The Brewers released pitcher John Halama, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Halama allowed ten hits in six spring innings. The 38-year-old southpaw signed with the Brewers in November after tossing 159.3 innings in '09 between the Braves' Triple A club and the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
Archives for March 2010
Indians Acquire Aguilar, Brewers Keep Lofgren
The Indians acquired pitcher Omar Aguilar from the Brewers, allowing Milwaukee to retain Rule 5 lefty Chuck Lofgren and send him to Triple A, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Lofgren cleared waivers.
Aguilar, 25 later this month, posted a 4.72 ERA, 11.4 K/9, and 4.4 BB/9 in 55.3 relief innings split between High A and Double A in 2009 (he was demoted in June). He failed to crack Baseball America's top 30 Brewers prospects list this year, but ranked #21 heading into '09. A Tommy John survivor, Aguilar is a power arm with a mid-90s fastball and a setup man projection. Nice pickup by the Indians.
Lofgren, 24, last appeared in a Baseball America handbook when he ranked second among Indians prospects heading into '08. The lefty projected as a #3 starter at the time. Last year he posted a 4.15 ERA, 5.9 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 in 141 innings split between Double A and Triple A. He was left unprotected in the '08 Rule 5 and went unclaimed, but the Brewers snagged him in the '09 draft.
With Bobby Cassevah sent back to the Angels yesterday and Armando Zerpa returned to the Red Sox, 14 of the 17 Rule 5 picks from the Major League phase still face unresolved situations.
Olney On Howard, Pujols, Adrian, Chris Young
The latest from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required)…
- Olney explains why the Phillies' internal discussions about offering Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols were accurate and newsworthy: "When you have confirmed information that the Phillies have discussed internally an avenue through which how they might pursue the best player in baseball — and you know exactly who said what to whom, and how sturdy the intent was — that is news." Olney's information should be trusted despite the Phillies' denials, but keep in mind that this was simply one club's internal discussion.
- Certain talent evaluators believe Adrian Gonzalez is so valuable given his contract that the Padres may not find a comparable return. Some of Olney's sources believe the Padres should keep Gonzalez into 2011.
- Olney's hearing Chris Young's velocity is back in its customary 87-88 mph range. As the best-paid Padre and an impending free agent, Young has to be considered a midseason trade candidate. He is earning $6.25MM this year with an $8.5MM club option for '11.
David Purcey Drawing Attention
Blue Jays lefty David Purcey is "drawing attention from clubs," tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal also notes that the Cubs had a scout on hand Sunday for Jason Frasor's ugly Sunday stint (four hits and four earned runs in a third of an inning). Rosenthal says Frasor was under the weather during the appearance.
Purcey, 28 in April, was J.P. Ricciardi's first-round pick in 2004. He posted respectable strikeout rates at most minor league stops, but was plagued by control problems. He seemed to figure it out by his third Double A stint in '07, trimming his walks per nine to 2.3. However, surgery to remove cysts in his forearm and triceps cut that season short. Purcey kept the walks down the next year at Triple A, and showed flashes of brilliance in his '08 MLB debut season. The '09 season was a step back, with Purcey losing his rotation spot by May due to his walk problem.
Now MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says the Blue Jays have trimmed Purcey's repertoire and are leaning toward making him a reliever. Once the Blue Jays' #3 prospect, Purcey's outlook has been downgraded over the years by Baseball America from a potential #2 starter to a mid-rotation guy to a reliever. He still brings the power stuff that made him a first-round pick in '04, and there might be another club out there with ideas on fixing his command.
Marlins Interested In Mike Lowell?
The Florida Marlins had scouts on hand to watch Mike Lowell's Grapefruit League debut at first base today, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Although the club's level of interest in the 36-year-old is unclear, Spencer entertains the notion of a possible reunion between the Marlins and their all-time home run leader.
Considering how minuscule their payroll is, it's hard to imagine the Marlins making a play for Lowell unless Boston is willing to take on virtually the entire $12MM that he'll make in 2010. As Spencer points out though, the corner infield situation in Florida is still in flux. Jorge Cantu is capable of manning either side of the diamond and is penciled in at third base for now, while unproven youngsters Logan Morrison and Gaby Sanchez compete for the first base job.
Lowell looked solid in his debut, collecting a hit in two at-bats and playing three innings in the field. Of course, it'll take more than a single game to show that he's back to full health after battling thumb and hip issues. It was Lowell's thumb injury that resulted in a trade to Texas being called off earlier in the winter.
In that proposed deal, the Red Sox showed a willingness to pay a significant chunk ($9MM) of Lowell's salary. If Lowell displays good health this spring, and the Sox will still pay that price to move him, the Marlins and Twins could be among the teams interested.
Two New Teams Interested In Joe Beimel
Two new teams expressed interest in Joe Beimel late last week, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Beimel's agent, Joe Sroba, doesn't reveal which two clubs spoke to him about his client, but Kilgore says that the Nationals are not one of them.
