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Stephen Drew

Diamondbacks Notes: Drew, Upton, Bauer, Trahan

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It’s been a busy week for the Diamondbacks, not only because of the draft, but because of the public admission from managing partner Ken Kendrick that he’s disappointed in Stephen Drew and Justin Upton. Here are some notes on the team via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic…

  • GM Kevin Towers said Kendrick has the right to make bold comments, even if they don’t often occur in Arizona. “That happens in New York City about once a month, and in Boston and other places,” Towers said. “It kind of shocks everybody when it happens out here because you don’t see it happen that often.”
  • Towers said the Diamondbacks aren’t really looking for ways to add top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer to the big league team. The GM noted that Bauer has done basically everything the team has asked of him in the upper minors.
  • Scouting director Ray Montgomery said the Diamondbacks and first round selection Stryker Trahan are “in an area where [the sides] both feel like [they're] going to get something done,” as we heard from Piecoro last night.

Kendrick “Disappointed” In Stephen Drew

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Diamondbacks Managing Partner Ken Kendrick says that he's disappointed with Stephen Drew and his slow return to the field from injury in an interview today with Brad Cesmat of XTRA Sports 910 (via Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic on Twitter).  Kendrick believes that the shortstop is overly focused on protecting his future value rather than his maximizing his current production.

"I think Stephen and his representatives are more focused on where Stephen's going to be a year from now than going out and supporting the team that's paying his salary," Kendrick said, before adding that Drew hasn't been direct when presented with these concerns by the club.

Meanwhile, agent Scott Boras was quick to respond and denied the notion that his client is taking his time in coming back from his ankle injury.  Boras told Piecoro that the suggestion flat out doesn't make sense.

"If you're talking about what the best thing Stephen can do for himself, that's to play baseball and play a lot of it," Boras said. "I don't think he wants anything different. That's the best thing he can do for Stephen and for his team. Why would he not want to play? The guy's going to be a free agent."

Drew has been out of action since fracturing his ankle on a slide into home plate nearly a year ago.  The 29-year-old is earning $7.75MM this season with a $10MM mutual option for 2013 ($1.35MM buyout).

D’Backs Notes: Parra, Montero, Drew

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Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he’s open to the idea of adding another starting pitcher before Spring Training begins. If the D’Backs do add an arm, expect a bargain. "We're trying to identify the right guy," Towers said. "Someone who sees an opportunity to compete, who knows what the competition is and wants to do it." Here are the rest of Piecoro’s notes:

  • Teams called about Gerardo Parra after the D’Backs signed Jason Kubel, but Towers expects Parra to pick up significant playing time in 2012. "I'm not really motivated to move him," he said. Towers expects Parra to see more playing time in center and right, especially against tough right-handers.
  • The D’Backs haven’t made major progress toward an extension with Miguel Montero, but they still hope to keep him “well beyond this year,” according to Towers. The catcher projects to earn $5.3MM in 2012, his final season before hitting free agency. There aren’t a lot of relevant catcher extensions for the sides to use as a frame of reference for a possible deal, according to Towers. “I think Miggy likes it here and we like him here. We just have to keep working at it," the GM said. 
  • Agent Jose Mijares recently said the sides are nearing an agreement on a 2012 salary for the extension candidate.
  • Stephen Drew is recovering from ankle surgery and still hopes to start the season on time.

Trade Market Update: Drew, Gomez, Beltran

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Two contenders lost key players in the same game tonight and the injuries could affect the trade market for the remainder of the season. The Diamondbacks announced that Stephen Drew fractured his right ankle and will likely require surgery. Soon afterwards, the Brewers learned that Carlos Gomez fractured his left clavicle. Those events could shape the trade market and so could the following developments from around the Major Leagues:

  • Carlos Beltran appears to have recovered from the flu – he homered off of Kyle McClellan (by the way, McClellan pitched well enough, though he may lose his rotation spot if the Cardinals add a starter).
  • Old-school GMs might like Ryan Ludwick's 61 RBIs (he added four today), but his on-base percentage is just .309.
  • The Yankees are looking for pitching, but they can't complain about Freddy Garcia, who pitched into the seventh and struck out seven without allowing a run.
  • Meanwhile, Casey Kotchman improved his trade value by collecting three hits and boosting his season line to .337/.396/.467.
  • The Braves used Jonny Venters again in a losing effort to the Rockies. The lefty has now appeared in 54 games this year, so the Braves will want to ease up on the 26-year-old or acquire a reliever to bolster the 'pen.
  • Duane Below pitched reasonably well for the Tigers in his MLB debut, but GM Dave Dombrowski continues eyeing starting help. The Tigers, who have used seven left-handed relievers this year, could look to acquire another southpaw after last night. David Purcey walked the bases loaded to kick-start Oakland's four-run seventh.
  • Who says the Red Sox need reinforcements? Josh Reddick picked up two hits and a walk and Andrew Miller didn't allow a run in 5 2/3 innings. Still, the Orioles' lineup isn't a powerhouse and Miller walked twice as many hitters (6) as he struck out (3).
  • Lyle Overbay was hitless in four at bats for the Pirates, who scored just one run for the second consecutive night. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Pirates explore ways of getting more production from first base now that Overbay's line has dropped to .236/.304/.357.
  • Bruce Chen pitched eight innings, allowing just one run, one walk and four hits while striking out four.
  • Frank Francisco and Octavio Dotel allowed home runs to the light-hitting Mariners, which doesn't help the Blue Jays' chances of trading the relievers for valuable pieces. 
  • The Giants are still having trouble scoring (Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw didn't allow a single run against San Francisco).
  • Hunter Pence reached base four times and Brett Myers and Livan Hernandez pitched well in a contest between the Astros and Nationals, two teams who aren't in the race.

