Brent Lillibridge Rumors
Red Sox To Designate Lillibridge For Assignment
The Red Sox will designate utility player Brent Lillibridge for assignment, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports (on Twitter). The move creates roster space for Carl Crawford, who's being activated from the disabled list.
Boston acquired Lillibridge in the trade that sent Kevin Youkilis to Chicago last month. Lillibridge, 28, has a .165/.212/.177 line in 86 total plate appearances this year. He has a career batting line of .212/.279/.351 in five seasons with the Braves, White Sox and Red Sox. Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests he could be a fit for the Mets (Twitter link).
Quick Hits: Rizzo, Bauer, Mets, Lillibridge
R.A. Dickey's streak of not allowing an earned run came to an end during the third inning of Sunday night's game against the Yankees. With 44 2/3 innings of earned run-free baseball, Dickey's performance pales in comparison to Orel Hershiser's record 59 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball set in 1988 while with the Dodgers. What makes Hershiser's feat even more impressive is that he actually continued the streak into the playoffs as he threw eight more run-free innings to give him 67 in total. Here's the latest news from around the league...
- Anthony Rizzo is expected to make his Cubs debut this Tuesday against the Mets at Wrigley Field, writes David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. The franchise's top prospect has mastered the art of hitting Triple-A pitching as he's currently the owner of a .349/.410/.710 batting line.
- Trevor Bauer, the third pick in the 2011 amateur draft, will make his Major League debut for the Diamondbacks on Thursday after enjoying extensive success at the minor league level, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. The right-hander has a 2.79 ERA, 10.9 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 at Triple-A this season.
- The Mets are in desperate need of bullpen help, but will probably have to wait until after the All-Star break to make a move as there are currently very few sellers, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
- Utility man Brent Lillibridge tweets his gratitude to the White Sox organization and his love for the city of Chicago as he looks forward to the next chapter of his career with the Red Sox. Lillibridge, 28, is headed to Boston after being traded with Zach Stewart in exchange for Kevin Youkilis and cash earlier on Sunday.
Kevin Youkilis Trade Reactions
The Red Sox agreed to send Kevin Youkilis and cash to the White Sox for Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge in a deal that was announced earlier today. The trade provides the White Sox with much needed stability at the hot corner and gives the Red Sox the opportunity to play Will Middlebrooks on a daily basis. Here are some reactions to the deal:
- The emergence of Middlebrooks as a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate made a struggling Youkilis expendable in the eyes of the Red Sox front office, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal.
- Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington told reporters, including MacPherson, that it was pretty clear Middlebrooks needed to be in the lineup every day (via Twitter).
- The White Sox are getting a player in Youkilis who was an All-Star third baseman last season in exchange for cash and two replaceable players, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
- The legacy of Youkilis was built upon his ability to will himself into a player who far exceeded his natural talents, says Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
- The Indians, Dodgers and White Sox were the finalists for Youkilis as of Saturday evening, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The White Sox separated themselves Sunday morning with the inclusion of Stewart in the trade.
- By acquiring Youkilis, the White Sox are making the statement that the Tigers are vulnerable and not a guarantee to win the division, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- White Sox manager Robin Ventura expects Youkilis to be a strong fit with Chicago given how the veteran plays hard and has a reputation as a good teammate (video link).
- A change of scenery for Youkilis may prove to benefit the former All-Star considering his strained relationship with manager Bobby Valentine and the series of injuries that kept him off the field, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
White Sox Acquire Kevin Youkilis
The White Sox have acquired Kevin Youkilis and cash from the Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Zach Stewart and utility player Brent Lillibridge, both teams announced. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweets the cash being exchanged is slightly more than $5.5MM.
Youkilis is hitting .225/.311/.359 in 41 games this season while appearing in 32 games at third base and 13 at first base. He will be an immediate updgrade at third base for the White Sox, who entered the day with a .466 OPS from the position, worst in baseball. Orlando Hudson has been manning third for the White Sox since Brent Morel landed on the disabled list. Hudson has produced a line of just .167/.247/.286 in his 27 games on the South Side.
Youkilis made his final appearance as a member of the Red Sox today going 2-for-4 with one run batted in. Youkilis was removed in the bottom of the 7th inning to a standing ovation from the Fenway Park faithful. This will not be his last game at Fenway, however, as the White Sox will play a series there on July 16-19.
Stewart, a right-hander, has appeared in 18 games, including one start, for the White Sox this year. Stewart has a 6.00 ERA, 4.8 K/9, and 1.2 BB/9 this season. The 25-year-old was acquired last year by the White Sox in the Edwin Jackson trade with the Blue Jays. Stewart will report to Triple-A Pawtucket.
Lillibridge has appeared in left field, center field, first base, third base, and designated hitter for the White Sox this year with a batting line of .175/.232/.190 in 48 games. Lillibridge is a .215/.283/.358 hitter during his five-year career with the White Sox and Braves. To make room on the 40-man roster for Lillibridge, the Red Sox designated left fielder Oscar Tejada for assignment.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and ESPN's Jim Bowden first tweeted news of the trade. David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com was the first to report Stewart was going to Boston while Heyman broke Lillibridge's inclusion.
AL Central Links: Lillibridge, Guerra, Indians, Inge
It was on this day in 1968 that the Royals officially became the Royals, as the new expansion franchise officially announced its name a year before taking the field. The name was inspired by both the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League and Kansas City's annual "American Royal" horse show.
