Archives for May 2011

Week In Review: 5/22/11 – 5/29/11

By Mike Axisa | May 29, 2011 at 5:09pm CDT

We're already just two months shy of the trade deadline, so make sure you tell all your friends where they can find the latest and greatest rumors involving their favorite team, right here at MLBTR. Here's a recap of the big stories from the last seven days…

Mets owner Fred Wilpon tore into Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, and David Wright in an interview with The New Yorker, making statements that seemed to come from a frustrated fan and not the owner. The Mets also agreed to sell a minority share of the team to David Einhorn for $200MM. Reports indicated that he received a 30-35% ownership stake with an option to purchase more down the road, but the club is denying those terms. Either way, the Mets get a much needed infusion of cash.
The Giants lost Buster Posey to a leg injury that ended his season, but they have not yet called other teams to inquire about catching help. Bengie Molina would be open to returning to the Bay Area.
Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez said that he's willing to work as a setup man if traded, but only if he gets a contract extension and returns to the closer's role in 2012. The Rangers and other teams have inquired about Heath Bell and Joel Hanrahan.
The Blue Jays and Giants both contacted the Mets about Reyes, but there haven't been any serious talks yet. The Twins are open to dealing Kevin Slowey, but an abdominal injury has landed him on the disabled list in the meantime.
The Rockies are looking to shake up their bench, and did so by designating Alfredo Amezaga and Jose Lopez for assignment. They also traded Felipe Paulino to the Royals for cash.
The Tigers and Athletics swapped Scott Sizemore and David Purcey while the Cubs acquired Rodrigo Lopez from the Braves for Ryan Buchter. Russell Branyan caught on with the Angels.
Players that were designated for assignment last week: Pat Misch of the Mets, Robert Coello of the Cubs, Robinson Tejeda of the Royals, Rob Delaney of the Rays, Lance Cormier of the Dodgers, Jay Buente of the Marlins, Robbie Weinhardt of the Tigers, Samuel Deduno of the Padres, Josh Wilson of the D'Backs, Travis Schlichting of the Dodgers, and both Ryan Rohlinger and Henry Sosa of the Giants.
Players claimed off waivers last week: Blake King by the Astros (from the Cardinals), Danny Ray Herrera by the Brewers (from the Reds), Kanekoa Texeira by the Yankees (from the Royals), plus Wilson by the Brewers and Buente by the Rays. Justin Germano (Indians), Hideki Okajima (Red Sox), and Dan Johnson (Rays) all cleared waivers.
Players signed to minor league deals last week: Ian Snell by the Dodgers, Julio Lugo by the Braves, and Scott Podsednik by the Phillies. Alex Cintron called it a career and the Astros released Joe Inglett. The Nationals returned Rule 5 Draft pick Brian Broderick to the Cardinals and Steve Tolleson went to the Padres (from the A's) in a minor swap.
And finally, Frank McCourt is expected to meet the Dodgers' end of the month payroll.

Dodgers Designate Travis Schlichting For Assignment

By Mike Axisa | May 29, 2011 at 3:25pm CDT

The Dodgers have designated Travis Schlichting for assignment according to the team's official Twitter feed. Eric Stephen of True Blue LA originally reported the news. The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for Josh Lindblom, who takes the place of the injured Kenley Jansen (shoulder inflammation) in the bullpen.

Schlichting, 26, had a 6.55 ERA with just 4.9 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9 in 22 relief innings for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate. In 16 relief appearances with LA over the last two years, he posted a 3.55 ERA in 25 1/3 innings. The 23-year-old Lindblom was the Dodgers' second round pick in 2008, and he struck out 12.2 batters per nine innings with a 2.96 ERA in 24 1/3 relief innings for their Double-A affiliate this year. Baseball America ranked him as LA's 16th best propect in the 2011 Prospect Handbook, noting that his future appears to be in relief after an unsuccessful stint as a starter.

