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Archives for July 2014

NL East Notes: Mets Plan, Nats Targets, Byrd

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Jayson Stark discussed some of the best run organizations in an audio interview with Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog. Stark makes special note of the A’s, Rays, Tigers, and Cubs as tightly run organizations with a coherent, “nimble” plan. Stark and Cerrone then touched on the Mets plan, noting the excellent pitching depth in the organization. Rival scouts like the Mets future outlook according to Stark, but they may need to trade some of their pitching depth for position players.

  • In an interview with Bill Ladson of MLB.com, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was circumspect when describing the club’s needs heading into the trade deadline. Based on Rizzo’s comments, the club is happy with its current depth, even with Ryan Zimmerman suffering from a hamstring injury. The bullpen was also discussed, which Rizzo described as “pretty good…solid.”
  • In a separate piece, Ladson reveals that the Nationals inquired after Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre but were rebuffed. Combining the two reports, it seems as though the Nationals would like to acquire an elite talent but aren’t overly anxious to add patches.
  • There’s definitely a market for Marlon Byrd, but his contract could get in the way, notes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. While the Phillies are obvious sellers, their assets all have some sort of contractual complication. Byrd would like his 2016 option picked up for a trade to the Mariners or Royals – two teams on his no trade list. Heyman also mentions Ryan Howard, Cliff Lee, and Jimmy Rollins as other Phillies with contractual barriers, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dodgers, Kemp, Cabrera

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Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal, via a video for FOX Sports:

  • The Red Sox and Mariners have inquired about Matt Kemp, but the Dodgers are unlikely to trade him, and trade talks did not go far. Kemp has hit well in the past week, with a .320/.414/.440 line in 29 plate appearances since the All-Star break.
  • In fact, as Rosenthal notes (via Twitter), the Dodgers are not close to a deal of any kind.
  • Asdrubal Cabrera has value on the trade market because of the lack of middle infield talent available, and it’s possible the Indians could deal him for starting pitching — either veterans or young players. The impending arrival of Francisco Lindor (who was recently promoted to Triple-A Columbus) could make dealing Cabrera a bit easier for Cleveland.

Mike Carp Requests Trade

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1B/OF Mike Carp has requested to the Red Sox that they trade him, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets. Abraham notes that Carp spoke to the Red Sox soon after the All-Star break, but the news of that discussion arrives just after the last-place Sox began trading veterans by sending Jake Peavy to the Giants.

Carp has hit poorly in limited opportunities this season, batting .215/.337/.304 in 95 plate appearances. Mike Napoli has hit well for the Sox at first base, but no one in the outfield has hit much, and the Red Sox still haven’t found much playing time for Carp. A contender could see Carp as an interesting buy-low bench candidate, but his trade value surely is limited at this point. He had a breakout season in 2013, hitting .296/.362/.523 in a part-time role.

Red Sox Becoming Increasingly Willing To Deal

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The Red Sox are becoming increasingly likely to consider other trades, ESPN Boston’s Gordon Edes reports. The big factor in the Red Sox’ willingness to deal is not the recent trade of Jake Peavy to the Giants, which was likely regardless, but rather the team’s recent slide. The Red Sox have lost four in a row and are now 10 1/2 games back in the AL East.

The Dodgers have touched base with the Red Sox regarding Jon Lester, Edes writes, although those talks have not yet gone very far. Also, the Royals are keeping their eyes on outfielder Jonny Gomes. Left-handed reliever Andrew Miller has also attracted plenty of interested teams. He’s due to become a free agent this offseason, but the Red Sox have not had discussions with him about an extension.

Rays Designate Juan Carlos Oviedo For Assignment

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The Rays have designated reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo for assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The move clears space on the Rays’ active roster for Jeremy Hellickson, who has been recalled from the minors.

Oviedo finally made it back to the big leagues after spending 2012 and 2013 dealing with injury issues and posted a 3.69 ERA in 31 2/3 innings for the Rays in 2014, albeit with underwhelming underlying numbers (7.4 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 33% ground ball rate). The 32-year-old (who formerly played as Leo Nunez) has 92 career saves, all but one of them coming in 2009 through 2011 with the Marlins.

Salvador Perez Changes Agents

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Royals catcher Salvador Perez has changed agents from SPS Sports Group to Rick Thurman of Beverly Hills Sports Council, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets.

