Quick Hits: Nationals, Padres, Drew, Quade
Some notes from around the majors….
- ESPN's Buster Olney is "85-95%" confident that Davey Johnson will be the next Nationals manager. Johnson is currently an advisor with the Nats and hasn't managed since 2000. SI.com's Jon Heyman says Johnson is "in the mix" and might take the job if offered but "he loves [Jim] Riggleman and is sensitive to [the] situation" concerning Riggleman's abrupt departure. (All Twitter links)
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also chimes in on the Nationals' managerial situation, noting that while Riggleman was wrong to leave the team, it was also unfair of Nationals management to leave Riggleman as a lame duck without a guaranteed 2012 contract. Rosenthal also reports that GM Mike Rizzo rarely communicated with Riggleman and has a similar lack of regular contact with his scouting department.
- “Given the division, if we were to get real hot over the next two weeks, a final decision might be delayed a week or two,” a Padres executive tells Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune about when the Friars will start looking to trade players. “But the day is coming.” Center figures Heath Bell, Ryan Ludwick and Chad Qualls are all sure bets to be dealt. Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson may stay put, however, since San Diego has no Major League-ready middle infield replacements in the farm system. Such a young player could possibly come back in any deal for one of those two veterans, but if you're a team with a good young middle infielder, you'd probably want to keep that player rather than move him for a Hudson or a Bartlett.
- Jed Hoyer says "nothing is imminent" and "the only thing that’s true [about various Padres rumors] is that people call us," reports Marty Caswell of XX1090 Radio in San Diego. (Twitter link)
- With David Wright cleared to resume baseball activities, ESPN New York's Rob Parker hopes the Mets won't abandon a much-needed rebuilding plan in pursuit of a longshot chance at the postseason.
- ESPN Boston's Jeremy Lundblad looks at J.D. Drew's struggles this season. With Drew and Mike Cameron providing a negative WAR, Lundblad argues the Red Sox will need to look for right field help, whether it's via trade or an internal option like Josh Reddick or Ryan Kalish.
- The Cubs will have to go on a tear in the second half of the season in order to save Mike Quade's job, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Even this might not be enough, since if GM Jim Hendry goes, so will Quade.
- In an appearance on Jim Rome's radio show on Wednesday (via Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post), Todd Helton said he thinks the Rockies need another quality starter to be World Series contenders. Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd recently stated his team might be in the market for pitching.
How Many Sellers Right Now?
Just when you start to count out the Twins and A's, they reel off winning streaks and re-enter the contention picture. Right now, only six teams are at least eight games out of their division or wild card: the Orioles, Royals, Marlins, Cubs, Astros, and Padres.
Some teams may prefer to make trades now, to get an extra month from their acquisition. That means the best of the trade market looks like this, assuming the six non-contenders will listen on these players, their contracts don't prevent deals, and the players are healthy:
- Hitters: J.J. Hardy, Derrek Lee, Mark Reynolds, Luke Scott, Vladimir Guerrero, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, Wilson Betemit, Omar Infante, Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Jeff Baker, Carlos Pena, Reed Johnson, Hunter Pence, Jeff Keppinger, Carlos Lee, Michael Bourn, Clint Barmes, Ryan Ludwick, Brad Hawpe
- Starting pitchers: Jeremy Guthrie, Jeff Francis, Bruce Chen, Kyle Davies, Javier Vazquez, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Doug Davis, Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Aaron Harang
- Relievers: Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara, Kevin Gregg, Mike Gonzalez, Joakim Soria, Leo Nunez, Randy Choate, John Grabow, Kerry Wood, Chad Qualls, Heath Bell
Cross off the Cubs players with crazy contracts and the Astros and Orioles who may never hit the market, and there's not much out there aside from relievers right now. In theory, the state of the market should improve the return for guys like Ludwick and Francis, at least until more sellers show up.
Phillies, Mariners, Reds Inquired On Ludwick
The Phillies, Mariners, and Reds are among the teams that have inquired on the availability of Padres right fielder Ryan Ludwick, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Padres appear willing to move the 32-year-old, who is eligible for free agency after the season.
Ludwick is hitting .255/.322/.393 with nine home runs in 299 plate appearances this year, with most of his production coming in May. He's been a little better away from PETCO Park, slugging .419 on the road. Ludwick earns $6.775MM this year, with potentially around $2.2MM remaining on July 31st. Inquiries from the Phillies and Reds may be a sign that those two clubs can squeeze in a salary of that size. Ludwick profiled as a Type B free agent the last time we checked, so that will be a factor.
