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Odds & Ends: Smoltz, Nationals GM, Chapman, Orioles

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A couple of links on a lazy Sunday…

  • ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Texas Rangers and several NL teams have expressed interest in acquiring John Smoltz. The 42-yr old is mulling his options at the moment, but Olney says it's "highly unlikely that any NL team would be willing to take Smoltz in a trade without some financial adjustment."
  • Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that there is lots of "chatter among major league sources in Washington that Diamondbacks director of scouting and player development Jerry Dipoto is the leading candidate to be Nationals general manager." He mentions that Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer has also been mentioned as a candidate, and that the club is also considering giving interm GM Mike Rizzo the job on a permanent basis.
  • This one's a bit old, but Peter Bjarkman balances out some of the hype we've heard about Cuban defectee Aroldis Chapman, citing his lack of control in the strike zone and his pedestrian track record in the Cuban National League. (h/t Patrick at NPB Tracker)
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports that Aubrey Huff, Melvin Mora, and Danys Baez have cleared waivers. Mora expressed his displeasure with Baltimore earlier in the week. Remember, you can find our list of players who've cleared waivers featured on the sidebar.

Olney On Gonzalez, Draft, Strasburg

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Two prominent baseball figures inched closer to retirement yesterday and ESPN.com's Buster Olney recognizes both of them. John Smoltz's fading repertoire brings him closer to retirement than ever and the faltering newspaper industry will push longtime Reds writer Hal McCoy to call it a career after the season. Here are Olney's rumors:

  • Olney hears that the Mariners came closer to obtaining Adrian Gonzalez than the Red Sox ever did.
  • Many teams are believed to have struck deals with their top picks. So why haven't we heard about them? Teams will announce over-slot deals at the last minute so it seems like they're respecting the commissioner's recommended bonuses.
  • Real doubts are beginning to emerge that the Nats will be able to sign Stephen Strasburg. 

Draft Updates: Pirates, Royals, Nats

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Updates on one pick who signed and a couple who may sign soon…

  • ESPN.com's Keith Law reports that the Royals agreed to sign 14th rounder Crawford Simmons for a $450k bonus.
  • Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates should sign eighth rounder Colton Cain this morning. He could receive a bonus worth over $350k; like Simmons' deal, that would be above-slot.
  • Nats selection Drew Storen was the first pick to sign. He told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that he's looking forward to playing in the big leagues, possibly as soon as this season.

Nats Acquire Ward & Hopper From White Sox

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The Nationals acquired former major leaguers Daryle Ward and Norris Hopper from the White Sox today, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The players go from Chicago's Triple A team to Washington's.

Ward, 34, played 11 big league seasons, most recently with last year's Cubs. Hopper, 30, spent parts of three seasons with the Reds, but hasn't appeared in the majors this year.

Mets Acquire Anderson Hernandez

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The Mets acquired second baseman Anderson Hernandez from the Nationals, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says the Nats obtain minor league second baseman Greg Veloz in return.

Hernandez, 26, already played for the Mets from 2005-07. This year he's hitting .251/.310/.320. Veloz, 21, is hitting .232 without much power or plate discipline in high-A ball.

Which Teams Shed Salary At The Deadline?

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Yesterday we found that the Cardinals led the group of 12 teams that took on at least $1MM leading up to the trade deadline. They took on $6.6MM and were the only team to add as much as $5MM in payroll. So what about the sellers? Here's a look at the teams that traded away at least $1MM in 2009 salary this summer. Again, all totals are approximate:

Seven teams saved $1MM or more this deadline. The Indians, Pirates and A's saved considerably more than that this year and the Padres saved considerably more than that in the future. Surprisingly, the Nationals don't appear on this list. Their decision to trade Joe Beimel saved them $700k and they're paying Nick Johnson to play for the Marlins, so ironically, the team everyone thought would sell wasn't much of a seller.

Nats Will Look For Pitching & A Second Baseman

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The Nats will look for a veteran starter, relievers and a second baseman this offseason, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Here are the details on the team's plans:

  • Acting GM Mike Rizzo says he's looking for a "teacher and mentor type" pitcher to solidify the staff and help develop the club's young arms.
  • The Nats want to revamp their bullpen and Ladson expects them to pursue closers this offseason.  
  • Second base has been an issue, so Ladson suggests the team could pursue Orlando Hudson again when he becomes a free agent after the season.  
  • The Nats would also like to add speed to their lineup. 

Odds & Ends: More Deadline Reactions

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A few more links in the aftermath of the trade deadline…

  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson says that Nationals interm GM Mike Rizzo "didn't have a choice but to trade Nick Johnson because the latter did not want to negotiate an extension with the Nationals." Johnson is looking for a two year deal according to Ladson.
  • ESPN's Keith Law ranks the prospects traded at this year's deadline. Brett Wallace, acquired by Oakland in the Matt Holliday deal, tops the list.
  • John Sickels of Minor League Ball chimes in with his thoughts on all of this year's deadline trades.
  • The Padres signed sixth rounder James Needy to a $298K bonus according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Needy is just the second player this year to sign a deal worth more than $100K over MLB's slot recommendation.
  • As exciting as yesterday was, Ryo at NPB Tracker tells us that the trade deadline in Japan went by rather quietly. There has been exactly one trade made all year in Nippon Professional Baseball, and it involved just two players filling supporting roles. Where's the fun in that?

Odds & Ends: King Felix, Matusz, Johnson

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A hearty batch of links for your Saturday afternoon viewing pleasure…

  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times takes a deeper look at the Felix Herandez-Red Sox talks that took place just before the trade deadline yesterday.  It seems like a sensitive subject for most Mariners fans.
  • According to Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are having a "vigorous debate" about calling up pitching prospect Brian Matusz.  "The service time issue also is largely moot," Schmuck writes, "because no matter how much time he spends up here this year, he's still under reserve for another six."
  • Matthew Pouliot of NBCSports.com's "Circling The Bases," reviews the trade deadline's winners and losers.
  • Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that Nick Johnson did not want to discuss an extension with the Nationals, thus the trade, and is hoping for a two-year deal when he becomes a free agent this offseason.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock, a Padres beat writer, has more on the impending release of Mark Prior.

More Trade Reactions

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A few more trade discussions on a calm Saturday afternoon…

  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer believes the Scott Rolen deal has left the Reds with no payroll flexibility heading into 2010.  "That's not good," he writes, "when you need a shortstop and an outfielder with some pop — among other things."
  • Tracee Hamilton of the Washington Post writes the Nationals "did absolutely the right thing" in shipping off left-hander Joe Beimel and first baseman Nick Johnson.
  • Longtime Padres beat writer Tom Krasovic has a look at the Jake Peavy trade: "This looks like a potentially big victory for the Padres and new CEO Jeff Moorad — if, and it's a big if, the club can parlay the $56 million saved into good investments throughout its baseball operations and future payrolls."
  • Michael Salfino of SNY thinks the Mets should have made a move or two at the deadline.  "The frustrating thing for Mets fans," Salfino writes, "is that catcher Victor Martinez was there for the taking.  The cost reportedly was one of two Double-A pitchers Brad Holt or Jenrry Mejia plus Jon Niese."
  • For all full look at the deals that went down Friday, check out MLBTR's transactions-only archive. 
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