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Archives for May 2012

Quick Hits: Pirates, Manny, Luebke, Luhnow

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Some links from around the league on a day when Max Scherzer became the first pitcher since 1988 to induce 15 swinging strikeouts in one game…

  • We're just two weeks shy of the three-year anniversary of the trade that sent Nate McLouth from the Pirates to the Braves in exchange for Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke, and Gorkys Hernandez. Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review points out that with Locke being recalled from Triple-A, all four players involved in that trade — even McLouth himself — are on the Pirates' 25-man roster.
  • Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News chronicles Manny Ramirez's journey to the Athletics, and ponders which Manny will show up in Oakland. Manny, who began a 10-game minor league assignment this weekend, has a chance to rewrite what was a disappointing ending to his career, writes Brown.
  • Nothing is certain, but Padres lefty Cory Luebke is strongly leaning toward undergoing Tommy John surgery, writes Dan Hayes of the North County Times. Luebke was transferred to the 60-day DL today, which opens a spot on the Pads' 40-man roster.
  • Astros GM Jeff Luhnow is personally scouting candidates for his team to select with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's MLB draft, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Luhnow isn't revealing which players he's scouting. He told reporters the Astros "aren't close" to knowing which player they'll draft, but are feeling more comfortable with the information they've gathered.

Week In Review: 5/13/12 – 5/19/12

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Here's a look back at the week that was on MLBTR…

  • The Giants signed Brad Penny to a minor league contract that would pay the right-hander a pro-rated portion of $500K while with the big league team. The Legacy Sports Group client will head to extended Spring Training next week and is considered a bullpen candidate.
  • Free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt threw a bullpen session for the Phillies last week and auditioned for the Red Sox and Rangers earlier this week. Oswalt is also scheduled to throw for one additional unknown team and is expected to return to baseball within one month.
  • The Mets are preparing to offer David Wright a long-term contract extension at some point this year, perhaps as soon as this summer.
  • The Padres released Orlando Hudson after the former All-Star got off to a slow start at the plate and struggled defensively.
  • After 14 MLB seasons, Kerry Wood's playing career has come to an end. In his final appearance on Friday, Wood recorded a strikeout against the lone batter he faced before leaving the game to a standing ovation from the Wrigley faithful.
  • The Cardinals announced that they released left-handed reliever J.C. Romero after struggles with the longball plagued the veteran's start to the season.
  • The Cubs signed right-handed reliever Mike MacDougal to a minor league deal with hopes that he can eventually help bolster the team's flailing bullpen.
  • The Padres claimed left-hander Eric Stults off of waivers from the White Sox. The White Sox designated the 32-year-old for assignment earlier this week.
  • The Cubs brought back catcher Koyie Hill, acquiring him from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations.
  • The Athletics claimed left-hander Travis Blackley off of waivers from the Giants.
  • The Red Sox sent left-hander Hunter Cervenka to the Cubs to complete the April 21 trade that sent Marlon Byrd and cash to Boston for Michael Bowden and a player to be named.
  • The Orioles removed Dontrelle Willis from the restricted list and assigned him to Class-A Aberdeen, where he hopes to revive his once-promising career.
  • The Angels announced that they replaced hitting coach Mickey Hatcher with Jim Eppard, who had been the hitting coach at Triple-A Salt Lake City.
  • The Brewers signed right-hander Claudio Vargas to a minor league deal.
  • The Phillies traded outfielder Rich Thompson to the Rays for outfielder Kyle Hudson. Both players have been playing in Triple-A this season.
  • The Indians announced that they outrighted reliever Dan Wheeler to Triple-A Columbus after designating him for assignment last weekend.
  • The Mets designated reliever D.J. Carrasco for assignment. 
  • The Orioles signed outfielder Lew Ford to a minor league deal as Baltimore looks to establish outfield depth to help overcome various early season injuries.
  • The Cardinals acquired infielder Jamie Romak from the Royals for cash considerations.
  • The Yankees claimed infielder Matt Antonelli off of waivers from the Orioles.

