Heyman On Emaus, Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers
In a column for SI.com, Jon Heyman discusses the new-look Rays, examining the team's chances in a competitive AL East. While one Rays person candidly acknowledges "we've got a lot of holes," the general consensus around baseball is that it would be a mistake to discount the defending division champs. Here are a few other highlights from Heyman:
- Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus has the Mets' second base job locked up "no matter whether they pretend there's still a competition ongoing."
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia seems ready to become a starting catcher in the bigs, says one scout. Even so, the Red Sox would like to add a third backstop, if one were available via trade, to start the year in the minors behind Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek.
- Heyman thinks Austin Romine may be the best bet for the Yankees' backup catcher opening. However, as we heard yesterday, Gustavo Molina continues to look like the favorite for the roster spot, according to Ben Shpigel of the New York Times. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees, and suggests the role will be important, given potential concerns about Russell Martin.
- The Rangers made attempts to acquire a closer, but never came close to landing one, which resulted in Neftali Feliz keeping the job.
- Heyman adds Jorge Cantu's name to the list of possible fits at third base for the Marlins.
Olney On Shortstops, Juan Cruz, Mets
The latest from the blog of ESPN's Buster Olney…
- Olney muses on who the Giants might look at as a midseason acquisition if Miguel Tejada does not work out at shortstop. He comes up with Jose Reyes, Marco Scutaro, and Jack Wilson as possible trade candidates. I can see Stephen Drew, J.J. Hardy, and Ronny Cedeno as other possibilities.
- Evaluators tell Olney Rays reliever Juan Cruz looks excellent. Apparently recovered from shoulder surgery, Cruz has allowed one run in eight spring innings. He's whiffed nine and allowed only two hits, but also walked seven.
- The Mets intend to keep Rule 5 picks Brad Emaus and Pedro Beato, according to Olney. With Justin Turner being cut today, Emaus certainly appears to be the second base starter. Joel Sherman of the New York Post digs into the Mets' logic with Emaus here. The infielder, 25 on Monday, hit .298/.395/.495 at Triple-A last year.
AL East Links: All Five Teams
Plenty of storylines in the AL East this year; here are a few…
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos talked to Jeff Blair on the Fan 590 yesterday, and Andrew Stoeten of Drunk Jays Fans has highlights. Anthopoulos talked about Aroldis Chapman, Frank Francisco, Brett Lawrie, and Juan Rivera among other things.
- Much has been written lately about Rays' manager Joe Maddon's attempt to handle Manny Ramirez. Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald has quotes from the manager today. ESPN's Jayson Stark tackled the Manny-Rays topic in depth yesterday, with one veteran big league coach and manager asserting, "I know one thing. It will end horribly."
- Despite being knocked around yesterday, Yankees pitcher Sergio Mitre told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, "That's one thing that never even crossed my mind – whether I'm making the team or not." Mitre seems to be battling Freddy Garcia for a long relief job.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman talked about how Jesus Montero's defense seems to be slipping in tandem with his batting slump, in this article from Feinsand's colleague John Harper. Montero might be best served at Triple-A for development and trade value purposes.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has extensive quotes from Adrian Gonzalez's agent John Boggs, as the good vibes about an April extension continue. WEEI's Alex Speier explains that trading for Gonzalez rather than signing him as a free agent gives Boston a more desirable slice of the first baseman's career and also saves them perhaps $25MM or more. I think the value of the careers of the prospects given up easily surpasses that amount of savings, but that's slightly negated by the Sox not having to give up a draft pick to get Adrian.
- Orioles president Andy MacPhail admitted to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that service time is a factor in their decision whether to have top prospect Zach Britton break camp with the team. At least he's being upfront about it. Britton has allowed one run in 14 innings this spring.
- Here's how the AL East stacks up in Baseball America's organizational talent rankings: the Rays are #2, the Blue Jays are #4, the Yankees are #5, the Red Sox are #17, and the Orioles are #21.
Handshake Agreement May Have Impacted Cabral
Left-hander Cesar Cabral was involved in a pair of transactions last week, first getting claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays from the Rays before Tampa re-claimed him two days later. As Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star explains, a handshake agreement between Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos and Red Sox GM Theo Epstein may have impacted the moves.
