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Archives for May 2011

Felipe Lopez Clears Waivers

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THURSDAY: Lopez cleared waivers and accepted an assignment at Triple-A, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

TUESDAY: The Rays designated infielder Felipe Lopez for assignment to make room on the active roster for Evan Longoria, tweets the Tampa Tribune.

The Rays had signed Lopez to a minor league deal in February, and his contract was purchased on April 3rd when Longoria hit the DL.  Lopez hit .222/.263/.347 in 76 plate appearances and further frustrated the Rays by not running out multiple grounders.  The 30-year-old has been used all over the infield in his 11 big league seasons.

Quick Hits: McClellan, Berkman, Reyes

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Dan Meyer, Matt Anderson, Luis Castillo and Robb Quinlan probably didn't like it very much when the Phillies released them this spring, but they may not have realized that they have something in common with their former GM. The Blue Jays released Ruben Amaro Jr. on this date in 1996, before he ever played a Major League game for them…

  • Kyle McClellan has become a valuable cog in the Cardinals’ rotation, as Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explains.
  • McClellan's teammate, Lance Berkman, told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that he was disappointed with the way his tenure with the Astros ended. “They basically said, 'You're bad. We're bad. Let's cut ties and get on down the road.' And that was hurtful.”
  • International scouts tell Melissa Segura of SI.com that this year's Dominican July 2 class of amateur free agents is the best they've seen in years (Twitter link).
  • Anthony DiComo of MLB.com presents ten possible destinations for trade candidate Jose Reyes, some (Milwaukee) more plausible than others (the Bronx).
  • Former Reds and Nationals GM Jim Bowden also weighs in on the market for Reyes. He has the Giants, Cardinals, Red Sox, Reds and Angels as possible suitors on his list at ESPN.com.

Red Sox Place Dennys Reyes On Restricted List

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The Red Sox placed Dennys Reyes on the restricted list, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Sean McAdam of CSNNE reports that the left-hander, who was designated for assignment in April, needed time at home in Mexico (Twitter link).

Reyes, 34, walked two and allowed a pair of hits in 1 2/3 innings spread out over four appearances with Boston before the Red Sox removed him from their active roster. Players on the restricted list do not count toward a team's 25-man or 40-man roster.

Best Minor League Deals: Position Players

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Earlier today, we checked in on some of the best minor league deals for pitchers. Here’s an update on which position players are playing well after signing minor league deals last offseason. Though there aren’t as many success stories here as there were on the mound, teams did add some valuable position players on minor league deals:

  • Jack Hannahan, Indians – Hannahan has a .274/.351/.464 line as the Indians' everyday third baseman after spending 2010 in the minors.
  • Andy LaRoche, Athletics – LaRoche has a .298/.353/.404 line for the A's and has already played every infield position for them.
  • Casey Kotchman, Rays – Kotchman's .813 OPS is especially welcome, since Dan Johnson has disappointed at first base.
  • Greg Dobbs, Marlins – Give the Marlins credit for getting the most out of Dobbs. The pinch hitter/third baseman has an .834 OPS in 62 plate appearances so far (note: Dobbs left today's game with a right ankle strain).
  • Eric Chavez, Yankees – The six-time Gold Glove winner has a .290/.405/.355 line for the Yankees (note: Chavez has since fractured a bone in his left foot).
  • Russell Branyan, D’Backs – The slugger has a .255/.340/.426 line in 53 plate appearances for Arizona, though he's sharing time with Juan Miranda and Xavier Nady.
  • Adam Kennedy, Mariners – Kennedy has a .292/.329/.446 line as a first and second baseman for the Mariners. However, he is one of six MLB players to be arrested for DUI this year.

Best Minor League Deals: Pitchers

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It would be hard to argue that R.A. Dickey wasn't the best minor league signing of the year in 2010. The knuckleballer posted a 2.84 ERA in 174 1/3 innings, establishing himself as a fixture in the Mets' rotation. He has since signed an extension, but hundreds of players are now in the same position Dickey found himself in a year ago. One month into the season, some of this year's minor league deals are starting to pay off and when it comes to pitching, the Yankees' minor league signings are standing out:

  • Bartolo Colon, Yankees – Not only does Colon have a 3.00 ERA in 33 innings, he has the peripheral stats to back it up: 9.0 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 48% ground ball rate, 3.16 FIP, 2.65 xFIP.
  • Freddy Garcia, Yankees – The Yankees wanted low-risk starting pitching options who could eat innings and Garcia has thrived as a back-of-the-rotation starter despite posting his highest walk rate in years. The 35-year-old has a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings with 8.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
  • Jason Isringhausen, Mets – Izzy has allowed 4 hits and 4 walks in 8 1/3 innings, striking out 6 for a 3.24 ERA after barely playing pro ball in 2010. Honorable mention to Tim Byrdak, who has 10 Ks through 8 innings of relief in the Mets’ ‘pen.
  • Barret Loux, Rangers – The Diamondbacks selected the 6'5" right-hander sixth overall last year, but didn't sign him after looking at his shoulder. So far, the 22-year-old has a 2.88 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in the Rangers' system.
  • Guillermo Mota, Giants – Mota has already pitched 19 2/3 innings and the results are excellent: a 2.29 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9.
  • Juan Cruz, Rays – Andrew Friedman had to take some chances on relievers after most of the Rays' bullpen signed elsewhere as free agents. Cruz has paid off so far, allowing 3 hits and 8 walks in 12 innings. He has 10 Ks for a 2.25 ERA.
  • Dontrelle Willis, Reds – He hasn't appeared in a game for the Reds yet, but his Triple-A numbers – 2.10 ERA, 30 innings, 8.7 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 – show he's making a strong case for another chance in the majors.
  • Rodrigo Lopez, Braves – The Braves got Lopez on a minor league deal after he logged 200 innings in 2010 and have stashed him at Triple-A, where he has a 1.67 ERA and three times as many strikeouts as walks through five starts. 
  • David Bush, Rangers – Bush has allowed just two earned runs as a swingman for the Rangers this year.
  • Miguel Batista – Cardinals – Despite an ugly 9K/8BB ratio, the 17-year veteran has an astounding 0.64 ERA.

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Giants, Cole

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Jason Hammel and Ian Kennedy, who were both acquired in trades, will take the hill against one another tonight with identical 3-1 records and comparable ERAs (Hammel: 3.23, Kennedy: 3.92). Here's the latest on their division before this evening’s Rockies–D'Backs contest…

  • Andre Ethier told Yahoo's Tim Brown that he isn't worried about the Dodgers' ability to make payroll. Owner Frank McCourt may not have enough money to pay his players on June 1st because of his financial troubles.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees with Giants manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean: their team is a work in progress. 
  • As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic explains, it's possible that UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole will be available to the D'Backs when they select third overall in this June's amateur draft.

Olney On Rays, Baldelli, Dodgers

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The Rays have 11 of the first 75 selections in the upcoming June draft, which means they could infuse their highly-regarded farm system with another group of top prospects. "If they hit it right on just half of those picks," a rival executive told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, "then this draft will set them up for years to come." Here’s the latest on the Rays’ draft and more from around the majors:

  • Rocco Baldelli and former Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland are scouting players for the Rays in anticipation of the draft, according to Olney.
  • The Rays will take the best players available when they select, instead of entering the draft with a pre-determined approach (for example, loading up on college arms).
  • Olney hears that Frank McCourt’s financial problem is “serious and it is immediate.” The Dodgers owner has reached a “tipping point," according to Olney and is close to “rock-bottom.”

Tigers Notes: Leyland, Martinez, Boesch

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Max Scherzer led the Tigers past the Yankees with eight innings of shutout ball yesterday, striking out nine along the way. It was the second consecutive win for the Tigers, who already trail the Indians by 7.0 games in the AL Central. Here's the latest out of Detroit…

Quick Hits: Twins, CBA, Dodgers

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Andre Ethier sat today's game out with an inflamed elbow, so his hitting streak still sits at 29 games. Here's the latest from around the league, including some notes on Ethier's Dodgers…

  • Best wishes to Paul Bargas, a left-handed pitcher in the Twins system, who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan hears that MLB and the MLB Players Association will negotiate a DUI policy into the upcoming collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA expires after the season.
  • Dodgers trustee Tom Schieffer is meeting in the commissioner's office in Milwaukee today and tomorrow, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (on Twitter). 
  • "Any financial problems faced by the Los Angeles Dodgers are the result of decisions made by Mr. McCourt and his management team over a period of years," MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred said, according to Shaikin. The Dodgers may not have enough money to meet payroll at the end of this month, according to Shaikin.

Rockies Notes: Tulowitzki, Jimenez, Stewart

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Despite slow starts from Ubaldo Jimenez and Carlos Gonzalez, the Rockies lead the NL West by four games. Here's the latest…

  • Jack Etkin takes an in-depth look at Troy Tulowitzki in a piece for Baseball America. Within Etkin's article, there's word that Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd and Tulowitzki discussed an eventual position change "at length." Tulowitzki will be nearly 36 at the end of the 2020 season, the last one on his contract.
  • O'Dowd told Dave Krieger of the Denver Post that Jimenez is completely healthy, just struggling to adapt to Major League hitters in ways he hasn't had to before.
  • Ian Stewart, who was called up yesterday, is back with the Rockies for the first time in two weeks, as Steve Foster of Inside the Rockies notes.

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