BBTF.org—Jim’s Baseball News Twitterific

Bob Dutton tweeted “Royals get RHP Jesse Chavez, OF Gregor Blanco and minor-league LHP Tim Collins from Braves for OF Rick Ankiel, RHP Kyle Farnsworth and cash.”

Ken Rosenthal #RedSox get Saltalamacchia #MLB

Amalie Benjamin #RedSox announce they acquired Saltalamacchia for 1B Chris McGuinness, RHP Roman Mendez, PTBNL and cash.

The FanGraphs NYC Live Discussion Gets Even Better

For those not going to the SABR Convention in Atlanta…like me!

On Saturday, August 7th, FanGraphs and River Avenue Blues are hosting their first ever Live Discussion.  The event will consist of three hours of conversation about baseball, analysis of the sport, and how the game is covered. 

Hosting the event will be David Appelman and Dave Cameron of FanGraphs along with Joe Pawlikowski, Benjamin Kabek, and Mike Axisa of River Ave Blues.  Notable guests include former Deadspin editor and author Will Leitch, baseball consultant and analyst Mitchel Lichtman, Wall Street Journal contributor David Biderman, as well as other writers from FanGraphs and around the web.

...Additionally, we’re going to host a game-watching party for attendees to gather at a local watering hole and view that afternoon’s Boston-New York match-up together. Those who make it to the event will be invited to join us for several more hours of fun later in the afternoon.

Also…

Jon Sciambi
Matthew Cerrone
Sky Kalkman

Hermida designated; Kalish makes debut

Scheduled to bat eighth and start in left field for the Red Sox for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Tigers, Jeremy Hermida was instead designated for assignment.

Highly touted outfield prospect Ryan Kalish was summoned from Triple-A Pawtucket…

In his first season with the Red Sox, Hermida has hit .203 with five homers and 27 RBIs in 52 games.

Kalish hit.293 with eight homers and 29 RBIs in 41 games at Pawtucket.

Dodgers Trade Lambo/McDonald for Dotel

Octavio Dotel, 36 years old with 52 baserunners allowed in 40 innings for Pittsburgh this season against 48 strikeouts, comes to Los Angeles as the Dodgers give up on James McDonald and minor-league outfielder Andrew Lambo.

White Sox’s GM certainly has been trying

It’s fine… Berkman wasn’t meant for Chicago.

In the last 24 hours of the non-waiver trade deadline, word has come out that Lance Berkman vetoed a trade to the White Sox and the club was “rejected” in its efforts to land Manny Ramirez, according to a Fox Sports report. That is on top of their so-far failed efforts to land Adam Dunn and Prince Fielder.

Netherlands, Italy clash in Euros Finals

The two dominating teams in European Championship history have reached the finals again. Italy will face the Netherlands on Sunday at 2pm CET at the TVC Stadium in Stuttgart, Germany. Both teams already met on Saturday with the Squadra Azzurra taking an 11-3 win. But it was more or less a meaningless game for the Dutch team, although they lost home field advantage due to the defeat.

While managers Jim Stoeckel (NED) and Marco Mazzieri (ITA) didn’t announce their starting pitchers on Saturday, it is not much of a secret, who will take the mound. Diegomar Markwell and Leon Boyd will probably split the workload for the Netherlands. Roberto Corradini is the most likely option for Italy after Cody Cillo, Tiago Da Silva and Chris Cooper pitched on the last two days.

The game might be on online at http://www.stadeo.tv/

An MVP Hangs In There, With Los Muchachos Del Verano

It seems like a familiar story: a baseball veteran gets to the end of his contract, can’t sign another one, and finds new life, and love, in another country. In this case, it’s EA Sports’ long lost MVP Baseball 2005.

Discontinued when 2K Sports won the exclusive third-party license from Major League Baseball, the game still retains a relatively sizeable fan base in its exile, thanks largely to a strong modding culture for the PC version. And through this, MVP is now something of an unofficial national baseball video game in countries like the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Mexico.

That’s thanks to “MVP Caribe,” the largest and best known of the game’s “Total Conversion Mods,” the full-featured remakes that completely change the game’s rosters, teams, uniforms, ballparks and even its audio. Downloaded more than half a million times since it was first released in October 2007, it’s the product of 10 modders, using a tool set developed and used by the robust MVP modding community.

MLB: Yanks land Wood to help bridge gap to Mo

Wood bridges never last (cue Colonel Bogey March).

