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Morosi On Giants, Braves, Berkman

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Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports has been tweeting up a storm today…

NL Central Notes: Astros, Carpenter, Berkman

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We've already checked in on the Pirates and here's the latest on the rest of the NL Central as the first-place Brewers rest…

  • Jim Crane's purchase of the Astros is on hold because MLB is investigating employment and war profiteering charges against the incoming owner, according to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. However, current owner Drayton McLane remains optimistic that the sale will go through within ten days.
  • Matthew Leach of MLB.com says the Cardinals will likely find a way to bring Chris Carpenter back in 2012, even if it doesn't mean exercising his $15MM option. I took a close look at the option last week, explaining that there are ample reasons for the Cards to pick it up.
  • Though Lance Berkman projects as a Type A free agent in the National League, he would be a much higher Type A free agent in the American League, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reports (on Twitter). It's noteworthy since the Rangers just lost Nelson Cruz to the disabled list and could consider Berkman, who has cleared waivers.

AL West Notes: Athletics, Cruz, Angels

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Ichiro Suzuki's streak of ten consecutive 200-hit seasons will likely end this year, since he's 49 hits away from 200. But as the Mariners point out, Ichiro has picked up at least 49 hits in a month six times in his career. Here are some more notes from the AL West…

  • The A's will need to make a 40-man roster move tomorrow, when they add Neil Wagner to their active roster, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). They'll have room on the 25-man roster once Jerry Blevins clears waivers tomorrow.
  • The Rangers expect Nelson Cruz to miss three weeks with a strained left hamstring, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). The Rangers could consider Lance Berkman of the Cardinals, but GM Jon Daniels indicated that he expects to find help from within the organization.
  • Wilson notes that Leonys Martin will take Cruz's roster spot for now and that a Berkman deal seems unlikely (Twitter links). 
  • As Kevin Baxter of the LA Times explains, the Angels have been playing better partly because of Vernon Wells' increased productivity. The offseason acquisition started off slowly and his season line is still just .216/.249/.393, but he has four multi-hit games in his last six contests.

Rangers Could Consider Berkman

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Lance Berkman is the Rangers' prime target if they look outside the organization for help in the wake of Nelson Cruz's hamstring injury, writes Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News.  However, GM Jon Daniels advised caution until the team sees Cruz's MRI, and added, "More than likely, any moves we make will be from inside the organization." 

So keep in mind that for the Rangers to get serious on Berkman or any other trade or claim candidate, the prognosis on Cruz would have to be bad and Daniels would have to change his mind.  That said, Berkman would be a fantastic addition for the Rangers, as he ranks fourth in the NL with a .405 OBP and third with a .570 slugging percentage.

Berkman has reportedly cleared waivers, the reason for which I have no idea.  His salary is relatively modest, with $1.32MM remaining to date.  He projects as a low Type A free agent in the NL, and an arbitration offer seems probable, so the Rangers would have to give up something of value to get him.  Big Puma is, of course, a native Texan who spent the vast majority of his career with the Astros.

Cafardo’s Latest: Cubs GM, Vazquez, Greene, Kubel

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The Cubs' GM search has the potential to impact the Red Sox front office, if Theo Epstein or Ben Cherington are near the top of Chicago's wish list. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe leads his Sunday Baseball Notes by addressing the possibility of a mutual interest between Epstein and the Cubs. As one AL team president points out, even if that interest exists, the Red Sox don't have to grant the Cubs permission to talk to Epstein: "I don't see why they would [grant permission]. They have one of the best GMs in the game. I know if I were the team president of the Red Sox or in ownership, I wouldn't let that happen."

Here are the other highlights from Cafardo's piece:

  • Brian Cashman's name has also come up in Cubs GM rumors, but Cafardo's source doesn't expect Chicago to land Cashman or Epstein: "My best guess is both stay where they are and get the paycheck they're looking for…. They're not going to make more money elsewhere. The Cubs may offer a lot, but both Boston and New York can offer more, and I think they will."
  • Marlins right-hander Javier Vazquez is seriously considering retirement after this season, and appears to have made up his mind one way or the other, as he told reporters earlier this week.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak would like to see former first round pick Tyler Greene get some big league playing time in September so the club has a better idea of how to plan for 2012.
  • The Red Sox were among the teams who put in a waiver claim for Jason Kubel, though they were blocked by the Indians.

A Look At Notable Moves Of August 2010

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August transactions don't boast the same excitement as their July counterparts, but they can still have ramifications for contenders and non-contenders alike. Teams readying for the postseason will often fine-tune their rosters by adding a specialty piece — a LOOGY or power bat off the bench, for example — and ones looking ahead to next year will look to shed payroll.

