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Archives for May 2009

Heyman On Rockies, Wedge, Strasburg

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The latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman says Rockies manager Clint Hurdle "appears to be on the firing line" after the team's 12-18 start.  GM Dan O'Dowd called the speculation "unfair at this time," talking to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  O'Dowd's job seems safe and he could direct a "July tradeoff."  Heyman speculates on Garrett Atkins and Huston Street as candidates.  Heyman doesn't mention them, but Brad Hawpe and Jason Marquis seem like other possibilities. 
  • Indians manager Eric Wedge, on the other hand, does not appear likely to be fired.
  • Heyman says Stephen Strasburg is still expected to aim for $50MM after the Nationals select him first overall in June.

2010 Options: Texas Rangers

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Let's take a look at the 2010 options facing the Rangers.

  • Ron Washington – club option.  Back on April 20th, GM Jon Daniels said there had been "zero discussions" about firing Washington despite media speculation.  Things have changed for the better since then; the 17-14 Rangers are in first place in the AL West.  I'll speculate that an over-.500 finish could result in Washington's option being exercised.
  • Kevin Millwood – $12MM 2010 salary becomes guaranteed with 180 innings pitched in 2009.  Nice timing for Millwood, who is second in baseball right now with 52.3 innings pitched.  He needs only 127.6 innings, maybe 20 more starts, for his 2010 salary to become guaranteed.  Tom Hicks said in March that he wanted Millwood to reach the innings target.  The 34 year-old has been the subject of trade speculation, but it doesn't make sense with the team in contention.
  • Vicente Padilla – $12MM club option with a $1.75MM buyout.  It's difficult to imagine the Rangers exercising this option.  Padilla's level of production can be found more cheaply on the open market.

Indians Still Undecided On Luis Vizcaino

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According to Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Indians watched reliever Luis Vizcaino audition yesterday.  Their dilemma:

The Indians apparently want to sign him but are debating whether he should be added to the major-league club or go to Class AAA Columbus on a minor-league deal.

Vizcaino is a free agent after having been released by the Cubs.  He figures to sign for the Major League minimum.  MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince indicated yesterday that Vizcaino will join the team's big league bullpen this today.

Red Sox Call Up Daniel Bard, DFA Lopez

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4:39pm: The Boston Herald reports that in order to make room for Bard, the Red Sox have designated Javier Lopez for assignment. Lopez had posted a 9.26 ERA through 11.2 innings this season.

11:19am: Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal reports the Red Sox will call up Daniel Bard in time for tonight's game. Writes McDonald:

"The 23-year-old right-hander was original selected as the Sox' second pick of the first round (28th overall) in the 2006 draft. This highly-touted prospect has been outstanding for the PawSox this season. He's 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 6 saves in 11 games. He has struck out 29 batters in 16 innings and can easily reach 100 MPH on the radar gun. He's been the closer for Pawtucket."

McDonald notes the Sox will have to take someone off the 25-man roster and make a move to put Bard on the 40-man.

Nationals Release Gary Glover

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Bill Ladson of MLB.com tells us that the Nationals have given right-hander Gary Glover his unconditional release following 10 appearances in which Glover totaled a 6.32 ERA with the Nationals Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse. Glover became replaceable once the Nationals inked Mike MacDougal to a minor league deal last week. MacDougal will join the major league club after a few weeks.

Ladson also cites acting general manager Mike Rizzo in saying that Jorge Sosa will soon be ready to join the Syracuse club on May 22, as his 50-game suspension wraps up. Sosa was suspended last year after testing positive for an amphetamine.

Week In Review: 5/2/09 – 5/8/09

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Not the busiest afternoon here on MLBTR, so let's get the Review up a little sooner than usual:

  • The latest superstar to be tied to performance enhancing drugs is Manny Ramirez. Ramirez will miss 50 games after testing positive for HCG – a women's fertility drug that can be used to restart natural testosterone production following a steroid cycle. Ramirez claims it was prescribed by a physician and has issued an apology. His suspension will save the Dodgers $2.7MM this year. Can the Dodgers stay in first place without Manny? Despite the big loss, I'd say they should be there when he returns.
  • More changes in the NL West – The Diamondbacks fired manager Bob Melvin and replaced him with A.J. Hinch. Melvin's Diamondbacks were off to just a 12-17 start to the 2009 campaign.
  • Trades do happen early in the season, and here's proof! The Orioles sent an unhappy Ryan Freel to the Cubs in exchange for Joey Gathright. Freel's versatility should get him more playing time in Chicago than Baltimore.
  • The A's and Rays had a swap of their own, as Oakland sent minor leaguer Joe Dillon to Tampa for Adam Kennedy. The A's infield has been decimated by injury, so Kennedy will provide them some depth in a return to the AL West.
  • If you're a reliever in Washington, don't get too comfortable The Nationals will make even more changes to their bullpen over the coming weeks in an attempt to come up with a solution to their late-inning woes. Can anyone out there figure out something to help what's been a complete disaster so far in 2009?
  • 2010 Option Series updates: Mariners, Athletics, Angels, Twins, and Royals.