Morosi adds that the Phillies and Cardinals are among the teams that have checked in with Padres GM Jed Hoyer on relievers Heath Bell and Chad Qualls, who will also be free agents after the season (Qualls has a $6MM club option with a $1.05MM buyout). Morosi expects Mike Adams to be popular as well, but as we've heard before the Padres are inclined to keep him since he's under team control for 2012.
Padres Request Release Waivers For Jorge Cantu
The Padres announced that they have requested unconditional release waivers on Jorge Cantu, who was designated for assignment last Thursday. In related moves, the team designated Luis Durango for assignment, optioned Wade LeBlanc to the minor leagues, placed Brad Hawpe on the 15-day DL, recalled Kyle Phillips and promoted Josh Spence.
Cantu hit .194/.232/285 in 155 plate appearances this year, playing some first, second and third. The 29-year-old signed with the Padres in January, but was unable to reverse the offensive struggles that intensified last year. Cantu had a .788 OPS as recently as 2009, but he has just a .223/.260/.312 line in 382 plate appearances over the course of the last calendar year.
Padres Designate Luis Durango For Assignment
The Padres designated outfielder Luis Durango for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for lefty Josh Spence, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock.
Durango, 25, picked up 53 MLB plate appearances as a backup center fielder last year, hitting .250/.308/.250. He has spent this season as the center fielder for Triple-A Tucson, where he has a .243/.328/.294 line with ten stolen bases.
Spence, 23, was selected in the 9th round of last year's draft and is the first member of San Diego's 2010 draft class to reach the Major Leagues. The reliever posted a 1.71 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 47 1/3 innings (35 appearances) at Double-A this year and he posted an eye-popping 15.8 K/9 after signing last summer.
Quick Hits: Mariners, Rizzo, Gonzalez, Orioles
On this date in 1997, the Reds called Aaron Boone up and sent his brother, Bret, to the minors. Bret would emerge as a power threat the following year and average 26 homers per season for the next seven years. Aaron put together a solid 12-year career that featured an All-Star Game berth and one of the most memorable home runs in Yankees history. Here's the latest from around MLB…
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner runs through some possible left field targets for the Mariners, including Ryan Ludwick and Luke Scott.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he doesn't want 21-year-old first baseman Anthony Rizzo to try to replace Adrian Gonzalez, the man he was traded for last winter. "Adrian Gonzalez at 21 years old was toiling in Triple-A," Hoyer said. "It took Adrian a number of years before he really established himself as a Major League player."
- Hoyer says he's not surprised that Gonzalez has turned in a "monster" season for the Red Sox so far. Unfortunately for the Padres, they couldn't afford him long-term.
- The Orioles have agreed to terms with third round right-hander Mike Wright, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
- The MLBPA Alumni Association is working on a program that will transition players to jobs beyond the playing field, according to Evan Drellich of MLB.com. Most Major Leaguers retire without millions of dollars saved up, so the program will be important for players like veteran minor leaguer Andy Tracy, who expects to retire after the season.
Olney’s Latest: Bell, Phillies, B.J. Upton
Buster Olney of ESPN.com has passed along some interesting tidbits tonight via Twitter. He also touched on some of these notes in his daily column this morning. Here's Olney's latest:
- The Padres' sweep at the hands of the Twins this weekend could hasten their decision on if and when they should trade closer Heath Bell, Olney thinks. The sooner the Friars deal Bell, the more they can ask in return (Twitter links).
- The Phillies are looking for a right-handed hitter and have checked in on the Twins' Michael Cuddyer and the Athletics' Josh Willingham (Twitter link). Olney first reported the Phils' interest in a righty stick last week. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Phils are seeking someone cheap, such as the Rockies' Ryan Spilborghs, because of payroll constraints.
- The Rays will listen to offers for B.J. Upton but probably won't deal him unless they can obtain a good bat, although that wouldn't necessarily have to happen within the same trade (Twitter link).
