Rays Acquire Sean Rodriguez In Kazmir Trade
2:38pm: The Rays acquired Rodriguez as the player to be named later in the Kazmir trade, according to Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse (via Twitter). Rodriguez, 24, is hitting a robust .299/.400/.616 at Triple A this year. A few days ago the Rays acquired Alexander Torres and Matt Sweeney as initial pieces of the Kazmir deal. My question: why didn't another team claim Rodriguez on waivers, just to prevent the Rays from getting a look at him in September?
The Rays seem set in the middle infield for 2010 with Ben Zobrist, Jason Bartlett, and Rodriguez. Just speculating, but they could choose Akinori Iwamura's $250K buyout over his $4.25MM option.
TUESDAY, 12:33pm: The Angels promoted Wilson but not Rodriguez, causing Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times to speculate that the former is in the Kazmir deal.
MONDAY: Triple-A infielder Sean Rodriguez and catcher Bobby Wilson are candidates to be the player to be named later in last weekend's Scott Kazmir trade, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com. It is unclear if those two are part of a pool of prospects the Rays could consider, or if they've already made their decision.
Both players have big league experience. Rodriguez, 24, is a .282/.381/.502 career hitter in the minors, and has gotten 216 plate appearances with the Angels spread out over the last two seasons. Wilson, 26, has hit .283/.338/.423 in his minor league career, but he's come to the plate just seven times for the Angels over the last two year. Baseball America's 2009 Prospect Handbook notes that he "draws praise for his game calling ability."
Odds & Ends: Kazmir, Byrd, A’s, Lackey
Sunday evening linkage…
- As noted by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, new Angels hurler Scott Kazmir is already falling in love out West. "It kind of feels like a playoff atmosphere every time you're here," Kazmir said Sunday. "You have the Rally Monkey, the whole thing going on." He's under team control until 2012 and will make his Angels debut Wednesday.
- Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com spoke Sunday with A's manager Bob Geren, who revealed his plan for September's roster expansion. It has already been confirmed that Brett Wallace will not see major league action this year.
- Paul Byrd told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that he wasn't guaranteed a call-up by the Red Sox when they signed him to a minor league deal in early August. The 38-year-old made his 2009 debut Sunday afternoon, tossing six shutout innings against the Blue Jays.
- John Lackey earned his 100th career win Sunday with eight innings of five-hit ball against the Athletics. He heads an intriguing 2010 free agent class.
Odds & Ends: Kazmir, Rays, Hoffman, Byrd
We can link to it, we have the technology…
- ESPN's Keith Law feels the Rays received "a tremendous return for a pitcher whose value had really nose-dived over the past 10 months" when they dealt Scott Kazmir to the Angels late Friday evening.
- Manager Joe Maddon says that the team feels they have the depth to cover the loss of Kazmir, and that it won't hurt their chances of getting back to playoffs this year. The depth Maddon speaks of comes in the form of Andy Sonnanstine and prospect Wade Davis, though Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times says Sonnanstine will get the call against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
- Topkin was all over the Kazmir saga yesterday, and now that the dust has settled he says the team can use the savings to keep it's core intact. Several veterans, such as Carl Crawford, have raises built into their contracts, and several of the club's young players will be due big raises in arbitration.
- When asked if closer Trevor Hoffman might go to the Giants after being claimed on waivers, Brewers GM Doug Melvin said "probably not," according to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel.
- Boston reportedly agreed to give Paul Byrd a September callup, but it looks like his shot may come sooner than that. With Tim Wakefield's back acting up again, the Sox will send Byrd to the mound tomorrow night according to John Tomase of The Boston Herald.
- Sheldon Ocker of The Akron Beacon Journal takes an early look at some of the players that could help get the Indians back on track in 2010.
- The Marlins officially introduced first round pick Chad James to the masses this afternoon, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
Odds & Ends: Kazmir, Brew Crew, Rosters
A few links for Saturday evening…
- As ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes, the Rays had to make the Scott Kazmir deal because they "simply couldn't afford" to keep him.
- According to Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers, who stand just 62-66, are on pace to draw around 3 million fans this season. Maintaining a solid amount of revenue could help the club make a play for a top free agent this offseason.
- Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports continues his "Restoring the Rosters" series with a look at the Diamondbacks, who he ranked 11th, and the Twins, who he ranked 12th in the what-could-have-been collection of columns.
- If you haven't already, join MLBTR on Twitter for even more year-round updates and discussion.
