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Archives for July 2010

Dodgers Sign Trent Oeltjen, Release Timo Perez

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The Dodgers signed one former big league outfielder and released another. John Traub, the GM of the Dodgers' Triple A affiliate, confirmed to MLBTR via e-mail that the Albuquerque Isotopes added Trent Oeltjen and cut Timo Perez. 

The Brewers signed Oeltjen over the winter after he posted a .707 OPS in 73 plate appearances for the D'Backs last year. The Brewers stashed the 27-year-old Australian at Triple A, where he posted a strong .301/.355/.498 line in nearly 300 trips to the plate. Oeltjen opted out of his Brewers deal last week, since the team had yet to call him to the majors.

Longtime baseball fans will remember Perez for his breakout 2000 season on the NL Champion Mets. Now 35, Perez hasn't appeared in the majors since 2007. He had a respectable .296/.336/.426 line in 123 Triple A plate appearances.

This Date In Transactions History: C.C. Sabathia

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This year's trade deadline is all about Cliff Lee and last year's deadline was all about Lee and Roy Halladay, but the star pitcher of the 2008 trade deadline was dealt long before July 31st. Two years ago today, the Indians sent C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers for Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, Matt LaPorta and a player to be named (eventually Michael Brantley).

C.C. pitched well – probably even better than the Brewers could have imagined. He made 17 starts, finishing seven of them, and ended up with an 11-2 mark and a 1.65 ERA. Remarkably, Sabathia led both leagues in shutouts in 2008 and pitched the Brewers to their first postseason appearance since 1982. The eventual World Series champion Phillies ousted the Brewers in four games and Sabathia didn't pitch well in his lone playoff start, but the Brewers would not have made the postseason without their ace.

The Brewers also received two compensation picks for losing Sabathia to free agency after offering arbitration. Last year they used those picks to select Kentrail Davis (ranked 6th among Brewers prospects by Baseball America preseason) and Maxwell Walla (ranked 28th).

The Brewers weren't the only ones to add young talent, though. LaPorta, the centerpiece of the deal, hasn't had a great deal of major league success until recently. His overall season line (.242/.315/.376) is pedestrian, but the 25-year-old has homered four times in his last seven games. Bryson, 22, has posted 17.0 K/9 in high A ball this year and Brantley, who entered the season as the Indians' 6th best prospect, has a .391 OBP at Triple A.

As I suggested one year after this trade was completed, some deals benefit both teams. The Brewers ended up making the playoffs and obtaining draft choices, but the Indians added more talent than they would have obtained with a pair of top picks.

Poll: Best Free Agent Pitcher Signed Last Winter

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Andy Pettitte, Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit are some of the pitchers who have turned in fantastic first halves after signing free agent deals over the winter. Yesterday we determined that our readers believe Vladimir Guerrero was the best hitter signed last winter. Today, let's turn our focus to the mound:

Which of the free agent pitchers signed last winter has performed best in 2010?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results

Blue Jays To Sign Adonis Cardona

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JULY 7th: Alexander Mendoza of El Nacional reports that the Blue Jays signed Cardona over the weekend (link in Spanish). Ignacio Serrano of El Nacional reports (via Twitter) that Cardona's agent, Carlos Gavidia, says the bonus is for $2.8MM. The Blue Jays have not confirmed the signing.

MAY 12th: Frankie Piliere of AOL FanHouse believes Cardona's deal with the Blue Jays will be for $2.8MM (Twitter link).

MAY 10th: The Blue Jays are close to signing Venezuelan righty Adonis Cardona, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law. The prospect can't officially sign with the Blue Jays until the July 2nd signing period opens. The terms of the deal aren't clear, but some July 2 free agents do sign seven-figure deals. As Law points out, such early agreements do not always hold up.

The Blue Jays have pursued international free agents aggressively under GM Alex Anthopoulos, bidding on Aroldis Chapman and signing shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.

Dodgers Speaking To Clubs; Looking For Pitching

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The Dodgers are looking for pitching and have had conversations with several teams about trades, according to Evan Drellich of MLB.com. The Mariners, Astros, Blue Jays, Indians and D’Backs are among the teams the Dodgers have spoken to. And at this point, the Dodgers are looking for one thing.

"I think pitching is the area probably – starting and relieving," manager Joe Torre said. "Whatever will tighten up what we have now."

No deals are imminent for the Dodgers, who are expected to have limited ability to add payroll. That means Dan Haren of the D’Backs ($33MM remaining on his contract) and Roy Oswalt of the Astros ($25.5MM remaining on his contract) may be too expensive for the Dodgers. Cliff Lee has a more affordable salary ($4.5 remaining), but numerous other clubs are pursuing him.

David Aardsma, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg and Kerry Wood are among the relievers now pitching for teams the Dodgers have talked with. Starters like Brett Myers, Shaun Marcum, Fausto Carmona and Edwin Jackson could all interest the Dodgers.

Cubs Rumors: Theriot, Trades, Piniella

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Jim Hendry's peers recently told ESPN that the Cubs GM is an easy person to make trades with. If the 36-47 Cubs decide to sell, Hendry's phone could be ringing non-stop, but the Cubs aren't there quite yet. Here's the latest on the North Siders:

  • A few weeks ago Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News heard that the Giants could have interest in Ryan Theriot, but the Giants now say Theriot's name hasn't come up in trade talks.
  • Hendry may not have committed to selling, but manager Lou Piniella thinks the Cubs will get younger this month. ''We probably will be sellers,'' Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • Piniella told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he will finish managing this season, but won't take another managerial job afterwards. "I know that this will be my last managing job," Piniella said. "I do know that for a fact."

