Quick Hits: DeVoss, Adams, White Sox
The A's announced that Brett Anderson underwent Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on his left elbow. Dr. James Andrews performed the operation on Anderson, who will miss the remainder of the season. Here are this afternoon's links…
- The Cubs signed third round outfielder Zeke DeVoss for a $500K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. The bonus is roughly $160K more than MLB recommended.
- The Padres have one prospect on Keith Law's recently-published list, Casey Kelly. They'll ask for another elite prospect in exchange for Mike Adams, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- Rookie Michael Pineda and third-year pitcher Trevor Cahill are among the MLB players with the most trade value, according to Dave Cameron of FanGraphs, who lists his #31-35 top trade chips in baseball. Kevin Youkilis and the recently-extended Jaime Garcia check in in the #26-30 range.
- White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that his team may not need trades to re-enter the playoff picture. "If we play to our potential, I guarantee we're going to kick some people's butt," Guillen said. "But we're not playing to our potential now."
Keith Law’s Midseason Top Prospects
ESPN.com’s Keith Law ranks the top 50 prospects in baseball and Bryce Harper of the Nationals and Matt Moore of the Rays rank first and second, respectively. Two Cardinals right-handers, Shelby Miller and Carlos Martinez, place third and fourth on Law's list and Orioles shortstop Manny Machado rounds out the top five.
Law's list resembles Baseball America's midseason list, though Law excludes Mike Trout, who recently graduated to the Major Leagues. Braves pitching prospect Julio Teheran placed fourth on BA's list, but fell from sixth to 12th for Law, who explained that the right-hander's curveball could use some work.
Brewers Were On Francisco Rodriguez’s No-Trade List
The Brewers were one of ten teams on Francisco Rodriguez's no-trade list, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). However, as David Waldstein of the New York Times reported yesterday, the Mets never received the list from agent Paul Kinzer, so it didn't serve its intended purpose. Though Rodriguez has nothing against the Brewers, he lost out on potential leverage, according to Heyman.
The Mets traded Rodriguez to Milwaukee Tuesday night, not long after the reliever switched agents from Kinzer to Scott Boras. The 29-year-old has finished 34 games and a clause in his contract dictates that his $17.5MM option for 2012 becomes guaranteed if he finishes 55 games this season. Otherwise, the Mets will pay for a $3.5MM buyout and Rodriguez will hit the open market.
Minor Moves: Gustavo Chacin
Here are the latest minor moves…
- The Astros released Gustavo Chacin, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The 30-year-old appeared in 44 games for the Astros last year, posting a 4.70 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 and homering in his lone at bat for Houston. He had a 5.13 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 66 2/3 innings for the Astros' Triple-A affiliate this year.
Feldman Rejects Minor League Assignment
Scott Feldman rejected an assignment to the minor leagues after clearing outright waivers and the Rangers will activate him tonight, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Rangers, who placed Feldman on outright waivers earlier in the week, can option Yoshinori Tateyama to the minors to create active roster space for Feldman, but they'll have to make another move to create room on the 40-man roster.
Once Feldman rejected the minor league assignment, the Rangers had the choice of activating him or releasing him. If they had released Feldman, who has spent the entire season recovering from a winter knee operation, they would still have been responsible for the $9MM or so remaining on his contract.
Feldman was a starter for Texas from 2008-10, but the Rangers will likely put him in the bullpen now. The 28-year-old has a 4.80 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in six seasons. He signed an $11.5MM extension with the Rangers after posting a 4.08 ERA in 189 2/3 innings in 2009.
Reds Looking For Relief Help
Add the Reds to the ever-expanding list of teams eyeing bullpen help. They're in the mix for relievers, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The White Sox, who are just five games behind the Tigers in the AL Central, could also be looking for relievers, according to Heyman.
GM Walt Jocketty said recently that no moves are imminent, though he has had discussions with other teams to gather information. Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies is on Cincinnati's radar (realistically, Colorado would have to be overwhelmed to part with him).
Reds relievers rank tenth in MLB with a 3.29 ERA (3.95 xFIP) and 15th in MLB with 7.7 K/9, but they're 28th with 4.3 BB/9. Aroldis Chapman has been electric since returning to the roster in late June. He has a 17K/2BB ratio in his last 8 2/3 innings of work.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Brad Thomas
Here's where we'll keep track of the players who get outrighted to the minor leagues today…
- The Tigers announced that they reinstated left-hander Brad Thomas from the disabled list and outrighted him to Triple-A. He has 72 hours to accept or decline the assignment. The 33-year-old native of Australia allowed 17 hits, 11 earned runs and six walks in 11 innings before hitting the disabled list.
Indians Looking For Offense
The Indians are "kicking the tires for offensive help," according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince (Twitter links). Cleveland can add some salary – though Carlos Beltran is probably not a realistic target – and remains reluctant to surrender top prospects in trades.
Indians president Mark Shapiro said on Twitter today that GM Chris Antonetti and his staff spent the All-Star break "burning up phone lines" to make sense of the trade market and discuss possible deals. Though the market is developing slowly, the Indians are looking at "every opportunity" to improve, accoridng to Shapiro.
The Indians, who are second in the AL Central with a 47-42 record, rank seventh in the American League with 386 runs scored. They are a logical suitor for a corner outfielder, since Shin-Soo Choo is on the disabled list and probably won't return to the lineup before late-August. Austin Kearns, Travis Buck and Michael Brantley are currently covering left and right for the Indians.
Tigers Have Interest In Beltran, Focused On Pitching
The Tigers have interest in Carlos Beltran, but a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the team is still focused on finding a starting pitcher. They are not having any serious talks with the Royals about Jeff Francis, with the Astros about Brett Myers and Wandy Rodriguez, or with the Cubs about Ryan Dempster. They're also unlikely to acquire Erik Bedard from Seattle, according to Morosi.
Detroit has gotten very little production out of left field (.251/.296/.387) and center field (.244/.320/.369) this year, so Beltran would be an obvious help. Tim Dierkes wrote about their left field plight earlier this week. Their rotation is middle of the pack with a 4.08 ERA, but that is boosted by the great Justin Verlander (2.15). Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, and Brad Penny all have 4.50+ ERA's, and Phil Coke (4.88 ERA) has just been replaced by rookie Charlie Furbush. The Tigers maintain their interest in Hiroki Kuroda.
Yankees Sign J.C. Romero
The Yankees signed J.C. Romero to a minor league deal, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The left-hander, who obtained his release from the Nationals mere minutes ago, could pitch for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate tonight, Olney reports.
The Yankees will be Romero's third organization of the year. He started the season in Philadelphia, where he posted a 3.86 ERA with more walks than strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. The Phillies released him in June and he signed with the Nationals within a week, only to obtain his release today.