Archives for May 2012

Outrighted Off 40-Man Roster: Omar Poveda

By Mike Axisa | May 5, 2012 at 8:49am CDT

Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments here…

The Marlins have outrighted Omar Poveda to Double-A according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 24-year-old right-hander had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and has pitched to a 4.34 ERA in four Double-A starts this year. Miami originally acquired Poveda from the Rangers for Jorge Cantu two years ago. Baseball America considered him the team's 23rd best prospect prior to last season.

Quick Hits: Rivera, Yankees, Contracts

By Mike Axisa | May 4, 2012 at 10:36pm CDT

Here's the latest from around the league, as Friday turns into Saturday…

"Absolutely," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Marc Carig of The Star Ledger when asked if he'd welcome Mariano Rivera back next year (Twitter link). Rivera said today that he will pitch next year after tearing his ACL yesterday, and I can't imagine Cashman would have answered any differently.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears that the Yankees will not aggressively pursue a reliever in a trade in the wake of Rivera's injury (Twitter link). They are confident in David Robertson and Rafael Soriano in the late innings.
ESPN's Jim Bowden put together a list of baseball's most immovable contracts. Barry Zito, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Howard highlight the list of five players.

MLB, NCAA In Serious Talks About Scholarship Funds

By Mike Axisa | May 4, 2012 at 9:32pm CDT

In an effort to improve diversity and draw more of the country's best amateur athletes to baseball, MLB is in serious discussions with the NCAA to provide additional scholarship funds according to Bryan Fischer of CBSSports.com. Colleges are currently limited to 11.7 scholarships for baseball and many schools are unable to fund even that many.

Baseball America's Aaron Fitt reports that a contingent of NCAA officials met with MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred and MLBPA head Michael Weiner in New York three weeks ago, and "talks are really picking up steam." Colleges had 13 scholarships at their disposal until a 10% reduction in 1991, and American Baseball Coaches Association executive Dave Keilitz told Fitt that it would be a "huge victory" to get back to 13 scholarships soon. "Personally, I'm hopeful it's more ambitious than that," he added.

Colleges are currently allotted 85 scholarships for football and 13 for basketball, drawing some players away from baseball. It's been speculated that the draft spending restrictions implemented by the collective bargaining agreement could push prospects to other sports as well. In addition to scholarship funding, the two sides have discussed moving the College World Series to better accommodate the draft as well as the widespread implementation of wood bats according to Fischer.

West Links: Abreu, Ishikawa, Trumbo

By Mike Axisa | May 4, 2012 at 8:10pm CDT

Here's the latest out of baseball's two West divisions…

Bobby Abreu had other offers before choosing to sign with the Dodgers, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). He liked the idea of returning to the NL and knows manager Don Mattingly from his time with the Yankees.
The Giants offered Travis Ishikawa a minor league contract to return during the offseason, but he signed with the Brewers because they offered a better opportunity to Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle. Mat Gamel's injury opened the door for Ishikawa to play everyday.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports speculates (on Twitter) that Mark Trumbo of the Angels would be a good fit for the Blue Jays. He says it's hard to see Toronto trading a reliever while Sergio Santos is still on the DL, however.

Orioles Release Luis Lebron

By Mike Axisa | May 4, 2012 at 5:59pm CDT

Let's keep track of the day's minor moves right here…

The Orioles have released right-hander Luis Lebron, reports Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com (on Twitter). Baseball America ranked the 27-year-old as Baltimore's 21st best prospect prior to last season. Lebron owns a gaudy 13.3 K/9 in 205 1/3 minor league innings, though his 7.0 BB/9 and 5.13 ERA leave a lot to be desired. He had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and has struggled since.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rivera, Youkilis, Street

By Mike Axisa | May 4, 2012 at 4:38pm CDT

Five years ago today, 49-year-old Julio Franco and 43-year-old Randy Johnson faced off in the oldest hitter-pitcher matchup in baseball history. Franco took the Big Unit deep, extending his own record as the oldest player to ever hit a home run. Here's the latest from around the league…

Pirates Prospects spoke to Pirates president Frank Coonelly about a potential international draft.
Phoul Ballz interviewed top Phillies prospect Trevor May.
River Ave. Blues says the Yankees will never be same without Mariano Rivera.
Baseball Trivia Questions thinks the Michael Pineda trade is a good deal gone bad.
Over The Monster looks at the early returns of Red Sox GM Ben Cherington's moves.
BoSox Injection believes it is time for the Red Sox to trade Kevin Youkilis.
I-70 Baseball says the Cardinals have better balance without Albert Pujols.
FanSpeak thanks Dan Duquette and Andy MacPhail for the Orioles' hot start.
Through the Fence Baseball explains why the Padres should change the dimensions of Petco Park.
Chicken Friars thinks Huston Street could attract trade interest soon.
The Nats Blog wonders what's wrong with Danny Espinosa.
Call to the Pen analyzed the Hideki Matsui signing.
The Brewers Bar listed some candidates to replace Mat Gamel.
Know Hitter assessed the Tigers' needs.
MLB Reports says the Blue Jays need to add a big bat to contend in the AL East.
Rant Sports Blue Jays wonders if Edwin Encarnacion is for real.
Meanwhile, The True Fan's Sports Blog wonders if the Dodgers are for real.
85% Sports wrote about the Astros and the first overall pick in this year's draft.
Redbird Rants says Mike Matheny has proven he was right man for the Cardinals.
MLB on Deck lists some managers who may be on the hot seat.
Shutdown Inning analyzed pitcher mechanics and hitter reaction times.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Mariano Rivera Suffers Torn ACL

By Mark Polishuk | May 4, 2012 at 3:57pm CDT

THURSDAY: Rivera told reporters that he plans to return to baseball, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. "I am coming back. Write it down in big letters. … I'm not going out like this," said the closer.

