Odds And Ends: Pirates, Glaus, Melvin
Happy Canada Day to all of our Canadian readers from our Canadian writer! Now for some links…
- This week's chat will take place today at 2pm CST.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Omar Minaya has been negligent when it comes to filling out his roster with talented role players.
- Troy Glaus is ready to start rehabbing, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. There's been speculation that the Cards could trade Glaus when he returns, but they could use his bat, too.
- The Pirates signed another Taiwanese high schooler, Hsu Chi-wei, according to East Windup Chronicle.
- Former D'Backs and Mariners manager Bob Melvin will accept an unspecified job with the Padres, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- Jorge Says No! takes a closer look at the Atlantic League to determine which players could make an impact oh a big league roster.
DeRosa Has A Shot At Type A Status
When we last checked, Mark DeRosa was ranked as a Type B free agent as a member of the Indians. At that time, he was grouped with the American League second basemen, third basemen, and shortstops. His 61.7 score put him about ten points below the lowest Type A in the group, Melvin Mora.
Now a Cardinal, DeRosa will be ranked with the NL 2B/3B/SSs by Elias after the season. I just ran the numbers with DeRosa as part of this group, and his score jumped to 67.9. He's still a Type B, but is now only three points from the lowest Type A in the group (Troy Tulowitzki at 70.9). The seven stats that go into DeRosa's ranking: plate appearances, batting average, on-base percentage, home runs, runs batted in, fielding percentage, and total chances at his designated position.
So the Cardinals may have received more than just three months of DeRosa; they also could end up with one or two draft picks as free agent compensation. For that to happen they'd need to offer him arbitration, then see him decline and sign elsewhere. Offering arbitration means the Cards would risk DeRosa accepting and landing a one-year contract for 2010 north of his current $5.5MM salary. As Ken Rosenthal alluded to today, some teams might prefer certain free agents ranked as Type Bs so that there would be no deterrent for another club to sign them.
Cardinals Now Have Limited Payroll Flexibility
ESPN.com's Buster Olney heard that the Cardinals have limited payroll flexibility now that they've added Mark DeRosa. Since he makes $5.5MM in total this year, the Cards are on the hook for about $2.75MM of DeRosa's contract.
Before the DeRosa dealm, they were considering Matt Holliday, who makes $4MM more than DeRosa between now and the end of the season. They appeared willing to take on his $13.5MM contract. Could the Cards add $4MM to their payroll for the right player?
Odds And Ends: Snell, DeRosa, Kearns
Some links to start the week off…
- East Windup Chronicle reports that the Pirates signed a Taiwanese high schooler to a minor league deal. Chi Ping-hong is small and speedy with good range.
- Ian Snell faced 24 batters in his first Triple A start this year and struck out 17 of them, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Neal Huntington says the Pirates are trying to "salvage some value" from Snell, who has $5.75MM remaining on his contract.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gathered some of the Cardinals' responses to the Mark DeRosa deal and they all agree the move shows the Cards are built to win now.
- Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Indians' "summer garage sale" shows the best and worst sides of the club.
- Ben Goessling of the Washington Times wonders whether the Nats will trade Austin Kearns, release him, or simply buy him out for $1MM after the season.
Cardinals Acquire Mark DeRosa
SUNDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi has written about a couple possible PTBNLs for the Indians:
"One official with knowledge of the transaction said minor league right-handers Jess Todd and Francisco Samuel are on the list of possibilities. It's not known if other players are on the list agreed upon by the clubs. But Todd and Samuel are hard throwers who could fit into Cleveland's bullpen next year. And anyone who has watched the Indians play recently is aware that they have an immediate need for power arms at the end of the game."
Morosi notes Todd has a 2.73 ERA in 28 Triple-A appearances with one big league game this season. The PTBNL will be received on or before September 1.
SATURDAY, 9:58pm: According to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince, the Cardinals have acquired Mark DeRosa from the Indians for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later.
DeRosa, 34, wasn't in tonight's lineup though this was supposedly a "standard day off," according to Castrovince. DeRosa posted a .270/.342/.457 line in 314 plate appearances for the Indians and is making $5.5MM in the final year of his contract (about $2.9MM remains). He's been the subject of rumors for weeks, and it looks like the Indians are officially sellers.
Perez turns 24 soon. He posted a 4.18 ERA and 30/15 K/BB ratio for the Cardinals in 23.2 innings this year. He was one of the Cardinals' top relief prospects and profiles as a future closer.
