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Quick Hits: Draft, Headley, Phillies, Pence

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For the most part, the new draft system has reined in costs and pushed players to sign early, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.  However, six first-round picks remain unsigned as the Friday deadline approaches.  Of course, the draft pool limit should keep the drama in check as teams are unwilling to overspend to the point where they have to forfeit draft picks.  The two most interesting teams to watch figure to be the Pirates (Mark Appel) and the Nationals (Lucas Giolito), Mayo writes.  Links from around baseball as Wednesday turns into Thursday..

  • If the Padres make Chase Headley available, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter) expects the Orioles to inquire on him.  For his part, the third baseman has said that he would prefer to remain in San Diego.
  • Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence might have the most trade value of anyone on the team, including Cole Hamels, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Pence, 29, should make close to $15MM through arbitration for 2013.
  • It may seem like a no-brainer for the Phillies to have an all-out fire sale, but Richard Justice of MLB.com writes that it's not quite that simple.  Philadelphia is leading the majors in attendance for a second straight year and their core players believe that they can still make a run in 2012.  Regardless, one has to imagine that Ruben Amaro Jr. & Co. will make trades with the future in mind.
six first-round picks who haven't signed

NL East Notes: Sheets, Bourn, Schwinden

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Ben Sheets, who last pitched for the 2010 Athletics, will start for the Braves this Sunday, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The right-hander started two games at Double-A and posted a 5.06 ERA with a 10K/1BB ratio after signing with Atlanta. Here are today's NL East links…

  • Braves center fielder Michael Bourn believes the Nationals were interested in him last summer, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. The Nationals, who continue to seek a long-term answer in center field, are expected to pursue Bourn when he hits free agency this coming offseason. Bourn told Kilgore he’ll take his time deciding on where to sign his next contract. “Right now, I’m focused on this season right now,” he said. “I think I’m on a good team right now in the Atlanta Braves.”
  • Chris Schwinden cleared waivers after being claimed four times in the span of five weeks, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). The right-hander’s playing in the Mets’ minor league system, but he’s no longer on their 40-man roster.

Morosi On Nationals, Broxton, Scutaro

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The Nationals are willing to boost payroll midseason if the right opportunity emerges, principal owner Mark Lerner told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. “We’ve never let dollars get in the way of us making decisions that will help this organization,” Lerner said. “That will always be our philosophy.” Here’s more from Morosi, starting in Washington: 

  • Lerner said the Nationals “don’t want to get somebody who’s a rental player,” Morosi reports. The Nationals have a club-record payroll in the $90MM range for 2012.
  • The Royals are now asking for a Major League piece in return for Jonathan Broxton, Morosi tweets. The Royals are open to moving Broxton, Morosi and Ken Rosenthal reported last night. The 28-year-old right-hander has a 1.99 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 21 saves this year.
  • Marco Scutaro is available, but the Rockies’ asking price remains high, Morosi tweets. Scutaro would prefer to stay in Colorado, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported today.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Mets, Rodriguez

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Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he's always looking to upgrade, but don't expect Washington to trade long-term assets for a short-term piece. “We’re never going to do a knee-jerk reaction to win now," Rizzo said. The GM added that he's comfortable with his team's bullpen and lineup. Here are the latest NL East notes…

  • One prominent Mets player told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that the team could use a right-handed bat. “We can’t hit lefties,” the player said. The NL East features some elite left-handed pitchers so a hitter like Carlos Quentin might appeal to Mets GM Sandy Alderson. 
  • Martino hears the Mets won’t trade their best prospects for a bat or a reliever. 
  • One veteran player suggested to Martino that the Mets should stay away from Francisco Rodriguez because the reliever has “too much baggage.” The Mets traded Rodriguez to the Brewers last year and appear to have some interest in bringing him back to Queens.

Morosi On Nationals, Angels, Pirates, White Sox

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The Nationals will win the NL East this year, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. Bryce Harper appears to have solved the team's center field dilemma in the short term and the team's run prevention has been tremendous. General manager Mike Rizzo says his team's first half success isn't a fluke. “I’m very pleased with it — don’t get me wrong — but I’m not shocked by it," he told Morosi. Here are more of Morosi’s notes from around MLB:

Olney’s Latest: NL Trade Market, Darvish

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney compares the current state of the trade market to shopping at an airport, where priced are designed to gouge customers. Buyers want more sellers and sellers want more buyers. Olney also previewed the NL trade market, so let's dive in…

  • The Mets are among teams looking for bullpen help and are waiting for the market develop. The division-rival Nationals are also in the market for relief help but do have Drew Storen on the mend. Olney wonders if they'll look for a starter given Stephen Strasburg's inning limit.
  • Executives expect the Padres to deal Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, plus they continue to get calls about Chase Headley. Olney speculates that the Reds could be a fit for Quentin.
  • The Braves are looking to add a veteran starting pitcher, but Olney says they're unlikely to swing a trade for Zack Greinke without having some kind of long-term contract agreement in place.
  • Olney wonders if the Diamondbacks could become surprise buyers for pitching help given Joe Saunders' injury and Trevor Bauer's early struggles. The Cardinals figure to jump into the pitching market given Chris Carpenter's season-ending shoulder surgery.
  • The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are among the clubs in sell mode. The Brewers will wait a little longer before deciding to sell, and while Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and others could be on the block, Corey Hart will not.
  • Olney says the Blue Jays actually finished third in the bidding for Yu Darvish behind the Rangers and Cubs. No bid was within $35MM of the $51.7MM Texas submitted.

