MLB Preparing 50-Game Suspensions In Biogenesis Case
12:33am: Cruz has not decided whether he will serve his suspension or appeal it, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
7:17pm: Major League Baseball is preparing 50-game suspensions for Biogenesis-linked players who have not been disciplined in the past, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Players such as Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Everth Cabrera, Jesus Montero and Francisco Cervelli are among those facing these 50-game suspensions, as are minor leaguers Fernando Martinez, Cesar Puello and Fautino de los Santos. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports writes that the vast majority of players connected to these 50-game suspensions — including playoff contenders Cruz and Peralta — are believed to be willing to accept the punishment rather than file appeals. Doing so will allow suspended players to play toward the end of September and into the playoffs, though their teams would be at a significant disadvantage down the stretch
Passan also tweets that MLB has threatened to double the penalty for players who do not cooperate with the suspensions, making cooperation a much more appealing option. Additionally, he adds that players who lied during the investigation could receive an additional 15 games on their suspensions, similar to Ryan Braun's case (Twitter link).
Bartolo Colon, Melky Cabrera and Yasmani Grandal are not likely to receive additional suspensions, having already served 50-game bans, according to Heyman. Both Heyman and Passan agree that Alex Rodriguez remains firm in his refusal to cooperate with a deal, as was reported earlier today. MLB would like Rodriguez to serve a suspension through the 2014 season but could pursue a lifetime ban if he does not cooperate.
Young Would Consider Trade To Red Sox
The latest on Phillies third baseman Michael Young, who is in tonight's lineup against the Giants…
- Young has told the Phillies that he will consider trades to other clubs if he isn't dealt to Texas, and the Red Sox are his second choice, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). Stark adds that if a trade with Boston doesn't work, the Yankees would be a last-minute possibility.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Young isn't flat-out rejecting trades to other markets, he's simply trying to steer trade discussions to his preferred destinations one-by-one.
- Young told reporters, including MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, that no trade is imminent and he's not certain if he will be a Phillie in 24 hours (Twitter links).
Earlier Updates
- Asche's call-up does "not necessarily" mean Young will be traded, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said on MLB Network today. Amaro described the chance of Young changing teams by the deadline as "pretty remote."
- There are executives who believe Young would approve a trade to the Red Sox if a deal is made, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Young will only approve a trade back to the Rangers, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. In contrast, Scott Miller of CBS Sports says Red Sox people believe Young would approve a trade there. The Phillies checked in with Young over the weekend about the Rangers and Red Sox. You have to wonder if the Asche promotion is designed to force Young into accepting a deal, asMatt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the rookie is up to stay and Young would likely be pushed into a bench role.
- If Young is being traded, Yankees people say it's not to them, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The Phillies plan on calling up third baseman Cody Asche, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan. That points to Young being traded today, he adds. Asche, 23, is hitting .295/.352/.485 in 446 Triple-A plate appearances. Asche "should hit enough to have a regular big league role," wrote Baseball America before the season.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Lance Berkman Could Miss Season; Has Considered Retirement
TUESDAY: Berkman told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that he needs to make a decision on his future soon. Berkman is taking batting practice today and tomorrow but recognizes that if he can't be headed toward a rehab assignment soon, he may have to call it a season. Jeff Wilson of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram also spoke with Berkman, who told him that he jogged a short while ago and it was "not good, to be honest."
THURSDAY: The Rangers are already in the market for a hitter with eyes on Alex Rios, Hunter Pence and Kendrys Morales, but they may need more help than they originally thought. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that injured designated hitter Lance Berkman has considered shutting himself down for the rest of the season and possibly even retiring due to concerns over his surgically repaired right knee.
Berkman, 37, is currently on the disabled list with hip inflammation, but Grant reports that an inability to extend the right knee on which he has twice had surgery has been bothering him longer than his hip. Grant spoke to Berkman directly:
“I’ve definitely thought about it,” Berkman said of shutting down for the remainder of the season. “But I haven’t reached any final decisions on it. Hopefully I’ll do the best that I can and help the team. It could also depend on what the team’s needs are. This is an uncertain time of the year for everybody.”
Berkman was eligible to come of the disabled list on Monday but just began running on Wednesday, Grant reports. If he does sit out the remainder of the season, the two sides could work out an agreement in which Texas would only pay him a portion of the remaining $4.5MM on his contract in order to provide more payroll flexibility in trades.
Berkman signed with the Rangers this offseason on a one-year, $10MM contract that contains a $13MM vesting option for 2014. The option vests at 550 plate appearances, which Berkman will now surely not reach. In 282 trips to the plate this season, he's batted .254/.355/.377 with six homers. Injuries have limited him to just 100 games since the start of the 2012 season.
The Rangers, of course, have another veteran DH candidate in the organization after signing Manny Ramirez to a minor league deal earlier this month. Ramirez hit well overseas in Taiwain with the EDR Rhinos for the early portion of the season, but his bat has cooled after a hot start in Triple-A Round Rock. He's hitting .250/.323/.411 with three homers through 62 plate appearances entering play today.
Stark On Howie Kendrick, Cubs, D’Backs
ESPN's Jayson Stark begins his latest column with a look at the Biogenesis situation. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported, suspension announcements are not expected today. Sherman expects the announcements to come Thursday or Friday. In Stark's opinion, the Rangers are acting like a team that knows what Nelson Cruz will do if suspended, in that their aggressive search for a bat suggests he might serve a suspension now to preserve his free agent value. Meanwhile, the Tigers' lack of pursuit of a backup plan to shortstop Jhonny Peralta suggests he'll appeal. Elsewhere in Stark's column:
- The Dodgers and Angels, who haven't made a trade in 20 years, had a "mostly casual conversation" regarding Halos second baseman Howie Kendrick. There are no indications a deal is in the works.
- The Angels are at least listening on infielders Kendrick, Erick Aybar, and Alberto Callaspo, and seeking high quality big league ready pitching in return.
- The Cubs could move Kevin Gregg and Nate Schierholtz, but are extremely unlikely to trade lefty reliever James Russell and there's just about zero chance of a Jeff Samardzija trade.
- Pitchers Ian Kennedy and J.J. Putz of the Diamondbacks and Kyle Farnsworth of the Rays "have suddenly been made available." Trading Kennedy would allow Arizona to clear around $1.4MM toward another move. Are they that hard up for cash?
AL East Notes: Lyon, Hughes, Yankees, Red Sox
As Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes, it's been 10 years since the strangest week of Brandon Lyon's life. In 2003, the then-23-year-old Lyon was dealt by the Red Sox to the Pirates as part of a pacakage for lefty Scott Sauerbeck. The Pirates decided they weren't comfortable with the state of Lyon's elbow and sent him back to the Red Sox in a trade centering around Freddy Sanchez and Jeff Suppan just nine days later. Now with the Red Sox once again, Lyon tells Britton that he hopes to be with the big league club in the near future. Here's more on the AL East…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that as of Sunday, the Yankees had yet to receive a single trade offer for struggling right-hander Phil Hughes. That's fairly surprising, given Hughes' solid production away from Yankee Stadium (3.02 ERA in 53 2/3 innings compared to 6.02 in 58 1/3 innings at home).
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman feels that there may be more offense on its way to New York via the trade market before Wednesday's deadline, writes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
- The Red Sox are no longer in the mix for Joe Nathan, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, but they're still prioritizing right-handed relief help. The Red Sox remain in contact with the Phillies about Michael Young but find the asking price for Cliff Lee too high, according to Bradford. The same goes for Jake Peavy of the White Sox.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com takes a look at how the Red Sox stack up in terms of starting pitching, right-handed relief and third base options.
Cubs Notes: Schierholtz, Samardzija, Gregg
The Cubs have been baseball's most active team on the trade front, and they seem likely to make another move or two, even after dealing Matt Garza, Scott Feldman, Scott Hairston and Alfonso Soriano. Here's the lastest regarding the north side of Chicago…
- Nate Schierholtz is the most likely piece to be traded next, a league source tells Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Schierholtz has told agents Scott Leventhal and Damon Lapa to inform the Cubs he's happy in Chicago and would like to stay. He adds that he doesn't follow trade rumors and accepts that he has no control over what management does. The Rangers and two or three other teams have shown interest in Schierholtz of late, according to Rogers.
- The asking price on Jeff Samardzija is "higher than the Sears Tower," according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Cubs are essentially asking that teams let them take what they want from their farm systems. While the Diamondbacks have shown interest, several other teams have made offers as well.
- MLB.com's Carrie Muskat writes that Kevin Gregg would be happy to return to the Cubs even if he's dealt before Wednesday's deadline. Gregg offered high praise for the coaching staff, his teammates, the city of Chicago and the organization as a whole. Unlike Schierholtz, Gregg enjoys following the rumor circuit and the transactions wire.
Rangers Not Planning More Significant Moves
Four straight losses have dropped the Rangers to 1.5 games out in the wild card. Here's the latest:
- The Rangers aren't planning on making any major moves prior to the deadline, writes Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. General manager Jon Daniels doesn't think his team will acquire a significant right-handed bat, nor does he plan on trading Joe Nathan. Daniels told Wilson that the idea of trading Nathan never gained much traction: "We'll talk about anything," Daniels said. "That's our jobs, but talking about something and having it happen are very different things." Wilson adds that the Rangers haven't had any serious talks about Alex Rios, Hunter Pence or Kendrys Morales recently, and they were never that big on the idea of re-acquiring Michael Young or Marlon Byrd.
Earlier Updates
- The Rangers are strongly considering standing pat, writes Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
- Manny Ramirez doesn't have an opt-out in his minor league deal with the Rangers, writes Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, but the team "never intended to keep him dangling." They haven't yet decided whether they'll keep Manny in the organization, though they aren't expected to promote him. The 41-year-old is hitting .269/.347/.418 in 75 Triple-A plate appearances.
- "I've never had to worry about this stuff before and I'm not going to start now," closer Joe Nathan told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News regarding his rumored availability. It's hard to picture which contender could offer a quality bat for a closer, anyway.
Latest On Alex Rios
White Sox right fielder Alex Rios is hitting .272/.325/.427 in 426 plate appearances this year, ranking him about 13th in baseball in offensive production at the position. The 32-year-old is guaranteed just under $18MM through 2014, and he's limped to a .266/.311/.354 line since June. The latest trade rumors:
- The Rangers are no longer seriously pursuing Rios, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Earlier Updates
- Rios' agent Paul Kinzer told Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune nothing appears imminent with his client unless other teams are willing to improve their offers.
- The White Sox have asked for two top prospects plus a lesser player for Rios without much luck, hears ESPN's Jayson Stark. Stark feels it's possible the Sox could pull Rios back and market him in the offseason.
Rangers Inquired On Brian McCann
In their extensive search for a bat, the Rangers recently inquired with the Braves on catcher Brian McCann, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Braves had no interest in trading their starting catcher, who ranks fourth on MLBTR's 2014 free agent power rankings.
Rookie Evan Gattis filled in admirably for McCann while he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, and Gerald Laird has been surprisingly useful with the bat in limited duty. The club also has Christian Bethancourt in Double-A.
Biogenesis Announcement Not Expected Today
Yesterday, Joel Sherman and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reported "the strong indications are Major League Baseball will announce all the suspensions in the Biogenesis case this week." No announcement from MLB is expected today, tweets Steven Marcus of Newsday. Wednesday's trade deadline is "no factor when it comes to the timing of announcements related to the case," hears Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. We could be in for a wild week. The latest on Biogenesis:
- MLB is willing to offer Rodriguez a suspension of the rest of this year and all of 2014, report Bill Madden, Teri Thompson, and Michael O'Keefe of the New York Daily News, and if he declines, MLB is expected to attempt to ban him for life. Over at River Ave. Blues, Mike Axisa runs through different scenarios involving A-Rod.
- The Yankees have continued to search for third base help, but Heyman says that isn't necessarily tied to the possibility A-Rod gets suspended. Though first-time offenders are permitted to play during an appeals process, baseball might challenge that practice in the case of Rodriguez, writes Rosenthal.
- The Tigers have shown no indication they are looking for a shortstop replacement, writes Heyman. "I would think Detroit would want a shortstop, but we'll see," an NL GM told Heyman. Neither Peralta nor Nelson Cruz has indicated to his team a plan in case of a suspension, writes Yahoo's Jeff Passan. It's possible those two will be faced with choosing their current team (appealing a suspension into next year) or choosing to preserve their free agent value (serving a 50-game suspension now). I imagine taking what might be perceived as the selfish route, serving the suspension now, could hurt free agent stock in its own right.
Nelson Cruz
- As you might expect, the Rangers prefer a prolonged appeals process for Cruz, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale wonders, "If Cruz goes down without a fight and accepts his penalty, why would they want a guy back who quit on the organization?" That question would apply to Cruz potentially returning for the playoffs, as well as signing a new deal with the Rangers in the offseason. Cruz might have to settle for a less lucrative two-year free agent deal similar to that of Melky Cabrera, one GM estimated to Heyman.
- Since Colon already completed a 50-game suspension for PED use, A's people are expressing confidence he won't get another suspension, writes Heyman, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also hears the same. The team's pursuit of Jake Peavy is unrelated.
General
- "If drug dealers can use the currency of player evidence as a means to gain immunity and even more money, then our system of policing and protecting baseball has incentivized the people and the very behavior that was the genesis of the problem," agent Scott Boras tells Rosenthal. Baseball cut a deal with Biogenesis owner Anthony Bosch that provides many protections.
- In dealing with Jason Giambi, the Yankees concluded they cannot void a contract based on PED use, writes ESPN's Buster Olney. Some lawyers, however, wonder if a team could file a lawsuit against a player alleging damage to their brand.