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Archives for June 2010

Poll: Do The Rangers Need To Make A Trade?

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A federal judge's ruling could limit the Rangers' ability to make major moves this summer, but the team is playing so well that a big acquisition hardly seems necessary. Rangers GM Jon Daniels will explore the starting pitching market regardless of how quickly his team's sale goes through. Rich Harden and Derek Holland are recovering from injuries, so the Rangers will consider adding pitching reinforcements, though their chances of getting a star like Roy Oswalt seem to be shrinking.

The Rangers have won nine consecutive games and are tied with the Rays for the second-best record in the game. Are the Rangers a good team? Yes. The answer to today's poll question isn't as obvious.

Do the Rangers need to make a trade?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

A’s May Hold Onto Ben Sheets, Deal Coco Crisp?

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When Ben Sheets signed a one-year, $10MM contract with Oakland in January, it was widely assumed that the A's would try to flip Sheets to a contending team at the trade deadline, provided that the right-hander proved he was healthy and returned to his past form.  Sheets has made 15 starts and had some ups and downs in performance (a 4.66 ERA, 1.65 K-BB ratio), but was still seen as a candidate to be moved in July.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, however, reports that barring a "compelling" offer, the Athletics intend to keep Sheets for the remainder of the season.  The club likes how Sheets has acted as a mentor to their young pitchers and his eight-figure contract isn't too much of a burden on the payroll. 

Since Sheets doesn't even currently project to be a Type-B free agent under the most recent Elias rankings, it would seem unlike the A's to just let him walk as a free agent after the season.  It's possible the club thinks they could re-sign him at a lower price, but a healthy Sheets is bound to attract the attention of several teams over the winter. 

Rosenthal also notes that Coco Crisp could be dealt, but Oakland "will need to be motivated to move" the veteran outfielder.  Rosenthal argues that Crisp's $5.75MM option for next season fits into the club's budget, but Crisp has battled injuries for the last two seasons and has just a .719 OPS since 2006.  If the A's can't move him at the deadline, it seems more likely that Crisp would be bought out for $500K. 

Mets Notes: Santana, Millwood, Westbrook, Beltran

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While we ponder if the Jerry Seinfeld/Lady Gaga feud will reach the heights of Seinfeld's rivalry with Newman, here are a few news items concerning the Big Apple's NL side…

  • Bob Klapisch of FOXSports.com wonders if the Mets should be worried about Johan Santana given a few shaky starts and some declining peripheral numbers.  Klapisch notes that the Mets might look at Cliff Lee if they're worried about not having a top-tier ace to match against other clubs' best arms.  It's way too soon to panic about Santana given his still-solid 3.31 ERA and 2.00 K-BB ratio, though when a team has at least $88MM invested in a pitcher through 2013, it's probably not wrong to be concerned about any dip in form.
  • Klapisch also quotes senior team officials who say that Jon Niese wouldn't be moved in a hypothetical Lee deal, and an unnamed Mets player who doesn't think adding Kevin Millwood or Jake Westbrook would help the team.
  • ESPNNewYork.com's Andrew Marchand writes that with Angel Pagan playing so well in place of the injured Carlos Beltran, the dispute between the Mets and Beltran's agent Scott Boras over "the timing and authorization of Beltran's offseason knee surgery" could be "a converging storm."  Beltran is owed approximately $28MM over the rest of this season and 2011, and it was announced today that he is expected back playing by July 15.
  • Jenrry Mejia's demotion to Double-A and conversion back into starting pitching means the Mets will probably get an extra year of control over his rights, says Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

Pirates Designate Iwamura, Send Him To Minors

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TUESDAY, 9:07pm: Langosch tweets that the Bucs weren't able to find a trade partner for Iwamura, and thus the infielder will be optioned to Triple-A.

5:27pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Pirates are in fact willing to eat a lot of the money owed to Iwamura in order to trade him.

4:50pm: The Associated Press reports (via ESPN) that the Pirates will actively try to trade Iwamura. They would presumably pay most of the $2.5MM remaining on his salary in any deal.

WEDNESDAY, 2:43pm: The Pirates have designated Akinori Iwamura for assignment, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (via Twitter).

With top prospect Pedro Alvarez joining the team today and Andy LaRoche sliding into a utility role, there was no room left on the roster for the underachieving Iwamura. The Pirates acquired the 31-year-old infielder from the Rays in the offseason, making him their highest-paid player. However, in 193 plate appearances for Pittsburgh this season, Iwamura hit just .182/.292/.267.

The Pirates will be on the hook for the rest of Iwamura's $4.85MM salary, less the pro-rated portion of the major league minimum if he catches on with another club.

