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Odds & Ends: Holt, Lee, Klein, Valentine, Villone

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Links for Thursday, exactly 23 years after the Braves and Tigers swapped Doyle Alexander and John Smoltz…

  • The Indians signed tenth round pick Tyler Holt according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Holt's $500K bonus is the largest we've seen for a player drafted in a double-digit round this year. 
  • Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News wonders how much the Texas heat will play into Cliff Lee's decision about whether or not to re-sign with the Rangers after the season.
  • MLB.com' Brittany Ghiroli tweets that Orioles' third rounder Dan Klein is expected to report to one of the team's minor league affiliates once he passes his physical, indicating that the two sides have a deal in place.
  • Someone familiar with Bobby Valentine’s thinking tells Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that Valentine considers the Mariners managerial opening one of "the most appealing jobs in baseball.”
  • The Nationals released Ron Villone, according to Syracuse Chiefs broadcasters Jason Benetti and Mike Couzens (on Twitter). The veteran left-hander, who last pitched in the majors in 2009, posted a 6.59 ERA in Triple A this year.
  • The sale of the Rangers is now final, as MLB.com’s Barry Bloom writes.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker previews some of the players who could soon make the jump from Japan to MLB. Wei-Yin Chen, a 25-year-old lefty represented by Alan Nero may be posted this offseason.
  • Veracruz, the Mexican team that holds the rights to pitching prospect Luis Heredia, will not entertain offers from MLB clubs until next Wednesday, August 18th, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Tim Chambers, Bryce Harper's college coach, told Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com that Harper, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, is “begging to play.” Chambers expects the Nationals to work out a deal by Monday night’s deadline.
  • Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are "fairly close" to an agreement with first rounder Kaleb Cowart, though he expects negotiations to last until Monday, the deadline for signing draft picks.
  • Jamey Newberg counts down the ten biggest August trades in recent Rangers history for MLB.com. Rick Helling and Ryan Dempster have prominent roles on the list, which is worth checking out.

Stark On Sherrill, Blue Jays, Harper, Thome

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There has been a “flurry” of waiver claims on prominent players, according to an MLB official who spoke with ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Nearly every desirable hitter and reliever has been claimed, according to Stark’s source. However, we can add at least one name to our list of players to clear waivers. Here it is, along with Stark’s other rumors:

  • George Sherrill, who has a 7.00 ERA and $1.3MM remaining on his contract, cleared waivers, according to Stark. The Dodgers can now trade him to any club, as our waiver trade primer explains.
  • David Aardsma, Kevin Gregg and Brandon League were all claimed on waivers and pulled back, according to Stark’s source. If the Mariners or Blue Jays re-expose their respective relievers to waivers, they would no longer have the right to pull the players back.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Stark that he’s looking for high-impact players, because the club is geared towards reaching 95 wins.
  • One MLB official believes Manny Ramirez will sign a one-year, incentive-based contract with an AL team this winter. That sounds about right.
  • There have been no signs that Scott Boras, who represents first overall pick Bryce Harper, has had any meaningful conversations with the Nationals about what it will take to reach a deal. The sides have until Monday at 11pm CST to reach a deal.
  • The Twins were willing to include Wilson Ramos (now in Washington’s system) in a trade for Cliff Lee, according to Stark’s sources.
  • Jim Thome already has 15 homers for the Twins, and he could be back in Minneapolis next year. "We'd certainly have interest in him coming back," Twins assistant GM Rob Antony told Stark.

Odds & Ends: White Sox, Olsen, Adam, V-Mart

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Another round of links for Wednesday, as Cliff Lee falls short of eight innings for the first time in two months…

  • The White Sox are cautiously optimistic about signing the team's top remaining unsigned picks, amateur scouting director Doug Laumann told MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
  • Scott Olsen made $250K in incentives for starting his 11th game of the season tonight, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
  • 2010 draftee Jason Adam is close to signing with the Royals, according to Daniel Paulling of the Kansas City Star. Adam, ranked by Baseball America as the 54th-best prospect in this year’s draft awaits approval from the commissioner’s office.
  • Victor Martinez told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that the Red Sox have not offered him an extension (Twitter link). The catcher hits free agency after the season.
  • The Yankees agreed to sign third-rounder Rob Segedin for a $377K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Segedin, a third baseman, receives about $100K more than MLB’s recommended bonus for his slot.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News explains why he believes the Rangers shouldn't try to sign Cliff Lee long-term just yet. It's probably a moot point, since Lee seems destined to reach the open market.
  • MLB owners and executives approved the sale of the Rangers to the group led by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). The final vote occurs tomorrow.

