Pirates Sign Eighth Rounder For Over $1MM
6:04pm: Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that Cain received a $1.125MM bonus.
1:23pm: Via Twitter, Mayo reports that Cain's bonus is worth more than $1.1MM and less than $1.2MM.
12:45pm: The Pirates are set to sign eighth round pick Colton Cain for at least $1MM, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. We heard the sides were close to a deal this morning, but there was no indication that it would reach seven figures. After shedding over $7MM in salary at the deadline, the Pirates appear to be re-investing in their system. It's safe to say the commissioner's office won't be pleased to hear of a late-round bonus this high.
Rays DFA Jonathan Meloan
The Rays have designated reliever Jonathan Meloan for assignment, according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times.The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Gregg Zaun, who was acquired from Baltimore earlier today.
Tampa Bay acquired Meloan from the Indians in exchange for fellow bullpener Winston Abreu back in July. He had a 5.02 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP in 57.1 IP split between the two organizations this year.
Odds And Ends: Zaun, D’Backs, Byrd
A few more links to read as we try to figure out who claimed Alex Rios…
- Gregg Zaun told Roch Kubatko of MASN.com that he was "totally shocked" to hear he was traded to the Rays.
- The D'Backs agreed to terms with Chris Owings, the 41st overall pick in this year's draft, on a $950k deal, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Owings, a high school shortstop, signed for $135k above slot.
- Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe reports that it may be three weeks before Paul Byrd is ready.
Red Sox DFA John Smoltz
The Red Sox designated John Smoltz for assignment, according to DJ Bean of WEEI.com. Smoltz, 42, struggled in eight starts for the Red Sox. He only walked nine, but eight of the 59 hits he allowed were homers. His ERA ballooned to 8.32 after allowing eight earned runs at Yankee Stadium last night.
Smoltz receives $35k for every day spent on the active roster, so with nearly 60 days left in the season, he could have made about $2MM over the course of the next two months, plus an additional $500k for being on the roster on the last day of the season. He receives $500k if the Red Sox trade him.
Red Sox Add Tazawa & Woodward; DFA Traber
The Red Sox called up Junichi Tazawa, acquired Chris Woodward from the Mariners and designated Billy Traber for assignment this afternoon, according to DJ Bean of WEEI.com. Tazawa pitched well in the minors, striking out 88 in 98 AA innings before pitching twice in Triple A.
They acquired Woodward off of waivers, according to a team press release.
Odds And Ends: Prospects, Giambi, Angels
Some links for your Friday afternoon…
- Baseball America lists the hottest prospects in the country. Chris Carter, Pedro Alvarez and Martin Perez are some of the more recognizable players heating up.
- A's prospect Brett Wallace tops Marc Hulet's list of top prospects traded this summer over at FanGraphs.
- Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail hears that the Jays have no interest in Jason Giambi.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia tells ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian the keys to his club's suddenly unstoppable offense: effective baserunning and contributions from all 13 position players. Kendry Morales has performed well at first in place of Mark Teixeira and the rest of the Angels are all hitting.
- Torii Hunter, who was having a big year before hitting the DL, experienced a setback this week, according to his blog.
- The Angels signed 40th overall pick Tyler Skaggs for an undisclosed amount, according to Ben Bolch of the LA Times.
Rays Acquire Gregg Zaun
The Rays acquired catcher Gregg Zaun from the Orioles for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to an Orioles press release. Just last week the Rays were in on Victor Martinez as they looked for depth behind the plate. Like Martinez, Zaun is a switch hitter under contract for this year with a club option for 2010. Zaun makes $1.5MM this year and the Rays will choose between a $500k buyout and a $2MM option for next season.
So far in 2009, the 38-year-old is hitting .244/.355/.375 with four homers.
Brewers DFA R.J. Swindle; Rays Claim Him
1:21pm: Haudricourt reports that the Rays claimed Swindle. He suspects their interest comes from Swindle's one remaining option, which means the team can send him to the minors.
12:18pm: According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers designated lefty R.J. Swindle for assignment to make room on the roster for Jesus Colome. Swindle, 26, allowed at least one earned run in every one of his six appearances with the Brewers this year for a season line of 6.2 innings, 12 hits, 4 BB and 8 Ks.
A’s Release Jason Giambi
The A's released Jason Giambi, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Before the season, the A's signed the 38-year-old slugger to a one-year deal with a club option for a second year. It pays Giambi a base salary of $4MM this year and gave the A's the option of a $1.25MM buyout or a $6.5MM salary in 2010.
Giambi hit .193/.332/.364 in 83 games back with the A's. He hit 11 homers and drew 50 walks, but didn't approach last year's production. Giambi's incentives would have kicked in with about 200 more plate appearances, but he's on the DL for now so he's not approaching that mark.
Olney On Gonzalez, Draft, Strasburg
Two prominent baseball figures inched closer to retirement yesterday and ESPN.com's Buster Olney recognizes both of them. John Smoltz's fading repertoire brings him closer to retirement than ever and the faltering newspaper industry will push longtime Reds writer Hal McCoy to call it a career after the season. Here are Olney's rumors:
- Olney hears that the Mariners came closer to obtaining Adrian Gonzalez than the Red Sox ever did.
- Many teams are believed to have struck deals with their top picks. So why haven't we heard about them? Teams will announce over-slot deals at the last minute so it seems like they're respecting the commissioner's recommended bonuses.
- Real doubts are beginning to emerge that the Nats will be able to sign Stephen Strasburg.