Quick Hits: Peavy, Kontos, Rowand, Reyes
Some links to round out this Monday evening..
- Even though he's now with the White Sox, Jake Peavy still looks back fondly on his time with the Padres, writes Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock writes that Rule 5 pick George Kontos was a longshot to make San Diego's bullpen. Earlier today the club returned the right-hander to the Yankees.
- The Giants would be better off releasing Aaron Rowand, opines Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles.
- Left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes is out of options but MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm expects the Blue Jays to keep him on the 25-man roster.
- Now with his third club, the Orioles' J.J. Hardy is looking to get his career back on track, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
Padres Return George Kontos To Yankees
The Padres announced that they returned Rule 5 draft pick George Kontos to the Yankees.
The 25-year-old split the 2010 season between Class A, Double-A and Triple-A, posting a 3.60 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 45 innings. It was his first action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July of 2009 and his first extended stint as a reliever. Baseball America ranked Kontos 27th among Padres prospects this offseason and suggested that his future is in the 'pen, since he hasn't developed a quality change-up and struggles to throw strikes at times.
Kontos has appeared in 97 minor league games (73 starts) since the Yankees selected him in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. Overall, he has a 3.47 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in the minors. The right-hander posted a 9.82 ERA in three spring appearances.
Bell Would Accept Discount To Stay With Padres
Heath Bell has gone as far as saying it would be his "dream" to stay in San Diego on a long-term deal. We've also heard that the two sides will discuss a multiyear deal this Spring, and if that's not enough for Padres fans, the 33-year-old closer said in an MLB Network Radio interview today that he'd accept less money to remain a Padre.
"I definitely would take less just to sign [in San Diego] just because it's the Padres and I want to stay here," said Bell. "I'm very open to take a discount but it has to be knowing that I'll be able to stay here and not what happened to Jake Peavy. Even though Jake had a no-trade clause, [the Padres were] just pushing to get him out. I really don’t want that to happen" (all Twitter links).
Two years ago, Peavy's name headlined trade rumors for what seemed to be an eternity, as his contract had become too burdensome for the Padres to handle. He was nearly traded to the White Sox once and vetoed the deal. At the trade deadline though, Peavy changed his tune and was sent to the south siders (after several more months of trade rumors).
Bell's 89 saves over the last two seasons lead all of baseball, and he owns a 10.6 K/9 and 2.32 ERA through 139 2/3 innings to go along with them. If a deal can't be worked out, Bell will likely be the most desireable name on an impressive list of free agent relievers.
Quick Hits: Villone, Moorad, Lidge, White Sox
Links for Saturday night, as Alex Gordon continues to enjoy a productive spring….
- The contract Ron Villone signed with the Nationals is non-guaranteed and worth $750K, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman.
- Padres chief executive Jeff Moorad has officially vested himself of the portion of the Diamondbacks he owned, reports MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom.
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com profiles a handful of prospects, including a pair of Royals, who could have an impact for subpar teams this year.
- One scout discussed Brad Lidge with ESPN's Jayson Stark: "If I were the Phillies, I'd be worried. He's having a tough time getting his arm strength this spring." 2011 is the last guaranteed year of Lidge's contract, with the Phillies holding a $12.5MM club option ($1.5MM buyout) on 2012.
- Ozzie Guillen says he doesn't care who emerges as the White Sox closer, since he has full confidence in both Chris Sale and the recently extended Matt Thornton, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- For the latest updates on the closer situations in Philadelphia, Chicago, and everywhere else, be sure to follow @closernews on Twitter.
Heyman On Phillies, Davis, Molina, Mets
The Phillies are concerned about Chase Utley's injured right knee but, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com they hadn't called the Rangers about Michael Young as of this morning. Here's the latest on the Phillies and notes from around the league:
- Phillies scout Charley Kerfeld had been watching the Rangers and may have been scouting Young.
- Chris Davis has an option left, so the Rangers are expected to send him down to start the season in the minors, despite his strong spring performance so far.
- 22-year-old Dodgers prospect Rubby De La Rosa is impressing with his upper-90s fastball and command.
- Though the Padres would like Bengie Molina to return to action at a bargain price, they're under the impression that the backstop is in "retirement mode." The Padres expressed interest in Molina earlier in the week, after Gregg Zaun retired, but they don't have much left in their budget.
- It remains unlikely that Oliver Perez or Luis Castillo will break camp with the Mets, even though the team doesn't have tremendous depth from the left side out of the bullpen or at second base.
Padres Seek Utility Player
The Padres are looking for utility help - preferably someone who can play shortstop – tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. New shortstop Jason Bartlett has been held out of a few games with a sore knee, and has never played more than 140 games in a season.
Bobby Crosby is still out of work; he was drawing interest from a few clubs in January. The Indians' Adam Everett could make sense if he doesn't make the team, or the Cubs could part with Augie Ojeda, but overall I don't see many teams with a surplus.
Padres Express Interest In Bengie Molina
7:24pm: Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News spoke with Molina today and heard that he's definitely not retired (Twitter link). However, he won't play unless he gets a guaranteed deal at a respectable salary.
