Yorvit Torrealba Rumors
Rockies Likely To Trade Ramon Hernandez; Release Possible
TUESDAY, 9:50am: A release is possible for Hernandez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, since the Rockies might not find a taker.
MONDAY, 7:30pm: All signs point to Yorvit Torrealba making the Rockies' roster and Ramon Hernandez being traded, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Sulia link). Renck feels that there will be resolution of the situation no later than Thursday -- the last game of Spring Training.
Torrealba, 34, batted .227/.293/.330 with four homers over the course of 218 plate appearances between the Rangers, Blue Jays and Brewers in 2012. He caught 22 percent of potential base-stealers, but his career mark of 30 percent is much stronger. Torrealba signed a minor league contract with the Rockies in January.
The 36-year-old Hernandez missed more than two months of action last season due to hamstring and hand injuries and posted a meager .217/.247/.353 batting line with five homers as a result. He's set to earn $3.2MM as he enters the second year of a two-year, $6.5MM contract he signed prior to the 2012 season. Like Torrealba, he's caught 30 perecent of potential base-stealers throughout his career, but had a down-season in that area last year (25 percent).
Regardless of which catcher makes the roster, he will playing second fiddle to sophomore powerhouse Wilin Rosario. The 24-year-old Rosario hit .270/.312/.530 with 28 homers in just 426 plate appearances last season and finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
NL West Notes: Dodgers, Hernandez, Rockies, Posey
Earlier today we heard that the Padres haven't settled on a long-term strategy for third baseman Chase Headley. They'll hold onto him for now, but could trade or extend him later in 2013. Here are more notes from the Padres' division...
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Dodgers' pursuit of trades for Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez began as early as last April. The new ownership looked ahead to the free agent market for first basemen and shortstops and knew the upgrades they sought wouldn't be available.
- Yorvit Torrealba could force the Rockies into a decision regarding their catching situation, writes MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The team loves his veteran leadership and handling of young pitchers, and could look to trade Ramon Hernandez before the end of Spring Training.
- The Rockies are scouting out of options pitchers who could appear on waivers later on this month, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. The Rockies' rotation features lots of uncertainty and some optimism at this stage, Renck writes. Here's MLBTR's list of out of options players.
- Buster Posey and the Giants are not close on an extension, but if it happens, the best comparable for a deal would be Joey Votto's 12-year pact and not a three-year one, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
- Prized offseason acquisition Zack Greinke left his Dodgers teammates this morning to have his right elbow examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, but the club insists that it's strictly a precautionary move, writes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. The Dodgers are reportedly prepared to sit on their pitching surplus for now in part because of minor health issues that Greinke and Chad Billingsley are dealing with.
Zach Links and Steve Adams contributed to this post.
NL West Links: D'Backs, Torrealba, Crawford, Colletti
Diamondbacks outfielder Adam Eaton holds the top spot on Keith Law's top 20 list of prospects (ESPN Insider subscription required) who will have the biggest impact in 2013. Eaton is projected as Arizona's leadoff man and everyday center fielder, and Law believes Eaton can be a Rookie Of The Year candidate given how well his game fits Chase Field. D'Backs left-hander Tyler Skaggs is #4 on Law's list and Trevor Bauer (who the Snakes dealt to the Indians this offseason) ranked fifth. Padres righty Casey Kelly also appears in the top 20, while Padres infielder Jedd Gyorko and Giants reliever Heath Hembree are honorable mentions.
Here's the latest from the NL West...
- Derrick Hall, the Diamondbacks' president and CEO, said "our moves are done at this point" during his monthly chat with fans on MLB.com. Hall confirmed that the team would be keeping Jason Kubel, which GM Kevin Towers noted in the wake of the Justin Upton deal last month.
- D'Backs GM Kevin Towers said the club didn't require Didi Gregorius to take a physical before they acquired him in December, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. This is significant only because Gregorius is currently suffering from a slightly-strained UCL, as Piecoro notes that it is fairly rare for teams to ask for players to take full physicals before deals unless the player has a particular injury history.
- Yorvit Torrealba is back with the Rockies and some team officials have admitted the club erred in not re-signing the catcher as a free agent after the 2009 season, MLB.com's Thomas Harding writes. Torrealba signed a minor league deal with Colorado last month and is battling Ramon Hernandez for the backup catching job.
- Carl Crawford feels invigorated by his trade to the Dodgers, the outfielder tells Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Crawford said he was "in kind of a depression stage" during his troubled tenure in Boston, and he described the environment with the Red Sox as "toxic."
- Expectations are high for the free-spending Dodgers but manager Don Mattingly and GM Ned Colletti aren't fazed by the pressure, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes.
- From earlier today, the Rockies acquired utilityman Reid Brignac from the Rays and we covered some more Dodgers items as part of a Los Angeles Notes post.
Rockies Agree To Sign Yorvit Torrealba
10:40pm: It is a minor league contract, confirms Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
9:52pm: The Rockies have agreed to a deal with catcher Yorvit Torrealba, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The contract is for one year, as Torrealba revealed himself on his Twitter account (MLB.com's Thomas Harding provides the translation). Harding reported earlier this week that the Rockies had offered Torrealba a minor league deal. Torrealba is represented by MDR Sports Management.
This is Torrealba's second stint in Colorado after playing for the Rockies from 2006-09. There were rumors that the Rockies were looking to acquire Torrealba last summer in the midst of a busy year for the 34-year-old catcher --- he bounced around between the Rangers, Blue Jays and Brewers and hit a combined .227/.293/.330 in 218 plate appearances.
