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Archives for August 2012

AL East Links: Lucchino, Beckett, Jeter, Hardy

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Four AL East teams can be found amongst the top eight in ESPN's Future Power Rankings, which measure how well-positioned teams are for success over the next five years.  The list can be found in two parts (ESPN Insider subscription required).

Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • Larry Lucchino discussed his team's turbulent season both on and off the field in a radio interview on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show (WEEI.com's Morley Quatroche has a partial transcript) and the Red Sox president didn't rule out making large changes in the offseason. "I think we’ll examine all options, absolutely,” Lucchino said. “It’s not a question of fine tuning. It’s a question of looking back to the fundamental things….do we have the right kind of system in place? You need to build it all on pitching and we will focus heavily on that, but we’ll look at everything. We’ll look under every rock.”
  • With Josh Beckett a sure bet to pass through waivers, the Nationals could be a good trade partner for the Red Sox, opines Fangraphs' Dave Cameron.  Beckett could give the Nats an experienced arm in the rotation once Stephen Strasburg is shut down.  Cameron thinks, however, that the Red Sox would only be able to move Beckett if they agree to eat at least $20MM of the approximately $36MM owed to the right-hander through the 2014 season.
  • Derek Jeter is a good bet to finish in the top six of AL MVP voting this season, which ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews points out will earn Jeter an extra $2MM if he picks up his 2014 player option with the Yankees.  That option is worth $8MM, though incentives could push the value to $14MM.
  • "No chance. No chance. Nada. Zero. No, not a chance," is how Jeter described his interest in someday becoming a manager, reports CSN Chicago's Jeremy Lynn.
  • J.J. Hardy "makes a ton of sense" as a trade target for the Diamondbacks this winter, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  The Orioles could unload Hardy to make room for Manny Machado at his natural shortstop position, while the D'Backs pick up Hardy as a "stopgap" for the next two seasons until prospect Chris Owings is ready for the majors.  Arizona GM Kevin Towers said yesterday that his team would likely pursue a shortstop via the trade market in the offseason as the D'Backs look to replace Stephen Drew.

Nationals Notes: Strasburg, Andrews, Giolito

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Count Chipper Jones among those who wouldn't shut Stephen Strasburg down in the midst of a pennant race. Talking to Yahoo Sports' Les Carpenter, Jones pointed to his own lone World Series title despite the Braves' many postseason appearances as an example of how difficult it is to attain a championship.  "Next year what if [Jordan] Zimmermann gets hurt again?” Jones said. “What if Gio Gonzalez goes down? There is a certain set of circumstances. Sometimes things aren’t the same. As those [pitchers] get older they will lose a little bit of speed on their fastballs. They will be a little more hittable. You have to strike while the iron’s hot.”

Here's the latest from Washington…

  • Dr. James Andrews support the Nationals' decision to limit Strasburg's innings in an interview with ESPN Radio's Scott Van Pelt (Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post has a partial transcript).  Andrews admitted he didn't have direct knowledge of the situation since he didn't perform Strasburg's Tommy John surgery but he "would certainly take up for the decision….I don’t think you can criticize that one bit, to be honest with you."
  • Lucas Giolito will undergo Tommy John surgery on August 31, reports Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.  The Nats took Giolito with the 16th overall pick of the 2012 draft amidst injury concerns due to a UCL sprain that sidelined the right-hander for much of his final high school season.  Giolito has thrown two innings as a professional thus far, pitching for the Nationals' rookie league team.  Giolito's surgery will be performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum, who also handled Strasburg and Zimmermann's Tommy John procedures.

Padres Release Jason Bartlett

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THURSDAY: The Padres announced that Bartlett cleared unconditional release waivers and is now a free agent.

MONDAY: The Padres have requested unconditional release waivers for Jason Bartlett, the team announced via press release.

The Padres acquired Bartlett from the Rays back in December of 2010 in exchange for Cole Figueroa, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos and Brandon Gomes. Later that offseason, the team avoided arbitration with the shortstop by agreeing to a two-year contract worth a guaranteed $11MM with a vesting option for 2013. The $5.5MM option for 2013 will not vest, as Bartlett's 98 plate appearances this season fall well short of the required 432. He'll instead be paid a $1.5MM buyout.

The 32-year-old batted just .133/.240/.193 in those 98 plate appearances, and overall batted only .231/.299/.292 in 168 games as a Padre. He has been on the disabled list since May 17 with a right knee strain. Following the trade of Ernesto Frieri for Alexi Amarista earlier this season, it became apparent that Bartlett no longer factored into the team's plans.

Bartlett was originally drafted by the Padres in the 13th round of the 2001 draft but made his big league debut with the Twins after being swapped for Brian Buchanan. Prior to being re-acquired by the Padres, Bartlett was a career .281/.345/.385 hitter in 2,801 career plate appearances.

Padres Designate Neil Wagner For Assignment

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The Padres announced that they designated right-hander Neil Wagner for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for Thad Weber, who was claimed off of waivers from the Tigers today. The Padres placed right-hander Jason Marquis on the 15-day disabled list and recalled right-hander Brad Boxberger in related moves.

The Padres claimed Wagner off of waivers from the Athletics at the end May, but haven't promoted him to the MLB level. The 28-year-old has a 5.28 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 58 innings of relief pitching for the Pacific Coast League affiliates of the A's and Padres this year.

