Olney On Hamels, Victorino, Youkilis, Dodgers
A look at today's column from Buster Olney of ESPN.com..
- The Phillies could have an ulterior motive in exploring trade possibilities for left-hander Cole Hamels and center fielder Shane Victorino. The club could be suggesting that they are willing to trade the two veterans in order to pressure them to come to the negotiating table. However, it both cases, there appears to be a significant gap to overcome.
- Olney speculates that the Dodgers could be a good landing spot this summer for Kevin Youkilis if James Loney doesn't turn things around and the club is in search of an upgrade at first. Youkilis, of course, would have to appear healthy enough to take on for the rest of the season.
- The Blue Jays don't have a master plan for Vladimir Guerrero as they basically signed him for organizational depth, similar to what the Rays did by signing Hideki Matsui. If Guerrero shows in Triple-A that he can be a productive player, and a need arises for the Jays, then he could be promoted. If a need doesn't develop, then the club will allow Guerrero to pursue better opportunities elsewhere.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Matt Maloney
Today’s outright assignments..
- The Twins announced via Twitter that left-hander Matt Maloney has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. The 27-year-old was designated for assignment on Wednesday to make room for right-hander P.J. Walters.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Hamels, Jones, Bourjos, Padres
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has new Full Count video up, so let's dive in…
- Rosenthal says it's interesting that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro declined comment after Nationals GM Mike Rizzo criticized Cole Hamels for intentionally hitting Bryce Harper. It may be an indication that the relationship between the club and the free agent-to-be left-hander is touchier than it has been in the past.
- Hot starts by the Orioles and Adam Jones should reduce the chances that the center fielder is traded this summer and could create momentum for a long-term deal. Jones has emerged as a leader in the clubhouse and is a piece they could build around going forward, along with prospects Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado.
- The Nationals have been trying to acquire Peter Bourjos since last offseason, but the Angels view the center fielder as a long-term asset and possible replacement for Torii Hunter. Hunter will become a free agent after the season, but that does not mean Bourjos is untouchable.
- The Padres have Huston Street, Carlos Quentin, and four starting pitchers on the disabled list, and Rosenthal says they could infuse some young talent into the roster by trading some of their back-end starters. They need Tim Stauffer (elbow) to get healthy and for Clayton Richard (5.32) to pitch better first.
O’s Acquire Mike Belfiore To Complete Josh Bell Trade
The Orioles have acquired minor league lefty Mike Belfiore from the Diamondbacks to complete the Josh Bell trade, the team announced. Arizona acquired Bell for a player to be named later last month.
Belfiore, 23, was the 45th overall pick of the 2009 draft but has yet to develop as hoped. He owns a 4.05 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 282 1/3 minor league innings, but has experienced some success after moving to the bullpen full-time last year. Baseball America did not rank him among Arizona's top 30 prospects in their 2012 Prospect Handbook.
Belfiore may be best known for throwing 9 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for Boston College during an NCAA postseason game in 2009, the longest game in college baseball history.
AL East Links: Hall, Zduriencik, Robertson
Four of the six best AL teams by winning percentage (and run differential) reside in the AL East at the moment. Here's the latest from what again appears to be the toughest division in baseball…
- Utility man Bill Hall tweeted that he has been called up by the Orioles. He signed a minor league contract with Baltimore last month, and the team will need to clear both a 25-man and 40-man roster spot for him.
- "I feel very bad for the Yankees," said Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik to Ken Davidoff of The New York Post when asked about the Jesus Montero–Michael Pineda trade. Pineda is out for the season with a torn labrum and Montero homered against his former team last night. “I don’t think you enter a deal thinking that you’re going to win a deal," he added. "I think what you do is, you have common sense and respect for all parties involved and say, ‘I hope this helps all organizations.’"
- David Robertson's route to the Yankees started with a letter from a high school coach to George Steinbrenner about a minor league utility infielder more than a decade ago, according to the AP. Robertson is currently closing for New York following Mariano Rivera's season-ending knee injury.
Dodgers Sign Aaron Miles
The Dodgers have signed infielder Aaron Miles to a minor league contract, reports Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times. He is currently working out at the team's Spring Training complex in Arizona. Eric Stephen of True Blue LA first reported the signing (on Twitter).
