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Dana Eveland Clears Waivers

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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

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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

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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).

Padres Looking To Add Offense

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We already know that rookie GM Jed Hoyer is looking to add some starting pitching to his Padres' team, and now MLB.com's Corey Brock passes along a quote indicating that he's ready to add offense as well.

"I don't feel like you're ever all set," Hoyer said. "I think we're looking on both sides [pitching and offense]."

Brock says the team is reluctant to part with prospects just like everyone else, but the Padres could realistically shop closer Heath Bell for a package that includes a big league piece and prospects. Bell will be arbitration eligible next season after earning $4MM this year, and might get a little too rich for San Diego's tastes. Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson would then move up a peg in the bullpen pecking order, and the team likely wouldn't miss a beat.

The Padres survive with stellar pitching (MLB best 3.10 ERA) and defense (MLB best 31.5 UZR), though they have obvious offensive shortcomings. Their shortstops have hit just .234/.295/.338, their left fielders .196/.294/.288, and their center fielders .234/.328/.360, so they could have interest in someone like David DeJesus or Xavier Nady. Brock mentions that owner Jeff Moorad will consider adding payroll in order to make a move happen.

Odds & Ends: Utley, Valentine, Giants, Haren

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Links for Thursday, as Travis Wood prepares to make his first major league start….

Bengie Molina Trade Reactions

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As opposed to the Russell Branyan trade, which saw two non-contending teams work out a deal, last night's Bengie Molina–Chris Ray swap was pulled off by two clubs with playoff aspirations. Let's check out some early reactions to the move….

  • According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the trade is more of a gamble for the Giants than the Rangers, though clearing room behind the plate for Buster Posey should make up for that.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says that the Rangers' new catching tandem of Molina and Matt Treanor "sounds just awful" on the surface, but that it might just work.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer wonders exactly how much Molina will upgrade Texas' backstop production.
  • After speaking to a source in the Giants' clubhouse, Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas is optimistic about the Rangers' end of the deal, adding that Molina should only improve an already good clubhouse.
  • Fangraphs' Jack Moore is less positive, calling the trade a "headscratcher" for the Rangers.
  • El Lefty Malo is unsure whether there's even a spot for Chris Ray in the Giants' bullpen, but is happy that Posey is now an everyday player.
  • Establishing Posey as the number one catcher should have a "positive ripple effect" for the Giants, writes MLB.com's Chris Haft.

Krasovic On Washburn, Werth, Phillies

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In his latest piece for AOL Fanhouse, Tom Krasovic discusses Carlos Gonzalez's ascension, Matt Kemp's benching, and Madison Bumgarner's potential, among other topics. Here are his hot stove notes:

  • Agent Scott Boras says it's "up in the air" whether or not Jarrod Washburn still wants to pitch this season, adding that a pennant race could be appealing to the left-hander. I'm a little skeptical about Washburn's ability to contribute much to a contending team this season, given how long he's been away from the game.
  • A major league executive tells Krasovic that the Phillies are "evaluating the trade market" for Jayson Werth. With Werth in the final year of his contract, and top prospect Domonic Brown waiting in the wings, it makes sense for the Phils to explore their options. As Krasvoic points out though, Philadelphia's lineup suffered a hit with injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco, making a Werth trade especially unlikely.
  • The Phillies may find it hard to make an impact move this month, since they'll want to hang on to Brown and their farm system doesn't have the depth it did last year at this time.

Cliff Lee Rumors: Thursday

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10:43am: According to Jim Duquette of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link), Lee "told people around the club" that Tuesday's start may have been his last as a Mariner.

8:20am: The Rangers' acquisition of Bengie Molina might be a preview of how Texas could work out a deal for Cliff Lee, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The team's financial situation didn't prevent them from adding Molina because they didn't take on any salary in the process, which is a strategy they'll likely try to employ again in negotiations for Lee.

In a series of tweets, Olney explains how the Rangers avoided a payroll increase in the Molina deal, and speculates that the Mariners could be persuaded to provide the Rangers salary relief in a Lee trade for a stronger package of prospects. Rosenthal agrees, writing that Texas is "so loaded with prospects" that a cash-neutral deal is a possibility for them. He also cites major-league sources who say that the club is "pushing hard" for Lee.

It remains to be seen, of course, if the Rangers would be willing to part with multiple top prospects for what would likely be a two- or three-month rental of the left-hander. In yesterday's round of Lee rumors, we heard that a few rival GMs think the Rangers would be better off holding onto those prospects.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reiterates that if the Rangers do make a deal for pitching, they'll be aiming for a top-tier arm like Lee or Roy Oswalt rather than an "everyman starter." Grant notes that Fausto Carmona could be a possibility as well, with the Rangers scouting the right-hander's start against the Blue Jays earlier this week.

Mike MacDougal Opts Out Of Nationals Contract

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Mike MacDougal has opted out of his minor league contract with the Nationals, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The right-hander is now a free agent and will attempt to find a spot on another team's major league roster.

The Nationals signed MacDougal in March, shortly after he was released by the Marlins. At the time, MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported that the contract would include an out clause if the 33-year-old wasn't in the majors by a certain date. MacDougal didn't crack the Nationals' 25-man roster this season, instead spending time at the club's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He posted a 4.71 ERA in 18 appearances between the two levels.

Given his dwindling strikeout rate (5.6 K/9) and his continued control issues (4.7 BB/9), it's unlikely MacDougal lands more than another minor league deal from a team searching for bullpen help.

How To Use MLBTR

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