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Contenders In Need Of A Shortstop Upgrade

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As many as six contenders are lacking at shortstop.  Let's take a look.

  • Rays:  The Rays have been employing Reid Brignac at shortstop lately, though Elliot Johnson and Sean Rodriguez are also capable.  None of them are hitting, though Brignac's defense is a plus and Rodriguez has some pop.
  • Brewers:  The Brewers have used Yuniesky Betancourt at short, with Craig Counsell pitching in.  The numbers say Betancourt has been terrible both offensively and defensively. 
  • Cardinals:  Ryan Theriot has been manning shortstop for the Cards, and his bat has been more than acceptable.  However, he's probably better-suited defensively for second base.
  • Reds:  They've used the Paul Janish/Edgar Renteria tandem, with the 28-year-old Janish getting more playing time.  Janish is strong defensively, and since the Reds have the best offense in the league they might be able to tolerate his struggles with the bat.  Prospect Zack Cozart is hitting .317/.361/.498 at Triple-A, but the Reds are not at the point of making a move yet.
  • Pirates:  The Bucs have been searching for a long-term answer at short for a while now, but right now they have Ronny Cedeno.  Brandon Wood is showing some signs of life this month, and he could be an option at shortstop.  The Pirates also have Chase d'Arnaud playing well at Triple-A.
  • Giants:  Miguel Tejada was signed as the team's shortstop, but it's rookie Brandon Crawford at present.  He's strong with the glove but doesn't provide much offense and skipped Triple-A upon his call-up.

All four NL Central contenders are weak at shortstop, so if one of the clubs acquires a prize like J.J. Hardy it also takes an option away from direct rivals.  The Orioles aim to talk extension with Hardy before the All-Star break.  If that possibility falls through with time to spare before the July 31st deadline, Hardy will be a hot commodity.

A couple of top options in Jose Reyes and Stephen Drew appear to be off the board, since the Mets and Diamondbacks are in contention.  Jamey Carroll, Clint Barmes, and Rafael Furcal (if healthy) may be available.

Stark On Dempster, Adams, Reyes, Braves

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Jayson Stark leads his latest column for ESPN with a debate with colleague Buster Olney about realignment possibilities.  He notes that his sources say there's no chance divisions are dissolved and baseball becomes two 15-team leagues.  On to Stark's other rumblings…

  • An NL executive who spoke with Cubs GM Jim Hendry says there's no likely scenario where Ryan Dempster is traded.  Earlier today, there were indications the Yankees at least have an eye on Dempster, who has full no-trade rights and a $14MM player option for 2012.
  • Padres reliever Mike Adams also is likely to stay put, as the Padres are only interested in trading impending free agents Heath Bell and Chad Qualls.
  • Jose Reyes might not be Brian Sabean's type of player, says one baseball man who speaks with the Giants' GM regularly.  Still, Stark's source wondered if the liberation of winning last year's World Series might compel Sabean to take more chances.  Of course, the Mets are looking like potential buyers right now.
  • The Braves are "aggressively positioning themselves to deal for an outfield bat as soon as they can find a team ready to open its sell-off shop for business," writes Stark, and they've already checked in on Josh Willingham and Hunter Pence.  We outlined potentially available power bats earlier this month.

West Notes: Giants, Teagarden, Harden, Angels

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Jhoulys Chacin lowered his ERA to 2.81 today after allowing just one run on three hits in six innings today against the Padres.  Chacin picked up his eighth win of the season and improved his case for inclusion on the NL All-Star Team.

Some notes from both divisions out west….

  • The Giants are looking to the Rangers as a potential source of catching help, reports CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler.  Taylor Teagarden is cited as a possible candidate once Mike Napoli returns from injury and resumes backing up Yorvit Torrealba.  Knobler says the Giants' catching search has extended to the minor leagues as the club has sent scouts to look at various Triple-A backstops.
  • Rich Harden looked good in his most recent simulated game and the Athletics are looking to send Harden on a rehab assignment in Triple-A next week, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
  • The Angels have signed 30 of their 49 draft picks, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  The highest pick to sign thus far is fifth-round outfielder Andrew Ray.
  • The Angels and Rockies were the only MLB teams in the top 10 of ESPN The Magazine's annual list of the best franchises in sports, reports Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times.  The Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers topped the list, while the Angels were fourth and the Rockies eighth.  The lowest-ranked baseball team?  The Mets, who ranked 117th out of 122 teams in MLB, the NFL, NHL and NBA.

