Padres Designate Luis Durango For Assignment
The Padres designated outfielder Luis Durango for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for lefty Josh Spence, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock.
Durango, 25, picked up 53 MLB plate appearances as a backup center fielder last year, hitting .250/.308/.250. He has spent this season as the center fielder for Triple-A Tucson, where he has a .243/.328/.294 line with ten stolen bases.
Spence, 23, was selected in the 9th round of last year's draft and is the first member of San Diego's 2010 draft class to reach the Major Leagues. The reliever posted a 1.71 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 47 1/3 innings (35 appearances) at Double-A this year and he posted an eye-popping 15.8 K/9 after signing last summer.
Stark On B.J. Upton, Boras, Dodgers
The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…
- The Rays are not likely to trade B.J. Upton this summer, though the Nationals have been monitoring the center fielder just in case. Though the Rays feel they have a long-term need for catching, they're not enticed by the Nats' dangling of Jesus Flores and Ivan Rodriguez.
- Scott Boras is the biggest culprit in trying to steal clients, says one agent. However, the practice is legal if Boras reports all contact made with others' clients to the Players Association. Last year Boras' free agent group looked weak before he snagged Jayson Werth and Rafael Soriano a few months before the offseason began. This time, Boras won't be swiping Jose Reyes from Peter Greenberg, but he does have Prince Fielder, Carlos Beltran, Ryan Madson, and anyone else he manages to bring aboard.
- Realignment is unlikely to happen for 2012, since the schedule needs to be finalized by September. Stark also explains that realignment may depend on the decision to expand the postseason.
- The Dodgers are telling teams they're weeks away from deciding whether to be deadline sellers. If they do sell, it won't be because of money issues. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees, saying MLB-appointed monitor Tom Schieffer would intercede if the team tries to make a move that's not in its best long-term interests.
Cardinals To Explore Trades For Bullpen Help
The Cardinals will explore trades for bullpen help, GM John Mozeliak told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link). Mozeliak also said he has not had conversations with the Phillies about recently-designated lefty J.C. Romero and doesn't consider Romero an upgrade. On June 16th, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had written that the Cards planned to investigate Romero's availability.
With a 3.94 ERA, the Cardinals' bullpen ranks 12th in the National League. The club was dealt a blow when Eduardo Sanchez hit the DL recently for a shoulder strain. The Cards still have a strong group of righties in Fernando Salas, Jason Motte, and Mitchell Boggs. I covered potentially available lefty relievers today, and the many right-handed relievers last week.
Quick Hits: Braves, Mariners, Balfour, Posting System
Today the Diamondbacks purchased the contract of Wily Mo Pena with the aim of employing him in the middle of their order as a designated hitter during the AL leg of their interleague schedule. The D'Backs had open spots on the 40-man roster for Pena, who hasn't played in the bigs since '08 but has a .363/.439/.726 line with 21 home runs in 271 Triple-A plate appearances. Today's links…
- Braves GM Frank Wren spoke to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the state of the trade market, saying teams are "starting to reach out and talk to each other." He added that they "talked to a number of clubs about where they think they’re going to be going at the trade deadline, but that’s even somewhat nebulous on a lot of clubs."
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times explored the idea of the Mariners trading either Jason Vargas or Doug Fister for offensive help and tried to figure out what a realistic return would be.
- In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney mentions that Grant Balfour of the Athletics is among the relievers expected to be available this summer. He speculates that the Rangers could be a fit.
- Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal looked at how the Red Sox were about to snag Anthony Rizzo in the sixth round three years before he was a key piece in the Adrian Gonzalez trade.
- NPB has decided against pursuing changes to the posting system according to a Japanese report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Reasons include the difficulty of changing things on MLB's side, as well as the potential for large posting fees offered by the current system.
- In the wake of Andrew Miller's return to the big leagues, WEEI.com's Alex Speier listed the seven pitchers in the last 15 years that reached the Majors the year they were drafted. It's not a pretty list.
Pirates Acquire Josh Rodriguez
The Pirates have acquired Josh Rodriguez from the Indians for cash, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter). The infielder had been returned to Cleveland from Pittsburgh as a Rule 5 Draft pick back in April.
Baseball America ranked Rodriguez 24th among Pirates prospects before the season and suggested that he could become a big league utility player. In 364 plate appearances at Triple-A last year, he hit .293/.372/.486 and played shortstop. In 14 plate appearances for the Pirates this year, Rodriguez collected a single and a walk while playing second and short. His brief return to the Tribe resulted in a .193/.270/.316 batting line in 65 Triple-A plate appearances.
White Sox Rumors: Ozzie, Trade Deadline
Ten years ago today, the White Sox purchased Jose Canseco's contract from the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. Canseco went on to hit .258/.366/.477 with 16 homers in 306 plate appearances the rest of the season, his last in the majors. Let's round up the latest news from Chicago's south side…
- Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Ozzie Guillen approached White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf about his long-term status with the club and didn't like what he was told. "I'm maybe going to ask about my situation [after the season], but I'm not going to ask for money or tell them I need a contract, anything like that," said Guillen, whose name has again popped up with regards to the Marlins' long-term managerial position.
- The White Sox increased payroll by $20MM this year, so it's possible that the team's only big additions this summer will be improved play from Adam Dunn and Alexis Rios according to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune. "You're certainly not going to go out at the deadline and get somebody that could do the things that some of these guys can do when they're on their game," said GM Kenny Williams.
Albert Pujols Injury Reaction
The Cardinals will lose Albert Pujols for four to six weeks with a small fracture in his left arm. Here's the latest reaction to the news, which could affect the Cardinals' approach to the trade deadline this summer and the first baseman's first free agent contract after the season:
- When he returns, Pujols may face the biggest pressure of any prospective free agent in the history of the game, writes ESPN's Buster Olney. One NL evaluator opined that the fracture could cost him $50MM or more, as many wrist injuries are career-altering.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports doesn't expect that the injury will affect Pujols' free agent value as long as he returns in time to prove his health. "The only way the injury will damage his position in the marketplace is if it affects his long-term ability as a hitter," Rosenthal writes, "and does anyone really see that happening?"
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan argues that it's time for GM John Mozeliak to work out an extension with Pujols, who belongs in a Cardinals uniform. One agent suggests an eight-year, $224MM deal for Pujols, who appeared to want $300MM before the season.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says that the Cardinals will be able to get by without Pujols by playing Jon Jay every day and shifting Lance Berkman to first base.
- My take on Pujols' free agent value: he had better hope the Cardinals stay in the race without him, since a standout postseason performance like the one Carlos Beltran had in 2004 could catapult his free agent value back into $300MM territory.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Mets Rumors: Trades, Reyes, Beltran, Nimmo, Kazmir
After an off day yesterday, the Mets remain five games out in the wild card at 35-37 as Dillon Gee prepares to face the Athletics. The latest rumors around the club:
- Mets COO Jeff Wilpon told Dan Martin of the New York Post that GM Sandy Alderson will "have all the opportunity in the world to bring anybody he wants in." Alderson is restriction-free, but must bring ideas to his bosses on a case-by-case basis. Regarding the Mets' status as buyers or sellers, Alderson remarked, "The next three to four weeks will tell a lot."
- Asked by Martin if he had lost hope on keeping Jose Reyes, Wilpon replied, "Why would we? There's a long time between now and next year [and there are] a lot of things that can happen in a lot of different directions." Though he's been mum on the subject of his next contract publicly, the shortstop talks about the situation privately all the time, one friend told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Said the friend, "If the Mets think they're getting him for, like, $95 million, they're wrong. He's going to get paid. He is clear about that." Martino feels that even if Reyes gives the Mets a discount, he'll still require "well north of $100 million." Alderson said recently that the Mets will reach out to Reyes at some point.
- SI's Tom Verducci thinks the Mets will approach Reyes in July. A team source told him, "I'm sure there will come a point where we sit down and see what Jose wants. But there's nothing that says we won't try to keep the guy." The Mets would need to be overwhelmed with an offer of three top prospects to trade Reyes, in the opinion of Verducci.
- Martin talked to Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran, who said he is not worrying about trade possibilities.
- Mets first-round draft pick Brandon Nimmo "was asking for $2.5 million," tweets Baseball America's Jim Callis. Nimmo, drafted 13th overall, is committed to Arkansas. If Callis' rumor is correct, he's looking for $844K over slot.
- The Mets' front office wanted to annul the 2004 trade that sent Scott Kazmir to Tampa Bay for Victor Zambrano on medical grounds, reports ESPN's Adam Rubin. Mets employees believed the Rays did not supply the full trainers' log on Zambrano, who had elbow issues at the time of the deal. However, the Wilpons elected not to try to revise or undo the trade. Still, GM Jim Duquette isn't off the hook, because trading Kazmir for a healthy Zambrano wouldn't have been a good deal either.
Giants Asked Questions About Mark Ellis
The Giants "asked questions" about Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis over the weekend, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Schulman's Ellis note was parenthetical, in an article that focused on the lack of clear sellers here in late June. Still, the assumption is that the Giants asked those questions of Athletics brass, as the teams faced off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Ellis, 34, was hitting .211/.245/.287 in 224 plate appearances this year before hitting the DL with a hamstring strain. The Athletics' longest-tenured player, Ellis is expected to be activated from the DL tomorrow, wrote Jane Lee and Tom Green of MLB.com on Saturday. The strong play of rookie Jemile Weeks in 12 games complicates the second base situation.
Even with the A's hanging around the fringes of contention at 5.5 games out, Ellis could be expendable. Earlier this month I named him as a viable second base trade candidate, with the Giants one of six potential suitors. Ellis has good pop for the position, and his defense is highly regarded. Still, he's a tough sell right now with a $6MM salary. The Giants have a need given Freddy Sanchez's shoulder injury, but in-house they've got Emmanuel Burriss and Bill Hall as well as Mike Fontenot and Mark DeRosa on the DL.
According to our Transaction Tracker, Billy Beane and Brian Sabean have never matched up for a trade. They represent the game's longest-tenured GMs.
Rays Sign First-Round Pick Jake Hager
The Rays signed first-round pick Jake Hager for $963K, tweets Baseball America's Jim Callis. That's $9K over slot for the high school shortstop, who was chosen 32nd overall. Hager is represented by Paragon Sports International.
Hager, who had committed to Arizona State, was ranked 122nd on BA's top 200. BA wrote that Hager "doesn't have one standout tool, but he can do a little bit of everything and always plays hard."
The Rays had a dozen picks within the first 89 this year, and so far they've signed six of them in Hager, Jeff Ames, Blake Snell, Kes Carter, James Harris, and Granden Goetzman.
Hager is the fourth first-round pick to sign, as teams begin by locking up those willing to sign around slot. Click here to see our full list of first and supplemental round picks to sign.