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Archives for June 2012

Zack Greinke Rumors: Thursday

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Zack Greinke picked up his ninth win of the season last night, allowing two runs in six innings of work during the Brewers' 8-4 win over the Reds.  Here's the latest hot stove chatter on the Milwaukee ace…

  • "A couple of teams," including the Yankees, feel that Greinke may not be suited for pitching in a large market, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Greinke did tell the Yankees he would pitch for them when he was in the process of being dealt from the Royals to the Brewers. 
  • At the time Greinke turned down a trade to the Nationals, as he felt the Brewers were in better position to immediately contend.  As Washington has since acquired Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson, the Nats are unlikely to be looking for pitching at the trade deadline.
  • Heyman says that the Brewers were looking to offer Greinke an extension similar to Jered Weaver's deal with the Angels (five years, $85MM) but talks between Greinke and the Brewers broke off in April just after Matt Cain's five-year, $112.5MM deal contract with the Giants re-shaped the market.
  • The Braves would only be interested in trading for Greinke if they could sign him to a new long-term contract, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  The Braves could, as rumored, use some of the money budgeted for their 2013 payroll to accommodate adding Greinke or another pitcher.  As Bowman points out, the Braves will have almost $36MM (Chipper Jones, Derek Lowe and Michael Bourn's contract) coming off the books this winter, though the club will need some of those funds to re-sign Bourn or spend on another outfielder.
  • Besides Greinke, Bowman lists Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster and Edinson Volquez as "potential targets" for Atlanta.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports added some more news about Greinke earlier today.

Quick Hits: Dodgers, Puig, Qualls, Harper

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The Mets and Athletics could match up for a potential trade involving Grant Balfour, ESPN.com's Buster Olney suggests (on Twitter). Balfour, a midseason trade candidate, is pitching well and the Mets could use bullpen help. Here are today's links…

  • Olney runs through some of the available and potentially available trade candidates for Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, explaining that the options out there are less than perfect. The Dodgers have started calling around the league about potential offensive upgrades, but players like Jeff Francoeur, Vernon Wells and Alfonso Soriano have their shortcomings.
  • ESPN.com’s Keith Law suggests the Dodgers’ investment in Cuban outfielder Yasel Puig “is a bizarre overreaction to the upcoming international spending cap.” The Dodgers and the outfielder agreed to terms on a seven-year, $42MM contract earlier today.
  • Chad Qualls, who was designated for assignment this morning, has asked Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to trade him, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).
  • The Nationals have been relying on Bryce Harper in center field, but they’re still telling teams they’re looking for a long-term answer at the position, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

Athletics Looking To Move Brian Fuentes

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The Athletics are looking to move left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Oakland may have a larger sale in the coming weeks, but right now they're hanging in the race at 37-39.

Fuentes, 36, has pitched to a 6.85 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 23 2/3 innings. Left-handed batters have been tagging him for a .265/.333/.471 batting line and he lost the team's closer role in short order. Fuentes is owed $5MM this season with a $500K buyout of next year's $6.5MM club option for next season.

Cubs Willing To Pay Part Of Dempster’s Salary In Deal

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The Cubs have baseball's worst record (26-49) and are willing to listen to trade offers for almost any player on their roster other than Starlin Castro. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that Chicago is willing to pay part of Ryan Dempster's $14MM salary in a deal in order to receive better quality prospects in return. Their plan is to accumulate talent, not save money.

Dempster, 35, is currently on the DL with a lat strain but is expected back around the All-Star break. Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the veteran right-hander as a trade candidate earlier this month, noting that Dempster could be the most desirable starter on the market in terms of production and cost. The Dodgers, Yankees, and other teams are said to have some level of interest. Dempster has pitched to a 2.11 ERA in a dozen starts this season.

Eleven First Round Picks Still Unsigned

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Just ten first round selections and one supplementary first round pick remain unsigned with two-plus weeks remaining before this summer's deadline. The 11 players below will be eligible for future drafts if they don't sign by July 13, but we can expect most of these players to reach agreements in the coming 15 days. Here's the complete list of players who haven't yet agreed to terms:

3. Mike Zunino, Florida C, Mariners

4. Kevin Gausman, Louisiana State RHP, Orioles

6. Albert Almora, HS OF, Cubs

8. Mark Appel, Stanford RHP, Pirates

9. Andrew Heaney, Oklahoma State LHP, Marlins

16. Lucas Giolito, HS RHP, Nationals

18. Corey Seager, HS SS, Dodgers

22. Marcus Stroman, Duke RHP, Blue Jays

25. Richie Shaffer, Clemson IF, Rays

30. Ty Hensley, HS RHP, Yankees

55. Walker Weickel, HS RHP, Padres

White Sox Designate Will Ohman For Assignment

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THURSDAY: The White Sox announced that they officially designated Ohman for assignment.

