Justin Thomas Rumors

Pirates Designate Two For Assignment

Friday was the deadline for teams to set their 40-man roster for next month's Rule 5 Draft, and MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports that the Pirates cleared up two spots for prospects by designating Robinzon Diaz and Justin Thomas for assignment. They also designated Jeff Karstens for assignment yesterday.

Diaz, a 26-year-old catcher, hit .279/.307/.357 in 138 plate appearances for Pittsburgh in 2009. Thomas, a 25-year-old lefty reliever, had a 4.48 ERA in 60.1 innings with Seattle's Triple-A affiliate.

Among the players the Pirates added to the 40-man roster were righthanders Brad Lincoln and Bryan Morris, as well as outfielder Gorkys Hernandez. Lincoln was the 4th overall pick in the 2006 draft, while Morris was acquired in the Manny Ramirez/Jason Bay trade, and Hernandez in last summer's Nate McLouth deal.

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Odds & Ends: Bay, Rangers, Mariners

As we look forward to the inevitable battle of the bullpens in Game Two, here are a few newsbits from everywhere but Yankee Stadium in the MLB universe...

• R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs believes that the Red Sox will be making a mistake if they sign Jason Bay to the four-year/$60MM contract that Jon Heyman reported (via Twitter) the club is willing to offer. 
• Rangers officials met Thursday with Dennis Gilbert, the lead man of an investment group interested in buying the club, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
• The Mariners outrighted Bryan LaHair, Randy Messenger, Marwin Vega and Cesar Jimenez to Triple-A Tacoma, with Jimenez's assignment coming after the southpaw was activated from the 60-day disabled list.  Left-hander Justin Thomas was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh.
• MLB.com's Jen Langosch breaks down the Thomas signing for the Pirates, and notes that the Bucs still have one more 40-man roster spot to decide on before November 20.

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Odds & Ends: Lackey, Rangers, Mets

With about an hour to go before the start of Game Two, here are some items from around the majors....

• During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show today, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said his club will be focused on finding second base help and starting pitching in the offseason, though Colletti played dumb when asked about the possibility of the Dodgers making a play for free agent starter John Lackey.
• With the number of open managerial jobs quickly dwindling, some of the rumored candidates for the filled positions are looking at other options.  Former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle (who was up for the Cleveland manager's job that went to Manny Acta) is one of four finalists to be the Rangers' next hitting coach, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
• Along those same lines, Bob Melvin may go from being a candidate to be the next Astros manager to being considered for the Mets bench coaching job, says Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News.  Rubin also reports that the Mets will name Chip Hale as their new third base coach after the World Series is over.
• According to a team press release, the Pirates have claimed pitcher Justin Thomas off waivers from Seattle.
• In a chat with MASN's Byron Kerr, Adam Dunn said he feels Washington is an attractive destination for free agents in part because Nationals Park is "a really fair ballpark."

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