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Archives for June 2012

Week In Review: 6/17/12 – 6/23/12

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In case you missed it the first time around, here's a look back at the week that was here on MLBTR…

  • The Twins signed supplemental first round pick Luke Bard for $1.227MM. Bard, a right-hander out of Georgia Tech, was the 42nd overall pick earlier this month and is the brother of Red Sox right-hander Daniel Bard.
  • With the arrival of Roy Oswalt from Triple-A, the Rangers designated Mark Hamburger for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for the right-hander.
  • The Rays designated infielder Drew Sutton for assignment. Sutton, 28, posted a .271/.314/.354 batting line in 51 plate appearances for Tampa Bay this year.
  • The Brewers designated infielder Edwin Maysonet and left-hander Juan Perez for assignment. One of the roster spots will be used for Livan Hernandez, who has officially joined the team after being released by the Braves.
  • After reinstating Kosuke Fukudome from the 15-day disabled list, the White Sox designated the outfielder for assignment. The 35-year-old appeared in 24 games for Chicago and posted a .171/.294/.195 batting line in 51 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions. 
  • The Braves signed reliever D.J. Carrasco to a minor league deal. The Mets released the 35-year-old right-hander in late May after he allowed six hits, including two home runs, in 3 2/3 innings.
  • The Blue Jays acquired minor league right-hander Sean O'Sullivan from the Royals for cash considerations. O'Sullivan, 24, has a 6.75 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season.
  • Supplementary first round draft choice Lance McCullers signed with the Astros and will receive a $2.5MM bonus.
  • The Rays claimed Brooks Conrad off of waivers from the Brewers, who designated the infielder for assignment earlier in the week. Conrad, 32, has appeared in 25 games for Milwaukee this year, playing all four infield positions. 
  • Jamie Moyer asked for and received his release from the Orioles after it became clear Baltimore had no plans to promote the veteran to the big leagues anytime soon.
  • The Yankees signed Cuban left-hander Omar Luis Rodriguez to a minor league contract worth $4MM.
  • After being designated for assignment by the Angels, David Pauley finds himself heading north of the border after being claimed by the Blue Jays.
  • The Rangers released Brad Hawpe from Double-A Frisco at the veteran's request. Hawpe, 33, posted a .260/.382/.382 line in 152 PAs while with the Rangers' minor league affiliate.
  • Supplementary first-round pick Matt Olson signed with the A's and will obtain a bonus just over $1MM.
  • The Rangers signed right-hander Willie Eyre to a minor league deal.
  • Catcher Koyie Hill is headed to Triple-A Syracuse after signing a minor league deal with the Nationals. Hill elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Cubs and outrighted to Triple-A.
  • The Nationals designated Brad Lidge for assignment. The right-hander appeared in just 9.1 innings this year, allowing ten runs with ten strikeouts and 11 walks.
  • The Blue Jays signed right-hander Shawn Hill to a minor league contract. The 31-year-old Hill has a 4.74 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 48.9% groundball rate in 239 big league innings.
  • First round draft pick Deven Marrero signed with the Red Sox and will obtain a $2.05MM bonus.
  • The Tigers released Brad Eldred from their Triple-A roster as he has elected to sign with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
  • The Royals designated Roman Colon for assignment. Colon, 32, allowed six runs on 12 hits in eight innings for Kansas City.

Kevin Youkilis Trade Reactions

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The Red Sox agreed to send Kevin Youkilis and cash to the White Sox for Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge in a deal that was announced earlier today. The trade provides the White Sox with much needed stability at the hot corner and gives the Red Sox the opportunity to play Will Middlebrooks on a daily basis. Here are some reactions to the deal:

