Cardinals Rumors

Outrighted To Triple-A: Todd, Gibbons, Kouzmanoff,

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 10, 2011 at 8:21pm CDT

Here's where we'll keep track of all players who get outrighted to Triple-A today…

The Cardinals have outrighted Jess Todd to Triple-A, reports Rick Hummel of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Todd returned to the team that originally drafted him after being claimed off waivers last month.
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times reports (on Twitter) that Jay Gibbons has accepted his outright assigment with the Dodgers and will report to their Triple-A affiliate.
The A's announced that they outrighted Kevin Kouzmanoff to Triple-A (Twitter link). Oakland initially demoted the third baseman on Monday and they outrighted him today to create a 40-man roster spot for Graham Godfrey.
Jake Fox cleared waivers and the Orioles outrighted him to Triple-A, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). Fox is expected to report to the minors this weekend, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Baltimore designated the utility player for assignment last week and were exploring possible trades, but rival teams, including the Pirates, weren't interested.

NL Central Notes: Astros, Fielder, Pirates, Cubs

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 10, 2011 at 7:20pm CDT

When the Brewers take on the Cardinals tonight, St. Louis skipper Tony La Russa will be managing his 5,000th MLB game. Here are notes on the Cardinals, the Brewers and their NL Central rivals…

The Astros announced that they have signed second round pick Adrian Houser via press release. His signing bonus is unknown, but MLB's slot recommendation for the 69th overall pick is approximately $530K.
Prince Fielder says he isn't competing with Albert Pujols or thinking about his next contract. But Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Brewers' first baseman may be a safer free agent target than Pujols this coming offseason.
Pirates owner Bob Nutting told Bob Cohn of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he is "extremely pleased" with the progress the 30-31 Pirates have made this year. “Tremendous improvement from last year,” Nutting said. “I'm very pleased where we are. And, I really believe that we're beginning to see the impact of the changes we've made in the organization over the last three and a half years.”
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders how long A’s GM Billy Beane will want to remain in Oakland and points out that the Cubs and Astros could be looking for new leadership before long. Beane would be a “leading candidate” for any GM job if he were not in Oakland.
Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says new Astros owner Jim Crane should aim to draft and develop players as successfully as the Cardinals have.

Stark On Rollins, Fielder, Pujols, Olivo, Tigers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 10, 2011 at 2:26pm CDT

A number of iconic players are in contract years, so ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark looks ahead to their free agent stock and provides other rumors from around the league. Here are the details:

No one Stark spoke with predicts David Ortiz will leave the Red Sox for another team.
Jose Reyes will be the number two free agent on the market this winter behind only Albert Pujols, according to one executive.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledges that it wouldn't be easy to replace Jimmy Rollins, even though the shortstop is no longer an MVP-caliber player. The Phillies ‘poked around’ for possible alternatives at short last offseason, according to Stark, who predicts a two-year deal for Rollins and the Phils this winter.
Prince Fielder will no doubt sign a lucrative free agent deal, but one executive says the first baseman’s body will be an issue: "It has been since high school, and it always will be." Fielder is 27 now, so an eight-year deal would expire after his age-35 season.
Pujols will test the market, but Stark and his sources find it hard to believe that he’d leave St. Louis for any old team. One executive predicts that the Cubs are the Cardinals’ main threat.
The Cubs aren’t ready to start selling and haven’t started shopping Carlos Zambrano, despite his recent outburst.
The Red Sox offered Miguel Olivo a one-year deal before re-signing Jason Varitek last offseason. Olivo eventually signed a two-year deal with the Mariners.
The Rangers are ‘stepping up’ their search for a right-handed setup man and maintain interest in Nationals reliever Todd Coffey.
Rival teams say the Tigers are looking for a left-handed reliever. Southpaws Daniel Schlereth, David Purcey, Charlie Furbush and Adam Wilk are currently in Detroit’s bullpen.

Quick Hits: Spangenberg, A’s, Beltran, Cubs, Twins

By Mike Axisa | June 9, 2011 at 8:54pm CDT

First Eric Hosmer, now Mike Moustakas. The Royals are calling up their other super-prospect according to Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (on Twitter), optioning Mike Aviles to Triple-A to make room on the roster. Moustakas hit .287/.347/.498 for Triple-A Omaha in 250 plate appearances, and congrats to him for reaching the show.

