Royals Designate Jose Guillen For Assignment
5:38PM: Good news and bad news for Guillen. San Francisco may still have an interest in him, as Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports that the Giants are "discussing" making a move for the outfielder. The bad news comes from an anonymous executive who told Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman (Twitter link) that "no contender" should go after Guillen since only Milton Bradley is considered to have a worse "personality/clubhouse rep."
12:55PM: The Royals designated Jose Guillen for assignment, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). The team, which called up Philip Humber in a corresponding move, now has ten days to determine Guillen's future. A trade seems likely, though a release is possible.
The 34-year-old drew interest from the Giants and other clubs before the trade deadline. Since the deadline, Guillen is hitless in 19 at bats, so he hasn't helped his trade value this week. After the Royals traded Scott Podsednik, GM Dayton Moore told reporters that he'd consider dealing players who are on the brink of free agency.
Guillen has $3.8MM remaining on his contract before he hits free agency this winter. Despite his recent slump, he has 16 homers and a .255/.314/.429 line thanks to strong performances in April and June.
Stark On Padres, Manny, Wandy, Harang
The Rangers appear to be headed toward stability, but they added $4.6MM in payroll before the trade deadline and, as ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports, that left some rival executives unhappy. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:
- The Padres had asked the Cardinals about Ryan Ludwick more than once leading up to the trade deadline.
- GM Jed Hoyer had also inquired on Jake Westbrook and even Roy Oswalt.
- When the White Sox called the Dodgers to ask about Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers ended the conversation quickly. That didn't stop the Rays and two other American League teams from calling the Dodgers, however. We should note that GM Ned Colletti told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that he only fielded one call about Manny (Twitter link).
- Not one team pursued Jose Guillen seriously before the deadline. The Royals designated the outfielder for assignment today, so we'll see in the next ten days if any teams have mild interest.
- Joe Beimel drew lots of interest last weekend, but the Rockies never seriously shopped him.
- A number of teams tried to acquire Wandy Rodriguez, including the Twins, Reds, Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays.
- The Reds tried to determine interest in Aaron Harang, so they could attempt to move him in August if he returns from the DL and proves that the back spasms that sidelined him are no longer an issue.
Giants Designate Denny Bautista For Assignment
The Giants designated reliever Denny Bautista for assignment to create roster space for Todd Wellemeyer, according to the team on Twitter.
The 27-year-old Bautista has a respectable 3.74 ERA this year, even though he's walking nearly a batter per inning (7.4 BB/9). However, the right-hander strikes lots of batters out (11.8 K/9) and has allowed less than one hit per inning pitched. Bautista has already played for six teams and has maintained a high walk rate throughout his seven-year career.
Marlins Sign Chad Tracy
The Marlins signed Chad Tracy, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. With Chris Coghlan's season in jeopardy and Jorge Cantu now on the Rangers, Tracy will provide organizational depth for the Marlins. Tracy was an impact player for Arizona in 2005-06, surpassing 60 extra base hits both seasons, but is now a role player who can play both first and third.
The 30-year-old hit .250/.327/.295 with the Cubs this year before they designated him for assignment and released him. The Yankees signed Tracy and stashed him in the minors, but he opted out of his contract less than a month after signing it.
Unknown Team Claims Dunn
Two days after being placed on waivers, Adam Dunn has been claimed by an unknown team, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
While the report doesn't specify the claiming team's league, it seems nearly impossible to think that Dunn could pass through every team in the National League to make it to the American League.
As of today, Dunn should be owed the final $3.91MM of the $12MM he's making in 2010, a price that many contending teams could stomach for the slugger's line of .277/.365/.578 and 28 homers.
As Morosi points out, the claim (while entirely expected) does limit the Nationals' trade negotiations to just the one team. If an agreement can't be reached, he'll be pulled back and the Nationals will keep him through the season's end in order to collect two draft picks (Dunn ranks as a Type A free agent).
