Tigers Notes: Leyland, Martinez, Boesch
Max Scherzer led the Tigers past the Yankees with eight innings of shutout ball yesterday, striking out nine along the way. It was the second consecutive win for the Tigers, who already trail the Indians by 7.0 games in the AL Central. Here's the latest out of Detroit…
- Manager Jim Leyland told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he's relieved to have Victor Martinez back in the lineup, since the Tigers acquired him to hit behind Miguel Cabrera.
- In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Jamie Samuelsen praises GM Dave Dombrowski for developing pitchers, but questions the Tigers' development of position players since 2002, when Dombrowski took over as GM.
- Brennan Boesch told Steve Kornacki of MLive.com that Hall of Famer Al Kaline passed along some valuable insight this week. Kaline, who made more than 7,000 outs in his big league career, told Boesch not to be afraid of failure at the plate.
Quick Hits: Twins, CBA, Dodgers
Andre Ethier sat today's game out with an inflamed elbow, so his hitting streak still sits at 29 games. Here's the latest from around the league, including some notes on Ethier's Dodgers…
- Best wishes to Paul Bargas, a left-handed pitcher in the Twins system, who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan hears that MLB and the MLB Players Association will negotiate a DUI policy into the upcoming collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA expires after the season.
- Dodgers trustee Tom Schieffer is meeting in the commissioner's office in Milwaukee today and tomorrow, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- "Any financial problems faced by the Los Angeles Dodgers are the result of decisions made by Mr. McCourt and his management team over a period of years," MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred said, according to Shaikin. The Dodgers may not have enough money to meet payroll at the end of this month, according to Shaikin.
Rockies Notes: Tulowitzki, Jimenez, Stewart
Despite slow starts from Ubaldo Jimenez and Carlos Gonzalez, the Rockies lead the NL West by four games. Here's the latest…
- Jack Etkin takes an in-depth look at Troy Tulowitzki in a piece for Baseball America. Within Etkin's article, there's word that Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd and Tulowitzki discussed an eventual position change "at length." Tulowitzki will be nearly 36 at the end of the 2020 season, the last one on his contract.
- O'Dowd told Dave Krieger of the Denver Post that Jimenez is completely healthy, just struggling to adapt to Major League hitters in ways he hasn't had to before.
- Ian Stewart, who was called up yesterday, is back with the Rockies for the first time in two weeks, as Steve Foster of Inside the Rockies notes.
Rangers Notes: Martin, Lowe, Webb
Who knew first place could be this uncomfortable? The Rangers lead the AL West, but they're tied with the Angels, just a game ahead of the A's and just two games ahead of the Mariners. Here's the latest on the defending American League champions…
- Some rival scouts told Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that if recently-signed Rangers outfield prospect Leonys Martin were available in the upcoming draft, he'd be one of the most highly-coveted players around.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News hears from Rangers officials that Martin is a "plus defender with a good arm," who is "instinctive" and "has a chance to have an impact on the bases."
- The Rangers called up Mark Lowe and optioned Pedro Strop to the minors in an effort to improve their bullpen, according to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. I'm guessing we'll hear lots about the Rangers' 'pen at MLBTR this summer unless it gets healthy in a hurry.
- Brandon Webb, who is trying to pitch in the majors for the first time in over two years, will throw out of the bullpen and work on his mechanics instead of pitching in a game at extended Spring Training tomorrow, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
Outrighted: Boggs, Bowker, Alan Johnson
Today's notes on recently-outrighted players:
- The Brewers sent Brandon Boggs outright to Triple-A to create roster space for Zack Greinke, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Boggs has three days to choose between Triple-A and free agency.
- Pirates outfielder John Bowker cleared waivers and was assigned to the team's Triple-A affiliate, according to their Twitter account. Bowker had been designated to clear a spot for waiver claim Xavier Paul.
- Same goes for Rockies' righty Alan Johnson, according to the Pacific Coast League's transactions page. The Rockies had designated Johnson for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Alfredo Amezaga. Johnson made his MLB debut for the Rockies this year, when he started on April 17th.
Draft Notes: Royals, Hultzen, Red Sox
It takes a while for draft picks – even highly-touted ones – to make an impact in the Major Leagues. For example, only a handful of 2009 first round selections have made it to the majors so far (Stephen Strasburg, Mike Minor, Drew Storen, Aaron Crow, Mike Leake and Alex White). That won't stop us from anticipating the next generation of MLB stars and looking ahead to this June's draft…
- Earlier today, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes pointed out a potential hidden gem for the draft: Montana high school outfielder Ben Roberts (Twitter link).
- Most scouts assume that the Royals will take local high school standout Bubba Starling if he's available when they select fifth overall, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
- Starling, Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen or UCLA right-hander Trevor Bauer could be selected within the first two picks of this year's draft, according to Jason A. Churchill of ESPN.com.