Adam Dunn Stays Put

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An unknown team claimed Nationals slugger Adam Dunn off waivers on Thursday, reported Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The teams had 48.5 business-day hours to work out a deal, so the window closed around Monday afternoon.  Dunn will remain with the Nationals through the end of the season.

The Nationals may still attempt to sign Dunn to an extension.  Failing that, they can at least offer arbitration.  With a 76.000 rating, Dunn remains a Type A free agent in our latest Elias rankings projections.  The highest Type B in the NL 1B/OF group is Shane Victorino at 72.791.  There's a pretty good chance the Nationals offer Dunn arbitration even if they think he might accept, as getting him back on a one-year deal worth $15MM or so wouldn't be that bad.

Two years ago today, Reds GM Walt Jocketty traded Dunn to the Diamondbacks for Dallas Buck, Wilkin Castillo, and Micah Owings.  Castillo and Owings were named later.  Josh Byrnes was behind the deal from Arizona's side.  At the time of the deal Dunn sported a .233/.373/.528 line with 32 home runs, good for a .383 wOBA.  This year he's hitting .272/.359/.573 with 30 home runs and a .393 wOBA.  Dunn was a Type A free agent after that season too (81.250 rating) but Byrnes chose not to offer arbitration.  Byrnes explained that decision in a March 2009 interview with MLBTR.

Nationals Interested In Carl Crawford

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The Nationals have "strong organizational interest" in Carl Crawford, reports MASN's Ben Goessling.  The Rays' left fielder will be eligible for free agency as a 29-year-old this offseason.

Goessling's blog post speculates on the look of the Nationals' outfield next year.  They seem to have Josh Willingham locked in as the left fielder, and Goessling says there's some sentiment to trying Roger Bernadina as the regular center fielder and using Nyjer Morgan in a utility role.  Michael Morse also merits consideration – he's raked in 126 plate appearances this year.

Crawford has never played right field in his career, though Willingham played a decent amount last year and could theoretically shift over.  Crawford also hasn't dabbled much in center field since 2004, and it's hard to picture him changing positions now that he gets to pick his next team.

It being August and all, the market for Crawford has yet to take shape.  Last week MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith named more than a dozen clubs that could pursue the speedy left fielder, including the Nationals.

The Nationals’ 2011 Rotation

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The Nationals currently rank 13th in the NL with a 4.41 rotation ERA.  They've given starts to a dozen different pitchers, but let's try to figure out next year's top rotation candidates.

We know 22-year-old phenom Stephen Strasburg will head up the rotation next year, and baseball fans everywhere have to hope his shoulder inflammation is a non-issue.  Though he's only made four starts this year due to minor elbow surgery, veteran Jason Marquis also probably has a spot locked up given his $7.5MM salary.

24-year-old righty Jordan Zimmermann is being handled carefully as he returns from Tommy John surgery; he has dominant numbers across eight minor league rehab starts this year and should be back next month.  He's in.

Yunesky Maya is an intriguing wild card.  The 28-year-old Cuban recently signed a four-year, $8MM deal, and last month GM Mike Rizzo suggested to MLB.com's Bill Ladson Maya is not far from a big league rotation.

Opening Day starter John Lannan has dealt with an elbow issue and was optioned to Double A in June.  He stayed there for about a month.  Lannan should be arbitration-eligible after the season and could earn a couple million bucks if tendered a contract.

Livan Hernandez, Scott Olsen, and Chien-Ming Wang are possibilities for 2011.  Hernandez made it known he wants to re-sign.  Olsen could be non-tendered again as the Nationals try to maintain their flexibility in December.  He's done solid work but has dealt with a shoulder injury for much of the season.  Wang is another non-tender candidate – he still has no timetable in his recovery from shoulder surgery.  The Nationals have gotten nothing from this $2MM investment; will they pull the plug?

At least four more pitchers will be in the mix for 2011: Craig Stammen, Luis Atilano, J.D. Martin, and Ross Detwiler.  Atilano, Martin, and Detwiler have dealt with serious injuries this year.  Stammen was recently sent to the bullpen, though he's pitched much better than his 5.05 ERA.

Despite all these options, we know Rizzo wants more.  Back in June, he told the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore, "our biggest need is starting pitching."  Rizzo seemingly flirted with the idea of acquiring Edwin Jackson from the Diamondbacks or White Sox at the trade deadline.  It's reasonable to expect the Nationals to be active in the free agent and trade markets.  One more front-rotation pitcher complementing Strasburg and Zimmermann would go a long way.  On paper, the Nats could have one of the better rotations in the league entering next season.

