Odds And Ends: Lackey, Millwood, Ross
Some more links for the morning…
- As MLB.com's Lyle Spencer reports, John Lackey is pitching well at the perfect time for the Angels, who now have a solid rotation one through five. It doesn't hurt Lackey's position as an impending free agent, either.
- Kevin Millwood's $12MM option for next season will kick in tonight if he pitches 8.0 innings or more. He has 172 innings on the season and the option vests once he reaches 180.
- It looks like the Rangers will be able to surround Millwood with even more young talent next year. As Jamey Newberg shows for MLB.com, the club has more than its share of promising young players in the minors and, now, in the majors.
- Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports that Cody Ross earned $25k for making 540 plate appearances on the season. He could have more money coming his way, as he makes the same amount for reaching 570 and 600 plate appearances.
Odds & Ends: Bumgarner, Rangers, Kim
Links for Tuesday…
- Giants top pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner surprisingly gets the big league call today, says John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The bad news: Cy Young contender Tim Lincecum is out with back spasms.
- Evan Grant of D Magazine shows how little the Rangers got out of the 2002-05 drafts (including the "DVD" trio), yet they had the game's best farm system coming into the season.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has the reverse standings, which give an idea of the 2010 draft order.
- Eddie Bajek looks at various scenarios where Placido Polanco could ascend to Type A status. It's a good reminder on how the Elias rankings come together.
- Tigers owner Mike Ilitch is behind the decision to let Magglio Ordonez's 2010 option vest, believes John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire finds the upcoming free agent class lacking in depth.
- East Windup Chronicle passes along a report suggesting Byung-Hyun Kim wants to make a comeback. Is he still represented by Scott Boras?
- Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee feels the team can win in 2010 with the same group, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune considers possible moves for next year.
- Brad Penny had a strong preference to pitch in the NL, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Twins players Mike Redmond and Carl Pavano lobbied Penny directly.
- Ben Kabak of River Ave. Blues expresses concern that Derek Jeter's next contract could approach $100MM.
Olney On Hardy, Rangers, Figgins
Everyone's predicting the market for Chone Figgins these days and ESPN.com's Buster Olney is no exception. Olney guesses that the Yankees will sign Figgins, who could patrol left field for the Bombers and fill in at other positions when needed. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Olney points out that J.J. Hardy, whose free agency the Brewers delayed, picked up 130 days of service time on the DL over the years. It all counts, though.
- Olney hears that there are now just three contenders to buy the Rangers.
- One talent evaluator suggests MLB could adopt first and second half winners to lessen the advantage big market teams have.
The Week Ahead
Now that we've taken a look at the week that was, let's anticipate what lies ahead. There aren't as many pennant races to watch as usual this year, so keep your eye on the following stories as the week progresses:
- When Josh Beckett throws his first pitch tomorrow afternoon, his 2010 option will kick in for $12.1MM.
- Kevin Millwood will likely pitch against the Mariners on Friday. If he goes eight innings or more, he will have pitched 180 innings on the season and his $12MM option for 2010 will vest.
- One final option to monitor this week: Magglio Ordonez is a mere 27 plate appearances from seeing his $18MM option kick in for next season. It could happen this week, but, depending on playing time, Maggs may have to wait longer.
- For recaps of these options and more, check out Tim's post from earlier in the week.
- Tony Abreu filed a grievance against the Dodgers and Glen Perkins may file one of his own against the Twins. We'll see if either player reaches a resolution with his club this week.
- Don't rule out trades, either. Could the Rangers acquire an infielder? Could the Phils add a bench bat?
Heyman On Holliday, Red Sox, Pedro, Bradley
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman covers numerous examples of National League GMs mining the American League scrap heap.
- Heyman agrees with Jayson Stark's note yesterday, that the Yankees will allow Derek Jeter to enter his walk year unsigned and worry about it after the 2010 season.
- The Cardinals will try hard to retain Matt Holliday, but Heyman believes the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox could be in the mix for the slugger.