It's a little early to make a final judgment on this deal until we find out who the PTNBL is–Castrovince notes that "the PTBN component is an important one," according to Indians GM Mark Shapiro–but for now it looks like a solid deal for both teams, as they each fill in their respective needs.
Renck’s Latest: Hawkins, Saito, Spilborghs, Atkins
In his latest article, the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck has a few Rockies footnotes worth discussing:
- Renck suggests the Rockies should aggressively pursue LaTroy Hawkins if the Astros drop in the standings.
- Takashi Saito is another option. He has dominated in the NL West and the Red Sox like Ryan Spilborghs. He also notes the Tigers and Phillies have expressed interest in Spilborghs, as Ken Rosenthal said earlier this month.
- Renck lists the Braves, Cardinals, and Mets as potential fits for Garrett Atkins, but Renck adds that his "$4 million in remaining salary is prohibitive."
Cardinals Pursuing Matt Holliday
SATURDAY, 7:05pm: Peter Gammons tweets (account protected) that any discussions would have to start with Brett Wallace, as the A's don't need to trade Holliday.
FRIDAY, 11:13pm: The Cardinals are "redoubling efforts to acquire" Matt Holliday, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Strauss says the Cards have warmed to the idea of offering a multiplayer package. They were previously reluctant to send a Ryan Ludwick-fronted package to Colorado in November. Strauss believes that the Cardinals would now probably be willing to offer Ludwick, one of Jason Motte, Chris Perez, and Kyle McClellan, and a prospect to Holliday's current team, the Athletics. Strauss adds:
Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., who opposed the November deal for Holliday, is apparently on board with assuming the remainder of Holliday's $13.5 million salary.
Only about $7.6MM remains on Holliday's contract, and he is of course a free agent after the season. Holliday, a Scott Boras client, currently profiles as a Type A free agent despite a decrease in production with Oakland.
Ludwick has about $2MM remaining on his contract this year. He's under team control through 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player. Ludwick was actually drafted by the A's in 1999, 60th overall. In 2002, they sent him to the Rangers with Gerald Laird and others for Carlos Pena and Mike Venafro. Ludwick, like Holliday, has dropped off significantly from his huge 2008 season.
Odds And Ends: Sano, Rays, Mateo
More links for your Friday afternoon…
- The Orioles' director of player development told Steve Melewski of MASN.com that Miguel Angel Sano is the best Dominican prospect he's ever seen.
- The Orioles haven't begun negotiating with Sano, as there are some lingering questions about his age.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he'd find room for David Price in the crowded Rays 'pen instead of bumping Andy Sonnanstine from the rotation.
- White Sox scouting director Doug Laumann says Josh Phegley and Kyle Bellamy could move quickly through the minors.
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure believes the $3.1MM Wagner Mateo agreed to is impressive in this economy.
Cardinals To Sign Wagner Mateo
FRIDAY, 2:42pm: ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure reports that the Cardinals will sign Mateo for $3.1MM. GM John Mozeliak solidified the agreement at Mateo's house. The Giants nearly offered him $3.5MM, but backed off at the last minute.
THURSDAY, 7:42pm: According to Baseball America's Ben Badler, the Cardinals are "zeroing in" on 16-year-old outfielder Wagner Mateo, and are prepared to offer him a $3MM signing bonus.
The international signing period begins July 2. If Mateo does indeed land $3MM, it would be the second-highest chunk of money ever tendered to a Latin American amateur. Oakland right-hander Michael Ynoa (or Inoa, depending who you ask) set the all-time record last year when he landed a $4.25MM bonus. The Cardinals began negotiations with Mateo in late May.
Knobler On Cardinals, Phillies, Giants
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports identifies the five neediest teams in baseball. No team will be able to acquire big names easily, however, as officials around the league agree that impact arms and bats aren't available with so many teams in the race. Here's a closer look at Knobler's rumors:
- The Cardinals have had less production out of the cleanup spot than just about any NL team and GM John Mozeliak says he's "not ignoring" the issue.
- As one official points out, "thirty teams in baseball could use Mark DeRosa" and the Cardinals could use him most of all.
- Knobler expects the Phillies to continue looking for a starting pitcher. He doesn't rule out Erik Bedard and says the Phils have considered Zach Duke and Paul Maholm.
- The Giants could use a hitter and Knobler hears that Brian Sabean's facing pressure from his superiors to make a move.
- The Brewers could use an arm, as we know.
- Omar Minaya seems more intense than usual, but the many injuries to his players could make it harder for him to justify making one big move. As one Mets official said, the team is in a "bad position."