Blalock To Join Rays Today
2:31pm: Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman confirmed the promotion of Blalock in a blog post by Topkin.
Friedman insists that the move has nothing to do with Blalock's contract situation and potential opt-out clause. The club, he says, talked during Spring Training about re-evaluating things at this point in the season.
He added that Dan Johnson, currently in Triple-A Durham, was also considered for promotion. The 30-year-old has been posting even stronger numbers than Blalock, hitting .311/.382/.647 with 11 HRs.
10:52am: The team has yet to confirm the move, but it appears that Hank Blalock will join the Rays for today's game against the Mariners according to Heath Baywood at DRaysBay. Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times backs up the report.
Earlier this week Scott Boras indicated that Blalock would exercise the opt-out clause in his contract if he wasn't called up within a week. The two-time All Star hit .349/.405/.505 with Tampa's Triple-A affiliate, though oddly enough he hit lefties better than righties. That could easily be a function of limited at-bats, however.
Tampa Bay has two open spots on it's 40-man roster, but they will need to clear a 25-man roster spot for Blalock. Topkin says that it remains to be seen if this is the end of the Pat Burrell era, even though he's hitting just .202/.292/.333 this year. Either way, the Rays are the hook for his $9MM salary this season.
Brian Bass Clears Waivers
SATURDAY, 12:47pm: MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports that Bass has cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A.
MONDAY, 3:03pm: The Pirates designated Brian Bass for assignment, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter). The right-hander is out of options, so he'll be exposed to other clubs, but the Pirates wanted to make room for Ross Ohlendorf.
Bass, 28, allowed nine hits and eight walks in 6.1 innings for the Pirates this season for a 12.79 ERA. The Pirates signed Bass to a minor league deal in January, a month after the Orioles non-tendered him. Bass appeared in 48 games for the Orioles last year, logging 86.1 innings. He allowed 106 hits a year ago with 5.6 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 so it wasn't a surprise when the Orioles declined to offer Bass a contract.
Within ten days we'll see Bass traded, released or, if he clears waivers, assigned to the minor leagues. Bass has been just part of the problem for a Pirates pitching staff that ranks last in the National League in runs allowed (195) and earned runs allowed (179).
Angels Unlikely To Overhaul Roster
The season is barely more than a month old, but the Angels are off to their worst start in 20 years thanks to a 16-21 record that places them 4.5 games back in the AL West. Even worse, their -47 run differential is last in the AL, and suggests they should have even fewer wins than they actually do. Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times caught up with GM Tony Reagins, who indicated that he's not quite ready to overhaul the roster.
"It's concerning when you're not playing well, but we believe the players we have assembled have the capability to play at a much higher level," Reagins said. "We have to get guys into their games, and that hasn't happened yet."
"Right now I'm not looking to make wholesale changes to this club," he said. "We're looking to get the guys that we have here to play the way they're capable of. If we do that, we'll be fine."
Reagins did acknowledge having "a couple of" conversations with other general managers about other players, but he maintained that it was still too early to assess the possibility of a trade.
The Halos are currently without Jeff Mathis, Bobby Wilson, and Maicer Izturis, all of whom are on the 15-day DL, and Brandon Wood is providing almost nothing (.165/.181/.233) at the hot corner. They have the dreaded combination of a high team ERA (4.83) and a low team OPS (.697), but if players like Hideki Matsui, Juan Rivera, Joe Saunders, Joel Pineiro start performing like they have in the past, things could turn around quickly.
Josh Rupe Clears Waivers
FRIDAY, 9:48pm: MLB.com's Samuel Zuba reports that Rupe has cleared waivers and accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A.
WEDNESDAY, 4:29pm: The Royals designated Josh Rupe for assignment, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. The Royals had to make room for Blake Wood, a right-hander who got the call from Triple A Omaha. Rupe allowed all four batters he faced to reach base last night and he allowed a homer in his previous outing. In 9.2 innings this season, the 27-year-old righty has rates of 7.4 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9.
Wood, 24, has a fastball that touches 97 mph with a power curveball and an average changeup, according to Baseball America's 2010 handbook. BA suggests the former starter could have a future as a setup man. This year, Wood has pitched 16.2 innings, with 6.5 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9.
2010 Draft Prospect: Drew Pomeranz
Major League Baseball's amateur draft will be held from June 7th-9th, so we're going to introduce you to some of the top players available during the next few weeks.
At 6-foot-5, 231 lbs., it's hard not to notice Drew Pomeranz of Ole Miss on a baseball field, even when he's not standing on a mound. The lefthander was the Rangers' 12th round pick (380th overall) out of a Tennessee high school back in 2007, though they were unable to sign him and he's now draft eligible again as a college junior.
Baseball America recently ranked Pomeranz as the third best talent available this year, while ESPN's Keith Law had him fourth (subs. req'd for both). MLB.com's Draft Report notes that he "sits comfortably in the 91-92 mph range" while touching 94 with his fastball, and he also features a power breaking ball, a greatly improved change, and command that is "solid-average to a tick above average." The MLB.com link also includes video.
