Nationals Notes: Harper, Right Field, Daniel
The draft is less than a month away and once again, the Nationals appear likely to select the nation's best-known amateur with the first overall pick. Here are the details on the team's draft strategy and a couple other Nats-related notes:
- Former Nationals GM and current FOX Sports analyst Jim Bowden says Washington will take Bryce Harper with the first overall pick (Twitter link). Bowden believes the teenager's makeup is fine, even if he is a little immature. Last month the Nats said nothing was "etched in stone," but the club is monitoring Harper closely, at the very least.
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he feels good about the team's options in right field. 'We're going to find out what these players can do," Rizzo said in reference to Willie Harris, Roger Bernadina and Justin Maxwell. That means we shouldn't expect the Nats to sign Jermaine Dye or another free agent right fielder any time soon.
- The Nationals released Mike Daniel, an outfielder chosen in the seventh round of the 2005 draft, according to MASN.com's Ben Goessling (via Twitter).
- The Nationals need starting pitching, president Stan Kasten told MLB.com's Bill Ladson. As Kasten says, every team needs pitching and the Nats are no exception. Kasten chose not to predict when 2009 first rounders Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen will make their MLB debuts.
Relievers Headed For Non-Tenders
Often due to the save statistic, decent relievers are non-tendered every year because of their expected salaries. It happened to Matt Capps last year. Which relievers might get the axe on this year's December non-tender deadline and join the free agent market?
- Bobby Jenks, White Sox. Jenks has only blown one save this year, but Ozzie Guillen is already looking at other closer options. Jenks has racked up strikeouts, but his control is off and he's given up a slew of hits. I felt he was a longshot non-tender candidate last time around. Tendering him a contract and giving a raise on his $7.5MM salary this time probably won't be appealing.
- George Sherrill, Dodgers. Giving Sherrill a bump from $4.5MM might not make sense for the Dodgers even if he was pitching well. However, the lefty has completely lost it in the early going with 12 walks and 14 hits in 11.3 innings.
- Brian Bruney, Nationals. Bruney would earn more than $1.5MM in 2011 as a fourth-time arbitration-eligible player. With the walks spiraling out of control, there's a good chance the Nats cut him loose as they did with Mike MacDougal last year.
- Tony Pena, White Sox. Pena has time to turn things around; he's only tossed 15.6 innings this year. He's earning $1.2MM on the season and would go to arbitration for a second time.
- Rafael Perez, Indians. Perez is only earning $795K this year, but even the idea of a guaranteed contract might not work for the Tribe if he repeats his '09 season.
- The 2011 free agent list already contains a full slate of relievers, but keep these names in mind as potential additions.
Nationals Pitchers With Major Incentives
The Nationals guaranteed over $22MM during the offseason to free agent pitchers, with the lion's share going to Jason Marquis. But that total also includes three interesting signings, hurlers who scuffled in 2009 but had prior success. Matt Capps, Chien-Ming Wang, and Scott Olsen were lured to Washington D.C. in part due to big-time incentive clauses. Let's take a look.
- Capps was non-tendered by the Pirates and drew interest from a dozen clubs. It came down to the Nationals and Cubs, and Capps ultimately took a one-year, $3.5MM guarantee from the Nats. They have the added bonus of controlling him in 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player. Capps' contract includes solid incentives for games finished – up to $425K. He's already finished 16 games, tying Francisco Cordero for the MLB lead. Capps should be able to max out his incentives this year and earn $3.925MM in total.
- Wang signed for a $2MM base salary, and he's also arbitration-eligible after the season. His incentives exceed his base, as he can tack on $3MM. Wang is recovering from shoulder surgery and hasn't headed out on a rehab assignment quite yet, so it appears he won't max out his incentives.
- If you blinked, you might've missed Scott Olsen's time as a free agent. After earning $2.8MM in '09, Olsen was non-tendered on the December 10th deadline. The Nats scooped him back up on the 13th with a $1MM base salary. Olsen can earn $2.825MM in incentives based on starts, up to 33. The 26-year-old southpaw is making over $85K extra per start. He's already made five, and sports a 3.54 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9. Like the others, the Nationals control Olsen for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player. If he continues looking like the Olsen of '06, another non-tender is out of the question.
Odds & Ends: Huff, Posey, Lewis, Yankees, Johnson
Congratulations to Dallas Braden on throwing the 19th perfect game in MLB history. Let's check out some links from around the web..
- Aubrey Huff is playing well defensively, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Catcher Buster Posey remains in Triple-A Fresno because Giants officials are not convinced that he is ready to catch in the majors, GM Brian Sabean told Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News. Sabean insists that the decision has nothing to do with service-time concerns. MLBTR's Luke Adams led a discussion post that touched on the issue over the weekend.
- Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets a quote from Fred Lewis, who says that he's happy to be on a team that never quits. Lewis was traded from San Francisco to Toronto roughly three weeks ago.
