Nationals Have Interest In B.J. Upton
The Nationals' search for a center fielder has the team eyeing B.J. Upton, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. According to Ladson's source, Nats GM Mike Rizzo believes that a change of scenery could help the Rays outfielder, whose 2011 slash line of .228/.324/.389 ranks below his career rates.
We heard in April that the Nationals were scouting Upton, but weren't considering a trade at the time. Since then, center field has become a more glaring need for the club. For the season, their internal options have combined to post a .591 OPS in 253 plate appearances at the position.
With the Rays in the thick of the AL East race, it's not known whether Upton will be available this summer. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote that the Rays could consider an Upton trade even if they're contending, while Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports said the team would have to fall out of the playoff hunt before exploring deals involving the 26-year-old. Ladson reported last week that the Nationals are "willing to overpay" to acquire a center fielder, in which case the Rays would at least have to listen.
Nine Teams In Violation Of Debt Service Rules
The Dodgers and Mets are among the nine MLB teams in violation of MLB’s debt service rules, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. The regulations came into being in 2002 and are intended to limit a team’s debt to ten times its yearly earnings and ensure that each team can pay its bills. The Orioles, Cubs, Tigers, Marlins, Phillies, Rangers and Nationals are also in violation of the rules, according to Shaikin.
MLB executive VP of labor relations Rob Manfred says he isn’t “concerned about the overall economic condition of the industry" and a National League executive called the high number of teams out of compliance a “hiccup” for an otherwise healthy league.
Along with the competitive balance tax and revenue sharing, the debt service rule figures to be a major financial issue in the negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players and the owners. The Phillies have confirmed that they are not currently compliant with the debt-service rule, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Nationals Notes: Harper, Riggleman, Bubba Starling
Last year's top pick, Bryce Harper, hit his first professional walk-off home run last night and now has 13 homers, 11 stolen bases and a .346/.432/.623 line at Class A. Still just 18 years old, Harper provides lots of hope for Nationals fans, though the big league club is in last place with a 25-31 record. Here's the latest out of Washington:
- Nationals manager Jim Riggleman told Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he isn’t worried about his job security, though he’s in the last year of his contract.
- Frankie Piliere of FOX Sports hears that the Nationals have zoned in on high school outfielder Bubba Starling with the sixth overall pick (Twitter link).
- In case you haven't heard about the toolsy two-sport star, check out my piece on Starling from a couple weeks ago.
Draft Notes: Stilson, Rays, Astros, Nationals, Bundy
This year’s draft is deep, particularly in terms of power pitchers. Here are the details on some draft-eligible players and the teams that are eyeing them…
- Texas A&M righty Josh Stilson received a second opinion on his injured shoulder from Dr. James Andrews, who believes surgery can be avoided with a six-week rehab program according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Stilson, a projected first round pick, suffered a SLAP tear in his throwing shoulder and will miss the rest of the season.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about Rocco Baldelli's front office job with the Rays, which involves evaluating amateur position players for the draft.
- Astros assistant GM and scouting director Bobby Heck told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he has been impressed with the crop of power arms in this year's draft.
- Odds are the Astros will take a pitcher with the 11th overall pick, according to Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner (Twitter links). High school pitcher Archie Bradley told Goff that "the Astros have been in pretty good contact" with him.
- High school right-hander Dylan Bundy is a fitness freak who is mature beyond his years, as Nick Piecoro shows at the Arizona Republic. Bundy's pre-season goals? "To hit 100 mph, have a zero ERA and not walk anybody." His fastball touched 100 and he posted a 0.25 ERA with a 158K/5BB ratio.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that the Nationals, who select sixth overall, are looking at Bundy, Danny Hultzen, Bubba Starling, Jed Bradley, Trevor Bauer and Alex Meyer.
- The Royals entered the season with the best farm system in the game, yet GM Dayton Moore told MLB.com's Dick Kaegel that there are many areas in which the organization's prospect depth can improve.
- The Rays have 12 of the first 89 selections this year and executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says those selections boost the team's odds of finding elite talent. "The more arrows you have, the more likely you are to hit the bulls-eye," Friedman told Bill Chastain of MLB.com.
- The Padres, who have five of the first 58 picks in the draft, are looking forward to their selections with equal enthusiasm, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock. GM Jed Hoyer says the Padres need to get their picks right.
- The Red Sox, Hoyer's former team, also have extra picks, something that GM Theo Epstein is looking forward to. “I think it energizes the scouting staff the whole year because they know going in and seeing players, there’s a much better chance you can actually get a guy," he told Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com.
- The Twins will look to add pitching early on, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.
- Mets executives Paul DePodesta and Sandy Alderson agree with the consensus that the draft is deep in pitching, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.
Heyman On Dodgers, Mets, Rendon, Red Sox
The Dodgers have had unofficial conversations with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier about long-term deals, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. GM Ned Colletti would like to lock both outfielders up instead of letting them hit free agency after the 2012 season. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:
- Though it’s hard to imagine Dodgers owner Frank McCourt signing either player long-term given his current financial issues, MLB seems hopeful that they can find a new owner for the team if and when it's necessary.
