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Olney On Bell, Goldschmidt, Cuddyer

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The latest MLB news and rumors from ESPN.com’s Buster Olney…

  • Rival evaluators believe the Padres made a major mistake in not trading Heath Bell at the deadline, according to Olney. If the closer accepts arbitration, as he says he would, the small market Padres will be burdened with a big contract. And if they don’t offer arbitration, the Padres won’t get anything for losing Bell.
  • The Twins want to keep hot-hitting Michael Cuddyer after the season, according to Olney (on Twitter). The versatile Cuddyer hits free agency this winter.
  • Arizona GM Kevin Towers told Olney that he was impressed by Paul Goldschmidt's power and work ethic in Spring Training. The rookie first baseman homered against Tim Lincecum Tuesday and Towers says he'll be able to cope when things aren't going so well. "He's not a kid who's going to start hanging his head if he gets a couple of oh-fers," Towers said.

Updates On Converted Relievers Now Starting

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It seems like MLB teams, even good ones, are always on the hunt for starting pitching. The Tigers, Indians, Red Sox, Cardinals and Diamondbacks acquired starting pitching at the trade deadline and other contenders inquired on starters before moving on to other targets.

Quality starting pitching is scarce and expensive so teams sometimes convert relievers to the rotation in case they can add value as starters. Here's a look at the four converted relievers have who started extensively in 2011. None of the pitchers below had more than two MLB starts to his name before the 2011 season and all of them were big league relievers last year:

  • Alexi Ogando, Rangers - What a find for the Rangers. Ogando has a 2.88 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 125 innings as a starter. The converted outfielder has averaged 94.8 mph with his fastball, but it's hard not to wonder if he'll tire toward the end of the season. Ogando's previous professional high in innings is 70 2/3.
  • Phil Coke, Tigers – Coke lost his rotation spot midway through the season after posting a 4.91 ERA with 4.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 77 innings. The left-hander was solid in April and May, but put together a string of ugly outings in June and is now pitching out of the 'pen again.
  • Kyle McClellan, Cardinals – McClellan, who replaced the injured Adam Wainwright, lost his rotation spot when St. Louis acquired Edwin Jackson. McClellan returns to the bullpen after posting a respectable 4.21 ERA in 104 2/3 innings from the rotation.
  • Phil Humber, White Sox – The 28-year-old former third overall pick has a 3.44 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 117 2/3 innings. Though his last three starts haven't been pretty, Humber's emergence allowed the White Sox to part with Jackson last week.

Los Angeles Notes: Loney, Kershaw, Pineiro

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On this date in 1948, the Brooklyn Dodgers acquired announcer Ernie Harwell from the Atlanta Crackers for catcher Cliff Dapper in an unconventional trade that the Dodgers won easily. Here's the latest on L.A.'s two teams…

  • James Loney tells Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that he loves playing for the Dodgers and hopes the team wants him back in 2012. The first baseman is under team control next year, but would earn a raise from $4.875MM if the Dodgers offer arbitration, which makes him a prime non-tender candidate.
  • Clayton Kershaw was the National League's pitcher of the month in July and his season numbers are now more impressive than ever. The 23-year-old has a 2.68 ERA with a league-leading 177 strikeouts, a career-best rate of 2.3 BB/9 and a career-best 13 wins. It should all translate into a salary of $5MM or more next year, when Kershaw is arbitration eligible for the first time.
  • Angels GM Tony Reagins tells Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that having lots of powerful bats at first base is a "good problem." Kendrys Morales, Mark Trumbo and C.J. Cron give the Angels an abundance of power at first base and Reagins says situations like this "have a way of working themselves out."
  • The Angels are considering replacing the struggling Joel Pineiro in the rotation, according to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter). It's not clear whether the Angels will look to the bullpen, the minors or outside of the organization.

Draft Signings: Tigers, Indians, Pirates, Cron

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MLB teams have until August 15th to sign their 2011 draft picks. Here are the latest signings, with less than two weeks to go before the deadline…

  • The Tigers signed fifth round pick Brandon Loy to a deal with a $212K bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter).  The slot recommendation was $146.7K.
  • Indians 16th rounder Ryan Merritt agreed to sign a $150K deal with Cleveland, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).
  • The Pirates announced that they signed high school right-hander Jake Burnette. The seventh rounder gets $550K, according to Callis (on Twitter).
  • The Pirates agreed to sign fifth rounder Tyler Glasnow for $600K, according to Callis. It’s the highest known deal outside of the first 65 picks this year, Callis reports.
  • Angels first rounder C.J. Cron, who signed in June, slugged three homers last night, according to Ashley Marshall of MLB.com. The 21-year-old has 11 homers in his first 137 professional plate appearances.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Beltran, Jimenez, Marlins

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Wednesday night linkage..

  • Former Orioles pitching coach Mark Connor, who resigned on June 14, has agreed to return to the Rangers organization, several sources tell Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.  Connor will assume his former post as player development special consultant.
  • Carlos Beltran has already proven to be a valuable addition to the Giants both on the field and in the clubhouse, writes MLB.com's Adam Berry.
  • The Red Sox made a substantial offer to the Rockies for Ubaldo Jimenez on Friday, a major league source told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Howwever, Colorado was looking for near-major league-ready players, the kind that the BoSox were not willing to offer up in such a deal.
  • There hasn't been a lot of dialogue recently between the Marlins and first-round pick Jose Fernandez, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel.
  • The Orioles sent Mark Hendrickson to Triple-A Norforlk, but he won't become a free agent thanks to a previous agreement between the pitcher and the club, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.  Hendrickson was demoted to make room for Jo-Jo Reyes, who was claimed off waivers from Toronto on Tuesday.

Latest On Doug Fister Trade

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WEDNESDAY: Churchill says he doesn't know "for [a] fact" that Ruffin is the player to be named (Twitter link).

TUESDAY: The Mariners will receive right-hander Chance Ruffin from the Tigers as the final piece of the Doug Fister trade, reports Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider (Twitter link).  Since Ruffin was selected in the 2010 draft, he cannot officially be part of any trade until August 15 and thus will be considered just as a player to be named later until that date.  This finalizes Seattle's package for Fister and David Pauley as Ruffin, Charlie Furbush, Casper Wells and Francisco Martinez. 

Ruffin, a University of Texas product who turns 23 in September, was a supplemental first round pick (48th overall) in the 2010 amateur draft.  The Tigers drafted him with the pick they received as compensation for the Angels' signing of Fernando Rodney as a free agent. 

In 40 career minor league relief appearances (31 at Double-A, nine at Triple-A), Ruffin has a 2.00 ERA and an impressive 11.4 K/9 rate.  He made his Major League debut on July 25 and has thus far allowed two earned runs and recorded three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings of work with Detroit.  Churchill describes Ruffin as being a late-inning reliever, but he is "not sure [Ruffin] has true closer stuff."

Orioles To Sign Willie Eyre

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The Orioles have agreed to terms with pitcher Willie Eyre, according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).  The right-hander will be sent to Triple-A Norfolk once he passes a physical.

Eyre, 33, had been pitching for Oakland's Triple-A affiliate and opted for free agency on Sunday.  The veteran posted a 3.48 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, and 0.7 HR/9 in 62 innings.

Matt Stairs Retires

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After a career that has spanned nearly two decades, Matt Stairs says that he's ready to retire, according to CBC News.  The 43-year-old was designated for assignment by the Nationals last Wednesday and released on Monday.

"I'm not sad. I had a great career, a long career," the slugger said, "And it's one of those things where I can walk away today and not be sad about it."

In his 19 seasons, Stairs has suited up for the Expos, Red Sox, Athletics, Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Royals, Rangers, Tigers, Blue Jays, Phillies, Padres, and Nationals.  He has earned almost $19MM across his career while posting a slash line of .262/.356/.477 and 265 home runs in 6023 plate appearances.  The veteran hit .154/.257/.169 in 74 plate appearances for Washington this year.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Yankees, Darvish

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Dan Uggla hit his 23rd home run of the season and extended his hit streak to 25 games against the Nationals this afternoon. Here's the latest news from around MLB, starting with an item on Uggla’s former team…

  • Greg Cote of the Miami Herald argues that the Marlins should stop focusing on finding a new manager for 2012 and let Jack McKeon lead the club into its new stadium next year.
  • GM Brian Cashman's emphasis on the "bigger picture" has enabled the Yankees to keep the likes of Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Eduardo Nunez, as Newsday's Ken Davidoff explains.
  • Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (link at ESPN.com) and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com rank the top prospects traded at the deadline and Drew Pomeranz, who hasn't even been officially traded yet, tops both lists. The Rockies will acquire Pomeranz as the player to be named in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. 
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggests Yu Darvish could end up with the Rangers next year. The Rangers have two Japanese pitchers, Koji Uehara and Yoshinori Tateyama, and could bid for the rights to Darvish after the season. GM Jon Daniels saw Darvish pitch this year, but he was interested in more than one player. "I was there to get a feel for the lay of the land and the baseball culture, the same way I did in the Dominican a few years ago,” Daniels told Morosi. “If we’re going to invest in that universe of players, we need to understand where they’re coming from.”

Brett Carroll Elects Free Agency

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Brett Carroll refused an outright assignment to Triple-A and is now a free agent, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). The Brewers designated Carroll for assignment on Saturday to create roster space for Jerry Hairston Jr.

The Brewers acquired Carroll from the Royals in March and made him their Triple-A center fielder. He hit .281/.356/.469 in 381 plate appearances in Nashville then appeared in two games for Milwaukee.

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