The Yankees made one final move to upgrade their bullpen before Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline, acquiring right-hander Kerry Wood from the Indians for a player to be named or cash considerations, according to a report by the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. The deal is pending the Commissioner’s approval.

Wood, 33, could help the Yankees secure their setup bridge to closer Mariano Rivera, especially now that Joba Chamberlain has lost his firm stranglehold on the eighth-inning duties. The Yankees have also been offering higher-priority innings to Dave Robertson of late.

Wood was activated by the Indians on Saturday from the disabled list after battling a blister issue, and he is 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA in 23 appearances for Cleveland in 2010. The veteran has spent 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, with all but two coming in the uniform of the Cubs.

AJC: Tom Glavine - Honoring a Love-Hate Hero.

He said he hasn’t looked at the ceremony as any kind of fence-mending exercise. But there will be an element of that. The night is a good excuse to also retire the last of old animosities.

A loyal union man during the baseball strike of 1994, Glavine played an out-front role in that season-killing ordeal. In 2003, he signed with the division rival New York Mets. The combination proved too much for those fans who booed him heartily whenever he returned to Atlanta with the Mets.

Cubs Trade Lilly And Theriot To Dodgers For DeWitt

Theriot on Sunset Strip is a happening!

Via various sources, including MLB Network and this tweet from Jayson Stark, two key parts of the Cubs’ 2007 and 2008 playoff club are now members of the Los Angeles Dodgers:

  Deal done. #Cubs sending Lilly & Theriot to Cubs for Blake DeWitt & minor lgers Brett Walch & Kyle Smit. LA also gets $2.5M. #trades

I don’t know much about the minor leaguers; DeWitt likely gets installed as the Cubs’ starting second baseman, and this also likely means Carlos Zambrano heads back to the rotation, and I’d guess Jeff Samardizja comes back from Iowa to the bullpen for the rest of the year.

ESPN: Szymborski: Projecting the Blockbusters (Insider)

While the Astros didn’t get any big-name prospects in the trade, GM Ed Wade probably gets a bit of a pass here with the constraints that Oswalt placed upon the team. Given the conditions Wade had to deal with, he got a pretty good return. Happ’s peripherals and rather lackluster stuff didn’t match his ERA (2.93) during his breakout campaign last year; if the Astros think Happ is going to be a No. 1 starter, they will be pretty disappointed going forward.

[...]

However, the Astros can use league-average starters as well—this is a franchise that has intentionally allowed Brian Moehler, Mike Hampton, and Russ Ortiz to pitch in games the past couple of years.

Deadline Day CHATTER

To STOP THE MADNESS that might ensue, let’s try to keep all rumors and such in here, only putting up full topics if deals are “done”.

Image of the day: Rain Delay

Okay, so is this image true? Is the rain drainage in Fenway this bad that you get wet even if you are under in a concourse?

Creative Commons, image by “Psmckiernan”.

SF Giants to add Rich Aurilia and Shawn Estes to Wall of Fame

Enough with this Tommy Toms tomfoolery! Let him in!

On Saturday, July 31, the San Francisco Giants will honor two of the team’s legends—Rich Aurilia and Shawn Estes.

The two players will be added to the Giants Wall of Fame, which is located outside the ballpark on King Street between Second and Third Streets.

Aurilia, who spent 12 seasons with the Giants (1995-2003, 2007-2009), had a .275 BA with 232 doubles, 143 home runs, and 574 RBI. The infielder was also an All-Star in 2001 and is currently a Giants Analyst for CSN.

Lefty pitcher Estes played for the Giants for seven seasons (1995-2001) where he earned a 64-50 record with a 4.25 ERA. He was an All-Star in 1997.

With the addition of Aurilia and Estes, the Giants Wall of Fame will contain bronze plaques of 46 Giants legends. Those who have been honored have played at least nine seasons for San Francisco or five seasons with at least one All-Star selection as a Giant.

A model player: Dale Murphy understands role as ex-Braves star

And in a pre-steroids era, Murphy hit a career .265 with 398 home runs and 1,266 RBIs and was a member of the exclusive 30-30 (homers and stolen bases) club.

Yet despite being widely considered one of the best players of the 1980s, Murphy has yet to get the call from Cooperstown.

“I don’t know about the Hall of Fame,” Murphy said. “You have to get 75 percent (of the vote) to get in and I’m getting 12-13 percent.

I’m not campaigning, nor should I—it’s hard to get in for a reason.”

As players from the steroid era become eligible, Murphy could get a longer look. Long an opponent of performance-enhancing drugs, Murphy is glad baseball has toughened its stance but isn’t holding his breath that the backlash will help him in the polls.

