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Quick Hits: Nationals, Pirates, MacPhail, Astros

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Links for Saturday…

  • The Nationals plan on having Davey Johnson meet up with the team tomorrow in Chicago before flying to Anaheim with them, reports Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post (Twitter links). ESPN's Buster Olney, meanwhile, notes that Johnson's contract ensures that he'll be the manager for this year only. The two sides will re-evaluate things after the season.
  • Tim Britton of The Providence Journal says the Pirates were the big losers in the Jason Bay-Manny Ramirez trade.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun spoke to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail about his contract, which expires after the season. "I have always taken the position, unlike one of my good friends in the game Jim Riggleman, let's just see how we do," said MacPhail. "Let's get to the end of the year and see how we do and take it from there."
  • Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros transfer of ownership from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane likely won't happen until mid-July (or later) as MLB focuses its efforts on the Dodgers (Twitter link).
  • Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch addressed the speculation about how Albert Pujols' injury could impact his contract negotiations with the Cardinals after the season.
  • McLaren will not be leaving the Nationals, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com (Twitter links). He will not be bench coach and will instead stay in another capacity.
  • The Nats can expect another resignation, this time from acting manager John McLaren, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. McLaren served as bench coach under Jim Riggleman.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports spoke to a source that is doubtful the Giants would move any of their big league pitchers to improve the offense (Twitter link). San Francisco has scored just 261 runs this year, the fewest runs in the game.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs front office plans to give the team a few more weeks to see if they can salvage the season before deciding to sell. The front office will meet next week to sort some of this stuff out.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun mentioned that Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and Reds GM Walt Jocketty have swung trades in the past and spent some time together yesterday before their clubs played. He notes that the two clubs appear to match up well in a potential trade as well.
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy has this week's collection of minor league transactions, which includes a slew of draft pick and undrafted free agent signings.

Quick Hits: Dodgers, Mariners, Pedro, Giants

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On this day in 2004, the Royals completed a three-team deal that sent Carlos Beltran to the Astros.  The Athletics were the third party in the transaction and bagged Octavio Dotel from Houston.  The Royals, meanwhile, received Mark Teahen, John Buck, Mike Wood, and cash considerations..

  • A fun fact courtesy of ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin (via Twitter): Mets manager Terry Collins is tied with Braves skipper Fredi Gonzalez for second-most managerial seniority in the NL East with their current team.
  • Mark Cuban’s interest in buying the Dodgers should make Padres fans nervous, writes Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  Sullivan believes that Cuban has the forward-thinking mindset and deep pockets to shift the balance of power in the NL West.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has a chance to win right now and needs to make a move to bolster the offense, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.
  • Pedro Martinez isn't ready to announce his retirement just yet, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Spanish link).  Martinez also says that he envisions himself in a Sandy Koufax-type role with a club.
  • The Giants could use an offensive infusion as the deadline approaches, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.

Stark On Cuban, Phillies, Rays, Giants

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Outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a candidate to own a baseball team someday, but as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark explains, he faces a number of obstacles. Here’s Stark’s analysis of Cuban and other notes from around MLB:

  • Bud Selig sees Cuban as a “squeaky wheel,” according to Stark’s sources. The commissioner does not appear to have interest in an owner who wants to be the story or who will “overtly challenge him publicly."
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. would like to strengthen his bullpen and he has checked in on a number of relievers, according to Stark.
  • Scouts covering the International League say the Rays appear to be evaluating two of their outfielders, Desmond Jennings and Brandon Guyer, in possible anticipation of a B.J. Upton trade. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Rays listen on offers for Upton, but it would be surprising if they weren’t evaluating their own minor leaguers. Stark reported earlier in the week that the Rays are not likely to trade Upton this summer.
  • Rival scouts have been eyeing the Giants’ Class-A affiliate in San Jose, especially Heath Hembree, who was recently promoted to Double-A, and top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.

Bay Area Notes: Ellis, Breslow, Fuentes, Whiteside

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Here's the latest on the A's and the Giants, including some trade rumors between the two clubs themselves…

