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NL West Notes: Rizzo, De La Rosa, D’Backs

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Giants catcher Buster Posey appeared to suffer a serious leg injury while blocking the plate in extra innings last night. Posey's agent, Jeff Berry, says he's going to call Joe Torre about changing rules for plays at the plate to make collisions safer for catchers, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. "It's brutal," Berry said. "It's borderline shocking. It just stinks for baseball." Here are some other notes from the NL West:

  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Bill Center of of the San Diego Union-Tribune that top first base prospect Anthony Rizzo is "not yet" ready for the Major Leagues. The Padres want Rizzo to stay in the Majors once he arrives, so "the timing and situation has to be right."
  • Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd told Dave Krieger of the Denver Post that he has the financial freedom to make a trade. "I have some flexibility that we saved for opportunities that may come up," O'Dowd said. "It would be hard to do multiple things, so we're probably going to have to prioritize what that is if something should come available." Though the Rockies aren't about to make a sudden move, they'll keep talking to teams about possible deals.
  • The Rockies will call on internal options to replace Jorge de la Rosa, who will miss the rest of the season with Tommy John surgery, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Rockies owner Dick Monfort says the team didn't have insurance on the left-hander's contract.
  • The D'Backs continue to eye other teams' arms as they look to bolster their Triple-A pitching depth, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Heath Bell’s Trade Value

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The last time a team traded Heath Bell, they ended up regretting it, but the 2006 deal that sent Bell and Royce Ring from the Mets to the Padres for Jon Adkins and Ben Johnson hasn't prevented the 33-year-old closer from appearing in a near-constant stream of trade rumors.

We checked in on Bell’s trade value before the 2010 season started and again last May. The rumors continued throughout the summer and restarted last offseason, when a deal seemed distinctly possible. Now that the Padres are off to a 19-29 start, the rumors have started once again.

The Rangers and a number of other teams have inquired on Bell, so let’s take stock of his trade value yet again (though the Padres are just listening at this point). He can still pitch, though he’s succeeding with a different method this year. Bell has a 2.12 ERA with nine saves and though his strikeout rate has dropped to 6.4 K/9, his ground ball rate is up to 54.9%. His fastball checks in at an impressive 93.4 mph.

Demand for a pitcher with numbers like that figures to be strong, especially since Bell has a track record of All-Star level production. A number of contenders – the Angels, Rangers, Tigers and Cardinals, for example – could use relief help and may have interest in Bell. Consider that few teams appear ready to sell and his value only increases.

Bell makes $7.5MM this year and hits free agency after the season, which will limit his value to an extent. Not every team has a few million kicking around for a mid-summer acquisition, especially one who’s on the brink of free agency.

Bell should net his team a pair of high draft picks in 2012, which increases his trade value. He was first among all NL relievers in last year’s Elias rankings and though this year’s rankings have yet to be determined, another stellar season figures to place Bell in Type A territory. That means the Padres or any other team would be able to obtain two picks by offering arbitration, assuming Bell turns it down.

Though Bell could technically accept arbitration and take a one-year deal for $10MM or so, that seems highly unlikely. He said while discussing an extension this spring that his “biggest thing is that [he’d] like three years." And he has surely noticed that teams are willing to part with draft picks for top relievers. Clubs grumble about it, but they have surrendered draft choices to sign Scott Downs, Grant Balfour, Rafael Soriano, Jose Valverde, Mike Gonzalez, Billy Wagner, Juan Cruz, Brian Fuentes and Francisco Rodriguez over the course of the past three offseasons.

If the Padres don’t like the offers they receive, they can sit back, offer Bell arbitration and obtain a pair of high picks in 2012. Given Bell’s history of production, his 2011 success and the number of contenders with bullpen issues, the Padres may not have to wait a year to cash in on Bell. I won’t be surprised if some team offers the Padres a top prospect for their closer this summer in spite of his generous salary.

Rangers, Others Have Inquired On Heath Bell

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The Rangers are one of several teams that have recently inquired about Padres closer Heath Bell, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports. The 19-29 Padres are not interested in dealing Bell yet and the Rangers are simply checking their options, according to Miller.

Bell, who discussed a possible extension with the Padres this spring, is a free agent after the season. He realizes he’s a trade candidate, but says he’d like to stay in San Diego.

"In my own quirky head, I still think something will happen at the end of the year and I'll stay here,” he said. “It's wait-and-see. But I understand the business part. We've got to play well and get some fans in here."