Ramon Hernandez is the Rockies' incumbent backup catcher (behind starter Wilin Rosario) but he underwent hamstring surgery last September and is scheduled to play in the World Baseball Classic. Torrealba is on board to provide depth through Spring Training while Hernandez is away and potentially fill in should Hernandez suffer a fitness setback.
Quick Hits: Rockies, Yankees, Wells
The latest links from around MLB, as the Justin Upton rumors pick up...
- Though the Rockies continue looking for starting pitching, they aren’t close to signing Carl Pavano or Derek Lowe, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. Renck reported earlier this week that the Rockies were pursuing the free agent right-handers aggressively.
- The Rockies would love to sign free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a minor league deal, Renck reports. The veteran backstop played for the Rangers, Brewers and Blue Jays in 2012.
- The Yankees discussed Delmon Young internally, but didn’t have great reports on his performance, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Phillies signed Young to a one-year contract yesterday.
- Vernon Wells could spend much of the coming season on the Angels’ bench, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Wells is unlikely to be traded, yet he doesn’t project as a regular. Though the Angels explored deals involving Wells, owner Arte Moreno was never willing to absorb a substantial part of the $42MM remaining on Wells’ contract to complete a trade. Naturally other teams weren’t interested in paying Wells $21MM per season through 2014.
West Notes: Torrealba, Pavano, Ankiel
We've seen a couple of Minor League signings in the AL West tonight, with the Astros adding Erik Bedard and the Rangers adding Nate Robertson. Here's some more news coming out of baseball's two western divisions...
- The Rockies have offered Yorvit Torrealba a Minor League contract, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding (via Troy Renck on Twitter). Torrealba hit .227/.293/.330 in 218 plate appearances between the Rangers, Blue Jays and Brewers. He hit .258/.316/.394 over the course of four seasons with the Rox from 2006-09.
- Renck believes that the Rockies have a good chance at landing Carl Pavano, but suspects that the veteran righty has at least one other offer (Twitter link). Colorado is said to be aggressively pursuing Pavano.
- There's a "definite opportunity" for Rick Ankiel to make the Astros' 25-man roster this Spring, manager Bo Porter told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The team is looking for a left-handed complement to J.D. Martinez and Justin Maxwell. Ankiel inked a Minor League deal with Houston earlier this month. Porter was his third base coach with the Nationals.
- In that same piece, Porter says that he spoke with recently suspended prospect Jonathan Singleton and told Singleton the organization is behind him as he looks to atone for his mistake.
Carroll, Paulino, Eveland, Thomas Hit Free Agency
We'll track the day's minor moves here...
- Outfielder Brett Carroll and catcher Carlos Maldonado also elected free agency, Matt Eddy reports (on Twitter). Carroll appeared in five games for the Nationals this past season and Maldonado appeared in four.
- Catcher Rob Johnson is a free agent after being removed from the Mets' 40-man roster, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. Johnson, 30, appeared in 17 games for the Mets this year plus 45 contests for their Triple-A affiliate.
- Orioles catcher Ronny Paulino and left-hander Dana Eveland also elected free agency, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter links). Eveland appeared in 14 games for the Orioles, posting a 4.73 ERA, and Paulino appeared in 20 games.
- Yankees left-hander Justin Thomas also elected free agency, according to Eddy. The Yankees outrighted Thomas to Triple-A earlier in the month.
- Blue Jays reliever Juan Abreu has also elected free agency, Eddy reports. Abreu posted a 6.80 ERA in 42 minor league relief outings this past season.
- The Brewers announced that Livan Hernandez and Yorvit Torrealba elected free agency after refusing outright assignments to Triple-A. The moves are procedural, as Hernandez and Torrealba were expected to hit free agency.
Brewers Acquire Yorvit Torrealba
The Brewers have acquired catcher Yorvit Torrealba from the Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the teams announced. Torrealba will be in uniform for Milwaukee tomorrow.
Torrealba appeared in ten games for the Blue Jays after they signed him to a minor league deal last month. J.P. Arencibia has since returned from the disabled list, lessening the Blue Jays' need for catching. Torrealba last appeared in a game on September 15th.
In 212 total plate appearances with the Rangers and Blue Jays this year Torrealba has a .233/.297/.339 batting line. The Brewers will pay the 34-year-old a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary until he hits free agency at the end of the season. He joins catchers Jonathan Lucroy and Martin Maldonado on Milwaukee's active roster.
AL East Notes: Pettitte, Torrealba, McClure
A few notes out of the American League East, where the Yankees owned a four-game lead over the Rays entering Tuesday night's action ...
- Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte hasn't ruled out the possibility of pitching again in 2013, writes Chad Jennings of the Journal News. "I definitely can’t tell you right now that I would say there’s no way I’m going to play," Pettitte said. The 40-year-old left-hander, who signed a one-year, $2.5MM minor league contract in March, is currently rehabbing a broken ankle he suffered in late June and hopes to return before the season's over.
- Blue Jays catcher Yorvit Torrealba said he had several suitors after being released by the Rangers earlier this month but decided to sign a minor league deal with Toronto because he'd have more playing time, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com (Twitter link).
- Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine remained vague as to why pitching coach Bob McClure was relieved of his duties on Monday, according to Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald. McClure was hired last offseason before Valentine was, but Valentine said he was on-board with having McClure as his pitching coach during the interview process.
Blue Jays Acquire Yorvit Torrealba
5:34pm: The Blue Jays announced that they have signed Torrealba to a minor league deal.
2:42pm: Veteran catcher Yorvit Torrealba, placed on release waivers last week by the Texas Rangers, is close to joining the Toronto Blue Jays, a source tells Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
Torrealba, 34, posted a .236/.302/.342 batting line in 182 plate appearances for Texas before being designated for assignment earlier this month.
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