Archives for July 2011

Quick Hits: Pirates, Jimenez, Dodgers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 31, 2011 at 11:15pm CDT

It's easy to be overwhelmed by all of the action on July 31st, but we've summarized this month's trades by division. Earlier today, Zach Links looked back at the American League (East, Central, West) and the National League (East, Central, West). Here are some more links for Sunday night…

The Pirates explored "huge deals" without coming close to completing them, GM Neal Huntington told MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (Twitter link).
Ubaldo Jimenez has the right to void the Indians' $8MM team option for 2014 because he was traded, as MLB.com's Jordan Bastian points out (on Twitter). There isn't currently a deadline for the decision.
A lot of teams will likely start the waiver process tomorrow, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Teams were allowed to start passing players through waivers last week to clear them by Monday.
Athletics owner Lew Wolff told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he wants Frank McCourt to sell the Dodgers. "My hope is that the Dodgers will be sold to a party that will restart this great franchise, and that Frank and his family will benefit from a positive sale," Wolff said. He's the first MLB owner to publicly call on McCourt to stop fighting for his team, as Shaikin notes.

MLBTR Originals

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 31, 2011 at 10:30pm CDT

Here's a look back at our original work from the week – with all of the trades that went down, there's a good chance you missed some of these the first time around…

We rounded up reaction to the deadline in general and took stock of the Hunter Pence trade, the Carlos Beltran trade and the trade that sent Edwin Jackson to St. Louis for Colby Rasmus.
Dan Mennella examined this week's moves from a fantasy angle.
Howard Megdal paged through the history books and determined that it's pretty rare for outfielders like Beltran to get traded midseason.
Dan asked and you answered – Beltran isn't quite as appealing as B.J. Upton.
Tim Dierkes presented some projected Type B free agents who could be acquired because of the potential for a draft pick.
We provided an updated projection for this winter's Elias Rankings.
I talked to Jose Bautista about some of his trade deadline experiences.
Tim asked a question that will resonate around MLB this August: is Wandy Rodriguez overpaid?
Tim also presented potentially available bats by wOBA.
Mike rounded up the best of the blogs for another edition of his Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature.

AL East Notes: Rays, Bedard, Hairston, Jimenez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 31, 2011 at 10:05pm CDT

The deadline has passed and the Yankees are the only team in the AL East that didn't make a deal. The Rays were pretty quiet, too, but there may have been a reason for that…

Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman underwent an appendectomy last night, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. However, that didn't stop Friedman from conducting business from his hospital room this afternoon.
The Red Sox and Mariners will each cover some of the incentives on Erik Bedard's contract, GM Jack Zduriencik told Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).
The Red Sox had interest in Scott Hairston, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). However, the Mets weren't interested in minor salary relief or a marginal prospect.
Boston wasn’t the only interested team, by the way. The Braves talked to the Mets about acquiring Hairston as a bench bat, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
Jack Curry of the YES Network hears that the Yankees wanted a shoulder MRI for Ubaldo Jimenez, but the Rockies declined (Twitter link).

Trade Reaction: Ubaldo, Rangers, Furcal, Mariners

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 31, 2011 at 9:30pm CDT

We've seen dozens of deals completed this month. To help you make sense of it all, here are some reactions to the moves from around MLB…

