Bryce Harper

Odds & Ends: AL East, Mauer, D’Backs, Sheets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 5, 2010 at 8:39pm CDT

Some links to read with Opening Day just a month away…

MLB.com's Peter Gammons says one suggested way to improve competitive balance is by breaking up the Yankees and Red Sox. In the scenario he presents, the Yanks and Mets would be put in one division, the Sox and Rays in another.
Tom Tango of ESPN's The Max Info blog built a 25-man roster out of players that signed just a one-year deals this offseason, and all for under $100MM (Insider req'd).
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks that agent Ron Shapiro's extended stay in Twins camp means the club is making progress on extension talks with Joe Mauer.
The D'Backs don't appear likely to pursue Braden Looper or Jarrod Washburn, even if Brandon Webb starts the season on the DL, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Ben Sheets told reporters there is "zero bad blood" between him and the Brewers, his former team, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Teams are still interested in Jarrod Washburn, though he's not close to a deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports explains the story behind the reunion of A's GM Billy Beane and his adviser, Grady Fuson.
The Red Sox obtained 15 of the 39 players on their 40-man roster through the draft, notes Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball in this look at the Boston club.
Prince Fielder tells ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that he isn't going to stress about his future, but he hopes to be part of the Brewers organization for 30 years.
Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks the floor for a Fielder extension might be $95MM over five years.
Former Met and Marlin Henry Owens is auditioning for the Mets, according to Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.
Top Marlins prospect and MLBTR reader Logan Morrison is on Twitter.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that the Reds are unlikely to make a trade unless one of their players gets hurt (Twitter link).
Matt Youmans of the Las Vegas Review-Journal profiles Bryce Harper, the 17-year-old phenom who is expected to be a top pick in this year's draft.
Fielder, also a Scott Boras client, could be up for an extension. ESPN.com's Buster Olney says many GMs emerge from initial contract negotiations with Boras thinking there's "no (expletive) way" they reach an agreement.
Gordon Beckham tells MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he tries to ignore the trade rumors he appears in. The infielder says he wants to play for the White Sox for years.
Bengie Molina tells Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News that he would have signed with the Mets if they had offered two years. Their one-year $5.5MM offer didn't sway him.

Odds & Ends: Tigers, Branyan, Indians, Beckett

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 19, 2010 at 4:12pm CDT

Links for Friday…

The Tigers have offered longtime slugger Andres Galarraga the chance to come to camp as an instructor and mentor, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
The Rays pushed hard for Russell Branyan, but didn't have the at bats he was looking for, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
Indians GM Mark Shapiro tells Rosenthal that he has "a lot to learn" about the business side of running a team. Shapiro will become team president after the season.
Former Indian Juan Gonzalez is playing right field in the Puerto Rican Baseball Federation, according to Alex Figueroa Cancel of Primera Hora. Thanks to Nick Collias for the translation.
Alex Figueroa Cancel reports that Jose Vidro signed a similar deal to play in the same league.
Jon Lester tells Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com that the Red Sox will miss Josh Beckett if he signs elsewhere as a free agent. Beckett will hit the open market after this season if the Red Sox don't extend him first.
And ESPN.com's Keith Law offers a preliminary look at the top 50 prospects in this year's draft. Bryce Harper leads the way.

Pirates Notes: Harper, Free Agents, Ankiel

By Tim Dierkes | February 4, 2010 at 8:21am CDT

This offseason, the Pirates spent about $14MM to add Akinori Iwamura, Octavio Dotel, Ryan Church, Brendan Donnelly, Bobby Crosby, D.J. Carrasco (non-guaranteed), and Javier Lopez. They shedded one decent-sized salary in Matt Capps, but re-invested in a veteran bullpen. Team president Frank Coonelly chatted with fans yesterday at MLB.com; let's take a look.

Asked about Bryce Harper, Coonelly said the Pirates are scouting the much-hyped potential draft pick but he "is clearly nowhere nearly as developed as Stephen Strasburg was this time last year." In a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, Chuck Finder clarified that GM Neal Huntington was not saying Saturday that Harper ranked "No. 9, No. 10 or worse on their draft board." Reading Huntington's specific quotes, he didn't actually reveal much about the Pirates' draft plans.
Coonelly feels it's likely the Pirates head to Spring Training with the current group, but they'll be "keeping tabs on certain free agents who might be a fit if their financial demands soften." Maybe they'd bring in another fifth starter candidate?
Coonelly said Church was a better fit for the Pirates than Rick Ankiel, because the Pirates were not willing to guarantee Ankiel a starting job.
The Pirates' massive overhaul is over, as Coonelly stated, "We do not anticipate an exodus of players off the roster at this year's Trade Deadline."