Reactions to Kazmir Deal
The Scott Kazmir trade caught a few of us by surprise. Let's check out what the wider world of sports has to say about the move:
- Rob Neyer at ESPN says the Rays' rotation shuffle from Kazmir to Wade Davis cuts their playoff chances from 10 percent to 8 percent and opines, "Giving up two percent in exchange for three talented young players … well, on paper that's a move you'd be thrilled to make, every day of the week."
- Torii Hunter is happy he doesn't have to face Kazmir anymore, and he and his teammates are excited about the addition, reports Rhett Bollinger at MLB.com.
- Bill Shaikin at the L.A. Times believes Kazmir is "just what the Angels needed" and that his joining probably spells the end of the John Lackey era.
- Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman says money was not the primary reason for the deal, and he and Rays manager Joe Maddon express faith that the current crop of talent still keeps the team in contention, reports Marc Topkin at the St. Petersburg Times.
Angels Acquire Scott Kazmir
9:31pm: The deal was as expected, according to Bill Shaikin of The LA Times. The Angels get Kazmir in exchange for minor leaguers Torres and Sweeney, plus a PTBNL. The 25-yr old Kazmir is under contract for two more seasons, plus a team option for 2012. With 144 career starts under his belt, the southpaw has put up an impressive 3.92 ERA and 9.8 K/9 while honing his craft in the AL East, and he even has World Series experience.
9:21pm: And we finally have confirmation: Topkin says the Rays have made the trade official.
6:17pm: Man on the scene Marc Topkin hears that the Rays may also receive a player to be named later in addition to Torres and Sweeney.
5:59pm: It's the deal that just won't be made official. Topkin says there won't be a trade announcement made until after tonight's Rays-Tigers game in Detroit. Naturally, the game is in a rain delay.
5:00pm: Topkins tweets that the deal should be finalized within an hour.
4:40pm: Sherman says that no money is changing hands in the deal, so the Angels are absorbing the over $20MM owed to Kazmir over the next two years.
4:33pm: Joel Sherman of The NY Post hears from a source that the deal is done, and Kazmir is "definitely going to the Angels."
4:23pm: The original report from MLB.com's Lyle Spencer has been changed, and now says that the proposed deal has fallen through.
4:17pm: Topkin tweets that there still has been no confirmation of the trade, and that Kazmir is just walking around the clubhouse talking on his phone. I suspect that's not out of the ordinary, though.
3:59pm: Topkin now reports that manager Joe Maddon's usual pre-grame media session has been pushed back.
3:43pm: Marc Topkin reports that Kazmir remains in the Rays clubhouse. He hasn't been told anything about a trade and actually thought the writers who asked him about one were kidding.
3:34pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com and ESPN.com's Buster Olney confirm that the Angels are close to acquiring Kazmir. There's at least $23.5MM remaining on Kazmir's deal and Heyman says the Rays want to spend that on other players. Kazmir receives $800k if he's traded.
2:58pm: The Angels are close to acquiring Scott Kazmir from the Rays, according to MLB.com's Lyle Spencer. Spencer reports that the Rays are "on the verge" of sending Kazmir west for a pair of prospects, Alexander Torres and Matthew Sweeney.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Kazmir, Torres
My momma always said, "Odds & Ends posts are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get…"
- Joel Sherman of The NY Post says that the Yankees negotiated with then-free agent Paul Byrd earlier in the summer, but refused to meet his request of a guaranteed September call-up. Once the Red Sox signed Byrd, Yanks' brass assumed that they had agreed to Byrd's demand, and then claimed Chris Carter off waivers in hopes of creating some 40-man roster havoc for their main rival.
- SI.com's Tom Verducci provides some insight into why the Rays traded (or will trade, since we're still waiting on an official announcement) Scott Kazmir. He notes that while he is still very young, Kazmir's velocity has been dropping and his strikeout rate is declining.
- Alex Torres, one of the players involved in the Kazmir trade, was named one of this week's hottest prospects in Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet.
Rays, Red Sox Talking Blockbusters With Tribe
4:33pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hear that the Rays may be shying away from a blockbuster deal. They're 5.0 games behind Boston in the Wild Card race, so their next two games against the Yankees could determine the team's direction.
If the Rays are discouraged after the Yankees series, they could make Dan Wheeler, Chad Bradford, Grant Balfour, Joe Nelson and Lance Cormier available, according to the FOX Sports source.
12:59pm: The Rays have shopped Scott Kazmir to the Mets and Rangers, according to Joel Sherman. The Rangers turned down an offer from the Rays and the Mets just had initial interest. The Rays would consider dealing Kazmir, Carlos Pena and even Carl Crawford to free up enough salary to make a blockbuster deal for Martinez and Lee.
