Uncategorized News & Rumors

The Tigers, Cardinals, Rockies and Padres could improve at short and other teams, like the Yankees, have interest in adding a versatile infielder. Here's a look at some shortstops who may be available between now and the end of the month, sorted according to their 2010 salaries:

• Cristian Guzman, $8MM (free agent after 2010) – Guzman is hitting .294/.343/.369 and has also appeared at second and in right field. He can hit for average and play average defense (according to UZR), but the Nationals would presumably have to eat salary in a trade because there are cheaper options available. Guzman has ten and five rights, so he can veto any deal.
• Jason Bartlett, $4MM (free agent after 2011) – Reid Brignac and Sean Rodriguez can both play short, so the creative Rays could conceivably trade Bartlett. However, he is hitting .231/.314/.335 and UZR suggests his defense is below average, so teams may not consider him an upgrade.
• Stephen Drew, $3.4MM (free agent after 2012) – Drew boasts a .275/.348/.416 line and plays solid defense at short (+3.2 UZR this year). The Tigers are interested.
• Alex Gonzalez, $2.75MM ($2.5MM club option for 2011) – Gonzalez leads all shortstops in homers (Home Run Derby finalist Hanley Ramirez is four shy of Gonzalez's 17) and he has been a sound defender for the Blue Jays. The 33-year-old doesn't get on base much (.296 OBP), but he offers more power than any other available shortstop (.497 slugging percentage). The Blue Jays are open to deals.
• Cesar Izturis, $2.6MM (free agent after 2010) – Izturis is hitting .239/.286/.283, so teams figure to have limited interest in him.
• Ryan Theriot, $2.6MM (free agent after 2012) – The Cubs could part with Theriot, who is hitting .278/.317/.313. To date, we haven't seen a clear indication that the Cubs are shopping the 30-year-old, though they would presumably listen to offers.
• Craig Counsell, $2.1MM (free agent after 2010) – Counsell isn't hitting much (.614 OPS), but he can play short, second and third.
• Jamey Carroll, $1.05MM ($1.8MM in 2011) – His walk rate is at a career high, and he's playing more shortstop than any other position this year.  He could be too valuable a utility player to move.
• Yunel Escobar, $435K (free agent after 2013) – Teams are calling about Escobar, though the Braves don't appear to be shopping him. The 27-year-old is still cheap and promising, despite his .238/.334/.284 line this season.
• Ronny Cedeno and Bobby Crosby could be available; Jhonny Peralta played shortstop for years; Alberto Callaspo has some experience at short and Adam Everett is a free agent.

We examined the market for third basemen and catchers earlier in the week.

If your team is looking for help at third base this summer, we've got players who could conceivably be available for trade:

• Jose Bautista, Blue Jays.  Amazingly, he's the MLB home run leader at the All-Star break.  He's played more right field than third base this year.  Bautista is under team control for 2011.
• Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays.  Encarnacion cleared waivers last month, as no team wants to assume the $2.14MM owed to him.  Someone might take a chance on his power if the Jays eat his salary, but he could just be signed after the season given the expected non-tender.
• Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks.  So far Reynolds is following up his breakout '09 with an even higher strikeout rate and a .214 batting average.  He's owed only $226K more this season, and then $13MM through 2012.  He's not known to be available, but the contract was signed under previous GM Josh Byrnes.
• Miguel Tejada, Orioles.  Tejada isn't hitting much for the O's, and he's still owed $2.71MM plus a $150K bonus if traded and $100K if he reaches 630 plate appearances.
• Ty Wigginton, Orioles.  Wiggy made the All-Star team with strong work in April and May.  He has $1.58MM remaining.
• Jhonny Peralta, Indians.  Peralta has a lot in common with the 2010 version of Tejada. 
• Jorge Cantu, Marlins.  His OBP and SLG aren't great, yet he remains an RBI man.  He's got $2.71MM left and is known to be available. 
• Wes Helms, Marlins.  Occasionally, Helms still shows something against left-handed pitching.
• Alberto Callaspo, Royals.  He's battling a wrist injury, but Callaspo has a decent bat for someone who can handle second and third base, and even shortstop in a pinch.  He'll be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season.
• Andy LaRoche, Pirates.  He was bumped to a utility role with Pedro Alvarez's promotion, not that Alvarez has fared better in his first month. LaRoche will be arbitration-eligible after the season, though he could be non-tendered. 
• Jose Lopez, Mariners.  Lopez switched from second base this year and has been abysmal with the bat.  He hit 25 home runs last year, and only has $1.29MM remaining on his contract.  He could be non-tendered after the season if his $5MM club option is declined.
• Aramis Ramirez, Cubs.  Aramis usually hits well despite trips to the DL, but this year he was brutal for the season's first two months.  He'd be an interesting deadline pickup, but he has $7.1MM remaining this year, a $1MM assignment bonus if traded, and a $14.6MM player option for 2011.
• Pedro Feliz, Astros.  There's not much left with Feliz, aside from the $2.03MM on his contract.
• Mike Lowell, Red Sox.  He's played only 72.6 innings in the field this year and is owed $5.41MM, so the Red Sox would have to pick up the tab.
• We've mostly discussed offense here, as the defensive samples are so small.  Still, I'll mention that Lopez, Callaspo, and Reynolds have above-average UZR/150 numbers at third base this year. 
• Keep in mind that overpaid players like Tejada, Ramirez, Feliz, and Lowell are candidates to be traded in August.

