Rumors for September, 2011
Contract talks: McCutchen, Pujols and Wang
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Here’s a running list of contract talks around the Major leagues:
– The Pittsburgh Pirates and Andrew McCutchen will resume contract talks this offseason according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The outfielder already turned down long-term deals from the Pirates the past two offseasons. The team has every intention of locking him up before he qualifies for salary arbitration in 2013.
– The St. Louis Cardinals will resume contract talks this off season with Albert Pujols according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Although GM John Mozeliak said these negotiations will be “independent” of last offseason’s negotiations, though the offer will remain in the same range ($22-22.5 million per season). The Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals are among other potential bidders for Pujols adds Strauss.
– Chien-Ming Wang and the Washington Nationals are in the “preliminary stages” of a possible contract extension according to his agent Alan Nero (via Bill Ladson of MLB.com).
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Hiroki Kuroda is uncertain where he will pitch next year
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Hiroki Kuroda will make his final start of the season on Tuesday for the Dodgers against the Diamondbacks. Beyond Tuesday though, Kuroda is uncertain where he will end up pitching next season. There was speculation that Kuroda would return to Japan where he pitched 11 seasons with Hiroshima, but Kuroda has shot down the notion that he has already made up his mind.
“It’s amazing that something I don’t know, someone else knows. I’ll tell you one thing: I tend to go the other way. At this moment, I really don’t know. I might stay here, I might go to Japan. It’s 50-50.”
If Kuroda does decide to stay in the states, he will have many suitors as he has been successful in the majors posting a career era of 3.48 with a record of 41-46. Kuroda may decide to resign with the Dodgers as he has felt very comfortable living and pitching in Los Angeles which consists of a strong Asian community as evidence by his decision not to accept a trade at the recent trade deadline to Boston or New York.
Kuroda is finishing up a one-year deal where he earned $12mm while going 13-16 with a 3.17 era.
Information from Ken Gurnick of MLB.com was used in this article.
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Injury updates: Soria, Crowe, Isringhausen and Duda
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Here’s a running list of injury updates around the Major Leagues:
– Royals closer Joakim Soria is unlikely to pitch again this season according to manager Ned Yost (via Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star).
– The Cleveland Indians are shutting down outfielder Trevor Crowe for the last few games of the season, due to a shoulder strain, Nick Camino of Newsradio WTAM 1100 reports.
– Mets manager Terry Collins says that Lucas Duda and Jason Isringhausen may not “reappear this season” according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
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Ronnie Necciai is the only professional pitcher to strike out 27 batters in a game
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As a baseball fan, I am always looking for something related to baseball to read. In Venezuela we have a great baseball journalist named Juan Vene. In today’s column from the local newspaper, I found a really interesting story.
Apparently, Vene was asked if there was a pitcher in professional baseball history to strike out 27 batters in one game. After doing some research, he found out that in May 13, 1952, a 19-year old pitcher named Ron Necciai struck out 27 batters in one game.
Necciai was playing in the Appalachian League for the Pirates at the time, and is the only professional pitcher ever to achieve such a great feature. The hurler not only won the game 7-0, and struck out 27 batters, he also threw a no hitter.
During the game only four batters reached base. One reached on an error from the short stop, one after from a walk, one by a hit by pitch and another one after a passed ball from the catcher after a third strike. Only two players put the ball in play, one player grounded out to first and the one who reached on an error.
Necciai struck out 24 players more in his next start, but after he was called up by the Pirates in August that same year he went 1-6 with a 7.08 ERA. That was the only time he ever played in the Majors, he played a couple more Minor League seasons, but he couldn’t overcome a series of injuries.
It is hard to imagine that anybody could achieve that feature ever again at a professional level. And even though he couldn’t make it as a Major League pitcher he should always be remembered as the only professional hurler to strike out 27 batters in one game.
Fragments of Juan Vene’s column of today’s Ultimas Noticias’ edition were used in this article.
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Braves designate Matt Young for assignment
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nta Braves have designated Matt Young for assignment according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. This movement will create room for Kris Medlen on the 40-man roster.
