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Archives for June 2011

Twins Acquire Jeremy Reed

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The Twins acquired outfielder Jeremy Reed from the Brewers for future considerations, tweets Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  The Twins will send Reed to Triple-A Rochester.

Reed had signed a minor league deal with the Brewers in January.  He made the Opening Day roster, but went hitless in seven plate appearances and was designated for assignment.  He later cleared waivers and accepted a Triple-A assignment.  The 29-year-old former top prospect was hitting .233/.310/.350 in 118 plate appearances for the Nashville Sounds, playing mostly at the outfield corners.

According to another Christensen tweet, there is "strong speculation" that Reed will take the place of infielder/outfielder Brian Dinkelman, who could have his contract purchased by the Twins tonight.  Earlier, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire indicated to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that the Twins would call up a left-handed hitter, one who would have to be added to the 40-man roster (Twitter link).  Smith notes that a spot could be opened by transferring catcher Joe Mauer to the 60-day DL.  Jason Kubel, Jim Thome, and Tsuyoshi Nishioka are the other Twins bats currently on the disabled list.

Quick Hits: Skaggs, Maholm, Red Sox, Lamb

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On this date last year, Armando Galarraga came within one out of a perfect game before a blown call prevented him from making history. Here are Thursday’s links, including reaction to the Galarraga game:

Minor Deals: Brazoban, Reds, Rangers, Astros, Phillies

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Once in a while, a minor move becomes more than just a footnote.  For example, about six years ago the Rangers released outfielder Andres Torres, who found his way back to the Majors in '09 after several more stops and put up some big numbers for the Giants.  Today's minor deals:

  • Yhency Brazoban signed with the Diamondbacks after exercising his out clause with the Rangers, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The 30-year-old former Dodger posted a 3.42 ERA, 10.6 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, and 1.7 HR/9 in 26 1/3 innings for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate. 
  • The Reds acquired righty Chris Mobley from the Rangers for future considerations, writes Baseball America's Matt Eddy.  The 27-year-old reliever has a 4.61 ERA in 27 1/3 innings across Double and Triple-A this year.
  • The Astros signed righty Brad Hennessey, reports Eddy.  The 31-year-old, who was drafted by the Giants in '01 17 spots before David Wright, has a 4.69 ERA in 360 2/3 career innings.  He last pitched in the Majors in '08.
  • The Giants released outfielder Terry Evans, notes Eddy.  Evans quickly signed with the Phillies, tweeted Reading Royals beat writer Jason Guarente yesterday.  Back in July of '06, the Cardinals sent Evans to the Angels for eventual World Series hero Jeff Weaver, plus cash.
  • Eddy reports that the Mariners signed lefty Tony Butler, one of the players they sent to the Orioles for Erik Bedard back in February of '08.
  • The Blue Jays released righty Chris Malone, writes Eddy.  Malone was the player the Jays acquired from Colorado for Brad Emaus in April, and they only needed eight innings to decide they didn't need him.  Emaus, meanwhile, is hitting .355/.419/.645 in 87 plate appearances for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate, playing mostly second base.
  • Andrew Miller has a June 15th out clause in his contract with the Red Sox, so Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox will consider calling him up to replace Rich Hill, especially given Miller’s recent success (Twitter link).  Brian McPherson of The Providence Journal talked to Miller, who isn't thinking about his opt-out.

Law On Royals, Josh Bell, Dodgers, Mets

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Draft junkies, you're missing out if you don't read Keith Law's latest chat at ESPN.  Insider is required to read it, and is well worth your money, but here are a few highlights.

  • With the fifth overall pick, Law sees the Royals taking a college arm or Dylan Bundy.  Law and Jim Callis of Baseball America projected them to take Matt Barnes or Gerrit Cole, respectively, in late May mock drafts.  MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo went with high school outfielder Bubba Starling in a mock draft published today.  Mayo mentions UCLA righty Trevor Bauer and high school shortstop Francisco Lindor as well, but Law says the Royals are not on Lindor.
  • One team that is in on Lindor is the Mariners at #2, as ESPN's Shannon Drayer tweets that they worked him out at Safeco Field.  However, Law says that while the Ms like Lindor and Starling, he doubts they'd pass on Anthony Rendon if the Pirates take someone else.
  • Law hears rumors that the Tigers and Red Sox are in on high school outfielder Josh Bell, a Boras Corporation advisee who sent a letter to the MLB Scouting Bureau saying he intends to honor his commitment to the University of Texas and does not want to be drafted.  Law hears a "widespread rumor" about the Tigers drafting Bell and offering $6MM, presumably with the #76 overall pick (their first).
  • The Red Sox don't know how the draft will change under the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement, so they intend to take advantage of this year's draft, GM Theo Epstein told Ian Browne of MLB.com. Boston will select four of the first 40 players under second-year scouting director Amiel Sawdaye.
  • Law hears high school righty Robert Stephenson "very strongly" for the Dodgers at #16.  He also hears that the Dodgers can't go over slot with any pick, so hopefully Stephenson is comfortable with $1.8MM or so.  High school shortstop Javier Baez and high school righty Taylor Guerrieri have been projected for the Dodgers in various recent mock drafts.
  • Derek Fisher, a high school outfielder with "light-tower raw power" according to Law, will be a tough sign with demands of $2MM or more.
  • Silly numbers like Danny Hultzen's reported $13MM demand "just get ignored," says Law.  To get to know the University of Virginia southpaw, check out Josh Barr's article for the Washington Post.  The article says Hultzen has visited with officials from only the first six teams picking in the draft, and told those clubs what he'll need to sign.
  • The Mets are leaning toward a college arm at #13, writes Law.  Mayo went with Vanderbilt's Sonny Gray in today's mock.
  • For a look at each team's picks within the first 90, click here.

