. The arbitration cases of Tim Lincecum and Jered Weaver could be factors (more on those here and here), if one or both of them settles first. $15MM is a reasonable estimate for Hamels, though. Hamels wants to stay, but the team has yet to approach him about an extension.
2012 Payroll Obligation
The Phillies' 2012 payroll obligation, according to Cot's, is $112.903MM including buyouts for Oswalt and Lidge. If another $15MM goes to Hamels, they're at $128MM, about $38MM shy of this year's $166MM high water mark. A lot of that money could be eaten up if Rollins, Madson, Oswalt, Kendrick, and Francisco are retained, which are open questions at this point. The Phillies have flexibility if they maintain their payroll, but also have several crucial free agents and one huge arbitration case.
Quick Hits: Morales, Padres, Cardinals, Hamels
Links for Sunday, as players around the league break out the pink bats. Happy Mother's Day!
- Kendrys Morales will travel to Vail, Colorado to see a foot specialist for a second opinion on his left ankle, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. In a followup tweet, DiGiovanna says that they've "explored" the possibility of surgery. Mark Trumbo has filled in for Morales with a .265/.296/.500 line and six homers.
- Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the Padres should consider trading one of their late-inning arms, perhaps Heath Bell, for offensive help.
- Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's open to exploring a trade for a closer. While Mozeliak is on board with Tony La Russa's current "hot hand" approach for the ninth inning, the GM would prefer to see more defined roles in the bullpen as the season progresses.
- Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines the likelihood of Phillies starter Cole Hamels playing in Philadelphia long-term.
- As Newsday's Ken Davidoff writes, there may not be any top starting pitching available at the trade deadline this year. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes drew the same conclusion after examining the midseason trade market for the AL and NL in mid-March.
Stark On Liriano, Hamels, Hosmer, Reyes
Here's the latest from Jayson Stark of ESPN.com …
- Twins lefty Francisco Liriano could be made available via trade in July if Minnesota continues to struggle, but teams will be hesitant to acquire him because of his inconsistencies. One scout told Stark that Liriano has great stuff, but the southpaw's mechanics are a mess. Liriano is under team control through next season.
- Phillies lefty Cole Hamels' three-year, $20.5MM deal expires after this season, leaving him with one year of arbitration eligibility before free agency. Stark wonders how the Phillies will approach a potential extension for Hamels, and Hamels' agent said that the sides haven't yet discussed such a deal. One point of reference to keep in mind, per Stark: Justin Verlander, whose five-year, $80MM pact with the Tigers bought out three years of arbitration eligibility.
- Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer made his Major League debut today amid much fanfare, but several teams told Stark that they would have waited a while longer so as to ensure that the blue-chipper wouldn't be a Super Two. Kansas City, however, has said all along that it would call up its players when they're ready, according to Stark. Earlier today, Ben Nicholson-Smith examined the financial implications of Hosmer's promotion.
- The Mets and Giants maintain that they haven't discussed a potential trade for shortstop Jose Reyes. However, Stark thinks the Giants will need to address the position, and Reyes is a perfect fit.
Heyman On Reyes, Lowe, Peavy, Howard
The Cardinals, Giants, Brewers, Red Sox, Twins and Mariners are possible suitors for Jose Reyes this summer, writes Jon Heyman of SI.com. However, the Mets don’t have an obvious replacement for their shortstop and attendance could suffer if they deal Reyes, as Heyman points out. (Though the Mariners have won seven of their last nine games and haven't obtained much production at short, it's still extremely difficult to imagine them trading for Reyes.) Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:
- Derek Lowe could be available at the trade deadline given the Braves’ starting pitching depth.
- The White Sox have insurance on Jake Peavy, according to Heyman. This means that the team may already have started receiving payments to help cover the injured right-hander’s $16MM salary.
- Heyman, a defender of Ryan Howard’s five-year, $125MM contract from the start, says the first baseman has been “worth every penny so far.”
- On the one-year anniversary of Howard's deal, I concluded that Howard and agent Casey Close had done well to sign the contract.
- The Nationals may want to consider locking manager Jim Riggleman up, Heyman writes. The Nationals have a team option for Riggleman's 2012 services.
Quick Hits: Feliz, Oswalt, Dodgers
A few items to close out this weekend..
- Given his recent mind-changing history, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter) suggests not reading too much into Neftali Feliz's thoughts on starting next season. Earlier today, Feliz said that he wants to continue finishing games for the rest of his career, before backtracking later on.
- Buster Olney of ESPN tweets that of all the players he has ever written about, he would say that Roy Oswalt is among those most likely to leave baseball whenever he felt it necessary.
- Tom Schieffer is a good pick to oversee the Dodgers, writes Olney. Olney writes that Schieffer is, by all accounts, a tough negotiator and someone who will make budgetary decisions and stick to them.
Stark On Rangers, DeRosa, Phillies, Papelbon
Joey Votto is the player of the month for ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, who hears from a scout that the Reds’ first baseman is more feared than anybody in the National League, including Albert Pujols. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors:
- One NL executive thinks the Mariners are so far from winning that they should be listening to offers for Felix Hernandez, who is under team control through 2014. Yesterday, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports heard from a number of executives who expect King Felix to stay put for now.
- An AL official says the Rangers are the most likely candidate to trade for a high-profile reliever this summer. Their bullpen has taken a number of hits, with Neftali Feliz and Darren O’Day on the DL and Alexi Ogando moving to the rotation.
- Stark hears that the only players available now are those with “awful contracts.”
- Despite the buzz about Mark DeRosa and the Marlins, Stark hears that the Giants and Marlins have not had serious discussions about the currently-injured utility player.
- The Phillies will find it hard to add payroll this summer, but they’re eyeing potentially available bats.
- Though Jonathan Papelbon will likely test the free agent market after the season, Stark gets the impression that the reliever could re-sign in Boston after all.