D’Backs, Stephen Drew Agree To Two-Year Deal

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6:16pm: Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com has the contract breakdown (on Twitter). Drew will earn $4.65MM in 2011, $7.75MM in 2012, and his 2013 option is worth $10MM with a $1.355MM buyout.

12:23pm: The D'Backs have agreed to sign Stephen Drew to a two-year, $13.75MM deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The deal includes a mutual option for 2013. The extension, which covers Drew's final two seasons of arbitration eligibility, still allows him to hit the open market after the 2012 season. The D'Backs confirmed the deal.

Giants Focused On Finding A Shortstop

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Now that the Giants have re-signed Aubrey Huff, they are focusing on finding a shortstop, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. They have serious interest in re-signing Juan Uribe, but GM Brian Sabean will also consider trades.

The Giants really wants Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew, according to Schulman, who reports that Arizona GM Kevin Towers will not deal him. Alternatively, Jose Reyes, Jason Bartlett and Marco Scutaro could become trade targets or the Giants could ask Emmanuel Burriss to take on a bigger role. 

Yankees GM Brian Cashman guaranteed to Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record that Derek Jeter’s representatives have called “every club out there.” Negotiations between Jeter and the Yankees appear to be souring, but it still seems unlikely that the shortstop would leave the Bronx or that a team like the Giants would match the Yankees $45MM offer.

Diamondbacks Listening On Justin Upton

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6:09pm: Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger says that like the Red Sox, the Yankees were just doing their due diligence when they called about Upton.

3:33pm: The Yankees talked to the Diamondbacks about Upton, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

12:56pm: The Red Sox expressed interest in Upton, report Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, one source tells the FOX writers the talks are "not far advanced," while WEEI's Rob Bradford heard the rumor has "no legs."  Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe concurs, calling the discussions "more due diligence than actual trade talk" (Twitter link).

10:59am: You may have missed it yesterday, but USA Today's Bob Nightengale listed Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton as one of the big names GMs say are already "under discussion."  GM Kevin Towers elaborated:

"I'm open to listening on anybody.  We got more hits on Upton and [Stephen] Drew. They're difficult to move, but sometimes to make your club better, you have to move good players. You never know when a deal might present itself."

This could be little more than a GM taking the common stance that no player is untouchable.  Today Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted that while the D'Backs are listening on Upton, the return would have to be "big."  He notes that they're much less inclined to move Drew – they'd have to be "blown away," given the lack of alternatives at shortstop.

Upton, still only 23, regressed a bit in the first year of his six-year, $51.25MM contract.  He hit .273/.356/.442 in 571 plate appearances, though a shoulder strain may have been partially responsible.  Though he slipped in all three categories, his walk rate was actually higher than it was in '09.  Since Upton would not have been arbitration eligible until now, almost all of his contract will be paid out over 2011-15. 

Trading Upton would be very difficult from a public relations standpoint unless the D'Backs receive a comparable young star in return.  It's difficult to picture Upton terrorizing the D'Backs over the next five years as a member of the Rockies, Dodgers, Padres, or Giants, but any club could afford Upton financially.  In the opinion of Rosenthal's colleague Jon Paul Morosi, the Braves would be at the front of the line for Upton and they have the young arms to pull off a deal (Twitter link).

Diamondbacks Rumors: Reynolds, A’s, Drew

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Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse hears that Arizona’s payroll will sit between $50-60MM next year. The Diamondbacks started the season with a $75MM payroll, but shed considerable salary with a flurry of midseason trades. They now have just shy of $20MM committed to the 2011 team (not including potential free agents or arbitration-eligible players). Here’s the latest on the Diamondbacks:

  • Krasovic hears that the D’Backs considered offering Mark Reynolds to the A’s for Kevin Kouzmanoff and Vin Mazzaro before Kevin Towers took over as the team’s GM.
  • The club also talked to the Tigers about exchanging Rick Porcello for Stephen Drew earlier in the summer, but Detroit wasn’t interested.
  • Krasovic wouldn’t be surprised to see the Diamondbacks sell high on Kelly Johnson, who is heading into his final season of arbitration.

 

Tigers Interested In Stephen Drew

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SATURDAY, 11:22am: Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic heard from a Diamondbacks' source that there have been no discussions with the Tigers regarding Drew in the past week.

MONDAY, 1:12pm: The Tigers are looking for middle infield help and are interested in Stephen Drew, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Tigers could use a shortstop and Drew is one of the many Diamondbacks interim GM Jerry Dipoto will consider dealing before July 31st.

Drew, who won’t hit free agency until after 2012, makes $3.4MM this year. The 27-year-old is hitting .268/.336/.409 and appears to be an above-average defender. Drew has made just four errors this year and UZR/150 suggests he defends better than most shortstops.

However, Drew has missed time with a sore left knee, so the Tigers would likely need to be assured that the shortstop is healthy before making the D’Backs a compelling offer. Since Adam Everett's release, Ramon Santiago and Danny Worth have been playing short for the Tigers, who are tied for first place with the Twins.

Odds & Ends: Lee, DeJesus, Padres, Drew

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Some news from around the majors tonight, including a bit more on (you guessed it), Cliff Lee joining the Rangers…

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