Miles, 35, hit .275/.314/.346 in 490 plate appearances for the Dodgers last year. Last month we learned that the David Schwartz client aimed to play this season. Miles is a .281/.320/.352 career hitter who has played primarily second base, though he has experience at several other positions as well. The Dodgers are currently without utility man Jerry Hairston Jr., who is on the disabled list with a hamstring injury.
This Date In Transactions History: Dave Winfield
On this date in 1990, the Yankees traded future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield to the California Angels for right-hander Mike Witt. However, the deal was not truly consummated until almost a week later when the rightfielder would finally give the deal his blessing. Winfield's situation was a complicated one: the veteran had ten-and-five rights and therefore had the right to reject trades. However, his contract included a list of seven teams that he would agree to be traded to and the Angels were on it.
"This has nothing to do with the California Angels. I respect them, like them, the city, the weather," said Winfield on May 12th, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times. "I played with [Angel Manager] Doug Rader [in San Diego]. Everything's cool. I have nothing bad to say about the Angels. I'm going to play a lot of years for somebody, but it isn't going to be determined today where or when.."
Donald Fehr, the executive director of the Players Association, argued that the list was given to the Yankees under protest and the club was aware that Winfield had final say over any trade. Fehr cited another botched deal from 1988 which would have send the outfielder to the Astros until it was rejected by Winfield. One could assume that Winfield's refusal to sign off on on the trade stemmed from his infamous rift with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, but there was a much simpler explanation for his veto. The outfielder was in the final year of his ten-year, $20MM deal and was looking for a contract extension from the Halos.
The Angels were now in an awkward position and ultimately decided to give in to Winfield's demands. On May 17th, the club agreed to a three-year, $9.1MM deal with Winfield that was only guaranteed for the first season. If released before the '91 campaign, Winfield would receive a buyout of $2MM plus an additional $450K to cover the following year. With that, the deal was finally put through.
For his part, Witt was excited by the prospect of joining the Yankees and resuming his role as a starter. The 6'4" hurler turned in a 4.47 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 16 starts for the Bombers that season. As for Winfield, he bounced back in spectacular fashion after getting off to a slow start in the first 20 games of the season. Upon joining the Angels, Winfield hit .275/.348/.466 in 112 games and won the 1990 MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Winfield would call it quits after the 1995 season, capping off a spectacular 22-year major league career. The rightfielder was inducted into Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility of 2001 and became the first player to go into the Hall as a San Diego Padre.
Pirates Acquire Jeff Larish From Red Sox
The Pirates have acquired first baseman/third baseman Jeff Larish from the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations, according to a team press release. Larish will be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis tomorrow.
Larish, 29, last appeared in the majors in 2010 with the Athletics. The veteran hit .240/.330/.449 in 75 games for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate last season and hooked on with Boston last week.
The move marks the second trade of the day for the Red Sox as they acquired Scott Podsednik from the Phillies earlier this evening.
Red Sox Acquire Scott Podsednik From Phillies
The Red Sox have acquired Scott Podsednik from the Phillies, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Phillies will receive cash considerations for the outfielder and he will report to Triple-A Pawtucket, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com (Twitter links).
Podsednik, 36, has not appeared in the majors since 2010 when he played for the Royals and Dodgers. The Red Sox were said to be scouting the veteran roughly three weeks ago as they have been on the lookout for a left-handed hitting outfielder.
The outfielder hit .254/.340/.396 in the Phillies' and Blue Jays' farm systems in 2011 and signed a minor league deal with the Phillies last fall. For his big league career, Podsednik owns a .279/.340/.381 slash line.
Valentine: Sox Not Looking To Deal Or Acquire Pitcher
Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said that he is not aware of any trade talks involving either the acquisition or trading of a pitcher, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Major league sources also dismissed the idea that Boston would consider trading Josh Beckett in the wake of his golfing controversy.
“I’m sure that Ben’s looking at every conceivable way of improving our team, but I haven’t been in on any trade conversations about pitching, either coming or going,” said the manager.
Speier writes that Beckett's value would be virtually non-existent and points out that he has given the team more quality outings than any other pitcher so far this year. Beckett, 31, is set to earn $15.75MM each year through 2014.
Valentine also said that no real consideration was given to the idea of sending the struggling Clay Buchholz to the minors. Had Boston made that move, they would have exposed the pitcher to optional waivers.