Odds & Ends: Millwood, Mariners, A’s, Dunn

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As we settle in for a Tim Lincecum/Roy Oswalt pitching matchup in Houston tonight, here are some news items…

  • According to Fangraphs' Dave Cameron, Kevin Millwood is what Carl Pavano was at last year's trade deadline — a veteran starter whose high ERA hides some good peripheral numbers.
  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times thinks the Mariners' hitting problems aren't to be blamed on Safeco Field.
  • CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban has some hot-stove speculation about the Giants and A's, including hinting at "a major shakeup" coming to the Oakland roster.
  • Adam Dunn tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he doesn't want to be traded.
  • Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com calls the Orioles' trade for Jake Fox "pretty much the nail in the coffin" for Garrett Atkins' playing time and possibly his tenure in Baltimore altogether.  Ghiroli guesses that Atkins could be designated for assignment by as soon as Saturday when Brad Bergesen is ready to return to the majors.
  • John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Giants utilityman Mark DeRosa will undergo wrist surgery and will miss the rest of the season (Twitter link).  San Francisco signed DeRosa to a two-year, $12MM contract in December that was criticized as too costly given DeRosa's age (35) and the fact that he underwent wrist surgery last November.  DeRosa has since said that the first surgery didn't solve his wrist problems, thus accounting for his .537 OPS this season.
  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer thinks the Reds will pick up a reliever before the trade deadline (via Twitter).
  • Outfielder/first baseman David Winfree has signed a minor-league deal with Seattle, tweets Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times-Tribune.  Winfree was playing for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton before being released last week.
  • The Sports Bank blog looks at some of Chicago's options if the White Sox indeed try to acquire a left-handed hitter.

Amateur Draft Signings: Tuesday

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Here's the round-up of today's mass signings and individual agreements between teams and players from the 2010 Amateur Draft.  The list of first-rounders and supplemental round picks to sign can be found here.

  • Pittsburgh has signed 14th-rounder Bryce Weidman and 22nd-rounder Adalberto Santos, reports Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds have signed two more of their picks.
  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times tweets that the Dodgers signed their second and seventh round selections — namely, right-hander Ralston Cash and right-hander Ryan Christenson. 
  • The Cubs agreed to terms with five draft picks today, according to a team press release.  Third-rounder Micah Gibbs was the highest-drafted player amongst the new Cubs.
  • Corey Brock of MLB.com tweets that the Padres signed fifth-round pick Rico Noel and eleventh-rounder Brian Guinn.
  • A Padres team press release confirmed the signings of Noel and Guinn, and also announced that the club had agreed to terms with six other draft picks.
  • Anthony Andro of the Dallas Morning News reports that Texas agreed to terms with sixth-rounder Brett Nicholas.
  • According to an Angels press release, the team has signed second-rounder (81st overall) Daniel Tillman, a right-handed pitcher from Florida Southern College.
  • Chris Sale passed his team physical and thus his contract with the White Sox was officially announced by the club today, via press release.

Oakland Designates Eric Patterson For Assignment

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Outfielder Eric Patterson has been designated for assignment by the Athletics, according to the team's official Twitter page.  The move comes as a result of Coco Crisp's activation from the disabled list.

Patterson joined the A's in 2008, coming from Chicago as a part of the Rich Harden trade.  Patterson had a slash line of .221/.299/.339 in 325 plate appearances with the team over the last three seasons.  With a .641 lifetime OPS and a below-average UZR/150, it's hard to see another club making a move for Patterson unless they need a pinch-runner — Patterson is 22-for-24 in career stolen base attempts.

Judge’s Ruling Could Limit Rangers’ Summer Moves

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5:25pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com tweets that the Rangers are "not totally discouraged by [the] judge's ruling."  In that tweet and a follow-up, Rosenthal said the judge noted the importance of the trade deadline and doesn't want the situation "to drag past [July 31]."  The ruling was intended to get both sides back into negotiations and a "mediator-type could be appointed." 

2:51pm: A federal judge ruled that Tom Hicks can't sell the Rangers without satisfying his creditors, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. That could slow down the team's sale and prevent the Rangers from adding significant salary this summer. The Rangers should be able to add some payroll even if the judge's ruling slows down the ownership transfer, but the club may be unable to add expensive players.

Baseball executives believe the judge's decision will limit the Rangers' trade options this summer, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (all Twitter links). One executive told Olney that "the Rangers can forget about Roy Oswalt, and maybe just about any other major player." Jon Heyman of SI.com agrees, saying (via Twitter) that Oswalt is not going to Texas. Rival teams bristle at the idea of the Rangers spending big while under MLB support.

Brewers Agree To Terms With Second-Round Pick

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Milwaukee has "come to terms with" second-round draft pick Jimmy Nelson, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  Nelson, a right-hander from the University of Alabama, was taken 64th overall by the Brewers and is the highest-picked of the club's selections to have signed thus far.  First-rounder Dylan Covey is the only one of Milwaukee's first six picks that has yet to agree to a contract.

Nelson was 107th on Baseball America's Top 200 pre-draft rankings.  The pitcher was described as a "big-bodied potential innings-eater [who] can dominate off heavy fastball."

Juan Rincon Designated For Assignment By Rockies

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With Huston Street activated today from the disabled list, Colorado has cleared roster space by designating reliever Juan Rincon for assignment.  Troy Renck of the Denver Post was the first to report that Rincon was being "moved out" (Twitter link), and he also tweets that the team will know by tomorrow if Rincon will stay in the organization.

This is the second time that the out-of-options Rincon has been DFA'ed by the Rockies this season.  He cleared waivers the first time, went to Triple-A Colorado Springs and was just recalled to the majors last week.  The right-hander has appeared in just two major league games this season, but has a 7.25 ERA in 24 relief appearances for Colorado Springs.

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