Rosenthal On Dunn, Red Sox, Rays, Reds
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
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
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
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.
Unknown Team Claims Dunn
Two days after being placed on waivers, Adam Dunn has been claimed by an unknown team, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
While the report doesn't specify the claiming team's league, it seems nearly impossible to think that Dunn could pass through every team in the National League to make it to the American League.
As of today, Dunn should be owed the final $3.91MM of the $12MM he's making in 2010, a price that many contending teams could stomach for the slugger's line of .277/.365/.578 and 28 homers.
As Morosi points out, the claim (while entirely expected) does limit the Nationals' trade negotiations to just the one team. If an agreement can't be reached, he'll be pulled back and the Nationals will keep him through the season's end in order to collect two draft picks (Dunn ranks as a Type A free agent).
Dunn makes sense for several NL West teams, with the Rockies, Giants, and Padres all still in the thick of things. Keep in mind, it's unlikely that the Rox and Giants would allow Dunn to slip to the first-place Padres.
Adam Dunn Placed On Waivers
Nationals slugger Adam Dunn was placed on waivers today, according to ESPN's Buster Olney. This was an entirely expected and standard move by Washington, as hundreds of players will hit the waiver wire this month. Teams have 48 hours to make a claim on Dunn. Once word of the winning claim comes in, things may get interesting, but there's a good chance the Nationals pull him back.
For a reminder on how waiver trades work, click here.
Odds & Ends: Rodriguez, Rangers, DeShields
Links for Monday, as Jeremy Hellickson makes a smooth transition to the majors…
- Ivan Rodriguez told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that he isn't thinking about retirement and expects to play two or three more seasons. Pudge is under contract with the Nationals through 2011.
- MLB.com's Hal Bodley names the Yankees and Rangers trade deadline 'winners.'
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels explained his club's approach to the deadline, speaking to ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett.
- The Astros may be in good position to sign their first round pick from the June draft. Delino DeShields told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that his son, Delino Deshields Jr., intends to sign instead of going to college. "He's going to be an Astro," DeShields said. "No doubt."
- Former Astro Lance Berkman told Tim Britton and Didier Morais of MLB.com that adjusting to life in the Bronx after so many years in Houston will take some time.
Nationals Rumors: Ramos, Capps, Dunn
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo explained to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com that he asked for specific players in potential deals and refused to make trades when clubs kept offering different combinations of players that didn't include the Nats' target. Here are other trade-related notes from Rizzo’s exchange with Goessling:
- The Nationals believe Wilson Ramos will be an everyday catcher in the near future and have confidence that he could be a regular MLB catcher right now.
- Matt Capps, the player the Nationals traded to obtain Ramos, will get a raise through arbitration next year, but the upcoming pay hike did not compel the Nats to move their former closer.
- Rizzo says the club wasn’t looking to trade Adam Dunn, and “didn't find the value for him.”
- The Nationals were not looking to make “a quantity deal” for multiple so-so prospects. Instead, Rizzo wanted impact players.
- The deadline is fun for fans, but what about executives? Rizzo says he enjoys the trade deadline, since it’s “kind of fantasy baseball in the real world.”
Waiver Trade Candidates: NL East
The current NL East situation: the Braves and Phillies are in contention, the Marlins and Mets are in the gray area, and the Nationals are out of it. Waiver trade candidates:
The Braves would have to consider letting Derek Lowe's contract go if he's claimed. Kenshin Kawakami is more likely, as he has a more modest $6.667MM salary for 2011 and is currently in the bullpen. The Braves tried to trade Kawakami over the past month, reports MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Nate McLouth's stock is way down, as he's trying to rebuild value in Triple A. He's getting $6.25MM next year, plus another $1.25MM for a 2012 buyout.
Raul Ibanez and Brad Lidge are two Phillies who'd likely clear waivers. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Danys Baez and Greg Dobbs make it through. The Phillies' attempts to free up payroll might have to wait until the offseason though.
The Marlins might be able to move Cody Ross, depending on which team wins a claim. Wes Helms is another trade candidate.
Though he's not going anywhere, Mets pitcher Johan Santana should clear waivers. Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez, and Jason Bay are similar stories, though Bay can't pass through waivers until he returns from the DL. Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, Jeff Francoeur, Alex Cora, and Ryota Igarashi should clear with ease. Rod Barajas, Henry Blanco, and Pedro Feliciano are trade candidates with value who could go if the Mets fall further out of contention, though Barajas would have to return from the DL first.
Could the Nationals trade Adam Dunn, especially if he slips to Type B status? Dunn's been dealt in August before, but the Reds didn't seem to value him the way the Nationals do. The Nats should see Jason Marquis, Willie Harris, and Wil Nieves clear waivers, while Ivan Rodriguez, Adam Kennedy, Miguel Batista, and Livan Hernandez could land with contenders.
For our primer on the waiver trade rules, click here.
Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Rangers, Maya, Lowell
Sunday night linkage..
- The three newest members of the Dodgers are happy to be in Los Angeles, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
- The Rangers were the biggest winners at the deadline, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
- Yunesky Maya tells Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald (Spanish link) that he has been training hard and "in about three weeks" the Nationals can save him a spot on the roster (translation courtesy of Nick Collias). Earlier today the Nats confirmed that they have inked the 28-year-old hurler to a four-year deal.
- Major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that a three-way trade was discussed in which Mike Lowell could have landed with the Yankees. In the discussed deal, the Red Sox would have sent Lowell to the Rangers, who would then send the veteran to the Yankees.
- Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal writes that despite his strong first half, Clay Buchholz still couldn't bring himself to relax at the deadline.
- The Giants haven't talked to Carlos Delgado's people since this winter, tweets Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com.
- MLB.com's James Hall writes that Indians manager Manny Acta is happy to have July 31st in the rear view mirror. Jake Westbrook, Kerry Wood, Austin Kearns, and Jhonny Peralta were all shipped out in advance of the deadline.
- The future of Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu is clearly in doubt, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos had his eye on center fielder Anthony Gose for quite some time, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Anthopoulos finally got his man in exchange for first baseman Brett Wallace.