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• What Arizona got for Upton - besides Prado

  January 25, 2013 by KenRosenthal

  The Atlanta Braves traded four young players along with third baseman Martin Prado to acquire outfielder Justin Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson.

  A quick look at each of the youngsters:

  RHP Randall Delgado: The pitcher whom the Chicago Cubs wanted to acquire for two months of right-hander Ryan Dempster last season before a proposed deal collapsed.

  Delgado, who turns 23 on Feb. 9, throws a power sinker in the mid-90s and also boasts an outstanding changeup. He could become a No. 3 or 4 starter who chews up innings, or a valuable contributor out of the bullpen.

  The Braves named Delgado their fifth starter to open the season in 2012, and he will compete for the same role with the Diamondbacks in spring training.

  SS Nick Ahmed: The Braves only traded him because Andrelton Simmons is their long-term solution at shortstop. Otherwise, Ahmed – a second-round pick out of Connecticut in 2011 - might have taken over the position by ’14.

  Some teams like Ahmed better than Didi Gregorius, another shortstop whom the Diamondbacks acquired this offseason. Ahmed is an outstanding defender with speed, and might prove a better hitter than Gregorius.

  The Detroit Tigers, one of the teams that like Ahmed, wanted him as part of a package for right-hander Rick Porcello, according to major-league sources. Those conversations would have expanded the Upton deal to a three-team trade.

  Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers, however, all but dismissed the idea of acquiring Porcello on Thursday, saying the team no longer was looking for starting pitching after acquiring Delgado.

  RHP Zeke Spruill: Spruill, a second-round pick in 2008, was the Braves’ No. 9 prospect according to Baseball America. Braves people compared Spruill, 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, to a young Derek Lowe.

  Towers and manager Kirk Gibson saw Spruill pitch in the Arizona Fall League, and evidently liked what they saw. Spruill throws a heavy sinker in the mid-90s.

  1B/3B Brandon Drury: A 13^th-round pick in 2010, Drury won the Appalachian League batting title in ’11, but batted only .229 with a .603 OPS at Class A Rome last season.

  The Braves believed that Drury profiles better at first than third, and as with Ahmed, loved his makeup. Drury is from Grants Pass, Ore., not far from Towers’ hometown of Medford, Ore. He is close with Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

  -Ken Rosenthal

   

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• Assorted notes from the GM meetings

  November 08, 2012 by KenRosenthal

  INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Assorted notes from the baseball general managers' meetings:

  • I already can hear the New York Mets’ spin on right-hander R.A. Dickey now — the tried and true “Greedy Ballplayer” theory.

  Dickey, the Mets will say, wanted too much in a contract extension, so the team traded him rather than get suckered into a bad deal.

  Such a portrayal simply would not be accurate.

  The Mets, sources say, have shown little actual interest in negotiating with Dickey, who is under contract for next season at $5 million.

  Instead, they’re discussing him in trades at the GM meetings. If they get the right deal, they will just move on.

  Trading Dickey, 38, probably is the right thing for the Mets to do, considering all of their holes. But the Mets intend to pin this on Dickey, they first need to make him a substantial offer.

  That, sources say, has not happened.

  • The Yankees are out of the Justin Upton sweepstakes, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Even if they wanted to be “in,” they would lack the necessary talent to entice the Diamondbacks in a trade.

  Several rival executives view the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays as the teams most interested in Upton, but the Rays would need free-agent center fielder B.J. Upton to reject their qualifying offer before they make any move — they could not afford the salaries of both Uptons. B.J., though, is attracting strong interest, and almost certainly will reject the Rays’ offer by Friday’s deadline.

  One executive suggests the Detroit Tigers as a possible darkhorse for Justin Upton. The Diamondbacks want a shortstop or a third baseman, and the Tigers could offer third-base prospect Nick Castellanos and a combination of other players, including right fielder Avisail Garcia and pitchers Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly.

  I am not suggesting that the Tigers would trade any or all of those players for Justin Upton; it’s just one exec’s speculation. But the Tigers at least have the players to make such a deal happen, and Dave Dombrowski is one of the game’s boldest, most aggressive GMs.

  The Atlanta Braves, by the way, do not appear serious about a pursuit of Justin Upton.

  • The Red Sox are disinclined to trade Jacoby Ellsbury for two reasons: His value is down, and the team is intent on contending next season under new manager John Farrell.

  Ellsbury figures to be highly motivated in his free-agent year, and the Red Sox recognize that they probably cannot trade him and become a better team.

  Jackie Bradley Jr., the Red Sox’s center fielder of the future, is ready for the majors defensively but not offensively. Some club officials believe that he might be best served by a full year in the minors.

  Boston’s Ben Cherington is one of those GMs who will listen on any player, but the chances of the Sox moving Ellbury appear slim.

  • Free-agent right-hander Brett Myers is telling teams that he wants to be a starter first, a closer second, and a setup man third.

