Uncategorized News & Rumors

FanGraphs is loaded with fantastic MLB statistics and related tools, and one of my favorites is the ability to create custom leaderboards.  With trade season around the corner, I created three leaderboards to allow you to sort the stats for all the MLB players I currently consider viable trade candidates.  You can see which available first baseman has the best walk rate, which available starting pitcher gets the most groundballs, which available reliever has the biggest strikeout rate – the possibilities are endless.  Please note that the player selections are subjective, and some are much more available or movable than others, and use the leaderboards as a framework or starting point.  They consist of reasonably-available veterans from the Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Mariners, Marlins, Mets, White Sox, Angels, Dodgers, Phillies, and Twins, with a few players on contending teams sprinkled in.

Position Player Trade Candidate Leaderboard

Starting Pitcher Trade Candidate Leaderboard

Reliever Trade Candidate Leaderboard 

The Major League Baseball Players Association has officially certified Jay-Z as an agent, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell (on Twitter). Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal adds that two other executives from Roc Nation Sports — Jay-Z's startup agency — have been certified to negotiate player contracts. She adds that Jay-Z is now certified to negotiate both MLB and NBA contracts (Twitter links).

Jay-Z's desire to work his way into the world of sports representation was first reported back in April. The rapper/entrepreneur merged with CAA Sports to create Roc Nation Sports, with an eye on negotiating a contract extension between Robinson Cano and the Yankees. Cano left the Boras Corporation in early April in order to hire Jay-Z and CAA agent Brodie Van Wagenen as his representatives.

MLBPA director Michael Weiner said back in April that the MLBPA would consider Roc Nation's applications for certification, but they first needed to determine if there were conflicts based on his interest in the Brooklyn Nets.

An explanation of the many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors:

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I'm putting my fantasy baseball reputation on the line.  DraftStreet is offering $2000 in cash prizes for an exclusive "beat the expert" MLBTR/DraftStreet league using Friday night's MLB games.  The entry fee is $11, but DraftStreet is raising the pressure on me (Tim Dierkes) by offering $5 back to anyone who beats my team, separate from the regular prize pool.

The beat the expert contest is for Friday night's games (the afternoon Cubs-Pirates game is not included), so you have until 6:00pm central time to create your team.  However, there are only 200 slots in this league, so sign up early.  

You're given a $100K salary cap, and each player is assigned a price by DraftStreet.  For Friday, Cliff Lee is considered the most valuable player since he starts against the Brewers, but he'll cost you over $19K.  Your roster will cover these positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, 2 utility, 2 SP, 1 RP, 1 P and 2 Reserves (14 starters).  You get points based on how your team performs Friday.  For example, you'll get 0.75 points for each strikeout Lee racks up and 1.5 points if he gets the win.  The teams with the most points get the prize money.  You can apply all kinds of strategy in building your roster, but since we're in direct competition this time I won't divulge all my secrets.  I do like Jose Fernandez, who has great numbers and stuff without the name value of a Matt Harvey.  And I always try to grab five-category contributors like CarGo.  You'll have to check the scoreboards to see the rest of the team.  Here's my roster in the beginning stages:

Be sure to sign up as soon as possible, before the 200 slots are all taken.  DraftStreet has raised the stakes by challenging you to beat me; are you up to it?

This is a sponsored post from DraftStreet.

If you're a regular MLBTR reader, you'll be familiar with our chats, Week In Review posts and 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:

• MLBTR Chats - Join Tim Dierkes every Tuesday at 2pm CDT to chat about the latest trades, signings and rumblings around the Major Leagues.
• Baseball Blogs Weigh In - Every Friday, I feature some of the best writing from 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 submit a post of yours, you can reach me at: zachbbwi@gmail.com.
• Week In Review - It's remarkable how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, MLBTR summarizes the week's biggest stories in our Week In Review posts.
• MLBTR Originals - Edward Creech gathers all our original analysis and reporting in one place every Sunday night.

Last week we looked at some areas of need for NL contenders.  Using weighted on-base average, let's identify the weakest offensive production by position in the AL today.  Since they're all within 6.5 games of the division lead, we're going to loosely call all AL Central clubs contenders.

