Cubs Outright Thomas Diamond
The Cubs have outrighted Thomas Diamond from their 40-man roster, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter). The move will allow the club to add Doug Davis to the Cubs' 40-man roster in time to start tonight against the Giants.
In parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level, Diamond owns a 4.62 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. The 28-year-old also made 13 relief appearances and three starts for the Cubs last season, posting a 6.83 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9.
NL East Links: Lopez, Beltran, Baez, Braves
Six years ago today, two NL East clubs pulled off a rare intra-division trade when the Phillies sent Marlon Byrd to the Nationals for Endy Chavez. Byrd hit .245/.318/.366 in 471 plate appearances with the Nats before signing with Texas as a free agent while Chavez hit .215/.243/.299 in 118 plate appearances with Philadelphia. He moved on to the Mets as a free agent after the season.
Let's check in on the latest news from the only division with three 21+ win teams…
- Because Rodrigo Lopez would earn a $1MM salary upon reaching the majors, Julio Teheran and Mike Minor seemingly stand as the more likely candidates to step into the Braves rotation, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
- Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post wonders if the Mets would be willing to trade Carlos Beltran to the Yankees given the potential fan backlash if he performs well in the Bronx.
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says that Phillies' reliever Danys Baez could be in trouble if he's not pitching well when Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras come off the disabled list.
- The Braves are likely to wait until tomorrow to put Brandon Beachy on the disabled list after he left yesterday's start with a strained oblique according to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). He says they'll add Scott Proctor to the bullpen, who will fill the final spot on the 40-man roster, then possibly use Mike Minor in Beachy's place since Rodrigo Lopez would require a 40-man move. Julio Teheran is another 40-man roster option as well, says MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
Poll: Milton Bradley’s Future
Milton Bradley‘s tenure with the Mariners came to an unceremonious end last week when he was designated for assignment. “We felt Milton was not part of our future and not part of our present,” said GM Jack Zduriencik. “Therefore, the move was made.”
Bradley, 33, was hitting just .218/.313/.356 at the time of move, which actually raised his overall batting line with the Mariners to .209/.298/.351 in 393 plate appearances. He was in the final year of the three-year, $30MM contract he signed with the Cubs, and Seattle is still on the hook for his $12MM salary this season.
At least five executives doubt that Bradley will get another chance in the big leagues, citing his declining performance and behavioral issues. The Padres are unlikely to bring him back despite what might be the league’s worst offense. Teams have shown that they’re willing to put up with distractions as long as the player produces, which can’t be said about Bradley right now.
Will Milton Bradley get another chance with an MLB team?
-
No 71% (5,586)
-
Yes 29% (2,233)
Total votes: 7,819
Nationals Designate Brian Broderick For Assignment
The Nationals have designated Brian Broderick for assignment according to the team's Twitter feed. The move clears a roster spot for Cole Kimball, who was called up from Triple-A.
Broderick, 24, was a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Cardinals this past offseason. He appeared in 11 games for the Nats, pitching to a 6.57 ERA in 12 1/3 relief innings. He allowed 16 hits, walked three and struck out just four, though his 60% ground ball rate is impressive. As a Rule 5 pick, Broderick must first clear waivers and be offered back to St. Louis before Washington could send him to the minors.
Kimball, 25, was rated as the Nats' seventh best prospect by Baseball America thanks to his "heavy fastball," splitter, curveball, and "fierce mound presence." They project him to be a set-up man in the future. Kimball did not allow a run in 13 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year, striking out 14 but walking eight.
Draft Links: Mock Draft, Hultzen, Slotting System
The amateur draft is now three weeks and two days away, and we're going to start hearing some more rumblings about teams targetting maybe not specific players, but a group of three or four players. Here's the latest…
- Baseball America's Jim Callis posted his first mock draft, and has the Pirates taking UCLA RHP Gerrit Cole first overall. That link is free for all, but subscribers can see an in-depth analysis of each pick.
- Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (on Twitter) that Pirates' GM Neil Huntingon was on hand to scout Virginia RHP Danny Hultzen last night. Click here for Ben Nicholson-Smith's interview with Hultzen, and here for a little more about the team's draft strategy.