Here's the latest from the AL Central...
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik "would love" to have Brent Lillibridge but knows the White Sox aren't going to trade him, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
- Right-hander Deolis Guerra is the last player from the Johan Santana trade still with the Twins, and Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune looks at how Guerra has revitalized his career after a move to the bullpen.
- Felix Pie and Ryan Spilborghs can each opt out of their minor league contracts with the Indians on April 3, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Fred Lewis, another non-roster invitee, can opt out on June 1.
- Brandon Inge is going through another year of change as he tries to hold onto his spot on the Tigers' roster by moving to second base, writes Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
- Andy Oliver's struggles don't make it any more likely that the Tigers will look outside the organization for a fifth starter, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. Duane Below and Drew Smyly are still contenders for the job and the Nationals' John Lannan, the most plausible trade candidate, may stay in Washington due to Chien-Ming Wang's hamstring injury.
AL Central Rumors: Navarro, Lillibridge, Wheeler
A few of Wednesday's rumors from the AL Central:
- The Royals are shopping Yamaico Navarro in an attempt to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for the Rule 5 draft, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. He names the Pirates, Mariners, and Astros as possible fits.
- In their search for a utility infielder, the Royals are considering Edgar Renteria and several other players, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
- Brent Lillibridge has been the White Sox player drawing the most interest in Dallas, sources tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Indians talked to free agent reliever Dan Wheeler, but they don't consider the bullpen an area of need, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti won't make any moves in the Rule 5 draft, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter link).
White Sox Done With Free Agent Market
An AP report posted at ESPN.com says the White Sox are not expecting to sign any more free agents.
This means the White Sox will go with one of either Chris Getz, Brent Lillibridge or Jayson Nix at second base in 2009, as 2008 second baseman Alexei Ramirez moves to shortstop.
Javier Vazquez Trade Reactions
The word yesterday evening was that the Braves acquired starter Javier Vazquez and lefty reliever Boone Logan for Tyler Flowers, Brent Lillibridge, Jon Gilmore, and Santos Rodriguez (MLB.com's Mark Bowman confirms the prospects). Look for the trade to become official tommorrow. Reactions to the deal:
- South Side Sox expects a couple of accompanying moves: the trade of Jermaine Dye for a young starter and the signing of an affordable free agent outfielder. They don't see the White Sox benefitting from the Vazquez trade in 2009, but at least Ozzie cleared out his doghouse.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says the Sox will still have power if Dye is dealt. Gonzales also provides info on the prospects received for Vazquez.
- Yahoo's Tim Brown says the White Sox are also willing to trade Paul Konerko and Jim Thome.
- Sox Machine provides a more in-depth look at the prospects.
- From the Braves' point of view, J.C. Bradbury sees this as a solid win-now move that won't affect the '09 team.
- Ken Davidoff says the Braves will now have less of a need for Jake Peavy or A.J. Burnett. I think, though, that they'll still aggressively try to acquire one of the two. Most of the rumored packages for Peavy didn't involve the prospects sent to Chicago, with the possible exception of Flowers.
- Dave Cameron notes Vazquez's career-long underachievement. This always baffled me when trying to do fantasy baseball projections based on component stats.
Braves To Acquire Javier Vazquez
7:42pm: O'Brien believes Chicago's return to be Flowers, Lillibridge, third baseman Jon Gilmore, and pitcher Santos Rodriguez.
7:05pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman says the White Sox will actually receive four players in the deal. They'll choose from a list of five, with Flowers and Lillibridge their top targets.
5:34pm: Rosenthal says an announcement could come Wednesday or Thursday. He says Lillibridge is in the deal along with a young starter, but it's not Reyes. Additionally, highly regarded catcher Tyler Flowers might be the third prospect (which would improve the trade quite a bit for the Sox). Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein says Flowers profiles as an offense-first catcher, but there are questions about his ability to stay behind the plate. Dave O'Brien notes that Sox GM Ken Williams saw Flowers play in Arizona and "practically drooled over him."
5:19pm: ESPN's Peter Gammons says Vazquez is flying to Atlanta tomorrow for a physical; the deal will be finalized then. The White Sox will send Vazquez and lefty Boone Logan to the Braves for Reyes, Lillibridge, and another prospect. I'm wondering - with Reyes and another prospect gone, do the Braves still have the goods to pull off a Jake Peavy trade? With Vazquez added, the Braves should be less desperate if talks for Peavy resume.
4:53pm: Rosenthal now says the Braves are on the verge of acquiring Vazquez.
4:22pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Braves are in serious discussions with the White Sox for starter Javier Vazquez. The White Sox could receive as many as three players, with Jo-Jo Reyes and Brent Lillibridge among the names discussed. Vazquez is set to earn $11.5MM in each of the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Acquiring him would definitely take some pressure off the Braves, who aim to add two quality starters to put in front of Jair Jurrjens.
Pirates Owners Did Not Kill Bay-Braves Trade
TUESDAY: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talked to sources with the Pirates and Braves, who said there is no truth to the report. New ownership has not vetoed any trades.
MONDAY: According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com:
A proposed deal, which would have brought Jason Bay to Atlanta in exchange for four Minor Leaguers, was killed when presented to the Pirates owners for approval.
Bowman believes Pirates targets might include Brent Lillibridge, Brandon Jones, a talented A ball pitcher, and a marginal position player prospect. He says the Braves will continue to pursue Bay.
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