• Catcher: White Sox (.275), Orioles (.277), Tigers (.278).  The Orioles might prefer Matt Wieters get on base at better than a .297 clip, but most likely they're content with his production.  The team's catcher production has been dragged down by backups Chris Snyder and Taylor Teagarden, who have soaked up about 14% of the ABs and have offered nothing.  The Tigers have used Alex Avila and Brayan Pena, the latter of whom has actually been decent.  It's looking like more of a timeshare at present.  It doesn't seem like acquiring someone like John Buck or Nick Hundley would help the situation.  Tyler Flowers hasn't done much as A.J. Pierzynski's replacement in Chicago, but giving Josh Phegley a look makes more sense than an acquisition.
• First base: White Sox (.284), Royals (.290), Twins (.305).  The Royals have been suffering through another subpar season from Eric Hosmer.  The White Sox are hoping for Paul Konerko to pull out of it, while the Twins have to hope Justin Morneau rediscovers his power stroke.  Corey Hart and Carlos Pena could be available this summer, as first basemen go.  
• Second base: White Sox (.235), Orioles (.237), Royals (.246).  Jeff Keppinger has done much, but the White Sox reinstated Gordon Beckham from the DL today.  The Orioles have used Ryan Flaherty, Alexi Casilla, Yamaico Navarro, and a few games of Brian Roberts before he suffered a hamstring injury.  They might as well wait to see if Roberts really does return in mid-June, and then see if he can still hit.  The Royals have mainly gone with Chris Getz and Elliot Johnson.  Perhaps when Chase Utley returns from his oblique strain in mid-June, the Phillies' chances in 2013 will have tipped the scale one way or the other.  The second base trade market offers little otherwise; perhaps Rickie Weeks or Darwin Barney.
• Shortstop: Yankees (.256), Royals (.263).  Derek Jeter is recovering from an ankle injury, and it's unknown when he'll make his season debut.  The Royals seem locked in with Alcides Escobar.  The trade market appears barren anyway, unless perhaps the White Sox make Alexei Ramirez available.
• Third base: White Sox (.265), Royals (.268), Angels (.282), Yankees (.284).  Have you noticed the Royals get no offensive production out of their infield?  Mike Moustakas is the culprit here.  Conor Gillaspie has been OK at third for the White Sox, and should eat into Keppinger's playing time.  Alberto Callaspo and Luis Jimenez haven't given the Angels much production.  The Yankees have Kevin Youkilis back, plus the possibility of Alex Rodriguez down the road.  Aramis Ramirez, Chase Headley, Mark DeRosa, and Juan Uribe could be available.   
• Right field: Athletics (.252), Royals (.262), Yankees (.280), Angels (.282).  The A's hope Josh Reddick, back from the DL on Friday, will start hitting.  The Royals can't expect that from Jeff Francoeur.  The Yankees have tried Ichiro Suzuki and Brennan Boesch, and now Lyle Overbay is getting a start in right field as the team waits for Curtis Granderson to return to their outfield.  For the Angels, Josh Hamilton at least showed some power in May.  Thinking about the trade market?  Giancarlo Stanton, Andre Ethier, Nate Schierholtz, Alex Rios, and Mike Morse are the commonly speculated-upon names.
• Center field: Twins (.257), White Sox (.292), Tigers (.303).  Rookie Aaron Hicks had six home runs for the Twins in May, so maybe things will continue getting better.  The White Sox have been using Alejandro De Aza and Dewayne Wise, and perhaps should just use less of Wise.  The Tigers await the return of Austin Jackson.     
• Left field: White Sox (.293).  Dayan Viciedo hit 25 home runs last year, but has just four so far this year.  The team has also been using De Aza in left.  Josh Willingham, Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, Carlos Quentin, Alfonso Soriano, and Melky Cabrera could be on the market, in a general sense.
• Designated hitter: Tigers (.263), White Sox (.284), Orioles (.308).  Big commitments to Victor Martinez in Detroit and Adam Dunn and Konerko in Chicago hamstring this clubs at DH.  The Orioles may want to see what Nolan Reimold can do when he returns later this month, but they should be flexible toward upgrades involving many of the aforementioned available hitters.  As far as pure designated hitters, Kendrys Morales and Adam Lind might be out there. 

On the first of May, MLBTR's Steve Adams took a look back at 2012 to see what sorts of transactions might be anticipated over the coming month. With May in the books, we'll do the same with respect to June of 2012. If last year is any indication, we could see some fairly substantial trades occur as teams look to get a boost well in advance of the non-waiver trade deadline (which is July 31 this season). As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker reflects, these were the most important moves made last June (in rough order of magnitude):

Extensions

• The Dodgers and Andre Ethier agreed to a five-year, $85MM contract extension.
• The Twins and Ryan Doumit agreed to a two-year, $7MM contract extension.
• The Diamondbacks and David Hernandez agreed to a two-year, $3.5MM contract extension.

