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Archives for April 2011

Marlins To Sign Chris Sampson

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The Marlins have signed Chris Sampson according to the right-hander's Twitter feed. He was in camp with the Rockies last month, but they released him at the end of Spring Training.

Sampson, 32 next month, had spent his entire career with the Astros before joining Colorado. He owns a 4.42 ERA in 358 2/3 career innings, striking out 4.4 men per nine while walking just 2.2 per nine. A 51.8% ground ball rate helps make up for the lack of whiffs. 

Rosenthal On Fielder, Marlins, Yankees, Giants

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports brings us another edition of Full Count.  Here are some highlights..

  • Prince Fielder is off to a great start and one GM predicts that he'll be one of the most interesting free agents of all-time.  The GM says that Fielder runs hard and is more athletic than most people think.  He's about to turn 27 years old which means that he's about four-and-a-half years younger than Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.  A team like the Cubs could use Fielder against Pujols, saying that if he doesn't meet their price, they could sign Fielder instead.
  • The Marlins are second in the National League in ERA and first in bullpen ERA by a wide margin.  Theyr'e going to have to keep winning with pitching as Hanley Ramirez is off to a slow start, Logan Morrison is out with an injured foot and Mike Stanton still hasn't found his form since coming back from a hamstring strain.  Last week, Rosenthal pointed out the potential availability of Mark DeRosa and this week he says that the veteran would be a perfect fit in Florida.
  • The Yankees will soon face some decisions regarding their rotation.  Kevin Millwood has an out in his contract if he's not in the majors by May 1st.  The club might have better options such as Adam Warren and possibly Hector Noesi or David Phelps.  In addition to those prospects, Carlos Silva is working his way back into shape and Phil Hughes is about to start a rehab assignment this week.
  • Miguel Tejada is off to a rough start in 2011 as he looks less-than-sharp in the field and is hitting just .209/.239/.328.  The Giants don't have any great internal options at shortstop, so Rosenthal says to keep an eye on Jose Reyes, Marco Scutaro, J.J. Hardy as possible trade targets.

Dodgers Takeover Links: Saturday

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MLB took control of the Dodgers' financial operations on Wednesday, and a trustee should be appointed any day now. Yesterday we learned that the baseball operations department "will continue to work under the same guidelines and budget," and that MLB assumed control of the team in part because other owners "fear the devaluation of their own franchises." Here are today's links, with the latest at the top…

  • Recently appointed Dodgers VP Steve Soboroff is used to fighting uphill battles, writes Robin Abcarian of the Los Angeles Times.
  • GM Ned Colletti said he doesn't have any new information about the league's seizure of the club, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that going forward, the Dodgers will have to get league approval to make roster moves, add payroll, etc. The team isn't paralyzed, but the commissioner's office will be "calling the shots" once Bud Selig puts someone in charge. It will follow the same blueprint as the Rangers last year (three Twitter links).
  • Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will still lose the team if he files for bankruptcy according to ESPN The Magazine's Molly Knight (Twitter link). It would, however, "gum up" Selig's immediate takeover plans since McCourt will argue that any moves approved by an MLB official could negatively impact the value of the franchise before a sale.
  • Former Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey has teamed with billionaire business magnate Ron Burkle in an investment group that would like to buy the team, reports Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times. Burkle owns a share of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, and he's also pursued ownership of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals in recent years.
  • Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times adds that Garvey's interest in buying the team is curious because he has a sketchy financial past and also because he is currently employed by McCourt as a member of his marketing and communications department. Plus the team isn't for sale, at least not yet.
  • In his Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that many people in the game expect Dennis Gilbert to wind up as part of the group that eventually owns the Dodgers. Gilbert, a former agent, made a play for the Rangers last year.
  • When asked about his supervisor until MLB announces its representative to lead the team, GM Ned Colletti told the AP (via Philly.com) that he "still [reports] to Frank."

Nationals Designate Lee Hyde For Assignment

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The Nationals designated left-handed reliever Lee Hyde for assignment, according to a team press release.  The move was made in order to create a roster spot for Brian Bixler, whose contract was recently purchased from Triple-A Syracuse.

This was Hyde's first season with the Nats after spending the previous five in the Braves organization.  The left-hander has performed well in Double-A but has struggled at the Triple-A level.  In 29 Triple-A appearances, the 26-year-old owns a 5.64 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 7.1 BB/9.

Pirates Designate Josh Rodriguez For Assignment

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SATURDAY: Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Colin Dunlap of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette there "is a process that we have to go through," when asked about Rodriguez's future. "The first is the ability to see if there's a trade partner out there. The second is he'd have to clear waivers. We will work through those two processes first and go from there."

FRIDAY: The Pirates designated infielder Josh Rodriguez for assignment and recalled Pedro Ciriaco from Triple-A, according to the team.  Ciriaco appears to be a placeholder for new Pirate Brandon Wood, who was claimed today from the Angels.