There's still a few days left before September arrives, and prominent players such as the Rays' B.J. Upton was claimed as recently as Friday. But in the meanwhile, here's a look back at some of the bigger names who were on the move — whether by trade or waiver claim — in August 2010, and the subsequent fallout (for the complete list, check out MLBTR's Transaction Tracker):

  • Mike Sweeney, acquired by the Phillies from the Mariners on Aug. 4: Seattle sent the right-handed-hitting veteran and what remained of his $650K salary to Philly, where he hit .231/.310/.385 down the regular season's stretch and went 1-for-1 in his lone postseason at-bat. The M's later received cash from the Phils for Sweeney, who signed a one-day contract with the Royals in March and retired.
  • Jim Edmonds, acquired by the Reds from the Brewers on Aug. 9: Cincinnati added Edmonds for its postseason push, sending Chris Dickerson back to Milwaukee in exchange. Edmonds didn't do much, hitting .207/.281/.586 in the regular season before being left off the Reds' postseason roster due to an Achilles injury. He retired this spring after signing a minor league deal with the Cards, while Dickerson was traded in March to the Yankees for Sergio Mitre.
  • Mike Fontenot, acquired by the Giants from the Cubs on Aug. 11: The Lads scooped up Fontenot for infield depth during their run to the World Series in exchange for minor league outfielder Evan Crawford. Fontenot remains in San Francisco is under team control for through 2013, though he could be a non-tender candidate this offseason, as he was last.
  • Derrek Lee, acquired by the Braves from the Cubs on Aug. 18: Lee joined Atlanta after his long tenure in Chicago, the Cubs acquiring three prospects in return. Lee was one of the better acquisitions of this period, posting a fine .287/.384/.465 line for the Braves to help them reach the postseason, though he went just 2-for-16 in their NLDS loss to the Giants. He signed with the Orioles before this season.
  • Pedro Feliz, acquired by the Cardinals from the Astros on Aug. 19: St. Louis sent David Carpenter and cash to Houston in exchange for Feliz, who was added to help out at the hot corner when David Freese was injured. Feliz's already declining bat didn't improve for the Redbirds, who missed the postseason. Feliz signed a minor league deal with the Padres this month, while Carpenter is currently in the Astros' bullpen.
  • Cody Ross, acquired by the Giants from the Marlins on waiver claim on Aug. 22: The Giants added an eventual World Series hero in acquiring Ross from the Marlins, who had little interest in retaining Ross, as he was becoming expensive with his final year of arbitration-eligibility looming.
  • Brian Fuentes, acquired by the Twins from the Angels on Aug. 27: Minnesota added Fuentes to bolster its bullpen, and the lefty threw 9 2/3 shutout innings in the regular season and 2 2/3 shutout innings in the postseason before signing with the Athletics this offseason. The Angels acquired Loek Van Mil from the Twins as a player to be named.
  • Manny Ramirez, acquired by the White Sox on a waiver claim from the Dodgers on Aug. 29: This was arguably the most notable move of the August post-deadline period, but it didn't amount to much for either teams or the player. The White Sox missed the postseason, the cash-strapped Dodgers got some salary relief, and Manny hit a quiet .261/.420/.319 before signing with the Rays this offseason (and eventually retiring). 
  • Manny Delcarmen, acquired by the Rockies from the Red Sox on Aug. 31: The Rox, still in contention for the wild card, needed bullpen depth, so they sent Chris Balcom-Miller to Boston for Delcarmen. The righty didn't pan out in Colorado, posting a 6.48 ERA in 8 1/3 innings for a team that missed the playoffs before being non-tendered this offseason. He's kicked around since then.
  • Jeff Francoeur, acquired by the Rangers from the Mets on Aug. 31: Texas sent Joaquin Arias to the Mets for Frenchy, who played well in his brief time in Texas, hitting .340/.357/.491 down the stretch and seeing playing time during the postseason. Arias was waived by the Mets, while Francoeur signed the Royals this offseason and recently inked a two-year extension.

Cardinals Expect To Exercise Wainwright’s Options

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Adam Wainwright will be back in St. Louis next year, health permitting. GM John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that barring an unexpected complication in Wainwright’s recovery from Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals will exercise their two-year, $21MM option for 2012-13. 

"There is no reason for us not to assume it," Mozeliak said.