Trades

• The White Sox acquired third baseman Kevin Youkilis from the Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Zach Stewart and utilityman Brent Lillibridge.
• The Orioles acquired DH Jim Thome from the Phillies in exchange for prospects Kyle Simon and Gabriel Lino.
• The Indians acquired righty Esmil Rogers from the Rockies for cash considerations. After Rogers finished the season strong, Cleveland flipped him to the Blue Jays over the offseason for infielder Mike Aviles and backstop Yan Gomes. With Aviles playing well on his two-year extension, and Gomes exhibiting surprising power, this series of transactions has turned out quite nicely for the Indians.
• The Orioles acquired first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce from the Yankees for cash considerations.
• The Twins acquired minor league righty Shairon Martis from the Pirates for future considerations.
• The Blue Jays acquired minor league righty Sean O'Sullivan from the Royals for cash considerations.
• The Braves acquired minor league lefty Cole McCurry from the Orioles for cash considerations.
• The Nationals acquired minor league catcher Kris Watts from the Pirates for cash considerations.
• The Braves acquired minor league utility player Ruben Gotay from the Blue Jays for cash considerations.

Waiver Claims (in reverse chronological order)

• The Yankees claimed Chris Schwinden off of waivers from the Indians. Schwinden began the month with the Mets, but was claimed by the Blue Jays and then the Indians before ending up back in New York. The circle was not fully completed, however, until July 5, when he returned to the Mets via yet another waiver claim.
• The Brewers claimed Hector Gomez off of waivers from the Rockies.
• The Indians claimed Vinny Rottino off of waivers from the Mets.
• The Pirates claimed Oscar Tejeda off of waivers from the Red Sox.
• The Yankees claimed Danny Farquhar off of waivers from the Athletics (who earlier in the month had claimed him from the Blue Jays).
• The Padres claimed Mark Hamburger off of waivers from the Rangers.
• The Pirates claimed Drew Sutton off of waivers from the Rays.
• The Rays claimed Brooks Conrad off of waivers from the Brewers.
• The Blue Jays claimed David Pauley off of waivers from the Angels.
• The Cardinals claimed John Gaub off of waivers from the Rangers.
• The Cubs claimed Jairo Asencio off of waivers from the Indians.

International Signings

• The Dodgers signed Yasiel Puig to a seven-year, $42MM Major League deal.
• The Cubs signed Jorge Soler to a nine-year, $30MM Major League deal. 

(Of course, these high-dollar international signings were made in anticipation of a rule change that imposed significant caps on international spending. June 15 serves as the end of the 2012-13 international signing period this year, but don't expect any deals like those handed to Puig and Soler. At this point, international prospect watchers have turned their attention to July 2, the date that the 2013-14 signing period begins.) 

Major League Signings

• The Rockies signed lefty Jeff Francis to a Major League contract after he opted out of his contract with (and was released by) the Reds. Francis ended up throwing 113 innings for Colorado, posting a 5.58 ERA, and re-signed this offseason on a one-year, $1.5MM deal that also includes $1.5MM in incentives.

Notable Minor League Signings (players who ascended to big league club)

• The Orioles signed Nate McLouth to a minor league deal after he was released by the Pirates. McLouth helped the O's to win a Wild Card by slashing .268/.342/.435 and contributing seven home runs and twelve stolen bases over 236 plate appearances down the stretch. He has carried that success over to this season after signing a one-year, $2MM deal to stay in Baltimore. With a current line of .297/.376/.440 to go with four long balls and seventeen swipes, McLouth stands alongside Jacoby Ellsbury, Kendrys Morales, and Mike Napoli as baseball's 58th most valuable position player (according to Fangraphs).
• The Braves signed Ben Sheets to a minor league deal. Sheets successfully returned from a long injury layoff to end his excellent career in style. He threw 49 1/3 innings of 3.47 ERA baseball and helped Atlanta to overcome the loss of Brandon Beachy and grab a Wild Card berth.
• The Padres signed Ross Ohlendorf to a minor league deal.
• The Brewers signed Livan Hernandez to a minor league deal. 
• The Astros signed Hector Ambriz to a minor league deal.
• The Phillies signed Jason Pridie to a minor league deal.

