Nationals Notes: Rodriguez, Coffey
The Nationals may have the day off but they're in the news thanks to interest in two players..
- In the wake of Buster Posey's injury, the Giants have already asked the Nats about Ivan Rodriguez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Nats have received interest in Pudge from other teams including the Red Sox this season. The club has plenty of catching depth to work with if they do decide to deal Rodriguez.
- The Rangers have inquired about Nationals right-hander Todd Coffey, a baseball source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com. While it's known that Texas is looking for a setup man, Ladson cautions that the two clubs are not in serious talks at the moment and it's not known whether the Nats would trade Coffey. Ben Nicholson-Smith recently highlighted Coffey as a non-tender from last offseason that is now exceeding expectations with a new ballclub.
Nationals Notes: Harper, Rodriguez, Werth
The latest on the Nationals, who rest today before hosting the last-place Padres this weekend…
- Top prospect Bryce Harper is hitting his way through the South Atlantic League with the help of his coaches and teammates and as Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes, last year's number one pick is just beginning his baseball odyssey.
- As Adam Kilgore points out at the Washington Post, Ivan Rodriguez could appeal to the Giants, who lost Buster Posey to the disabled list, possibly for the rest of the season. The Nationals are one of few teams with catching depth to spare.
- Jayson Werth, who signed a $126MM contract with Washington over the winter, has raised his OPS above .800 for the first time since April 14th and he tells Kilgore that he's feeling good. “I’m working in the right direction," he said. "I’m hitting balls hard, and I’ve got some confidence. I like where I’m at.”
Nationals Rumors: LaRoche, Ramirez, Bernadina
Livan Hernandez threw out the first pitch in Washington Nationals history, and tonight he's taking on the Brewers in his 456th career start. Let's recap the latest from the nation's capital…
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that Adam LaRoche has a large tear in his labrum and some tearing in his rotator cuff (Twitter links). He'll rehab for two or three weeks, but won't swing a bat or throw.
- GM Mike Rizzo told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that his team is "playing terrific baseball except for the fact that we’re struggling with runners in scoring position." He's not looking for scapegoats though, and he's satisfied with the work of manager Jim Riggleman and hitting coach Rick Eckstein. As a team, the Nats are hitting .223 with runners in scoring position, fifth worst in baseball.
- Washington returned Rule 5 Draft pick Brian Broderick to the Cardinals yesterday, and Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post says they won't have to make a decision on their other Rule 5 pick, reliever Elvin Ramirez, for a while. The former Mets' farmhand had shoulder surgery and will be out for the season. The Nats can keep him through the offseason, but the Rule 5 Draft rules will still apply in 2012.
- Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com wrote about the team's outfield logjam now that Rick Ankiel has come off the disabled list. They need to figure out if and how Roger Bernadina fits into their long-term plans.
Brian Broderick Returned To Cardinals
The Cardinals accepted Rule 5 selection Brian Broderick back from the Nationals, according to Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). The Nationals get $25K back from the Cardinals to complete the transaction.
Broderick pitched 12 1/3 innings for the Nationals this year and allowed 16 hits and three walks while striking out four. Manager Jim Riggleman has not used the 24-year-old right-hander since May 13th. The Nationals claimed Broderick after a 2010 season in which he posted a 3.66 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 150 innings as a starter in Class A and at Double-A.
Quick Hits: Holliday, Twins, Astros, Nats, Red Sox
Some links to browse through on your Sunday afternoon…
- The Matt Holliday contract is looking better every day, writes Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Miklasz compares Holliday's deal to several other outfielders, including Alfonso Soriano and Jason Bay, in pointing out the early returns on the Cardinals' investment in Holliday.
- Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press looks at some of the biggest trades to date from Twins GM Bill Smith as the trade deadline approaches. The Twins figure to be full-fledged sellers for the first time under Smith's watch.
- Neither the Astros nor the Rockies are looking like winners of the Clint Barmes–for-Felipe Paulino swap this past offseason, writes the Houston Chronicle's Zachary Levine. The Rox just DFA'ed Paulino while Barmes is hitting .191 in Houston. As Levine points out, the Astros' bigger loss to the Rockies was former closer Matt Lindstrom.