Contenders In Need Of First Base Help

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As many as six contenders might aim to improve at first base as we approach the trade deadline: the Rays, Angels, Braves, Pirates, Giants, and Diamondbacks.  Let's take a closer look.

  • The Rays have used Casey Kotchman at first lately, and with a .335/.392/.445 line he has not disappointed.  Kotchman has scuffled in 39 June plate appearances, however, and if that is a sign that he's back to the level of his previous few seasons, the Rays will need to upgrade.
  • Rookie Mark Trumbo is the Angels' first baseman.  He's shown some power, but a .248/.294/.454 line is subpar at the position.  Russell Branyan is also in the mix.
  • The Braves are using rookie Freddie Freeman, who has played fairly close to expectations at .268/.335/.416.  You'd like to see more power, but the Braves might be content here.
  • Pirates first baseman Lyle Overbay is hitting just .236/.305/.369.  Typically the Bucs are not mentioned in posts about contenders, but at five games back they could be more buyers than sellers.
  • Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff has struggled to a .234/.288/.393 line, though he's been better in June.  Given his contract, the Giants will probably stick with him.  Top prospect Brandon Belt could be Plan B if Huff is struggling when the rookie recovers from a broken wrist.
  • The Diamondbacks have been using Juan Miranda and Xavier Nady at first base.  Miranda has been solid overall, though not in June.  Nady hasn't done much.  Brandon Allen is an option at Triple-A.

That makes six contenders that might consider a first base upgrade, though all of them could easily stand pat.  Who's available?  Carlos Pena, Michael Cuddyer, Wilson Betemit, Yonder Alonso, Brad Hawpe, Juan Rivera, James Loney, Derrek Lee, Chris Davis, and Kila Ka'aihue can probably be had, but they're not clear upgrades for anyone.  The best bet to be dealt might be Pena, who is hitting .250/.388/.492 since May 1st.  Loney has also been better lately.

AL West Notes: Weaver, Davis, Anderson, Ellis

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As the Angels and Mariners begin a three-game series at Safeco Field tonight, let's look at some items concerning those clubs and their other two division rivals….

  • Could the Angels considering moving Jered Weaver this summer?  FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal looks at what might happen if the Halos fall out of contention, with a Weaver deal being the biggest possible move the club could make to rebuild.  I looked at Weaver as both a trade and an extension candidate last April.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan looks at some reader suggestions about what the Rangers might do before the trade deadline.  Sullivan speculates that the Orioles could be a good trade partner for the Rangers — Texas wants right-handed relivers (like Jim Johnson or Koji Uehara) and Baltimore could use a first baseman for the future like Chris Davis.
  • Athletics southpaw Brett Anderson will not need Tommy John surgery, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.  (Twitter link)  Dr. James Andrews instead recommended six weeks of rehabilition for Anderson, and the two will meet again in three weeks for a re-evaluation.
  • Also from Buster Olney, (via Twitter), the Athletics could find a suitor for Mark Ellis without leaving the Bay Area.  The Giants need second base help with Freddy Sanchez possibly out for the season, while the A's might prefer to give playing time at second base to Jemile Weeks or Scott Sizemore.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes listed Ellis as a possible trade candidate in his examination of what the A's might do if they become sellers.  Of note: Ellis does have no-trade protection in his contract, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts.
  • The three-team deal between the Mariners, Indians and Mets in December 2008 has proven to be a boon for the M's, writes Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.