Rosenthal On Dunn, Red Sox, Rays, Reds

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Let's dive into the latest edition of Full Count by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • Rival executives still can't figure out what the Nats were thinking by not trading Adam Dunn as some believe that they will not re-sign the slugger.  If they dealt him, they would have saved about $4MM in salary and another $2MM in draft pick bonuses.  The players they would have gotten in return would already have minor league track records and would have been closer to the majors.  Though next year's draft figures to be very deep, Rosenthal notes that draft picks take money and time.
  • If Boston stays in contention, they will push hard to get a left-handed bat to complement Lowell at first and Carlos Delgado may just be the beginning.  Even after signing Delgado, the BoSox will continue to scour the market for players such as Adam LaRoche and Lyle Overbay.  Earlier today, we learned that the Red Sox have shown interest in another left-handed hitting first baseman, Chris Davis of the Rangers.
  • Jeremy Hellickson gives the Rays a sixth rotation option for 2011, but that doesn't mean that the Rays will have enough of a surplus for a trade.  They have depth but they're not quite as deep as they were following the 2008 campaign.  Rosenthal believes that they are better off keeping what they have intact and putting one of their starters in the bullpen.
  • Recently, Reds manager Dusty Baker told reporters that the club has approached him about a contract extension.  Logically, he deserves a pay raise based on the team's performance this season.  However, ownership may not want to go that route.  Given the volatility expected in the managerial ranks this winter, the Reds will have plenty of options should they look elsewhere for a skipper.

Nationals Acquire Brian Bixler

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The Nationals have acquired Brian Bixler from the Pirates for cash considerations, tweets William Ladson of MLB.com.  This marks the third time that the shortstop has been dealt this year.

Pittsburgh dealt Bixler to the Indians in January and re-acquired him from the Tribe less than a month ago for a player to be named later.  In 75 Triple-A games this season, Bixler has hit .264/.327/.362 with three homers.

Odds & Ends: Reds, Giants, Harper, Dodgers, Prior

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Links for Saturday, as J.P. Arencibia homers on the first pitch he sees in the majors….

  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that he has not seen a year in which the Reds have faced so many difficult roster decisions in the last decade.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter) expects the Giants to eventually sign their first-round pick, center fielder Gary Brown.
  • Barry Shlachter of the Dallas Morning News examines whether the group headed by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan overpaid for the Rangers.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America passes on news of a pair of draft picks signing for over-slot deals: The Blue Jays signed their second-round pick, while the Pirates locked up their fourth-rounder.
  • Tigers owner Mike Ilitch acknowledged to Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News that he'd signed off on some bad contracts in the past, but said that won't stop him from spending money in the future.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that negotiations between the Nationals and Bryce Harper could "heat up" by Tuesday. The first overall pick in this year's draft enrolled for classes at the College of Southern Nevada, but that doesn't mean he won't end up signing with the Nats.
  • The Dodgers still seem to be buyers, leading Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times to wonder if they put a waiver claim on Adam Dunn.
  • Although he's pitching for the Orange County Flyers now, Mark Prior hopes to make his way back to the bigs, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.

Odds & Ends: Yelich, Harper, Tigers, Minaya, Guillen

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Links on a Friday night…

  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that negotiations between the Marlins and first round pick Christian Yelich are progressing slowly, but all signs point to a deal being reached before the August 16th deadline.
  • Meanwhile, Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post says there is nothing new to report about talks between the Nationals and first overall pick Bryce Harper. 
  • Like the Marlins and Yelich, talks between the Tigers and their top picks will go down to the wire according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Four of Detroit's top five selections remain unsigned, including their two first rounders Nick Castellanos and Chance Ruffin.
  • When asked about his job security, Omar Minaya responded "The fact of the matter is that I have a contract beyond this year, two years beyond this," according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Owner Jeff Wilpon recently implied that Minaya's job is safe through 2011.
  • Jack Curry of the YES Network says (via Twitter) we shouldn't expect the Yankees to have any interest in Jose Guillen. We heard this morning that they were going to keep an eye on the recently DFA'd outfielder.
  • Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News spoke to an American League GM who said he can't see Derek Jeter signing anywhere but back with the Yankees after the season. I suspect that's the general belief pretty much everywhere.
  • The Tigers have expanded the roles of three front office members, reports Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
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