- Proposed Mets limited partner David Einhorn will have the chance to increase his share of the team from 33% to 60% after five years, according to Heyman. Majority owner Fred Wilpon could then block Einhorn and repay him his $200MM while allowing him to keep 16.5% of the team. Heyman hears that the Wilpons won’t allow Einhorn to become majority owner. Various reports about the value of the deal circulated over the weekend.
- Anthony Rendon’s draft stock is again rising, according to Heyman. The Mariners, who select second, could choose the Rice third baseman if the Pirates pick UCLA righty Gerrit Cole first overall. If the Pirates take Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen with the top pick, Rendon and Cole figure to be Seattle’s top choices.
- The Red Sox could look to acquire an outfielder if J.D. Drew’s nagging injuries persist.
- The Nationals are suggesting that they will have a high asking price for Ivan Rodriguez.
Nats Looking For Center Fielder; Asked About Bourn
The Nationals are looking to acquire a center fielder and a leadoff hitter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The club is willing to overpay in a trade, according to Ladson, who suggests they could look for a center fielder or leadoff hitter if they trade Ivan Rodriguez or Todd Coffey. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post hears that the Nats inquired about Michael Bourn, though talks didn't develop (Twitter link).
Roger Bernadina has been playing center field regularly for Washington, but some members of the Nationals' organization believe he belongs in a corner outfield spot. The 26-year-old has played all three outfield positions this year and has a .247/.307/.333 line with one home run.
Nationals leadoff hitters have combined for a .195/.250/.296 line. They're 13 of 13 in stolen base attempts, but have just 13 walks against 51 stirkeouts and rank last among MLB leadoff hitters in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS.
NL East Notes: Pudge, Einhorn
Here are a couple items of note out of the NL East as the Mets kick off their series against the Pirates without the services of Jose Reyes, who was added to the bereavement list Monday.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said he's not actively shopping Ivan Rodriguez and that the catcher won't be dealt for a "pittance," writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Pudge's name surfaced in rumors last week in the wake of Giants backstop Buster Posey's season-ending injury.
- Mets soon-to-be part-owner David Einhorn spoke to reporters Monday, and Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com has the highlights.
- The purchase of Einhorn's stake of in the Mets should be finalized "within weeks, and certainly by the end of June," writes Rubin.
- Einhorn thinks the agreement is fair for both him and the Wilpons.
- No assurances were issued by Einhorn as to whether the state of the Mets' finances would improve in the coming years: It'll be what it'll be. It's not that people aren't going to try really hard to avoid that sort of a circumstance, but the future is uncertain. And there is a wide range of possible outcomes of all sorts of things. That's true in life in general. And it's true in this circumstance as well.
Quick Hits: Gomes, Pudge, Lopez, Diamondbacks
With plenty of baseball still going on, here are some Saturday evening Quick Hits..
- Jonny Gomes is slumping badly for the Reds (.168/.302/.366 coming into today), and ESPN's Buster Olney doubts they'll be patient and wait until the trade deadline to see if he snaps out of it (Twitter link).
- Despite interest from the Giants, Ivan Rodriguez told Nationals GM Mike Rizzo that he wants to stay with the team according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times wonders if this could be the end of the line for Jose Lopez. The veteran infielder was DFA'd by the Rockies earlier this week.
- The Diamondbacks have managed to turn their bullpen around without spending big bucks, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
- A National League executive told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that with so many teams are hovering around the .500 mark, many don't know if they're buyers or sellers yet.
Giants Haven’t Contacted Other Teams About Catchers
Giants GM Brian Sabean said he hasn't contacted any other clubs about finding a replacement behind the plate for Buster Posey, though several teams have made contact with him, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. For now, Sabean said the Giants are content to give backup catcher Eli Whiteside a chance to prove himself as an everyday player.
"[Whiteside has] been around the block," Sabean said. "And quite frankly, I don’t think anyone will trade us a catcher who’s any better than Whiteside. If someone is an all-around catcher, you’re not going to get that player in a trade."
Whiteside, 31, has been the backup in San Francisco for the last three seasons and has a career slash line of .229/.281/.363 in 316 plate appearances. While Whiteside's numbers aren't impressive, Sabean has a point about the shallow catching market and the lack of clear upgrades available. Washington is one of the few teams with catching depth, and the Giants reportedly contacted the Nationals about Ivan Rodriguez. As Baggarly notes, it may have been the Nats who made first contact if Sabean indeed hasn't made any calls.
Stark On Giants, Padres, Pence
Now that Buster Posey is on the disabled list for the foreseeable future, the Giants are looking around for catching, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Ivan Rodriguez, a player the Giants have asked about, and Bengie Molina, a player who would like to return to San Francisco, are the team’s most viable options at this point. Here are the details from Stark, plus other notes from around the league:
- The Nationals have been shopping Rodriguez since Spring Training and one executive says they would love to move him.
- The Padres are starting to give indications that they’ll be willing to move Heath Bell, Ryan Ludwick and Chad Qualls in a few weeks.
- However, rival teams say the Padres are “not motivated” to talk about players who are under control through 2012 or later, such as reliever Mike Adams.
- The Astros keep saying that they imagine Hunter Pence on Houston’s next winning team, which would presumably make him difficult to obtain this summer.