Bell, 33, will lead a substantial number of closers into free agency after the season, as Tim Dierkes explained earlier today. So far, Bell has a 2.12 ERA with nine saves and though his strikeout rate has dropped to 6.4 K/9, his ground ball rate is up to 54.9%.

The Rangers have also made "low-level inquiries" on Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan. Entering today's action, Rangers relievers ranked 29th in baseball in K/9 (6.0) and xFIP (4.61), 28th in baseball in BB/9 (4.7) and ground ball rate (40%) and 24 in baseball in ERA (4.15).

Minor Deals: Padres, Rays, Oxspring

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The big off-field news in baseball continues to revolve around Mets owner Fred Wilpon and his comments about his club. But there’s some minor news to pass along as well. Here it is: 

  • Instead of a player to be named later, the Padres will obtain cash considerations from the Rays to complete the winter trade that sent Jason Bartlett to San Diego, according to MLB.com’s Corey Brock (on Twitter).
  • The Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, released Chris Oxspring, according to MLB.com’s Jason Beck (on Twitter). Oxspring, a 34-year-old native of Australia, appeared in five games for the 2005 Padres, but has not pitched in the big leagues since. He posted a 6.53 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 20 2/3 innings with Toledo this year.

Alex Cintron Retires

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Infielder Alex Cintron has retired, tweets Padres Triple-A broadcaster Tim Hagerty.  Cintron had signed a minor league deal with the Padres earlier this month after a brief stint in the Nationals organization.

Cintron, 32, finishes with a .275/.313/.394 line in 2,217 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks, White Sox, Orioles, and Nationals.  He played shortstop, second base, and third base.  Cintron's best season was with the 2003 D'Backs, when he hit .317/.359/.489 with 13 home runs.  The Puerto Rico native earned over $4MM in his big league career, according to Baseball Reference.     

Padres Designate Samuel Deduno For Assignment

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The Padres designated Samuel Deduno for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Blake Tekotte, the team announced. To create 25-man roster space, the team optioned Will Venable to Triple-A Tucson.

Deduno earned a spot on the Padres' Opening Day roster and made two relief appearances before getting optioned to the minors on April 10th. The 27-year-old right-hander has a 2.92 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 6.6 BB/9 through 24 2/3 innings of relief work in Triple-A this year. The Padres claimed Deduno from the Rockies last offseason.

Tekotte, who turns 24 tomorrow, has a .291/.410/.486 line in 180 plate appearances at Double-A this year. He is the second player from the Padres' 2008 draft to make the Major Leagues (Logan Forsythe was the first).

If The Padres Become Sellers

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Having lost their last three games, the Padres are 19-28, in last place and 8.5 games out in the NL West.  They're second to last in the league with 3.51 runs scored per game, though at 4.40 the offense has been much better in May.  The Padres' starters carry an unspectacular 4.16 ERA, while their bullpen remains on top at 2.30.

Padres GM Jed Hoyer tried for the best of both worlds during the offseason, trading his best player in Adrian Gonzalez while also importing a bunch of bounceback candidate veterans in hopes of remaining competitive.  Perhaps 2010 was just an anomaly in the Padres' rebuilding process, and Hoyer will continue thinking long-term when the trade deadline approaches in a couple of months.  In that case, who might be available?

  • Closer Heath Bell sports a 1.13 ERA on the season.  Like Pittsburgh's Joel Hanrahan, the 33-year-old Bell has traded a bunch of strikeouts for an improved groundball rate this season.  Bell is earning $7.5MM and will be eligible for free agency after the season; there's a good chance his team can offer arbitration and net a pair of draft picks.  The Nationals were able to extract highly-rated catching prospect Wilson Ramos from the Twins for closer Matt Capps last year.  Capps came with an additional year of control but without Bell's pedigree.  Still, even an Octavio Dotel rental netted the Pirates James McDonald and Andrew Lambo.
  • I can picture the Padres dealing Bell or Mike Adams, though moving both would be bold.  There's a case to be made that Adams has more trade value – he owns a 0.87 ERA through 20 2/3 innings, has much stronger peripheral stats than Bell, and is under team control for 2012 at a salary unlikely to reach $5MM.  Chad Qualls sits a level below Bell and Adams and figures to be dealt.  He's not striking batters out, but he is keeping the ball on the ground and it's worked so far.
  • Ryan Ludwick owns a .224/.304/.373 line in 425 Padres plate appearances dating back to last year, work that would get most players designated for assignment.  Silver lining: he's at .289/.331/.526 since April 20th.  If Ludwick maintains that production over the next two months, he'll be one of the better bats available and should net the Padres a decent prospect. 
  • Brad Hawpe has a similar story, in that he's heated up this month.  Hawpe is cheaper, but he also carries more of a platoon bat reputation and has been shielded from lefties this year.  The other half of that platoon, Jorge Cantu, has been terrible and might not make it to the trade deadline.
  • Padres prospect Jedd Gyorko is doing major damage in High-A ball, though they'll probably still want Chase Headley around in the $4MM range next year.  Headley, who ranks fifth in the league with 27 walks, would be worth listening on now though.  He doesn't have the power of a typical third baseman, but there's not much better on the trade market aside from perhaps Wilson Betemit.
  • Aaron Harang has a 4.31 ERA in nine starts on the season, with peripheral stats similar to last year.  Only three of his starts have come away from PETCO, and he pitched well in two of them.  Harang has shown the skills of a 4.50 ERA pitcher, though that was true last year as well.  The difference is that he's earning $4MM this year instead of $14.5MM, so a contender should be willing to take a flier.
  • I've analyzed four other potential sellers so far: the Astros, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Pirates.

Quick Hits: Cabrera, Kazmir, Padres’ Draft

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Here are a few items of note as Jarrod Saltalamacchia parks one over the Big Green Monster on Sunday Night Baseball …

  • The Indians' acquisition of shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is looking like one of the organization's best moves in recent years, writes Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. The Tribe plucked Cabrera, now 25 and posting All-Star caliber numbers, from the Mariners in 2006 in exchange for Eduardo Perez. For more on how the 2011 Indians were assembled, check out Ben Nicholson-Smith's recent post.
  • Angels lefty Scott Kazmir, who's spent most of the season on the disabled list, will soon begin a minor league rehab stint, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Kazmir may return to to the bigs as a long reliever, and if he continues to struggle, he could be released, in which case the Halos will have to eat his contract (what's left of his $12MM salary, plus a $2.5MM buyout after the season). Mike Axisa wrote in January that this one would be a make-or-break season for Kazmir, and it's not going well so far. Ben thinks the lefty may have to settle for a minor league deal this offseason.
  • The Padres own six of the first 58 picks in next month's draft, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and they face some pressure after they were unable to sign last year's first-round pick, Karsten Whitson. Center speculates that the Friars could focus on pitching and up-the-middle players, considering their farm is relatively stocked with corner infielders and outfielders. For more on the draft, be sure to check out our Amateur Draft Glossary.

Quick Hits: Brown, Padres, Johnson

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On this date in 1919, Babe Ruth hit his first career grand slam to help the Red Sox beat the Browns. Oh yeah, and he pitched a complete game. Here’s the latest from around the league on the anniversary of the Babe’s big day… 

  • The Phillies placed Shane Victorino on the 15-day DL with a right hamstring strain and called up outfielder Domonic Brown from Triple-A, the team announced.
  • By waiting a month, the Phillies could have ensured themselves that Brown would finish the 2011 season with less than a full year of service time, but their focus is clearly (and rightfully) on winning games now.
  • The Padres are close to announcing a 20-year TV deal with Fox that will provide the team with $25-30MM per season, according to John Maffei of the North County Times. 
  • Teddy Cahill of Baseball America lists draft-eligible prospects with connections to current and former big leaguers and others around the game.
  • Dan Johnson, who was designated for assignment earlier today, told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he's "kind of numb," but open to remaining in the organization if he clears waivers.

Few Waiver Claims Contributing So Far

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A number of non-tenders are adding value in the Major Leagues this year, as I showed earlier today. Waiver claims – at least so far – haven’t had close to the same success. Former top prospects such as Brandon Wood and Max Ramirez haven’t produced and neither have most of the 30-plus players who have been claimed since last season. Here’s a look at the few waiver claims who have made an impact in the Majors this year:

  • Phil Humber (White Sox, from Royals, via Athletics) – The 28-year-old former top draft pick has a 3.18 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 through 45 1/3 innings. Now a member of Chicago's six-man rotation, Humber is finally providing value in his sixth MLB season.
  • Pat Neshek (Padres, from Twins) – Neshek is back on the Padres' active roster after a quick stint in the minors. He posted a 1.86 ERA with 10 strikeouts in  9 2/3 innings earlier this year. Padres reliever Samuel Deduno (from Rockies) gets an honorable mention, though he's not on San Diego’s active roster.
  • Joe Mather (Braves, from Cardinals) – A longtime favorite of the Braves, Mather has a .747 OPS after 24 plate appearances and has appeared at three positions. With respect to Mather, his presence on this list shows how little other waiver claims have impacted MLB rosters so far in 2011.
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