No Fire Sale Coming For D’Backs
Even with his club 15 games below .500, Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes doesn't expect to hold a fire sale in the coming weeks, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Although recent reports have indicated that the D'Backs will continue trading, and are considering major moves, Byrnes tells Piecoro that he isn't predicting any "monster" deals.
"We'll explore a lot of possibilities and see where we end up," said Byrnes. "I do think a lot of our players are guys we value and want to keep and I think if we're going to make trades, we'll have to get the type of things – particularly young pitching depth – that would make sense to us."
Piecoro notes that the Diamondbacks will still probably field offers on "just about anybody," but the players most likely to be dealt are Adam LaRoche, Aaron Heilman, and Chris Snyder. If the team does decide to move players like Kelly Johnson and Stephen Drew, they'll likely demand a top pitching prospect in return. Presumably, the D'Backs would have to be blown away by a package of multiple young arms to consider trading Dan Haren.
Odds & Ends: LaRoche, Lee, Nationals, Simpson
It was on this day in 1938 that Reds lefthander Johnny Vander Meer became a baseball immortal by throwing his second consecutive no-hitter. What better way to commemorate the Vanderversary than with some news items?
- Adam LaRoche is prepared for another summer of hearing rumors and possibly being traded again, reports Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.
- What would be fair value for Cliff Lee? Fangraphs' Dave Cameron breaks down the question.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark is impressed by how the entire Nationals franchise seems to have turned around in a year's time.
- Hayden Simpson seemed to be a reach for the Cubs as the 16th overall pick, but Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times thinks that Chicago scouting director Tim Wilken's past drafting record "has earned [him] the benefit of the doubt." Maybe so, but implying Simpson could be "the next Roy Halladay" is a bit much.
- Had the Dodgers picked up a veteran starter or two in the offseason, the L.A. Times' Steve Dilbeck says the team could've avoided using so many young arms to plug holes in their injury-plagued rotation.
- Omar Minaya hinted that the Mets could add a starting pitcher, but "is reluctant" to do so at the expense of dealing promising minor leaguers, reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
- R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs thinks the Marlins will likely be sellers at the trade deadline. Responding to Anderson's story, Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel agrees, but thinks a potential deal could bring back more than just prospects for the Fish.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chats with Pirates fans and covers a few hot stove topics, including the likelihood of Zach Duke being dealt.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports (via Twitter) that Ozzie Guillen thinks "it was a good sign" that A.J. Pierzynski wasn't traded before his ten-and-five rights kicked in. Guillen believes the non-deal "sends a message to the Sox players that there is still time to fix things."
Angels Not Interested In Rental Player
Since Kendry Morales' season-ending leg injury, there has been plenty of speculation about whether or not the Angels will make a move to replace him. Manager Mike Scioscia voiced his thoughts on the subject to Fanhouse's Tom Krasovic, suggesting that the team would rather not merely rent a player for the remainder of this season.
"At this point, it would be a piece that you bring in that would help you past this year — make you better for the future also," Scioscia said. "I think that's a deal that would be very attractive to [the front office]."
Scioscia's comments indicate the Angels are less likely to pursue players such as Paul Konerko or Adam LaRoche, who are in the final year of their contracts.
We heard yesterday from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Angels were "hovering" around Mike Lowell, whose contract also expires at season's end. Krasovic's report explains why the Angels could be hesitant to pursue Lowell, though perhaps the cost of trading for him would be negligible enough that the club would still consider it.
Scioscia added that the Angels don't feel any pressure to make a move, and that a middle-of-the-order bat could "evolve" from within the organization.
D’Backs Meeting To Consider Major Moves
The D’Backs will consider trading anyone but Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy, as they evaluate the best way to turn the team around, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Heyman hears that owner Ken Kendrick, president Derrick Hall and GM Josh Byrnes are in the midst of meetings to determine the best course of action for the 24-37 team. Last week, Hall told the Arizona Republic that he was open to changes given the club’s disappointing start.
Upton and Kennedy will not be dealt, and Mark Reynolds is likely to stay, but the D’Backs would consider moving others. They would listen on Dan Haren, though the club might prefer to keep him if they believe they can contend in the near future. Adam LaRoche and Kelly Johnson are possible trade candidates for GM Josh Byrnes, who admits he has to consider trades.
Byrnes has been fighting hard to keep manager A.J. Hinch around, according to Heyman. Hinch, who had never managed before taking over the club last year, does not make a seven-figure salary, so the D’Backs could fire him without having to absorb too much money. And the man who hired Hinch? Heyman reports that no one realistically expects Byrnes to be in the line of fire.
Adam LaRoche’s Trade Value
The Diamondbacks are 10.5 games out of a playoff spot and they aren't scheduled to play a team with a losing record for more than a month. If you suspect they might become sellers, you're not alone. As ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports, executives expect the D'Backs to move payroll early this year.
