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Jeff Suppan Elects Free Agency

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Jeff Suppan has elected free agency, according to the Padres’ website. The Padres removed Suppan from the roster to create room for Yasmani Grandal last week, designating the right-hander for assignment.

Suppan posted a 5.28 ERA with 2.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 30 2/3 innings with San Diego this year. The Padres signed the 37-year-old to a minor league deal worth $950K in February. Lapa/Leventhal represents Suppan, a veteran of 17 MLB seasons.

Olney On Quentin, Appel, Pirates

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General managers don’t expect many frontline hitters to be available in trades this summer, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. Here are more of Olney’s notes:

  • Carlos Quentin of the Padres could be the most sought-after hitter on the trade market, but teams may have concern over the outfielder’s injury history. Olney speculates that teams such as the Reds, Rays, Indians, Dodgers, Braves, Blue Jays, Pirates and Marlins could have interest in Quentin depending on how the next two months unfold. In case you missed it, I set out to determine Quentin’s trade value last week.
  • It was somewhat surprising to see potential first overall selection Mark Appel stay on the board until the Pirates made him the eighth pick of the draft, but executives from many teams had Appel projected as the fourth or fifth-best pitcher available, Olney reports. The presence of agent Scott Boras wasn’t scaring teams off, the clubs simply preferred other players.
  • Most of Olney’s sources believe the Pirates did well to select Appel eighth overall, yet there’s an expectation that the team won’t be prepared to spend wildly and forfeit future draft picks to complete a deal.

Padres Sign Ross Ohlendorf

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The Padres signed Ross Ohlendorf to a Major League contract, the team announced. As expected, the Padres designated right-hander Matt Palmer for assignment in a corresponding move.

Ohlendorf opted out of his minor league contract with the Red Sox over the weekend and became a free agent. The 29-year-old had a 4.61 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings over the course of ten starts for Boston's Triple-A affiliate before obtaining his release. He started 50 games for the Pirates from 2009-10, but Pittsburgh non-tendered him following the 2011 season.

Rosenthal On Headley, Blue Jays, Myers, Dodgers

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that we should expect the unexpected once trade talk picks up this summer. For example, who expected Ubaldo Jimenez to be traded this time last year? Here are Rosenthal’s notes from around MLB…

  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams says he’d prefer to focus on short-term goals for now and figure out whether to buy or sell closer to the July 31st trade deadline. “We’ll see where we are in July and then we’ll figure it out,” he said.
  • Chase Headley is a popular trade target, Rosenthal reports. The Padres could replace Headley at third with Jedd Gyorko or move Gyorko to second if they hold onto Headley.
  • The Diamondbacks explored the trade market for young catchers before signing Miguel Montero to an extension, only to find that acquiring a backstop such as Travis d’Arnaud or Austin Romine would have cost them top pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs and then some.
  • Some executives wonder if the Blue Jays should make their move this summer, asking “If not now, when?” One person says the Blue Jays are monitoring Matt Garza of the Cubs.
  • Carlos Lee can block trades to 14 teams, including the Dodgers, Rosenthal reports. Almost all of the teams on Lee’s no-trade list are high-revenue clubs. This provides Lee with some leverage, but doesn’t necessarily mean he’d block a deal.
  • Brett Myers’ $10MM option for 2013 likely vests with between 40 and 50 games finished, Rosenthal estimates. If a team acquired the right-hander and used him as a setup man, the option wouldn’t become an issue. But teams interested in using Myers as a closer might have interest in re-working the option like the Brewers did with Francisco Rodriguez a year ago.
  • The contracts for Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay of the Phillies include the same no-trade protection, Rosenthal reports. Each player can block deals to 21 teams per year.
  • Dodgers president Stan Kasten expects his team to be “aggressive, but not reckless” in considering possible upgrades.

Padres To Designate Matt Palmer For Assignment

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We'll keep track of the day's minor moves here…

  • The Padres will designate right-hander Matt Palmer for assignment prior to Tuesday's game against the Giants, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The move will allow the club to activate Huston Street off the disabled list on Tuesday. Palmer, 33, had struggled in three relief appearances with San Diego after having his contract selected from Triple-A Tucson on May 20.

Draft Notes: Phillies, White Sox, Brewers, Nationals

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The first round of the MLB draft takes place tomorrow night.  Here are the latest notes on the draft:

  • The Phillies intend to spend their entire draft pool of $4.9MM on their first ten picks and will draft a position player early, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
  • White Sox scouting director Doug Laumann told the Chicago Tribune's Dave Van Dyck he doesn't expect to find an immediate impact player in the draft.  “It’s probably as thin as I've seen in a decade,” Laumann said. “We see that it's pretty thin right now in the college ranks."
  • Brewers amateur scouting director Bruce Seid doesn't think there much of a talent dropoff after the first ten picks, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.  The Brewers have the 27th, 28th, and 38th selections.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo isn't letting the new CBA impact his draft strategy, says MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • The Padres will keep an eye out for shortstops in the draft, says Corey Brock of MLB.com.
  • The Astros have the first overall pick in the draft for the first time in 20 years. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart recalls how that missed pick (Phil Nevin) affected the franchise.