Contreras Sent To Minors

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2:54pm: Scot Gregor informs us that White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said on the radio this morning that Contreras will be sent to the Triple-A Charlotte in order to regain his rhythm.

Contreras will have to clear waivers, but has accepted his demotion.

Gregor cites one Major League scout saying:

"I wouldn't say his career is over. His stuff looked fine to me. But you could tell he had no feel at all for his split-finger pitch."

Clayton Richard will replace Contreras in the Chicago rotation, and make the start Wednesday against Cleveland.

9:41am: The White Sox are expected to make a decision on what to do with Jose Contreras, says Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun Times. Contreras, whose command has faltered, is 0-5 with a 8.19 ERA in six starts.

"The Sox could put Contreras, who is earning $10 million this season, in the bullpen to work on his problems, send him to the minor leagues — though he first would have to accept the demotion and pass through waivers — or find a reason to put him on the disabled list. If they decide to demote him — and Contreras says he will do whatever the team asks — it's unlikely any team would claim him because of his salary."

Contreras had a speedy recovery from a ruptured Achilles this offseason but has begun the season in ugly fashion, walking 16 and allowing 40 hits in 29.2 IP while striking out a mere 17. While strikeouts have not been a large part of Contreras' game since his years with the Yankees, control has. He was pulled from the rotation after Friday's loss to the Rangers.

A decision is expected following a bullpen session with Contreras this morning.

Astros Re-Sign Jason Smith

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MLB.com's Alyson Footer writes that the Astros have once again signed Jason Smith, and optioned Jeff Fulchino to Triple-A Round Rock.

Smith was designated for assignment by the Astros earlier this week, cleared waivers, and elected free agency. However, with Lance Berkman ailing, Houston felt that they needed an extra infielder on the roster.

Smith, 31, was hitless in 21 at-bats with the Astros through 17 games this season. Fulchino, 29, had posted a 5.91 ERA through eight relief appearances, totaling 10.2 innings of work.

Odds & Ends: Isringhausen, Sturtze, Molina

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Some Sunday morning Odds & Ends:

  • So, whatever happened to Tanyon Sturtze? Sturtze never caught on with the Dodgers and was granted his release on May Day last week. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says he is now considering retirement to spend time with his kids.
  • In the same piece, Cafardo reports Giants catching prospect Buster Posey has busted five homeruns and notched 22 RBI already in Single A San Jose, putting him on "a fast track to the big leagues." With Bengie Molina entering free agency, the Giants will not feel forced to re-sign him. According to Cafardo, the team would love to retain Molina to act as a mentor for Posey but for the fact that "Molina isn't ready for the mentoring role." Molina told reporters he'll seek a starting job. Finding one should be no trouble whatsoever.
  • Also in that same piece, former player Troy O'Leary is developing a baseball reality TV show…
  • According to Marc Lancaster, Jason Isringhausen is healthy. His rehab assignment is up May 19 but the Rays seem hesitant to call him up until then. With 10 days to determine what to do with him, it's expected Izzy will slot into the bullpen for Triple-A Durham until the Rays have to make a decision.
  • Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com says Luis Vizcaino will join the Indians bullpen this week rather than go through a minor league stint in Triple-A Columbus. Vizcaino hasn't pitched in a game since April 21, right before the Cubs designated him for assignment and released him. Who gets sent down instead? Jensen Lewis or Tony Sipp both have options. Masa Kobayashi is a candidate to be released altogether, says Castrovince.

A’s Acquire Adam Kennedy

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SATURDAY, 7:18pm: According to the Associated Press, via the Miami Herald, the A's have sent minor league infielder Joe Dillon to the Rays to complete the trade.

Dillon, 33, has been on the Triple-A Sacramento disabled list all season with a lower back injury.  He hit .263/.374/.409 in 171 minor league at-bats last season and will simply provide organizational depth for the Rays.

FRIDAY, 6:48pm: Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune gathered a nice quote from Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman, on why the club felt compelled to make the deal:

"It's an extended opportunity for Adam and we weren't going to stand in the way," said Friedman.  "We feel like we're going to get a guy that's going to help us some depth-wise, and that was our understanding with Adam coming in — we're not a group that's going to stand in the way of someone, especially someone that hadn't played in the minor leagues in 10 years."

4:31pm: According to Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse the Rays traded Adam Kennedy to the A's for a player to be named later. Kennedy, 33, was playing at Triple-A Durham for the Rays and the A's have assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate, Sacramento. Kennedy gives the A's the infield depth they need after losing Mark Ellis, Eric Chavez and Nomar Garciaparra to the disabled list.

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