“I think steroids made people look at the ‘80s differently,” he added. “But there were other things that also contributed to those (later) home run numbers besides steroids.”

!...Well knock me upside the head with a rolled up Nauvoo Expositor! Bravo, Murph!

Womack: The 10 Most Underrated Baseball Players of All-Time

Arriba! Clemente underrated? Why…I once had some Mas Portell goop bartossed at me for saying he was overrated!

Roberto Clemente: Almost criminally underrated and had he not died heroically in a plane crash in 1972, he’d be even less remembered. Despite amassing 3,000 hits, doing his best work at the plate in the 1960s when pitchers reigned supreme, and also being an outstanding right fielder, Clemente was not included in recent books I reviewed about the 25 greatest baseball players of all-time and the 20 greatest hitters.

Honus Wagner: In five or ten years, Alex Rodriguez will retire and debate will begin anew if he was the greatest shortstop ever. Some will say his power can’t be ignored, others will say the best is Derek Jeter who caused Rodriguez to shift to third base, and a few self-righteous sportswriters will probably pen columns saying Cal Ripken Jr. was more consistent– which is funny because Wagner lasted longer than any of those men and his .328 lifetime average and 3,420 hits is better too.

Kevin Brown: Fans may remember Brown’s $15 million annual contract from the Dodgers or his prickly personality or his being mentioned in the Mitchell Report after he retired. When Brown hits the Hall of Fame ballot later this year, he may become the best pitcher shunned by voters. If Albert Belle peaked with less than eight percent of the BBWAA vote, I don’t see Brown faring much better, no matter his 211 wins, string of dominance from the late 1990s, or his having one of the best Wins Above Replacement ratings of non-inducted pitchers.

WEEI: Hurting Damon apologizes to Fenway crowd

Get in line Kauffman/Coliseum crowds.

The last thing Johnny Damon wanted to do was miss his return to Fenway Park for the first time as a member of the Detroit Tigers. But the outfielder, who starred on the 2004 World Series champions, had to pull himself out of the starting lineup before Friday’s series opener with sharp pain due to spasms in the middle of his back.

...“I tried doing everything I could to get ready for this game,” Damon said after Detroit’s 6-5 win. “I know we’re very shorthanded. I wanted to come out and play in front of the Fenway crowd without wearing that Yankee uniform. But that looks like it’s going to have to wait.

“I’m not sure how long this [injury will take to recover]. You could say it came out of the blue. I felt it before the game in Tampa [Thursday]. I didn’t really think much of it after the game [Thursday] but when I started moving around today, I was in considerable pain.”

MLB: Rockies put together MLB-record 11 straight hits

and honestly, the twelfth hit should be Piniella’s job.

The Rockies seemed to put an end to any offensive woes left from a dismal road trip when they erupted for an eighth inning of epic proportions in a 17-2 win against the Cubs on Friday night at Coors Field.

Heading into the frame leading, 5-2, the Rockies notched franchise records for hits and runs in an inning (13 and 12, respectively), plate appearances in an inning (18) and extra-base hits in a game (12). They also had 11 straight hits—a Major League record.

It exhausted three Cubs relievers, who combined for 61 pitches.

And all the scoring came with two outs.

...“Tomorrow, if you brought out [Aramis] Ramirez and [Derrek Lee] and Marlon Byrd and let them throw [batting practice] and put nine fielders out there, I have a tough time thinking they could get 11 straight hits,” Dempster said. “That’s how crazy that is. That’s how really remarkable it is.

...And in the clubhouse after the game, the verdict was unanimous.

“No one’s ever seen anything like that,” said shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who doubled twice in the eighth. “I’ve never seen anything like it at any level. That was special, something you’ll never see again.”

Lowe: Foes walk all over Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown bid

Elias! Retrosheet! Pipequaline!

Cabrera this week became the first player since the Giants’ Bonds in 2004 to receive an intentional walk with first base occupied in three straight games. That information comes from Steve Hirdt, executive vice president of the Elias Sports Bureau, the official statistician for Major League Baseball.

“Winning the Triple Crown—seemingly a prototypical individual accomplishment—in fact has a subtle team component to it, as Cabrera has found out lately,” Hirdt wrote Friday in an e-mail to the Free Press. “It’s not just getting guys on base ahead of you and producing in those situations. (Cabrera is 7-for-20 with runners in scoring position since the All-Star break.) But some sort of protection behind you helps a lot, and with (Brennan) Boesch slumping, Tigers’ No. 5 hitters are 6-for-54 since the break.

