NL Central Links: McCutchen, Cubs, Ramirez, Crane
After Yovani Gallardo struck out ten Cubs en route to another Milwaukee victory, the club's division lead reached double digits for the first time this season, with the Cardinals now 10.5 games back. The Brewers will send Zack Greinke to the hill today as they look to sweep the Cubs and continue chipping away at their magic number (19). Let's check out the rest of the morning's updates from the NL Central….
- Although the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen were discussing a possible extension earlier this year, talks remain at a standstill for now. The outfielder's agent, Steve Hammond, told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that "it's time to focus on playing baseball and winning games" and that further extension discussions could happen later.
- A raise and increased payroll flexibility wouldn't necessarily convince Andrew Friedman to leave the Rays for the Cubs, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. "Don't think because this is a glamorous situation he's going to want to jump to it," said manager Joe Maddon. "That's not true."
- Aramis Ramirez tells Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune that, having never reached free agency before, he's unsure what to expect if it happens this winter.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle wonders if the delay in approving new Astros ownership is the league's way of saying it has "lingering doubts" about Jim Crane.
NL Central Notes: Lopez, Brewers, Snyder
A few items of note out of the NL Central, where the first-place Brewers owned a 9.5-game lead entering Saturday's action:
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he's giving infielder Felipe Lopez time to look for a job with another team before he must accept an assignment to Triple-A, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Lopez was recently designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and outrighted to Nashville.
- Melvin also mentioned that the Brewers were awarded two waivers claims but were unable to reach agreement on trades to acquire the claimed players, Haudricourt reports (Twitter link). It sounds like the claimed players were lefty relievers, according to Haudricourt.
- Pirates catcher Chris Snyder, on the DL since June, is hoping to return to action before the season's out, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. The Bucs hold a $6.75MM option ($750K buyout) on Snyder for 2012, and Langosch speculates that while the Pirates may not find the option attractive, they might be interested in buying it out and re-signing Snyder at a lower cost.
Pirates Sign Nelson Figueroa
The Pirates signed right-hander Nelson Figueroa and assigned him to Triple-A, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). The Astros had released Figueroa Friday, soon after he returned from the disabled list.
Figueroa started the season in Houston's rotation, but the Astros designated him for assignment in May after he posted an 8.69 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 29 innings. The 37-year-old spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 6.50 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 81 2/3 innings.
Quick Hits: Davis, Marlins, Draft
The Rangers beat the Orioles 30-3 on this date four years ago. In one of the most bizarre statistical quirks in recent memory, Rangers reliever Wes Littleton actually picked up a save in the game. Here are today's links, starting with an update on Texas and Baltimore…
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels reached out to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail when he heard about Chris Davis' strained shoulder, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The Orioles, who obtained Davis from Texas in a trade late last month, haven't had serious talks about reworking the deal, according to Sullivan. Daniels says the sides could revisit the trade at some point, though.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says it's doubtful that the Marlins would allow president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest to interview for the Cubs' GM opening (Twitter link).
- The Nationals, D'Backs, Red Sox, Pirates and Rays had the best drafts this year, Jim Callis writes at Baseball America.
NL Central Notes: Wandy, Tabata, McCutchen
The latest from around the NL Central…
- Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez is likely to clear waivers Tuesday, in the opinion of SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The Yankees have no interest, tweets ESPN's Andrew Marchand, and Heyman says the Diamondbacks don't either. Rodriguez is a bargain this year with $1.4MM remaining, but then is owed as much as $36MM over the next three seasons.
- Jose Tabata's $15MM contract was about shared risk, explained Pirates GM Neal Huntington to Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I'm still trying to determine what agency collected the commission on the team-friendly deal.
- It'll require compromise to get a deal done with Andrew McCutchen, Huntington told Sanserino. This is much different than the Tabata situation.
Pirates Sign Aaron Heilman
Aaron Heilman's free agency stint didn't last long. After being released by the Phillies yesterday, the veteran right-hander inked a minor league deal with the Pirates, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (on Twitter). He will report to the club's Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis.
Heilman struggled mightily as a member of the Diamondbacks' bullpen this year, pitching to a 6.88 ERA through 35 1/3 innings. His brief time with the Phillies didn't go any better, as he posted an 8.38 ERA through 9 2/3 innings for their Triple-A affiliate.
Heilman maintaned solid strikeout numbers (8.4 K/9) in Arizona, and was predominantly plagued by a fluky HR/FB rate of 20%. League average is around 10%, roughly Heilman's career mark entering 2010. He can still miss enough bats to contribute in the future if he can get back to keeping the ball in the park.
NL Central Links: Taillon, Maholm, Schumaker, Crane
The Brewers have gone 8-2 over their last 10 games to pull away in the NL Central race, currently leading by 8.5 games. There's more to this division than just the standings though, as shown in this collection of links:
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch has some quotes from Pirates GM Neal Huntington on top prospect Jameson Taillon. Huntington says that while the 2010 No. 2 overall pick's numbers aren't spectacular — a 4.52 ERA through 79 2/3 innings — he's been working heavily on his fastball command. Huntington says Taillon can overpower Low-A hitters with his breaking ball but has gotten hit trying to improve his heater.
- In the same piece, Langosch reports that Paul Maholm will see Dr. James Andrews for a second evaluation of his shoulder. Huntington cautions not to read too much into it, but Maholm's shoulder is worth keeping an eye on as it could impact a major financial decision; the Buccos hold a $9.75MM option on Maholm for 2012 that comes with a $750K buyout.
- Skip Schumaker's 2012 contract status is questionable, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cardinals could non-tender Schumaker this offeseason.
