Rosenthal On Phillies’ Infield Options
7:30pm: According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, the Phillies haven't talked to the Nationals about Kennedy.
1:31pm: The Phillies learned today that Chase Utley will be out for several weeks due to thumb surgery, and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com chimes in with some possible replacement options. He notes that the replacement doesn't necessary have to be a second baseman (Twitter link), because the team can use Placido Polanco at that position once he's healthy. That opens up the possibility of a trade for a third baseman.
Rosenthal says that former Phillie Pedro Feliz is an unlikely target, citing a scout who says his bat speed is "gone." Feliz has hit just .229/.255/.317 in 255 plate appearances this year, and his trademark defense has declined back to a -4.3 UZR this season. The Fox Sports scribe throws the names of Miguel Tejada, Ty Wigginton, Jhonny Peralta, Adam Kennedy, and Jose Lopez into the mix (Twitter links). The Mariners are actively trying to move Lopez, according to Rosenthal.
For the now, Philadelphia will try to tread water with the combination of Wilson Valdez and Greg Dobbs at second and third, respectively. They've combined to hit just .222/.252/.338 in 222 plate appearances this season, and Jack Moore at FanGraphs chronicled just how big of a downgrade this is for the Phillies.
Kevin Cash Traded From Astros To Red Sox
Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports (via Twitter) that the Astros have sent catcher Kevin Cash to Boston in exchange for minor league infielder Angel Sanchez.
This is Cash's second stint with the Red Sox, as he served as the team's backup catcher in 2007 and 2008. Cash was designated for assignment by Houston last week and ended up in the minors, though it was rumored that Boston could be interested in bringing him back to add depth in the wake of Victor Martinez's thumb injury. Cash has a .541 OPS in 646 major league plate appearances, but any big hits he provides while backing up Jason Varitek would be considered a bonus for the Sox.
In nine pro seasons, Sanchez has amassed just 31 major league plate appearances, three of which came this year in Boston. The 26-year-old has a .279/.334/.351 career line in 3575 minor league PAs in the Boston, Toronto and Kansas City systems. Sanchez gives Houston a bit of infield depth since he has experience playing shortstop, second base and third base.
Footer tweets that Sanchez will take the place of Yordany Ramirez on the Astros' 40-man roster, as Houston has designated Ramirez for assignment. The 25-year-old outfielder has a career .642 OPS in 2615 minor league plate appearances.
Padres Designate Sean Gallagher For Assignment
Reliever Sean Gallagher has been designated for assignment by the Padres, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. Gallagher's roster spot is being taken by Tim Stauffer, who was activated from the disabled list.
Gallagher has a 5.40 ERA in 15 appearances with San Diego this season and a career ERA of 5.57 in 60 appearances (23 of them starts) with the Padres, Athletics and Cubs since 2007. He joined the Padres last season as the player to be named later in the Scott Hairston trade and lost a spring training bid to be part of San Diego's rotation.
The right-hander has battled a number of injuries over the last few seasons so the jury is still out on whether or not he can effectively contribute to a major league staff. MLB.com's Corey Brock (who was the first to note that Gallagher wasn't on the Padres' roster today) predicts that Gallagher will be claimed by another team before the 10-day waiver period is up.
White Sox Willing To Move Top Prospects In A Trade
According to MLB.com's Scott Merkin, notable Chicago minor leaguers such as Jordan Danks, Tyler Flowers, Dan Hudson or Dayan Viciedo could possibly be dealt if the right acquisition becomes available. White Sox GM Kenny Williams spoke to the media on Wednesday and hinted that now that the Sox have played themselves back into contention, he wouldn't hesitate to trade part of the team's future for further success this season.
"Well, if there's an opportunity to win a World Series, you got to do what you got to do sometimes — within reason," Williams said. "But it's got to be, you have to have a real opportunity. I think we have an opportunity."
Chicago's apparent trading strategy, if they do indeed make a deal, would be to move largely unproven talents rather than players who have already had an impact in the majors. Merkin notes that the likes of Gordon Beckham, John Danks and Gavin Floyd are all but untouchable for the near future.
Of those prospects, a Flowers trade would probably have the most impact on Chicago's major league roster. It had been widely assumed that A.J. Pierzynski would be allowed to leave after his contract expires this winter, since Flowers would then step in behind the plate for the Sox in 2011. (Indeed, there were even rumors that Pierzynski would be traded before his ten-and-five rights kicked in on June 14.) If Flowers was dealt, however, the White Sox might well look to re-sign their veteran catcher over other soon-to-be free agents like John Buck or Bengie Molina.
In a separate piece, Merkin highlights how surprising it is that the Sox are now considered to be buyers at the trade deadline given that the club looked to be out of the race just a few weeks ago. Chicago has been linked to Adam Dunn and other left-handed bats, though Williams told Merkin that the team might also stand pat. Such a decision wouldn't sit well with the Chicago media and fanbase, but it's prudent of Williams to wait and see if his team really is as good as they've seemed of late before dealing a key prospect.
Elijah Dukes Signs With Newark Bears
According to the Atlantic League website's transactions page, the Newark Bears have signed former Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes.
When last we heard of Dukes, he was rumored to be taking a year off from playing after he didn't show up to a tryout with Mexican League franchise Tabasco Olmecas. Dukes was surprisingly released by Washington on March 17 after being given the Nationals' starting right-field job over the winter, and it was generally believed that the move was made to "improve clubhouse chemistry."
