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Pat Burrell

Giants Negotiating With Pat Burrell

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According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, Pat Burrell and the Giants are "in the 'talking stages' " about a minor-league contract for the veteran slugger.  Schulman notes that nothing is imminent between the two sides because Burrell "does have other options he is mulling."

San Francisco was rumored to be a possible destination for the veteran right-handed slugger.  Though Schulman reported last week that the Giants had "no serious interest" in Burrell, Schulman writes that the club's perspective has changed since Burrell is apparently now open to a minor-league deal.  Burrell is said to prefer a return to the National League, which isn't surprising given his struggles with the Rays but it will mean that his below-average glove can't be hidden in a DH role.

Provided that Burrell greatly improves on the .672 OPS he posted in Tampa Bay over the last two seasons, his right-handed bat could provide some nice balance for the Giants.  Of the Giants' current corner outfield options, Aubrey Huff, Nate Schierholtz and John Bowker are all left-handed hitters, and switch-hitting Andres Torres is experiencing a reversal in his career splits this season by hitting right-handers much better than he's hitting lefties.  Right-handed hitting Mark DeRosa is currently on the DL with a wrist injury and visited a specialist about his wrist today, though Schulman tweets that San Fran's interest in Burrell isn't related to any concerns about DeRosa's health.

Pat Burrell Rumors: Thursday

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5:57pm: Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was told that the Giants "have no serious interest" in Burrell, while the Padres apparently "have no interest at all," according to a tweet from MLB.com's Corey Brock.

5:22pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Burrell's preference is to return to the National League.  Rosenthal also notes that Jermaine Dye's chances of finding a deal close to his asking price will be greatly diminished given that Burrell is now on the market and available at the minimum salary. 

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe pretty much eliminates the Red Sox from the Burrell sweepstakes, adding that the club "wouldn't have a space for another one-dimensional player" at DH what with Mike Lowell and David Ortiz currently filling the position.

3:48pm: The Padres and Giants are interested in Pat Burrell, according to the chatter that Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News hears (Twitter link). Burrell, who will cost a pro-rated portion of the major league minimum now that he's a free agent, may be considering offers.

The Giants (14th in the NL in runs) and the Padres (13th in the NL in runs) could both use offense. Andres Torres, Nate Schierholtz and Aubrey Huff are hitting well enough for the Giants in the corner outfield spots and at first. Kyle Blanks has not produced so far for the Padres, but it's hard to imagine the Padres letting Burrell loose in the outfield, since he has played just nine innings there since 2009. 

Burrell, who hit .202/.292/.303 for the Rays this year, is not necessarily a candidate for an everyday job on either team. They may be eyeing him as a potential source of bench power. The Padres could look to replace one former Phillie with another if they don't expect Matt Stairs to emerge from his early-season slump.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said yesterday that the Phillies are not interested in bringing Burrell back to Philadelphia.

Stark On Hanley, Royals, Astros, Rays, Pedro

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Teams called about Hanley Ramirez after this week's drama, but the Marlins informed them that they have no interest in dealing their superstar, writes ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Marlins will hold onto Hanley, at least until their new ballpark opens in 2012. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:

  • Teams have expressed interest in some Royals, but the Royals have told them to call back in a month. Teams are hearing that Alex Gordon and Joakim Soria are not available. Jose Guillen would be easier to obtain than those two, but Stark hasn't heard of a single team with interest.
  • Ned Yost would have been a candidate to replace Bobby Cox in Atlanta after the season, had he not taken over in Kansas City. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez could also manage the Braves next year, in the opinion of one person close to the team.
  • Astros GM Ed Wade insists that he wants to win now, but says he'll "pay attention to any opportunity" that makes the team better if the 14-26 Astros fall further out of contention. In other words, the Astros could be sellers if they don't win soon.
  • Rival clubs say they don't expect the Rays to trade for a reliever just because J.P. Howell is out for an extended period of time. One executive thinks the Rays would love to add a couple of power arms to their 'pen eventually.
  • Executives disagree on Pat Burrell's future. One exec says Burrell could fit in Seattle and another one doesn't see any good fits for the free agent.
  • The Phillies have had discussions with Pedro Martinez, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledged. There's mutual interest in a deal and the sides continue communicating.
  • One official says top amateur pitcher Jameson Taillon is "way overpriced."
  • Two of Stark's sources are uneasy with MLB's attempt to hurry along the Rangers' sale.