Quick Hits: Indians, Beede, D’Backs, Giants

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On this day in 2005, the Rangers released Andres Torres, a 27-year-old outfielder who had compiled a .534 OPS in parts of four big league seasons. While things looked bleak for Torres at the time, he eventually worked his way back to the bigs four years later with San Francisco. Since then, he has hit .266/.345/.477 and played a key role on the Giants' World Champion squad in 2010. Here are today's links:

  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti isn't ready to make additions via trade, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The club is reluctant to part with prospects like Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis, but the solution may ultimately be to turn to those two as they did with Cord Phelps last week. Chisenhall and Kipnis were ranked 25th and 54th, respectively, on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list entering 2011.
  • ESPN's Keith Law tweets that he expects the Blue Jays to sign their first-round pick, Tyler Beede, for around $3MM. Beede, selected out of high school, has said his decision will come down to the money.
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has targeted "about 20 guys" who could be on the trade market over the next few weeks, according to the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro. While most teams aren't ready to deal yet, Towers says "that doesn't mean I don't do my due diligence and still call."
  • Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News argues that, while the Giants need to acquire a catcher at some point, there's no urgency to do so immediately.
  • Bartolo Colon's trip to the DL is a reminder that the Yankees likely won't be a championship-caliber team in 2011 without at least one more starting pitching acquisition, says John Harper of the New York Daily News.
  • All the 40-man roster moves the Cardinals have made recently could suggest there's need for a trade, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • With labor uncertainty surrounding many other professional sports, Bud Selig is proud that baseball is avoiding similar issues, as the commissioner tells Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hummel's piece includes a rundown of a few key items on the table during CBA talks.

Quick Hits: Guthrie, Giants, Brewers, Realignment

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Here are a few stray items of note as Mike Moustakas bashes the first homer of his career for the Royals:

Quick Hits: Pirates, Cabrera, Realignment, Oeltjen

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Links for Saturday, as a pair of offseason headliners (Cliff Lee and Matt Garza) prepare to face off in Philadelphia this afternoon…

  • The Pirates have been asking around for a catcher but have found that the asking prices are high as clubs want to take advantage of their situation, tweets Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.  Pittsburgh is in a bind with Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder on the disabled list.
  • As the Giants look for infield help, ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter) says that Orlando Cabrera is a name to keep an eye on.  The veteran just lost his everyday job in Cleveland and the Giants were close to inking him over the winter.
  • After the Orioles tabbed Dylan Bundy with the fourth overall pick in the draft, Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun takes a look at Adam Loewen, the No. 4 pick that got away.
  • Major League Baseball and the players' association have discussed doing away with divisions altogether and balancing out the leagues to 15 teams each, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.  The new structure would have teams vying for five playoff spots in each league.  The odds of this happening, however, are still less than 50-50, according to one source.
  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times says that Trent Oeltjen could have become a free agent if the Dodgers didn't add him to the Major League roster by June 15th (Twitter link). Oeltjen was called up two days ago.
  • In a piece for ESPN, Jim Bowden wrote about how GM's prepare to make trades, a process that usually begins with low-ball offers being exchanged.
  • The writers at FanGraphs conducted a franchise player draft, selecting a player they would build a team around. Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki were the first two off the board.
  • The Royals have signed 16 draft picks according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. The highest signed pick was ninth rounder Aaron Brooks.

Giants Sign First Rounder Joe Panik

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The Giants have signed first round pick Joe Panik according to a team press release. His signing bonus is unknown, but MLB's slot recommendation for the 29th overall pick is approximately $1.1MM.

Baseball America ranked the middle infielder as the second best prospect to come out of New York in 2011.  Nationally, Panik was ranked 67th by the publication.  The St. John's product is said to have a plus bat and likely projects to second base.

Panik, 20, is the first middle infielder taken by the Giants with a first-round pick since shortstop Royce Clayton in 1988.

the first middle infielder selected by the Giants with a first-round pick since shortstop Royce Clayton in 1988.

Giants To Sign Bill Hall

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The Giants will sign Bill Hall, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The move comes after second baseman Freddy Sanchez dislocated his shoulder diving for a ball on Friday night. San Francisco is also without Pablo Sandoval (hand) and Mike Fontenot (groin). Fontenot left last night's minor league rehab game with tightness in his groin.

Hall, 31, hit .224/.272/.340 with the Astros before being released last weekend. He did hit .247/.316/.456 with 18 homers for the Red Sox last year, plus he's capable of playing almost every position on the field. Houston will pay Hall the majority of his $3MM salary; the Giants will only be on the hook for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum (less than $300K according to Rosenthal). The Orioles, Nationals, and possibly the Yankees also had interest in signing Hall.

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