1:09pm: Major League Baseball has officially announced that there will not be an international draft in 2014, per Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times (on Twitter).

12:35pm: Passan's sources tell him that MLB and the MLBPA are planning on tabling the discussion until after the current CBA expires in 2016. That raises the question as to whether or not baseball's next commissioner will be as adamant about implementing a worldwide draft as current commissioner Bud Selig is (Twitter links). Selig, of course, is expected to retire in January 2015 after turning down a five-year contract in lieu of a two-year deal.

11:25am: Major League Baseball is expected to announce today that it was not able to reach an agreement during negotiations with the MLBPA regarding an international draft for the 2014 season, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. The two sides were working with a June 1 deadline for an agreement.

Negotiations are set to continue, and an international draft is "considered something of a certainty" at some point, according to Passan. Detractors of the draft feel that it would dry up the pipeline of international talent, as has been the case with Puerto Rico since it became included within the annual Rule 4 draft. League officials in favor of an international draft argue that the current system is rampant with identity fraud and encourages PED use among teenagers.

Talks of negotiations and the June 1 deadline were reported back in mid-March. According to those reports, there was a possibility of incorporating international players into the existing draft but also of holding a separate draft for foreign prospects. ESPN's Buster Olney added that MLB was willing to make significant concessions to make the draft happen, such as increasing the minimum salary for players and moving up the arbitration threshhold.

Even contenders have their flaws.  Defining contenders as any team Clay Davenport gives at least a five percent chance of reaching the playoffs and using weighted on-base average, let's identify the weakest offensive production by position in the NL.

• Catcher: Reds (.263), Diamondbacks (.265).  For the Reds, giving Devin Mesoraco the clear starting catcher role over Ryan Hanigan would boost their offensive production out of the position, but of course this position is about a lot more than hitting.  The D'Backs are in a tough spot.  They have a major commitment to Miguel Montero, and he's been brutal so far this season.  They probably just have to hope he pulls out of it.
• First base: Rockies (.289), Phillies (.317).  The Rockies have used Jordan Pacheco, Todd Helton, and a little bit of Michael Cuddyer at first base this year.  In theory, the Rockies could go with Cuddyer at first and someone like Tyler Colvin in right field.  The trade market is bleak at the position, as Justin Morneau and Carlos Pena would not be clear upgrades for Colorado.  Corey Hart could be an interesting option, once he comes off the DL.  The Phillies owe Ryan Howard roughly $98MM through 2016, so they'll just have to hope he can start drawing some more walks and begin to add positive value.
• Second base: Nationals (.227), Diamondbacks (.284).  Second base has been a black hole for the Nats, with Danny Espinosa and Steve Lombardozzi struggling.  Fans are calling for the return of 2011 first-round pick Anthony Rendon, but he probably needs to gain more experience at second base first.  The D'Backs have used Martin Prado at second baes a decent amount in Aaron Hill's absence.  Should Hill require surgery on his hand fracture, perhaps the D'Backs will look into an acquisition.  Maybe third base prospect Matt Davidson, hitting .311/.342/.544 at Triple-A this month, could help the situation.
• Shortstop: Dodgers (.219), Pirates (.248).  Hanley Ramirez should return from a hamstring injury next week, providing a lift to the Dodgers' abysmal offensive production at shortstop.  The Pirates signed Clint Barmes in the 2011-12 offseason for his defense, but it barely makes up for the automatic outs at the plate.  Jordy Mercer, John McDonald, and Chase D'Arnaud aren't much better, and highly regarded prospect Alen Hanson is still at High A.  Good luck finding a decent-hitting shortstop on the trade market, though.  The White Sox, should they drop out of contention, could offer up Alexei Ramirez at a premium.
• Third base: Pirates (.259), Rockies (.280), Dodgers (.288).  It's been a power-only show for the Pirates' Pedro Alvarez at the hot corner, as he's striking out a ton and owns the fifth-worst qualified OBP in the NL (.257).  Aramis Ramirez would be a fun pick-up, though intra-divisional trades can be tricky.  Chase Headley would be a huge addition, but only if the Padres are willing to listen.  The Rockies will give rookie Nolan Arenado some time to find his footing.  Less Luis Cruz should be enough to give the Dodgers a lift.
• Left field: Diamondbacks (.300), Reds (.300), Giants (.302).  The D'Backs have used six different left fielders, and figure to stick with Jason Kubel and Cody Ross.  With Ryan Ludwick and Chris Heisey on the DL, the Reds have been employing Xavier Paul of late, and he's been solid overall.  The Giants' combo of Gregor Blanco and Andres Torres was never meant to be offense-first, and Torres has heated up in May anyway.  Should one of these teams turn to the trade market, Josh Willingham, Carlos Quentin, Michael Morse, Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, Melky Cabrera, and Alfonso Soriano are some candidates.  Several of those players don't work for the Giants, however.
• Center field: Dodgers (.278), Braves (.278), Phillies (.288).  Center field is not an offense-first position, but in general these teams just need to get more out of their incumbents.  Matt Kemp might miss some time with a hamstring strain, which could allow for Joc Pederson to get a look with the Dodgers.  It seems crazy for the Braves to push B.J. Upton into a full-blown platoon with Jordan Schafer months after committing $75.25MM over five years, but that could be an option at some point.  The Phillies were looking mostly for defense from Ben Revere, but .263/.302/.294 is still tough to stomach.  John Mayberry Jr. can pitch in a bit.  As for the trade market, Peter Bourjos, and Franklin Gutierrez could become available when healthy.  David DeJesus, Chris Coghlan, and Alejandro De Aza could also be options.
• Right field: Phillies (.294), Braves (.313).  Delmon Young hasn't done much for the Phillies in right so far.  The Braves' Jason Heyward has been terrible, and we'll see how long they can wait that slump out.  Trade options could include Giancarlo Stanton, Alex Rios, Andre Ethier, Nate Schierholtz, Chris Denorfia, Morse, and Hart.

