Links for Wednesday…
- Anthony Lerew cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. The Royals designated Lerew for assignment over the weekend.
- Kat O'Brien of The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote a very interesting piece about what happens in Cuba once their players defect. Said one local cab driver: "[Aroldis] Chapman doesn't exist. He never existed."
- Pirates' team president Frank Coonelly chatted with fans at MLB.com. He fielded a question about what the Pirates would do with the second overall pick in June's draft if for some reason the Nationals pass on Bryce Harper.
- The Tigers released minor leaguer Kory Casto, reports Tom Gage of The Detroit News. Casto had been signed to a minor league deal after a .271/.334/.378 performance for the Nationals' Triple A club. Baseball America ranked him fourth among Nats prospects heading into the '07 season.
- Which of Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, and Ryan Doumit is most likely to be traded this summer? Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tackles the question.
- SI's Jon Heyman speculates that the Phillies would probably have to trade Raul Ibanez to be able to retain Jayson Werth after this season.
- Adeiny Hechavarria's visa has been approved and he's headed to the U.S. to take his physical this week for the Blue Jays, tweets ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan suggests the Rays will have long-term difficulty competing, while Jonah Keri offers a rebuttal.
- Rocco Baldelli still has hopes of playing baseball, according to this FOX Sports Florida article. He's currently rehabbing a shoulder injury and working with Rays minor leaguers.
- ESPN's Adam Rubin says the Mets will not place Canadian third base prospect Shawn Bowman on waivers until they've exhausted trade possibilites.
- In search of an accurate Mariners payroll number, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times arrives at about $93MM.
- Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies explains why free agent Braden Looper would be a good fit for Colorado. On a related note, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post learned that the Rockies are not interested in Jarrod Washburn.
- Elsewhere on the "nothing brewing" front, Jim Bowden of FOX Sports tweets that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told him the team has had no discussions regarding Pedro Martinez.
I hope Baldelli can find his way back onto a Major League squad as a 4th outfielder at some point.
As for Looper, I think he would be terrible in Colorado. Sure he can fill several different roles for the club, but playing in Coors Field would be a nightmare for a pitcher who threw up a 5.22 ERA while also giving up a league leading 39 homers.
Here is why Looper would be a great fit…attendance is down in Denver, and it’s largely due to the drop in video-game like statistics from the players, especially home runs. Braden Looper is a one man solution to this problem. 4 out of 5 games the Rockies could continue to play excellent, sound baseball. 1 out of 5 games could be “Braden Looper’s throwback nights” with balls rocketing out of the ballpark as if cannons had been installed behind home plate. This makes everybody happy. Yet another genius solution presented by the always savvy Mr. Ringolsby.
They finally found out how to say Hechevarria’s name!!
It’s ah-they-nee echi-bar-ia
I have a question that is probably has a pretty obvious answer, but I like to be positive. What happens if a player retires before his contract expires? The team keeps the money that has yet to be earned, correct? (Sorry, I know that was dumb. Lol)
Correct, its kinda like an opt out clause.
Wow. I forgot all bout Looper still being a free agent.
Rockies should not sign Looper… Don’t let his 14-7 record fool you! He got a lot of run support…
When will the pirates quit trading away there major league quality players. The fans have gone thru rebuilding with this team since the early 90`s. The owners are mercanary Bas***ds who are sucking the profit sharing dry. If you are really losing money like you claim you would not have a problem showing your books YOU bunch of liars with an in house pimp for the owner commisoner in Bud Selig. For god sakes the bucs are one of the oldest teams in the national league. Wagner, Clemente, Stargell,the waner brothers, arky vaughn on and on the list of some of the great pirates can go. Shame on the owners, Shame on baseball.
Dude, none of these guys will be on the next winning Pirates team, and Huntington is smart enough to only care about that. Let him acquire pieces for the McCutcheon-Alvarez team that could actually compete, whether that’s in the trades themselves or in saving money to put toward the draft. There’s no trophy for winning 72 games instead of 65.
What if these two expensive draft picks turn out to be Busts? It happens all the time. Now your back to 60 wins.
So? They’ll never, ever make the playoffs with a team built around Maholm, Duke, etc. They *could* make the playoffs with a team of high upside draft picks. What’s the point in treading water? You really want to maintain the status quo? Building through the draft, international signings, and judicious trades with a big commitment of money and resources to scouting and signing is the only chance to build a winning team in Pittsburgh. I didn’t say their picks won’t be busts. Many of them will be. But many of the Rays’ high picks were busts, and they still managed to build this way.
That is exactly the correct to build an orginization you are very astute. My point is if you are little better this year with the talent you have compared to last year , you keep tweaking that until you become a break even team and keep working on it. The last 18 years or so the pirates have had a fire sale once a guy shows some ability and he might make a few million thru arbitration the owners trade that player off. At that rate we will be having the same conversation in another 18 years from now.
I have faith that that’s not what’s happening here. They’re just flipping the guys or shedding the salaries that won’t be part of that team. This management spends so much on the draft that I’m confident they’ll spend on the major league team when it’s time.
So the Nationals automatically get first pick now?
Very interesting article on Chapman and other Cuban ballplayers who defect – it certainly reinforces my appreciation for America and the freedom we often take for granted.
Never take that for granted, it won’t last I pray it does, but we all know it won’t
Why won’t it last? And please don’t write something ignorant about Obama, Healthcare or Socialism.
But c’mon a less than flattering article about Cuba from a U.S. newspaper, it must ALL be true because an American newspaper would have no reason to badmouth Cuba…. right?
Seriously, its no secret to people who know me I eventually want to move to America but the more I hear/see about how easily the media manipulates the masses the more I think I’m so much better off in England.
*Sorry the nature of the internet and my experience have led me to believe your comment was ignorant and didn’t have a decent point to make… I apologize if I took what you said wrong and went on some crazy rant for no reason.
Kansas City is the land of the misfit Braves and Lerew is the captain
I would love to see the Pirates as buyers at the deadline this year. Trade for an established pitcher and go for it!!! The fans deserve a competitive team SO badly. Garrett and McCutchen isn’t enough to make a quality team though.
If I was a Pirates fan I would have faith in them for getting the maximum in return for trading Doumit, I just fail to see how trading Duke/Maholm helps the team at all they are so light on SP already and even after the trades last year are hardly swimming in minor league elite arms.
The thing that would concern me the most is that in the instance that Washington doesn’t pick Harper(Which is ridiculous in itself) the FO already has a ready made excuse as to why they are too cheap to sign him…. ridiculous.
Its absolutely pathetic that they are going to draft another Bryan Bullington just to save money.
I fail to see why ANYONE would not see Bryce Harper as THE premier pick in this years draft. Anthony Ranaudo is a good prospect but not on the level of Harper. What better way to prove to your extremely patient and understanding fan base that you are serious about investing in building a winner than by getting a marquee prospect like Harper. Seriously does anyone here not think that if you put the kid at 1B/3B he’s gonna be a legit 40 HR all star?
I’m pretty sure he’s a 2B and a catcher.
I just have a bad feeling about Harper. I think he’ll be a bust. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know. I just have always had a bad feeling about him.