Adam LaRoche has makings of a trade candidate. He's on an affordable one-year deal and he's hitting well. Last month MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested that the Rangers, Mariners and Marlins could inquire and we can now add the Angels to the list of possible suitors. LaRoche was traded twice last summer, so we can start to determine his current trade value by looking back at last summer's deals. To figure out what the D'Backs can get for LaRoche, let's consider the players he was traded for, what has stayed the same since last year and what has changed:
Who LaRoche was traded for:
- The Red Sox gave up pitcher Hunter Strickland and shortstop Argenis Diaz. At the time of the trade, Baseball America suggested Strickland had a chance of becoming a big league reliever. Diaz appeared to have big league potential as a defense-first shortstop last July. After last season, BA ranked Strickland 19th among Pirates prospects.
- The Red Sox then sent LaRoche to the Braves for Casey Kotchman.
- An unknown club offered a major leaguer and a borderline prospect for LaRoche last summer.
What has stayed the same:
- LaRoche is in the final year of his contract.
- His team is out of contention.
- He has a reputation as a second half hitter (career .300/.363/.546 line in the second half).
- His defense remains about average, according to UZR.
What has changed:
- LaRoche's contract is more team-friendly this year. He was making 7.05MM last year. Now, LaRoche's salary is just $4.5MM, but if a team trades for him, they'll have to buy LaRoche out for $1.5MM or pick up his 2011 option for $9.5MM.
- He's hitting better this year. When the Pirates traded him last year, LaRoche had a .247/.329/.441 line. Now, he's hitting .266/.362/.485 with seven homers.
- LaRoche, now 30, is a year older.
- A contender has a clear need for a first baseman this year. The Marlins, Giants and Braves all wanted upgrades at first base last year, but none of those teams had a hole like the Angels do now.
The verdict:
- LaRoche brought the Pirates a couple secondary prospects last year and could reportedly have brought in a similar return from another team. Now, he's under a more desirable contract and hitting better in a market where one team clearly needs a first baseman and few clubs appear ready to sell. D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes seems better-positioned to acquire prospects for LaRoche than Neal Huntington was a year ago.
How Will Angels Replace Morales?
4:28pm: The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham wonders (via Twitter) if Mike Lowell will be traded to the Angels in light of Morales' injury. He notes that the Red Sox would likely have to eat a large portion of Lowell's salary.
2:16pm: ESPN's Mark Saxon tweets that the Angels are saying Morales' injury is not season ending, though he doesn't provide a timetable for the slugger's return. As Saxon points out in another tweet, Mike Napoli will start at first base today for the first time since his minor league days.
10:57am: Following one of the more unusual injuries in recent years, the Angels now face the problem of how to replace their most productive hitter. Kendry Morales, who was hitting .290/.346/.487 with 11 homers, fractured his leg while celebrating a walk-off grand slam last night, and could miss the rest of the season.
Robb Quinlan and Mark Trumbo are in-house candidates to step in for Morales, but the defending AL West champs will likely consider acquiring an impact player to boost an offense that, even with Morales, has hit just .248. After all, despite playing sub-.500 ball so far, they're very much in contention, sitting only 3.5 games out of first place.
Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes that the Angels have plenty of options when it comes to finding a new first baseman. He suggests that Paul Konerko and Lance Berkman are the two most attractive and realistic trade targets for the Angels, though he acknowledges that the club won't have much leverage, given their desperate need for a middle-of-the-order bat. The Chicago Tribune's Mark Gonzales agrees that Konerko could be a fit for the Angels, noting that the White Sox first baseman has a relationship with Mike Scioscia that dates back to their days with the Dodgers.
DiGiovanna names a handful of other possible targets for the Angels, including Adam Dunn, Adam LaRoche, Russell Branyan, and Prince Fielder. Obviously, some of those sluggers are less available than others. Jermaine Dye, Ryan Garko, and Carlos Delgado (when he's healthy) are a few more available, low-cost options the team could look at, according to DiGiovanna.
Even if the Angels decide to make a move, it may not happen for a month or two, coming closer to the trade deadline. However, in the wake of Morales' injury, it's safe to put them near the top of the list of teams who will be shopping for a power hitter this summer.
Odds & Ends: Millar, Yankees, Royals, Darvish
Links on a memorable Thursday afternoon for Brooks Conrad and the Braves…
- Kevin Millar will join NESN as an analyst, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Millar signed with the St. Paul Saints earlier this month.
- The Yankees signed utility player Jeff Natale and assigned him to Triple A, according to Pete Cava of the Times Leader via River Ave. Blues. The 27-year-old posted a .298/.432/.446 line in five seasons in the Red Sox organization.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore says winning the World Series is an eight or ten year process, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
- Sam Miller and Dan Woike of the Orange County Register run through some players the Angels could target, including Miguel Tejada and Will Ohman.
- Top Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish says his father has known agents like Arn Tellem and Scott Boras for years, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker who translated from Chunichi. Darvish says he wants to keep playing in Japan.
- Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post wonders if the Marlins should trade Hanley Ramirez. It's a hypothetical question as the Marlins aren't looking to move their shortstop.
- Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says Pirates manager John Russell deserves an extension, especially now that some top Pirates prospects are nearing the major leagues.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer understands why Ken Griffey Jr. wants to play, but questions whether Junior deserves a roster spot on the Mariners.
- Adam LaRoche explained in March that he didn't reject a two-year $17MM offer from the Giants, even though they were interested in him last winter. He repeated as much to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, adding that he has no hard feelings towards the Giants.
Odds & Ends: Scherzer, Lamb, LaRoche
Saturday night linkage..
- The Tigers announced tonight they've demoted Max Scherzer and Scott Sizemore to Triple A, with Armando Galarraga and Danny Worth getting the call. Both Scherzer and Edwin Jackson have disappointed since changing teams in December's big deal.
- Hank Blalock comes to Tampa Bay determined to be a more well-rounded player, according to MLB.com's Adam Berry and Bill Chastain.
- The Marlins could make a 40-man roster move soon to bring back Mike Lamb, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Lamb was designated for assignment last week and is currently in Triple A.
- Despite Adam LaRoche's successful 2009 stint in Atlanta (.325/.401/.557 in 57 games), the Braves didn't approach him about returning, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Alan Schwarz of the New York Times takes an in-depth look at the likely first overall pick in next month's draft, Bryce Harper.
- Nats manager Jim Riggleman says that the club will have to consider making a roster move with reliever Brian Bruney, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
- Mets pitcher Oliver Perez won't accept a demotion to Triple-A if asked, tweets David Lennon of Newsday. Perez has been bumped out of the starting rotation and placed in the bullpen.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes that Eric Byrnes and Morgan Ensberg are making the most of life-after-baseball.
- Brewers pitching prospect Jeremy Jeffress will have to wait a little bit longer to return to the mound once he is reinstated, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Jeffress, the 18th overall pick in the 2006 draft, has tested positive for a "drug of abuse" on three separate occasions.
Who Could Use Adam LaRoche?
When we spoke to executives in March, Adam LaRoche's name came up as one of the best free agent signings of the offseason. Power is typically expensive on the free agent market, but the Diamondbacks signed LaRoche in January to a one-year, $6MM deal with a mutual option for 2011. LaRoche had reportedly turned down a better proposal from the Giants, but the first baseman qualified that offer by explaining "It was two years with three- or four-year options."
LaRoche is off to a .255/.367/.480 start for Arizona in his first 120 plate appearances. He answered a long-time criticism by hitting well in the season's first month, though he'd done that in '09 too. LaRoche has also mashed left-handed pitching in a tiny 32 plate appearance sample; that deficiency may also have been overstated.
On April 22nd, ESPN's Jayson Stark named LaRoche as a potential midseason trade candidate. Stark suggested LaRoche's mutual option could be a complication, as it increases by $2MM if he's traded. I don't think that will be a concern, though, as mutual options are rarely exercised by both sides.
Which contenders could use a boost at first base? The Rangers might consider a rental, depending on how Justin Smoak performs over the next few months. The Mariners could find LaRoche to be an upgrade over Casey Kotchman, which would be interesting since the two were traded for each other last year. The Marlins could take LaRoche for a few months, as they did with Nick Johnson last year. LaRoche may join Brandon Webb, Chris Snyder, and Chad Qualls on the trade market if the D'Backs become sellers later this year.
Odds & Ends: Huff, Posey, Lewis, Yankees, Johnson
Congratulations to Dallas Braden on throwing the 19th perfect game in MLB history. Let's check out some links from around the web..
- Aubrey Huff is playing well defensively, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Catcher Buster Posey remains in Triple-A Fresno because Giants officials are not convinced that he is ready to catch in the majors, GM Brian Sabean told Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News. Sabean insists that the decision has nothing to do with service-time concerns. MLBTR's Luke Adams led a discussion post that touched on the issue over the weekend.
- Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets a quote from Fred Lewis, who says that he's happy to be on a team that never quits. Lewis was traded from San Francisco to Toronto roughly three weeks ago.
- Steve at River Ave. Blues takes a look at the Yankees' offseason targets and how they've fared in the early stages of the 2010 season.
- Cue the scary organ music. Jeff Zrebiec tells us that Orioles reliever Jim Johnson was placed on the disabled list with a strained ulnar collateral ligament and is seeking a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews. MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli has comments from O's president Andy MacPhail and manager Dave Trembley.
- According to a team press release, the Mariners have relieved hitting coach Alan Cockrell of his duties. Alonzo Powell has been promoted from Triple-A Tacoma in his place.
- In his latest mailbag, Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News writes that the Reds' next manager will not be a high-priced guy with star power. That includes Lou Piniella, who plans on making Chicago his last stop as a manager.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that ex-Braves Kelly Johnson and Adam LaRoche are mashing in Arizona.
- Jason Marquis could be as little as two rehab assignments away from rejoining the Nationals, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Marquis inked a two-year, $15MM deal with the club this offseason but was sidelined after three outings in April.
- Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post implores the Rockies to make a big trade.