- ESPN's Keith Law says (on Twitter) that Diamondbacks senior vice president of scouting and player development Jerry Dipoto was scouting Hultzen as well. The D'Backs hold the third and seventh overall picks. Click here for the full draft order.
- Sources tell Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports that an international draft "remains extremely unlikely for the next collective-bargaining agreement," but a hard slotting system that assigns fixed bonuses to each pick is something "MLB will not concede without a fight."
Stewart Has Discussed Trade With Rockies
Earlier today, Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart was demoted to Triple-A for the second time this season. This time around, Stewart is concerned that he might not make it back with the club, writes Jim Armstrong of The Denver Post.
The subject of Stewart being dealt was discussed during a meeting with GM Dan O'Dowd and manager Jim Tracy, but Stewart walked away from the meeting hoping he could still produce for the Rockies in 2011.
"I don't get the sense they're just ready to let me go at the snap of a finger. I get the sense they still believe in me and they feel like I can help this organization out this year," said the 26-year-old.
Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) believes that the Rockies will gauge interest in Stewart but doesn't believe that they'll trade him while his value is so low. Stewart will be arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason.
"I don't get the sense they're just ready to let me go at the snap of a finger. I get the sense they still believe in me and they feel like I can help this organization out this year."
No Roster Moves Imminent For Red Sox
While the Red Sox's struggles so far this season have not been lost on GM Theo Epstein, the club doesn't plan to make any major moves at this time, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. Even though there still areas in which the club can improve, any additions likely will have to come from within the organization until after June 1st.
“A lot of it is dictated by opportunity,” the GM said. “You’re not going to make a blockbuster trade in April, for the most part, or May. Usually that’s something for the middle third of the season.”
The Red Sox could likely use an upgrade behind the plate, but Epstein isn't terribly concerned, citing that other clubs aren't receiving high offensive production from their catchers either. Backstops Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek have a combined slash line of .181/.246/.244 thus far.
Quick Hits: Astros, Lincecum, Yankees, Beltran
Sad news in baseball today, as the Blue Jays announced the passing of player development senior advisor Mel Queen and Harmon Killebrew announced that his esophageal cancer has developed to the point that doctors don't expect a cure. MLBTR extends its sincere condolences to Queen’s family and Killebrew and his family. Here are today's links…
- Astros manager Brad Mills was optimistic regarding the overall future of the organization after learning Drayton McLane Jr. had reached an agreement to sell the team to a group led by local businessman Jim Crane, according to Stephen Goff of Examiner.com.
- Tom Singer of MLB.com takes an entertaining look back at some deals that didn't happen, including a possible trade that would have sent Tim Lincecum to Toronto.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he would like to add a southpaw to his team. “I’m just not going to get one right now,” Cashman said. “And I don’t know if I’ll get one this summer.”
- Rosenthal says the Yankees shouldn't rush lefty Manny Banuelos to the Majors. "Let Manny become Manny … No sooner than 2012," Rosenthal writes.
- Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs examines Carlos Beltran's trade value and says "it is hard to imagine the Mets getting more than a couple of C prospects in return for Beltran if they send a few million dollars along."
Nationals Overloaded In The Outfield
Nats centerfielder Rick Ankiel may not be able to return to action when he's able to come off the disabled list next week. From the standpoint of delaying decisions, that might be a good thing, writes Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com.
Roger Bernadina has filled in at leadoff hitter and center fielder, and manager Jim Riggleman says that he'd like to keep it that way. If he remains in that role, it would leave Ankiel, Laynce Nix and Michael Morse to fight over playing time in left.
Other than optioning Bernadina back to Triple-A Syracuse, the club won't have many ways to fit everyone in. Riggleman says that the club will figure things out when Ankiel is healthy, a point that could be approaching soon.
Camden Riversharks Sign Pedro Feliz
Major league veteran Pedro Feliz has officially signed with the Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League, according to Mike Ashmore of the Hunterdon County Democrat (via Twitter). Feliz, 36, has played 11 seasons in MLB with four different clubs.
Feliz appeared in 137 games for the Astros and Cardinals last season, posting a slash line of .218/.240/.293. The Royals signed him to a minor league deal back in February, but the two sides parted ways in late March when it was apparent that he wouldn't make the big league club.