- In Nick Cafardo's Sunday column for the Boston Globe, he says that Major League owners are "wading through a lot of personal stuff" on prospective Astros buyer Jim Crane before approving him. Crane has had complaints filed against him in the past by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Pirates Extend Jose Tabata
The Pirates have locked up one of their core players for nearly a decade. The team officially announced today that outfielder Jose Tabata has signed a six-year contract extension with option years for 2017, 2018, and 2019.
The guaranteed portion of the deal runs through 2016 and includes contract restructuring for 2011. Tabata will receive a $1MM signing bonus, and his 2011 salary increases to $500K. He will then earn $750K in 2012, $1MM in 2013, $3MM in 2014, $4MM in 2015, and $4.5MM in 2016. The three options total $22.5MM – $6.5MM in 2017, $7.5MM in 2018, and $8.5MM in 2019. The Pirates will have the opportunity to buy out Tabata for $250K in any of the three option years, which brings the outfielder's guarantee to $15MM. If the Pirates exercise all three options, the contract could be worth up to $37.25MM.
The contract covers Tabata's three remaining pre-arbitration seasons and his three arbitration seasons. Prior to the completion of the contract, the outfielder amicably parted ways with ACES, his previous agency. He returned from a stint on the DL with a strained quadriceps this week. Tabata is in his second MLB season, and the 23-year-old has a .264/.351/.362 line with 14 doubles, four homers and 14 stolen bases this year.
He finished eighth in National League Rookie of the Year balloting last year and has played all three outfield positions in the Major Leagues. In just shy of 1500 innings, Tabata's outfield defense is league average, according to UZR. The Pirates acquired Tabata, Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen and Ross Ohlendorf from the Yankees for Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady at the 2008 trade deadline.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes first reported that the two sides were discussing a long-term deal (all four Twitter links). Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch, and Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (multiple links) added details.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Anthopoulos, Marlins, Harden, Bogusevic
Todd Helton celebrated his 38th birthday with a 3-for-6 performance (that included a homer) against the Dodgers today. Best of all for Helton, the Rockies picked up a 7-6 win in a 13-inning affair against their NL West rivals.
Some news from around the majors….
- "There is a strong belief" that the Blue Jays have discussed a contract extension with general manager Alex Anthopoulos, writes Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. The catch is, the terms of Anthopoulos' original deal in 2009 were never made public, so the end date of the GM's current contract is unknown to all but himself and the club. Anthopoulos' quotes to Griffin would seem to indicate that he is staying in Toronto for years to come.
- The Marlins have denied several requests from teams to interview GM Michael Hill and VP of player personnel Dan Jennings for open front office positions over the last few years, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Rodriguez feels the two men have earned the right to run their own team since Larry Beinfest calls the shots in Florida, though in Hill's case, he would have to be offered a president position to leave since he's already a general manager.
- If Rich Harden is traded this month or just reaches the end of his one-year contract, he's still a candidate to return to the Athletics in the offseason, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Harden has family in the Bay Area, enjoys pitching in Oakland and has "a great relationship with pitching coach Ron Romanick."
- Slusser also notes that the A's were looking for a first baseman for Harden at the deadline (like Lars Anderson from Boston), but since they've acquired Brandon Allen in the interim, the A's could ask for an outfielder or third baseman in a potential Harden trade package.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle looks at how Brian Bogusevic went from a failing minor league pitcher to a productive member of the Astros' outfield.
- "It's important to have talented players in uniform in Pittsburgh," Pirates owner Robert Nutting told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "That's exactly what we're trying to do, whether it's through a long-term assurance in a contract or whether it's bringing in great talent (through the draft)." The Bucs have had an expensive week, spending $17MM on draft picks, signing Jose Tabata to a contract extension and closing in on another multiyear deal with Neil Walker.
- The Rockies have dealt some notable right-handed prospects in recent years, but as Rich M of Inside The Rockies details, the club hasn't lost any significant arms.
- Scott Van Slyke's impressive minor league campaign should earn him a chance at the Dodgers' first base job in Spring Training, argues Jon Weisman of ESPN Los Angeles. Van Slyke, 25, has a .343/.424/.576 line in 474 plate appearances for Double-A Chattanooga this season. Incumbent first baseman James Loney is expected to be non-tendered by L.A. this winter.
- Ryan Madson's meltdown against the Nationals on Friday night is a sign that the Phillies need to stop using him on three consecutive days, opines Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. You can catch up on all the latest info about the Phillies' bullpen and every other late-game situation in baseball on MLBTR's sister site, Closer News.
Pirates Links: Cole, Draft, Attendance, Maholm
A few links for all of you Bucco fans out there to enjoy on your Saturday afternoons:
- No. 1 overall pick Gerrit Cole is excited to be joining the up-and-coming Pirates, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. Cole will pitch in the Pirates' instructional league next month, and GM Neal Huntigton says Cole could head to the Arizona Fall League after that.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times looks at the Pirates' decision to build for the future by investing in the draft rather than spending on Major Leaguers. The Pirates' total spends of $17MM this summer and $47MM over the past four seasons are both more than any organization in baseball.
- Langosch points out the success of this process by highlighting that the Pirates are just 57,108 fans shy of matching 2010's attendance mark. Tonight's sellout at PNC Park is the club's 16th this season, which is just three sellouts shy of their single-season record.
- The Pirates may make a 40-man roster move in the coming days to call up a starting pitcher that will replace the injured Paul Maholm, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Biertempfel speculates on Sean Gallagher and Brian Burres. Ross Ohlendorf is also available to return after missing most of the season due to injury.