  • "The Giants are not pursuing" A's second baseman Mark Ellis, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  (Twitter links).  The Giants at least checked in on Ellis but have cooled their pursuit for a variety of reasons, including Ellis' salary, his poor performance this season, Oakland's trade demands and the presence of Bill Hall, Emmanuel Burriss and Freddy Sanchez (who could still return from the DL) on the roster.   
  • Rival scouts have been watching Brian Fuentes and Craig Breslow, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Of the two southpaws, the Athletics would be more apt to move Fuentes since he has around $7.6MM remaining on his contract through 2012, whereas Breslow still has two more arbitration years left.  Fuentes also stirred up controversy earlier this season when he criticized then-manager Bob Geren.  These two pitchers and Jerry Blevins made MLBTR's Tim Dierkes' recent list of potentially-available left-handers.
  • Eli Whiteside has been ignoring the rumors about the Giants' catching search, reports Chris Haft and Adam Berry for MLB.com.  The incumbent starter has been hitting well lately, which Whiteside attributes to getting regular playing time.
  • Another internal option for the Giants: Triple-A catcher Hector Sanchez.  Schulman reports that Barry Zito was very complimentary about Sanchez's game-calling abilities during Zito's recent rehab stint at Fresno.  Sanchez, 21, has a .299/.327/.495 line in 226 plate appearances this season, though just 42 of them have been at the Triple-A level.

Olney On Hanley, Phillies, Ellis

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Some people in the Marlins organization believe new manager Jack McKeon has exactly what it takes to deal with Hanley Ramirez, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Here’s the latest on the Marlins’ shortstop, who is having the worst offensive season of his career:

  • Ramirez’s stock “has dropped to Enron levels.” Some rival evaluators say that his poor start is more than a slump and that the shortstop needs to improve his physical condition.
  • “If he doesn't change his body,” one scout said. “He's going to have to move [to a different position] sooner rather than later."
  • Click here to check out Olney’s analysis of Ramirez from yesterday.
  • No one believes the Phillies when they say they have limited financial flexibility for possible trades, Olney writes.
  • The Orioles are another possible fit for Mark Ellis of the A’s. The Giants, one team with some interest in Ellis, have been considering other possible infielders, according to Olney.

Quick Hits: Twins, Ellis, Cole, Hultzen

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The Mets released Wily Mo Pena on this date two years ago. The slugger resurfaced with the D'Backs yesterday, when he homered in his first MLB game since 2008. Here are some links for Wednesday night as Pena attempts to hit another homer or two…

  • A scout tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Twins seem less likely to become sellers than they were a few weeks ago (Twitter link). Minnesota has re-entered the playoff race thanks to a 14-3 tear. 
  • Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group hears that the Giants are not one of the six teams on Mark Ellis’ no-trade list (Twitter link). Ellis has lost his starting second base job in Oakland and the Giants have had internal talks about obtaining him.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that top draft choices Gerrit Cole (Pirates) and Danny Hultzen (Mariners) will sign for roughly $10MM or so. Two high school arms, Archie Bradley (D’Backs) and Dylan Bundy (Orioles), will likely obtain $6-7MM and some executives see high school outfielder Bubba Starling (Royals) signing for more than Cole or Hultzen.
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick examines the case for expanding active rosters to 26 players. Teams now have sprawling bullpens and demanding travel schedules, so there's support for bigger rosters from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd, Marlins infielder Wes Helms and others.

Finding Backup Catchers Who Can Hit

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Nearly a month after Buster Posey last suited up for them, the Giants are still searching for catching depth. They signed Max Ramirez today, but he figures to provide organizational depth at Triple-A, not an immediate impact in San Francisco.

Eli Whiteside

Eli Whiteside (pictured) continues playing regularly for the Giants, though his offense remains inadequate and the Giants continue seeking reinforcements. A look at backups around the league provides insight into why Whiteside continues playing so often despite his struggles throwing out opposing base stealers and paltry .190 average.

Few teams, if any, have the catching depth to withstand the loss of a player like Posey. The league average catcher is hitting .241/.314/.378 so far in 2011 and that slash line includes starters as well as reserves. The job of a catcher includes calling pitches, blocking balls in the dirt and throwing runners out as well as hitting, but for the sake of simplicity we’ll focus on offense as we examine the caliber of backup catching in MLB.

Victor Martinez (.324/.373/.498 slash line) and Mike Napoli (.221/.344/.493 before he hit the disabled list) are technically backup catchers, though both DH and play first as well. Ramon Hernandez is one of the few backup catchers who can match Martinez and Napoli in terms of offensive production this year. The 35-year-old has seven homers and a .302/.368/.504 line in 155 plate appearances (Ryan Hanigan now starts for the Reds most days). Royals backup Brayan Pena is another one of the reserves with an acceptable batting line this year: .250/.310/.400 in 113 trips to the plate.