Padres Acquire Steve Tolleson

By Mike Axisa | May 29, 2011 at 2:31pm CDT

The Padres have acquired infielder Steve Tolleson from the Athletics for a player to be named later according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter). Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle hears the A's will instead receive cash considerations (Twitter link), so there's some confusion about the (modest) return. He is likely headed to Triple-A.

Tolleson, 27, was playing with Oakland's Triple-A affiliate for the second straight season after being claimed off waivers from the Twins last February. The A's designated him for assignment in January after signing Brian Fuentes. Tolleson is a .293/.376/.425 hitter in nearly 1,000 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level, and his first big league call-up went pretty well last season (.286/.340/.408 in 53 PA).

Baseball America's 2009 Prospect Handbook said Tolleson's "best-case scenario would be a career akin to Ryan Freel." He has plenty of experience at the three non-first base infield spots and has even dabbled in the outfield, so he's a candidate for a reserve role. The Padres just lost Orlando Hudson to injury (groin strain), so they replenished some depth while the A's cleared up a bit of a logjam following their Scott Sizemore pickup.

Rockies Designate Alfredo Amezaga For Assignment

By Luke Adams 2 | May 29, 2011 at 12:21pm CDT

The Rockies have designated Alfredo Amezega for assignment and recalled Chris Nelson from Triple-A, according to the team's Twitter feed. Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports first tweeted that Nelson would replace Amezaga on Colorado's roster.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on Thursday that the Rockies were looking to shake up their bench, with Amezaga and Jose Lopez in jeopardy of losing their roster spots. Lopez was DFA'd later that night.

Amezaga, 33, has hit .242/.297/.273 in 38 plate appearances for the Rockies in 2011. The utility player, who signed a minor league deal with Colorado in January, played in 20 games for the team, seeing time at second base, shortstop, third base, and right field.

Cafardo On Indians, Young, Guthrie, Reddick

By Luke Adams 2 | May 29, 2011 at 10:32am CDT

In his column today for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo argues against potential rule changes, discusses injuries around the league, and looks back at the 2009 trade that sent Justin Masterson to Cleveland and Victor Martinez to the Red Sox. He also dedicates some space to sharing a few hot stove notes. Let's check out the highlights….

Indians GM Mark Shapiro on whether his team could be buyers at the trade deadline: "It’s not a matter of money. It’s a matter of not giving away any of our prospects. We’re not going to do that."
Although the Twins won't say as much, they could move Delmon Young before the trade deadline in the right deal, according to Cafardo. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently looked at other players who might be available if the last-place Twins become sellers.
The Orioles say Jeremy Guthrie won't be moved, but as one NL scout asks, "If you put together a package they can’t say no to, will they still say no?"
Josh Reddick, recently recalled by the Red Sox, is "on a few teams' wish lists." Cafardo previously reported that Reddick was generating chatter among scouts, and says today that scouts for two NL teams are looking forward to evaluating the outfielder in the bigs.

New York Notes: Reyes, Felix, Hughes, Jeter

By Luke Adams 2 | May 29, 2011 at 8:57am CDT

Even before reports of David Einhorn's $200MM investment in the Mets surfaced, things could've been worse in Queens, writes Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post. Vaccaro points out that New York's baseball history includes plenty of stretches more dismal than the one endured by the present-day Mets, and breaks down his top five. Here are some other Sunday morning notes on the Mets and Yankees:

Einhorn got a first-hand look at Jose Reyes on Saturday, but refused comment when asked about the possibility of re-signing the shortstop, says Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.
Whenever Felix Hernandez faces the Yankees, as he did Saturday night, it seems invariably to lead to speculation about King Felix someday wearing pinstripes. However, as Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News writes, that's not about to happen anytime soon.
Phil Hughes took "a step in the right direction" this weekend, throwing off a mound for the first time in over a month, according to Feinsand.
The New York Post's Steve Selby argues that if there's one player who deserves to be cut some slack when he struggles, it's Derek Jeter.

Quick Hits: Gomes, Pudge, Lopez, Diamondbacks

By Zachary Links | May 28, 2011 at 10:29pm CDT

With plenty of baseball still going on, here are some Saturday evening Quick Hits..