The non-tender deadline is December 2nd this year, a mere six months away.  Let's take a look at some arbitration eligible players who might be on the chopping (or at least trading) block before then due to the combination of rising salaries and lackluster performance.

• Ike Davis, Mets.  If Davis doesn't turn things around this year, what will the Mets do in the offseason?  One thing about a player having a terrible year is that he doesn't get a big arbitration raise afterward.  So if Davis' salary for next year is to remain below $4MM, the Mets would at least be able to find a team willing to see if a change of scenery helps.
• Clayton Richard, Padres.  The pitch-to-contact thing doesn't work so well when you also walk a bunch of guys and over 30% of your flyballs leave the yard.  Richard is earning $5.24MM, and should his struggles persist, I imagine the Padres would not bring him back even at the same salary.
• James McDonald, Pirates.  McDonald's velocity is down, and walks have been a problem.  He's at $3.25MM this year and sports a 5.76 ERA.
• Luke Hochevar, Royals.  This is a tricky one.  Hochevar's move to the bullpen has gone well, but will the team want to commit $5-6MM for a reliever in 2014?
• John Axford, Brewers.  Axford quickly lost his closer job again and has a 6.33 ERA on the season.  The silver lining is that he is unscored upon in his last seven appearances.  Axford's save totals have gotten him to $5MM already, and even if he doesn't add any more this year and keeps pitching well, it will be a tough call to retain him through arbitration.
• Chris Perez, Indians.  Similarly, saves have gotten Perez up to a $7.3MM salary.  He's struggled with walks this year and is currently on the DL with shoulder soreness.  If he comes back, pitches OK, and adds some more saves, the Indians might have a hard time committing $8MM+ for 2014.  Perez would probably be more of a trade candidate than a non-tender candidate.
• Ryan Roberts, Rays.  Already earning nearly $3MM, Roberts has a .236/.288/.364 line so far.
• Jeff Niemann, Rays.  Niemann had shoulder surgery in April, and the Rays will be forced in December to decide whether his 2014 season might be worth $3MM.
• Alfredo Aceves, Red Sox.  Aceves survived last year's non-tender deadline and scored a $2.65MM salary, and the team wasn't able to trade him.  A 6.57 ERA so far in 2013 earned him a demotion today, so he might not make it to the non-tender deadline.
• A few more non-tender candidates to consider: Nolan Reimold, Emilio Bonifacio, Roger Bernadina, Chris Heisey, Chris Getz, Brennan Boesch, Sam Fuld, John Lannan, Marc Rzepczynski, and Chris Volstad.
• Plenty of other arbitration eligible players probably aren't non-tender candidates, though their teams could be reluctant to pay them higher salaries through arbitration.  A few names that come to mind in this bracket include Rick Porcello, Alex Avila, Tommy Hanson, Pedro Alvarez, Ivan Nova, Phil Coke, and Mitchell Boggs.  Some of these players could become trade candidates if their current teams prefer not to pay them next year.