- Zach Berman of the New Jersey Star Ledger takes a look at Nationals third base coach Bo Porter and his quest to become a Major League manager.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports opines that the Red Sox are a great team, but not yet complete as their bullpen has been overworked and exposed by a struggling rotation. He wonders if Boston will be in the hunt for an elite upgrade to its rotation prior to July 31 to take some of the pressure off the bullpen.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, DeRosa, LaRoche
Some items of note on Friday night as Danny Espinosa looks to collect a double to complete the cycle in the slugfest between the Nationals and Orioles …
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti admitted that he is exploring trade opportunities to help boost his sagging club, but he cautioned that it's tough to complete deals at this time of year without overpaying, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
- Giants utility man Mark DeRosa will see a specialist about his injured left wrist, for which he's already undergone two surgeries, but he's not considering retirement if doctors think he can make a full recovery, writes Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche said offseason negotiations with the Orioles never got serious enough that his decision to sign with Washington was especially tough, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Not to pile on the O's, but Mark Teixeira echoed a sentiment similar to LaRoche's a couple days back.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Cardinals, Inglett, Broderick
Saturday evening linkage…
- Frank McCourt told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that the Dodgers' roster would look the same even if the team didn't have financial problems. He was also vague about future payroll plans if the multi-billion dollar deal with FOX were to be approved (Twitter link).
- B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com points out that the Cardinals will have to make room for Brian Tallet when the lefty comes off the disabled list next week (Twitter links). He doesn't think they'll cut ties with the struggling Ryan Franklin, but he says it's "debatable."
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that Joe Inglett has accepted his outright assignment and will join the Astros' Triple-A affiliate (on Twitter). Inglett could have elected free agency after clearing waivers earlier in the week.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo believes that pitcher Brian Broderick has a bright future in the big leagues, despite being DFA'd by the club earlier today, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Manager Dusty Baker is curious to see if the newly activated Jose Arredondo can provide the Reds with the kind of pitching they expected upon signing him.
- Dave Gershman of Beyond The Box Score examined the market for Padres pitcher Dustin Moseley.
Nationals Designate Brian Broderick For Assignment
The Nationals have designated Brian Broderick for assignment according to the team's Twitter feed. The move clears a roster spot for Cole Kimball, who was called up from Triple-A.
Broderick, 24, was a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Cardinals this past offseason. He appeared in 11 games for the Nats, pitching to a 6.57 ERA in 12 1/3 relief innings. He allowed 16 hits, walked three and struck out just four, though his 60% ground ball rate is impressive. As a Rule 5 pick, Broderick must first clear waivers and be offered back to St. Louis before Washington could send him to the minors.
Kimball, 25, was rated as the Nats' seventh best prospect by Baseball America thanks to his "heavy fastball," splitter, curveball, and "fierce mound presence." They project him to be a set-up man in the future. Kimball did not allow a run in 13 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year, striking out 14 but walking eight.
Nationals Overloaded In The Outfield
Nats centerfielder Rick Ankiel may not be able to return to action when he's able to come off the disabled list next week. From the standpoint of delaying decisions, that might be a good thing, writes Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com.
Roger Bernadina has filled in at leadoff hitter and center fielder, and manager Jim Riggleman says that he'd like to keep it that way. If he remains in that role, it would leave Ankiel, Laynce Nix and Michael Morse to fight over playing time in left.
Other than optioning Bernadina back to Triple-A Syracuse, the club won't have many ways to fit everyone in. Riggleman says that the club will figure things out when Ankiel is healthy, a point that could be approaching soon.
NL East Notes: Beltran, Nationals, Hanley
On this date in 2000, the Mets released Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson. You might think a 41-year-old with a .219 average would have trouble finding work, but Rickey Henderson was no ordinary 41-year-old. The speedster signed with Seattle, where he stole 31 bases in 40 attempts. Remarkably, Henderson stole another 42 bases in 2001, his age 42 season. Here are some links from the NL East (though none of them can keep up with the Man of Steal)…
- It will be interesting to see how Carlos Beltran’s $18.5MM salary affects other teams’ interest in him midseason, as ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains. Few teams have $6MM kicking around for a two-month rental, and that’s how much will remain on Beltran’s contract at the end of July. Olney suggests the Mets could get a decent prospect for Beltran if he continues his hot hitting (the free agent to be had a three-homer game yesterday).
- Brian Broderick and Henry Rodriguez are on the Nationals' roster because demoting them to the minors would mean exposing them to waivers, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. As a result, Broderick, a Rule 5 pick, and Rodriguez, who is out of options, stay in the organization, though they aren't called upon in crucial situations.
- Before yesterday's game, struggling Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez promised he'll have seven homers and a .290 batting average by May 30th, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Ramirez, 27, has two homers and a .217/.308/.302 line after homering last night.