AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Rivera, Johnson, Andino
The Rays and Red Sox begin a four-game set at Fenway Park tonight that could very well determine the AL Wild Card. Here are some items about both clubs, plus the rest of the AL East…
- Trades and middling draft results have robbed the Red Sox of pitching depth, opines ESPN's Jim Bowden (Insider subscription required). With more good arms in the system, Bowden argues that Boston could have had reinforcements ready to step in when Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz hit the DL, or could've used those young prospects to acquire a more reliable starter than Erik Bedard.
- The Blue Jays will at least check in on Jonathan Papelbon this winter, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm, though Chisholm notes that it isn't Alex Anthopoulos' style to sign relievers to expensive, multiyear contracts. Chisholm also looks at Frank Francisco and Adam Loewen's respective futures in Toronto as part of the mailbag piece — Chisholm thinks Francisco will leave, while Loewen is out of options and will probably only have a spot on the team if the Jays cut Mark Teahen.
- Mariano Rivera is a Yankees legend today, but Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York looks at how 20 years ago, the Sandman wasn't even the most regarded prospect in his own family. "If you turn the clock back and you ask who was the best Rivera in our system, it was Ruben," says Brian Cashman. "Mariano was just known as Ruben’s cousin.''
- Writing for USA Today, Patrick DiCaprio looks at how Orioles reliever Jim Johnson fits the prototype of a closer. Johnson could very well finish games next season given that Baltimore seems to have lost patience with Kevin Gregg, though we've also heard that the O's have explored converting Johnson to a starter. You can keep track of Baltimore's late-game situation all winter long at MLBTR's sister site, Closer News.
- Robert Andino has finally gotten the chance to show he belongs in the Majors, writes Brittany Ghiroli for MLB.com. The versatile infielder has definitely earned a roster spot with the Orioles for next year.
- The Rays' somewhat surprising performance in 2011 makes it clear that they will be contenders again in 2012 and possibly for years to come, writes Rob Neyer.
Tigers Interested In Joel Peralta
The Tigers are still looking for bullpen help after acquiring David Pauley, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets they're interested in Rays reliever Joel Peralta.
Peralta, 35, has a 3.75 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 26.7% groundball rate in 48 innings this year. He leads the American League with 52 appearances. Peralta will be under team control for 2012 as an arbitration eligible player.
Morosi says the Tigers also have Baltimore's Jim Johnson on the radar, but a deal is unlikely.
AL East Notes: Niemann, Davis, Orioles
We’ve already checked in on the AL East and taken detailed looks at its two biggest spenders, the Yankees and Red Sox. Here are some new notes from around the division, with an emphasis on teams that could be sellers:
- Though the Rays have told teams they won't trade James Shields, they're willing to discuss Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Rays manager Joe Maddon tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he has discussed dozens of trade scenarios with executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman (Twitter link). None of the scenarios have involved Shields, who appears to be off of the market.
- Koji Uehara and Jeremy Guthrie are the names bouncing around MLBTR, but Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reminds us that teams have also called about other Orioles, including Adam Jones, Jim Johnson and Alfredo Simon.
Orioles Notes: Uehara, Guthrie, Johnson, Lee
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and owner Peter Angelos met to discuss possible deals this week, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Zrebiec suggests the Orioles will make one or two moves in the next ten days; here are the names to watch:
- There’s a lot of action on Koji Uehara now, despite some concern about the 36-year-old’s age and health. The Orioles are listening to offers and willing to move Uehara, but they want something of value in return for him. If they don’t like the offers they see, they will welcome him back next year (a $4MM option for 2012 will vest once Uehara makes 15 more appearances).
- The Orioles don’t have much pitching depth, but they appear to have softened their stance on Jeremy Guthrie. Zrebiec gets the sense that “if they can get a decent return for Guthrie, they’ll send him packing.” That said, the O’s would likely look to obtain at least one MLB-ready starter in a trade for Guthrie.
- The Orioles and Phillies are not in the midst of serious trade talks.
- Baltimore would likely need a substantial haul to part with Jim Johnson, who could be a part of next year’s rotation.
- There’s no urgency when it comes to Derrek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero, since both would likely clear waivers. That means MacPhail can afford to wait until August to consider deals.
AL East Notes: Shields, Johnson, Bundy, Yankees
Jacoby Ellsbury clubbed two homers today as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 4-0. All eyes will be on Jonathan Papelbon and David Ortiz this winter, but it'll also be interesting to see what happens to Ellsbury, who's arbitration eligible for the second time after the season. He has a career-high 15 homers with 28 stolen bases and a .316/.375/.509 line so far in 2011. In other words, he's getting a big raise from his current $2.4MM salary. Here's the latest on the AL East…
- The Rays are reluctant to tear down their roster to the point where they’re no longer competitive, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal suggests the Rays have no compelling reason to deal James Shields now and that an offseason move is more likely.
- The Orioles appear to be open for business, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Many teams are interested in Jim Johnson and the Tigers are among the clubs interested in Jeremy Guthrie.
- Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he has had “periodic conversations” with Dylan Bundy, the high school right-hander the Orioles selected fourth overall in this year’s draft. Jordan, who has offers out to just about all Baltimore’s draftees, expects dialogue with Bundy to pick up before the August 15th deadline for teams to sign their picks.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Newsday’s Ken Davidoff that he isn’t looking for offense, but will consider anything that will make the club better.
Possible Reds Relief Targets
The Reds have had internal discussions about acquiring Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara, Jason Isringhausen, Jason Frasor, and Todd Coffey, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Isringhausen and Coffey have previous ties to the organization. GM Walt Jocketty might have to go toe-to-toe with the divison rival Cardinals and Pirates on certain players, as those teams also seek bullpen help.
Morosi adds that the Reds are also focused on high-end starters, maintaining their interest in Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez. The Reds are not looking for shortstop help, as they're pleased with the play of Zack Cozart in his first seven games.
Orioles Notes: Hardy, Markakis, Uehara, Johnson
Some news tidbits from Charm City…
- Teams have contacted the Orioles about J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Mark Reynolds, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. Jones would seemingly be untouchable and (as Heyman notes) Hardy and the Orioles are working out an extension, though Hardy would be a strong trade chip if negotiations fall apart. Reynolds and Markakis are also probably unlikely to be dealt unless Baltimore is having second thoughts about paying Markakis over $47MM between now and the end of the 2014 season.
- In a radio interview with 105.7 The Fan's Ken Weinman and Vinny Cerrato, ESPN's Keith Law thinks the team "should go out and deal any veteran player who is not likely to be part of the next good Orioles team. That’s anyone who is not under contract for 2013 or beyond. You’ve got to trade them for prospects, even if it’s a mid-level prospect. Trust your scouts. Go out and add the depth to your farm system. Sometimes you get lucky.” Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun has transcribed some of the interview's highlights, plus a link to the audio of the full interview.
- Koji Uehara "has drawn tepid interest" on the trade market due to his injury history and his age, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. There is more interest in Jim Johnson, but the O's are considering making Johnson a starter next season and have told other teams that Johnson isn't for sale.
- Andy MacPhail tells Ghiroli that the pitching staff is "definitely something we are looking at to try to augment" at the trade deadline. To this end, if Jeremy Guthrie is traded, Baltimore would want at least one Major League-ready pitcher in return to eat Guthrie's innings.
- Also from Ghiroli, MacPhail didn't comment on his own status with the club. MacPhail's contract as Baltimore's president of baseball operations is up after this season.
Players To Avoid Arbitration: Monday
Teams and players exchange arbitration figures tomorrow if they haven't already come to terms for 2011. That means plenty of players will likely avoid arbitration today. We'll keep track of them all right here and with our Arbitration Tracker; the latest updates are at the top of this post:
- The Blue Jays avoided arbitration with Shawn Camp, agreeing to a one-year, $2.25MM deal, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm (on Twitter).
- The Tigers avoided arbitration with Armando Galarraga by agreeing to a one-year, $2.3MM deal, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- The Orioles and Jim Johnson have agreed to a one-year, $975K deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun.
- The Blue Jays have reached agreement on a one-year, $830K deal with Jesse Litsch, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (Twitter links).
- The Indians have avoided arbitration with Asdrubal Cabrera, agreeing to a one-year deal, according to the team's Twitter feed. The deal is worth $2.025MM, according to the Associated Press.
- The Marlins have agreed to terms one-year deals with Leo Nunez and Edward Mujica, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (via Twitter). Nunez will earn $3.65MM, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com tweets. Meanwhile, Mujica will make $800K according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).
- The Blue Jays and Casey Janssen have agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.095MM, according to the Associated Press.
- The Rays and B.J. Upton avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4.825MM, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter links).
- The Nationals avoided arbitration with John Lannan, agreeing to a one-year, $2.75MM deal, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- The Rockies and Matt Lindstrom agreed to a two-year deal.
- The Royals avoided arbitration with Robinson Tejeda, agreeing to a one-year contract, the team announced. It's worth $1.55MM, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). The deal leaves Billy Butler and Kyle Davies as Kansas City's remaining unsigned arbitration eligible players.
Orioles Place Jim Johnson On Disabled List
The Orioles have called up injured reliever Jim Johnson from Triple-A, and immediately placed him on the major league disabled list according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun. Johnson was pitching in the minors when he came down with a case of elbow inflammation.
The move is significant because Johnson will now accrue service time and be paid a major league salary while on the DL, something he could not do on the minor league disabled list. He was headed toward his first year of arbitration eligibility after the season, so he'll continue to move closer to that career milestone despite not being on the field. Zrebiec says the team likely worked out a deal with Johnson's agent, Michael Moye, to allow the move to be made.
Johnson, 26, posted a 6.52 ERA and allowed 19 men to reach base in 9.2 innings this April before being demoted to Triple-A. He appeared in just one game with Triple-A Norfolk earlier this month before suffering the injury.
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.