When the Jays hired former Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell to be their new manager this offseason, the deal apparently came with a "non-compete" handshake agreement between the two clubs, preventing Toronto from selecting Boston players in the Rule 5 Draft. Cabral was selected by the Rays from the Sox in the Rule 5 Draft, but the Jays insist they were "playing by the rules" when they claimed him last week because at that time he was property of Tampa, not Boston.
A source tells Griffin that the original waiver claim (Jays taking Cabral from the Rays) may have been rescinded because of the handshake agreement, explaining why he ended up back with Tampa before Toronto could ever see him pitch in their uniform. It's unclear who exactly would have rescinded the claim if true; did the Jays back off or did MLB intervene?
Cabral, a 22-year-old lefty reliever, must stay on the Rays' 25-man roster all season or be placed on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, the Red Sox can take him back for half of the original $50K Rule 5 Draft fee.
Heyman On Phillies, Tigers, Manny, Rays
The Phillies have “tapped out” their payroll and have “nothing brewing” on the Michael Young front, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest from Heyman as the Phils contemplate whether or not to pursue new free agent Luis Castillo…
- The expectation is that Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, whose contract expires after the season, will be back. Dombrowski declined to comment on the matter.
- Manny Ramirez wanted to play for the Rays or the Blue Jays this year, according to Heyman. Rumors linked Ramirez to Toronto early in the offseason, partly because of the slugger’s affinity for incoming manager John Farrell and partly because he rooted for the great Dominican Blue Jays of the 1980s.
- Team officials say Rays infielder Elliot Johnson has been very impressive this spring.
Quick Hits: Marcum, Crede, Contraction
A few items of note for Thursday evening. On this day in 2005, the Committee on Government Reform held its now-infamous 11-hour hearing, during which former and current players such as Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa testified about steroid use in baseball.
- Brewers right-hander Shaun Marcum, acquired from the Blue Jays in an offseason trade, exited his Cactus League start due to shoulder tightness, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke acknowledged feeling concerned about the righty, and Olney described the potential situation as "not good." The Brewers have already lost ace Zack Greinke for a few starts after he suffered broken ribs in a pickup basketball game, and a potential injury to Marcum, though only speculation now, would be a major blow for a team expected to be in the thick of the NL Central race. Marcum, 29, missed all of 2009 with Toronto following Tommy John surgery in late 2008.
- It's too soon to speculate about the severity of Marcum's injury or how much time he might miss, if any, but as our Free Agent Tracker shows, there wouldn't be much for Milwaukee to choose from in the event it should need a fill-in. Kevin Millwood and former Brewer Doug Davis are among the usual suspects, while Jeremy Bonderman is expected to sit out the season, and Jarrod Washburn hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2009. The Phillies' Joe Blanton is thought to be on the trade block.
- White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said yesterday that Joe Crede and agent Scott Boras made a poor decision in turning down a multiyear extension offer when the third baseman was with the South Siders. Today, Boras responded, saying that Crede's camp is the side that proposed the extension, not the other way around, writes Brett Ballantini of CSNChicago.com. Crede's career has been derailed by injuries, and he hasn't played in the Majors since spending 2009 with the Twins. He signed a minor league deal with the Rockies this offseason but decided not to report to camp, becoming a free agent.
- A person "involved in baseball labor" confirmed to Joel Sherman of the New York Post that Major League Baseball has considered a streamlining proposal, wherein the A's and Rays would be contracted, and owners Lew Wolff of Oakland and Stu Sternberg of Tampa Bay would buy the Dodgers and Mets, respectively. However, it is unlikely to transpire, according to Sherman, because baseball has enjoyed relative labor peace at a time when other sports leagues haven't, and the idea of contracting two teams would not sit well with the MLB Players Association — even if the owners conceded to preserving the jobs by expanding MLB rosters to 27.
Rays Re-Claim Cesar Cabral
Just two days after losing him to the Blue Jays, the Rays have re-claimed Cesar Cabral. The Tampa Tribune reports that the Rays claimed the left-hander off of waivers from Toronto (Twitter link). The Blue Jays had hoped to work out a trade with the Red Sox, Cabral's original team, but it appears that they were unable to do so.