One team has a clear need for catching depth and a few others could upgrade behind the plate. Here's a look at some teams that could look to acquire catchers before the July 31st deadline:

• The Red Sox are relying on Kevin Cash and Gustavo Molina with Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez on the DL. There's no timeline for Martinez's return to action, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe.
• Like the Red Sox, the Tigers have other areas of need (shortstop, pitching), but they could upgrade behind the plate. Gerald Laird has a .524 OPS and just two homers. He and Alex Avila have both limited the running game well, but the Tigers aren't getting much offense from their catchers (Laird has thrown 29% of would-be base stealers out; Avila has nabbed 41%).
• Russell Martin is also throwing out his share of runners (37%) but he isn't hitting the way he once did. Martin (.679 OPS) and A.J. Ellis (.544 OPS) aren't providing Joe Torre with much pop, so the Dodgers could look to add a backup with power.
• Jason LaRue hasn't hit much for the Cards (.622 OPS) and All-Star starter Yadier Molina hasn't either (.595 OPS).

These clubs have a few options to consider over the course of the next few weeks:

• The D'Backs called the Red Sox about Chris Snyder, so he figures to be available, especially with Miguel Montero around. Snyder's ten homers and .240/.355/.448 batting line would appeal to teams, but the $8.6MM remaining on his salary would not. With that salary, there's a chance Snyder would clear waivers, enabling interim GM Jerry DiPoto to trade him in August.
• Ryan Doumit has at least $7.2MM remaining on his contract, but has a solid .260/.334/.415 line.
• John Buck, who makes $2MM this year before hitting free agency, is a cheaper option. Like Snyder, he has power (13 homers, .502 slugging percentage).
• The Rays have two catchers other than John Jaso (who boasts a surprising .393 OBP). Kelly Shoppach or Dioner Navarro could become trade bait.
• The Indians would presumably part with the recently-DFA'd Mike Redmond.

For contenders looking to acquire a new leadoff hitter, here are a few potentially available options (100 plate appearances leading off required):

• Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports finds the D'Backs likely to retain their second baseman, as he's under team control for 2011.  We've read that Josh Byrnes was willing to listen on Johnson, but it's less clear what Jerry Dipoto is planning.
• Rickie Weeks, Brewers.  It appears that Weeks would be even tougher to pry loose, as ESPN's Buster Olney recently tweeted that the Brewers have no interest in trading him.
• Fred Lewis, Blue Jays.  He cost only cash for the Jays to acquire, so perhaps they'd consider flipping him.
• Scott Podsednik, Royals.  The Royals hold a $2MM club option on Pods for 2011, though if he tallies 146 more plate appearances he can void it.  He should be available.
• David DeJesus, Royals.  It's rumored the Royals will wait a little longer before deciding whether to trade DeJesus, who can be retained in 2011 for $6MM.  The Padres and Giants could make sense.
• Corey Patterson, Orioles.  He's never been known for getting on base, but he's doing a decent job overall back with Baltimore.  But if he's healthy, you'd think the Orioles would want to give more playing time to another former Cubs "next big thing," Felix Pie.
• Nyjer Morgan, Nationals.  Four days ago, Rosenthal noted that "some within the Nats’ organization are in favor of trading Morgan to clear center field for Roger Bernadina."  However, the Nats would be selling low on Morgan.
• Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs.  Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports recommended a month ago that the Cubs consider moving both players.  Theriot is under team control through 2012 as an arbitration-eligible player, while Fukudome is signed through '11 at a large salary and has no-trade protection against 15 teams.