- Meanwhile, Texas right-hander Taylor Jungmann has seen his stock rise recently, while Connecticut right-hander Matt Barnes has seen his stock fall, according to Churchill.
- The Red Sox are showing interest in high school catcher Tyler Marlette, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Marlette is a defensive backstop who could be selected within the first two rounds of the draft.
New York Notes: Ortegano, Hughes, Reyes
The Yankees and Mets both face off against strikeout artists tonight, as Max Scherzer and Tim Lincecum take the mound against New York's two teams. In the meantime, here are some related links…
- Five days after releasing him, the Yankees re-signed left-hander Jose Ortegano to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter).
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Chad Jennings of the Journal News that Phil Hughes' shoulder is feeling better after a cortisone shot. It appears that it will be at least a couple of weeks before Hughes starts throwing again.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean last spoke with Mets GM Sandy Alderson in January, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). Sabean strongly dismissed Jose Reyes trade rumors, speaking to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Though the Giants have reportedly discussed Reyes, a deal is not at all imminent. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes examined how Reyes could fit on the Giants yesterday.
- Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles weighs in on whether the Giants should deal for Reyes and concludes that he's probably not worth what the Mets will want for him.
Transactions History: No-Hitters
We all know how the Twins acquired Francisco Liriano. Back in 2003, the Giants sent Liriano, Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser to Minnesota for A.J. Pierzynski in what would become one of the most significant trades of the decade. In honor of Liriano’s recent no-hitter, here’s a list of all the pitchers to throw no-hitters since 2005 and an explanation of how their teams acquired them:
- Anibal Sanchez – Traded from the Red Sox to the Marlins in 2005 (also in one of the decade’s most memorable deals).
- Justin Verlander – Selected by the Tigers in the first round of the 2004 draft.
- Clay Buchholz – Selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2005 draft.
- Jon Lester – Selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2002 draft.
- Carlos Zambrano – Signed by the Cubs as an amateur free agent in 1997.
- Jonathan Sanchez – Selected by the Giants in the 27th round of the 2004 draft.
- Mark Buehrle (2 no-hitters) – Selected by the White Sox in the 38th round of the 1998 draft.
- Ubaldo Jimenez – Signed by the Rockies as an amateur free agent in 2002.
- Dallas Braden – Selected by the A's in the 24th round of the 2004 draft.
- Roy Halladay (2 no-hitters) – Traded from the Blue Jays to the Phillies in 2009
- Edwin Jackson – Traded from the Tigers to the D'Backs in 2009.
- Matt Garza – Traded from the Twins to the Rays in 2007
- Francisco Liriano – Traded from the Giants to the Twins in 2003.
A Detailed Look At The Indians’ Trades
The Indians acquired many of their current players through trades, as I explained yesterday. In total, 14 of the 29 players to appear in a game for the Indians this year were acquired via trade. Here’s a look at the specific deals that led to the current edition of the team, one that’s 20-8 so far this year:
2002
- Grady Sizemore – acqured in the Bartolo Colon trade with the Expos
- Travis Hafner – acquired in the Einar Diaz/Ryan Drese trade with the Rangers.
2006
- Asdrubal Cabrera – acquired from the Mariners for Eduardo Perez
- Shin-Soo Choo – acquired in the Ben Broussard trade with the Mariners
2008
- Carlos Santana – acquired in the Casey Blake trade with the Dodgers
- Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley – acquired in the C.C. Sabathia trade with the Brewers
- Joe Smith – acquired in a three-team deal with the Mets and Mariners.
2009
- Chris Perez and Jess Todd – acquired from the Cardinals for Mark DeRosa
- Justin Masterson – acquired in the Victor Martinez trade with the Red Sox
- Carlos Carrasco and Lou Marson – acquired in the Cliff Lee trade with the Phillies
- Mitch Talbot – acquired from the Rays for Kelly Shoppach
NL Central Notes: Reds, Friedman, McCutchen
Links from the NL Central, before Pirates starter Kevin Correia pitches against his former teammates in San Diego…
- The Reds signed left-handed reliever James Adkins and catcher James Skelton to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Adkins, 25, has a 4.76 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in parts of five minor league seasons. Skelton, also 25, has a .267/.396/.368 line in parts of seven minor league seasons.
- The Reds also activated Fred Lewis from the disabled list and optioned Jeremy Hermida to Triple-A, according to the Associated Press (via the Boston Herald).
- The father of Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman is involved with a group that has interest in buying the Astros, but Friedman says those dealings don’t impact his job in Tampa Bay, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- Andrew McCutchen left no doubt that he wants to continue playing for the Pirates when speaking to Jared Macdonald of The Good Point. "I plan on being here, that's the mindset. This is where I want to be, " he said. "I don't want to go anywhere, and I'm going to be here for as long as they want me to be here." The Pirates are discussing an extension with McCutchen, though no agreement appears imminent.