Here's the latest from around the league…

Padres assistant GM Jason McLeod told Dan Hayes of The North County Times that first round pick Cory Spangenberg will be in San Diego tomorrow to take his physical, indicating that a deal is all but done (Twitter link).
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that the Padres and Athletics are unlikely to start selling pieces anytime soon (Twitter link). The call-up of Anthony Rizzo and firing of Bob Geren gives both clubs a new look that they'll first take a chance with.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says that Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran is willing to waive his no-trade clause to join a team with a chance at a championship.
Although calls are being made for a fire sale, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times says it won't be easy for the Cubs to move some of their bloated contracts.
MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince explains why there is no quick fix for what ails the Twins.
Big money contracts for relievers like Rafael Soriano, Pedro Feliciano, and Hisanori Takahashi haven't worked so far, and MLB.com's Tom Singer says that could change the way teams build bullpens in the future.
The Diamondbacks have come to terms with 23 draft picks according to a team press release. The highest pick of the group is fourth rounder Evan Marshall.
Derrick Goold of The St. Louis-Post Dispatch reports that the Cardinals have inked tenth round pick Lance Jeffries (Twitter link).

Jaime Garcia Changed Agents

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 9, 2011 at 3:33pm CDT

Jaime Garcia switched agents earlier this year and Melvin Roman of MDR Sports now represents the Cardinals’ left-hander, the agency confirmed. Agent Bobby Barad, Garcia's previous representative, has also lost Robinson Cano and Jorge de la Rosa since leaving TWC Sports, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes noted on Twitter.

Garcia has a 3.20 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 through 81 2/3 innings this year. With the exception of one ugly start at Coors Field in late May, Garcia has been consistently effective. The 24-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and I projected his 2012 earnings at $3-4MM earlier in the season.

Olney On Padres, Wood, Pirates

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 9, 2011 at 10:41am CDT

Teams like the Yankees, Rangers and Cardinals may not have to wait much longer for bullpen help. There will probably be relievers available immediately, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Here’s the latest on the relief market and other notes from Olney:

The industry-wide expectation is that the Padres will trade Heath Bell soon.
Executives wonder if the Padres will decide to take advantage of Mike Adams' substantial trade value and trade him now. The setup man is under team control through 2012.
Rival teams will presumably call the Cubs to see if Kerry Wood would accept a trade. The right-hander signed a discounted $1.5MM contract last offseason because he wanted to return to Chicago.
Grant Balfour, Luke Gregerson and Michael Wuertz are other possible trade candidates, according to Olney.
Though the Pirates have developed more top talent under Neal Huntington, it’s an important year for the GM, who doesn’t have a contract after 2011. The Pirates drafted aggressively once again this year, so Huntington and his scouting staff will have a number of tough signs this summer, such as high schooler Josh Bell.

Central Notes: Humber, Cubs, Rasmus, Draft

By Mark Polishuk | June 8, 2011 at 6:59pm CDT

The Central divisions are home to not just the four worst records in baseball (the Twins, Astros, Cubs and Royals) but also to the Cardinals and their MLB-best 37-25 record. Here's some news from the middle of the baseball map…

Phil Humber's improbable journey from being a third overall pick to injury-riddled obscurity to a star in the White Sox rotation is chronicled by ESPNChicago's Jon Greenberg.
The Cubs have no plans to rush Brett Jackson to the Major Leagues, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Jackson just recently returned to action after a finger injury. Muskat's piece also contains updates on several other Cubs prospects.
The Cardinals would be "crazy" to think about dealing Colby Rasmus, writes Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Tigers took position players with 10 of their first 11 draft picks, and 24 of their first 29 picks were college players. Baseball America's John Wagner looks at how both trends were a departure from Detroit's recent draft strategies.
Bill Hall has cleared waivers and is now a free agent, tweets Steve Campbell of the Houston Chronicle. Hall was put on release waivers by the Astros on Monday.
The Astros can also claim the first signing of the 2011 Amateur Draft, as 44th-round pick Blake Ford told Stephen Goff of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) that he will sign tonight. Ford, a right-hander from Lamar University, happened to have tickets to tonight's Astros-Cardinals game so he figured he would take care of his contract while at the ballpark. Also from Goff, the Astros have already signed two other draft picks.