Yahoo's Jeff Passan breaks down the deadline for all 30 teams. The Astros might receive Passan's harshest criticism. Passan's response to this morning's Michael Bourn trade: "To send him to Atlanta without getting at least Mike Minor or Randall Delgado, let alone Julio Teheran or Arodys Vizcaino, shows a deep misunderstanding by GM Ed Wade of the proper way to rebuild." Ouch.
The Rangers, Phillies, Braves, Giants and Mets are winners for ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Yankees, Angels, Reds and Cubs are losers, Stark writes. The Astros face harsh criticism once again: "They're basically starting to shape themselves for 2015," one NL executive told Stark. "It's almost like they're doing an expansion team."
Brian Sabean (Giants), Jon Daniels (Rangers), Dan O'Dowd (Rockies) and Jed Hoyer (Padres) are among the general managers on Jim Bowden's list of top deadline deal-makers at ESPN.com.
In a separate piece, Passan looks back at flameout rates for pitching prospects and concludes that the Indians made a great deal in acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez for a package of players including Drew Pomeranz and Alex White.
One front office polled its members about winners and losers and the Rangers were the unanimous top choice, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
ESPN.com's Keith Law says Rafael Furcal is an upgrade for the Cardinals at short because St. Louis didn't have any legitimate alternatives. Furcal, Law writes, is an average defender with a plus arm.
The Mariners did well to acquire Charlie Furbush, Francisco Martinez, Casper Wells and one of the Tigers' top three picks from the 2010 draft for David Pauley and Doug Fister, who benefit from spacious Safeco Field, Law writes.
Law says the Mariners did well to obtain Trayvon Robinson for two months of Erik Bedard and Josh Fields ("a throw-in"), but he isn't sure what the Dodgers were doing in this deal.
The Rangers' bullpen will be substantially better with Mike Adams and Koji Uehara, Law writes at ESPN.com. San Diego gets Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland from the Rangers, two pitchers who "make up in probability for what they might lack in upside."

The Latest On Wandy Rodriguez

By Mike Axisa | July 31, 2011 at 9:15pm CDT

The Astros traded two of their three starting outfielders before this afternoon's trade deadline, but they were unable to find a taker for Wandy Rodriguez. Let's round up the latest news regarding the left-hander, all courtesy of SI.com's Jon Heyman on Twitter…

The Yankees offered to pay $21MM of the $38MM left on Wandy's contract, but that wasn't enough for the Astros.
The Indians and Blue Jays were both interested in Rodriguez, both only in a three-team scenario that would have sent him elsewhere. Presumably, the Yankees were that third team.
The $38MM left on Rodriguez's contract makes him a prime August waiver trade candidate, but is there a chance a team claims him? "None," said one executive Heyman.
The Yankees are unlikely to revisit talks with Houston after Wandy clears waivers this month.

AL West Trades

By Zachary Links | July 31, 2011 at 9:00pm CDT

Everyone in the AL West made a trade this month, with the exception of the Halos..

Angels

No trades completed.

Athletics

Acquired first baseman Brandon Allen and reliever Jordan Norberto from the Diamondbacks for right-hander Brad Ziegler.

Mariners

Acquired outfielders Trayvon Robinson from the Dodgers and Chih-Hsien Chiang from the Red Sox in a three-team deal. Boston received starter Erik Bedard and reliever Josh Fields from Seattle. Meanwhile, Boston sent catcher Tim Federowicz, reliever Juan Rodriguez, and starter Stephen Fife to Los Angeles.
Acquired third baseman Francisco Martinez, outfielder Casper Wells, southpaw Charlie Furbush, and a player to be named later from the Tigers for starter Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley. The PTBNL is reportedly one of the Tigers' top three picks from the 2010 draft, meaning that it's either Nick Castellanos, Chance Ruffin, or Drew Smyly.
Received cash considerations from the Diamondbacks for Ryan Langerhans.

Rangers

Acquired reliever Mike Adams from the Padres for pitching prospects Joe Wieland and Robbie Erlin.
Acquired Koji Uehara and $2MM from the Orioles for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter.
Acquired Nick Green and cash considerations from the Orioles for lefty reliever Zach Phillips.

AL Central Trades

By Zachary Links | July 31, 2011 at 8:30pm CDT

Here are this month's trades in the AL Central, headlined by the deal that brought Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians..

Indians

Acquired outfield prospect Thomas Neal from the Indians for shortstop Orlando Cabrera.
Acquired Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies for Joe Gardner, Alex White, Matt McBride and a player to be named later. The deal is expected to include left-hander Drew Pomeranz once he's eligible to be traded in mid-August.
Acquired right fielder Kosuke Fukudome and about $3.9MM from the Cubs for minor leaguer outfielder Abner Abreu and reliever Carlton Smith.