Odds & Ends: Hudson, Wang, Brewers, Cabrera

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 31, 2010 at 2:22pm CDT

Some links for your Sunday…

Bryce Harper is not among the top ten on the Pirates' draft rankings currently, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Jason Marquis, Ryan Zimmerman, Nyjer Morgan, and Ivan Rodriguez have all voiced their desire for the Nats to sign Orlando Hudson, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
The Phillies have talked about Chien-Ming Wang, but don't believe he's a fit, according to Scott Lauber of the News Journal.
Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson says it's up to Mark Mulder to decide if he wants to pitch for the Brewers, according to this tweet from Haudricourt.
The Brewers have pulled their latest offer to Corey Hart and are preparing for an arbitration hearing with him, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Orlando Cabrera wasn't willing to move from shortstop, so he picked the Reds over the Rockies, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
Chien-Ming Wang will end up on one of the coasts, according to this tweet from Jon Heyman of SI.com.
Melvin Mora is talking extensively with the Rockies and another club, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
The Dodgers are in the midst of talks with Garret Anderson, writes Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
Tony Jackson of ESPN.com adds Reed Johnson, Gabe Gross and Brian Giles to the list of backup outfielders the team is considering.
The Indians are talking about bringing Russell Branyan back, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A reunion seems unlikely unless Branyan doesn't see appealing offers elsewhere.
The Brewers engaged Jason Marquis but backed off since they were convinced he would sign with the Mets, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday.

Olney’s Latest: Hernandez, Mets, Orioles, GM’s, Harper

By Mike Axisa | January 19, 2010 at 8:40am CDT

In today's blog post at ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes about Miguel Tejada's trip to Haiti, plus what other agents have privately speculated about what a fair deal for Felix Hernandez (six years and $110 million) would be.

Here's the rest of Olney's rumors…

Mets' GM Omar Minaya was never given a budget this offseason. The front office is making recommendations to COO Jeff Wilpon on a case-by-case basis without knowing if they're approaching a payroll limit. It's easy to see how that could become a problem.
The Orioles continue to look for a corner infielder, preferably a third baseman so that Garrett Atkins could man first. Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun notes that Andy MacPhail has had talks with the agents for Joe Crede and Tejada.
Last week's GM meeting went so well that it ended up lasting five hours longer than originally scheduled. They discussed changes to the draft among other things, but Olney notes that some executes are concerned that a slotting system may lead to a situation where having the first overall pick is viewed as a bad thing because of the bonus required to sign the player. Allowing teams to trade picks would solve that.
Some scouts question how Bryce Harper's size will impact his game going forward. Harper, the projected top pick for the 2010 Draft, is already 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds at age-17. "You worry that if he gets too big, his swing just won't be quick enough when he starts facing guys who throw harder," said one evaluator.

Odds & Ends: Harper, Phillies, Yankees, Marlins

By Mike Axisa | December 3, 2009 at 2:57pm CDT

Some afternoon links…

Baseball America's Conor Glassey reports that Bryce Harper passed his GED exam, which will allow him to attend junior college next year and be eligible for the 2010 draft. Harper is the odds on favorite to go first overall.
Now that they've taken care of third base and the bench, Andy Martino of The Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies will focus on their bullpen. He notes that GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is "intrigued by low-risk/high reward types," which is why the team recently kicked the tires on J.J. Putz. ESPN's Buster Olney mentions Brandon Lyon as a name to watch as well.
Mark Feinsand of The NY Daily News has some hot stove related quotes from Yankees' manager Joe Girardi.
Marlins' president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said "we're definitely going to be active" at the Winter Meetings next week, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia's recent winter ball injury (he felt tingling and numbness in his right arm) could making catching a priority for the Rangers next week, writes T.R. Sullivan on MLB.com.
The Rays have released righty Ramon Ramirez, according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times. Ramirez was claimed off waivers from the Reds back in early November.
Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette says the Pirates are one of the teams interested in Bobby Crosby. This morning we learned that about six teams were interested in the former Rookie of the Year.
SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that even though the Mets asked for his medical records, they are not going after Hideki Matsui.

