Lance Berkman

NL Central Notes: McCutchen, Astros, Berkman

By Mike Axisa | August 19, 2011 at 7:46pm CDT

Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel reports that MLB has suspended Brewers right-hander Mark Rogers 25 games for a second positive test for a stimulant in violation of MLB's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Rogers' season was already over due to carpal tunnel syndrome, however. Here's the latest from baseball's only six-team division. ..

The Pirates are working on a long-term extension for Neil Walker after locking up Jose Tabata, but Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that talks about a deal for Andrew McCutchen have stalled. Both sides are willing to continue negotiations, but they haven't made any progress in weeks.
The Astros put both Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers on waivers recently, and SI.com's Jon Heyman says he doesn't expect either player to be claimed (Twitter links). Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe disagrees though, saying claims should be made on both pitchers (Twitter link).
"At this stage of my career, it's safe to say that if I'm not thrilled with the opportunities out there for me after this season, this would be it," said Lance Berkman of the Cardinals to Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, hinting at retirement. "I'd love to come back but I also recognize they have some big decisions to make with some pretty big guys. Right now, I'm not assuming anything."
Roger Hensley of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch asked various scribes if they believe Tony LaRussa will come back to manage the Cardinals next season, and got mixed answers.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote about Francisco Rodriguez and the seamless transition he's made from Mets closer to Brewers setup man.

National League Notes: Reds, Berkman, Adams

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 18, 2011 at 10:24pm CDT

We've already checked in on three of the most noteworthy trade candidates that the National League has to offer. Here's the rest of tonight's news from the Senior Circuit…

Rival executives believe the Reds could trade for a top reliever and/or Ubaldo Jimenez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
MLB.com's Matthew Leach suggests the Cardinals and Lance Berkman have some mutual interest in negotiating a new deal after the season, when the slugger's one-year, $8MM contract expires.
Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com hears that the Pirates are still looking to acquire a right-handed hitter. They're also in the market for bullpen help, according to Langosch. The Pirates are eyeing Hunter Pence and open to trading prospects in the right deal.
Padres setup man Mike Adams tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times that he realizes he's a trade candidate and has applied for a passport in case he's dealt to the American League and has to visit Toronto.
D'Backs GM Kevin Towers told Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com that the trade deadline is his "least favorite time of the year." Arizona is in the market for "pitching in general," Towers said.

Heyman On K-Rod, Sabathia, Fielder, Beltran

By Tim Dierkes | July 13, 2011 at 12:09pm CDT

The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

Francisco Rodriguez's agent Scott Boras spoke with Brewers GM Doug Melvin shortly after last night's trade, at which point Heyman says "Boras made the case that K-Rod should close, suggesting he wouldn't do nearly as well setting up." Melvin was apparently noncommital in that conversation, as he has been publicly. K-Rod would become the highest-paid reliever in baseball history if his option vests, though Boras wouldn't get commission on a contract brokered by Wasserman Media Group in 2008. Heyman suggests an unhappy Rodriguez is a scary concept, but based on the player's tweets (in Spanish), he's content.
Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia "has done some selling on the Yankees" to his friend Prince Fielder. Heyman doesn't take this as a sign the Yankees are interested in Fielder as a very expensive designated hitter, but rather an indication that Sabathia expects to stick around with the club after this season.
Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman told Yahoo's Jeff Passan he expects Fielder to top Albert Pujols in total dollars due to the age difference, but Albert should get the higher average annual value.
Heyman sees the Tigers as a potential suitor for Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran. He believes the Tigers could add a bat at second base, third base, or outfield.

Quick Hits: Reds, Berkman, Vogelsong, Blue Jays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 12, 2011 at 10:50pm CDT

Links for Tuesday night, after a second consecutive win for the National League All-Stars…

Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he’s talking to clubs about possible trades, though discussions are still in their early stages. "We have not had specific or significant trade talks with anyone at this point," Jocketty said. "All discussion with other teams has been more general info gathering.” The Reds are monitoring Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies.
Lance Berkman told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he would have signed in Colorado if the Rockies had made him a "decent" offer last offseason (Twitter link). "They had other fish to fry," Berkman said. "And they fried them."
ESPN.com’s Keith Law hears that top Blue Jays pick Tyler Beede didn’t report to the summer classes he had signed up for at Vanderbilt (Twitter link). It could be an indication that he's going to sign instead of going to college.
As Patrick Newman points out at FanGraphs, Colby Lewis, Ryan Vogelsong, Chris Resop and Scott Atchison are among the MLB pitchers who pitched overseas before succeeding for their current MLB teams.
Mike Lopresti of USA Today explains how Vogelsong went from Triple-A discard to National League All-Star.
Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner points out that Brett Myers' trade value could diminish if other right-handed starters become available this month.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Lance Berkman

By Dan Mennella | June 5, 2011 at 4:35pm CDT

Most eyes are on Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder as it pertains to the upcoming class of free-agent first basemen, and rightly so. However, Pujols' teammate Lance Berkman, who signed a one-year, $8MM deal with the Redbirds in the offseason, bears watching, too.

Through his first two months in St. Louis, Berkman has largely regained the stroke that made him one of baseball's best and most consistent sluggers during the first decade of his career. His season line stood at .329/.444/.599 entering Sunday's game against the Cubs, which is vastly better than the .248/.368/.413 he posted during an injury-marred 2010 that he split between the Astros and Yankees.

Some regression is to be expected this season considering Berkman's career line of .297/.410/.547, but clearly a steep decline is not underway as 2010 may have indicated. However, 2012 will Berkman's age-36 season, and although he's playing the outfield now with St. Louis, he's best suited for first base or perhaps even DH, a role he filled during his time with the Yanks. As it is, he's been getting fairly regular rest as he works around various nagging ailments.

So, what does this mean for his Berkman's prospects on the free-agent market? Of course, a lot could happen between now and then, but barring injury, I think the Big Puma will be looking at a deal comparable to the one Aubrey Huff signed with the Giants last offseason: two years, $22MM, and perhaps some kind of option. Berkman has a more distinguished career than Huff, of course, but he is older and has had injury concerns the past couple years. As well, Berkman will be viewed as third-best free-agent first baseman after Pujols and Fielder. Carlos Pena, who is younger but not as good of a hitter as Berkman, will draw interest too.

With a lot of variables at play here – such as the Cards' dealings with Pujols, Berkman's health and his red-hot start – it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Top Interleague Acquisitions For 2011

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 20, 2011 at 4:57pm CDT

Another round of interleague play begins tonight, so let’s take a look at some players who switched leagues last winter and are off to hot starts in 2011. Here are a few of the players thriving in new leagues – and what it cost to acquire them:

Free Agents

Cliff Lee – It cost $120MM in guaranteed money and a first round pick for the Phillies to reacquire Lee. He has a 3.84 ERA with a 68K/13BB ratio through 58 2/3 innings.
Adam Dunn – After a slow start, Dunn has been hitting like his usual self this month and now has a .203/.321/.368 line. He cost the White Sox $56MM and the 23rd overall selection in this year's draft.
J.J. Putz – Putz, one of many relievers to sign multiyear deals last winter, is living up to Arizona's $10MM investment. He has a 2.12 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 through 17 innings of work.
Lance Berkman – Berkman wasn't out of the National League for long and he must be happy he's back. Though currently sidelined, the 35-year-old has a .349/.455/.683 line and is among the league leaders in many offensive categories. Well worth the Cards’ $8MM investment.
Russell Martin – Easily one of the offseason's best bargains, Martin has a .268/.371/.480 line. Not only did he cost just $4MM, he's under team control in 2012.
Jeff Francis – Francis has a 4.83 ERA with a 27K/10BB ratio through 54 innings and he cost just $2MM.

Trades

Adrian Gonzalez – Gonzalez has a .314/.370/.560 line back in the American League, but he didn’t come cheap. The Padres obtained top pitching prospect Casey Kelly, former first rounder Reymond Fuentes and Anthony Rizzo, who is tearing through the Pacific Coast League. Rizzo has a .371/.443/.702 line through 174 plate appearances and it won't be long before he's making an impact at Petco Park.
Shaun Marcum – Marcum is pitching better than ever for the Brewers and the Blue Jays are no doubt pleased with what 21-year-old Brett Lawrie’s doing to Triple-A pitching. The #40 prospect in the game, according to Baseball America, Lawrie has a .335/.395/.607 line with nine homers and as many steals.
Matt Garza – Garza leads the National League with 11.0 K/9 and has a 3.72 ERA through 55 2/3 innings, though it took Chris Archer, Hak-Ju Lee, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer to acquire him. We've all heard about Fuld’s hot start and Guyer homered in his first MLB game.

New York Notes: Jeter, Berkman, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 10, 2011 at 5:00pm CDT

The latest from New York includes reaction to Derek Jeter and a reminder that the Yankees could have had one of the NL's hottest hitters last offseason. Here are the details…

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said this afternoon on ESPN 1050's "Ruocco and Lundberg" show that Jeter is an above-average MLB shortstop. "He's not the same player he used to be, and how many people are when they start to get older? But I think he's a championship-caliber contributor and an above-average shortstop, and that's more than enough,” Cashman said. Mike Mazzeo has quotes and audio at ESPNNewYork.com.
After a strong weekend at the plate, Jeter ranks in the top 15 in OBP, wOBA and WAR among all qualified shortstops.
As Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out, it’s easy to forget that the Yankees declined their 2011 option for Lance Berkman. The switch-hitter has been among the best hitters in baseball this year, but the Yankees couldn’t have known that in the fall. At the time, they had a DH of their own (Jorge Posada) and Berkman’s $15MM option seemed steep, even for the Yankees.
Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that interest in a minority share of the Mets is surprisingly strong (Twitter link). Commissioner Bud Selig expressed confidence in the Mets organization and their financial issues yesterday.

