Mariners Rumors

Mariners Sign Trio Of International Prospects

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 15, 2010 at 2:53pm CDT

The Mariners signed three top international prospects, including Dominican outfielder Phillips Castillo, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Castillo will get a $2.2MM bonus, Colombian right-hander Jose Torres gets an $851K bonus and Venezuelan third baseman Yordyn Calderon gets a $477K bonus.

Badler describes Castillo as “one of the elite hitters” on the international market. The 16-year-old stands 6’2” and can hit for power. Torres is considered the top Colombian pitching prospect of the year and Calderon is “a good athlete who can hit for power.” Overall, the Mariners committed just over $3.5MM to the three prospects.

Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Red Sox, Fielder, Phillies

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 15, 2010 at 2:12pm CDT

Links for Thursday, as the second half begins…

The Mariners released former MLB reliever Mark Worrell, according to the Pacific Coast League's transactions page. They signed the right-hander earlier in the month and assigned him to the minor leagues.
Adrian Gonzalez and Yahoo's Jeff Passan discuss the changed atmosphere in San Diego. GM Jed Hoyer told Passan that the Padres will talk about Adrian Gonzalez's future with the team in the offseason.
Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears that the Red Sox aren't willing to spend significant amounts of money this July, since they want to avoid the luxury tax.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs continues ranking the MLB players with the most trade value and Carlos Santana just misses the top 20.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney wonders how the Rays would look if they obtained Prince Fielder for a package built around Wade Davis.
As Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains, Hal Steinbrenner is driven to win championships like his father, but he's more analytical and less of a yeller than George.
Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer argues that the Phillies need to improve before the trade deadline, especially since the Braves acquired Alex Gonzalez.
Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor tells Adrian Dater of the Denver Post that he would like another shot at managing in the majors.
The White Sox will fly several of their pro scouts to Chicago at the end of July to evaluate the organization's strengths and areas of need, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
The Detroit Free Press points out that National League All-Stars made, on average, $2.8MM less than American League All-Stars.

Mariners Sign Wright; Cordero Elects Free Agency

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 15, 2010 at 1:36pm CDT

The Mariners signed right-handed reliever Jamey Wright and added him to the major league roster, according to the team. In a related move, the club optioned Chad Cordero to Triple A Tacoma and Cordero opted to become a free agent instead of accepting the assignment.

Wright, 35, had been pitching at Triple A for the A's ever since the Indians released him. He struggled through 21.1 major league innings with Cleveland, posting a 5.48 ERA and walking as many as he struck out (nine). Wright allowed nine walks and 23 hits in 14 Triple A innings, striking out 16.

Cordero appeared in the majors for the first time since 2008 this year, walking five and allowing ten hits in 9.2 innings of work for the M's. The 28-year-old struck out five, but didn't recapture the form that saw him save 113 games for the Nationals from 2005-07.

Minor League Transactions: Meyer, Colome

By Tim Dierkes | July 12, 2010 at 12:17pm CDT

The latest minor league transactions from Baseball America's Matt Eddy…

The Astros released second baseman Drew Meyer, who was then signed by the Angels. Meyer has already racked up 39 plate appearances for the Salt Lake Bees.
The Dodgers released reliever Jesus Colome. They'd signed him on June 24th, but he made only three appearances for the Isotopes before being let go.
Other familiar names were cut, including Brian Buscher (Indians), Ruddy Lugo (Tigers), and Mike Koplove (Mariners). The Red Sox signed Argenis Reyes, who had been playing independent league ball.

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Mariners, Red Sox

By Tim Dierkes | July 12, 2010 at 11:26am CDT

Four years ago today, the Rays sent Aubrey Huff and cash to the Astros for Ben Zobrist and Mitch Talbot. The Astros finished 1.5 games out in '06 despite Huff contributing 13 home runs, and GM Tim Purpura chose not to offer arbitration after the season. On to today's links…

ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees have no plans to acquire a starting pitcher – "Cliff Lee was a special case." Speaking of Lee, he told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the trade from the Phillies did not sour him on the team, and he's not opposed to any club once he reaches free agency.
The Blue Jays had a scout at this weekend's Cardinals-Astros series, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Strauss wonders if shortstop Alex Gonzalez could be a match for the Cards, and he notes that the Jays have had previous interest in Brendan Ryan.
Mariners president Chuck Armstrong and CEO Howard Lincoln weren't aware of the full extent of pitcher Josh Lueke's 2008 trouble with the law, reports Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Lueke went to Seattle as part of the Lee trade.
Talking to WEEI's Alex Speier, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein explained that in the case of Casey Kelly and other prospects, he'd rather challenge them against advanced competition than allow them to compile numbers and trade value at more age-appropriate levels.
In the same article, Speier notes that the Red Sox have agreements, pending physicals, with a pair of international free agents. One is a righthanded pitcher, the other an outfielder.
As part of an extensive Q&A with Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times, Commissioner Bud Selig says he would not consider contracting the Athletics or Rays if their ballpark situations are not resolved.

Padres Prefer To Avoid Rental Players

By Tim Dierkes | July 12, 2010 at 9:53am CDT

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.'"

What The Mariners Wanted For Cliff Lee

By Tim Dierkes | July 12, 2010 at 8:27am CDT

Annoyed your favorite team didn't strike a deal with the Mariners for Cliff Lee? At least consider the details of Jack Zduriencik's high asking price, as reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

According to Sherman, the Mariners general manager set out to acquire "an interested organization's best position prospect with less than one year of service." He was offered none better than the Rangers' Justin Smoak. The Yankees' Jesus Montero was apparently the next-best position prospect offered. Zduriencik also targeted players such as Ike Davis of the Mets, Desmond Jennings of the Rays, Domonic Brown of the Phillies, Gordon Beckham of the White Sox, and Brett Lawrie (who would've had to have come from the Brewers in a three-way deal). Sherman notes that the Mets never offered a player better than Fernando Martinez; Jenrry Mejia and Wilmer Flores "were never part of discussions."

