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Archives for July 2011

2012 Vesting Options Update

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The season is offically more than halfway complete now, so let's update the status of the various vesting options from around the league…

  • Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu is just 82 plate appearances short of that total, so this one will vest later this month, barring injury.
  • Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Injuries have limited Furcal to just 82 plate appearances this year, so this one won't be vesting.
  • Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. A few days ago we heard that Garland is unlikely to pitch the rest of the season due to a shoulder issue. He's at 54 innings, so the Dodgers won't have to worry about this one vesting either.
  • Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the year. K-Rod has finished 32 games already, putting him on pace for 60. A trade to a team that would use him as a setup man would change things, though we recently heard that some GMs beleieve Rodriguez's trade value is reaching a "tipping point" as he racks up the games finished.
  • Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 35 games and finished 16, putting him on pace for 68 and 29, respectively.
  • Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. Rhodes has appeared in 28 games so far, and he's on pace for 52. Texas will need to use him a little more liberally down the stretch for this one to kick in.
  • Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. With 35 appearances already to his credit, Soria is on pace to pitch in 69 games this year.
  • Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 26 games this year with a disabled list stint mixed in. He'd have to appear in 39 of the team's final 77 games for the option to vest, which seems unlikely.

Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.

Rangers Sign Nomar Mazara

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The Rangers have officially signed Dominican outfielder Nomar Mazara according to Anthony Andro of The Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com originally reported the agreement. The deal would top the previous watermark set by Athletics pitcher Michael Ynoa, who signed for $4.25MM in 2008.

Mazara, 16, stands at 6-foot-5 and hits for power from the left side. Rojas writes that he is considered to be the best power-hitting prospect out of Latin America since Wily Mo Pena and Miguel Cabrera. The Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Athletics also showed interest in the 16-year-old, the source said. Ben Badler of Baseball America (via Twitter) previously said that it was difficult to gauge what kind of bonus the outfielder might command.

Mariners Designate Jose Yepez For Assignment

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The Mariners have designated Jose Yepez for assignment, tweets Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Kyle Seager.

Yepez, 30, was hitting .276/.324/.347 in 105 plate appearances for Seattle Triple-A affiliate this year, his third at the level. He has never appeared in the big leagues. Seager, 23, hit .312/.381/.459 with their Double-A affiliate before making a quick stop with their Triple-A club. Baseball America ranked him as the Mariners' ninth best prospect before the season, noting that he "profiles best as a utility player."

NL East Notes: Werth, Morse, Braves

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On this date in 2004, the newly acquired Richard Hidalgo homered in his fifth consecutive game for the Mets, giving him eight homers in his first 16 contests with New York. Hidalgo would go on to hit 21 homers for the Mets in '04, but he played his last MLB game a year later. Here are the latest links from his former division…

  • Jayson Werth told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that he doesn't regret signing in Washington last winter. The outfielder says he's happy with his decision, but unhappy with his offensive production. He has a .221/.326/.377 line since signing a $126MM deal with the Nationals. 
  • Michael Morse of the Nationals tells Crasnick that he feels like a late bloomer. The 29-year-old outfielder, who had just 392 MLB plate appearances before last season, now has 15 homers and a .536 slugging percentage.
  • The White Sox seem interested in Atlanta's pitching, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. The Braves could be in the market for an outfielder and may attempt to find a proven leadoff hitter like Juan Pierre.
  • Bowman notes (on Twitter) that he won't be surprised if the Braves don't make a significant move this month.

Yankees Release Kanekoa Texeira

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The Yankees released Kanekoa Texeira, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). The Yankees had claimed the 25-year-old right-hander from the Royals this May.

Texeira joined the Yankees organization in the 2008 Nick Swisher trade, but he has never donned pinstripes at the Major League level. The Mariners selected him in the 2009 Rule 5 draft and kept him on their roster for two months before exposing him to waivers. The Royals then claimed the Hawaiian and kept him on their roster for the remainder of the 2010 season to earn his rights before losing him to the Yankees.

Texeira posted a 10.43 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 14 2/3 innings total at Triple-A this year. The former 22nd rounder has a 4.66 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 67 2/3 MLB innings.

Rangers Release Dave Bush

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The Rangers have given Dave Bush his unconditional release, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Texas had designated the right-hander for assignment on Friday.

Bush posted a 5.79 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings for the Rangers as a middle reliever and spot starter. Pitching primarily out of the bullpen for the first time in his career, the 31-year-old saw his ground ball rate rise to 46.1% and his average fastball velocity increase to 87.6 mph. The Rangers signed him to a minor league deal in January and he assured himself of a $1MM base salary for making the team out of Spring Training.

Indians Sign Two Venezuelan Prospects

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The Indians have signed left-hander Edgar Pineda and outfielder Omar Sanchez, both from Venezuela, according to Baseball America's Ben Badler. Neither player's bonus is known at this time.

In a subscriber-only piece, Badler notes that the 16-year-old Pineda can touch the low-90's with his fastball even though he stands just 5-foot-7. Sanchez, also 16, is said to have a "flat, line-drive swing and has started to show more consistent contact with gap power."

Cleveland had previously signed Venezuelan outfielder Anthony Santander and Dominican shortstop Dorssys Paulino.

Royals, Blue Jays, Cubs Sign Venezuelan Prospects

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The Royals signed 16-year-old prospects Angelo Castellano and Luis Lara, the Blue Jays signed 16-year-old prospects Wilmer Becerra and Jesus Gonzalez and the Cubs signed catcher Mark Malave and third baseman Ricardo Marcano, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The bonuses are not yet known for the players, who are all Venezuelan.

Castellano is a right-handed hitting shortstop who may eventually have to move to second or third base. He has good hands and has shown power potential, according to Badler. Lara is a catcher whose defense is ahead of his bat at this point.

Becerra has good speed and will likely become an outfielder. Scouts are mixed on his bat with some saying he's one of the top available right-handed hitters and others saying he struggles in games. Gonzalez has raw power and standout arm strength, according to Badler's subscriber-only report. He's an average runner who appears to have drawn interest from Arizona, as well as Toronto.

Malave has a strong arm that may be his best tool. The switch-hitter isn't a lock to remain at catcher and not all scouts believe in his hitting ability. Marcano has one of the best left-handed swings available and could hit for average and power. He is an average runner who may have to move to left field, according to Badler.

Giants Interested In Ramon Hernandez

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The Giants like Ramon Hernandez, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). San Francisco has been looking for catching help since Buster Posey got injured in late May, but the front office is not talking to the Cubs about Geovany Soto or Koyie Hill, Schulman reports.

The Reds have the depth to part with Hernandez, who earns $3MM this year and is hitting .307/.368/.500 with eight home runs. Cincinnati could rely on Ryan Hanigan and prospect Devin Mesoraco if they trade Hernandez in an attempt to return to .500 and repeat as NL Central champions.

Yorvit Torrealba, Ivan Rodriguez and Ronny Paulino are three of the other catchers that have come up in San Francisco's internal discussions. I examined Hernandez as a trade candidate last week.

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