...Since 1958, Bonds is by far the leader in receiving intentional walks with first base occupied, according to research by Dave Smith of Retrosheet.org. Bonds drew 68 intentional walks with first base occupied, Smith reports. Next on the list since 1958 is the Phillies’ Ryan Howard, who has 12.

Smith reports that from 1958 through Thursday, there had been 1,896 intentional walks in the majors with first base occupied. Cabrera through Thursday had drawn five of those intentional walks tying him for 39th on the list since 1958, Smith reports.

Bucs Dugout: Smizik Incites Masses, Riots Imminent

I like Bob Smizik. Hold on, don’t kill me yet. Bob’s a good guy. He’s seen a lot. I’ve interviewed him on the radio and he’s a great guest because he’s opinionated and articulate. But, as has been said here a million times, he just seems to get a thrill in killing the Pirates any chance he gets. This may be done to incite the masses and get more hits and comments on his blog, and if so, it’s working. But I think he’s so far off the mark on this one I wanted to write something.

His latest post is titled “Trading Maholm Reeks of Salary Dump.”

First, as I write this, Maholm hasn’t been traded. He might be, but it hasn’t happened yet. So he obviously wasn’t traded when Bob wrote his piece. The headline is a good start to inflame the masses.

...The Pirates should absolutely move Maholm (and Duke) if it is a good baseball move and if prospects are what comes back, so be it. Just make sure to get the best long-term return possible. Again, we aren’t trading Whitely Ford. We are offering a good major league-average starting pitcher that has cost certainty and has proven to be durable. Maholm is reasonably cheap next year. That contract adds to his value.

We might see how valuable it is in the next 24 hours. One thing I feel most certain about, a trade would NOT be a salary dump. And if we do trade him, maybe he can come back and be our fourth or fifth starter three years from now at age 31. Wouldn’t that be great if the Pirates had three or four pitchers who could make and average major league starter be just another guy.

Thanks to Eddie R..

Jeff Pearlman: Some players aren’t meant for New York

Pearl Man, Berk Man: A Mini-World Series chance.

And Lance Berkman is one of them.

I profiled Lance for SI years ago, and truly enjoyed him. He’s an off-the-charts right-winger, which isn’t my cup. But the guy also has authenticity, and decency, and—I feel 100% confident in saying—never used steroids. He’s a Texas kid who attended Rice, then went on to star for the hometown ballclub, the Astros.

So, again, some players aren’t meant for New York. Berkman is an excellent addition—still enough pop in his bat to make a difference; a tremendous clubhouse guy who won’t complain if he’s out of the lineup for a few days. But he doesn’t belong in a big nothern city. He’s a country dude; a Texan through and through.

That said, I hope it goes well.

I really do.

Austin Kearns Reportedly Traded To Yankees

I assume Kearns for Dunn, now?  Wait… what year is it?

According to multiple reports, Cleveland Indians outfielder Austin Kearns has been traded to the New York Yankeess [sic]... In 2010, the 30-year-old Kearns has managed a .764 OPS and appears set to play his first full season since 2007. With the Yankees, he appears likely to serve as a fourth outfielder of sorts. He has played all three outfield positions this year alone, so he may prove valuable from the bench.

B-ref Blog: Player contracts, agents, services times, and salaries

Greetings from Chairman Sean!

It’s the 10th of the big 10 updates on behalf of B-ref’s 10th anniversary.

(Does this mean we’ll get 11 big updates next year)?

Damon: Red Sox would have won one more if I stayed

Reeking havoc at Baseball Think Olfactory never ends!

Talking prior to the Tigers series opening game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park Friday night, Johnny Damon said that if he would have remained a member of the Sox following the 2005 season the team might have won more than just the 2007 world championship.

“I actually think they would have won one more here,” Damon said. “During that offseason we just acquired Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and I was coming off a solid year. Signing me would have been a very easy thing to do. But with stuff going on with the front office here, was Theo [Epstein]here or was he not, all that kind of stuff. But you know what, things happen for a reason. I love playing here. I went to New York, which was against a lot of people’s wishes. But I fell in love with New York also. I’m one of those players I guess you could say like David Cone who can go anywhere and make the best of it, and that’s what I did. The fortunate thing was that I did get to win in New York, which I don’t think I would have ever been satisfied without it.”