The Rays still have interest in Halladay.
TUESDAY, 11:16am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has more dish on the idea of a team acquiring both Lee and V-Mart in a blockbuster trade. The idea has been considered in Cleveland but is considered very unlikely due to the magnitude of prospects required. While the Red Sox could technically pull it off, the Rays wouldn't have the payroll space.
MONDAY, 4:35pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears the Rays are still "in on" V-Mart and Lee. There's still a chance that they'll trade Scott Kazmir to the Angels, too.
1:35pm: The Rays and Red Sox are each discussing blockbuster deals with the Indians for both Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Here are the details and the rest of Sherman's rumors:
- The Rays would deal Wade Davis, but the Red Sox are hesitant to deal Clay Buchholz.
- The Phillies, Brewers and Rangers have interest in Lee and the Giants have interest in V-Mart.
- One executive is "1,000%" confident the Indians will move Lee and Martinez to free up money.
- An AL executive says the Phillies will acquire Lee, Roy Halladay or Jarrod Washburn by Friday afternoon.
- The Padres may be more willing to deal Heath Bell than expected. As one official says, Bell will be an expensive closer on a bad team if the Padres don't trade him.
- The Yankees have been interested in Bell, whose value is higher than ever.
Heyman On Washburn, Halladay, Red Sox, Rangers
Let's dig into the latest from SI's Jon Heyman.
- The Yankees called the Mariners Saturday to inquire on Jarrod Washburn, and were told at the time that the Ms weren't ready to sell. Perhaps that has since changed, based on today's report from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi. Here's my question: was Seattle's decision to hold on to Washburn last summer prudent, or did they just get lucky? Heyman says Bronson Arroyo is a "fallback option" for the Yanks should the Reds change course and offer to eat significant salary.
- Heyman gives his take on the Roy Halladay situation, explaining where suitors such as the Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Rangers, and Dodgers sit. Heyman still sees the Phils as the favorite. He says the Dodgers "are more focused on Cliff Lee than Halladay" but don't want to break up their Major League roster. Good luck with that. One Heyman source suggested the Red Sox would need to give up Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, and Jed Lowrie (Gordon Edes says Bard is off-limits).
- Heyman also talks a bit about Boston's interest in major bats Victor Martinez and Adrian Gonzalez.
- Heyman finds the Rangers unlikely to acquire Halladay or Cliff Lee, though they have expressed interest. The Rangers won't be restricted, at least by MLB, because of Tom Hicks' financial woes. I don't see why the money owed to Halladay would be an issue for any club. He's a massive bargain.
- The Angles have yet to cop to interest in Rays starter Scott Kazmir. Heyman guesses Tampa Bay would love to be free of Kazmir's contract ($24.8MM through 2011 doesn't seem too burdensome though). Earlier today the lefty was connected to the Rangers and Mets by Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Heyman speculates that one reason the Cards would like to extend Matt Holliday is to impress Albert Pujols.
Odds & Ends: Holliday, Red Sox, Pirates, Kazmir
Things are picking up, so we've got a fresh batch of links for you…
- The recently acquired Matt Holliday was non-committal when talking about his impending free agency, according to R.B. Fallstrom of the AP. "I'm going to enjoy myself and try to help this team get to the playoffs and to the World Series and work every day I can to be the best player I can be," Holliday said. "And leave it there. I think there's a time and a place for all those other things and when that time comes is when I'll do my evaluating."
- Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that the Red Sox have told people "they are trying to pull off something huge." Earlier today we learned that the Sox were talking about Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez with the Indians.
- Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review asked Pirates team president Frank Coonelly about the possibility of re-opening extension talks with Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson should they remain with the team past Friday's trade deadline, to which Coonelly responded "At this juncture, I wouldn't say anything is definitely closed. We'd have to see where we are. But, developments in the organization could create a situation that could make it less likely, or more likely, we'd want to extend Jack or Freddy."
- Scott Kazmir's agent, Brian Peters, reached out to Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman about recent trade rumors involving his client. Friedman indicated the rumors were "merely speculative," according to MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun.
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times writes that Jarrod Washburn has "let it be known he is open to a contract extension to stay in Seattle," but indicated that there has not been much discussion.
- Bruce Miles of The Daily Herald said he expects the Cubs to look for bullpen help before anything else. He names Joe Beimel and George Sherrill as players of interest.
- The Cubs have signed third round pick Austin Kirk according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, while Bill Ladson reports that the Nats have signed seventh rounder Andrew Weaver.