Overall, Pomeranz heads into tonight's start against Alabama with a 2.17 ERA, a .183 batting average against, and a 112/36 K/BB ratio in 74.2 innings. However he's been dealing with a strained pectoral that's kept him from being his best down the stretch. Three weeks ago he walked nine in just three innings of work against fifth ranked Louisiana State in a nationally televised game. Against Southeastern Conference competition (college baseball's toughest conference), Pomeranz has a 2.45 ERA, .176 average against, and a 72/29 K/BB ratio in 51.1 innings.
College lefthanders with command of three pitches and that kind of size don't last very long in the draft, so Pomeranz should expect to hear his name called within the first five picks this year. Jim Callis of Baseball America has him going to the Pirates with the second overall pick in his mock draft.
Money Might Keep Mets From Pursuing Oswalt
Every team in baseball would like to add Roy Oswalt to its rotation, but some of them simply won't be able to afford the $33MM left on his contract. The Mets might be one of those clubs according to Mike Puma of The New York Post, who says the team is reluctant to eat even the $1.8MM they owe to Gary Matthews Jr.
The Astros' ace said that he would be willing to waive his no trade clause if the helped the team rebuild. The caveat is that he also wants to go to a "true contender," and it's up to him to decide if the Mets fit the bill. They came into the night 18-17, three games behind the Phillies in the NL East.
Oswalt, 32, has a 2.63 ERA and an 8.4 K/9 in seven starts this year, numbers like what he put up in his mid-to-late 20's. Mets' starters have a 4.25 ERA, basically middle of the back, but Oliver Perez is struggling and Mike Pelfrey recently dealt with some shoulder fatigue. We looked at their top trade chips last month.
Doug Mientkiewicz Opts Out Of Contract
6:34pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says that Mientkiewicz opted out of his contract.
6:17pm: The Marlins have released first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel. They signed him to a minor league contract just nine days ago.
The 35-year-old Mientkiewicz appeared in just four games with Florida's Triple-A affiliate, going 4-for-16 with a double and a pair of walks. The Dodgers released the former gold medal winner back in April. Mientkiewicz has hit .281/.376/.380 in 354 big league plate appearances over the last two years, but most of his value stems from his stellar glove work at first base.
Ken Griffey Jr. Not Considering Retirement
Despite his offensive struggles and recent clubhouse napping controversy, Ken Griffey Jr. is not thinking about retirement according to MLB.com's Jim Street.
"I haven't gotten to that point," said Griffey. "What would it take? I don't know. I haven't thought about anything but coming here and getting ready for a game."
The 40-year-old Griffey is hitting .200/.270/.225 with just two doubles and zero homers in 89 plate appearances this year. He and Mike Sweeney have combined to form the least productive designated hitter in baseball, and because of that GM Jack Zduriencik is looking to add offense. Seattle reportedly has interest in Jose Guillen.
There was some talk that the Mariners could release Griffey before the end of the month, but that was refuted.
Indians Release Scott Lewis
The Indians have released lefthander Scott Lewis, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The 26-year-old had a 2.12 ERA with an 18/4 K/BB ratio in 17 innings for Triple-A Columbus this year, so it doesn't seem like recent performance factored into the move.
Lewis made five starts for the Indians over the last two years, winning four games in as many outings back in 2008. Baseball America ranked him as the team's 21st best prospect as recently as last year. I suspect he won't be out of a job very long.
Odds & Ends: Rays, Posey, Smoak, Hillman
Some links as we wonder what to make of the red-hot Padres…
- Ace Walker was the pitcher of the year in the independent Northern League last year, but he didn't get any calls from MLB teams over the winter, reports Adam Wazny of the Winnipeg Free Press.
- High schooler Tony Wolters, who was one of the top shortstops available in this year's draft, has been ruled ineligible, according to John Manuel of Baseball America.
- Rays manager Joe Maddon told Scott Miller of CBS Sports that the Rays have to operate with "one eye on the present and one on the future" to win with their budget.
- MLB.com's Chris Haft suggests the Giants could put Aubrey Huff in left field to make room for Buster Posey's bat at first base.
- RotoAuthority explains why it's a little early to talk about a Barry Zito renaissance.
- The Rangers would only consider trading Justin Smoak for a player who would put them "over the top," in the opinion of Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
- Joe Posnanski notes that Dayton Moore fired Trey Hillman days after praising him and suggests that the decision wasn't Moore's.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that the Tigers were always confident in Austin Jackson's defense.
- The Nationals have the resources to make midseason moves if necessary, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
- James Paxton, a sandwich pick the Blue Jays failed to sign last year, makes his independent league debut tonight. One scout told John Manuel of Baseball America that Paxton threw 88-90 mph and looked rusty in exhibition games.