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Archives for June 2011

Giants Notes: Ellis, Reyes, Catching Search

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The Giants enter today's action riding a four-game winning streak and holding a half-game lead over the Diamondbacks in the NL West. Despite sitting atop the division, the team is looking for opportunities to upgrade. The Giants' search for catching help has them eyeing Yorvit Torrealba, and catcher isn't the only position where the club could use some help. Here are the latest updates on some of the Giants' trade possibilities:

  • Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe confirms a previous report, writing that Mark Ellis probably won't be headed across the Bay. "We need RBI bats. That's what we're looking for right now," one Giants official said in shooting down the possibility of acquiring Ellis.
  • A deal that sends Jose Reyes to San Francisco is looking increasingly like a long shot, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Even if the Mets decide to move Reyes, the Giants would be very reluctant to part with the prospects and pay the salary necessary to complete a trade.
  • Within the same piece, Rosenthal quotes a Giants official's response when asked if the club would like to find a more offensively-inclined catcher than their current options: "Name me one (available) catcher hitting over .250."

MLB Won’t Assist McCourt With Interim Funding

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After having a proposed deal with Fox rejected by the league, Frank McCourt and his attorneys have reached out to MLB over the last few days in an attempt to secure interim funding to keep the team afloat, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. However, the league told McCourt it won't assist with funding unless he agrees to sell the team, according to Shaikin's source.

As we heard yesterday, McCourt is open to selling a minority stake in the Dodgers, but the league "has all but rebuffed" the idea. McCourt didn't submit names of potential investors when league officials originally suggested selling a minority share. Now, with this week's payroll deadline looming, the approval process for potential investors wouldn't be completed in time.

McCourt will need close to $30MM to meet payroll this Thursday. If he's unable to produce the necessary funds, Bud Selig could seize the Dodgers and put the club up for sale, though likely not without litigation from McCourt's lawyers.

Davidoff On Padres, Bell, Yankees, Reyes

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In his Baseball Insider piece this week, Newsday's Ken Davidoff points out that the July 31st trade deadline often seems to "run through" a particular team that has the most pieces to sell. It seemed as if the Mets could be that team this year, but they may hang on to Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes if they have even a slim chance of making the playoffs. Instead, San Diego may be this year's biggest seller, with Heath Bell, Ryan Ludwick, Chad Qualls, and Aaron Harang among its potentially available players. Here are Davidoff's other notes:

  • The Yankees have called the Padres about Bell, but haven't been as aggressive as other clubs who would use Bell to close games.
  • The Yanks are more inclined to wait on the trade market anyway. By July 31st, the team will have a better idea of what injured players like Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes, and Rafael Soriano will contribute in the second half.
  • According to Reyes' agent, Peter Greenberg, the shortstop seriously considered listening to the Mets' contract offer before deciding not to negotiate during the season.

Giants Have Shown Interest In Yorvit Torrealba

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The Giants have scored the fewest runs in baseball in part due to Buster Posey's season-ending injury, so it's not surprising that both Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports are reporting that a catcher upgrade is the team's focus right now. They've specifically shown interest in Rangers' backstop Yorvit Torrealba, who started his career in San Francisco.

There are two significant roadblocks to a deal according to the FOX scribes. First, Texas can not seriously consider moving Torrealba until Mike Napoli comes off the disabled list, at the very least. Secondly, the Giants are reluctant to pay the $3.25MM he's owned next season. The Rangers would want a bullpen arm in return, but San Francisco is hesitant to part with any of their relievers other than Guillermo Mota.

Rosenthal and Morosi say that Ivan Rodriguez, Ronny Paulino, and Ramon Hernandez have also been discussed internally by the Giants. The Reds are unikely to part with Hernandez even though Ryan Hanigan gets the majority of the playing time behind the plate.

Doug Waechter Retires

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Although he has yet to file official paperwork, Doug Waechter has retired from baseball according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times. Three arm surgeries and a lack of interest from Major League clubs led to the decision.

"I know how lucky I am," said the right-hander. "I got to do a lot of things a lot of people don't get the opportunity to do. It was a great ride, and I had a blast doing it. The arm is held together now with duct tape … Or at least that's what the scouts are saying."

Waechter, 30, spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues, four with his hometown Devil Rays. He last pitched in 2009, when he allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Royals. Overall, Waechter's career in the show consists of a 5.34 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 384 1/3 innings. Baseball-Reference.com says he earned just shy of $1.3MM in his career.