6:55pm: The Padres inquired on Molina and heard that he is retired, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter).
6:23pm: Gregg Zaun retired mere hours ago, and the Padres are already after a former platoon partner of his. The San Diego front office reached out to Bengie Molina, according to Marty Caswell of XX 1090 in San Diego (on Twitter). However, Molina said he's not inclined to play and sounds retired.
Molina was talking to a couple of teams a month ago, though at the time he was unsure whether to accept their offers. “They're not offering what we want, for sure. I don’t know right now what’s going to happen," Molina told Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Molina is looking for significant playing time and $4MM or so in salary, which could be problematic since the Padres intend to make Nick Hundley their primary catcher and have less financial might than most teams.
The Astros just lost Jason Castro to injury so Molina has had a couple of potential destinations emerge this spring. MLBTR's Mark Polishuk took a close look at the Astros' catching options last week.
Gregg Zaun Retires
9:59am: Zaun told MLB.com's Corey Brock his shoulder isn't where it needs to be, and he didn't want to leave the team hanging. Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Brock they'll consider both internal and external options. As we discussed with the Astros, there isn't a lot out there.
12:43am: Catcher Gregg Zaun is "set to retire from Major League Baseball," reports Sportsnet.ca. The report says to expect an announcement Monday. Zaun has served as an analyst for Sportsnet during the playoffs since 2006.
Zaun's decision comes as a surprise, as his first Spring Training start yesterday was deemed a success. He'd signed a minor league deal with the Padres and was attempting to win the backup catcher job. Zaun, 40 next month, saw his 2010 season end with June surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. Zaun contemplated retirement at that point, but told MLB.com's Corey Brock his shoulder responded well to treatment.
Zaun's retirement would clear a path for Rob Johnson to win the Padres' backup job. Johnson was acquired from the Mariners in December for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Zaun always had a knack for drawing a walk, leading to a .252/.344/.388 line in over 4,000 plate appearances for the Orioles, Marlins, Rangers, Royals, Astros, Rockies, Blue Jays, Rays, and Brewers. He picked up a World Series ring with the '97 Marlins and earned almost $18MM in his career.
Padres Sign Jon Leicester
The Padres have signed right-handed reliever Jon Leicester to a minor league contract according to the transactions page of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He is not in big league camp as a non-roster invitee according to the team's official site.
Leicester, 31, appeared in 48 games (six starts) with the Cubs and Orioles from 2004 through 2007, pitching to a 5.88 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 82 2/3 innings. He's spent the last two years in Japan, making 55 relief appearances for the Orix Buffaloes. In 62 2/3 innings on the other side of the pond, Leicester owns a 4.88 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9.
Quick Hits: Abreu, Uribe, Rendon, Sanches
This day in baseball history saw the birth of the Blue Jays in 1943…the Philadelphia Blue Jays, that is. The Phillies adopted the 'Blue Jays' nickname in what new team president Bob Carpenter saw as a break from the club's largely mediocre history. The nickname didn't stick, however, and it wasn't until the Toronto expansion franchise came into being that the Blue Jays name returned to Major League Baseball.
Some news items to take us into the weekend…
- Bobby Abreu's $9MM option for 2012 will vest if he makes 433 plate appearances this season. As Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com points out, the Angels could face a tough playing-time decision since the veteran is coming off his worst full season, yet can still be productive. MLBTR's Mike Axisa recently profiled Abreu as a make-or-break year player, though given Abreu's durability, his status for 2012 shouldn't be in question as long as the Halos play him.
- Juan Uribe tells Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that the Dodgers contacted his agent almost every day before finally signing him to a three-year, $21MM contract.
- Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner profiles Anthony Rendon, who may be the first overall pick in June's amateur draft.
- Right-hander Brian Sanches is out of options and is battling for the last spot in the Marlins' bullpen, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Sanches has a 2.40 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 120 innings for Florida over the last two seasons, so he'll definitely draw interest if the Marlins put him on waivers or try to trade him.
- Steve Slowinski of Fangraphs.com looks at the 10 completed and about-to-be-completed $100MM contracts in baseball history. Of those 10 players, only four played consistently well enough to make those contracts a wise investment — Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez. (Rangers fans may argue that last one, but Slowinski is strictly looking at player performance.)
- The Orioles agreed to terms with all of their pre-arbitration players except for right-hander Jason Berken, whose contract was renewed, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Berken also had his deal renewed last season.
- Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com lists the top 10 prospects in the Padres' system. Mayo puts three pitchers (Casey Kelly, Simon Castro, Cory Luebke) in San Diego's top four, as he notes the emphasis the team puts on developing young arms.
- In a chat with fans on ESPNChicago.com, Bruce Levine notes that scouts were in attendance to see Carlos Silva during his six-run first inning and subsequent dugout altercation with Aramis Ramirez on Wednesday. Levine says that the Cubs would probably be able to trade Silva, not release him, if they wanted to part ways. There's also the $11.5MM salary Silva is owed for this season that the Cubs would have to swallow if they released the right-hander.