Cafardo On Kazmir, Upton, Broxton, Ramirez
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if roster manipulation is rampant in baseball. Cafardo points to the pulled quad muscle injury of Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald as a possible example. McDonald wasn't showing any signs of injury and when asked about it, he gave a "no comment". It's possible that Boston simply wanted to get McDonald more playing time with Mike Cameron eating up the lion's share of the reps. Things such as this, Cafardo writes, are happening all around baseball. Let's see what else is happening around the majors:
- As poorly as left-hander Scott Kazmir has pitched in the last two seasons, there are at least five teams looking at him in the Rockies, Marlins, Padres, Rangers, and Diamondbacks. It also wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees jump into the mix considering their pitching needs.
- There always seems to be a should-we-or-shouldn’t-we-trade B.J. Upton dilemma for the Rays. The Nationals could be a fit as they'd like a young center fielder they can grow with. The question is: is he available? All signs point to yes.
- Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton has been on the shelf since May with an elbow injury, but the club could move him if they're lagging in the standings.
- The Marlins' recent slide has skipper Edwin Rodriguez on the hot seat and it's no secret that the club has been keeping an eye on Ozzie Guillen for quite some time. Guillen has one year remaining on his deal with the White Sox.
- The Dodgers owe Manny Ramirez more than $8MM in deferred payments but the charismatic twelve-time All-Star is collecting a lot more than that. The BoSox owe him quite a bit of money too, roughly $32MM over 16 years. Boston will pay Ramirez through 2026, when he’ll be 54-years-old.
Trade Candidate: Ryan Ludwick
While the Padres' bullpen is well-stocked and will likely draw the interest of trade suitors, left fielder Ryan Ludwick is emerging as an intriguing trade candidate. In last month's piece If The Padres Become Sellers, Tim Dierkes noted that if Ludwick, a free agent at season's end, were to continue his then modest hot streak, he would be one of the better bats available and might yield a decent prospect in a swap.
In fact, Ludwick has pieced together decent offensive numbers (.259/.327/.406) in left field, which has been a weak offensive position in 2011, while batting in a bad lineup and residing in pitcher-friendly PETCO Park. Since April 20, Ludwick has posted a line of .287/.340/.456, which is closer to his career line of .266/.336/.469. He'd be a nice, if unspectacular, addition to a number of different lineups.
Here's a look at some teams that could use Ludwick:
- Braves: Martin Prado is on the DL with a staph infection, which is a serious ailment and renders his return no sure thing. In the meanwhile, Atlanta is working with Eric Hinske, Jordan Schafer and the recently reactivated Nate McLouth in left and center, with Jason Heyward obviously manning right.
- Reds: This was rumored earlier this season, though both Cincinnati and San Diego shot down the whispers. Still, the Reds have not been able to tab a starter between Chris Heisey, Jonny Gomes and Fred Lewis. As well, Reds GM Walt Jocketty is familiar with Ludwick from their time together in St. Louis.
- Mariners: Safeco Field is known to kill right-handed power, but Carlos Peguero is struggling and Greg Halman is unproven.
- Tigers: Brennan Boesch has played left and right, with Andy Dirks seeing playing time while Magglio Ordonez was on the DL. Ordonez is back but is well into a decline. Detroit could acquire Ludwick and transition Maggs into a reserve role.
- Indians: Grady Sizemore is an injury risk, and fourth outfielder Austin Kearns has struggled in limited action. The Tribe could find the at-bats for Ludwick by DH'ing him occasionally and spelling any of Sizemore, Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo, all of whom are left-handed hitters.
Olney’s Latest: McCourts, Reyes, Bell
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about Vanderbilt catcher Curt Casali, who one evaluator called an "absolute steal" by the Tigers as a tenth round pick in this year's draft. "He's a smart guy, and he's been calling his own pitches," said the evaluator. "You don't see that a lot in college baseball these days, because the pitches are called from the bench."
Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- No matter what happens with the McCourts' divorce settlement, the Dodgers will be weakened. If Frank McCourt keeps the team, he'll be forced to use millions of dollars from the proposed FOX television deal to pay off the settlement. If he sells, the new owner will be stuck with a deal that is designed to infuse cash for McCourt now rather than help the franchise long-term.
- Two executives told Olney that they can't imagine being able to give up what the Mets would require in return to trade Jose Reyes. The Mets will be criticized no matter what, whether they trade Reyes, re-sign him, or let him walk as a free agent.
- Teams are beginning to "accelerate talks" with the Padres about Heath Bell, and multiple sides are preparing to exchange trade proposals.