Red Sox Sign Kevin Millwood
The Red Sox and Kevin Millwood have finalized a minor league deal, Alex Speier of WEEI confirmed (on Twitter). Yahoo's Tim Brown first reported the agreement (on Twitter).
Millwood, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees earlier this year but opted out of his contract after posting a 4.50 ERA through three minor league starts. Millwood's numbers appeared to be good through his first two starts, but scouts said otherwise, citing that his fastball was sitting around just 85mph.
Over the past few days, we've heard that the Cubs, Red Sox, and possibly the Angels have all shown interest in Millwood. Boston's rotation depth has taken a hit with injuries to both John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka, so the Red Sox were a logical destination for the 14-year Major League veteran.
Quick Hits: Brown, Padres, Johnson
On this date in 1919, Babe Ruth hit his first career grand slam to help the Red Sox beat the Browns. Oh yeah, and he pitched a complete game. Here’s the latest from around the league on the anniversary of the Babe’s big day…
- The Phillies placed Shane Victorino on the 15-day DL with a right hamstring strain and called up outfielder Domonic Brown from Triple-A, the team announced.
- By waiting a month, the Phillies could have ensured themselves that Brown would finish the 2011 season with less than a full year of service time, but their focus is clearly (and rightfully) on winning games now.
- The Padres are close to announcing a 20-year TV deal with Fox that will provide the team with $25-30MM per season, according to John Maffei of the North County Times.
- Teddy Cahill of Baseball America lists draft-eligible prospects with connections to current and former big leaguers and others around the game.
- Dan Johnson, who was designated for assignment earlier today, told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he's "kind of numb," but open to remaining in the organization if he clears waivers.
Red Sox Designate Daniel Nava For Assignment
The Red Sox designated outfielder Daniel Nava for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Drew Sutton, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com (Twitter link). The Red Sox created room on the active roster for Sutton by optioning Jose Iglesias to the minor leagues.
Nava, 28, has a .192/.321/.262 line in 156 plate appearances at Triple-A this year. In 2010 he was a major contributor in Pawtucket, hitting .289/.372/.458 and earning a promotion to Boston. He made an impression early, hitting a grand slam on the first MLB pitch he saw and posting a .242/.351/.360 line in 188 plate appearances for the Red Sox.
Here's a more detailed look at Nava's path to the Major Leagues.
Draft Notes: Bundy, Bauer, Bradley, Rendon
You know the draft isn't far off when eye-popping asking prices start to circulate. Here's the latest on the amateur draft, which isn't much more than two weeks away…
- High school right-hander Dylan Bundy would have no problem becoming a Royal, adviser Jay Franklin told Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. "We think Dylan would look great in Royal blue," he said (Twitter link)
- Earlier today, it appeared as though Bundy had told several teams, including the Pirates (1st overall) and Royals (5th overall), that he’d prefer not to be drafted by them, according to Passan. Bundy believes in his long-toss program and doesn’t want teams to try to change his way of preparing for games, according to Passan.
- UCLA right-hander Trevor Bauer is also concerned that teams will ask him to stop his long-toss sessions, according to Passan.
- As Jim Callis of Baseball America explained earlier in the week, players sometimes set exorbitant asking prices (like Bundy's) to make sure they fall to a team that values them highly and is prepared to pay more than most clubs would. Bundy and fellow high school right-hander Archie Bradley are asking for record deals, with Bradley looking for $20MM over five years. As Callis explains, neither pitcher will top Stephen Strasburg's record mark of $15.1MM, but each could earn over $5MM in bonus money.
- MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes introduced us to Bradley earlier in the week.
- Some executives are wondering if Anthony Rendon’s best position will ultimately be second base, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. However, Rendon is a tremendous defender at third by most accounts and he told me he takes his defensive game seriously.
AL West Notes: Ross, Lee, Faulkner
Craig Breslow has a 3.02 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 through 146 innings with the Athletics. It was on this date two years ago that the A's claimed the left-hander off of waivers from the Twins. Here's the latest on the A's and their division…
- Tyson Ross is injured and Dallas Braden is out for most or all of the season, so the A’s could use rotation help. Assistant GM David Forst told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that the A’s are likely to fill the void in their rotation internally. "I don't know a lot of teams that'll give away starting pitchers this time of year," Forst said.
- As much as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports likes Cliff Lee, he thinks the Rangers are better off long-term without the left-hander. GM Jon Daniels tells Rosenthal that the Rangers still have depth, though they weren't happy to miss out on Lee last winter.
- The Rangers are interested in high school left-hander Andrew Faulkner for the MLB draft, MLBTR has learned. The 6’4” southpaw has an 88-92 mph fastball and a commitment to the University of South Carolina.
Stark On Posada, Cubs, Madson
The nuances of this year’s interleague schedule could impact the playoff picture, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark explains. In the AL West, for example, the Rangers play the Astros (owners of the worst record in baseball) six times, while the A’s play the first-place Giants six times. Stark also delivers a number of rumblings from around the league. Here they are:
- There are no signs that the Yankees have really considered releasing Jorge Posada, but at least one scout thinks the switch-hitter could easily find another job if the Yankees cut him loose.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry says he hasn’t discussed next year’s spending plans with owner Tom Ricketts, since he’s focused on turning the 2011 team around.
- Don’t count on seeing Aramis Ramirez’s name on MLBTR much this summer. Not only can the third baseman veto any trade, a deal would guarantee him $16MM in 2012 (though he could still opt out).
