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Archives for March 2011

Red Sox Acquire McKenry, Send Turpen To Rockies

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The Red Sox acquired catcher Mike McKenry from the Rockies for righty reliever Daniel Turpen, the teams announced.  The Red Sox will have to make a 40-man roster move for McKenry, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

McKenry, 26, hit .265/.328/.424 in 384 plate appearances at Triple-A Colorado Springs last year, catching 94 games.  He's thrown out 37% of attempted thieves in his minor league career and is said to have good intangibles as a catcher.  A year ago Baseball America ranked him 13th among Rockies prospects, saying, "his best role may be as a high-energy backup."    

Turpen, 24, spent the spring in Yankees camp as a Rule 5 pick but was returned to the Red Sox.  The Sox had acquired him from the Giants in August for reliever Ramon Ramirez.  Turpen posted a 4.30 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, and 0.5 HR/9 in 69 Double-A relief innings last year.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the trade, which the Red Sox initially denied.

AL Central Links: Mazzaro, Tigers, Everett

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Links from the AL Central as Royals prospect Mike Moustakas makes Alden Gonzalez's list of top young standouts at MLB.com…

  • The Royals optioned Vin Mazzaro to Triple-A and returned Louis Coleman, Luis Mendoza and Zach Miner, Irving Falu and Lance Zawadzki to minor league camp, according to the team. Mazzaro should join the Royals in the middle of April when the club needs another starter.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that the organization has never been stronger during his nine-year tenure in the Motor City. “We have now a nice blend of young players at the big-league level, veteran players and some guys in the prime of their career,” Dombrowski said. “And they’re backed up by some guys behind them that are prospects that are talented."
  • Adam Everett told Jordan Bastian and Tom Singer of MLB.com that he would have been ready to contemplate retirement if he hadn't made the Indians' Opening Day roster.

NL East Notes: Chipper, Werth, Rollins

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The Mets made a minor trade and the Marlins are finalizing their roster. Here's the latest from the other NL East teams…

Dodgers Sign Billingsley To Three-Year Extension

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The Dodgers announced that they have signed Chad Billingsley to a three-year extension that includes a team option for a fourth year. Billingsley will earn a guaranteed $35MM from 2012-14, his final season of arbitration eligibility and his first two free agent seasons. The Dodgers say they chose to invest in the pitcher because of his history of success and durability.

“Through his professional career Chad has shown that he is very capable of winning games and taking the ball,” GM Ned Colletti said. “His won-loss record speaks to that as well as his innings pitched totals.” 

Billingsley will earn $6.275MM in 2011, his second of three seasons as an arbitration eligible player. Under his new extension, the right-hander will then earn $9MM in 2012, $11MM in 2013, $12MM in 2014 and either $14MM or a $3MM buyout in 2015. The deal includes a clause which allows Billingsley to block trades to ten teams.

Billingsley, a Dave Stewart client, has been a steady presence in the Dodgers' rotation since 2006. He posted a 3.57 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 191 2/3 innings last year. His career numbers – 59-41 record, 3.55 ERA, 825 2/3 innings, 8.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 – have led to larger-than-usual rewards through arbitration. With a typical season in 2011, Billingsley could have asked for an eight-figure salary in '12 and hit free agency afterwards, but the extension provides security and extends his stay in California.

Francisco Liriano, Trevor Cahill, Jered Weaver, Clay Buchholz, C.J. Wilson and Clayton Kershaw are among the top starting pitchers currently without multiyear extensions.

Joe McDonnell of FoxSportsWest.com (Twitter link) first reported the deal and Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles and Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times added detail (all Twitter links).

