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Rangers Acquire Ryan Spilborghs From Indians

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The Rangers have acquired outfielder Ryan Spilborghs in exchange for cash considerations, according to a press release from the Indians.  The 32-year-old has been assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

Until this winter, Spilborghs had spent his entire career with the Rockies and hit .279/.360/.437 for the club last season.  For his Triple-A career, Spilborghs owns a .332/.400/.503 slash line.  The veteran will provide Texas with depth in the absence of Leonys Martin who will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks with a thumb injury. 

The Tribe inked Spilborghs to a minor league deal in January and the outfielder passsed on his right to opt out of his deal on April 3rd.  Spilborghs' contract calls for him to earn a base of $1MM if he makes the major leagues.

Tigers Designate Brad Eldred For Assignment

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The Tigers have designated Brad Eldred for assignment to make room for the returning Delmon Young, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.  Eldred has been placed on outright waivers and can be claimed by any club but is likely to return to Triple-A Toledo, Beck tweets.

Eldred, 31, got off to a ludicrously hot start for Toledo, hitting .388/.444/1.013 with 13 homers in 90 plate appearances.  Eldred's major league stint with Detroit didn't last long as the slugger only saw time in five games.  In parts of eight Triple-A seasons, Eldred has a slash line of .260/.327/.537.

Young was placed on the restricted list on April 28th after being arrested for aggravated harassment following an altercation at the team hotel in New York.  The departure of Eldred leaves Young as the sole right-handed power bat off of the Tigers' bench and might lead to the 26-year-old seeing more time at DH.

Bartlett, Hudson Not In Padres’ Long-Term Plans

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The Padres' trade of reliever Ernesto Frieri to the Angels for two minor leaguers, including middle infielder Alexi Amarista, could signal major changes to come in the club's middle infield.  Second baseman Orlando Hudson and shortstop Jason Bartlett are not a part of the club's long-term plans, team sources told Dan Hayes of the North County Times.  Hayes adds that both could be released before the season is through.

Bartlett, 32, has a $5.5MM option for 2013 that vests with 432 plate appearances but San Diego could cut him loose before he reaches that point.  Bartlett currently has made 71 PA in 22 games this season and has surpassed 432 PAs in each of the last five seasons.

Like Bartlett, Hudson is set to earn $5.5MM in 2012.  The 34-year-old, off to a slow start this season, has an $8MM option for next season with a $2MM buyout.  Hudson inked a two-year deal with the Padres in December 2010 and hit .246/.329/.352 for San Diego last year.

Dodgers, Bobby Abreu Agree To Deal

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The Dodgers have reached agreement on a deal with Bobby Abreu, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).  The Peter E. Greenberg & Associates client will serve as a bat off of the bench and a part-time outfielder.

On Wednesday, we learned that the Dodgers were in serious talks with the 38-year-old.  The Angels released Abreu one week ago and will be on the hook for the remainder of his $9MM salary.  Abreu's new deal could be for as little as the pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum.

Abreu took a step back in 2011 as he hit .253/.353/.365 with eight homers in 142 games.  He openly complained about his reduced role with the club and got off to a slow start in 2012, prompting his release.  The Angels appeared to have struck a deal for Abreu with the Indians in March but Cleveland balked at the portion of his salary they were being asked to pay.

The slugger hopes to play for two or three more seasons, according to Heyman (via Twitter).

Quick Hits: Vlad, Lee, Hunter, Crawford

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Here's the latest from around the majors…

  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers thought Vladimir Guerrero performed well in his tryout with the team but will have to consult with team management before deciding whether to offer Guerrero a contract, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  Towers speculated that Guerrero's only possible role with the club could be as a DH during interleague games, a role that Wily Mo Pena filled for the Snakes last season.
  • The Brewers may check in with Derrek Lee in regards to their hole at first base, GM Doug Melvin told reporters (including Scott Miller of CBS Sports) earlier this week.  Lee said he didn't plan to officially retire despite a lack of interest this offseason, though he seemed to be holding out for "a perfect situation."  The Pirates, Lee's last team, would receive a compensatory draft pick if Lee were to sign a Major League deal, though it's likely that Lee would only be offered a minor league contract, if anything, by the Brewers or another club.
  • Torii Hunter tells Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he would consider returning to the Twins next season if he doesn't re-sign with the Angels.  Given that Hunter's stated goal is to play for a contender in 2013, it's hard to see him returning to Minnesota unless he gets no other offers (and, of course, presuming that the Twins would be interested).
  • Carl Crawford has been moved to the 60-day DL to create a 40-man roster spot for the called-up Aaron Cook, the Red Sox announced tonight.  In a corresponding move, Jose Iglesias was sent down to create space for Cook on the 25-man roster.
  • Right-hander Carlos Torres has been called up by the Rockies and filled the last spot on their 40-man roster, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  Jhoulys Chacin has been sent down to Triple-A in a corresponding move that opens a spot for Torres on the 25-man roster.  Torres last pitched in the majors in 2010 as a member of the White Sox.
  • Major League Baseball and the NCAA are in talks regarding increased partnership between the two entities, such as MLB providing funding for scholarships, reports Bryan Fischer of CBS Sports.
  • White Sox starter John Danks told reporters (including MLB.com's Scott Merkin) that he isn't feeling any additional pressure from his offseason contract extension.  After allowing six earned runs in seven innings against Cleveland tonight, Danks' ERA stands at 6.51 through six starts.

