The Latest On Marlon Byrd, John Lannan
The Nationals did not speak to the Cubs about acquiring center fielder Marlon Byrd in exchange for left-hander John Lannan, a highly placed Nats source tells Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The Nats are apparently content to wait out prized prospect Bryce Harper's arrival to the Majors rather than make a trade.
Meanwhile, the Nats are not actively shopping the recently demoted Lannan, reports Sullivan, nor are the Cubs interested in acquiring him and his $5MM salary.
Byrd, for his part, says he would welcome the opportunity to rejoin the Nats — whether that be via in-season trade or offseason signing — according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Byrd, 34, played for the Nats in 2005-06. He's slated to hit free agency this offseason after signing a three-year pact with the Cubs prior to the 2010 campaign.
Lannan, 27, was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse toward the end of Spring Training and was not pleased about it, informing reporters via email that he'd requested to be traded.
Harper, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2010, was under consideration to make the big league club out of Spring Training but was sent down to refine his hitting and work on his defense in center field. It'll be interesting to see whether the Nats, who are expected to be in the Wild Card(s) chase, are pleased enough with his progress to call him up, or if they eventually opt for outside help.
East Notes: Hamels, Nationals, Detwiler, Orioles
While the Phillies have some interest in locking Cole Hamels up long-term, but it would appear that Matt Cain‘s $112.5MM extension complicated things for them earlier this week. Where do things stand now between the Phillies and the left-hander? More on that and other items out of the Eastern divisions..
- Thirty days have passed since the Phillies last had contract talks with Hamels, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The club tried to lock the left-hander down to a deal similar to Jered Weaver‘s late last season (five-years, $85MM) but were rebuffed.
- MLB.com’s Bill Ladson wasn’t surprised to see the Nationals demote John Lannan to Triple-A Syracuse while keeping Ross Detwiler on the 25-man roster. Just two days after the Nats traded for Gio Gonzalez, a baseball source told Ladson that the club wanted to move Lannan as they felt that Detwiler was ready to breakout.
- Orioles‘ 2006 first-round pick Billy Rowell has agreed to give pitching a try after spending six seasons in the minors as a corner infielder, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The former ninth-overall pick hit just .227/.304/.244 in 41 games with the O’s Double-A affiliate last season.
Cubs Interested In John Lannan
The Cubs inquired about John Lannan this week, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Cubs had already talked to the Nationals about Lannan and another left-hander: former Cubs pitcher Tom Gorzelanny. Marlon Byrd came up in discussions between the two teams, Wittenmyer reports.
Lannan requested a trade after being optioned to the minor leagues earlier this week. GM Mike Rizzo said there's "mild" interest in the 27-year-old, but manager Davey Johnson said the Nationals are "not trading him."
Lannan posted a 3.70 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings last year. He’ll earn $5MM in 2012 and will remain under team control in 2013 (he currently projects as a non-tender candidate, however).
NL East Notes: Reyes, Hamels, Lannan
Some NL East links for Thursday, as the Braves and Mets get their season started in New York…
- Jose Reyes doesn't seem to be missing the Mets, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. It’d be hard to fault Reyes for enjoying his role on an exciting Marlins team and his $106MM contract.
- Cole Hamels' track record is "a little better than [Matt] Cain's, so it does make things difficult," Phillies senior advisor Pat Gillick told Bob McCown and Damien Cox on Sportsnet Radio FAN 590 yesterday. The Phillies have some interest in locking Hamels up long-term, but Cain's $112.5MM extension complicated things earlier this week.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that he had two "uncomfortable" conversations with John Lannan after telling the left-hander he was being optioned to the minor leagues (Twitter links). "If he was happy and took this laying down, it wouldn't be John Lannan," Rizzo said. "And you'd have to worry about that type of person.''
- Rizzo said there's "mild" interest in Lannan, but manager Davey Johnson said the Nationals are "not trading him," Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. Lannan has requested a trade.
Quick Hits: Lannan, Payrolls, Moyer, Eveland
Here are some links from around the league as Wednesday turns into Thursday…
- John Lannan requested a trade earlier tonight, but MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears the Nationals aren't close to making a deal. They've talked to at least 20 teams about the southpaw, but his $5MM salary is a sticking point. Washington wants prospects or bench players in return.
- Unsurprisingly, the Yankees top baseball with a $197.9MM payroll according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter links). It's their lowest payroll since 2007. The Padres bring up the rear at $53.9MM.