Today’s Outrights: Marquez, Mather, Rizzotti, Misch

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Several players cleared waivers and were removed from the 40-man roster today by way of an outright assignment.  The latest:

  • Jeff Marquez of the White Sox cleared waivers and is headed for Triple-A, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
  • Braves utility player Joe Mather cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).
  • The Phillies removed Matt Rizzotti from the 40-man roster and outrighted him to the minor leagues, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).
  • Mets lefty Pat Misch was outrighted to Triple-A, tweets Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger.  He's expected to accept the assignment.  Misch, 29, posted a 3.82 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 1.0 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9, and 52.0% groundball rate in 37 2/3 innings for the Mets last year, tossing another 150 2/3 innings across 23 starts in Triple-A.
  • Brewers outfielder Brandon Boggs was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  Boggs, 28, hit .290/.406/.470 in 439 Triple-A plate appearances last year while playing all three outfield positions.  He has until Wednesday to decide whether to accept the assignment or elect free agency, tweets Haudricourt.
  • The Mariners outrighted southpaw Cesar Jimenez, tweets ESPN's Shannon Drayer.  Jimenez, 26, missed most of the 2010 season recovering from labrum surgery.

Blue Jays Acquire Jayson Nix

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The Blue Jays acquired infielder Jayson Nix from the Indians for cash considerations, according to a tweet from the team.  The Jays will have to find a spot for Nix on the 25-man roster or risk losing him to a waiver claim or free agency.  They found a spot on the 40-man by placing Jesse Carlson on the 60-day DL.

Nix, 28, hit .224/.281/.396 with 14 home runs in 363 plate appearances for the White Sox and Indians last year, playing mostly second and third base.  He was in the mix this spring for a backup infield job with the Tribe, but Adam Everett won that battle.  It became clear yesterday that the Indians would try to trade him.

Rangers Made Offer To C.J. Wilson

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The Rangers made lefty C.J. Wilson an offer this month, the pitcher revealed today on ESPN's Ben & Skin Show.  Wilson indicated that the offer came too late in the offseason, as "a multiyear contract is a very complicated scenario."

Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine told ESPN's Richard Durrett he's open to further discussions with Wilson's agent Bob Garber during the season.  The offseason talks were described as "amicable" a few days ago by Wilson, who at that time preferred to resume discussions after the season.  Still, it seems possible Garber can negotiate midseason with the Rangers' front office without distracting Wilson.

Levine happened to sit next to Wilson on a flight to Dallas Monday afternoon.  Wilson joked that he was surprised he didn't read about the meeting on MLBTradeRumors.com.

If Wilson does reach the free agent market at age 31, he'll be one of the best starters out there aside from perhaps C.C. Sabathia.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith identified a few comparables in this March 18th article.

Mets Acquire Allan Dykstra For Eddie Kunz

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The Mets acquired first baseman Allan Dykstra from the Padres for righty Eddie Kunz in a swap of former first-round picks, tweets Darren Smith of XX 1090.

Dykstra, 24 in May, hit .241/.372/.438 in 469 plate appearances at High-A last year.  He was drafted 23rd overall by the Padres in '08.  Two years ago, Baseball America ranked him eighth among Padres prospects, praising his "plus-plus raw power and plate discipline" while expressing concern about a hip ailment and his lack of athleticism.  Dykstra did not crack BA's top 30 Padres prospects '10 or '11.  He's one of Paul DePodesta's guys, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.

Kunz, 25 in April, posted a 5.34 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 5.5 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 111 1/3 Double-A innings last year, including 12 starts.  Drafted 42nd overall in 2007 as a supplemental pick for the loss of Roberto Hernandez, Kunz last made the Mets' top 30 prospects one year ago at the #25 spot.  According to BA, Kunz's stock plummeted as his fastball and slider regressed and he struggled with his command and conditioning.

Rays Acquire John Shelby

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The Rays acquired outfielder John Shelby from the White Sox for future considerations, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.

Shelby, 25, hit .249/.293/.412 in 440 plate appearances at Double-A last year, his second stint at the level.  He plays center and left field.  A year ago, Baseball America rated him 25th among White Sox prospects, noting his speed and versatility but wondering whether he has a future beyond that of a fourth outfielder.

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