Dunn makes sense for several NL West teams, with the Rockies, Giants, and Padres all still in the thick of things. Keep in mind, it's unlikely that the Rox and Giants would allow Dunn to slip to the first-place Padres.
Odds & Ends: Pedro, DeShields, Myers, Lee
Links for Thursday, as Juan Pierre picks up his 500th career stolen base…
- Pedro Martinez said he has recently received offers to pitch this year, but still doesn't intend to play in 2010, according to this AP report on ESPN.com.
- Mets owner Fred Wilpon implied to Mike Puma of the New York Post that Omar Minaya will definitely be his GM in 2011.
- Top Astros draft pick Delino DeShields Jr. told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he's excited to begin his pro career. DeShields' deal could be finalized today.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse that he has no concern about Brett Myers' health. "He's a 29-year-old horse," Wade said.
- Chuck Greenberg's group, which won the auction to buy the Rangers for hundreds of millions, plans to pursue Cliff Lee when he hits free agency after the season, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Yesterday, we saw that GM Jon Daniels has interest in bringing the left-hander back.
- Tim Redding, who had been pitching in the Yankees system, signed with the Samsung Lions of the Korean Professional Baseball League, according to Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times-Tribune (Twitter link).
- Over at RotoAuthority, Tim Dierkes wonders what to expect from Mike Minor as a fantasy baseball option this year.
- The Yankees had interest in Willie Harris before the deadline, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- The Rockies 'kicked the tires' on Derrek Lee last month, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
Indians Re-Claim Wes Hodges
THURSDAY: The Indians claimed Hodges back from the Rockies, according to Castrovince (on Twitter).
TUESDAY: The Rockies claimed infielder Wes Hodges off waivers from the Indians, tweets MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. Hodges had been designated for assignment on Friday to make room for Josh Tomlin.
Hodges, a second-round pick of the Indians in 2006, was hitting .270/.316/.423 this year in his second Triple A stint. He came up as a third baseman, but has been playing first base and DH this year. Baseball America ranked him 27th among Indians prospects heading into the season, citing health issues and the move off third base.
Carlos Delgado Drawing Interest
12:48pm: The White Sox have had extensive conversations with Delgado's agent, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. More than four teams are interested in the first baseman, including the Red Sox and Angels, according to Levine.
8:00am: The White Sox are showing interest in Carlos Delgado and are not the only potential fit for the first baseman, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Agent David Sloane told Rosenthal that his client has received two minor league offers and could be ready for the major leagues after a couple weeks in the minors.
The Rockies’ interest in Delgado depends on Todd Helton’s health, the Mariners want to see Delgado work out before deciding whether to pursue him and the Angels have checked in before. Those three teams and the Boston Red Sox could be fits, as the 38-year-old wants to play for a contending team that would have lots of at bats for him.
Delgado, who has 473 career home runs, hinted this summer that he would like to join the 500-homer club. He hasn’t played since last year and is recovering from arthroscopic hip surgery.
Phillies Designate Cody Ransom For Assignment
The Phillies designated Cody Ransom for assignment, according to the MLB.com transactions page. The Phillies, who acquired Mike Sweeney from the Mariners yesterday, no longer had room for the 34-year-old Ransom on their roster.
The utility man can play all four infield positions, but hasn't hit much in his MLB career. In 346 plate appearances picked up over the course of eight seasons, Ransom has a .227/.311/.391 line. He has a little power and did hit two homers for the Phillies this year, but didn't do much more than that in his 46 trips to the plate.
Ransom has also suited up for the Giants, Astros and, the club who designated him for assignment last year: the Yankees.
Poll: Which Team Will Sign Carlos Delgado?
Carlos Delgado wants to make a comeback and he is drawing interest from MLB teams. The White Sox, Rockies, Mariners, Red Sox and Rays could all make sense under the right circumstances. Delgado is returning from a hip operation and isn't the same player who once hit 30 homers or more for ten consecutive years. Still, he has been a productive bat into his late 30s and could help a team that needs a left-handed slugger to DH, pinch hit and contribute at first base.
Which team will sign Carlos Delgado?
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