If you're a regular MLBTR reader, you'll be familiar with our chats, our Week In Review posts and Mike Axisa's Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature. Here's some more detail on when you'll see our weekly features and exactly what to expect from them:

• Radio Appearances – I appear on the Shore Sports Report every Monday at 4:05 CST and Tim Dierkes appears on 590 KFNS in St. Louis every Tuesday at 1:25pm CST. You can always listen live to Tim here.
• MLBTR Chats – Come by every Wednesday at 2pm CST to chat with Tim or me about the latest trades, signings and rumblings around the major leagues.
• Baseball Blogs Weigh In – Every Friday morning, Mike Axisa directs you to some of the best writing on baseball blogs around the web. Whether it's opinion, stats or something else entirely, you can connect to the best of the blogosphere once a week on MLBTR. If you want to send Mike a post of yours, reach him at: mike@riveraveblues.com.
• Week In Review – It's amazing how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, we summarize the week's biggest stories and link to some of our original content in our Week In Review posts.

Baseball fans obsess about trade rumors in July, trying to get the first word on who their favorite team might acquire.  MLBTradeRumors.com is the #1 destination on the Internet to find this information, and the site will receive over two million pageviews on July 31st alone.

Though certainly not limited to this demographic, the most common MLBTR reader is an 18-34 year-old male.  If you're looking to reach this crowd, MLB Trade Rumors is the perfect place to advertise.  And since there is no ad agency acting as a middle man, MLBTR is able to keep rates low compared to other major sports websites.  If you are interested in advertising and would like to learn more, please contact mlbtradvertising@gmail.com.

There's more at stake than a player's legacy when it comes to All-Star selections. Depending on a player's contract, a place on the All-Star team can be worth thousands of dollars. Here is a list of the 2010 All-Stars who will receive bonuses for their place on this year's teams, from contract information on Cot's Baseball Contracts:  

$100K Bonuses:

• Tim Lincecum, Giants
• Torii Hunter, Angels 
• Cliff Lee, Mariners 

$50K Bonuses:

• Yadier Molina, Cardinals
• Albert Pujols, Cardinals
• Chris Carpenter, Cardinals 
• Matt Capps, Nationals – According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson
• Chase Utley, Phillies
• Hanley Ramirez, Marlins 
• Josh Johnson, Marlins
• David Wright, Mets
• Jose Reyes, Mets
• Ryan Braun, Brewers
• Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners  
• Evan Longoria, Rays
• Carl Crawford, Rays
• Ian Kinsler, Rangers
• Jon Lester, Red Sox
• Victor Martinez, Red Sox
• Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
• Adrian Beltre, Red Sox - According to WEEI
• David Ortiz, Red Sox
• Joakim Soria, Royals

$25K Bonuses:

• Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
• Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
• Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies
• Scott Rolen, Reds
• Matt Holliday, Cardinals
• Joe Mauer, Twins
• Justin Morneau, Twins

Unknown Bonuses:

• Brian McCann, Braves

This list may be incomplete, since not all contract details are publicly available.

Every year we see teams gamble. Whether it's signing a big-name free agent for multiple years, exchanging prospects for elite players, or rolling the dice on someone who might have another good year or two left in the tank, every team takes risks. Let's look at some of the most successful risks (from a strictly 2010 standpoint) we've seen in the past year by seeing which freshly-signed or traded players will be headed to Los Angeles as members of the 2010 All-Star rosters.

American League:

Vladimir Guerrero — Signed a one-year, $6.5MM deal with a mutual option for 2011. Guerrero is hitting a ridiculous .331/.376/.570 with 18 HR and 70 RBI. Both of those numbers eclipse his totals from an injury-shortened 2009.

Adrian Beltre — Signed a one-year deal worth $9MM with a $5MM player option. Clearly hoping to build up his value, Beltre's followed through to the tune of a .341/.377/.545 line with 12 long balls and 53 driven in. I'm going out on a limb and guessing that player option's not getting exercised.

Victor Martinez — Acquired at last year's trading deadline, V-Mart has recovered from a slow start to produce a strong overall line of .289/.344/.480, though he's currently on the disabled list. He'll be one of the more sought-after free agents on this year's market.

Cliff Lee — Acquired by Seattle in a multi-team deal. Including today's start, Lee's compiled a 2.34 ERA through 103.2 innings. He's struck out 89 hitters and, remarkably, has the same number of complete games (five) as walks issued. He may not be long for the Emerald City, but he's been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season.

Jose Valverde — Signed a two-year, $14MM deal with Detroit. Arguably the American League's best closer so far, Papa Grande has just two earned runs through 35 innings while recording 33 K's. He's got 18 saves in 19 chances, and opponents are somehow hitting just .099 against him.