Indians, Phillies Scouting Kevin Youkilis

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The Indians and Phillies are keeping an eye on Kevin Youkilis as he rehabs from injury, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). Crasnick goes on to tweet that while the Tribe has a need for a right-handed bat, they've yet to actually call the Red Sox to begin any negotiations.

Youkilis, 33, has appeared in 18 games for the Red Sox this season. He hit just .219/.292/.344 in those contests. The fast start of Will Middlebrooks and the long-term presence of Adrian Gonzalez have many speculating that the Red Sox may be ready to move on from Youkilis. Middlebrooks, ranked as Boston's top prospect and No. 51 in all of MLB by Baseball America this offseason, is hitting .277/.309/.565 with five homers through his first 16 games. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe noted today that the Red Sox rave about Middlebrooks' glove as well (Twitter link).

The Indians have been using Jack Hannahan and Casey Kotchman at the corner infield positions, but Kotchman has just a .620 OPS and neither has an extensive history of Major League success. The Phillies, meanwhile, have received an OPS+ of 83 from Placido Polanco at third base. They've primarily used Ty Wigginton, John Mayberry, and Laynce Nix at first this year, to mixed results. As a whole, their first basemen are batting .272/.351/.406.

Earlier today, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo threw the Diamondbacks into the mix of teams who could be interesting in acquiring the 33-year-old.

Rosenthal On Saunders, Guthrie, Indians, Blue Jays

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Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • The Diamondbacks are deep in starters and won't wait to see if they fall out of contention before exploring a trade involving one of their arms.  Don't be surprised if Arizona entertains offers for Joe Saunders before the trade deadline, regardless of where they are in the standings.
  • Rockies right-hander Jeremy Guthrie is also likely to be in play.  The club is looking at their younger pitchers and they've got Jorge De La Rosa set to come back soon.  Teams thinking of trading potential free agents might want to act sooner rather than later in order to save a bit more money and get a better return. 
  • The Indians need a right-handed hitter and another starting pitcher, as they still don't know if they'll see Roberto Hernandez (formerly Fausto Carmona) this season.  The problem for the Tribe is that they rank last in attendance in the majors and likely can't increase payroll significantly.  They'll have to ask for cash in deals and that means giving up better prospects in return.
  • The Blue Jays are deep in prospects and could be a major player at the deadline.  They could be in on the Brewers' Zack Greinke and could even be involved with Matt Garza of the Cubs if his contract talks break down.

Cafardo On Red Sox, D’Backs, Nats, Oswalt, Ichiro

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The Red Sox and Phillies, two teams that played each other this weekend, took very opposite paths, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  The Phillies spent $50MM over four years for Jonathan Papelbon while the Red Sox went for the low-cost approach with arbitration-eligible Andrew Bailey.  So far, things have worked out for both clubs, but in different ways.  Papelbon has converted all of his save opportunities while Boston saved themselves a nice chunk of change while filling in for Bailey just fine with Alfredo Aceves.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • The Diamondbacks are now among the teams that may have interest in Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, as GM Kevin Towers is looking to upgrade offensively at the infield corners.  The Reds and Giants are also in need of upgrades. Of course, the Sox would have to decide whether Will Middlebrooks can handle the position.
  • The Red Sox called the Nationals after catcher Wilson Ramos went down, but they said they would stay in-house.  Lately, the Nats have been scouting teams who have depth behind the dish, and Boston is one.  Kelly Shoppach would be available, as the Sox could call up Ryan Lavarnway.
  • The initial reports on Roy Oswalt’s sessions with Boston and Philadelphia were good, but not great. "Not in midseason form by any means," said one scout. “His fastball was off a tick, but he’ll get that up. He wasn’t throwing too much secondary stuff, but he looked fluid. It probably would take him a few weeks to get ready, but everybody’s going to need pitching a month from now, so it’s a good investment for down the road."
  • Mariners rightfielder Ichiro Suzuki is in the final year of his contract and there’s some reason to believe retirement is a possibility.  Those who know him don’t think that he wants to play for anyone but the M's.

