By Mark Polishuk | at
Jacob Thompson, a second-round pick of the Rays (66th overall) in the Amateur Draft, intends to sign with the club on Wednedsay, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Thompson informed the Times of his decision via text message.
Thompson, 20, is a right-handed starter out of Long Beach State. His signing means that Tampa Bay now has three of their top five selections under contract, including first-rounder Justin O'Conner and second-round pick Derek Dietrich.
By Mark Polishuk | at
Philadelphia fans hoping that a trade might snap the Phillies out of their recent poor form may be waiting for a while. Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. spoke to reporters today in New York and MLB.com's Todd Zolecki passes on the news that Amaro doesn't think a roster overhaul is necessary.
"We're not making any major moves here," Amaro said. "This is our team out here and they'll be fine. If we get the guys healthy we'll be fine."
Amaro's comments about the Phillies' lineup ("I don't know if there's anybody better than the players we [have] …we have one of the best nine in the game") seem to indicate that acquiring a position player isn't in the works. The Phillies' problem isn't that their lineup has any obvious holes, it's just that proven stars like Chase Utley and Jayson Werth are in the midst of slumps.
When asked about acquiring pitching, however, Amaro didn't outright dismiss the possibility that his club might pursue an arm. Amaro said that J.A. Happ and Ryan Madson returning from the disabled list "gives us quite a bit of depth," but left unsaid was what the team might do if either hurler has a setback, or isn't up to form once they're off the DL.
Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News pointed out yesterday that the Phillies' large payroll and lack of top prospects (besides Domonic Brown) might also be a factor in a lack of trade deadline action. Even if the Phillies do decide to add a pitcher or some other player for the stretch run, it will likely be a lower-level acquistion rather than the likes of a Cliff Lee.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
We'll probably have to wait a little while for Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Jameson Taillon to sign, but teams have agreed to deals with some of the players selected later on in the draft. The players listed below signed today. Click here for the list of picks to sign yesterday and here for the updated list of first rounders to sign:
Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Mets have released Gary Matthews Jr., according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). The Mets designated the outfielder for assignment earlier in the month and requested release waivers for Matthews over the weekend. The 35-year-old now joins the likes of Rocco Baldelli and Jermaine Dye on our list of free agent outfielders.
Unlike Baldelli, Dye and a number of other free agent outfielders, Matthews has been playing in the major leagues this year. However, his numbers are not good. He posted a .190/.266/.241 line in 65 plate appearances for the Mets. It's not much to draw conclusions from, but Matthews has not hit or defended well in recent years.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Links for Tuesday, as Andy Pettitte and Tim Lincecum celebrate birthdays…
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Blue Jays signed supplemental round pick Aaron Sanchez, according to the team. The Jays formally announced the signing of Noah Syndergaard, another right-hander the club selected in the supplemental round, and 12 other draft picks.
Jim Callis of Baseball America notes that the Blue Jays signed Sanchez for $775K and Syndergaard for $600K.
Sanchez, a high schooler who batted .542 as a junior, has a 91-93 mph fastball that intrigued scouts. Baseball America ranked Sanchez, who had committed to the University of Oregon, 59th among draft-eligible prospects. He and Syndergaard are two of the four righties the Blue Jays selected with their top four picks this year. Deck McGuire and Asher Wojciechowski have yet to sign.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Tigers released Adam Everett, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press. They didn't find any takers for the shortstop after designating him for assignment about ten days ago. The Tigers signed Everett to a one-year $1.55MM deal that had the potential to become a bargain.
Everett has always been a terrific defender, and though the sample size is limited, UZR suggests his glove has been good once again in 2010. Everett made just one error this season, but his batting line fell to .185/.221/.247 in 89 plate appearances, so the Tigers were willing to let him go.
Despite his poor performance at the plate, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Everett sign on with someone. There aren't many reliable free agent middle infielders, especially not with Everett's defensive ability.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Braves are interested in adding a right-handed hitting outfielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Melky Cabrera and Nate McLouth have not hit well for the Braves, and Jason Heyward's now slumping. Eric Hinske has played tremendously, but can't be expected to post an OPS near 1.000, so the Braves may deal from pitching depth for a bat. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Mark Mulder has only appeared in six games since 2006, but it wasn't until yesterday that the left-hander officially announced his retirement. Mulder, 32, told Jeff Fletcher of AOL FanHouse that he has retired from baseball and is instead devoting himself to becoming a better golfer.
A few months ago, it seemed that Mulder could return to pitch this season, since he was not ready to retire. The Brewers then seemed like a possible destination, but Mulder hasn't touched a baseball since February, so his baseball career is over.
"I guess I have retired," Mulder said.
The two-time All Star was one third of Oakland's "Big Three," along with Barry Zito and Tim Hudson. Mulder retires with a 103-60 record, a 4.18 ERA in 1314 innings, 834 strikeouts and, according to Baseball-Reference, about $33MM in career earnings.
The A's got more than memories from Mulder. They obtained Dan Haren for him in 2004, and later flipped Haren for Brett Anderson and others, so there are traces of Mulder on the current A's team.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The A's acquired Conor Jackson from the D'Backs for righty Sam Demel, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (Twitter link). The A's note that they are receiving cash to cover part of Jackson's $3.1MM salary (Twitter link). ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the D'Backs will cover about $400K of the remaining $1.85MM (Twitter link).
Jackson, 28, is hitting .238/.326/.331 in 172 plate appearances this year. He missed most of last season with Valley Fever and has had some hamstring problems in 2010. Jackson has spent most of the season in left field, though he has considerable experience as a first baseman, too.
Despite Jackson's slow start at the plate and history as an average defender, the A's weren't the only interested team. The Rangers were also exploring a deal for Jackson, who will be a non-tender candidate after the season.
D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes says the club acquired Demel since he's "another quality arm in [the team's] attempt to improve the bullpen." The 24-year-old righty has pitched well at Triple A this year. Demel has a 1.26 ERA in 28.2 innings, with 8.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. It's the best season the 2007 third rounder has had as a pro. Demel was not ranked among Oakland's top 30 prospects by Baseball America before the season, but the D'Backs (7.33 bullpen ERA) need relievers badly.
Arizona is considering major moves and one executive tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that the club is ready to "blow things up" (Twitter link).
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