Dukes joins a number of former major leaguers on the Newark roster, most notably Carl Everett, Daryle Ward and Brian Barton. Dukes has a career slash line of .242/.349/.421 in 970 plate appearances with the Nationals and Rays. Given his history of problems off the field, any major league teams who may be scouting Dukes will be paying just as much attention to his behavior as they will his on-field performance with the Bears.
Odds & Ends: Prior, Votto, Gaudin, Hendry, Rangers
Links for Thursday, as we wait to see how much more damage Vladimir Guerrero will inflict upon the Angels tonight…
- Mark Prior's agent says that one club wants to sign the right-hander after his workout this week, tweets Tom Krasovic of AOL Fanhouse. Prior reportedly hit the magic number of 90 mph during his workout.
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer indicates (via Twitter) that extension talks for Joey Votto will wait until after the season.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post tweets that the Yankees will not designate Chad Gaudin for assignment when they call up Dustin Moseley. The team has an empty spot on its 40-man roster, and is likely to place someone on the DL or option another reliever to Triple-A instead.
- Jim Hendry of the Cubs is the easiest general manager to make a deal with, according to a poll of GMs from around the league conducted by ESPN's Buster Olney.
- The sale of the Rangers is heading to a one-day auction that will be held on July 16th, reports Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.
Three Teams Interested In Jermaine Dye
After an offseason that featured little attention from clubs and a few rejected offers, three teams are now expressing interest in free agent slugger Jermaine Dye according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com. Those clubs: the Rangers, Rockies, and Padres.
We know the Padres are looking to add offense and the Rangers have been searching for a righty bat after Ryan Garko didn't work out, but the Rockies has been linked to infielders more than anything in the wake of Troy Tulowitzki's injury. If signed, Dye would require some time to get into game shape, but could be contributing as an outfielder, first baseman, and/or DH in the second half. He'd also have a few months to prove himself before heading back out on the free agent market.
The 36-year-old Dye hit .250/.340/.453 with 27 homers for the White Sox last year, but his outfield defense was among the worst in the game and he hit just .176/.287/.278 in his final 237 plate appearances.
Dana Eveland Clears Waivers
JULY 1: Eveland has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (Twitter link).
JUNE 24: The Pirates designated Dana Eveland for assignment, according to the team. The club, which placed Zach Duke on the DL yesterday, will announce corresponding moves later today.
It's the third time Eveland has been designated for assignment this year. The A's designated him in February and dealt him to the Blue Jays, who designated him in May and dealt him to the Pirates. Back in March, the D'Backs reportedly had interest in the left-hander, but that was before Eveland posted a 6.79 ERA in 54.1 major league innings with more walks (5.3 BB/9) than strikeouts (4.0 K/9).
Orioles Call Up Josh Bell
3:54pm: MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli spoke to Orioles' president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who denied that Bell's promotion had anything to do with a pending trade of either Tejada or Ty Wigginton (Twitter link).
3:08pm: With Luke Scott headed to the disabled list, the Orioles have called up top prospect Josh Bell from Triple-A according to a team press release. Bell was acquired from the Dodgers in the George Sherrill trade last year, and he's batting seventh in tonight's lineup.
This is Bell's first time in the big leagues, so the team has already delayed his free agency and arbitration eligibility by one season. The 23-year-old was hitting .266/.311/.455 with 24 doubles and ten homers in 309 Triple-A plate appearances before being called up.
Since Bell is a third baseman, it's reasonable to think that this move is the first step towards a Miguel Tejada trade, with the team getting a look at his replacement before they go ahead and take the plunge. The Phillies, Twins, and Angels could all be suitors for the 2002 AL MVP, who is in tonight's lineup as the designated hitter.
Rangers Acquire Bengie Molina
3:33pm: Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News tweets that the deal is now official.
THURSDAY, 3:15pm: Baseball America's Jim Callis hears from a source that Michael Main will be the player to be named later going to San Francisco (Twitter link). Main was the 24th overall selection in the 2007 draft, and was ranked as the 21st best prospect in the Rangers' system by Callis' publication before the season.
In a second tweet, Callis notes that the deal is similar to the Casey Blake–Carlos Santana trade in that the Rangers had to give up a quality prospect to get the Giants to kick in money to pay Molina's salary.
WEDNESDAY, 9:03pm: The Rangers acquired Bengie Molina and cash for Chris Ray and a player to be named later today. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported that the sides were deep in discussions about Molina and Scott Boeck of USA Today added the details soon afterwards. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News noted that the Giants will send the Rangers cash (Twitter link).
Molina, 36 in July, is hitting .257/.312/.332 this year. The Giants can shift the full-time catching duties to Buster Posey, play Aubrey Huff at first and rely on Andres Torres, Pat Burrell, Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz in the outfield. They don't need a catcher, but the Rangers do – Texas' backstops have hit .212/.311/.328 this year. Those numbers are eerily similar to Molina's, though there's no question that Molina's offensive track record inspires more confidence than Matt Treanor's.
Molina has about $2.3MM remaining on the $4.5MM deal he and the Giants agreed to last winter. The Rangers can add rental players, though the team's ownership transfer will limit its ability to take on long-term contracts.
Ray, who earns $975K this year, has a 3.41 ERA in 31.2 innings of work. However, the 28-year-old has walked as many batters as he has struck out (16). This is the second consecutive summer the Rangers have acquired a catcher (Ivan Rodriguez, 2009) and the second time a Molina brother has been traded (Jose Molina, 2007).