- Steve at River Ave. Blues takes a look at the Yankees' offseason targets and how they've fared in the early stages of the 2010 season.
- Cue the scary organ music. Jeff Zrebiec tells us that Orioles reliever Jim Johnson was placed on the disabled list with a strained ulnar collateral ligament and is seeking a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews. MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli has comments from O's president Andy MacPhail and manager Dave Trembley.
- According to a team press release, the Mariners have relieved hitting coach Alan Cockrell of his duties. Alonzo Powell has been promoted from Triple-A Tacoma in his place.
- In his latest mailbag, Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News writes that the Reds' next manager will not be a high-priced guy with star power. That includes Lou Piniella, who plans on making Chicago his last stop as a manager.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that ex-Braves Kelly Johnson and Adam LaRoche are mashing in Arizona.
- Jason Marquis could be as little as two rehab assignments away from rejoining the Nationals, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Marquis inked a two-year, $15MM deal with the club this offseason but was sidelined after three outings in April.
- Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post implores the Rockies to make a big trade.
Nationals Designate Matt Chico For Assignment
11:22am: In an update to his blog post, Goessling has quotes from GM Mike Rizzo on the move. Rizzo explains that it was necessary to DFA Chico in order to put him in the minors because he was on the major league squad for just one day. He added that there is zero risk of the club losing the 26-year-old.
10:30am: The Nationals have designated pitcher Matt Chico for assignment, though he will soon return to the club's 40-man roster, writes Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com. The move is concurrent with Washington's purchase of Doug Slaten's contract from Triple-A Syracuse.
Chico, 26, made his first big league appearance in nearly two years when he got the start against the Marlins yesterday. In five innings, Chico allowed two runs, registered three strikeouts, and didn't walk any batters.
Slaten has been golden in 17 Triple-A innings this season. The 30-year-old has not allowed a single run while racking up 17 strikeouts with just one walk. In 126 career big league outings, the lefty has a 3.68 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.
Goessling adds that he is unsure as to why Chico is being DFA'd only to be retained. Nats GM Mike Rizzo is scheduled to give a more detailed explanation of the move later this morning.
Berkman Willing To Waive No-Trade Clause
7:59pm: Berkman shared his side of the conversation he had with GM Ed Wade, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com:
"I'm not demanding to be traded," the five-time All-Star said. "I'm perfectly content to be a Houston Astro. We were just talking hypothetical."
McTaggart also points out that Berkman has said several times in recent years that he would be willing to waive his full no-trade clause if the situation was right.
5:48pm: Some within the Astros believe that Berkman may be trying to employ reverse psychology in an effort to pressure the club into picking up his option, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Houston owner Drayton McLane is not a fan of giving up on seasons or trading away veteran players.
Meanwhile, GM Ed Wade doesn't seem terribly concerned about Berkman's comments. He recounted the conversation he had with the outfielder last night:
"Don’t worry about it, players have every right to make whatever comments they want to the media. Focus on showing up and winning tomorrow."
The 34-year-old is hitting .213/.327/.404 with 2 HRs in 55 plate appearances this season.
10:28am: Lance Berkman would be willing to waive his no-trade clause if the Astros approach him with a deal to a contender later this season, reports Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle. Berkman explained his feelings:
"If it was me and I was running the show here, if we didn't make a great comeback like we did in '05 and be sort of around .500 by the All-Star break, I'd try to trade every veteran I could to reload. That's the quickest way you're going to be able to reload and get it going in the right direction. As a player, if they came to me and said, 'Hey, we've got a deal to go to a contender,' I'd take it. Heck, it's only a three- or four-month deal. It's not like I'm signing on for 10 years with another team."
Berkman opined that the Astros should try to avoid what he calls "baseball purgatory — where you're not really getting young and you're not really (competing). Where you're in this deal where every year you're signing a marginal veteran and you just never get in the mix."
Berkman's "take one for the team" approach to his no-trade clause is an interesting position, as a few months ago he talked about taking his ball and going home if the Astros didn't exercise his $15MM club option for 2011 after the season. He does still prefer to retire an Astro.
As I mentioned yesterday, quitting on a season is not the Astros' style. But Berkman, even at age 34 and coming off knee surgery, could give a contender an offensive boost while saving the Astros over $5MM. The Red Sox, A's, White Sox, and Mariners could be fits if Berkman is open to DHing, while it's more difficult to find an NL contender with a first base opening. Perhaps the Braves, depending on how Troy Glaus is doing a month or two from now.
Dunn Doesn’t Think There Have Been Contract Talks
Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn doesn't think that there have been discussions about a contract extension between his agent and the club, writes Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post. Dunn explained that he cannot be certain as he does not concern himself with contract matters.
Earlier today, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com wrote that someone familiar with the Nationals' way of thinking expects Adam Dunn to return to Washington in 2011, though not necessarily via an in-season extension.
Kilgore points out that Dunn's defense has improved this season, as evidenced by his -5.7 UZR/150. This is a marked improvement over his career average UZR/150 of -19.8 at first base. Meanwhile, after a slow start at the plate this season, Dunn is now hitting .231/.386/.484 with 5 HRs in 114 plate appearances.
