Padres Prefer To Avoid Rental Players
Padres GM Jed Hoyer would much prefer to acquire players under control beyond 2010, reports Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union Tribune. It's a preference Hoyer shares with Giants GM Brian Sabean, who came right out and said "we are not interested in free agents" on June 30th.
The Padres share another desire with their division-rival Giants: both clubs are looking for a bat. Padres director of minor league operations Mike Wickham explained to Sullivan, "We have to do something to give us a chance to score more runs, knowing our pitching is (probably) going to regress a little bit. And we don't have to give away the farm to do it."
This is my speculation, but it seems likely that Hoyer and Sabean are inquiring on many of the same players. David DeJesus, Jose Bautista, Corey Hart, and Josh Willingham could be matches for either club.
So far free agent Jermaine Dye has been linked to the Padres but not the Giants. Dye may not be controllable beyond this year, but he'd only cost money. Another player recently on the Padres' radar: Cliff Lee. Hoyer apparently inquired, but Sullivan says the Padres' GM was "dismissed with some variation of, 'Go away, kid, you bother me.'"
Odds & Ends: Lee, DeJesus, Padres, Drew
Some news from around the majors tonight, including a bit more on (you guessed it), Cliff Lee joining the Rangers…
- Newsday's David Lennon tweets that the Mariners/Mets negotiations for Lee fell through when Seattle wanted Ike Davis as part of the trade package.
- The Mariners were after James Loney or Chad Billingsley from the Dodgers in a possible Lee trade, reports Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. (Twitter link)
- Most teams feel the Royals will wait until closer to the trade deadline before thinking about a David DeJesus trade, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Dan Hayes of the North County Times reports (via Twitter) that the Padres have heard some inquiries about right-handed prospect Keyvius Sampson, among other notable minor leaguers in the San Diego system.
- Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press says the Tigers are virtually obligated to make a move at the trade deadline.
- Blogger El Lefty Malo thinks the Giants should make an offer on Stephen Drew. Not a bad idea, but it's hard to believe that San Francisco would give up Jonathan Sanchez for Drew, as E.L.M. proposes.
- Speaking of Drew, MLB.com's Jason Beck thinks that he's "a more realistic target" than Dan Haren in a potential Tigers/Diamondbacks trade.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discusses the Pirates' international scouting system.
- Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin says his team isn't in out-and-out "seller" mode, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com writes that the Cubs could be contenders again in the near future.
- And finally, Fangraphs' Matt Klaaseen pokes some fun at the newest members of the Miami Heat by predicting a familiar scenario for some of this winter's top free-agent outfielders.
Odds & Ends: D-Backs, Padres, Brewers, Rangers
Here are some links to check out while we all hope there won't be an hour long television special when Cliff Lee is traded…
- ESPN's Keith Law tweets that the Diamondbacks have signed fourth round pick Kevin Munson. Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic says Munson received a $243K bonus (via Twitter).
- FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi asked a scout if the Padres should make a trade for a right fielder now that Will Venable is on the disabled list (Twitter link)."No," said the scout. "Aaron Cunningham is playing better than Venable was." Cunningham was acquired from the A's as part of the Kevin Kouzmanoff–Scott Hairston deal, and is hitting .310/.318/.476 in 45 plate appearances this year.
- The Brewers' front office watched four straight losses during their organizational meetings this week, and Morosi thinks (via Twitter) that has them looking more like a seller than buyer.
- Baseball fans aren't the only ones getting excited about a potential Cliff Lee trade. Players inside the Rangers' clubhouse are also thrilled about the possibility of adding the former Cy Young Award winner to the staff, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- The Nationals have signed three more draft picks according to a team press release, including third rounder Rick Hague. The Nationals' faithful are still waiting on Bryce Harper, however.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Cardinals, Padres, Oswalt
Some links for Thursday, a day that has even the most intense baseball fans wondering about LeBron James' decision…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reviews all of the players Pirates' GM Neal Huntington has acquired after they were designated for assignment by another team. The best of the lot: Delwyn Young.
- Tony LaRussa is happy with the Cardinals' recent bullpen additions, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. St. Louis added Mike MacDougal today and Renyel Pinto about two weeks ago.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer confirmed to Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that the Padres have payroll flexibility and would like to add a well-rounded hitter and a starting pitcher (all Twitter links).
- Peter Gammons notes a Corey Hart–Mike Minor rumor (via Twitter). The Braves are interested in Hart and other right-handed hitting outfielders, but Hart tells MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he wants to stay in Milwaukee.
- The Mets, Phillies, Rays and Dodgers are among the teams watching Roy Oswalt today, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter link).
- Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog hears that the Mets, Phillies and Rangers are among the many teams eyeing Ben Sheets.
- Yahoo's Steve Henson dials the clock back to 1999 and takes a look at the little league team that included Stephen Strasburg and Mike Leake.
- Cubs draftee Matt Szczur has a deal that will give him an additional $500K if he gives up football, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.