Phillies Not Interested In Burrell

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The Phillies don't have interest in bringing Pat Burrell back to the city he established himself in, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Burrell, who cleared waivers today after the Rays designated him for assignment over the weekend, is a free agent and can now sign with any team for $300K. The Rays would pay the bulk of the $9MM Burrell will make this year, but not surprisingly, that is not enough for the Phillies.

"We just don't have a role for him right now," Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "There isn't a fit."

Burrell, who posted a .202/.292/.333 line with the Rays this year, doesn't appear to be a fit for the Giants, either. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle hasn't heard of any interest from the Giants (Twitter link).

Pat Burrell Clears Waivers

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Pat Burrell has cleared waivers and is now a free agent, according to the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter). As Tony Fabrizio of The Tampa Tribune reported, the Rays designated Burrell for assignment on Saturday to free up a roster spot for Hank Blalock, who joined the team over the weekend.

Burrell can now sign with any team for a pro-rated portion of the major league minimum. In other words, it would cost teams just under $300K to sign him at this point. The Rays will be responsible for the remainder of his $9MM salary.

Burrell, 33, has been a major disappointment since signing a two year, $16MM contract prior to last season. Brought in to help balance out the lineup against lefties, Burrell has hit just .218/.311/.361 in 572 plate appearances since signing. He's been even worse than that against southpaws, if you can believe it.

What’s Next For Pat Burrell?

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When the Rays designated Pat Burrell for assignment earlier today, it signaled that Pat the Bat has likely played his last game in a Tampa Bay uniform. The team now has ten days to either trade, waive or release him. While we wait to see how exactly the situation plays out, let's play the what-if game, and assume the Rays are forced to release Burrell. In that case, which clubs might be interested in him at a reduced price?

  • In April, the Nationals were linked to both Jermaine Dye and Gary Sheffield, similar players to Burrell. However, despite the struggles by their right fielders so far this year, the Nationals insist they like their current options. It's worth mentioning too that Burrell has played only nine innings in the outfield since joining the Rays, which might reduce his chances of landing with a National League team.
  • The Athletics have a history of making low-risk investments on players like Burrell and could use some power, having only hit 22 homers as a team. They did just call up their own version of Burrell, in Jack Cust, but Cust is capable of playing the outfield, which still leaves a potential designated hitter opening.
  • The Mariners were considered a possible suitor for Hank Blalock before the Rays recalled him. Considering their DH issues, they'd have to think about kicking the tires on Burrell now.
  • Following the news of Burrell's DFA, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki wrote that Philadelphia probably doesn't have room for the former Phillie.
  • A week ago, MLBTR's Mike Axisa listed a few teams who could use an upgrade at DH. They could all be possibilities for Burrell, though in many cases he wouldn't necessarily represent an "upgrade."

Burrell's numbers in 572 plate appearances for Tampa Bay (.218/.311/.361) don't inspire confidence in his potential to be a difference-maker for a contender this season. But perhaps a change of scenery could help him regain his 2005-2008 form, when he averaged 31 home runs per year and recorded a .386 OBP. If the Rays end up on the hook for the majority of Burrell's $9MM salary, there should be a few clubs willing to give him a shot.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Chico, Burrell, Cust, Indians