  Myers, 32, started last season as a closer with the Houston Astros because of the team’s need, then remained a reliever after getting traded to the Chicago White Sox.

  However, he pitched a combined 439-2/3 innings as a starter for the Astros in 2010 and ’11, and previously shifted from the bullpen to the rotation with the Phillies in 2008.

  • Right-hander Jon Garland, who sat out all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery in July 2011, intends to make a comeback next season.

  Garland, 33, threw for 10 to 15 teams in September but decided not to return at that time. He figures to sign with a club in late January.

  — Ken Rosenthal

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• Blockbuster on tap for D-backs?

  July 31, 2012 by KenRosenthal

  Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers likes to refer to the final hours before the non-waiver deadline as “the lightning round.”

  On Tuesday, Towers would like to make some thunder.

  The Diamondbacks are trying to pull off a blockbuster for a premier starting pitcher, according to major-league sources. The identity of the pitcher is not known.

  Towers has the pieces to make such a deal happen – specifically, right fielder Justin Upton and a stable of top pitching prospects.

  D-backs officials all but dismissed the possibility of trading Upton last week, but Towers repeatedly has said that he will move any player in the right deal.

  By including Upton, who is signed for $9.75 million next season, $14.25 million in 2014 and $14.5 million in ’15, the D-backs would create financial room for an established veteran starter.

  The D-backs, winners of eight of their last 11 games, are just 3½ games back in the NL West.

  -Ken Rosenthal

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• Notes from around the majors

  January 25, 2012 by KenRosenthal

  • The recent four-player Yankees-Mariners trade likely will be debated for years.

  One good sign for the Mariners: Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers, who worked for the Yankees in 2010, is a fan of right-hander Hector Noesi, who went to the Mariners with catcher Jesus Montero for righty Michael Pineda and minor-league righty Jose Campos.

  Towers, renowned for his pitching expertise, asked for Noesi as part of a trade package when he spoke with the Yankees about outfielder Justin Upton after the ’10 season, according to a rival executive.

  • The obvious benefit of the Nationals’ failure to sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder is that it allows the team to retain positional flexibility, particularly in center field.

  A long-term deal for Fielder eventually might have forced the Nats to use an outfield of Michael Morse in left, Jayson Werth in center and Bryce Harper in right. Without Fielder, they can move Morse to first after Adam LaRoche plays out his contract this season and pursue a legitimate center fielder.

  Michael Bourn, Shane Victorino and B.J. Upton are eligible for free agency next offseason, and the Nats also are high on three of their center-field prospects – Brian Goodwin, Michael Taylor and Eury Perez.

  None, though, has yet to play above Class A.

  Goodwin, the 34th overall pick in last year’s draft, is the team’s fifth-ranked prospect, according to Baseball America. Taylor, who draws comparisons to Mike Cameron, took perhaps the biggest jump of any player in the system last season. Perez is a speedster with offensive potential.

  • As I reported on Twitter earlier this week, the Cubs, Marlins and Tigers are the three clubs scouting Cuban outfielder Yoennis Cespedes most closely in the Dominican.

  Cespedes finally hit the open market Wednesday. The bidding for him is certain to be intense, if for no other reason than the new spending limits on international amateur talent will limit clubs in most foreign markets. (Cuban defectors and Asian players who are older than 23 and have more than five years professional experience will not be subject to the restrictions.)

  Starting with the 2012-13 signing season, each club will be allocated a signing-bonus pool. The pools will be equal in 2012-13, then will vary based on reverse order of winning percentage thereafter. Clubs that exceed their respective limits will be subject to penalties.

  • Remember Kosuke Fukudome?

  He remains a free agent, and the Brewers showed interest in him before paying a combined $4.75 million for Japanese outfielder Norichika Aoiki — a $2.5 million posting fee and a two-year, $2.25 million contract.

  Fukudome, who had a combined .712 OPS last season for the Cubs and Indians, wants to remain in the majors, according to a source with knowledge of his thinking. Some executives, however, believe he may end up back in Japan.

  • Speaking of Japanese players, Rangers right-hander Koji Uehara had such a positive experience in Baltimore, he recommended the Orioles to the two free-agent lefties the team signed out of the Japanese league, Tsuyoshi Wada and Wei-Yin Chen, according to a major-league source.

  Uehara invoked his limited no-trade protection to reject a deal to the Blue Jays this week, sources say, prompting the Jays to sign free-agent righty Francisco Cordero to a one-year, $4.5 million contract.

  A trade back to the Orioles is a possibility.

  • The Red Sox are talking to free-agent right-hander Edwin Jackson, who could be open to a one-year deal.

  Two years ago, agent Scott Boras negotiated such a “pillow” contract with the Red Sox for another of his clients, third baseman Adrian Beltre.

  One executive, however, points out that the AL East offers no such soft landing for a starting pitcher. If Jackson signs for one year, he might be better off in the NL, where he could produce better numbers before going back into the open market.

  — Ken Rosenthal

   

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