Evaluating backups who have fewer than 100 plate appearances is dangerous, since the sample sizes are generally too small to be reliable. With that in mind, here are some other backstops off to decent starts with the bat: Ramon Castro of the White Sox (.211/.274/.404 slash line in 62 plate appearances), Kyle Phillips of the Padres (.239/.327/.413 in 52 PA), Henry Blanco of the D’Backs (.229/.302/.521 in 53 PA), Ronny Paulino of the Mets (.317/.371/.390 in 89 PA), David Ross of the Braves (.327/.411/.551 in 56 PA), Jose Molina of the Blue Jays (.304/.389/.456 in 91 PA), Brett Hayes of the Marlins (.298/.353/.511 in 52 PA) and the injured Jose Morales of the Rockies (.267/.352/.317 in 71 PA).

Those backups are solid hitters, though certainly not Victor Martinez-like offensive forces, and the're best of the bunch. Most teams are getting far less offensive production from their second catcher and many don't even have one catcher who makes significant contributions at the plate.

There aren’t many options for the Giants or any other club that decides to take on the unenviable task of finding catching help this summer. San Francisco is looking to the Rangers for catching depth, since Texas could make a move once Napoli is healthy enough to play. Wilson Ramos’ performance has led to plenty of discussion and speculation about Ivan Rodriguez, though he’s not the most interesting catcher to watch between now and July 31st.

Ramon Hernandez’s .872 OPS will surely appeal to teams and, unlike most clubs, the Reds could conceivably part with a catcher. Hanigan’s emergence has continued this year and Devin Mesoraco, who entered the season as Baseball America's #64 prospect, is destroying Triple-A pitching. The former first rounder has a .322/.402/.546 line for Louisville after a similarly impressive showing in 2010. 

Given the Reds’ depth – they also have highly-touted prospect Yasmani Grandal in the lower minors – and the shortage of catching in MLB, I won’t be surprised if GM Walt Jocketty hears from a number of interested teams this summer. Only so many catchers can hit and Hernandez is a known commodity who’s playing well.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Giants Sign Max Ramirez

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The Giants signed catcher Max Ramirez, MLBTR has confirmed. Earlier tonight, CSNBayArea.com reported the deal, which provides the catching-starved Giants with some depth at Triple-A.

Ramirez has a .229/.267/.339 line for the Cubs' and Astros' Triple-A affiliates this year. In parts of two MLB seasons with the Rangers, the 26-year old has a .217/.343/.357 line.

Ramirez has bounced around constantly in 2011. The Rangers designated him for assignment in January and saw the Red Sox claim him. The Cubs claimed him less than a week later only to release him in May. The Astros then signed him, but his stint with Houston was short, as they released him last week.

Giants Asked Questions About Mark Ellis

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The Giants "asked questions" about Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis over the weekend, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Schulman's Ellis note was parenthetical, in an article that focused on the lack of clear sellers here in late June.  Still, the assumption is that the Giants asked those questions of Athletics brass, as the teams faced off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Ellis, 34, was hitting .211/.245/.287 in 224 plate appearances this year before hitting the DL with a hamstring strain.  The Athletics' longest-tenured player, Ellis is expected to be activated from the DL tomorrow, wrote Jane Lee and Tom Green of MLB.com on Saturday.  The strong play of rookie Jemile Weeks in 12 games complicates the second base situation. 

Even with the A's hanging around the fringes of contention at 5.5 games out, Ellis could be expendable.  Earlier this month I named him as a viable second base trade candidate, with the Giants one of six potential suitors.  Ellis has good pop for the position, and his defense is highly regarded.  Still, he's a tough sell right now with a $6MM salary.  The Giants have a need given Freddy Sanchez's shoulder injury, but in-house they've got Emmanuel Burriss and Bill Hall as well as Mike Fontenot and Mark DeRosa on the DL.

According to our Transaction Tracker, Billy Beane and Brian Sabean have never matched up for a trade.  They represent the game's longest-tenured GMs.

Catching Top Priority For Giants; Kottaras Available

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Obtaining catching help remains the Giants' top priority, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). One potential target is Brewers catcher George Kottaras, who is available according to Schulman. 

However, 21-year-old prospect Hector Sanchez has a .310/.375/.448 line in eight games at Triple-A since the Giants promoted him all the way from Class A earlier this month, so GM Brian Sabean does have one internal option. Eli Whiteside, who has picked up most of the playing time since Buster Posey's home plate collision, hasn't hit much. He has a .190/.278/.291 line this year and backup Chris Stewart hasn't done any better.

Kottaras, 28, has been backing up for the first place Brewers. He has a .290/.324/.516 line in 34 plate appearances in support of everyday catcher Jonathan Lucroy this year. In 396 career plate appearances, Kottaras has a .220/.306/.405 line, which compares pretty well with the average MLB catcher in 2011 (.241/.314/.379).

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