- Jamey Newberg says the Rangers should seriously consider trading Chris Davis or Justin Smoak if there's a real chance to improve the club.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the D'Backs will listen to offers for Dan Haren, but will likely have to be blown away to deal him (Twitter link).
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun asks Orioles fans: should the O's have any untouchable players in trade talks this year?
- Billy Wagner repeated something he said earlier in the year, telling Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he intends to retire after 2010.
- Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies – like every other team in baseball – would be better with Cliff Lee.
- David Ortiz tells John Tomase of the Boston Herald that he hopes to talk to the Red Sox about staying in Boston after this season. The Red Sox hold a $12.5MM option for Big Papi in 2011.
Jack Of All Trades: Gary Sheffield
How does a player rack up 509 home runs, post a career OPS+ of 140 (better than Reggie Jackson, Chuck Klein and Al Kaline), make nine All-Star teams…and get traded five times?
Ask Gary Sheffield. His career has been a fantastic one, and if he is denied the Hall of Fame, it will likely be due to the perceived taint around his numbers. But Sheffield has also been part of the hot stove for as long as he's been a household name. Let's take a look at the blockbusters involving Sheff – a combined five trades totaling 25 players.
- On March 29, 1992, a disgruntled Sheffield was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers with minor leaguer Geoff Kellogg (not MLB umpire Jeff Kellogg) to San Diego in exchange for Ricky Bones, Matt Mieske and Jose Valentin. While none of the three managed a career close to that of Sheffield, all three went on to be valuable. Bones became a mainstay in the Milwaukee rotation over the next four years, pitching to a 4.40 ERA. Mieske delivered 44 home runs over the next five seasons in Milwaukee as a power bat off the bench. And Valentin spent eight seasons in Milwaukee as an extremely underrated player due to his batting average. Valentin was a tremendous glove at shortstop, and delivered a respectable OPS+ of 89 over those eight seasons, posting double figures in home runs six times.
- Sheffield, however, wore out his welcome in San Diego, despite winning the batting title in 1992 and posting a season line of .330/.385/.580. No, really. So on June 26, 1993, the Padres sent him to Florida along with Rich Rodriguez for Andres Berumen, Trevor Hoffman and Jose Martinez. Berumen and Martinez made no impact, while Hoffman, of course, became the all-time saves leader. Still, it is hard to say that San Diego got the equal of Sheffield's remaining career – not that Florida did, either.
- The Marlins did get a 156 OPS+ over six seasons. But when the post-1997 firesale commenced, the Marlins traded Sheffield on May 14, 1998 with Manuel Barrios, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich and Charles Johnson to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile. Florida then sent Piazza onto the Mets for prospects. And while it cost Los Angeles the best-hitting catcher in baseball history, Sheffield performed extremely well for them: a 160 OPS+ over four seasons, actually better than his performance for Florida.
- Still, the Dodgers tired of Sheffield as well, and dealt the 33-year-old to Atlanta on January 15, 2002 in exchange for Andrew Brown, Brian Jordan and Odalis Perez. Brown, a top pitching prospect, never amounted to much, though Jordan gave the Dodgers a 116 OPS+ over two seasons, and Perez pitched to an ERA+ of 127 and made the All Star game in the first of five largely successful seasons with Los Angeles. Sheffield? All he did was post a 151 OPS+ in his two years with Atlanta, then signed with the New York Yankees before the 2004 season.
- The haul New York got from the Tigers for Sheffield on November 10, 2006 shows that Sheffield was still a valuable bat late in his career. Though Sheffield was entering his age-38 season, Detroit traded Kevin Whelan, Anthony Claggett and Humberto Sanchez for Sheffield. Sanchez in particular was a highly-touted prospect, though injuries wrecked his career. But for the first time, a team dealing for Sheffield got less-than-superstar production. In two seasons with Detroit, Sheffield had an OPS+ of just 105. The Tigers released him, and even after an OPS+ of 118 with the Mets in 2009, no one wanted Sheffield in 2010.
Though he was a far better player, Sheffield's tale reminds one of Dave Kingman – a prodigious home run hitter who couldn't find a job after hitting 35 home runs in his final season. Kingman was also traded three times and sold once in his career. Overall, Sheffield's career, on some level, has to be considered a disappointment- an astounding thing to say about a player with so much production.
Odds & Ends: Padres, Young, Diamondbacks, Yankees
Some links on the night Atlanta became the NL's first 50-win team…
- Dan Hayes of The North County Times says (via Twitter) the international market has been slow for the Padres, and he doesn't expect any "major splashes." San Diego did sign Duanel Jones for $900K back in January.
- Meanwhile, AOL FanHouse's Tom Krasovic sheds some light on the insurance on Chris Young's contract. The Padres' righty will earn $6.25MM this year, though he made just one start before a shoulder issue forced him to the disabled list.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck and Alex DiFilippo report that the Tigers have signed their sixth through eight round draft picks.