- Nightengale reports (on Twitter) that Jamie Moyer will earn $1.1MM with the Rockies this season. The 49-year-old made the club after signing a minor league deal this winter.
- Orioles GM Dan Duquette said there is no update on Dana Eveland, according to Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com (on Twitter). The left-hander was designated for assignment last week and they are still going through the process.
- The Orioles are expected to acquire Chris Robinson, reports Melewski (on Twitter). The catcher hit .316/.345/.396 in 240 plate appearances while in the Cubs' farm system last year. He is now listed on the roster of Baltimore's Triple-A affilliate.
John Lannan Requests Trade
John Lannan has told Nationals GM Mike Rizzo that he would like to be traded according to an email he sent to the media, including Amanda Comak of The Washington Times (Twitter link). The left-hander was recently optioned to Triple-A despite his $5MM salary.
"I believe that I belong in a big league rotation," said Lannan in an email according to Comak (on Twitter). The club's fifth starter job went to Ross Detwiler in the wake of Chien-Ming Wang's hamstring injury. A number of teams expressed interest in acquiring Lannan last month, but Rizzo held on to him while insisting for fair value in return. The Nationals are under no obligation to satisfy his request.
NL East Notes: Harvey, Wheeler, Nationals
The Marlins will break in their new ballpark tonight when they host the Cardinals and the regular season gets started in earnest. Here are some links from the NL East…
- The Mets "have taken a step backward in the short term" Mike Puma of the New York Post writes in his season preview. Puma points out that David Wright will look to prove himself worthy of an extension and suggests pitching prospect Matt Harvey could be called up by July.
- Mets VP of player development and amateur scouting Paul DePodesta took questions in a Baseball Prospectus chat yesterday and explained that he'll be thrilled if Harvey and Zack Wheeler become dependable starters in the Major Leagues. "If they do, we'll be happy with the results in the long run," DePodesta added.
- Commissioner Bud Selig told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that the Nationals are generating lots of buzz this spring. "In terms of people talking about a club that is clearly coming on, it’s the Nationals,” Selig said. The commissioner credits Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg for providing fans with "hope and faith.”
NL East Notes: Lannan, Johnson, Hamels
With Jonathon Niese closing in on a contract extension with the Mets, let's look at some other news from around the NL East…
- The Nationals announced they were optioning John Lannan to the minors, (a move first reported by Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post), which will make Ross Detwiler the club's fifth starter. In a separate item, Kilgore examines the move and concludes "the Nationals quite clearly put financial interest last and what they believed to be the best baseball decision first."
- The move is sure to spur on more rumors that the Nationals could trade Lannan, though GM Mike Rizzo told reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington) that Detwiler won the job and that Lannan has drawn only "mild interest" on the trade market. MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Nats were asking a high price for Lannan, and other teams weren't willing to part with a starting position player in exchange for the southpaw. (Both links are to Twitter.)
- Josh Johnson hasn't given any thought to how Matt Cain's extension with the Giants may impact any possible new deal between himself and the Marlins, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Johnson signed a four-year, $39MM extension with Miami that runs through the 2013 season. Even if Johnson pitches up to form over the next two seasons, you'd have to figure that his injury history will limit the size and value of a contract extension.
- The Phillies offered Cole Hamels an extension worth "Jered Weaver money" (five years, $85MM) late last season, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Hamels now has a strong case for an extension worth at least as much as Cain's deal, Heyman notes. The Giants' initial offer to Cain, Heyman says, was reportedly worth less than $65MM.
- From earlier today, Chad Durbin switched NL East teams, signing with the Braves after being released by the Nationals.
Braves Sign Chad Durbin
The Braves announced that they signed right-hander Chad Durbin to a Major League contract. The Nationals, had signed the 34-year-old to a minor league deal in February, but he opted out today, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).
Durbin posted a 5.53 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 40.2% ground ball rate in 68 1/3 innings for the Indians last year. This marks the second time in a week the Braves have bolstered their pitching staff with a veteran addition. They signed Livan Hernandez to a Major League deal hours after the Astros released him last Friday.
Minor Moves: Jason Michaels
The latest minor moves from around the Major Leagues…
- The Nationals announced that they signed outfielder Jason Michaels to a minor league contract. The Nats released Michaels last week, but had been expected to re-sign him to a minor league deal. He posted a .199/.256/.295 line in 169 plate appearances for the Astros in 2011.