Outfielder Bobby Kielty will not opt for free agency; he’ll head to Triple A for the Red Sox.
Kielty, a 31 year-old switch-hitter, batted .218/.287/.287 in 87 ABs for the A’s and Red Sox last year. In his defense, he battled back and calf issues. Kielty can handle all three outfield positions and typically handles lefties well. He’ll await a Coco Crisp trade to create an opportunity for him in Boston.
According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves have signed Scott Spiezio to a minor league deal. Spiezio, 35, hit .269/.354/.386 in 223 ABs for the Cardinals last year.
Spiezio was released by the Cards in February when they learned of his arrest warrant related to a drunk-driving incident in December. The Cardinals paid him $2.4MM to go away.
The Orioles inked shortstop Alex Cintron today. That he’s probably the team’s best option at short now is damning with faint praise.
Cintron, 29, hit .243/.281/.324 for the White Sox in 185 ABs last year. He dealt with bone spurs in his elbow, a bruised thumb, and time spent on the bereavement list for his grandfather. Cintron had been with the Cubs this spring, but they no longer had a need for him after they decided not to trade Ronny Cedeno.
12:24pm: J.P. Ricciardi is optimistic the Rios extension will get done, and the two sides are pushing their deadline back a few days.
8:17am: According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the holdup in the Alex Rios negotiations is the amount of money for the option year. It might be the salary or the buyout amount. Sounds like a minor stumbling block before completing the six-year, $65MM pact.
J.P. Ricciardi is cautiously optimistic; the Jays kick off their season in less than four hours. That is supposedly the deadline, but stretching it another day or two doesn’t seem like a big deal. The Jays are getting a solid price relative to other recently signed right fielders.
From Buster Olney’s blog this morning:
The Blue Jays attempted to sign second baseman Aaron Hill to a multiyear deal but could not reach an agreement.
Hill, 26, broke out last year with a .291/.333/.459 line. He could be even better this season, with a shot at 20 home runs. His defense is among the best in the game at second base.
Hill will reach arbitration for the first time after this season. Orlando Hudson might be a solid comparable. Hudson made $2.3MM, $3.9MM, and $6.25MM in his arbitration years.
Some random links to ponder today…
I’m in a prognosticating mood; here are three July trade deadline predictions.
Let’s make some 2008 Cy Young picks…
AL: Justin Verlander. Runner up: Erik Bedard.
NL: Johan Santana. Runner up: Jake Peavy.
Who are you taking?
Let’s kick off the week with a new MLB Roundup video. My segment examines three under-the-radar trades from the offseason.
I received dozens of excellent submissions for the MLBTR logo contest. I appreciate each and every one of them.
The winner comes from a guy named Aaron, who you can reach at aaron4289@yahoo.com if you’d like to hire him. Here it is; what do you think? Click to enlarge it.