WEDNESDAY, 11:40pm: Mariano Rivera appears to have suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters after tonight's 4-3 loss in Kansas City. Rivera suffered the injury while chasing a fly ball during batting practice earlier today, a pre-game ritual that Rivera has undertaken throughout his entire career. The ace closer will consult with doctors tomorrow in New York and, if the initial diagnosis is confirmed, Rivera will miss the rest of the 2012 season.

Speculation has already begun that Rivera's career could be over, as the right-hander had hinted during Spring Training that this would be his final season. A disconsolate Rivera told reporters (including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch and Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan) that he wasn't sure if he would ever pitch again and that he would first have to get through the rehab process before deciding if he could continue as a Major Leaguer. It's hard to imagine that Rivera would allow his legendary career to end in such ignominious fashion, and yet, as Bob Klapisch points out (Twitter link), Rivera could also see his injury as a sign that it's time to leave the sport.

Needless to say, Rivera's injury is a huge blow to both the Yankees and, if his career is indeed over, to baseball as a whole. For now, David Robertson or Rafael Soriano will have big shoes to fill as New York's next closer. The Yankees could also now explore the trade market for relief pitching or explore such options as moving Phil Hughes back to the bullpen.

Stark On Rays, Giants, Phillies, Ethier, Nationals

By Zachary Links | May 4, 2012 at 2:52pm CDT

In today's column, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com put together his "All-Most-Immovable team" with help from front office executives from around the league. Predictable names such as Carl Crawford, Alfonso Soriano, and Barry Zito are on the list, but Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder also made the cut. Pujols wouldn't be a tough sell because of his slow start, according to one AL exec, but rather because of the money due to the slugger on the back end of the deal. Here's more from Stark..

If the Rays and Giants shop for third basemen to replace Evan Longoria and Pablo Sandoval, they might not find many viable options. The only potentially available names Stark has heard are the Orioles' Mark Reynolds and the Twins' Danny Valencia. One exec said that the Rays are more likely to go after someone with versatility that they can slide into a different spot upon Longoria's return.
The Phillies are also looking for a young third baseman and the club is working to put together a list of potential replacements for impending free agent Placido Polanco.
While some execs say that they would be wary of giving Andre Ethier a sizable deal for fear that he is in salary-drive mode, others think that the Dodgers have no other choice. The cost of finding another right field, middle of the order bat will likely be just as high and alternatives such as Josh Hamilton, Nick Swisher or Torii Hunter don't appear to be more trustworthy.
A number of clubs are bearing down on the Astros, but reviews are mixed on Wandy Rodriguez thanks in large part to his contract. The pitcher will earn $10MM this year, $13MM in 2013, and can be bought out of his $13MM club option for 2014 with a $2.5MM payment.
If Bryce Harper and Tyler Moore continue to look sharp, the Nationals might not be in the market for a center fielder.
Stark asked a few executives if they'd roll the dice on Delmon Young as a relative free agent bargain next winter and the typical response was that they would not. Young avoided arbitration with the Tigers this winter by agreeing to a one-year, $6.75MM deal.

Brewers Release Zach Braddock

By Zachary Links | May 4, 2012 at 2:08pm CDT

The Brewers have released left-hander Zach Braddock in order to make room for utility man Brooks Conrad on the 40-man roster, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Braddock has not pitched since Spring Training because of personal issues which Brewers officials say they cannot disclose.

The 24-year-old was placed on the temporary inactive list at Triple-A Nashville roughly a month ago. In 2011, Braddock spent time on the disabled list to get treatment for a sleep disorder then missed more time due to other undisclosed matters.

At one point in time, Braddock was looked at as a potentially major bullpen piece for Milwaukee. Braddock turned in a 2.94 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 2010.

Conrad will provide Milwaukee with support in the absence of first baseman Mat Gamel who suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.

Twins Claim Komatsu, DFA Thomas

By Zachary Links | May 4, 2012 at 1:21pm CDT

The Twins claimed outfielder Erik Komatsu off of waivers from the Cardinals and designated Clete Thomas for assignment to make room on the 25-man roster, according to a team press release.

Komatsu, selected from the Nationals in last winter's Rule 5 draft, was designated for assignment on Tuesday by St. Louis. The 24-year-old appeared in 15 games for the Cardinals and saw time at all three outfield positions.

The Twins picked up Thomas off of waivers from Detroit less than a month ago. The 28-year-old saw time in twelve games for Minnesota and played mostly in right field. In parts of four Triple-A seasons with the Tigers, Thomas has a slash line of .252/.336/.409.

The club also announced that third baseman Sean Burroughs cleared waivers and accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A. Burroughs, 31, was DFA'd on Tuesday to make room for Drew Butera.

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