Trade Candidate: Bryan LaHair

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When I described Bryan LaHair as having "quality sleeper potential" in a column for Roto Authority back in January, I certainly didn't expect this.  Heading into Thursday's play, LaHair was hitting an absurd .381/.459/.794 in 74 plate appearances as the Cubs' regular first baseman and establishing himself as one of the best stories of this young 2012 campaign.  A 29-year-old with just 219 Major League PAs to his name entering the season, LaHair was expected to do little more than keep first base warm for Anthony Rizzo, but LaHair's success has in all likelihood required a shift in the Cubs' short-term plans.

Or has it?  LaHair is obviously not going to keep up his Ruthian numbers for the entire season, though his solid power numbers in the minors would hint that he's not going to fall completely off the map.  If LaHair regresses even to around an .850 OPS by June, that's still a very solid output, and if he tops that number, even better.  If LaHair is still swinging a hot bat by midseason, it would behoove the Cubs to at least test the market to see what they could get for the first baseman.

The obvious question is, why wouldn't the Cubs just hang onto LaHair and move him to a corner outfield spot once Rizzo is called up?  Rizzo and his Triple-A slash line of .372/.422/.638 certainly look on pace to be in Chicago by midseason at the latest, and if he can translate even some of that quality to the Majors, then the Cubs would have a nice pair of bats to hit behind Starlin Castro. 

The problem could be that the Cubs' preferred trade candidate, David DeJesus, is playing poorly.  Teams aren't going to be be willing to acquire a 32-year-old who has a .687 OPS in 2011-12, is owed approximately $9.15MM through the end of the 2013 season and whose traditionally strong corner OF glove also seems to be failing him.  Chicago's other corner outfielder, Alfonso Soriano, is set to earn approximately $51MM through 2014.  Between Soriano's untradeable contract and DeJesus' lack of form, LaHair is a much more valuable trade commodity than either player and could become the trade chip that the Cubs hoped DeJesus could become.

The Tigers, Dodgers, Phillies and Brewers are just a few of the contenders and would-be contenders that could use a slugging left-handed bat at first, left, right or DH.  Suitors wouldn't pay a king's ransom for LaHair since they would also have an eye on his middling career history, but power is an increasingly rare commodity, so teams would definitely give the Cubs some value if LaHair continues to smash right-handed pitching.  LaHair would also be under team control through 2018 though since he's already 29, controllability is not a major factor in this case.

Cubs fans will no doubt be upset over the club dealing away the feel-good story in the midst of another sub-.500 year, but Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have stated on many occasions that they're rebuilding the Cubs from the ground up and that 2012 is intended as a rebuilding year.  If Chicago can turn a 29-year-old career minor leaguer into a quality prospect or two, that's a better long-term move for the organization than hoping LaHair is a late-blooming superstar like Jose Bautista and can stay an elite hitter until the Cubs are ready to contend again.

Put it this way — if you asked a Cubs fan even one month ago if they'd be willing to see LaHair dealt for two of another team's top 15 prospects, even the most staunch Wrigleyville dweller would've jumped at that deal.  One red-hot outlier of a month (or even a few hot months) shouldn't be enough to alter the Cubs' rebuilding plan.

Angels Acquire Ernesto Frieri From Padres

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The Angels were known to be looking for bullpen help and they have addressed that need in the form of Ernesto Frieri.  The Angels acquired the right-handed reliever from the Padres in exchange for right-hander Donn Roach and infielder Alexi Amarista.  The Padres first announced the move on their official Twitter feed.

Frieri has been one of the game's more underrated relievers during his four Major League seasons.  Frieri has a 2.33 ERA, a 2.45 K/BB ratio, an 11.4 K/9 rate and 0.6 HR/9 over 105 career appearances, with 137 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings.  As Padres broadcaster Andy Masur points out (Twitter link), Frieri had been the longest-tenured player in the San Diego organization, originally signing with the team in January 2003 at age 17.  Frieri turns 27 in July and has virtually identical home/away splits for his career, indicating he isn't a creation of Petco Park's pitcher-friendly dimensions.  Frieri is represented by Matt Colleran and is under team control through 2016.

Though the Angels' closing situation is currently in flux with Scott Downs stepping in for Jordan Walden, it's probably unlikely that Frieri would immediately be thrust into the closing mix or even necessarily a setup role in Los Angeles.  Frieri pitched in relatively few high-leverage situations in San Diego, though the Padres' deep bullpens of recent years didn't necessarily require Frieri to be used in a larger role.

