1:14am: The White Sox are in "serious discussions" for Jackson, tweets Rosenthal. Chicago would send Hudson and another prospect to the D'Backs in the proposed deal.
12:26am: The White Sox are looking into acquiring Edwin Jackson from the Diamondbacks, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Although the Sox have been linked peripherally to Jackson for much of the week, reports to date have indicated that Chicago's only interest in the right-hander would be as a chip to facilitate a three-way Adam Dunn trade. Rosenthal suggests, however, that the Sox may be interested in acquiring and keeping Jackson, rather than flipping him.
While Chicago covets Dunn, they are becoming less convinced they'll be able to work out a deal with the Nationals before Saturday's deadline. As such, they've been focusing more on bolstering their starting rotation. Rosenthal writes that the Sox are exploring other pitchers in addition to Jackson, as they look to replace the injured Jake Peavy.
Peavy's current replacement in the rotation, Daniel Hudson, could be a key piece in a potential trade for Jackson, according to Rosenthal.
While the Rangers and Marlins were working out the trade that sent Jorge Cantu to Texas, the Rangers also took a chance to "reach for the sky" and inquired on the availability of Josh Johnson. According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, the Rangers were willing to offer their top three prospects, but were told the Marlins' ace is "unmovable."
Johnson, 26, signed a four-year extension worth $39MM with Florida in January, virtually eliminating him as a possible trade chip for the near future. Given his performance this year, which includes a 1.72 ERA over 141.1 IP, Johnson figures to be even more untouchable now than he was at the time of the extension.
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You always hear the expression “he only threw one bad pitch” when a pitcher throws an excellent game, with his only blemish being a home run. The problem with this phrase is that the pitcher probably threw a lot of bad pitches, but he only paid for one of them. That wasn’t ... — full article at piratesprospects.com |
During a year in which pitchers are being sold for remarkably low prices, the Minnesota Twins announced last night that they had traded Wilson Ramos to the Washington Nationals for closer Matt Capps. On the face of things, it seems a very high price to pay for a closer.
Ramos, 22, was one of the most-blocked prospects in baseball. Being a catcher in Minnesota's organization doesn't exactly qualify you for much playing time, and Ramos was a virtual lock to be traded eventually.
That he was only able to bring Matt Capps as a return, though, is disappointing. Many thought Ramos was worth much more than an expensive relief pitcher, but a lot of that can probably be attributed to a fan base overvaluing a prospect's worth.
The fact is, Ramos hasn't helped the Twins out much this year. By hitting a paltry .241/.280/.345 in Triple-A Rochester this season, Ramos' value has either dropped significantly, or Minnesota's front office panicked and sold Ramos for less than he was worth.
Capps is owed around $1.3 million for the rest of this season, and is set for another raise for the 2011 campaign. With Joe Nathan expected to attempt a comeback next year, though, Capps may not even be tendered a contract. If Nathan can make a full recovery, Capps would be a very expensive set-up man, to say the least.
While it would be nice to have a Capps-Nathan combo in the 2011 bullpen, the duo would combine to make entirely too much money for the impact they could make on the team as a whole. But while it wouldn't be cost-effective to keep both a functional Nathan and Capps next year, the 26-year old reliever from Washington will be available should Nathan not recover from Tommy John surgery.
Expensive though he is, Capps makes the Twins a better team than they were yesterday. Being inserted directly into the ninth inning role, Capps will force the entire bullpen chain down a notch, which should help other Minnesota relievers improve, or, in some cases, take high-leverage innings away from relievers who have no business pitching in them.
