Archives for July 2011

Minor Moves: Adam Russell, Val Majewski

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 25, 2011 at 7:51pm CDT

Here are today's minor moves…

Reliever Adam Russell has cleared waivers and will join the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, reports Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). Tampa designated the right-hander for assignment last week after 32 2/3 unspectacular innings.
The Rangers signed first baseman/outfielder Val Majewski and assigned him to Triple-A, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). The 30-year-old had a cameo with the 2004 Orioles, but has spent most of his pro career in the minor leagues, where he has a .289/.361/.457 line in parts of eight seasons. The former third round pick spent part of last year with Oakland's Double-A affiliate.

White Sox Could “Turn Over The Entire Roster”

By Mike Axisa | July 25, 2011 at 7:12pm CDT

The White Sox were expected to contend for the AL Central crown this year, but right now they're just 49-51 and 4.5 games back of the division lead. That prompted GM Kenny Williams to tell ESPN Chicago that he might "turn over the entire roster" if they don't get back into the race this week.

"On one hand, you can look toward potentially adding (players)," said Williams. "We'd have to add creatively because of the financial situation right now. And on the other hand, maybe this is the most opportune time to turn over the entire roster and get some young, exciting players in here and go that route."

"We don't really know where we stand. To a large degree over the next six days we'll find out."

Williams indicated that he has deals in place if he wants to blow the team up and go into full rebuild mode, but also emphasized that no decision has been made about the club's future yet. The White Sox open a ten-game homestand tonight with three against the Tigers, one of the teams they're chasing in the AL Central.

Edwin Jackson and Matt Thornton have popped up in rumors, and Carlos Quentin could be moved as well. With six starters for five spots and a bullpen full of power arms, Williams will have plenty to dangle in trades for young players. It's tough to see them finding a taker for Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, or Alex Rios though. All three are signed for at least two more years at big money, and right now Konerko is also the only productive member of the bunch.

A’s To Sign Sonny Gray

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 25, 2011 at 5:56pm CDT

The A's announced that they have agreed to sign first round draft pick Sonny Gray. The A's selected the right-hander 18th overall after he posted a 2.12 ERA wtih a 124K/46BB ratio in 119 innings for a Vanderbilt club that advanced to the final four at the College World Series.

Gray signed for a $1.54MM bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). MLB's recommended bonus for the 18th overall pick was $1.422MM a year ago, according to Baseball America.

I spoke to Gray about his season and his repertoire back in February. Earlier today, ESPN.com's Keith Law and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the sides were making progress.

Hunter Pence Rumors: Monday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 25, 2011 at 5:15pm CDT

So far today, we've heard that the Phillies view Hunter Pence as a long shot and that the Pirates have been "stymied" on the 28-year-old right fielder so far. The Astros have every reason to demand a lot for Pence, since he's under team control through 2013 and one of the best hitters on the market. Here's the latest, with the most recent rumors up top:

The Braves have not ruled out making an offer for Pence, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

Cardinals, White Sox May Be Talking Rasmus

By Luke Adams 2 | July 25, 2011 at 5:07pm CDT

MONDAY: White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that the report was not entirely accurate. "That, as reported, is incorrect," Williams said, without denying its validity outright (Twitter link).

SUNDAY: Despite publicly insisting they don't intend to trade Colby Rasmus, the Cardinals have engaged in discussions with the White Sox about the outfielder, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Strauss says talks between the two teams have "accelerated" within the last few days.

According to Strauss, Edwin Jackson and Matt Thornton are among the players who could interest the Cardinals. The Cards would also be looking for minor league talent from the White Sox, and a third team "may be sought to facilitate a deal."

The Nationals and Rays also remain interested in Rasmus, who has seen a recent decline in his playing time as Jon Jay has taken over as St. Louis's primary center fielder.

Yankees Rumors: Jackson, Prospects, Gio Gonzalez

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 4:32pm CDT

The latest on the Yankees…

Though the Yankees think Edwin Jackson is solid, they aren't pursuing him now, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network (on Twitter).
A rival executive believes the Yankees will add a left-handed reliever via trade, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Left-handed relief is a weakness of this trade market, though perhaps the Yanks could take on a bad contract like that of Baltimore's Mike Gonzalez.
Unless a no-doubt number one starter appears on the market, the Yankees have made it clear they won't move prospects Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Jesus Montero, and Austin Romine, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The White Sox are spending a lot of time scouting the farm systems of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies in case Kenny Williams and company decide to sell, tweets Sherman.
The Yankees would pay big for A's lefty Gio Gonzalez, tweets Sherman, but Oakland still refuses to discuss the southpaw. The 25-year-old ranks eighth in the American League with 124 strikeouts and seventh with a 2.67 ERA, and is not arbitration-eligible until after this season.

Rockies Designate Eric Stults For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 25, 2011 at 4:03pm CDT

The Rockies designated left-hander Eric Stults for assignment and reinstated Esmil Rogers from the disabled list, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Rockies have confirmed the moves, which open up a 40-man roster spot (Twitter link).

Stults, who spent last season in Japan, appeared in six games for the Rockies this year. He posted a 6.00 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 12 innings. The 31-year-old was on the Dodgers from 2006-09 before Los Angeles sold his contract to the Hiroshima Carp last spring.

AL Central Rumors: Tigers, Indians, Twins

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 3:18pm CDT

The AL Central has only one clear seller at this point in the Royals, and they don't have much to offer. The White Sox and Twins will add a lot to the trade market if they decide to wave the white flag. The latest on the division:

The Tigers' list of starting pitching targets includes Ubaldo Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda, Aaron Harang, Jeremy Guthrie, and Jason Marquis, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, the Padres are more inclined to keep Harang and try to re-sign him, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. Harang picked up his ninth win today in Philadelphia.
The White Sox are scouting the farm systems of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies in case they decide to sell, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
In a series of three tweets, Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains why the Indians are setting their sights low as they seek a right-handed hitting outfielder. I think the biggest point is that they expect Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo back in August.
Indians corner infielder Jared Goedert cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, tweets Morosi. Another procedural note: Tigers lefty Brad Thomas is now on the 60-day DL rather than being outrighted, tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck.
The Twins reached an agreement with Vanderbilt lefty Corey Williams for just under $600K, tweets ESPN's Keith Law. Williams, the team's third-round pick, signed above slot.

NL Central Rumors: Volquez, Iannetta, Bourn

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 2:39pm CDT

The NL Central has four buyers and two sellers. The latest:

The Reds are drawing interest from multiple teams on righty Edinson Volquez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 28-year-old has a 5.93 ERA on the season and spent time at Triple-A. Still, he throws hard and is under team control through 2013.
The Pirates and Rockies have yet to exchange names on Chris Iannetta, tweets Jon Paul Morosi. The Pirates added one bat today, promoting Pedro Alvarez.
Interest in Astros center fielder Michael Bourn is still not high, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. He says the Braves are not a good fit and the Nationals are highly unlikely.
The Astros had scouts watching the Triple-A clubs of the Diamondbacks and Braves recently, writes Rosenthal.

George Springer Met With Long Island Ducks

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 1:40pm CDT

1:40pm: Springer's father explained to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he and his son met with the Ducks' GM as a contingency in case an agreement can't be reached. Returning to college is not a likely option for Springer.

12:23pm: Astros first-round draft pick George Springer may sign with the independent league Long Island Ducks, tweets @zoodig. This development is a sign that the University of Connecticut outfielder is not close to a deal with the deadline about three weeks away.

The typical bonus for the #11 pick is in the $1.8-2MM range, according to Baseball America.

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