Cafardo On Yankees, Ichiro, Greinke, Orioles

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders why other clubs weren't more aggressive in their pursuit of third baseman Kevin Youkilis.  The veteran, he argues, would have been a perfect fit in Cleveland where Travis Hafner was sidelined for a time.  The Pirates and Dodgers also could have used a boost at first base, but ultimately backed away when the talks got serious.  At the end of the day, White Sox GM Ken Williams got his man at the deadline and Cafardo praises him for it.  Here's more from today's column..

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman wants to find starters in place of CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte from within, but if that’s not possible, he’ll look outside.  One National League GM said that while the Astros' Wandy Rodriguez would be a good fit, he doesn’t believe he is of particular interest to them.  Cashman is more likely to gravitate toward Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster, and even Zack Greinke.
  • It wouldn’t be shocking to see Ichiro Suzuki get another contract from the Mariners if he wants it.  The outfielder's abilities have declined but ownership may stick with him for the sake of reputation.
  • If the Brewers entertain a deal for Greinke, the Orioles are a team to watch.  The notion that Greinke needs a smaller market because of his past anxiety issues is still very much in play.
  • A team like the Dodgers, Indians, or Pirates would likely take on Vernon Wells if the Angels picked up the majority of the $53MM remaining on his deal.
  • The Nationals and Marlins will have interest in Scott Podsednik once he is healthy.

Brad Lidge May Not Return In 2012

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Reliever Brad Lidge has yet to decide if he will try to come back and pitch for another team in 2012, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.  The veteran was released by the Nationals earlier this week.

Lidge has returned home to his native Colorado since being cut and said he is happy spending time with his family. Meanwhile, he has instructed his agents to take calls from interested teams.

Lidge, 35, came to the Nats on a $1MM deal in January but was sidelined by sports hernia surgery in late April and struggled in his return earlier this month.  "Lights Out" had a 9.64 ERA with ten strikeouts and eleven walks in 11 appearances for Washington this year.  For his career, Lidge owns an ERA of 3.54 with 11.9 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 for the Astros, Phillies, and Nats.

 

NL East Notes: Phillies, Marlins, Harper

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Last year's Phillies team comfortably led the Major Leagues in run prevention by allowing just 3.27 runs per game. It's been a different story so far in 2012. Just seven teams surrender more runs than the last-place Phillies, who are averaging 4.46 runs allowed per game. Here's the latest from the NL East…

  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney considers some possible fits for Jim Thome, who's being shopped to American League teams.
  • There hasn't been any progress in the Phillies' contract talks with Cole Hamels, Olney writes. Hamels' contract expires after the 2012 season.
  • GM Ruben Amaro Jr. must address the Phillies' bullpen issues relatively soon, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. It's "pretty damn difficult" to develop inexperienced pitchers and win simultaneously, manager Charlie Manuel noted.
  • Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria told Greg Cote of the Miami Herald that he believes the 35-40 Marlins have a spectacular club. “It’s a playoff-caliber team, absolutely,” Loria said. “We’re going to have our run."
  • D.C. is starting to feel like home for Bryce Harper, and he'd like to continue playing for the Nationals for a long time, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post writes. “You look at Cal Ripken. You look at Derek Jeter. You look at all the greats that played for one team their whole career,” Harper has said. “I want to be like that. I’ve always wanted to be like that. I’ve always wanted to play with that same team.”

Checking In On The Latest $100MM Contracts

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Every year a few players join baseball’s exclusive $100MM club with free agent deals and mega-extensions. Last offseason was no different — eight players signed nine figure deals. The contracts were all for five years or more, so it’s far too early to call them successes or failures. As the season approaches its halfway point, let’s check in on baseball’s newest $100MM contracts:

  • Albert Pujols, ten-year, $240MM contract - Pujols had a painfully slow start, but he has raised his batting line to a respectable .270/.332/.461. His last 40 games have been legitimately Pujols-like: 11 home runs and an OPS over 1.000.
  • Joey Votto, ten-year, $225MM extension - It's impossible to have a complete discussion about baseball's best hitters without considering Votto. The 28-year-old leads the National League in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks, doubles and wOBA, so this deal couldn't be going any better for the Reds.
  • Prince Fielder, nine-year, $214MM contract - Fielder continues to hit at an All-Star level, though he has a relatively modest total of 12 home runs. Unfortunately for Tigers fans Mike Ilitch's bold investment hasn't been enough to keep the team above .500.
  • Matt Kemp, eight-year, $160MM extension - Hamstring issues have sidelined Kemp, who was the best hitter in the National League for the first month of the season.
  • C.C. Sabathia, five-year, $122MM extension - Sabathia, now on the disabled list with a strained groin, is in the midst of yet another tremendous season. He has a 3.45 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 107 innings.
  • Matt Cain, five-year, $112.5MM extension - Cain's enjoying his best season as a Major Leaguer. He has a career-best ERA (2.27), strikeout rate (9.0 K/9) and walk rate (1.9 BB/9) through 107 innings. The Giants' decision to invest in Cain still looks like a good one.
  • Jose Reyes, six-year, $106MM extension - Reyes' offensive numbers have dropped off across the board this year, no thanks to a 60 point dip in batting average on balls in play.
  • Ryan Zimmerman, six-year, $100MM extension - Zimmerman's off to a slow start at the plate despite two home runs in his past three games. He missed two weeks with shoulder soreness earlier in the year and has just a .235/.297/.350 batting line.
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