Rodriguez, 26, was claimed by the Pirates from the Indians as the first pick in the December Rule 5 draft.  If he's not traded or claimed in the next ten days, the Pirates have to offer him back to the Indians for $25K or work out a trade to keep him.  If another team picks up Rodriguez, they'll still be subject to the Rule 5 restriction of keeping him in the Majors all year.

Rodriguez received only 14 big league plate appearances this year.  Last year at Triple-A he hit .293/.372/.486 in 364 plate appearances, spending most of his time at shortstop.  Baseball America ranked him 24th among Pirates prospects, noting that "his upside appears to be as a utility player."

Braves To Sign Ben Swaggerty

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The Braves will sign left-handed pitcher Ben Swaggerty, MLBTR has learned. The former Royals' Double-A Pitcher of the Year asked for and was granted his release out of Spring Training by Kansas City.

Swaggerty, 28, struck out 8.8 batters per nine innings with the Royals' Double-A affiliate last year, posting a 3.81 ERA in 59 relief innings. That was the lowest strikeout rate of his career; he owns a 10.4 K/9 (4.7 BB/9) in four minor league seasons.

Ryan Braun Links: Friday

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Details and reactions continue to trickle in on the sizable extension Ryan Braun signed with the Brewers on Thursday. Here are the latest:

  • Braun's extension includes at least $18MM in interest-free deferrals to be paid out in equal increments between 2022-31, blogs Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (per The Associated Press). All told, Milwaukee will be paying Braun till he's 47.
  • Braun's extension makes less sense than the one Troy Tulowitzki signed with the Rockies, and it may even be riskier than Ryan Howard's with the Phillies, writes Dave Cameron of Fangraphs. The fact that Braun is a bat-first player and has a shaky glove at a non-premium defensive position doesn't bode well for the Brewers' side of the deal. Interestingly, Cameron suggests Braun could eventually move to first base, which is likely to be vacated by Prince Fielder, who is a free agent at season's end and is not expected to re-sign with Milwaukee
  • To that end, while most have surmised that the Brewers' immense financial commitment to Braun signifies the end of the Prince era in Milwaukee, Fielder himself hopes that is not the case, blogs McCalvy. "You never know," Fielder said. "I hope they have a little left for me."

East Notes: Wright, Salty, Bixler, A-Rod

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Rainfall on the East Coast has already postponed a couple games on Friday night, but here's some items of note to hold you over …

  • Mets third baseman David Wright's days in New York may be winding down, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets, who may be in full-on rebuild mode as soon as midseason, could opt to trade Wright because he is signed to team-favorable terms through 2013 and would therefore yield a better haul in a trade than Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran or Francisco Rodriguez, writes Rubin. That the Mets could entertain this is indicative of how far they've fallen the past couple years; it once seemed likely Wright would spend his entire career in Queens.
  • Red Sox catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek have struggled so far this season, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com, but with underwhelming and unready in-house options and limited trade or free-agent targets out there, a move is not imminent. Bengie Molina, 36, is still unsigned, but as Speier points out, would he be much of an improvement?
  • The Nationals have purchased the contract of infielder Brian Bixler from Triple-A Syracuse, tweets Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com. A corresponding move on the 40-man roster was to be announced. Bixler, a second-round pick of the Pirates in 2004 out of Eastern Michigan, last appeared in the bigs in 2009. In 166 career plate appearances, he has a .178/.238/.237 line.
  • Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has hired Steve Loy of Gaylord Sports Management to handle his marketing. As our Agency Tracker shows, A-Rod has not officially announced an agent since parting ways with Scott Boras, and he may not need one for a while considering he's signed through age 42. For a complete list of Scott Boras clients, click here.

Rockies Acquire Brad Emaus

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The Rockies have acquired Brad Emaus from the Blue Jays in exchange for right-hander Chris Malone according to the team (on Twitter). Toronto will also receive a player to be named or cash considerations, tweets Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.

Emaus is suddenly well-traveled, joining his third team of the week; the Mets returned him to Toronto as a Rule 5 Draft player just yesterday. The 25-year-old infielder hit .162/.262/.162 in 42 plate appearances with the Mets before they cut ties with him. Colorado can send him to the minors without having to pass him through waivers since the Rule 5 Draft rules no longer apply.

Malone, 27, was not considered one of the Rockies top 30 prospects in the 2011 edition of Baseball America's Prospect Handbook. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 36th round of the 2003 draft, but he joined the Rockies after a 2008 stint in an independent league. He owns a 6.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 63 2/3 relief innings (4.10 ERA) with Colorado's Double-A affiliate over the last year and change.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Purke, Wood, Oswalt, Werth

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Five years ago today, Bill Hall, Damian Miller, Brady Clark, J.J. Hardy, and Prince Fielder all hit homeruns in the fourth inning of the Brewers' game against the Reds. The first four went deep off starter Brandon Claussen while Prince victimized Chris Hammond after a pitching change. It was the fifth time in baseball history and the first time since 1966 that a team hit five homeruns in one inning.

This week's collection of links knock it out of the park; here's the best the blogosphere had to offer over the last seven days…

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