Brewers Acquire Nyjer Morgan
Nyjer Morgan said on Friday he didn't expect to be a National by Opening Day, and the team didn't waste much time validating that prediction. The Nationals have sent Morgan to the Brewers in exchange for Cutter Dykstra, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Brewers will also send $50K to the Nats in the deal, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Morgan, 30, was unlikely to crack the Nationals' roster, and told Ladson earlier this weekend, "Maybe I'm not a fit here anymore. It's time to move on." The Brewers, meanwhile, were keeping an eye on Morgan after trading Chris Dickerson to the Yankees on Friday. GM Doug Melvin had denied interest, saying the club was willing to enter the season with in-house options Brandon Boggs and Jeremy Reed, but suggested today that the Nats changed their asking price (Twitter link). Morgan will now take Boggs' spot on the roster, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter).
Dykstra, the son of former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra, was selected by the Brewers in the second round of the 2008 draft. The 21-year-old hit .312/.416/.411 in 353 plate appearances at Class A Wisconsin in 2010.
Quick Hits: Rangers, Astros, Reyes, Burrell, Belt
Links for Saturday, after the Yankees announced that Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia will be their fourth and fifth starters while Bartolo Colon serves as the long reliever…
- The Rangers aren't looking for a centerfielder as they believe that Julio Borbon will be okay after suffering an elbow injury, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It's not realistic to expect the club to land a starting pitcher either as there isn't much out there.
- Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. denied a report saying that he's close to selling the team, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com.
- Left-hander Dennys Reyes told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he is healthy after dealing with a forearm strain at the end of last year. Earlier today the Red Sox purchased the veteran's big league contract.
- More teams are structuring deals to guard against major injuries to their star players, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- As Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reminds us, chances are that back-of-the-rotation won't be the one the Yankees finish the season with.
- Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the team's bullpen isn't finalized (Twitter links). "We've still got a few things in the works," said Dubee, which Zolecki says could mean a trade, waiver claim, or an internal option.
- Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Bruce Bochy confirmed that Pat Burrell will be the Giants' Opening Day left fielder, meaning Brandon Belt is likely headed back to the minors. Check out Tim Dierkes' recent look at Belt's service time situation.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reminds us that 40-man roster space (or the lack thereof) can often serve as the tie-breaker when teams make roster decisions with non-roster invitees near the end of Spring Training (Twitter link).
Poll: Is Carlos Silva Tradeable?
Earlier today, the Cubs notified Carlos Silva that they will look to trade him after anointing Andrew Cashner as the fifth starter. The club also asked the right-hander to consider a stint in the minors if GM Jim Hendry is unable to move him. Silva was less-than-thrilled with that decision, telling the press that there is "no chance" that he would report to the team's Iowa affiliate. The soon-to-be 32-year-old also had some harsh words for pitching coach Mark Riggins.
Silva has struggled this spring (for what it's worth) and is owed $11.5MM in 2011. Count SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter links) among those who think that the Cubs won't be able to unload Silva for anything of value. In fact, Heyman jokes that if Hendry can get a decent prospect and save 10% of the money owed to Silva in a deal, he should be given a five-year contract extension.
Even though Silva ultimately fizzled out in 2010, the hurler showed glimpses of his former self in the first half of the season. Neither the clubs nor his next club will have to pick up the entirety of his $11.5MM deal as the M's are on the hook for $5.5MM of that.
Are the Cubs completely handcuffed here or will they be able to find a worthwhile deal for the veteran?
Is Carlos Silva Tradeable?
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No 78% (6,002)
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Yes 22% (1,681)
Total votes: 7,683
Central Notes: Barmes, Indians, Royals, Diamond
Let's check out some items concerning the Central divisions..
- Astros GM Ed Wade told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that the club will explore outside options with Clint Barmes sidelined for four-to-six weeks. Morosi notes that Houston has Angel Sanchez and Tommy Manzella in-house as well.
- The Indians' projected payroll for 2011 is roughly $48.5MM, writes Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. This marks the third straight year that the payroll has declined and the lowest it has been since 2005. In that year, the Indians opened with a $41.5MM payroll.
- More from the Tribe as skipper Manny Acta said he'll likely meet with GM Chris Antonetti today to discuss remaining decisions that need to be made, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com tweets.
- The Royals cut four minor league players today, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Right-handers Aaron Hartsock and Scott Kelley and infielders Justin Figueroa and Tom Zebroski were given their walking papers. Kansas City has already made a handful of minor league transactions this week.
- Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com (via Twitter) spoke to Twins manager Rod Gardenhire about Rule 5 pick Scott Diamond. The skipper said that he hasn't haven’t seen enough of him to really evaluate him, though he noted that he's not speaking for the organization. The 24-year-old left-hander was plucked from the Braves.
- Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) applauds the Cubs for telling Carlos Silva that they will look to trade him. Heyman suggests that the Mariners should do the same with Milton Bradley.
Opt-Out Notes: Batista, Isringhausen, Bush, Chavez
A few notes on veterans with opt-out clauses from around the league…
- Non-roster invitee Miguel Batista has earned a spot on the Cardinals roster, writes B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com. The 40-year-old Batista could have opted out of his contract on Monday had the Cards not informed him that he would make the club.
- The Mets have not asked Jason Isringhausen if he would accept a minor league assignment, because he has already said in the past that he won't, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
- Dave Bush will use his opt-out tomorrow if he doesn't make the Rangers, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN.com. Bush says that he's not sure which way the club is leaning but wants to stay in Texas.
- Russell Branyan could have opted out of his contract with the Diamondbacks yesterday, but he was instead informed that he has made the club according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Brandon Allen is likely to go to Triple-A while the out-of-options Juan Miranda stays with the team.
- George A. King III of The New York Post reports that Eric Chavez can ask the Yankees for his release today if he doesn't make the team. "They haven't let me know anything," said Chavez, but his strong showing in camp (.421/.450/.605 in 40 PA) likely won him a bench job.
- Isringhausen told Mike Puma of The New York Post that he will not accept a minor league assignment if he does not make the Mets out of Spring Training. There's a possibility Izzy would go to Extended Spring Training if his swollen elbow isn't fully healed though.
White Sox Sign Dexter Carter
The White Sox have re-signed right-hander Dexter Carter, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Carter, recently cut by San Diego, was a part of the Jake Peavy trade nearly two years ago.
The 23-year-old was never able to regain the form he displayed in 2009 at the Sox's Class-A affiliate, where he posted a 3.13 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. Last year, Baseball America ranked the 6'6" hurler as the 28th best prospect in the Padres' system. According to the publication, Carter projects as a possible number three starter if he can find better command with his off-speed pitches.
Red Sox Purchase Reyes’ Major League Contract
2:58pm: Terry Francona announced that the Red Sox have purchased the left-handed reliever's contract, according to the Boston Herald's Scott Lauber (via Twitter). To make room on the 40-man roster, the club has moved right-hander Junichi Tazawa to the 60-day DL.
Francona added that Reyes will still be competing with Alfredo Aceves, Hideki Okajima, and Matt Albers for the final two bullpen spots, tweets Speier.
2:08pm: Boston left-hander Dennys Reyes can opt-out of his minor league deal in a matter of hours if he is not added to the club's major league roster. Reyes has been told that the BoSox have purchased his big league contract, tweets Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. The deal is not yet finalized as the club has to find a way to fit him on the 40-man roster.
It should be noted, however, that the soon-to-be 34-year-old told the press that he's still waiting on word from the club, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
The veteran's opt-out date was originally set for today but the two sides agreed this week to push the deadline up to Sunday. Reyes hasn't ruled out extending his opt-out date once more, tweets Alex Speier of WEEI.com. If Reyes makes the big league roster, he will earn $900K with incentives that boost the deal's value to $1.4MM in total.
Cubs Will Try To Trade Carlos Silva
1:28pm: Silva says that there is "no chance" of him reporting to Iowa, tweets Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. The soon-to-be 32-year-old added that he felt pitching coach Mark Riggins wasn't up front with him about how they planned to use him, Sullivan tweets.
12:20pm: After annointing Andrew Cashner as the fifth starter, the Cubs have told Carlos Silva that they will try to trade him according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). The team would like Silva to consider a stint in the minors for depth purposes should they be unable to move him.
Silva, 32 next month, is owed $11.5MM in 2011, but the Mariners are paying $5.5MM of that according to Cot's. He's been simply awful in camp, allowing 32 hits and 27 runs in just 17 1/3 innings. He posted a 4.22 ERA in 21 starts (113 innings) last season, though he missed time after having surgery to correct an irregular heart rate.
Both the Yankees and Nationals were scouting Silva earlier this month, but the former has since finalized their rotation plans.
Dodgers Release Ron Mahay
The Dodgers have granted Ron Mahay his release according to Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). The left-hander was recently informed that he was not going to make the team.
Mahay, 39, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last month, but he allowed eight runs and 15 baserunners in 7 1/3 innings this spring. He owns a 3.83 ERA in a career that spans parts of 14 seasons, holding lefties to a .232/.303/.386 line.
Mariners Release Gabe Gross
Gabe Gross requested and has been granted his release from the Mariners reports MLB.com's Greg Johns (on Twitter). The outfielder hit just .077/.200/.231 in 23 at-bats this spring after signing a minor league deal last month.
Gross, 31, hit just .239/.290/.311 for the A's last year. He's a .239/.330/.385 hitter in 1,680 career plate appearances, though his defense in right field has been particularly strong.