John Buck — Signed with Toronto after being non-tendered by Kansas City. Doubtful that many pegged Buck as an All-Star, but he's got a line of .271/.306/.509 and his 13 HRs are second among Major League catchers.

National League:

Scott Rolen — Acquired at last year's deadline, Rolen signed a two-year extension worth $13MM. Rolen's reminded us that his bat was once as highly regarded as his glove with a .302/.368/.577 line to go along with 17 HR. His .577 slugging percentage leads the NL.

Matt Holliday — Signed a seven-year, $120MM deal with the Cardinals. He may not be decimating the National League like he did in his return in 2009, but Holliday's got a solid line of .301/.375/.498 and went on a tear in the month of June (.971 OPS) 

Marlon Byrd — Signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Cubs. Byrd's impressed in his first year in the Windy City. His .310/.357/.485 line makes for an .842 OPS, fifth-best among Major League center fielders. His 26 doubles lead the National League.

Matt Capps — Signed with Washington after being non-tendered by Pittsburgh. Capps has a breath of fresh air for Jim Riggleman's bullpen, registering 22 saves and 32 K's in 36.2 innings. He's struggled a bit following a dominant start to the season, but his ERA remains at 3.19.

The MLBTR Forums are hopping, with over 7,000 members and almost 3,000 discussion threads.  It's the place to be if you'd like to expand the discussion beyond our comments section and dive into more topics or create your own.  We've got sections for trade rumors, free agents, the draft, prospects, general baseball, fantasy baseball, and each of the 30 teams.  Sign up for the MLBTR Forums today!

As any MLBTR reader knows, there are many different types of trades. It takes a certain kind of player to be traded in numerous different kinds of trades, but one such player is Bobby Bonilla. He was part of nearly every type of trade there is: as a prospect, for prospects, in a megadeal, even in an exchange of bad contracts. This doesn't even include the times he switched teams via the Rule 5 Draft, or when he became the highest-paid free agent in baseball history.

Let's review the transaction madness, shall we?

Bonilla was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1981. However, after just three home runs in 39 games for the Single-A Prince William Pirates of the Carolina League, Pittsburgh left him unprotected and the Chicago White Sox picked him up in the Rule 5 Draft. Bonilla handled the jump pretty well, hitting .269/.361/.355 with the 1986 White Sox. The Pirates managed to re-acquire him in July 1986, dealing established starter Jose DeLeon, who had been struggling terribly with Pittsburgh.

DeLeon went on to pitch reasonably well for Chicago in 1986-87, but Bonilla quickly established himself as a star for the Pirates. In his five full seasons with Pittsburgh, Bonilla posted OPS+ marks of 118, 143, 145, 132 and 149. He went to four All-Star games and helped the Pirates to two division titles. Clearly, Pittsburgh got the better end of that deal.

After Bonilla signed with the Mets, he performed reasonably well, but many of the other Mets didn't. As a result, smack in the middle of his best major league season, Bonilla was traded in July 1995, this time as the star player, for prospects Damon Buford and Alex Ochoa. While Buford and Ochoa never established themselves as starters, Bonilla picked up right where he left off in New York. After posting a 160 OPS+ with the Mets, he had a 139 OPS+ over the remainder of 1995 and helped Baltimore to the postseason in 1996 with an OPS+ of 114.

Bonilla then signed with the 1997 Marlins as a free agent, and helped them to a World Series title with his 125 OPS+. But by 1998, Florida was in firesale mode, and so Bonilla was one of the firesold, traded along with Gary Sheffield, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson and Manuel Barrios for Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile. (Piazza and Zeile, in turn were dealt for prospects.)

But Bonilla was finished as a useful major league hitter, posting just an OPS+ of 81 after heading to Los Angeles. The Dodgers had him under contract in 1999 for $5.9MM. The Mets, meanwhile, had a relief pitcher named Mel Rojas under contract for approximately $4.6MM in 1999, and Rojas had posted a 6.05 ERA in 1998. Therefore, an auspicious marriage of convenience occurred, with the two players getting exchanged for one another.

The deal helped neither team, with Rojas pitching to a 18.00 ERA for three teams in 1999. Bonilla, now 36 and largely unable to run, became New York's Opening Day right fielder and number five hitter, two roles he quickly lost in a season with an OPS+ of 48. In the spring of 2000, the Mets agreed to an annual payment of approximately $1.2MM a year from 2011 to 2035 to buy out Bonilla's 2000 contract worth $5.9MM.

So as Bonilla sits back and cashes Met checks well into his 70s, he can reflect on a truly fantastic legacy of trades.