Odds & Ends: Parker, Okajima, Kikuchi, La Russa

By Tim Dierkes | October 22, 2009 at 1:46pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

Bad news for D'Backs fans: top prospect Jarrod Parker is headed for Tommy John surgery. Reynolds Sports Management broke the news via their Twitter feed, check it out.
Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima has dismissed agent Peter Greenberg in favor of Boston-based Joe Rosen, according to a Japanese report passed along by NPB Tracker's Ryo Shinkawa. Shinkawa takes this as a sign Okajima wants to stay with the Red Sox. He is already under team control through 2012 as an arbitration-eligible player.
Yusei Kikuchi's NPB-vs.-MLB decision seems to be coming within a few days, says Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is nearing his decision on whether to manage in 2010, says Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that "if La Russa manages next season, it will be with the Cardinals."
Mark McGwire told The Sporting News' Jeff D'Alessio that Albert Pujols would be worth $30MM+ as a free agent.
Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star feels the Royals should consider trading closer Joakim Soria.
Baseball America's Jim Callis believes it's not far-fetched to think Bryce Harper could fall out of the first round in 2010 due to financial demands (hat tip River Ave. Blues).
MLB.com's Matthew Leach and Jon Weisman of Dodgers Thoughts expect GM Ned Colletti to focus on the rotation this winter.

Odds & Ends: Nationals, Towers, Marlins

By Mike Axisa | October 3, 2009 at 7:34pm CDT

A few links on the second to last day of the regular season…

Even though they'll finish with the worst record in baseball, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo indicated that it's not a lock the team will draft Bryce Harper first overall next year, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Says Rizzo: "I haven't seen him yet. He certainly hasn't separated himself like [pitcher] Stephen Strasburg did last year."
CBSSports.com reports that Kevin Towers said he wasn't given a specific reason for his termination, but KT did say that he's "been around long enough to know why."
Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says that Florida's final 2009 payroll was just under $35.6MM. Hanley Ramirez ($5.5MM) and Dan Uggla ($5.35MM) were the only Marlins to make more than $3.5MM this year.
Matthew Carruth at FanGraphs weighs in with his opinion of the Towers and J.P. Ricciardi firings.

Odds & Ends: Indians, Delgado, Harper, Matsui

By Mike Axisa | September 19, 2009 at 12:13pm CDT

Here's some links to kick off your Saturday…

Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians have requested that MLB run DNA tests on a few international players the team is negotiating with to confirm their identities. The Tribe got burned when 17-year-old shortstop Jose Ozoria turned out to be 20-year-old Wally Branyan last year.
Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com says that Carlos Delgado hasn't really talked to the Mets' front office about returning next year, but he'd love to come back.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo breaks down the challenges facing Bryce Harper heading into the 2010 Draft.
The Astros may explore the possibility of Kaz Matsui returning to Japan, according to Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle.

Odds & Ends: Chipper, Ordonez, Schultz

By Tim Dierkes | September 16, 2009 at 11:50am CDT

Links for Wednesday…

Chipper Jones explained his stance toward retirement to Tim Gunter of 790 The Zone.
Braves manager Bobby Cox was noncommittal on 2010, talking to Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Amelia Rayno of the Detroit News notes that Magglio Ordonez's $15MM option for 2011 will vest with 1080 plate appearances between 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile Cot's Baseball Contracts reveals that 135 starts or 540 PAs in '10 will do the trick.
ESPN's Buster Olney informed us yesterday about a potentially interesting free agent reliever named Mike Schultz. The former D'Backs minor leaguer has been tearing it up in Japan the last two years.
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that a top five Cy Young finish for Adam Wainwright in 2010 or 2011 would cause his 2012 and 2013 options to vest. This year, his maximum bonus is $250K if he wins the award.
Derrick Goold of the P-D has a discussion going about the Cardinals' third base plans for next year.
Conor Glassey of Baseball America looks at next year's draft class, which is of course led by Bryce Harper.
Murray Chass has posted several interesting columns since his website's inception. His latest on the Pirates is not one of them. It's a simplistic view of Neal Huntington's plan, with the Nyjer Morgan trade as Chass' main beef. And is he suggesting the organization would've been better off re-signing Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson instead of trading them? Plus, Chass uses the opinion of one anonymous "baseball official" in advancing the notion that the Pirates will have explaining to do to MLB regarding their revenue-sharing money. Wouldn't a consensus assessment of execs have been more useful?
According to Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball, minor league attendance dropped by only 2.9% this year.

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