...Damon, who indicated he wants to play at least one more season after this one, commented that he didn’t know if he would be welcomed any differently than when he returned to Fenway as a Yankee in ‘06.

“These fans know I can be a difference-maker in a game, so for me getting booed isn’t just stuck to Boston and Fenway Park. I get booed everywhere,” the 36-year-old Damon said. “The teammates on this team can’t believe how much I get booed how much I get booed everywhere. It’s part of the game. I told these guys I’ve been around this game 16 games, been reeking havoc on these teams for so long, they’ve grown to hate me.”

Rangers Auction to Proceed as Mark Cuban Readies Bid

An auction for the Texas Rangers may proceed, a bankruptcy judge ruled, opening the way for Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to bid against Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan for control of the first-place baseball team.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge D. Michael Lynn in Fort Worth, Texas, made the decision today after the team’s chief restructuring officer, William Snyder, backed an “enhanced” offer from a buyer’s group led by Ryan and attorney Chuck Greenberg. A condition of the new offer was that the auction be called off, Snyder said.

Lynn denied a request from the Rangers to cancel the auction, siding with the team’s lenders. The lenders pushed for the auction to proceed as planned on Aug. 4 even though it means losing the certainty of the new Greenberg-Ryan deal.

“The money is the lenders’ money, and if they’re willing to roll the dice, I’m going to let them do it,” Lynn said.

The Dice is Rolled. No wait, that isn’t right….

Rosenthal: Yankees moving quickly on Berkman deal

Oh, no Robo!

The Yankees are moving quickly toward a deal for Astros first baseman Lance Berkman, according to a major-league source.

Berkman, a switch-hitter, would serve as a DH and occasional first baseman. He would waive his no-trade clause for the Yankees without requiring the team to pick up his $15 million club option for 2011, the source said.

Berkman, 34, is batting a career-low .245 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs.

Rangers acquire second baseman Cristian Guzman from the Nationals

TCU.

The Rangers are stockpiling infielders. A day after acquiring first/third baseman Jorge Cantu from the Marlins, they went out and got second baseman Cristian Guzman from the Nationals for prospects.

Guzman will fill-in immediately for the Rangers with Ian Kinsler on the 15-day disabled list.

Guzman, an 11-year veteran who can also play shortstop, is hitting .282 with a .327 on-base percentage and a .361 slugging percentage in 89 games.

Guzman was also the last player from the original Nationals opening day roster in 2005.

Blue Jays acquire Mike Jacobs from Mets

Why…they didn’t want Ike Davis?

The first-year general manager pulled off his second deal in as many days, picking up first baseman Mike Jacobs from the New York Mets on Friday for a player to be named later, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline is Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

Friday’s deal comes on the heels of Thursday’s acquisition of Anthony Gose, who was part of the Roy Oswalt trade with Houston earlier in the day. The Astros flipped the former Philadelphia Phillies outfield prospect to Toronto for minor league first baseman Brett Wallace.

Jacobs, 29, is a lifetime .253 hitter with the Mets, Florida Marlins and Kansas City Royals.

Blue Jays trade Brett Wallace for centre-field prospect

Seems awfully fast to dump what seems like a sure fire bat at 1b.

Measuring the Canseco Effect

Math.  What good has it ever done for anyone?

To provide a statistical assessment of Canseco’s alleged influence, Gould and Kaplan compared the performances of every hitter and pitcher who played with Canseco, and analyzed how they changed after exposure to him. Focusing on the power-positions players—catcher, first base, outfield, and designated hitter—who would most benefit from extra heft and bulk, Gould and Kaplan found that contact with Canseco was worth an extra two home runs per year in the seasons that followed.  Canseco’s teammates also saw increases in other power statistics—half a dozen extra runs batted in per season, a one-point boost to slugging percentage, and a handful of additional walks. Meanwhile Canseco did not seem to help teammates in their fielding, base-stealing, and other nonpower areas. (In results not reported in the study, Gould and Kaplan also found that pitchers were able to put in more innings when exposed to Canseco, another indication of The Chemist’s hand in helping his teammates work harder and longer.

Of course, it’s possible that Canseco’s outsize influence could be benign—maybe he shared with his fellow power hitters a set of batting tips that proved effective. But if this is the case, Canseco’s abilities as a hitting instructor were quite unique—Gould and Kaplan looked at the effect 30 other power hitters of Canseco’s era had on their teammates and found that none of them had a statistically significant influence on the hitting performance of teammates.

It’s an interesting intersection with yesterday’s discussion of Fred McGriff’s “cleanliness,” for sure.