Jonny Gomes is slumping badly for the Reds (.168/.302/.366 coming into today), and ESPN's Buster Olney doubts they'll be patient and wait until the trade deadline to see if he snaps out of it (Twitter link).
Despite interest from the Giants, Ivan Rodriguez told Nationals GM Mike Rizzo that he wants to stay with the team according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times wonders if this could be the end of the line for Jose Lopez. The veteran infielder was DFA'd by the Rockies earlier this week.
The Diamondbacks have managed to turn their bullpen around without spending big bucks, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
A National League executive told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that with so many teams are hovering around the .500 mark, many don't know if they're buyers or sellers yet.

Draft Notes: Bell, Stilson, High School Pitchers

By Mike Axisa | May 28, 2011 at 8:50pm CDT

It was just three years ago that the Astros drafted right-hander Jordan Lyles in the supplemental first round of the 2008 draft (38th overall), but now the 20-year-old will make his big league debut in place of the injured Wandy Rodriguez on Tuesday. Some team will draft the next Lyles nine days from now, so here are some news and notes for the meantime…

Conor Glassey of Baseball America reports that high school outfielder Josh Bell sent a letter to the Major League Scouting Bureau informing teams that he doesn't want to sign a professional contract and will instead follow through on his commitment to Texas. Bell, who is being advised by Scott Boras, is "a surefire first-rounder on talent" according to Glassey.
Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that Texas A&M righty Josh Stilson will miss the rest of the season due to a SLAP tear in his shoulder. Callis notes that Stilson, a likely first rounder before the injury, has been worked hard during his college career.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo wrote about the top high school pitchers available this year, including Dylan Bundy, who "some claim he's the best pitcher, period, in this class."

Mets Agree To Sell Minority Stake In Team

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 28, 2011 at 7:23pm CDT

7:23pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Mets have shot down this morning's report, issuing a statement saying "[there] is uninformed speculation regarding terms of a potential deal." Rubin points out that the team has made a series of misstatements in the past.

ESPN's Buster Olney wonders how MLB will respond since the deal is "seemingly a body blow to [the] perceived franchise value of team," and the league could be wary about how future investors perceive the club's worth (Twitter links).

SATURDAY, 8:54pm: Adam Rubin of ESPN New York has learned the terms of the purchase, which sound extremely favorable for Einhorn. The $200MM buys him 30-35% of the team, and he has an option to increase his stake to 60% in three years. If the Wilpons do not want to give him a majority (and controlling) share at that time, they can refund the $200MM while Einhorn still gets to keep his 30-35% stake.

THURSDAY: The Mets have agreed to sell a minority share of the club to David Einhorn, president of Greenlight Capital Inc., according to ESPN's Karl Ravech. The Mets confirmed that Einhorn is their preferred partner, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. MLB has not yet approved the deal, but the Mets stand to obtain $200MM from Einhorn. The Mets expect to enter into definitive agreemets within a month.

Though the Wilpon family has had its share of financial troubles, the Mets say they're going to continue spending. They are prepared to exceed the commissioner's recommended bonuses in this year's draft and expect to maintain a payroll in the $100-145MM range next year. The influx of cash figures to help the Mets pay their bills.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Red Sox, Capps, Padres

By Mike Axisa | May 28, 2011 at 5:48pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive in…

If the Red Sox have one need, it's a right-handed hitter that can play multiple positions and come off the bench. Jeff Baker of the Cubs fits the bill, but Yamaico Navarro could be an in-house solution. He's on the minor league disabled list with an oblique issue, however.
The Twins usage of Matt Capps could impact the way teams view him at the trade deadline and as a free agent after the season. The righty has thrown multiple innings six times already, and is dealing with some forearm issues.
Team are calling the Padres about not just Heath Bell, but also Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson. They will listen to offers for all of their relievers, but they have to get the right bats in return to move them.
Mitch Talbot will get a few more starts for the Indians following his elbow issue, but righty Zach McAllister represents an alternative. They acquired him from the Yankees for Austin Kearns last year.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Archives for May 2011

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect