Nationals Rumors

Odds & Ends: Draft, Moyer, Cubs

By Tim Dierkes | August 13, 2009 at 9:46am CDT

Links for Thursday…

RotoAuthority looks at the worst closers in baseball.
Indians first-round draft pick Alex White is "seeking top five money," according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Hoynes says the Indians are optimistic about signing him before Monday's deadline.
As you might expect, Chico Harlan of the Washington Post says the Stephen Strasburg talks between the Nationals and Scott Boras will go down to the wire. MLBTR will be covering the signing deadline intensely, as we did last year.
Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a source saying the Phillies' bullpen demotion of Jamie Moyer was "not in any way influenced by money." The team's timing of the move was impeccable, regardless.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times talked to Cubs GM Jim Hendry, who isn't anticipating any waiver moves for his team.
ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider link) speculates on a handful of teams that could use recently-designated third baseman Bill Hall.
Reliever Justin Speier was gracious about his release from the Angels, according to Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times.

Heyman On White Sox, Mets, Bay, Holliday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 12, 2009 at 12:36pm CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Blue Jays asked for a player currently on the White Sox in exchange for Alex Rios before asking for a prospect and eventually settling for salary relief. Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi didn't get MLB talent back for his right fielder, but executives around the league say they understand the thought process behind the trade. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

One GM says Rios would be a good gamble at $30-35MM, but the $60MM remaining on his deal is too much.
White Sox GM Kenny WIlliams says he's fully confident that Jake Peavy will transition into the American League and help the White Sox down the stretch.
It's uncertain whether Gary Sheffield and Pedro Feliciano were claimed off waivers. Two AL teams were interested in Sheffield before his hamstring injuries popped up.
Teams are claiming more cheap, young players than ever.
The Red Sox would love Marco Scutaro, but aren't likely to get the chance to acquire him since teams with worse records would presumably claim him.
Heyman hears that Matt Holliday could press for a no-trade clause and may not take the biggest deal he sees as a free agent this offseason.
Some estimate that Jason Bay could make about $60MM over four years when he hits free agency after the season.
The Nats could name a new GM by the end of the month. Acting GM Mike Rizzo is receiving praise around the league for acquiring Nyjer Morgan.
Most execs believe John Smoltz is more likely to land in the NL.

Nats Narrow Search For Next GM

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 11, 2009 at 1:18pm CDT

According to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, the Nationals have narrowed their search for a permanent GM to three executives, one of whom is making the calls as the club attempts to sign pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg. Acting GM Mike Rizzo, Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer and D'Backs executive Jerry Dipoto are the frontrunners, but we shouldn't expect the Nats to name a permanent GM until after the deadline to sign draft picks passes on Monday.

Odds And Ends: Webb, Tazawa, Morgan, Aurilia

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 11, 2009 at 10:11am CDT

A few links for the morning…

Today's chat starts at 2pm CST.
Brandon Webb says he'll pitch next year and he hopes it's with the D'Backs, according to Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic. The team has the option of paying Webb $8.5MM or buying him out for $2MM.
MLB.com's Jason Beck says the Tigers, who had interest in Junichi Tazawa last Winter, now have to face the righty as he makes his first MLB start.
How about this stat, from Tracee Hamilton of the Washington Post: The Nats were 21st in the majors in runs before Nyjer Morgan's arrival. Since trading for him, they're third.
MLB.com's Chris Haft wonders if the Giants may be about to release Rich Aurilia.
Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that the Red Sox agreed to sign 10th rounder Brandon Jacobs for $750k, which exceeds the recommended bonus by about $600k.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that the A's have budgeted first round money for fourth rounder Max Stassi. However, there appears to be a 50% chance he accepts a scholarship at UCLA instead of going pro.

Odds & Ends: Rios, Reds, Nationals

By Eddie Schmid | August 10, 2009 at 7:47pm CDT

On this day last year, the White Sox acquired Horacio Ramirez from the Royals for minor-leaguer Paul Orlando. Today, they got Alex Rios for nothing.

Matt Eddy at Baseball America has a useful guide to the past week's minor-league transactions.
Tough break for the Nationals: According to Chico Harlan at the Washington Post, prized young arm Jordan Zimmermann has a torn ligament that will likely require up to 18 months to repair. Speculation, but perhaps this could further press the Nationals in the Stephen Strasburg negotiations?
Ken Davidoff at Newsday likes the Alex Rios move for both teams.
Game of Inches analyzes some metrics and sees the Rios move as a big win for J.P. Ricciardi.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that talks have fallen off between the team and first-round selection Mike Leake. Last week's above-slot signing of Mike Minor by the Braves didn't help matters.

Cristian Guzman Clears Waivers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 10, 2009 at 3:01pm CDT

3:01pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that the Nationals have no intention of trading Guzman to the Red Sox or any other team. In fact, Nick Cafardo's Boston Globe report upset the Nats and confused Guzman because it said the Red Sox claimed the shortstop on waivers.

1:08pm: Cristian Guzman cleared waivers and can now be traded to any club, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The 31-year-old shortstop is hitting .317/.337/.437 , but the $8MM salary he makes this year and next seems to have prevented teams from claiming Guzman.

What To Expect Before The Signing Deadline

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 10, 2009 at 2:39pm CDT

ESPN.com's Keith Law reminds us that the Reds seemed unlikely to sign Yonder Alonso until hours before the deadline to sign draft picks last summer. It shouldn't be any different this year; here are the details:

We'll hear that teams aren't close to signing their picks, but that doesn't mean the two sides won't agree to last-minute deals.
Don't expect Stephen Strasburg, Dustin Ackley or Donavan Tate (all Scott Boras clients) to sign much before next Monday at midnight.
Law expects Strasburg to sign for about $18-20MM.
The commissioner's office will try to limit the number of over-slot signings, but teams can offer whatever they like, so MLB's efforts to hold teams to recommended bonuses may be quixotic in the end.

Odds And Ends: Nats, Royals, Rios, Rays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 10, 2009 at 1:40pm CDT

How Much Should The Nats Offer Strasburg?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 10, 2009 at 12:21pm CDT

The Nationals have one week to sign top pick Stephen Strasburg. Widely considered one of the best college pitching prospects ever, Strasburg is in line for a record-setting bonus. Nats acting GM Mike Rizzo will negotiate with crafty agent Scott Boras, Strasburg's representative. The Nats don't have any long-term commitments other than Ryan Zimmerman's deal and they've only committed about $28MM to their 2010 payroll so far (though that figure will rise considerably because of the team's arbitration-eligible players).

So how much should the Nats be willing to offer? $10MM? $50MM? They would receive the second overall pick in next year's draft if they fail to sign Strasburg, but a first overall pick now is worth more than a second overall pick later, at least in theory. If you're making the call for the Nats, how much would you offer Strasburg?

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the financial details.

Olney On Guzman, Hardy, Rays, Rios

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 10, 2009 at 11:37am CDT

ESPN.com's Buster Olney says we should know today whether anyone has successfully claimed Cristian Guzman off waivers. However, some executives say Guzman isn't worth the $8MM he makes annually. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:

J.J. Hardy hasn't yet cleared waivers and Olney wonders if the Red Sox could target him. They had interest in Hardy earlier in the year, but the two teams couldn't agree on the shortstop's value.
The Rays are one of the teams claiming many players. They don't expect to acquire all the cheap youngsters they claim, but they could face a roster issue if they're handed multiple players.
Every talent evaluator Olney speaks with believes the Jays need to take advantage of the club that claimed Alex Rios and dump the right fielder's salary while they can.

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