Royals

Acquired infielder/outfielder Yamaico Navarro and reliever Kendal Volz from the Red Sox for infielder Mike Aviles.
Acquired prospects Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez from the Tigers for Wilson Betemit.

Tigers

Acquired starter Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley from the Mariners for third baseman Francisco Martinez, outfielder Casper Wells, southpaw Charlie Furbush, and a player to be named later. The PTBNL is reportedly one of the Tigers' top three picks from the 2010 draft, meaning that it's either Nick Castellanos, Chance Ruffin, or Drew Smyly.
Acquired Wilson Betemit from the Royals for prospects Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez.

Twins

The Twins didn't complete any of the deals they discussed.

White Sox

Acquired reliever Jason Frasor and starter Zach Stewart from the Blue Jays for starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen.

Bobby Abreu’s 2012 Option Vests

By Mike Axisa | July 31, 2011 at 7:59pm CDT

When Bobby Abreu came to the plate against Jose Valverde in the ninth inning of today's game, it was his 433rd plate appearance of the season. Combined with last year's 667 plate appearances, it gives him an even 1,100 plate appearances from 2010-2011. That vests his 2012 option, worth $9MM.

Abreu, 37, has hit a respectable .264/.380/.354 in those 433 PA this year, though his power numbers continue to decline with age. His 67 walks are the sixth most in baseball, but he doesn't contribute anything with the glove and has spent 73 games at DH this season. Cot's Baseball Contracts shows the team's commitments for next season, and only Vernon Wells ($24.6MM), Torii Hunter ($18MM), Dan Haren ($11MM), and Ervin Santana ($11.2MM) are scheduled to make more than Abreu. Jered Weaver figures to climb ahead of him in his third trip through arbitration.

AL Central Notes: Hunter, Thornton, Rauch, Indians

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 31, 2011 at 7:30pm CDT

The American League Central welcomed a handful of new players this week – most notably right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. Yet many other trades didn't materialize. Here are the details on some deals that could have impacted the division…

The Tigers tried to acquire Tommy Hunter from the Rangers before the Orioles obtained him in the Koji Uehara deal yesterday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Tigers did acquire Doug Fister for their rotation.
The Brewers called on every good left-handed relief option out there, including White Sox southpaw Matt Thornton, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (on Twitter).
The Twins talked to the Blue Jays about re-acquiring Jon Rauch, but talks went nowhere, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
The Indians discussed as many as 75 players leading up to the deadline, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter).

AL East Trades

By Zachary Links | July 31, 2011 at 7:00pm CDT

This month's AL East trades..

Blue Jays

Acquired center fielder Colby Rasmus and pitchers Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters from the Cardinals for starter Edwin Jackson, relievers Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel, outfielder Corey Patterson, and three players to be named later or cash considerations.
Acquired starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen from the White Sox for reliever Jason Frasor and starter Zach Stewart.
Will receive a player to be named later or cash considerations from the Dodgers for outfielder Juan Rivera.

Orioles

Acquired minor league first baseman Aaron Baker from the Pirates for Derrek Lee.
Acquired Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter from Texas for Koji Uehara and $2MM.
Acquired lefty reliever Zach Phillips from the Rangers for Nick Green and cash considerations.

Rays

Received cash considerations from the Brewers in exchange for Felipe Lopez.

Red Sox

Acquired starter Erik Bedard and reliever Josh Fields from Seattle in a three-way deal also involving the Dodgers. Boston sent catcher Tim Federowicz, reliever Juan Rodriguez, and starter Stephen Fife to Los Angeles and outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang to Seattle. The M's also got outfielder Trayvon Robinson from the Dodgers.
Acquired infielder Mike Aviles from the Royals for infielder/outfielder Yamaico Navarro and reliever Kendal Volz.
Will receive a player to be named later or cash from Florida for outfielder Mike Cameron.

Yankees

The Yankees didn't make any July trades for the first year since 1999.

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