Roy Oswalt Rumors: Saturday

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Free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt popped back up on the rumor radar yesterday, as he recently auditioned for the Red Sox and Phillies. He also plans to throw for two more teams and is reportedly looking to sign relatively soon so he can be back on the mound by next month. Let's keep track of the day's Oswalt rumors right here, with the latest up top…

  • Oswalt threw for the Rangers yesterday, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The situation is the same as it was this offseason, however. Oswalt wants to start but Texas doesn't have a spot for him with both Scott Feldman and Alexi Ogando serving as extra starters in the bullpen. Rosenthal thinks the Rangers could trade Colby Lewis to make room for Oswalt, but there's no indication they're considering it, and there's no guarantee Oswalt would be better than Lewis (Twitter).
  • Oswalt's return to the Phillies is possible but not probable, explains Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
  • The Rangers were simply doing their due diligence with Oswalt, a source told Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram (via Twitter).

Quick Hits: Lind, Rhodes, Renteria, Hunter

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Saturday evening linkage …

  • The Marlins are likely to discuss acquiring Blue Jays DH Adam Lind, but their pursuit will be tempered, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). Miami optioned struggling first baseman Gaby Sanchez to Triple-A New Orleans today.
  • Free agent Arthur Rhodes has remained in playing shape in case a team becomes interested in signing a lefty reliever, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Rhodes last pitched last season for the Cardinals.
  • Free agent shortstop Edgar Renteria has turned down two offers and apparently wants to remain retired, according to Heyman (Twitter link). Renteria played for the Reds last year.
  • Angels manager Mike Scioscia hopes outfielder Torii Hunter will return from the restricted list during the Halos' ongoing road trip, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Hunter was placed on the RL on Monday to deal with a family matter.
  • Indians closer Chris Perez suggested free agents prefer not to sign with Cleveland because of poor attendance at Progressive Field, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Specifically, Perez cited Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran, who turned down an offer from the Indians this offseason in favor of a comparable one from the Cardinals.
  • The Padres' youth movement will pay off someday, but things will be tough in the interim, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. The Padres have one of baseball's top farm systems and will have the opportunity to build on it with six of the first 70 picks in this year's draft.
  • Former Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal thinks that Dee Gordon will work out for the club in the long-term, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers felt that they could part with Furcal last year in part because of Gordon's presence.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti doesn't seem to have any regrets over acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies in last year's trade, based on what he told Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. "Ubaldo's results continue to be inconsistent. His work, his preparation and his commitment hasn't wavered. He's worked tirelessly to solidify his mechanics with [pitching coach] Scott Radinsky, it just hasn't clicked consistently every five days. … With the work he's put in, I believe we'll see more consistency."

MLBTR's Dan Mennella contributed to this post.

Giants Notes: Melvin Mora, Orlando Hudson

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The Giants signed Brad Penny to a minor league contract last night, bringing the right-hander back as possible bullpen help. Here is the latest news out of San Francisco…

  • The Giants had one text conversation with Melvin Mora's agent according to Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter), but there was "absolutely no offer made." Mora recently told a Venezuelan newspaper that he had received offers from both the Giants and Reds.
  • Baggarly says (on Twitter) there is no consensus within the organization about signing the recently released Orlando Hudson. The Giants infield is short at the moment, but Pablo Sandoval will return soon and the club expects to get Freddy Sanchez back from his shoulder problems at some point.

Cubs Acquire Koyie Hill From Reds

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The Cubs have brought back catcher Koyie Hill after acquiring him from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations, tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.  Hill will be with the club for tonight's game against the White Sox.

Hill, 33, was hitting just .195/.250/.341 for the Reds' Double-A affiliate so far this year.  The veteran spent the previous five years with the Cubs and hit .208/.270/.295 in 252 big league games.  With the retirement of Kerry Wood, Chicago’s 40-man roster still stands at 40 players.

The Reds signed Hill to a minor league deal in late April after he was let go by the Cardinals.

Brewers Designate Vinnie Chulk For Assignment

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The Brewers have designated Vinnie Chulk for assignment, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The move clears a spot on the roster for left-hander Juan Perez.

Chulk, 33, allowed 21 baserunners and ten runs in nine innings for Milwaukee this season, his first big league action since 2009. He pitched to a 3.18 ERA in 11 1/3 innings for their Triple-A affiliate before being recalled.

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