However, that’s unofficial at this point, since the Cardinals don’t have to make a decision until after the season ends. Wainwright, who underwent the ligament replacement operation before the season, says his rehab is progressing well and expects to throw on a mound next month. Mozeliak also expressed cautious optimism about the right-hander's recovery.

That said, the Cardinals don’t expect to explore the possibility of a long-term extension at this point. Wainwright, 29, finished second in the 2010 NL Cy Young balloting after finishing third in 2009.

Cardinals Not Likely To Make More Trades

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A playoff run appears unlikely for the Cardinals, who trail the Brewers by ten games in the NL Central. Though the Cards haven’t ruled out a late run, they’re also looking ahead to 2012. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak acknowledged to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he would listen to trade offers for his players, but said he doesn’t expect to make more moves. 

“I don't look at doing any additions unless it really makes sense or has impact for future years," Mozeliak said.

Draft pick compensation will also be a factor as St. Louis considers trades, Mozeliak said. He added that the Cardinals would like to see Tyler Greene get more of an opportunity so that they can see whether his minor league success can translate into big league results. The 2005 first rounder has a .336/.424/.623 line with 14 homers and 16 stolen bases in 258 Triple-A plate appearances this year, but he has never hit much in three Major League stints.

Berkman Plans To Play In 2012, Prefers St. Louis

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Lance Berkman recently suggested that he’ll be prepared to walk away from the game after the season if he doesn’t see contract offers he likes as a free agent. But he said today that he intends to play in 2012 and that the Cardinals would be his “first choice,” according to Matthew Leach of MLB.com.

"I'm sure I'll play next year somewhere," he said. "Hopefully it will be here [in St. Louis], but part of that is not up to me.”

Berkman explained that St. Louis appeals to him because the Cardinals have a “great group of guys” and aren’t rebuilding. The 35-year-old signed a one-year, $8MM deal with the Cards last offseason. He has a .291/.404/.576 line with 29 home runs this year and projects as a Type A free agent, according to our latest rankings.

Last week Berkman told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he'd prefer to land in one of "three or four" destinations. The Astros, who traded Berkman to the Yankees last summer, wouldn't be a fit for him anymore.

Chris Carpenter’s 2012 Option

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You can’t obtain elite free agent pitching for $15MM. Recent history suggests you can sign a middle-of-the-rotation starter – think Carl Pavano, Jake Westbrook, Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro – or a middle reliever – think Jesse Crain, Scott Downs, Joaquin Benoit or Brandon Lyon.

Chris Carpenter

The Cardinals face a major decision this offseason, when they have to choose between their $15MM option for Chris Carpenter and a $1MM buyout. It won’t be the most important decision they make this winter (the Albert Pujols contract talks deserve that honor) or even the most important decision they make with respect to their rotation (the Cards have to decide on two options for Adam Wainwright), but it will still shape the 2012 team. 

Carpenter turns 37 in April, so the former Cy Young winner is no longer in his prime. His ground ball rate dipped below 50% for the first time since 2002 this year and his 3.53 ERA is not that far off of the league average (3.85), even after an excellent Monday night outing.

But Carpenter's average fastball velocity has trended upward this year, rising from 91.4 mph to 92.5 mph, and his strikeout (7.2 K/9) and walk (2.2 BB/9) rates have improved as well. Defense independent pitching stats like xFIP (3.32) and SIERA (3.45) suggest Carpenter is far from finished (those figures don't include tonight's strong start).

He’s comfortably within Type A range according to our current projections, so the Cardinals could obtain two top picks if they decline his option and offer arbitration only to see him decline and sign a Major League deal elsewhere. Draft pick compensation figures to be a consideration for St. Louis, but it won't necessarily be the driving factor in the Cardinals' decision, especially since other teams might balk at the idea of giving up a first round pick for a 36-year-old with a history of arm trouble. 

The Cardinals’ 2012 rotation will presumably feature Wainwright and Jaime Garcia along with Westbrook, Kyle Lohse and one other starter. Edwin Jackson is a free agent, Wainwright will be returning from Tommy John surgery, Kyle McClellan has pitched better out of the bullpen and top prospects Carlos Martinez and the currently suspended Shelby Miller may not be ready for the show. In other words, the Cards could use rotation depth for 2012. 

Retaining Carpenter’s services for an extra $14MM (they’re paying $1MM no matter what) would be a luxury given the presence of McClellan, Martinez and Miller. But the Cardinals extended their payroll over $100MM this season and they appear poised to contend again in 2012. Carpenter may well be a luxury on whom GM John Mozeliak is prepared spend.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

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