Young was hitting .208/.269/.229 with 1 RBI in 48 AB’s for the Braves in 2011.
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Reds and Jocketty agree to 3-year contract extension
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The Cincinnati Reds and GM Walt Jocketty have agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the team through 2014, as reported by the team on Twitter.
“Since he’s been here, Walt has vastly improved our baseball operations within the organization,” President and CEO Bob Castellini said via a press release. “You can’t develop a winning tradition without stability. Walt and his staff are doing good things here. We want to keep that momentum going.”
Jocketty joined the team in January 2008 as a special advisor to Castellini, but moved into his current position three months later.
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Rockies to exercise Jason Giambi’s 2012 option
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According to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post, GM Dan O’Dowd and the Colorado Rockies plan to exercise Jason Giambi’s $1 million mutual option for next season. Giambi will share time with Todd Helton at first base.
In August, Giambi said that he wouldn’t mind being traded in the latter part of this season as long as he could return to Colorado in 2012.
“I told Dan that whatever goes on, as long as it doesn’t hurt my chances of coming back here, I’m up for it,” Giambi said.
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Phillies trade Mike Zagurski to the Diamondbacks for a PTBNL
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According to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Enquirer, the Philadelphia Phillies have traded left handed pitcher Mike Zagurski to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a player to be named later.
Zagurski was 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA in 54.1 innings throughout 46 relief appearances.
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Tim Lincecum prefers to sign a one or two-year deal
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Right handed pitcher Tim Lincecum told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he doesn’t want to lock himself into a long-term deal that would “buy out future free-agent years.”
This doesn’t mean he wants to leave the Giants though, Schulman adds that the lack of run support he’s been getting from the Giants won’t affect his thinking. “I don’t think it has to do with the offense,” Lincecum said. “I just don’t know how I’m going to feel five years from now, or three years. That’s why I’d kind of like to take things step by step and why I liked the deal I got last year.”
The Giants would love to give Lincecum a long-term deal to buy out at least a couple of his free agent years. And even though that would provide financial security for the right hander, as Schulman points out, it would provide a lot more to worry about too.
“It’s just easier for me mentally not to have to put that kind of pressure on yourself,” he said. “Not that you don’t want to succeed, but when you’re signed to a long-term deal, it’s like saying, ‘I’m going to live up to every expectation.’
“That’s why I like going year to year, so I can improve on it and not sit on what I’ve done.”
Lincecum is 13-13 with a 2.59 ERA in 212 innings throughout 32 starts with the Giants in 2011.
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Pitchers notes: Wainwright, Oswalt, Floyd and Moore
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Here’s a running list of pitchers notes around the Major Leagues:
– Right handed pitcher Adam Wainwright threw a two-inning bullpen session yesterday according to Nate Latsch of MLB.com. “This was my third throwing session off the mound [to a crouched catcher],” he said. “The first two times we did one set of 30. This one we’re kind of progressing, now we’re doing two sets of 20. So the up-down, but you’re also adding some throws in there.”
– Roy Oswalt’s agent Bob Garber said his client “has been rejuvenated” pitching with the Phillies and that he will play in 2012 according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “There’s been a rebirth,” Garber said. “There’s been talk in the past about retiring, but that’s not even in the cards at this point. It’s a different Roy. It’s a different feeling for him right now. He’s enjoying the game right now like he used to when he was younger. He’s definitely not retiring.”
Zolecki adds that although the Phillies are unlikely to pick up Oswalt’s option, they could try to re-sign him on a “lesser deal.”
– Depending on the White Sox’s plans for 2012, left handed pitcher Gavin Floyd could be a subject of trade rumors this off-season according to Daryl Van Schouwen and Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times. Floyd has a very affordable contract for 2012 ($7 million), and a club option for 2013, making him appealing for teams looking for proven starters.
– One of the biggest pitching prospects right now, if not the biggest, Matt Moore, made his Major League debut yesterday against the Yankees. The 22-year old not only got the win (a much needed one for his team), but he also became the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out at least 11 Yankees in five innings or less (via ESPN Stats & Info).
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