Ben Sheets Sighting
We have a Ben Sheets sighting, courtesy of MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sheets appeared at The Ballpark In Arlington today to visit with Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux. The free agent pitcher spoke of an upcoming meeting with Dr. James Andrews after which he hopes to be cleared to begin a throwing program (he had flexor tendon elbow surgery on February 13th).
The Rangers are the obvious favorites to sign Sheets later this year, especially if they remain in contention. But Sheets says he hasn't started worrying about where he'll sign yet.
Rangers To Sign Mike Hinckley
According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Rangers are close to inking left-hander Mike Hinckley to a minor league contract.
Padres Claim Josh Wilson, DFA Duaner Sanchez
MLB.com's Corey Brock took to his Twitter account this evening for a few announcements: The Padres have claimed infielder Josh Wilson and designated reliever Duaner Sanchez for assignment.
Wilson, 28, was DFA'd by the Diamondbacks this week after starting the season with a .231/.333/.269 line in 11 games. He'll provide infield depth for the Padres, especially at shortstop. We actually discussed the club's infield situation with Brock just one day ago. The D'Backs, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert, signed Abraham Nunez out of the independent league partially to compensate for the loss of infield depth.
Sanchez, a 29-year-old right-hander, went 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA, 2.36 WHIP and 2/8 K/BB ratio in 11 innings after being signed by the San Diego on March 15. Those numbers were simply unacceptable, even for the 13-22 Padres.
Juan Rincon Declines Assignment
According to MLB.com's Jason Beck, reliever Juan Rincon declined the Tigers' assignment to Triple A. He will become a free agent if he's not claimed off waivers. Rincon, 30, gave up six runs and 12 hits in 10.3 innings for the Tigers this year. He hasn't done much since '06.
Odds & Ends: Sheets, Blanco, Coghlan
Links for Friday…
- RotoAuthority talks about the popular fantasy pickups this week.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels says Ben Sheets is "watching from a distance" while recovering from elbow surgery, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers "apparently are in position to sign Guillermo Pimentel, a top outfield prospect from the Dominican Republic" for $1.5-2MM.
- Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe says Red Sox reliever Javier Lopez cleared waivers and will head to Triple A.
- Sam Miller of the OC Register assembled a lineup/slideshow of prospects who deserve a big league shot.
- Henry Blanco isn't sure why he wasn't able to re-sign with the Cubs, according to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan.
- Nick Yohanek, the fan who caught Chris Coghlan's first big league home run, explains his side of the story in asking for the following for the ball: a signed Coghlan game bat, a signed Coghlan ball, and a Hanley Ramirez game bat. What's your take on this?
Discussion: Possible Braves Trades
MLB.com's Mark Bowman does a little trade speculatin' in his latest blog post:
The Braves are going to be looking to find some power before the trade deadline and with a surplus of arms, there may be a number of teams interested in Charlie Morton, who has allowed just four earned runs in his past 27 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett.
And don't forget what Ken Rosenthal wrote on Tuesday:
If the Braves need more offense, they will have the pitching depth to get it. Right-hander Tommy Hanson is untouchable, but he's not the team's only hot pitcher at Class AAA. Two other right-handers — Kris Medlen and Morton — figure to be coveted by other clubs, and the Braves have additional prospects at Class AA.
About that Braves' offense…my 4.93 runs per game projection hasn't been matched so far. Kelly Johnson, Garret Anderson, and Jeff Francoeur are off to slow starts, leaving the team 11th in the NL with 4.47 runs scored per game. The Braves might be OK at second with Omar Infante and Martin Prado as options, but an outfield addition would make sense. Who could add the power the Braves crave? Just to throw out a few names: Carlos Lee, Josh Willingham, Rick Ankiel, Brad Hawpe, Jermaine Dye, Austin Kearns, Aubrey Huff, and Magglio Ordonez. The majority of these would not justify giving up top young arms, though. Who would you like to see the Braves pursue?
Nationals Designate Logan Kensing For Assignment
According to a press release, the Nationals designated reliever Logan Kensing for assignment. Kensing was given six appearances to show his stuff, and he allowed 12 hits and 10 runs in that time. The Nats acquired Kensing from the Marlins on April 29th for minor league reliever Kyle Gunderson.
MLBTR Looking For Writers
Would you like to join the MLB Trade Rumors team? We are looking to add a couple of writers. The position pays on an hourly basis. The criteria:
- Strong evening availability – typically 5-10pm CST shifts.
- Knowledge of all 30 baseball teams, no discernible bias toward your favorite. Knowledge of basic hot stove concepts, arbitration for example.
- Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. I want the best of both worlds, as you have to be able to do this very quickly after the source article is published. It's preferred that you add value to the article with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
- Attention to detail – absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names. Ability to follow the MLBTR style and tone. Also it is important to avoid duplicating content previously covered on the site and avoid posting about topics MLBTR does not cover.
- Ability to use an RSS feed reader such as Google Reader. This is crucial.
- Blogging experience is preferred. We use TypePad, which is easy to use if you have blogged before.
- You have to be able to put up with me, responding to constructive criticism and digesting the MLBTR instruction document quickly.
- If you're interested, email mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and explain your qualifications. Also, within the body of your email (not as an attachment) write one sample, fictional MLBTR post using real players. For this sample post, come up with something that could actually happen.
- Please don't send anything to my other email address. Usually we receive a few hundred inquiries, so unfortunately I cannot reply to all or even most. Thanks.
Heyman On Lee, Martinez, Green
A look at the latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman addresses the issue of whether the Indians will trade staff ace Cliff Lee. GM Mark Shapiro isn't thinking about it (not under consideration, according to Ken Rosenthal), and rival execs are divided. Heyman says neither side made a contract extension proposal during the offseason. The Indians will have Lee through 2010 once they exercise his option.
- The Mets mulled calling up Fernando Martinez, but they'll stick to their plan of keeping him in Triple A until at least June.
- The Orioles are "seriously considering" drafting USC shortstop Grant Green with their #5 pick. However, the Padres are said to be eyeing Green at #3.
Brad Nelson Chooses Free Agency
According to Dan Walsh of SportsBubbler.com, Brewers first baseman/outfielder Brad Nelson has opted for free agency. At least four teams are in pursuit. Nelson had no hits and two walks in 23 plate appearances this year. He was outrighted to make room for Mat Gamel, and the Brewers also signed Frank Catalanotto recently.
Nelson, 26, hit .286/.380/.480 in Triple A last year.