Capps has induced quite a few ground balls this year, and has seen a healthy drop in his fly ball rate. The transition from Nationals Park to Target Field will be negligible, so the Twins are hoping Capps can keep batted balls on the ground. Minnesota's infield is much more prepared to handle an increased work-load than the outfield.*
* Minnesota's currently outfield deserves a post of its own. The primary culprit for Baker, Slowey, and Blackburn's poor seasons this year, the outfield could use an infusion of range. As Beth Sickella opined last night on Twitter, the Twins should consider giving Cuddyer a few games at third (once Morneau is healthy again, of course) during starts from Slowey and Baker. This will hurt the infield defense, but allow both Repko and Span to play in the outfield. An interesting idea, to say the least.
By bringing in Capps, the Twins will increase their final win total of the regular season by a fraction of a win, at best. Still, in the very tight American League Central, a division that has required a couple Game 163's, even a fraction of a win could make a huge difference.
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If you read my earlier blog this evening, you saw that Brewers GM Doug Melvin basically said he wouldn't be trading Prince Fielder or Corey Hart because he didn't have to do so and wasn't getting bowled over with offers. — full article at jsonline.com |
The Baltimore Orioles have named 54 year-old Buck Showalter their new manager taking over from interim manager Juan Samuel. The former Yankees, Diamondbacks, and Rangers manager had been previously out of baseball since he was fired by Texas in 2006.
Since his time as Yankees manager, Showalter has had a sort of "midas touch" getting the best out of under-performing franchises. When he took over the helm in the Bronx in 1992, the Yankees were far from a championship calibre team.
Showalter turned the over-paid Yankees around by changing the clubhouse atmosphere into one of seriousness and dedication. Along with then general manager Gene Michael, he shipped out veterans who were unwilling to conform to his demanding methods. In 1995, Showalter led the Yankees to their first playoff appearance since 1981 but possibly could have done so the year before if not for the 1994 strike as the Yankees at the time held the best record in the American League.
A falling out with owner George Steinbrenner led to Showalter's exit with the Yankees but the pieces were in place for a championship run as Joe Torre entered their manager's office. Torre deserving got the credit for the future success of the franchise but Showalter had done much of the work in restoring the Bronx Bombers.
He then became the inaugural manager of the newly former Arizona Diamonbacks and with all expansion teams, it takes time to win. Showalter though, was able to do so in his second season in the Arizona desert as the D'Backs went 100-62 and won the NL West. He was booted the following season as Arizona struggled, but again he had set the path to their World Series championship under Bob Brenly.
His next stop was in Texas where he inherited a team of stars that finished the 79-91 while Jerry Narron was at the Rangers' helm. Showalter struggled to the get the Rangers to play as unit for most of his tenure in Texas but found success in 2004. He won the Manager of the Year award as the club finished 89-73 despite a serious lack of pitching and the loss of superstar Alex Rodriguez who was traded to the Yankees. The Rangers fired Showalter after the 2006 season and for once he was unable to breathe life into a struggling franchise.
Showalter now takes over a Baltimore Oriole team that is buried in the AL East and realistically will never compete as they share the division with the powerhouses that are the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays. The Orioles have been willing to deal away their best talent every year and there isn't much end in sight to the club's misery.
Baltimore hasn't been able to eclipse 70 wins since the 2005 season and Showalter has a huge rebuilding job ahead of him. For the Orioles to finish near .500 over the next three seasons would be a tremendous accomplishment. Especially considering the last time they came near that mark was the 1998 season where they finished 79-83.
Despite the lack of talent available on the Orioles' roster and their inability to lure free agents due to the AL East division being a perennial "three-horse race," Showalter is the sort of manager who can achieve steady progress in Baltimore. It would be foolish to count him out based upon his track record and if owner Peter Angelos is patient, it is possible that Showalter can get the team playing near .500 baseball during his contract that runs through the 2013 season.
To call the Orioles a "stepping stone" might be a bit harsh but it is justified in this case. If Showalter can make decent progress early in his tenure, there is a strong chance contending clubs will come calling for his guidance. Once he gets his feet wet and proves that he still hasn't lost his managerial ability, there is no doubt that Showalter will surface as a hot candidate for future vacancies around baseball.
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