Padres Designate Jeff Suppan For Assignment

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The Padres have designated right-hander Jeff Suppan for assignment, according to a team press release.  The move will allow the club to recall catcher Yasmani Grandal from Triple-A Tucson.

Suppan, 37, has a 5.28 ERA with 2.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 30.2 innings of work this season.  The veteran inked a minor league deal with San Diego in February in a deal that paid just $950K for his promotion to the varsity roster.  Suppan spent 2011 with the Royals' Triple-A affiliate where he posted a 4.78 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.

Heyman On Brewers, Liriano, Castro

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Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com lists 45 potential trade candidates in anticipation of this summer’s deals. Here are some highlights, starting with a team that could be a buyer, rather than a seller:

  • One GM questions Zack Greinke’s ability to thrive in major markets. Keep in mind that Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has a buyer’s mindset as the deadline approaches. Greinke and others on Milwaukee’s roster may not be available.
  • Fellow Brewers starter Shaun Marcum is no better than a fourth starter in the American League, according to a GM. It's worth noting that Marcum posted a 3.85 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in five seasons in the American League East when he pitched for the Blue Jays.
  • An American League executive said Padres starter Edinson Volquez “has good value,” Heyman reports.
  • One person said Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano is worth a short-term look.
  • Royals GM Dayton Moore may like Jeff Francoeur more than any other team does.
  • Jeremy Guthrie will have to string together some quality outings to restore his trade value, one executive said. 
  • Heyman hears from a Cubs official who says the team hasn't mentioned Starlin Castro's name in trade talks (Twitter link). The Cubs appear to be willing to listen on most of their players, including Castro.

Trade Candidate: Carlos Quentin

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If Carlos Quentin keeps hitting and the 17-35 Padres continue struggling, contending teams figure to call about the left fielder this summer. In a trade market that seemingly features little power, Quentin’s right-handed bat will have considerable value.

Carlos Quentin - Padres (PW)

The 29-year-old recently returned to the Padres’ lineup after missing nearly two months to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery. So far, the results have been remarkable. He has seven hits, including three home runs, in 12 trips to the plate. It’s a small sample, of course, but in more than 2400 career plate appearances the two-time All-Star has a .254/.347/.496 batting line. In other words, Quentin offers an attractive combination of on-base skills and power as a hitter. On defense, he’s sure-handed and has decent range with a below-average throwing arm, according to The Fielding Bible Volume III. 

Quentin will earn $7.03MM this season before hitting free agency. Similar players — think Josh Willingham, Jason Kubel and Luke Scott — are worth $6-8MM on the free agent market, which means a qualifying offer in the $12-3MM range seems highly unlikely. The Padres won’t be getting draft picks for Quentin, so a trade appears to be the only way for the team to obtain a long-term asset for the left fielder.

When GM Josh Byrnes acquired Quentin last December, he sent minor league left-hander Pedro Hernandez and right-hander Simon Castro, a former top-100 prospect, to the White Sox. The Padres may be able to acquire better prospects if Quentin’s knee holds up and his bat returns to form. As I mentioned before, there doesn’t seem to be much power on the trade market (Alfonso Soriano could probably be had, but he earns $18MM in 2013 and 2014, which makes things messy). And it could take a while for bats to become available because more teams than ever are within striking distance of a playoff berth.

Once Quentin plays enough to show he is healthy, Byrnes could make him available and wait for other teams to start making offers. The Indians, Orioles and Dodgers are among the teams that might have interest in adding a right-handed hitting outfielder with power in the next eight weeks. If Quentin is healthy the Padres may come out ahead this summer and trade him for better prospects than the ones they surrendered to acquire him.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire. I discussed Quentin and the Padres yesterday on XTRA Sports 1360 in San Diego.

Padres To Sign Jason Marquis

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The Padres will sign Jason Marquis to a minor league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). San Diego has four starters on the disabled list and needs to replace the depth. He's an ACES client.

Marquis, 33, posted an 8.47 ERA with more walks (14) than strikeouts (12) in seven starts and 34 innings for Minnesota this season, but just last year he pitched to a 4.43 ERA in 132 innings for the Nationals and Diamondbacks. The Padres only have to pay Marquis the pro-rated portion of the $480K league minimum with the Twins picking up the rest of his $3MM salary.

Cory Luebke (Tommy John surgery) and Dustin Moseley (shoulder surgery) are both out for the season while Joe Wieland and Tim Stauffer are expected back from their elbow issues sometime this summer.

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