Dunn, 30, is set to earn $12MM this season on the back end of a two-year, $20MM pact.
Odds & Ends: Marlins, Pena, Jeter, Angels, Prior
Links for Thursday..
- The Marlins will likely need bullpen help before the trade deadline, writes Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
- Until closer Huston Street returns, the Rockies' late-inning relievers need improvement, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post.
- After Carl Crawford was quoted as saying that he and Carlos Pena would not be returning to the Rays, Pena reiterated his desire to remain in Tampa Bay, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders how long of a contract the Yankees should offer Derek Jeter this offseason. Mr. November will celebrate his 36th birthday in June.
- The Angels will try to turn things around with the pieces that they have, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Chris Jenkins of the Union Tribune spoke to Mark Prior, who sees similarities between himself and Stephen Strasburg,
- Baseball's highest-ranking executives are absurdly underpaid, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Most general managers earn between $500K and $2MM annually.
- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa called the late Robin Roberts a "real gentleman" and a "great man", writes MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun. The legendary Phillies pitcher passed away at the age of 83.
Stark On Gordon, Dunn, Lowell
The five most untradeable contracts in baseball? ESPN's Jayson Stark's poll of baseball executives say it's Alfonso Soriano, Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, Carlos Lee, and Barry Zito. Hard to argue; check out our Bad Contract Swap Meet from last year for a look at other ugly deals. It was interesting to see Daisuke Matsuzaka and Kosuke Fukudome nab honorable mentions in Stark's poll. On to his other rumblings…
- Stark's conversations led to repeated mentions of the new collective bargaining agreement, which will go into effect in December of 2011. The uncertainty will have an impact – will 2011 draftees lack leverage, knowing that a slotting system could be installed the following year? Does it make sense to worry about Super Two status for Mike Stanton now, when that provision might not exist in 2012?
- Teams have kicked the tires on Alex Gordon, but the Royals have no interest in trading him. MLBTR's Luke Adams led a discussion post on Gordon yesterday.
- The Dodgers are scouring the trade market for starting pitching, while the Royals and Phillies seek bullpen help. The Mariners and Braves are trying to add offense. The Diamondbacks are actually more interested in starting pitching than relief, and are expected to have Chris Snyder available once Miguel Montero returns.
- A "baseball man familiar with the Nationals' thinking" expects Adam Dunn to return in 2011, though not necessarily via an in-season extension.
- A friend of Mike Lowell tells Stark the third baseman would love to play for the Twins or Angels if the Red Sox plan to trade him.
- The Phillies have recently adopted a stance against full no-trade clauses, which is reflected in the Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard extensions.
Could The Nationals Be Trade Deadline Buyers?
The Nationals are off to a 14-13 start, which puts them two games behind the Phillies in the NL East. However, based on their runs scored and allowed totals, the Nationals project to finish with 72 wins. If they can hang around in contention for another month, should the Nats add reinforcements for an unexpected playoff run?
The Nationals' rotation has a 5.19 ERA, third-worst in the NL. Their starters are averaging only 5.32 innings per outing. If Livan Hernandez comes back to Earth (0.99 ERA in 36.3 innings), they could be in really bad shape. Multiple starters are already on the way:
- Jason Marquis, dealing with bone chips in his elbow, is on a throwing program according to MASN's Ben Goessling.
- Goessling says Jordan Zimmermann, Chien-Ming Wang, and Ross Detwiler will all begin rehab assignments several weeks from now, with Detwiler being the closest. While the reports are promising and we should see these three in the second half, it'd be unwise to rely on them.
- Stephen Strasburg could join the big club in June (and avoid Super Two status), giving the team a potential ace.
- The Nationals' rotation could really use a shot in the arm right now as opposed to June or July. They could try to sign Pedro Martinez or Jarrod Washburn, but the free agents would need weeks to be big league ready. In May only a couple of teams will be realistic about their playoff chances. Potentially, the Orioles or Indians could be willing to deal. Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, and Jake Westbrook might be available.
- The Nationals' bullpen has been respectable, and Drew Storen was promoted to Triple A a week ago.
How about the offense? At 4.30 runs scored per game, the Nats rank 13th in the NL. They're lacking at second base, where Cristian Guzman and Adam Kennedy have combined for a .261/.284/.351 line. Dan Uggla would be a huge addition, but it's hard to picture the Marlins making that deal right now. Ty Wigginton might be easier to acquire. Right field has been a bigger problem, with a .157/.294/.326 aggregate performance. The Nationals acknowledged this a month ago upon releasing Elijah Dukes, as they inquired on Corey Hart, Kosuke Fukudome, and B.J. Upton in trade talks and had discussions with free agents Gary Sheffield and Jermaine Dye. Sheffield or Dye would require sacrificing defense for offense. Another name to consider could be the Royals' David DeJesus.