Perez is in the midst of a very long and team-friendly extension signed unusually early in his career. He’s making $1.5MM in 2014 and his under Royals control through 2019, with team options the last three years of just $3.75MM, $5MM and $6MM for the last three seasons.

Minor Moves: Wolf, Susac, Jurrjens, Carlyle

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We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here.

  • The Angels have signed pitcher Randy Wolf to a minor league deal, according to MiLB.com. Wolf has had a busy season — he was released by the Mariners near the end of spring training, opted out of his deal with the Diamondbacks, was signed and then designated for assignment by the Marlins, and then opted out of a deal with the Orioles. He appeared in six games with Miami, allowing 15 earned runs in 25 2/3 innings.
  • The Giants have announced that they’ve purchased the contract of catcher Andrew Susac. Catcher Hector Sanchez will head to the 7-day DL. MLB.com ranks Susac the Giants’ third-best prospect, noting his good power and plate discipline. He’s hit .268/.379/.451 for Triple-A Fresno this year.
  • Jair Jurrjens will start for Triple-A Colorado Springs today, which means he’s accepted his outright assignment, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The Rockies designated Jurrjens for assignment earlier this week.
  • The Mets will place Daisuke Matsuzaka on the disabled list with elbow trouble and purchase the contract of fellow pitcher Buddy Carlyle, ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin tweets. The Mets outrighted Carlyle earlier this week. The righty has appeared in five games for the Mets this season. He posted a 2.16 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 33 1/3 innings for Triple-A Las Vegas.

Reactions To The Jake Peavy Trade

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Here’s a quick roundup of reactions to today’s trade of Jake Peavy and cash to the Giants for pitching prospects Edwin Escobar and Heath Hembree.

  • The Giants’ decision to trade Escobar is surprising, but it might be a little bit like the Giants’ 2009 deal of top pitching prospect Tim Alderson for infielder Freddy Sanchez, McCovey Chronicles’ Grant Brisbee writes. Alderson was highly regarded at the time, but there were warning signs then, and he never panned out. Still, though, the Giants at least knew what they were getting with Sanchez, and that’s not the case with Peavy, Brisbee writes.
  • The Red Sox’ return was a strong one for Peavy, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs tweets, and it could be an indication that better pitchers will fetch a very nice return in this market. Many analysts seem to share Cameron’s basic take that the deal was good for the Red Sox — MLB.com’s Jim Callis, for example, tweets that the Red Sox got more than he expected them to.
  • ESPN’s Keith Law (Insider-only), however, writes that Peavy is a great fit for the Giants, noting that they need the help and that Peavy’s skill set will play better in the National League and in San Francisco’s home park. Law calls Escobar a “fringy starter prospect” and writes that Escobar’s changeup currently makes him vulnerable against righties.
  • FanGraphs’ Tony Blengino calls the deal a win-win, noting that the change in ballparks should help Peavy, a fly-ball pitcher who wasn’t built for Fenway.

Trade Market For Left-Handed Relievers

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Last year’s left-handed relief market was fairly active. Among the players to change hands were Joe Thatcher, Marc Rzepczynski, Scott Downs, Matt Thornton, and Wesley Wright.

Thus far, we’ve already seen one prime target move, as Thatcher once again drew summer trade interest. There have also been several more minor deals involving lefties, including Chris Capuano, Jeff Francis, Nick Maronde, and Rich Hill.

Here’s who else could be available for pen work (and, in some cases, rotation depth) in the week to come:

Long-Term Control

Felix Doubront (Red Sox), Jake McGee (Rays), Mike Dunn (Marlins), Marc Rzepczynski (Indians), Darin Downs (Astros)