Sherman also gets into the failed Yankees-Lee deal like only he can. He gathered that the Yankees and Mariners had a deal in principle, at which point teams expect you to stop talking to other clubs. Sherman expects the bad blood to linger, making the Yanks unwilling to deal with the Mariners in the future. The Yankees were also apparently "rankled" by Seattle's confusingly high asking price for Jarrod Washburn last summer. Another thought: an executive recently wondered aloud to me how Kevin Towers was involved in the Lee trade talks. Towers has a close relationship with both Brian Cashman and Zduriencik.

From the Rangers' point of view, GM Jon Daniels indicated today to The Ticket's Norm Hitzges that he continually had an open dialogue with the Mariners. Daniels felt that the Rangers were in second place Friday morning, until he adjusted his offer.

Odds & Ends: Smoak, Giants, McDonald, Orioles

By Zachary Links | July 11, 2010 at 9:30pm CDT

Sunday night linkage..

M's manager Don Wakamatsu urged fans to be patient with the newly acquired Justin Smoak, writes MLB.com's Mike McCall.
Giants GM Brian Sabean isn't sure if his club can make the postseason without a trade, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News.
Darnell McDonald went from being a non-factor with the Orioles to being a key part of Boston's offense, says WEEI's DJ Bean.
Kevin Cowherd of The Baltimore Sun wants to see the Orioles hire their new manager this week.

Odds & Ends: Rolen, Yankees, Astros, Jeter

By Luke Adams 2 | July 11, 2010 at 7:07pm CDT

Links for Sunday, as the celebration continues in Spain….

Since acquiring Scott Rolen from Toronto roughly one year ago, the Reds are 70-42 when he starts and 12-26 when he doesn't, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Ken Davidoff of Newsday (via Twitter) talked to Yankees catcher Austin Romine, who admitted that a trade of Jesus Montero to the Mariners would have benefited him.
Looking to improve their NL-worst OBP (.295) and SLG (.348), the Astros have replaced hitting coach Sean Berry with Jeff Bagwell, per a team release. Sean Berry was surprised by his dismissal from the Astros, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Last winter, Bob Klapisch of FOX Sports suggested that the Yankees offer Derek Jeter a four-year, $100MM extension. Today, the New York Post's Joel Sherman says that Jeter "hardly looks like a player deserving" of such a contract, except for the fact that he's Derek Jeter. Sherman expects Jeter to be a Yankee past this season, of course, but suggests that the second half of 2010 may be a "salary drive" for the 36-year-old.
Brian Sabean has no regrets about not promoting Buster Posey or trading Bengie Molina earlier, writes Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks the Indians would like to keep Jake Westbrook, so they have at least one veteran starter in their 2011 rotation.
Noting that Albert Pujols could have his own "Decision" to make next year, Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hopes the slugger doesn't do to St. Louis what LeBron James did to Cleveland.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is reluctant to become a seller because he believes his team can contend next year, if not this year, says Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Within the same piece, Shaikin indicates the Dodgers could still be in "payroll limbo" this offseason if the McCourts' divorce goes to trial.
Minor league free agents have come through this year for the Phillies, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

White Sox Want Pitching; Unlikely To Deal Beckham

By Steve Adams | July 11, 2010 at 2:14pm CDT

Things were finally looking up for the White Sox after a terrible start to 2010. Since June 9, the club is an astonishing 24-5, and their ace, Jake Peavy, seemed to have rebounded to his usual Cy Young caliber form. He'd allowed just seven runs over his last 36 innings of work (1.75 ERA) while striking out 29 prior to a start last week that ended his season with a detached latissimus dorsi muscle.

According to this tweet from SI.com's Jon Heyman, the White Sox made a big play to replace their injured ace last week, when Sox GM Kenny Williams tried to swing a deal for Cliff Lee before his trade to Texas. The White Sox, however, were unwilling to part with Gordon Beckham, in spite of his terrible sophomore slump (.564 OPS). Now, Heyman says, the White Sox continue to look around.

Williams is typically one of the more active, aggressive general managers in baseball, so it's unlikely that missing out on Lee will spell the end of his trade thoughts. It's been known for months that Roy Oswalt will accept a trade, though there have been reports that the Houston ace would veto a deal sending him to Chicago. Keep in mind that these things can change, though. Peavy himself vetoed a deal to the White Sox last year before eventually accepting a trade in July. We've heard about Dan Haren's availability as well, though Arizona would need to be "blown away" to trade him.

There's plenty of other non-ace starters who could also be moved. Bronson Arroyo has pitched well lately and the Reds have a great deal of pitching depth, while names like Jeremy Guthrie and Ben Sheets figure to be available as well.

The White Sox do have some help available in Daniel Hudson, who was recently recalled from the minors and is starting today. Hudson was ranked by Baseball America as the game's 66th best prospect, and third-best in the White Sox system. The 2008 fifth-rounder appeared in six games for the Sox last year, totaling 18.2 innings and a 3.38 ERA, though he struggled with his control at the big league level. In 2010, Hudson owns a 3.47 ERA through 17 minor league starts, with a strong 10.4 K/9 to just 3.0 BB/9.

It's a known fact that the White Sox are very interested in Adam Dunn's big bat as well, so Williams may focus his energy on that department. One thing remains certain — with the White Sox surging to just a half-game out of first in the AL Central, Williams will be on the phone and inquiring on just about everyone under the sun as the deadline nears.

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