- Ryan Madson seems ready to test the open market after the season. Since taking over for Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge, Madson seems like a possible long-term closer, but he figures to generate interest as a free agent after the season.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bautista, Vargas, Loney
On this date in 1999, Robin Ventura became the first player in baseball history to hit a grand slam in both games of a double header. The Mets' third baseman took Jim Abbott of the Brewers deep for four runs in the first game, then did the same to Horacio Estrada in the nightcap. Here is this week's big batch of links from around the web…
- Getting Blanked put together baseball's All-Crazy Team.
- Roto Hardball looks at Tommy John surgery and labrum surgery.
- Baseball Nation projects Jose Bautista's tragic evolution.
- Infield Chatter wonders if Albert Pujols' time with the Cardinals will end with a Jorge Posada-like mess down the road if he signs a long-term deal.
- North and South of Royal Brougham says the Mariners should sign Jason Vargas to a long-term extension this season or offseason if they plan to do it at all.
- Bronx Bombers Report thinks the Yankees should be more open to discussing long-term contract extensions with their players.
- Through The Fence Baseball wonders if getting Josh Hamilton back is enough to help the Rangers.
- The Yankee Analysts explores Mark Teixeira's evolution as a hitter.
- Bay City Ball wonders where Sergio Romo has been.
- Memories of Kevin Malone would trade James Loney for anything with a pulse.
- The Hardball Times tries to figure out what's wrong with Alexis Rios.
- The Flagrant Fan breaks down Charlie Morton's improbable success.
- Splashing Pumpkins looked into Ryan Vogelsong's revival.
- Cubs Stats doesn't buy into Darwin Barney's early success.
- Disciples of Uecker thinks the Brewers benefited when the Nationals let Marco Estrada get away.
- We Should Be GMs posted some Phillies' confidence meters.
- D'Backs Central believes Kirk Gibson is well-deserving of his spot as an All-Star Game coach.
- Penn League Report previews one of the Astros' low-level minor league affiliates.
- Replacement Level Baseball posted video of some top draft prospects.
- MLB Draft Insider and Flags Fly Forever put together updated mock drafts.
- The Blue Jay Hunter says Joe Carter's legacy is overblown, though no one can take away his World Series winning homer.
- COSFBA lists some players on the waiver wire that could help your fantasy team.
- Zoo With Roy associated some Phillies' players with Kelly Kapowski gifs.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Draft Rumors: Pirates, Bundy, Royals, D’Backs
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo posted his first mock draft today, and within it he provides some info about what players are being targeted by what teams…
- The Pirates are still looking at Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Danny Hultzen, Dylan Bundy, Bubba Starling, and perhaps even Archie Bradley.
- Most believe that Bundy wants to turn pro despite his reported six-year, $30MM contract demand.
- The Royals continue to look hard at college arms, but "there's a lot of chatter" about Starling, a semi-local kid.
- The Diamondbacks will get a "bounty of college pitching" with the third and seventh overall picks.
- The Cubs would love Starling if he is still on the board when their ninth overall pick comes around.
- It's unclear if the Astros are leaning towards a college or high school player, but Texas native Taylor Jungmann could be too good for them to pass up at pick number 11.
Oldest Current MLB Players
Generally speaking, young players tend to have athleticism, upside and a salary right around the MLB minimum. It’s no wonder that teams tend to gravitate to those players when constructing their rosters. There’s not much demand for aging, positionless sluggers in this era, yet a small group of older players are contributing to winning teams. In honor of Jason Giambi’s three-homer game, here’s a comprehensive list of every 40-plus player to don an MLB uniform in 2011:
- Tim Wakefield (44) – The knuckleballer is once again a member of Boston's rotation. He has a 5.40 ERA with 4.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 23 1/3 innings this year.
- Omar Vizquel (44) – The active leader in games played is showing few signs of age. Vizquel isn't on this list for his bat, but his .327/.358/.388 line is excellent. The 11-time Gold Glove winner has played second, short and third this year.
- Matt Stairs (43) – Stairs, who figures to DH in interleague play this weekend, needs to turn his season around. The New Brunswick native has just two hits and six walks in 28 plate appearances. Give Stairs credit for staying in the majors this long; Bryce Harper wasn’t even born when Stairs made his MLB debut with the ’92 Expos.
- Takashi Saito (41) – Before hitting the disabled list with a left hamstring injury, Saito appeared in just two games for the Brewers.
- Mariano Rivera (41) – How is Rivera this effective at 41? He leads the league in saves (13) and has a 1.80 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9. His average fastball still checks in at over 91 mph.
- Arthur Rhodes (41) – Rhodes hasn't quite matched his 2010 performance so far, but a 3.97 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 isn't bad at any age.
- Craig Counsell (40) – The 16-year veteran has a .234/.321/.255 line in 55 plate appearances at second, third, short and left field. Consider that the average MLB shortstop has a .254/.312/.361 line and Counsell's numbers look a little better.
- Jason Giambi (40) – Giambi has an unusual .194/.306/.581 line after his three-homer game.
- Miguel Batista (40) – Batista has a 1.69 ERA through 16 innings despite having an equal number of walks and strikeouts (9).
- Darren Oliver (40) – Oliver has a 2.95 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9 in 18 1/3 innings of relief. He and Rhodes provide the Rangers with a pair of dependable lefty relievers.
- Jim Thome (40) – After a tremendous 2010 season, Thome's numbers have fallen off and he has spent time on the disabled list. He hit a pair of homers and posted a .214/.333/.375 line before hitting the DL with an oblique strain.
Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS
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NL West