In Amarista and Roach, the Padres pick up two young players ranked by MLB.com as the 12th and 16th-best prospects, respectively, in the Angels' system.  Amarista has a .313/.370/.441 career slash line in six minor league seasons, including a .776 OPS at the Triple-A level.  The 23-year-old second baseman helps fill the Padres' big organizational need for middle infielders, though Amarista also has experience at third, shortstop and the corner outfield positions.  Amarista was probably expendable in Anaheim given the long-term deals recently given to Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick, not to mention highly-touted prospect Jean Segura, who MLB.com ranked as the Angels' second-best prospect (behind only Mike Trout).

Roach, 22, was taken by the Angels in the third round of the 2010 amateur draft.  The right-hander's numbers have gotten progressively better over his three minor league seasons, and Roach has a 2.16 ERA and a 9.67 K/BB ratio in six starts at high A-ball in 2012.

This is the first trade between Angels GM Jerry Dipoto and Padres GM Josh Byrnes.  Dipoto worked under Byrnes in Arizona and took over as the Diamondbacks' interim GM when Byrnes was fired as the Snakes' general manager in July 2010. 

New York Notes: Rivera, Chamberlain, Harvey, Bay

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Mariano Rivera suffered an apparent right knee injury while shagging fly balls during batting practice today in Kansas City.  MLB.com's Bryan Hoch has the details about the injury, which has been initially diagnosed as a twisted knee (Twitter link), though Rivera will undergo an MRI tonight.  If the injury requires Rivera to miss time, it would be the legendarily durable closer's first DL stint since 2003.  Follow @CloserNews for the latest on Rivera's status and how his possible absence would impact the Yankees' bullpen.

Here's some news from both Big Apple teams…

  • Joba Chamberlain has been transferred to the 60-day DL, the Yankees announced today.  In corresponding moves, Jayson Nix has been called up from Triple-A and Eric Chavez has been put on the seven-day DL due to a possible concussion.
  • The Mets have no plans to call up star prospect Matt Harvey to become the team's new fifth starter, GM Sandy Alderson told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  “Aside from Matt himself — and I love that he thinks this way — there is no one in the organization who feels he is ready to be in the major leagues,” Alderson said.  "When we bring him up, we hope to do so and not have to send him back.  This is not about filling an immediate need.  This is about the long-term stability of the organization and the team.”  To that same end, the Mets will also not call up any of their other top pitching prospects like Zack Wheeler or Jeurys Familia.
  • "There are no other options" for the Mets in regards to Jason Bay other than to hope that he returns from the DL fit and starts hitting, writes MLB.com's Anthony DiComo as part of a reader mailbag.  I wouldn't say Bay is completely untradeable, as the Mets may be able to move him for another bad contract, though that wouldn't really help the situation.  Bay is owed approximately $13.3MM over the remainder of this season and $16MM in 2013, though as DiComo notes, Bay's injury problems make it unlikely he will get the necessary plate appearances for his 2014 $17MM club option to vest.

Dodgers Notes: Offseason Moves, Walter, Payroll

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Here are a few items out of Los Angeles as the Dodgers enjoy an off day before starting a three-game series at Wrigley Field…

  • The Dodgers' seemingly minor offseason acquisitions have played a large role in the club's early success, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
  • Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles profiles Mark Walter, the Dodgers' new majority owner who has purposely taken a back seat behind Magic Johnson and Stan Kasten as the faces of the team.
  • At the new ownership group's introductory press conference on Wednesday, Kasten told reporters (including Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times) that he will be flexible with any limit on the team's payroll.  “I expect moving forward it’s going to be north of where it is now,” Kasten said. “But I have to tell you, I never focus on a target in getting the 25 guys….So focus on the players that we get and don’t worry so much about the payroll. I don’t have a set number for you because we’re not going to do it that way. We’re going to take every opportunity that we can. If that means increasing payroll, then that’s what’s going to happen.”
  • In news from earlier tonight, the Dodgers designated Mike MacDougal for assignment in order to make roster space for another right-hander, Ronald Belisario.

Dodgers Designate Mike MacDougal For Assignment

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The Dodgers have designated right-hander Mike MacDougal for assignment, according to the club's official Twitter feed.  In a corresponding move, Ronald Belisario has been reinstated from the restricted list.

Despite posting some middling peripheral numbers, MacDougal managed a 2.05 ERA in 69 games for Los Angeles last season, earning himself a new one-year, $1MM contract in January.  He has posted a 7.94 ERA in seven appearances (5 2/3 innings) this season.  The 35-year-old reliever will now have to clear waivers before the Dodgers can send him back down to the minors.

Belisario was due to be activated after serving a 25-game suspension for failing a drug test.  The right-hander hasn't pitched since 2010 due to visa and substance abuse issues. 

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