Dodgers Could Pursue Adrian Gonzalez

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The Dodgers probably won’t trade for Adrian Gonzalez this month, but there’s a remote chance of a deal, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times writes. Gonzalez, who’s now on revocable waivers, drew trade interest from the Dodgers last month. However, Hernandez hears that the Dodgers don’t expect the Red Sox to make Gonzalez available. 

If the sides do discuss a trade, they won’t have to worry about Gonzalez’s limited no-trade clause, He can’t block a move to the Dodgers, according to Hernandez. The point would be moot if an American League team or a National League team with a worse record than the Dodgers were to claim the first baseman.

Gonzalez will earn $21MM per season through 2016 and obtain a raise to $21.5MM for 2017-18. The total exceeds $130MM when accounting for the remainder of Gonzalez's 2012 salary. While this sum would deter most teams, the Dodgers have been willing to spend under their new ownership group. 

"We are trying to add players. That doesn't mean we will be able to," chairman Mark Walter said, speaking in general terms.

The Dodgers claimed Cliff Lee on waivers earlier this month after trading for Shane Victorino, Hanley Ramirez, Joe Blanton and Brandon League. They’ve also shown aggressiveness on the international market, signing Yasel Puig.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has heard that the Red Sox would only move Gonzalez in a transformative or franchise-changing move (Twitter link). A trade isn’t out of the question, but seems unlikely. Executives could see the Dodgers claiming Gonzalez, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Still, the Red Sox wouldn’t let him go for nothing.

Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times examines the possibility that the Dodgers could persuade the Red Sox to part with Gonzalez by taking on Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett as well. Beckett drew some interest from the Dodgers leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, according to Hernandez. However, this scenario sounds extremely unlikely to me given the money involved and Crawford’s elbow injury (he was scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery today).

Pirates Release Juan Cruz

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The Pirates released Juan Cruz after he cleared waivers and refused an assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to the Sports Network (via the Miami Herald). The Pirates had designated the veteran right-hander for assignment earlier in the week.

Though Cruz pitched effectively for Pittsburgh, the Pirates needed fresh arms following Sunday's 19-inning game against the Cardinals. The 33-year-old appeared in 43 games for the Pirates, posting a 2.78 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 35 2/3 innings. He signed a one-year, $1.25MM contract with the team this past offseason.

Cubs Claim Socolovich, Designate Lalli

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The Cubs have claimed right-hander Miguel Socolovich off of waivers from the Orioles, Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com reports (on Twitter). The Cubs designated catcher Blake Lalli for assignment to create roster space for Socolovich, who they optioned to Triple-A.

Socolovich had been designated for assignment nine days ago. The 26-year-old appeared in six games with the Orioles this year, allowing eight earned runs in 10 1/3 innings, while striking out as many as he walked (6). He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 1.90 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 52 innings of relief work.

Like Socolovich, Lalli made his MLB debut this year and appeared in six games. He has a .257/.292/.392 line in 319 plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa, where he has been playing since May.

Dodgers Sign Julio Urias

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The Dodgers signed left-hander Julio Urias, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. Urias, a 16-year-old from Mexico, signed for an unknown amount that will only partially count against the Dodgers’ $2.9MM spending pool for 2012-13. The prospect’s rights were transferred from Mexico City of the Mexican League, so only a limited percentage of the bonus applies to the Dodgers’ pool.

Some scouts considered Urias one of the better pitching prospects available. He has reached 92 mph on the radar gun and his change-up is one of the best secondary pitches in this year's class, according to Baseball America. Some teams had suggested that Urias would sign along with a few others for more than $1MM and maybe close to $2MM, Badler reported last month.

Padres Claim Thad Weber

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The Padres claimed right-hander Thad Weber from Detroit, according to Brian Britten of the Tigers (on Twitter). The Tigers reinstated Al Alburquerque from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Toledo in a related move.

Weber, 27, made his MLB debut this year, appearing in two games for the Tigers in April. The 2008 16th round selection has spent the majority of the 2012 season at Toledo, where he was a 4.30 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 128 2/3 innings, mostly as a starter.

Josh Beckett On Waivers

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The Red Sox have placed right-hander Josh Beckett on waivers, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Competing executives don’t expect him to be claimed, Heyman writes.

Beckett, 32, earns $15.75MM per season through 2014. He has posted a 5.23 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 127 1/3 innings this year, while facing considerable scrutiny for his on-field performance and off-field actions.

One unnamed GM recently told Heyman "Boston's first priority has to be to trade Josh Beckett'' this August. The Red Sox and Rangers discussed a trade that would have sent Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kelly Shoppach to Texas leading up to the trade deadline, so the Rangers could be considered a long-shot suitor.

Teams routinely place players on waivers, even if they don't plan on trading them, so this is not an indication that the Red Sox intend to move Beckett. If he goes unclaimed, the Red Sox will be able to complete a trade just as easily as they could have before the current waiver period began at the beginning of August.

If a team claims Beckett, the Red Sox will have three choices. They can let him (and his contract) go to the claiming team, they can complete a trade with the claiming team, or they can pull him back off of waivers. American League teams will have claiming priority on Beckett.

Carl Crawford and Nick Punto have already cleared waivers this month. Adrian Gonzalez is also on waivers now.

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