Draft Notes: Nationals, Bundy, Cardinals, Astros

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 7, 2011 at 8:56am CDT

Be sure to catch up on the results from the first and supplemental rounds of the draft. As we await day two of the big event, here's what you need to know:

ESPN.com's Keith Law lists the Rays, Twins and D'Backs among his day one winners while questioning moves by the Braves, Rockies and others. High school outfielder Josh Bell heads Law's list of best remaining players.
Bell, Daniel Norris and Dillon Howard are the best players remaining according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
Anthony Rendon, Alex Meyer and Brian Goodwin, Washington's first three picks, are all Scott Boras clients, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Nationals have a history of selecting Boras clients, going back to first overall picks Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.
Rendon plays the same position as Nationals cornerstone Ryan Zimmerman, but "the point of the draft is to take the best player available" regardless of the big league roster, Zimmerman told Ladson.
Top Orioles pick Dylan Bundy may be an especially difficult player to sign, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. “The numbers that were thrown out were true," Bundy said, without saying explicitly that he's looking for a $30MM bonus.
Cardinals scouting director Jeff Luhnow sounds confident that he'll be able to sign first rounder Kolten Wong before the August deadline for deals, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.
Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and scouting director Amiel Sawdaye broke down Boston's top four picks and Alex Speier of WEEI.com has the details. Epstein says he thought some things broke Boston's way.
Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner gets the sense that Astros' amateur scouting director Bobby Heck will take a pitcher with the 69th overall selection (Twitter link).

Draft Links: Cole, Orioles, Phillies, Cardinals

By Dan Mennella | June 6, 2011 at 9:47am CDT

The day of the First-Year Player Draft is finally upon us. Here's the latest news and rumors as tonight's event draws nearer …

The Pirates, as has been speculated for several days, will take UCLA righty Gerrit Cole with the No. 1 overall pick, according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
The Orioles have long been linked to prep pitcher Dylan Bundy out of Oklahoma with the No. 4 pick, but they may be shifting focus to Archie Bradley, another prep pitcher, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com.
Ed Barkowitz of Philly.com identifies TCU lefty Matt Purke as a possibility for the Phillies with their first pick, No. 39. Purke, who was a first-round pick of the Rangers in 2009 but didn't sign, has seen his stock tumble as a result of shoulder troubles.
Because the Cardinals have only one pick on Day 1 of the draft and only two in the top 100, they're less likely to take risky players, writes Nathan Hart of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. The Redbirds are tentatively planning to take a position player, though that is not definite.
The Rangers are looking at Massachusetts prep righty Tyler Beede, writes Jamey Newberg of the Newberg Report, noting how difficult it can be to accurately predict draft picks.
The Rockies are still on Utah first baseman C.J. Cron at No. 20, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
It's never too late to draft a superstar, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo!, who runs down some of the best steals in draft history.
The Dodgers worked out Trevor Gretzky, Wayne's son, and Ryan Garvey, Steve's son, on Sunday, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, though both players have committed to college.
Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald has had a strange journey through the minors, which is why drafting two-sport stars is tricky, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. Ryan Hannable, also of WEEI.com, has tallied up the experts' projections for the Red Sox's draft picks.
Owning the first overall pick in the draft does not guarantee future success, writes Rob Neyer of SBNation.com.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Lance Berkman

By Dan Mennella | June 5, 2011 at 4:35pm CDT

Most eyes are on Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder as it pertains to the upcoming class of free-agent first basemen, and rightly so. However, Pujols' teammate Lance Berkman, who signed a one-year, $8MM deal with the Redbirds in the offseason, bears watching, too.

Through his first two months in St. Louis, Berkman has largely regained the stroke that made him one of baseball's best and most consistent sluggers during the first decade of his career. His season line stood at .329/.444/.599 entering Sunday's game against the Cubs, which is vastly better than the .248/.368/.413 he posted during an injury-marred 2010 that he split between the Astros and Yankees.

Some regression is to be expected this season considering Berkman's career line of .297/.410/.547, but clearly a steep decline is not underway as 2010 may have indicated. However, 2012 will Berkman's age-36 season, and although he's playing the outfield now with St. Louis, he's best suited for first base or perhaps even DH, a role he filled during his time with the Yanks. As it is, he's been getting fairly regular rest as he works around various nagging ailments.

So, what does this mean for his Berkman's prospects on the free-agent market? Of course, a lot could happen between now and then, but barring injury, I think the Big Puma will be looking at a deal comparable to the one Aubrey Huff signed with the Giants last offseason: two years, $22MM, and perhaps some kind of option. Berkman has a more distinguished career than Huff, of course, but he is older and has had injury concerns the past couple years. As well, Berkman will be viewed as third-best free-agent first baseman after Pujols and Fielder. Carlos Pena, who is younger but not as good of a hitter as Berkman, will draw interest too.

With a lot of variables at play here – such as the Cards' dealings with Pujols, Berkman's health and his red-hot start – it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Cardinals Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect