Cubs Acquire Rodrigo Lopez From Braves
The Cubs have acquired right-hander Rodrigo Lopez from the Braves for left-hander Ryan Buchter, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Cubs GM Jim Hendry told Sullivan (via Twitter) that he sees the veteran as a swingman who can start or relieve.
Lopez has spent this season at Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 2.59 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in nine starts. The 35-year-old pitched 200 innings as a starter for Arizona last season and finished with a 5.00 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.
Buchter, 24, will be assigned to Class A-Advanced Lynchburg. The reliever has made 57 appearances at the Double-A level and owns a 4.94 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 7.4 BB/9.
MLB.com's Mark Bowman (via Twitter) first reported that the Braves would receive Buchter in the deal.
Draft Notes: Harvey, Starling, Anderson, Stilson
With the MLB draft coming up on June 6th, let's take a look at some draft-related tidbits..
- Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets that the Red Sox released Ryan Harvey, who was the 2003 1st round pick of the Cubs. The 26-year-old was trying to convert from the outfield to the mound but never found his way out of extended Spring Training with Boston.
- There's been talk of a lack of elite bats in this year's draft, but there appears to be a good amount of depth when it comes to the outfield prospects, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Mayo highlights a number of the top outfielders in the draft, including Bubba Starling, George Springer, Mikie Mahtook, and Jackie Bradley.
- More from Mayo who writes that there's a good deal of buzz around Stanford closer Chris Reed, who is seen by some scouts as a starter. Reed, it appears, will be taken somewhere in the sandwich round.
- Meanwhile, Mayo writes that two pitchers, Oregon lefty Tyler Anderson and Texas A&M right-hander John Stilson, may have hurt their stock with recent poor outings.
Nationals Notes: Harper, Rodriguez, Werth
The latest on the Nationals, who rest today before hosting the last-place Padres this weekend…
- Top prospect Bryce Harper is hitting his way through the South Atlantic League with the help of his coaches and teammates and as Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes, last year's number one pick is just beginning his baseball odyssey.
- As Adam Kilgore points out at the Washington Post, Ivan Rodriguez could appeal to the Giants, who lost Buster Posey to the disabled list, possibly for the rest of the season. The Nationals are one of few teams with catching depth to spare.
- Jayson Werth, who signed a $126MM contract with Washington over the winter, has raised his OPS above .800 for the first time since April 14th and he tells Kilgore that he's feeling good. “I’m working in the right direction," he said. "I’m hitting balls hard, and I’ve got some confidence. I like where I’m at.”
Outrighted To Triple-A: Boggs, Weinhardt, Nava
Here’s the latest on some minor moves:
- The Brewers outrighted Brandon Boggs to Triple-A to clear roster space, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The outfielder can decline the assignment and elect free agency istead of accepting his third outright of the year.
- Robbie Weinhardt, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo, according to the Tigers (on Twitter).
- Daniel Nava has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment, according to Red Sox reporter Maureen Mullen (on Twitter).
Angels Sign Russell Branyan
The Angels announced that they have signed free agent first baseman Russell Branyan. Howie Kendrick, who has been one of the best players in the league so far, has been placed on the DL with a right hamstring strain.
The Diamondbacks released Branyan on the weekend, prompting Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports to suggest that the Angels could sign him and have him share time at first base with Mark Trumbo. Because Kendrys Morales is out for the season, the Angels have less depth than expected at first.
Branyan, 35, hit just .210/.290/.339 with one homer in 69 plate appearances for Arizona before getting released. The left-handed hitter posted an .874 OPS against righties last year, when he hit 25 homers for the Indians and Mariners. That makes him a possible platoon partner for Trumbo, who has hit lefties (.805 OPS) better than righties (.630 OPS) in his brief MLB career.
Giants Designate Rohlinger, Sosa For Assignment
The Giants announced that they have designated Ryan Rohlinger and Henry Sosa for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Brandon Crawford and Chris Stewart (Twitter links). In related moves, the Giants called up Brandon Belt, placed Mike Fontenot on the disabled list with a groin strain, placed Darren Ford on the DL with an ankle sprain and placed Buster Posey on the DL with a fractured bone in his lower left leg.
Rohlinger, 27, appeared in one game with the Giants this year, but he has spent most of his season at Triple-A Fresno, where he has a .174/.294/.331 line with more walks (19) than strikeouts (14) in 144 plate appearances. Sosa, who is also at Triple-A, has a 10.41 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 6.6 BB/9 in 23 1/3 innings this year. The 25-year-old was more effective at Fresno last year, when he posted a 4.07 ERA in 115 frames as a swingman.
NL Central Notes: Pirates, Fielder, Cubs
On this date in 1997, Sammy Sosa of the Cubs and Tony Womack of the Pirates hit inside the park homers in the same inning of the same game. Here’s the latest on the NL Central…
- The Pirates announced that they signed five amateur free agents: Nicaraguan right-hander Adolfo Flores, Dominican right-hander Juan Mendoza, Panamanian position player Edgar Munoz and Venezuelan outfielders Anthony Claudio and Keybel Escobar. Claudio "resembles a young Magglio Ordonez," according to Pirates Latin America scouting director Rene Gayo.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today says Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder could get a $200MM deal in free agency if he keeps hitting like this (Twitter link). Fielder leads the NL with 41 RBI and has a .285/.380/.548 line 216 plate appearances into the season.
- There's only a slim chance that high school right-hander Dylan Bundy will be available when the Cubs select ninth overall in next month's draft, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). If Bundy and high school outfielder Bubba Starling have already been selected, Vanderbilt right-hander Sonny Gray could be an option for the Cubs.
McCourt Expects To Make Payroll Next Week
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has told MLB officials that he expects to make payroll next week, reports Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times. If he does make the May 31st payroll, it would avoid the prospect of MLB stepping in and seizing control of the team, at least temporarily.
Shaikin hears from a source that McCourt needs approximately $9.8MM to make payroll next week, and he could raise some of that money by "accelerating payments the Dodgers were due later this season." The team's payroll will rise next month when a $6MM deferred payment to Manny Ramirez must be made at the end of June. McCourt and his lawyers met with the league on Tuesday to again discuss a television deal with FOX that would infuse the team with some much needed cash.
Bay Area Notes: Geren, Posey, Molina
Oakland's manager recently faced criticism from current and former relievers and San Francisco catcher Buster Posey suffered an apparently serious leg injury last night. Here's the latest from the Bay Area…
- A's owner Lew Wolff told MLB.com's Jane Lee that manager Bob Geren is "fantastic" and said he likes "the way he deals with everyone." The manager recently faced criticism from relievers Brian Fuentes and Huston Street.
- If Posey is out for an extended period of time, the Giants will have few alternatives, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. There’s not much catching available other than Bengie Molina, who has expressed a reluctance to prepare for the season in the minor leagues.
- Olney says it’s not worth it for catchers to risk injury by blocking the plate when one run isn’t going to make or break a 162-game season.
NL West Notes: Rizzo, De La Rosa, D’Backs
Giants catcher Buster Posey appeared to suffer a serious leg injury while blocking the plate in extra innings last night. Posey's agent, Jeff Berry, says he's going to call Joe Torre about changing rules for plays at the plate to make collisions safer for catchers, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. "It's brutal," Berry said. "It's borderline shocking. It just stinks for baseball." Here are some other notes from the NL West:
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Bill Center of of the San Diego Union-Tribune that top first base prospect Anthony Rizzo is "not yet" ready for the Major Leagues. The Padres want Rizzo to stay in the Majors once he arrives, so "the timing and situation has to be right."
- Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd told Dave Krieger of the Denver Post that he has the financial freedom to make a trade. "I have some flexibility that we saved for opportunities that may come up," O'Dowd said. "It would be hard to do multiple things, so we're probably going to have to prioritize what that is if something should come available." Though the Rockies aren't about to make a sudden move, they'll keep talking to teams about possible deals.
- The Rockies will call on internal options to replace Jorge de la Rosa, who will miss the rest of the season with Tommy John surgery, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Rockies owner Dick Monfort says the team didn't have insurance on the left-hander's contract.
- The D'Backs continue to eye other teams' arms as they look to bolster their Triple-A pitching depth, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.