Heyman On Mets, Trades, Billingsley
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman wonders why the Mets aren't giving Daniel Murphy a chance as their regular first baseman. He names trade possibilities, in order of likelihood: Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, Russell Branyan, Victor Martinez/Mark DeRosa, and Garrett Atkins.
- Heyman names 22 players who might hit the trading block this summer, headed by Jake Peavy, Matt Holliday, and Erik Bedard. The A's could potentially have a lot of veterans to spin off.
- Heyman says "the Dodgers briefly tried to lock up Chad Billingsley this winter, and probably wish they had." Billingsley will be eligible for arbitration for the first time after this season, so his salary figures to jump up past $4MM.
Nick Johnson Rumors
The Nationals' injury-prone first baseman, Nick Johnson, is off to a .333/.432/.468 start in 169 plate appearances. He hasn't played a full season since '06, so it might make sense for GM Mike Rizzo to trade him while he's healthy and hitting. Johnson has about $4.2MM left on his contract.
On Saturday, ESPN's Peter Gammons wrote:
The Nationals have let it be known that Nick Johnson is available, but Boston won't trade Clay Buchholz.
I think MLB.com's Bill Ladson was responding to that Gammons sentence when he wrote today:
Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson has been mentioned in trade rumors of late. The Red Sox are said to be scouting Johnson, but the truth is, according to a baseball source, Washington and Boston haven't talked since April.
Ladson goes on to say that the Nationals would want a pitching prospect in a Johnson trade, and the player had kind words for the Red Sox.
How about the Giants, who are 14th in the NL with 3.97 runs scored per game and have gotten a .228/.275/.272 line out of first basemen Travis Ishikawa and Rich Aurilia? Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says "I heard Nick Johnson's name on the lips of more than one uniformed person Tuesday." Aurilia might be on the way out, but to make room for Jesus Guzman.
The Mets are another team often speculated as a suitor for Johnson. GM Omar Minaya will stay in-house for now for Carlos Delgado's replacement, but maybe he'll make a deal if Delgado has a setback.
Alex Cintron Designated For Assignment
According to Pete McElroy of MASN, the Nationals designated infielder Alex Cintron for assignment. Cintron, 30, had two hits and two walks in 28 plate appearances. The Nats also placed Elijah Dukes on the DL, clearing the way for call-ups of Justin Maxwell and Jason Bergmann. The Nationals are going with an eight-man bullpen.
Strasburg Unlikely To Skip Minors
Yahoo's Jeff Passan talked to Nationals acting GM Mike Rizzo, who said that he doesn't see any pitchers in the 2009 draft class jumping straight to the Majors. Knowing that Rizzo plans to draft Stephen Strasburg, the implication is that the righty won't join Washington's rotation right after signing. If you've been holding your fantasy league's #1 waiver pick for him, it's time to think about Plan B. Passan and Chico Harlan of the Washington Post both suggest the most we'd see from Strasburg would be a September cameo as part of a contractual obligation.
Ryan Wagner Retires
According to Pete McElroy of MASN, 26 year-old pitcher Ryan Wagner retired. He'd been attempting to battle back from a torn labrum in the Nationals organization. Wagner was drafted 14th overall by the Reds in 2003, after the Blue Jays took Aaron Hill and before the White Sox snagged Brian Anderson. Wagner did his best work as a rookie the year he was drafted; he finishes his career with a 4.79 ERA in 165.3 innings.
2010 Options: Washington Nationals
Let's take a look at the 2010 options facing the Nationals.
- Austin Kearns – $10MM club option with a $1MM buyout. Kearns displayed strong defense prior to last year, and he can draw a walk. He's got skills, but they aren't worth the $9MM net commitment. He's a good candidate to be traded this year if the Nationals can find a taker.
- Dmitri Young – $6MM option vests with 500 PAs in '09. Young is currently on a leave of absence; he's yet to play this year. He's on the 40-man roster due to a handshake agreement with Jim Bowden.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Cubs, Astros
Links for Monday…
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Baseball America's Jim Callis that the team's #10 overall draft pick will not be influenced by signability. MLB.com's Bill Ladson's source believes negotiations between Rizzo and Scott Boras for Stephen Strasburg will go well, given their past history.
- Regarding Friday's call for MLBTR writers, I still have many applications to review. I will keep you updated here on the site.
- McCovey Chronicles discusses The Jonathan Sanchez Paradox.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post names Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, and Mark DeRosa as the most probable trade targets for the Mets if Carlos Delgado is out for an extended period of time. Check out MLBTR's discussion of this topic from Saturday. SI.com's Jon Heyman also weighed in today.
- Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal has an update on progress made on the sale of the Cubs.
- On Sunday, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that Freddy Sanchez's current contract clause will likely cause the Pirates to avoid vesting options in the future.
- On June 1st, Alyson Footer will begin a new job working for the Astros. The new MLB.com beat writer will be Brian McTaggart, who covered the team for the Houston Chronicle.
Draft Update: Giants, Mariners, Braves, Nats
ESPN.com's Keith Law has an update on various teams and players as the June draft approaches. Here are some highlights; the original article has more detail.
- The Giants are strongly considering taking a high school pitcher with their sixth overall pick.
- Expect the Mariners to take Dustin Ackley, North Carolina's first baseman, with their first rounder.
- Ackley's teammate, righty Alex White, pitched in front of four GMs Thursday: Brian Sabean (Giants), Neal Huntington (Pirates), Jack Zdurencik (Mariners) and Mike Rizzo (Nationals).
- ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill reports that White did not impress. Check out Churchill's article for more analysis of some top amateur players.
- The Braves are expected to take Zack Wheeler, a local prep star.
- The Nationals don't get a compensation pick if they fail to sign the player they draft with their tenth overall pick because that pick is itself compensation for failure to sign Aaron Crow last year. Nats GM Mike Rizzo says he's going to draft the best available player there, regardless of signability.
- Some teams are losing interest in Kentucky lefty James Paxton, who chose Scott Boras as his advisor and pitched poorly afterwards.
Rangers To Sign Mike Hinckley
According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Rangers are close to inking left-hander Mike Hinckley to a minor league contract.
Nationals Designate Logan Kensing For Assignment
According to a press release, the Nationals designated reliever Logan Kensing for assignment. Kensing was given six appearances to show his stuff, and he allowed 12 hits and 10 runs in that time. The Nats acquired Kensing from the Marlins on April 29th for minor league reliever Kyle Gunderson.