- The Diamondbacks have signed 16-year-old Venezuelan center fielder Yorman Garcia to a six-figure bonus, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler.
- ESPN's Buster Olney says that the Yankees are currently focusing on adding a veteran player who can play third base and provide some power (Twitter links). Alex Rodriguez has been dealing with an on-and-off hip issue all season.
- Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com tweets that it is possible the Red Sox will pursue Chris Snyder after the season, though he doesn't think they'll go after him before the deadline.
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons tells us what to watch out for in the second half of the season, specifically with regards to the trade deadline and August 16th draft signing deadline.
- MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling reports that the Nationals have adjusted their plan to manage Stephen Strasburg's innings this season. The phenom will now remain on a regular schedule and be shut down when the time comes in September.
- The Athletics have called up righthander Ross Wolf according to a team press release. Oakland acquired Ross from the Orioles in exchange for Jake Fox late last month.
Odds & Ends: Peavy, Tigers, DeJesus, D’Backs
Links for Wednesday, as the Red Sox keep getting banged up…
- The White Sox announced that Jake Peavy is going on the DL with a detached muscle in his right shoulder. ESPN.com's Buster Olney says it looks like Peavy's season could be over (Twitter link).
- Tigers manager Jim Leyland told MLB.com's Jason Beck that he wouldn't mind if Santa delivered a reliever to the Tiger 'pen. GM Dave Dombrowski may bring Leyland the present he's hoping for; the Tigers are interested in relievers.
- Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs argues that the Royals should be looking to trade David DeJesus, even though he projects to be a Type A free agent.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun hears that Dodgers assistant GM Logan White and former Padres GM Kevin Towers are in the running for the D’Backs GM job. However, Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer, tops the D’Backs' wish list (Twitter links).
- The Orioles have scouted the Padres' system recently, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com takes a year-by-year look at the in-season bullpen moves the Red Sox have made under GM Theo Epstein.
- Paul Konerko tells Ben Bolch of the LA Times that he doesn't want to be traded. Now that the White Sox are in contention, a trade seems unlikely.
- Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News says Rangers GM Jon Daniels should be creative and trade for starting pitching this summer.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Matt LaPorta is hitting better because his toe has healed and he has less pressure than he did earlier in his Indians career.
Pirates Acquire Sean Gallagher From Padres
The Pirates have acquired Sean Gallagher from San Diego for cash considerations, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The Padres designated the right-hander for assignment nearly a week ago to make room on their roster for Tim Stauffer. There were at least a "handful" of teams interested in Gallagher, who had come to San Diego from the Athletics as the player to be named later in last year's Scott Hairston trade.
Gallagher has yet to make a real impact at the major league level, compiling a 5.57 ERA in 60 career appearances. However, he is still just 24 years old, is under team control through 2014, and was ranked as the 82nd-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America heading into the 2008 season.
Odds & Ends: Marcum, Reds, Marlins, Munson
A few more links, on the night of Johnny Damon's 2,500th career hit….
- Shaun Marcum would like to remain a Blue Jay, but says if he gets traded, "hopefully it's [to] someone that's obviously going to be in the playoffs." MLB.com's James Hall has the full story.
- With Edinson Volquez set to rejoin Cincinnati soon, Brandon Phillips tells CBS Sports' Danny Knobler that he doesn't think the Reds need to trade for a pitcher.
- Marlins' players are battling to stay in the playoff hunt, in hopes of convincing the front office not to break up the team, writes the Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi. Florida's brass should decide soon whether or not they'll become sellers.
- The Indians signed a pitcher whose pre-draft arm surgery dropped him from a potential top-50 pick to the seventh round, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- The Padres released former third overall pick Eric Munson, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- Frank Wren is biding his time when it comes to making trades, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Wren reiterated what we heard a couple weeks ago: the Braves likely won't need to acquire any pitching.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link) hears that the White Sox aren't currently "heavily involved" in trade talk, but concedes that with Chicago, that could change at any moment.
- The Orioles are scouting the Phillies tonight, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). Gelb notes that Ty Wigginton, Miguel Tejada, and Jeremy Guthrie could all be potential targets for the Phils.
- AOL FanHouse's Frankie Piliere lists ten baseball people that ought to be considered for future general manager openings.
Padres Drawing Interest In Gallagher
A "handful" of teams have called the Padres to discuss trading for pitcher Sean Gallagher, a team source told Dan Hayes of the North County Times. San Diego DFA'd the 24-year-old on Thursday in order to activate Tim Stauffer.
In 15 relief appearances for the Padres this season, Gallagher posted a 5.40 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 7.3 BB/9. While he assumed a long relief role for the big league squad, he has served mostly as a starter in the minors.
One baseball source told Hayes that the righty still has value because of the "buzz from his prospect days". In 2008, Baseball America ranked Gallagher, then a member of the Cubs organization, the 82nd best prospect in the minors.