The Rays selected Cabral in the 2010 Rule 5 draft, so they'll have to offer him back to Boston if they don't keep him on their roster all year. The 22-year-old left-hander posted a 3.63 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 last year for Boston's Class A affiliates.
Blue Jays Claim Cesar Cabral
SUNDAY, 9:08am: Manager John Farrell says the Jays claimed Cabral in hopes of working out a trade with the Red Sox, tweets Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star. If the two sides don't agree on a deal, Cabral will likely go back on waivers.
SATURDAY, 4:14pm: The Blue Jays have claimed left-hander Cesar Cabral on waivers from the Rays, according to a team press release. To make room on the 40-man roster the club placed right-hander Dustin McGowan on the 60-day disabled list.
Cabral, 22, was selected by the Rays in the 2010 Rule 5 draft from the Red Sox, meaning that Toronto must offer the hurler back if they choose not to keep him. In 45 appearances for Boston's Single A and Single A advanced affiliates, Cabral posted a 3.63 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
Quick Hits: Cabral, Bourn, Greenberg, Aardsma
On this day in 2004, the Yankees reacquired Orlando Hernandez after trading him away just a year prior. El Duque missed 2003 with rotator cuff surgery but returned to action in July to give the Bombers a 3.30 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 across 15 starts..
- The Rays didn't have much use for Cesar Cabral after upgrading their bullpen this winter, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- Major League Baseball has now had nine years of labor peace thanks to Commissioner Bud Selig, writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
- Michael Bourn's career took a major leap when he was dealt to the Astros and moved from right field to center, writes Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
- Now that Chuck Greenberg has resigned as CEO of the Rangers, Nolan Ryan is in complete charge of the club, possibly for the first time since he was hired in 2008, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
- Mariners skipper Eric Wedge told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (via Twitter) that pitcher David Aardsma should be back by mid-April. The veteran was the subject of trade rumors before undergoing hip surgery in December.
- Ultimately, the Athletics addressed most of their holes without making a splashy move this offseason, writes Matthew Carruth of Fangraphs.
AL East Clubs Face Varied Challenges In 2011 Draft
When you hear talk of disparity in baseball, people often point to the AL East, home to two of the biggest spenders in MLB and one of its poorest teams. But as the Rays have shown, small market clubs can offset uneven payrolls by drafting and developing players successfully.
After an offseason in which Tampa Bay saw one ranked free agent after another sign elsewhere, including Boston and New York, the Rays face what could be the most critical amateur draft in their franchise's history. This June, the Rays have an unprecedented number of early picks – they select 12 players in the first two rounds (90 picks). The challenge for executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and scouting director R.J. Harrison will be selecting future major leaguers with those picks.
Though the Red Sox and Blue Jays aren't close to matching the Rays' record total, they have considerably more picks than average. The Blue Jays have seven picks before the third round and the Red Sox have five, so they face a similar challenge to the one the Rays do: convert their extra picks into potential major leaguers.
Tampa and Boston are two of the six teams (along with the D'Backs, Nationals, Padres and Brewers) that have multiple first round picks, which means seven of the draft's first 33 selections will head to what's arguably baseball's best division.
The Yankees, on the other hand, are one of four clubs that don't select before the supplementary first round (along with the White Sox, Phillies and, last but not least, the Tigers, who don't select until 75 players are off the board). The Orioles select fourth overall, but, like the Yankees, only have two picks in the first two rounds.
That's not to say that the O's and Yankees can't acquire young talent, however. They can, in theory, spend more money on fewer players in an attempt to lure a select number of top amateurs to their organization. Or they can sign players on the international market and build their farm systems with an aggressive approach abroad (the Yankees recently committed supplemental round money to Dominican righty Juan Carlos Paniagua).
The Rays, Blue Jays and Red Sox will select 24 of the first 90 players in this year's draft (27%). That doesn't mean they'll have productive drafts or that the Yankees and Orioles won't. But for at least a couple of days this June, the Yankees will watch and the Rays will be the ones with the power to acquire top players.