WEDNESDAY: The White Sox are set to designate Will Ohman for assignment on Thursday, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).  The 34-year-old has a 5.84 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 24.2 innings of work this year.

Ohman inked a two-year deal with the ChiSox in January of last year worth $1.5MM in 2011 and $2.5MM this past season.  For his career, the left-hander owns a 4.23 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 across ten big league campaigns.  Ohman's performance against the Twins this afternoon likely prompted the move as he allowed three runs in two innings of work.

Morosi On Greinke, Brewers, Kotsay

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It'll be a surprise if Zack Greinke is pitching for the Brewers after the July 31st trade deadline, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. Here are some more details from Morosi, starting with the Brewers right-hander:

  • Greinke didn't offer much detail on his contract talks with the Brewers — “I don’t know anything about that. I’m not really talking about it" — but the Brewers are preparing to trade him if an extension isn't possible. 
  • Morosi is almost certain the Brewers will be sellers and notes that the Braves, Dodgers, Cardinals, Orioles, White Sox and Indians would like to upgrade their rotations. Morosi adds that the Rangers, Angels and Yankees had scouts at Greinke’s most recent start. Greinke, a free agent after the season, figures to obtain a qualifying from the Brewers this fall if he stays in Milwaukee. No other team can obtain draft pick compensation for Greinke if he leaves as a free agent this offseason.
  • Mark Kotsay will be one of the most sought-after bench bats in summer trade talks, Morosi writes (Twitter links). The Padres have outfield depth in Carlos Quentin, Chris Denorfia, Cameron Maybin, Jesus Guzman and Will Venable.

Phillies Designate Chad Qualls For Assignment

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The Phillies announced that they designated right-handed reliever Chad Qualls for assignment. The team will option left-hander Joe Savery to Triple-A and select the contracts of left-hander Jeremy Horst and right-hander Brian Sanches from Triple-A in related moves.

The Phillies signed Qualls to a one-year, $1.15MM contract in January and he started the season with six consecutive scoreless appearances. The 33-year-old now has a 4.60 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 54.5% ground ball rate in 31 1/3 innings out of the Phillies' bullpen. He owns a 3.82 ERA with 7.0 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 57.3% ground ball rate in nine MLB seasons.

Red Sox Sign Tzu-Wei Lin

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The Red Sox have signed Taiwanese shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The shortstop obtains a $2.05MM bonus, according to Badler, who calls Lin one of the top international amateurs available in advance of the July 2 signing period.

The deal, which took shape earlier in the month, is now official. Lin, a left-handed hitter, has excellent speed and could hit .300, though he doesn't offer much power. He's an average fielder with an average arm, Badler writes. Lin's bonus won't count against Boston's $2.9MM spending cap for 2012-13 because the sides completed the deal before July 2. Lin's bonus establishes a new record for Taiwanese position players, Badler writes.

Service Time Updates: Rizzo, Bauer

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This week features the 2012 debuts of two of baseball’s top young players: Anthony Rizzo and Trevor Bauer. Much anticipation has preceded the debuts of Rizzo and Bauer, who both entered the season among the top 50 prospects in the game, according to Baseball America. However, service time considerations vary from player to player, and Rizzo's case is completely different from Bauer's. Here’s a detailed look at both situations:

  • Anthony Rizzo – The first baseman debuted Tuesday, so he’ll accrue 100 days of service time assuming he stays in the Major Leagues for the remainder of the season. He picked up 68 days of service time under Cubs GM Jed Hoyer on last year’s Padres team, so he’s on track to have 168 days of service following the 2012 season. Players need 172 days of service time for a full year, so Rizzo’s expected to fall just short. This means he’ll be under Cubs control through 2018 as opposed to 2017 and justifies the timing of the promotion. Rizzo’s on track for super two status following the 2014 season, meaning he'll likely go to arbitration four times.
  • Trevor Bauer – Bauer will debut tonight, which means he’ll accrue 98 days of MLB service assuming the Diamondbacks don’t demote him between now and the end of the season. Bauer, a 2011 draft pick, doesn’t have any MLB service time yet, so he’s on track to finish the season with 98 days of service. Presumably this won’t be enough for him to qualify for super two status following the 2014 season. Like Rizzo, Bauer will remain under team control through 2018.

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