  • Doubront is an interesting player to watch given his long-term control and ability to throw in the pen or rotation. Of course, he has been unhappy with being moved out of a starting role in Boston, but clubs might like to slot him in the pen while also supplementing their starting depth (and possibly shifting him back to the rotation next year). He is just 26 and will be arb-eligible for the first time next year; that, combined with his buy-low status in a down year, could create a fairly diverse market (if Boston wants to move him).
  • Unlike the Sox, the Rays now seem like they could be leaning against selling, and that would seem to remove McGee from consideration. If things change, though, McGee would be quite a desirable piece, as he is coming off a Super Two season in which he earned just $1.45MM and has dominated with a 1.40 ERA, 1.30 FIP, and 11.6 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9. Having slotted into the closer’s role of late, his counting stats will begin to drive up his arb price, but he’ll still be well underpaid compared to his abilities. That, of course, could leave Tampa uninterested in moving him.
  • Dunn, likewise, will be building off of a $1.4MM salary in his first year of arbitration (though he was not a Super Two). He only sports a 4.10 ERA, but his 10.4 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 seems attractive. Of course, the Marlins have indicated in the past that they value him rather highly, and it is far from clear that a contender would be willing to make a strong enough offer to obtain him.
  • Rzepczynski, 28, has been solid, if unspectacular, and is earning a mangeable $1.38MM in his first season of arbitration. His inclusion on this list, though, is somewhat speculative, as Cleveland may hope to keep him for the stretch as well as next season.
  • Downs has struggled with Houston this season (5.04 ERA), but he’s held left-handed hitters to an impressive .213/.280/.313 batting line in his career and is controlled through 2018. That control might be appealing to the Astros, but GM Jeff Luhnow has shown a willingness to listen on the majority of his players in recent years.

Short-Term Control

Andrew Miller and Craig Breslow (Red Sox), Brian Duensing (Twins), Tony Sipp (Astros), Neal Cotts (Rangers), Dana Eveland (Mets), Antonio Bastardo (Phillies), James Russell and Wesley Wright (Cubs), Oliver Perez (D’backs)

This group includes some fairly high-quality rental options, but Miller appears to be the prize of the class at this point. He has been dominant (2.31 ERA, 1.73 FIP, 14.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9), and his pure rental status makes him seem fairly likely to be dealt. Boston looks likely to sell after a recent slide, and Miller should draw enough suitors to drive up a decent return.

Bastardo and Russell have been among the more consistent lefties in the game in recent years, and both come with one more year of team control through arbitration. Duensing, Cotts, Eveland, Sipp, Wright, and Perez have all had solid seasons and should be available for relatively little in return. Breslow has struggled, but has a fairly strong track record and could be a cheap add for a team that believes in him. (He also comes with a $4MM option for next year, though it is somewhat difficult to see a scenario where that gets picked up.)

Giants Acquire Jake Peavy

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USATSI_7974100_154513410_lowresThe Giants have acquired Jake Peavy from the Red Sox, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets. The Red Sox will receive pitching prospects Edwin Escobar and Heath Hembree, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets. The Giants will pay $2MM of what’s left on Peavy’s contract, ESPN’s Jim Bowden tweets.

The trade reunites Peavy with Bruce Bochy, who managed him with the Padres. The deal also provides the Giants with valuable starting pitching depth, which they needed, given Matt Cain’s injury. The Red Sox, meanwhile, add prospect depth while clearing space for younger starting pitchers like Brandon Workman and Allen Webster.

Peavy is making $14.5MM in his final season before free agency. (His contract indicates that he can receive a player option for 2015, but he will not be able to pitch enough innings to attain it.) In 124 innings this season, has a 4.72 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.

Escobar and Hembree appear to constitute a strong return for Boston. The lefty Escobar, 22, has pitched the entire season with Triple-A Fresno, posting a 5.11 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. He had a very strong 2013 season at Class A+ and Double-A. MLB.com ranked him the Giants’ No. 2 prospect and the No. 75 prospect in all of baseball, noting that he could become a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

Hembree, 25, has spent most of the 2014 season with Fresno, where he’s posted a 3.89 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings of relief. He appeared in nine games in the big leagues in 2013. MLB.com ranked him the 11th-best prospect in the Giants’ system, noting that he has long been regarded as a potential closer. Both Escobar and Hembree were on the Giants’ 40-man roster, although the Red Sox had a 40-man spot open before the trade, so they didn’t need to make any further moves to add both.

Heyman tweeted that the Red Sox would acquire minor league pitchers in return, with WEEI.com’s Alex Speier tweeting that the Red Sox would get one righty and one lefty. Jen Royle of the Boston Herald tweeted this morning that Boston was close to trading Peavy to an NL team, and FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Red Sox and Giants were in serious discussions. CSNBayArea.com’s Andrew Baggarly reported that the Giants would receive cash in the deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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