Quick Hits: Nationals, Pirates, MacPhail, Astros

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Links for Saturday…

  • The Nationals plan on having Davey Johnson meet up with the team tomorrow in Chicago before flying to Anaheim with them, reports Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post (Twitter links). ESPN's Buster Olney, meanwhile, notes that Johnson's contract ensures that he'll be the manager for this year only. The two sides will re-evaluate things after the season.
  • Tim Britton of The Providence Journal says the Pirates were the big losers in the Jason Bay-Manny Ramirez trade.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun spoke to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail about his contract, which expires after the season. "I have always taken the position, unlike one of my good friends in the game Jim Riggleman, let's just see how we do," said MacPhail. "Let's get to the end of the year and see how we do and take it from there."
  • Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros transfer of ownership from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane likely won't happen until mid-July (or later) as MLB focuses its efforts on the Dodgers (Twitter link).
  • Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch addressed the speculation about how Albert Pujols' injury could impact his contract negotiations with the Cardinals after the season.
  • McLaren will not be leaving the Nationals, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com (Twitter links). He will not be bench coach and will instead stay in another capacity.
  • The Nats can expect another resignation, this time from acting manager John McLaren, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. McLaren served as bench coach under Jim Riggleman.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports spoke to a source that is doubtful the Giants would move any of their big league pitchers to improve the offense (Twitter link). San Francisco has scored just 261 runs this year, the fewest runs in the game.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs front office plans to give the team a few more weeks to see if they can salvage the season before deciding to sell. The front office will meet next week to sort some of this stuff out.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun mentioned that Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and Reds GM Walt Jocketty have swung trades in the past and spent some time together yesterday before their clubs played. He notes that the two clubs appear to match up well in a potential trade as well.
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy has this week's collection of minor league transactions, which includes a slew of draft pick and undrafted free agent signings.

Rays Sign Draft Picks Brandon Martin, Lenny Linsky

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The Rays have signed supplemental first round pick Brandon Martin and second round pick Lenny Linsky, reports Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times (Twitter links). It's unclear how much Martin received, but Baseball America's Jim Callis says Linsky signed for slot money (approximately $392K).

Martin, a high school shortstop from California, was the 38th overall selection in the draft, a compensation pick for the loss of Carl Crawford. Baseball America (subs. req'd) says he's been "showing off five legitimate tools" and draws praise for his "line-drive swing and bat speed." They note that Martin can make the highlight reel plays at short but still needs to refine his game overall. MLB's slot recommendation for the 38th overall pick is approximately $859K.

Linsky, a righty reliever out of Hawaii, was the 89th overall pick and Tampa's natural second rounder. Baseball America described him "nearly unhittable" thanks to heavy sink on his 92-94 mph fastball and a power slider that can run as high as 89.

The Rays have now signed 30 of their 60 draft picks according to Topkin. Check the status of all first and supplemental first round players right here.

Cards Agree To Terms With Draft Pick Kolten Wong

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The Cardinals have agreed to terms with first round pick Kolten Wong, reports Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter). He will receive a $1.3MM signing bonus, slightly above MLB's slot recommendation of $1.287MM for the 22nd overall pick.

Wong, a second baseman from Hawaii, was expected to be in St. Louis this weekend as the two sides neared a deal. Baseball America (subs. req'd) says he has "professional approach at the plate and a good understanding of the strike zone" with surprising power for a 5-foot-9, 190 lb. middle infielder. They also mention that Wong might fit best as a "Chone Figgins type who moves around the field" down the road.

Check the status of all first and supplemental first round players right here.

Millwood Chooses Not To Exercise Opt-Out

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Veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood has chosen not to exercise his opt-out with the Red Sox organization, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.  Millwood, 36, will remain in the Sox' organization with the understanding that exploring opportunities in other organizations may be revisited as the season progresses.

Millwood's official opt-out date was on Monday.  The right-hander has looked solid in five starts with Triple-A Pawtucket, posting a 2.89 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.

Pirates Designate Dusty Brown For Assignment

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The Pirates have designated catcher Dusty Brown for assignment, according to a team press release.  The move was made in order to create space for catcher Eric Fryer who is being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Brown, 29, played in 11 games for the Pirates this season.  In parts of five Triple-A seasons, the catcher has a .259/.340/.394 slash line.

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