Outrighted To The Minors: Amezaga, Sosa, Tejeda

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We'll keep track of all the day's outrighted players right here:

Rangers Sign Manny Delcarmen

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The Rangers signed reliever Manny Delcarmen to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Delcarmen is represented by Jim Masteralexis, as noted in MLBTR's agency database.

Delcarmen, 29, asked for his release from the Mariners' Triple-A club yesterday.  He posted a 5.14 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 28 innings for the Rainiers.  The signing adds low-risk depth for the Rangers' bullpen, which ranks ninth in the American League with a 4.12 ERA.

Delcarmen's best overall season was 2008, when he tallied 74 1/3 strong innings out of Boston's pen with a fastball averaging over 95 miles per hour.  Though he declined in subsequent seasons, the Sox were still able to ship Delcarmen and cash to the Rockies at the August deadline last year for pitching prospect Chris Balcom-Miller.

D’Backs Seek Relief Help

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Kevin Towers built a dominant bullpen in San Diego and he’d like to do the same in Arizona. The D’Backs GM is looking to upgrade his bullpen by acquiring a shutdown seventh inning arm to complement David Hernandez and J.J. Putz, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. 

Heath Bell, Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson are dominant in San Diego and Towers likes the idea of creating a similar trio in Arizona, where Putz and Hernandez have been tremendous so far. Those two, plus lesser-known pickups like Rule 5 pick Joe Paterson, have helped the D’Backs lower their bullpen ERA from 5.74 in 2010 to 3.26 this year (a transformation I examined in detail last month).

The D’Backs like their offense and are confident that their rotation will keep them in games, so they’re focusing on the ‘pen. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes wrote this week that Towers "should be proactive in adding reinforcements" because Putz has to be used carefully and Hernandez has walked 5.7 batters per nine innings.

Rockies Claim Josh Roenicke

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The Rockies announced that they claimed right-hander Josh Roenicke from the Blue Jays and optioned him to Triple-A (Twitter link). They also confirmed that they claimed infielder Ryan Rohlinger from the Giants and optioned him to Triple-A.

The son of longtime big leaguer Gary Roenicke and the nephew of Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, Josh has appeared in parts of three big league seasons. The 28-year-old has a 5.60 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 53 total innings for the Reds and Blue Jays. Acquired in the 2009 Scott Rolen trade, he had a 6.04 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 22 1/3 innings of relief for the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate in 2011.

Before the 2010 season, Baseball America ranked Roenicke seventh among Blue Jays prospects. The publication praised his mid-90s fastball and suggested he could become a big league closer.

Rockies Claim Ryan Rohlinger

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The Rockies claimed infielder Ryan Rohlinger off of waivers from the Giants, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The Giants designated Rohlinger and Henry Sosa for assignment last week to create 40-man roster space for Brandon Crawford and Chris Stewart.

Rohlinger, 27, appeared in one game with the Giants this year, but he has spent most of his season at Triple-A Fresno, where he has a .174/.294/.331 line with more walks (19) than strikeouts (14) in 144 plate appearances as a shortstop and third baseman. He has a .267/.350/.435 line as a minor leaguer since the Giants drafted him five years ago.

Even after making the claim, the Rockies have room on their 40-man roster.

New York Notes: Cashman, Reyes, Wright

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On this date in 1925, Yankees first baseman Wally Pipp sat out after being hit in the head during batting practice. His replacement, a 21-year-old named Lou Gehrig, picked up three hits that day on his way to playing 2,130 consecutive games. Here's the latest out of New York…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman has more cash at his disposal than any other general manager, but he recognizes the importance of the draft. "Our business is baseball, and that's the most important access to talent,” he told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “If you want to be championship-caliber, there's a lot of different avenues, but one you can not skip is the amateur pipeline. That's the foundation of eventual champions."
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Mets should keep Jose Reyes and David Wright long-term, not just one or the other. Team officials tell Rosenthal that, under certain circumstances, they could afford both infielders.
  • Reyes has returned from the Dominican Republic and is off of the bereavement list, Anthony DiComo writes at MLB.com (the shortstop returned home after the death of his grandmother).

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