- Heyman discusses future shortstop possibilities for the Red Sox – they could retain Alex Gonzalez or go after Marco Scutaro. He says they "don't seem anxious" to bring Orlando Cabrera back.
- Pedro Martinez is looking good, and Heyman says only the Phillies and Rangers had real interest. The Cubs and Brewers were on the fringes.
- Heyman talked to two GMs about the Cubs and Milton Bradley. One thought the Cubs could unload him by eating half his remaining $21MM; another thought they'd need to assume almost all the money. I am not a Bradley apologist; he's certainly been a distraction. But how would subtracting a .394 OBP make the Cubs' middling offense better?
Cubs Acquire Thomas Diamond
1:32pm: The Cubs confirmed the acquisition via a press release. Diamond was simply claimed off waivers from the Rangers. He'll head to Triple A Iowa.
12:23pm: The Cubs acquired righty Thomas Diamond from the Rangers, MLBTR has learned. Diamond, the 10th overall pick in the 2004 draft, was designated for assignment Tuesday by Texas. He had Tommy John surgery in '07, and has struggled with his control since. Diamond has worked as a reliever most of this year.
Cubs assistant GM Randy Bush coached Diamond at the University of New Orleans, by the way.
Rangers Mulling Third Base Acquisition
In the wake of Michael Young's hamstring injury, the Rangers are "considering trade options at third base" according to Evan Grant of D Magazine in a Wednesday article. Young is aiming to return two weeks from now, so it'd be a short-term upgrade over the current Omar Vizquel/Esteban German combo. And if the Rangers do overcome their 3.5 game defecit in the AL West, the September acquisition would not be playoff-eligible.
Grant speculates on three potential acquisitions: Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, and Fernando Tatis. The problem is that the first two are being well-compensated for their lousy seasons, while Tatis hasn't played third base much in recent years. ESPN's Buster Olney finds a deal unlikely, but feels that Jamey Carroll might be a nice fit. One more idea: would a Troy Glaus trade be worth exploring?
Rangers Acquire Danny Gutierrez
The Rangers acquired pitching prospect Danny Gutierrez from the Royals for catcher Manuel Pina and outfielder Tim Smith, according to Greg Schaum of 610 Sports in Kansas City (via Twitter).
Gutierrez, a 22 year-old righty, has a 1.65 ERA in 27.3 High A ball innings this year. Coming into the season he was ranked the Royals' #7 prospect by Baseball America and #6 by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. Why has Gutierrez pitched so little this year? In part due to a shoulder injury, and in part due to off-field issues and a disagreement with the Royals (Schaum tells me).
Pina is a Double A catcher with a .259/.313/.393 line, while Smith hit .309/.380/.439 at the same level.
Olney On White Sox, Rangers, Yankees
ESPN.com's Buster Olney says Giants catching prospect Buster Posey is probably more likely to be on the team's Opening Day roster, now that they club started his service time clock. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Olney says Kenny Williams has a responsibility to publicly discuss the moves that sent Jim Thome and Jose Contreras elsewhere.
- Olney hears that the Rangers will likely consider various infielders now that Michael Young is hurt. A player like Jamey Carroll could help the Rangers, but Olney doubts they'll make a move.
- Here's a suggestion for the Yankees from Olney: offer both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui one-year deals after the season, but say "we'll keep whoever takes our offer first."
Odds And Ends: Royals, Kazmir, Hudson
Some links for the morning…
- Jeff Sackmann of the Hardball Times can imagine an excellent Royals team in 2012, but says there's no guarantee we'll see such a thing.
- As MLB.com's Doug Miller shows, cheap, no-name closers can be just as effective as proven commodities.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the addition of Scott Kazmir should help the Angels reach the playoffs once again.
- Tim Hudson and Dan Meyer were traded for each other in 2004. This week, Hudson pitched against Meyer's team for the first time, as MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports.
- Jamey Newberg ranks Justin Smoak and Martin Perez ahead of the other Rangers minor leaguers in this week's prospects report for MLB.com.