Last we heard, Beimel still had a contract offer on the table from the New York Mets, who were hoping to add a left-handed arm to their bullpen for $1MM or less. Beimel, on the other hand, was looking for a salary closer to the $2MM he earned in 2009. He may yet get there, given the possibility of two new potential suitors. Perhaps one of those suitors is the Phillies, who could use another lefty in their pen, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Paul Hagen.
With teams constantly searching for reliable left-handed throwers, it wouldn't be surprising to see Beimel sign a deal worth in excess of $1MM within the next week or two. Waiting out the market didn't necessarily hurt the 32-year-old last winter either, when he signed with the Nationals on March 18.
Odds & Ends: Mateo, Kelvim Escobar, Mariners
Links to kick off the work week…
- Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo is scheduled to work out for the Diamondbacks today, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Mateo's reps don't share the Cardinals' concerns about Mateo's vision.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Rays came second in the Kelvim Escobar bidding, offering $600K. Unlike the Mets, the Rays saw Escobar as a second half contributor.
- Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post thinks stat lovers themselves "may be the new inefficiency in the market," making Adam Dunn a bargain at three years and $40MM even if his defense doesn't improve.
- FanGraphs' Dave Cameron explains why the Astros and Royals sit at the bottom of his organizational rankings.
- SI's Jon Heyman names his "bests" for 2010, with the Angels getting the nod for the best rotation top to bottom. Heyman also talks about Jarrod Washburn, considered a person of interest for Seattle.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Ms are "still pondering backup catching options from outside." There aren't too many available backstops who can be considered clear improvements.
- In his latest GM's Corner video for FOX Sports, Jim Bowden gathers all the GMs involved in the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee deals. Alex Anthopoulos mentioned that Ruben Amaro Jr. would not include Kyle Drabek or Domonic Brown when Halladay was discussed at the GM Meetings, but relented on Drabek a few weeks later.
- Dustin Parkes of Drunk Jays Fans says "the team has put its money where its mouth is" by signing Adeiny Hechevarria.
Discussion: Andy Sonnanstine
No teams have formally inquired about trading for Andy Sonnanstine, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, the right-hander could become the topic of a few trade rumors before the season begins, given Tampa Bay's surplus of starting pitching.
Morosi tweets a few teams that could use another starting pitcher: the Diamondbacks, Mariners, Mets, Twins, Dodgers and Nationals. That list could easily double by Opening Day, with spring performances and injuries potentially raising depth concerns for a few more clubs.
The Rays shouldn't feel any pressure to deal Sonnanstine though. Even if there's no room for him in their rotation, their starting pitching depth is a luxury. As the FOX report suggests, the Rays could use Sonnanstine out of the bullpen as a long reliever, or even send him to Triple-A to start the year, since he has options remaining.
If you were running the Rays, what's your move here? Would you start shopping Sonnanstine, hoping to get some value in return? Or would you keep the right-hander around, providing insurance in case youngsters like Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson struggle?
The Latest On Jarrod Washburn
Don't rule out the possibility of Jarrod Washburn landing back in Seattle this year, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Washburn told FOX Sports last week that his chances of returning to the Mariners were "probably not great," but the club is still interested, according to Morosi's sources.
With Erik Bedard still recovering from shoulder surgery, the Mariners' rotation has some question marks behind its aces, Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee. Washburn spent most of the last four seasons in Seattle, posting a 2.64 ERA in 20 starts with the club last year before he was traded to the Tigers.
Morosi notes that Minnesota, the other club atop Washburn's wish list earlier this winter, may still be a suitor as well. Joe Nathan's health and the team's contingency plan will likely dictate their interest in Washburn. If Nathan's elbow requires surgery and the Twins decide to try Francisco Liriano as their closer, Morosi thinks Washburn could be a fit to fill out the Twins' rotation.
Cubs Notes: Castro, Bullpen, Silva
MLB.com's Carrie Muskat answered a few Cubs-related questions from readers today in a mailbag. Within the piece, she addresses some potential roster moves for the Cubs. Here are the highlights:
- Look for super-prospect Starlin Castro to start the year in the minors, where he'll be able to play every day. The Cubs are hoping Mike Fontenot can back up Ryan Theriot at shortstop. That way, the club can use their final bench spot on a player with some pinch-hitting pop, rather than a reserve infielder like Andres Blanco.
- Asked if the Cubs will fill their bullpen holes through free agency or trades, Muskat acknowledges that GM Jim Hendry has been looking for an experienced right-handed reliever since before the Winter Meetings. However, the club could still stand pat, using younger, in-house options to fill out their bullpen. As Muskat notes, "there's nothing wrong with youth as long as they get the job done."
- One reader poses the idea of Carlos Silva moving to the bullpen as a right-handed setup man. Muskat suggests that, given some more time with pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Silva could be successful at the back of the rotation.