Quick Hits: Barnes, Chavez, Kasten, Simon, Berkman

By Mike Axisa | May 7, 2011 at 10:15pm CDT

Congrats to Justin Verlander. The Tigers' ace threw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays this afternoon, the second of his career. He's now one of only 28 men to throw multiple no-hitters in the big leagues. Here are Saturday's links…

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein was personally scouting UConn RHP Matt Barnes tonight, reports Dom Amore of The Hartford Courant (on Twitter). Barnes is expected to go in the first round this year, in which the Red Sox have two picks.
Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers called up Craig Gentry to replace Nelson Cruz, who was placed on the disabled list (Twitter links). He notes that one possible reason why they didn't call up Endy Chavez is because they'd have to place him on waivers once Cruz was healthy.
In a guest post for Through The Fence Baseball, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith took stock of the winter's biggest offseason deals.
Bill Madden of The New York Daily News wrote about the numerous big-money players that are struggling this year, including Derek Jeter and Hanley Ramirez.
Stan Kasten confirmed to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post that he sold his ownership stake in the Nationals this March. Kasten stepped down as team president late last year, but it's unclear what he'll do next. He was mentioned as possibly trustee when MLB took over the Dodgers' financial operations.
Alfredo Simon was in the Orioles' clubhouse today, and will continue working his way back with a minor league appearance next week according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Connolly says the team will have to recall, waive, or release Simon by "roughy May 22" after he spent two months in a Dominican Republic prison and being placed on the restricted list.
Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch spoke to Cardinals GM John Mozeliak about the resurgent Lance Berkman. "We did a lot of due diligence," said the GM. "We truly believed he could have a bounce-back year. When we looked at it, we knew he was working extremely hard on his conditioning, was getting the knee healthy, was getting himself in tremendous shape, and that he'd be a lot stronger. That was a big thing. We knew that he still had an eye for hitting, and he would work the count and take walks. The question was, how would he be physically. And once we knew how much he was putting into his training, it gave us confidence."

Quick Hits: McClellan, Berkman, Reyes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 5, 2011 at 2:20pm CDT

Dan Meyer, Matt Anderson, Luis Castillo and Robb Quinlan probably didn't like it very much when the Phillies released them this spring, but they may not have realized that they have something in common with their former GM. The Blue Jays released Ruben Amaro Jr. on this date in 1996, before he ever played a Major League game for them…

Kyle McClellan has become a valuable cog in the Cardinals’ rotation, as Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explains.
McClellan's teammate, Lance Berkman, told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that he was disappointed with the way his tenure with the Astros ended. “They basically said, 'You're bad. We're bad. Let's cut ties and get on down the road.' And that was hurtful.”
International scouts tell Melissa Segura of SI.com that this year's Dominican July 2 class of amateur free agents is the best they've seen in years (Twitter link).
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com presents ten possible destinations for trade candidate Jose Reyes, some (Milwaukee) more plausible than others (the Bronx).
Former Reds and Nationals GM Jim Bowden also weighs in on the market for Reyes. He has the Giants, Cardinals, Red Sox, Reds and Angels as possible suitors on his list at ESPN.com.

Astros Notes: Barmes, Crane, Berkman

By Mark Polishuk | April 29, 2011 at 10:04pm CDT

After spending time on the DL with a fractured hand, Clint Barmes made his Astros debut tonight. The shortstop went 0-for-4 as Houston dropped a 5-0 result to Milwaukee. Here are some other items from Minute Maid Park…

Drayton McLane and Jim Crane have entered an "exclusive negotiating window" to arrange the club's sale to Crane, according to Houston TV station KILT. McLane tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that Crane is only one of several potential buyers with whom he is negotiating.
As much as Astros fans might want to see Lance Berkman back in Houston (or as much as Berkman reportedly would like to finish his career with the team), Chip Bailey of the Houston Chronicle doesn't think Berkman fits in with the Astros' commitment to their youth movement.
As reported earlier tonight, the Astros released minor league right-hander Cesar Carrillo.
Houston fans can get all the latest news on their team by following MLBTR's Astros-centric RSS feed, Facebook page and Twitter account.

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