Odds & Ends: Marcum, Reds, Marlins, Munson

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A few more links, on the night of Johnny Damon's 2,500th career hit….

Cliff Lee Rumors: Tuesday

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The Twins offered prospects Wilson Ramos and Aaron Hicks to the Mariners for Cliff Lee, according to a report by Jeff Fletcher of AOL FanHouse yesterday. Reports have since indicated that the two clubs are not close to a deal. If nothing works out between the Twins and Mariners, other teams, such as the Yankees, Mets, Rangers and Reds would likely be involved. We'll keep track of all the day's Cliff Lee rumors right here, so check back later in the day to see if we have moved this post back to the top of the page with updates.

  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link) hears that Lee trade talks are "heating up," since some teams want to add the southpaw as soon as possible.
  • An official from one team interested in Lee tells AOL FanHouse's Ed Price that his club has yet to hear back from Jack Zduriencik regarding what sort of return the Mariners are seeking.
  • B.J. Upton, now involved in the Lee rumors, tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he doesn't want the Rays to trade him (Twitter link). Joe Maddon also talks to Topkin about the Upton rumors, saying there's "nothing from our end regarding that being true."
  • The Yankees believe they could trade for Lee if they wanted to, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
  • The Yankees are “kicking the tires” on Lee, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The source estimates that the Yanks have less than a 50% chance of obtaining Lee and suggests the Yankees could flip Javier Vazquez to another team if they do acquire Lee.
  • The Rays are on the periphery of the Lee sweepstakes, according to Rosenthal’s sources, who confirm that B.J. Upton–Cliff Lee trade talk surfaced amoung scouts last night.
  • The Tigers like Lee, but aren't optimistic about acquiring him, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • Olney hears that the Mariners "really like" Brewers prospect Brett Lawrie (Twitter link). The 20-year-old second baseman recently made Baseball America's mid-season All-Star team. Lawrie "still strikes out too often and is a work in progress at second base," but is among the offensive leaders at AA. The Mariners have 2009 first rounder Dustin Ackley, also a second baseman, hitting well in AA, though Ackley's presence doesn't mean they can't pursue Lawrie.
  • Morosi hears that talks between the Mets and Mariners have not progressed much (Twitter link).
  • Jerry Crasnick's sources estimate that there's a 60-100% chance that the Mariners trade Lee this month. The Mets prefer Lee to innings eaters and the Yankees ‘covet’ him, but the Phillies would be more likely to pursue Dan Haren if they go after an ace, according to Crasnick’s report for ESPN.com. One AL executive suggested the Mariners might have to explore three-way trades to get as much as possible in return for the left-hander.
  • A rival executive told Ed Price of AOL FanHouse that the Twins will ‘go hard’ after Lee. Some believe the Rangers called Omar Beltre up to showcase him for the Mariners.
  • Peter Gammons hears rumblings of a Lee-B.J. Upton deal and wonders if a third team could be involved along with the Mariners and Rays (Twitter link).
  • Rosenthal hears that no deal between the Twins and Mariners is imminent. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik declined to characterize the talks he has had with the Twins, but Jon Paul Morosi hears that the Mariners have scouted the Twins extensively. Executives were divided on whether the Twins, who have traditionally held onto their prospects, would offer Hicks and Ramos in the same deal.

Price On Oswalt, Wood, Dotel, Marlins

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Earlier today, we heard rumors from AOL FanHouse's Ed Price involving Cliff Lee and the Tigers' hunt for bullpen help. In his latest column, Price provides a few more hot stove notes. Let's take a look:

  • According to Price, the Astros are looking for teams interested in Roy Oswalt to take on Oswalt's entire salary and give up three major-league-ready players. There have been indications lately that the Astros would be willing to pay part of their ace's salary in order to get better prospects, so it's hard to believe the team will stick to the demands described by Price.
  • The Indians have been trying to drum up interest for Kerry Wood.
  • Pittsburgh "seems willing" to move Octavio Dotel.
  • A source tells Price that members of the Marlins' front office will meet this week to decide whether to become buyers or sellers.
  • In a bullet point at the bottom of Price's piece, FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher says that the Phillies had one of their "top special assignment scouts" watching Ben Sheets' last start. As Ruben Amaro Jr. indicated today, the Phils are more likely to trade for a pitcher than an infielder.

Orioles Release Garrett Atkins

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JULY 6th: Atkins has cleared waivers and been released by the Orioles, making him a free agent, reports Connolly.

JUNE 27th: The Orioles have officially designated Atkins for assignment, reports Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. The move clears a spot for Uehara to be activated from the disabled list. Atkins told Ghiroli earlier this weekend that he wouldn't look at it as a bad thing if the O's decide to release him.

JUNE 24th: Baltimore will likely designate Garrett Atkins for assignment, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.  The O's must free up two spots on the 25-man roster in order to welcome back Brad Bergesen and Koji Uehara.

Atkins has been disappointing so far this season, hitting .219/.282/.292 with one homer in 149 plate appearances.  The 30-year-old inked a one-year, $4.5MM deal with the O's over the winter.  Baltimore's acquisition of Jake Fox on Tuesday was a sign that Atkins' time in orange and black was nearing an end.

To clear the second spot, the Orioles could either demote Frank Mata to Triple-A or designate fellow reliever Matt Albers for assignment. Seldom used fourth outfielder Lou Montanez could also be shown the door, though he will likely be kept until Felix Pie returns from the disabled list.

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