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Links for Saturday…

  • MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch writes that Pirates outfield prospect Starling Marte may require surgery on his left hand.  Baseball America's Prospect Handbook called the 21-year-old "the first tangible result of the Pirates' renewed commitment to scouting Latin America."
  • Matt Chico could start for the Nationals on Wednesday, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  Chico was DFA'd by the club earlier this week, but only so that the club could place him in Triple-A.
  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets that the recently-DFA'd Pat Burrell is another reason why teams won't be spending major money on designated hitter-types anymore.
  • Jack Cust is on his way back to Oakland after Eric Chavez managed just a .247/.298/.355 batting line during the first six weeks of the season, tweets CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban. The A's 40-man roster is full, so a move will need to be make to accommodate Cust.
  • Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer touched base with Indians' GM-in-waiting Chris Antonetti about having the fifth overall pick in June's draft. MLB's recommended bonus for that pick is in the $2.5MM-$3MM range, and Antonetti acknowledged that that money has already been set aside in the budget.
  • Mike Morse is close to returning from the disabled list, which will create a bit of a roster crunch for the Nationals since he's out of options, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • Meanwhile, MLB.com's Owen Perkins notes that the Rockies would have a similar problem if they were to call someone up to help fill in for the injured Eric Young Jr.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to Ken Griffey Jr.'s agent, who indicated that everything that happened this past week will have no bearing on his client's relationship with the club after he retires. Both links go to Twitter.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Greinke, Blalock, Berkman

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Lots of cool things have happened on May 14th throughout baseball history. Mickey Mantle joined the 500 homerun club in 1967 (just the sixth player to do so at the time); Reggie Jackson passed Mantle on the all-time homer list with his 537th on the same 1986 day that Cardinals' utility player Jose Oquendo became the first non-pitcher in history to get a decision when he took the loss in extra innings; Doc Gooden threw his no-hitter in 1996, and the Mets set a single game franchise record with seven steals against the Giants in 2009 without the help of Jose Reyes. Also, this happened in 2008. 

Here are a few links from around the web…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Rays Face Decision On Blalock

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WEDNESDAY, 10:49am: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that other teams are beginning to weigh interest in Blalock, in case the Rays are willing to trade him.  Olney guesses his opt-out date is May 15th.  He adds that "once Blalock informs the Rays that he wants to opt out, they have 48 hours to deal him or put him on their roster."  Olney's sources presume the Mariners and White Sox would get in the mix if Blalock becomes a free agent.

TUESDAY, 10:54pm: Scott Boras indicated to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that Hank Blalock may exercise the out clause in his contract within a week if the Rays don't call him up.

"I would imagine that we'll probably know something about Hank in the next seven days," Boras said. "The time has come. The time has come. He's playing third base, obviously he's hitting well, he's a young guy."

Blalock, 29, has a .375/.435/.552 line and four homers in Triple A Durham (though that batting average has been inflated by a .421 batting average on balls in play). Meanwhile, Pat Burrell is hitting .221/.315/.364 with two homers in the majors. Willy Aybar has yet to start at DH for the Rays, but he has appeared in ten games as a backup DH, so the Rays could turn to him.

The Rays could cut their losses and release Burrell, who earns $9MM this year, to make room for Blalock. They could also attempt to trade Blalock, perhaps to the Mariners. But if Blalock hits free agency again, Boras says he is confident that there will be interest in his client.

"I think a lot of people understand Hank's a better choice for them, so we'll see," Boras said.

Under his current contract, Blalock is set to earn a base salary of $925K in the major leagues.

Could Rays Release Pat Burrell?

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Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times writes that the Rays will have to consider cutting Pat Burrell loose if their designated hitter doesn't start producing. Although Tampa Bay management maintains that they have confidence in Burrell's ability, Topkin speculates that by mid-May or early-June, the club may run out of patience.

Burrell hit .221/.315/.367 in 2009 and is off to another slow start in 2010, the final season of his two-year contract. He'll make $9MM this year, a figure which will likely make him unmovable. Topkin thinks that at some point the Rays "will just have to accept their mistake and cut him loose."

If they were to cut ties with Burrell, the Rays would have other options available. Hank Blalock is currently in Triple A, waiting for an opportunity to earn Major League playing time. Additionally, Topkin points out that Rocco Baldelli has been taking regular batting practice at Tropicana Field and would like to play again. The long-time Ray would be a cheap right-handed alternative, and, as this Rays Index article suggests, Tampa fans would have more patience with him than they've had with Pat the Bat.

Burrell's $9MM salary would be a huge cost for the budget-conscious Rays to eat, so expect them to give the 33-year-old every chance to succeed. However, if his struggles continue and compromise the club's chances of contending, they could be forced to make a change.

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