  • The emergence of Middlebrooks as a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate made a struggling Youkilis expendable in the eyes of the Red Sox front office, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal.
  • Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington told reporters, including MacPherson, that it was pretty clear Middlebrooks needed to be in the lineup every day (via Twitter).
  • The White Sox are getting a player in Youkilis who was an All-Star third baseman last season in exchange for cash and two replaceable players, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. 
  • The legacy of Youkilis was built upon his ability to will himself into a player who far exceeded his natural talents, says Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
  • The Indians, Dodgers and White Sox were the finalists for Youkilis as of Saturday evening, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The White Sox separated themselves Sunday morning with the inclusion of Stewart in the trade.
  • By acquiring Youkilis, the White Sox are making the statement that the Tigers are vulnerable and not a guarantee to win the division, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
  • White Sox manager Robin Ventura expects Youkilis to be a strong fit with Chicago given how the veteran plays hard and has a reputation as a good teammate (video link).
  • A change of scenery for Youkilis may prove to benefit the former All-Star considering his strained relationship with manager Bobby Valentine and the series of injuries that kept him off the field, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.

Diamondbacks, Hernandez Agree To Extension

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The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with right-hander David Hernandez on a two-year contract extension, according to a team release. Hernandez, 27, has posted a 4.32 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in four big league seasons spent with the Orioles and Diamondbacks.

The former 16th round pick is a hard-throwing flyball pitcher who has developed into a reliable setup man for Arizona since arriving in Phoenix prior to the 2011 season. Hernandez would have been arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason.

MLBTR Originals

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Here's a look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

White Sox Acquire Kevin Youkilis

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The White Sox have acquired Kevin Youkilis and cash from the Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Zach Stewart and utility player Brent Lillibridge, both teams announced. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweets the cash being exchanged is slightly more than $5.5MM.

Youkilis is hitting .225/.311/.359 in 41 games this season while appearing in 32 games at third base and 13 at first base. He will be an immediate updgrade at third base for the White Sox, who entered the day with a .466 OPS from the position, worst in baseball. Orlando Hudson has been manning third for the White Sox since Brent Morel landed on the disabled list. Hudson has produced a line of just .167/.247/.286 in his 27 games on the South Side.

Youkilis made his final appearance as a member of the Red Sox today going 2-for-4 with one run batted in. Youkilis was removed in the bottom of the 7th inning to a standing ovation from the Fenway Park faithful. This will not be his last game at Fenway, however, as the White Sox will play a series there on July 16-19.

Stewart, a right-hander, has appeared in 18 games, including one start, for the White Sox this year. Stewart has a 6.00 ERA, 4.8 K/9, and 1.2 BB/9 this season. The 25-year-old was acquired last year by the White Sox in the Edwin Jackson trade with the Blue Jays. Stewart will report to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Lillibridge has appeared in left field, center field, first base, third base, and designated hitter for the White Sox this year with a batting line of .175/.232/.190 in 48 games. Lillibridge is a .215/.283/.358 hitter during his five-year career with the White Sox and Braves. To make room on the 40-man roster for Lillibridge, the Red Sox designated left fielder Oscar Tejada for assignment.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and ESPN's Jim Bowden first tweeted news of the trade. David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com was the first to report Stewart was going to Boston while Heyman broke Lillibridge's inclusion.

Kevin Youkilis Rumors: Sunday

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The trade chatter surrounding Kevin Youkilis picked up a ton of steam yesterday as the White Sox, Pirates, Indians, and Dodgers all seem to have interest in the third baseman.  As of late last night, it appeared that the White Sox were the frontrunner for the veteran with Pittsburgh in second.  Here's the latest on Youkilis with the most recent news up top..

  • Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets that a clubhouse source says Youkilis has been traded to the White Sox and his nameplate has been removed from his locker.
  • Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets the White Sox appear to be the most likely destination for Youkilis and, as of yesterday, the two teams were haggling over money. Knobler adds in a separate tweet that Youkilis is not headed to the Dodgers.
  • A deal for Youkilis is in the works, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman adds late talks involved the White Sox, but new team is not yet confirmed. In a separate tweet, Heyman says the Indians are out of the running.
  • Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com tweets a source has confirmed that a deal for Youkilis is in the works, but "not complete." Youkilis was removed, to a standing ovation, in the 7th inning as a precaution.
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers confirmed that he is not in on Youkilis, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
  • McAdam hears from a major league source that the Dodgers, White Sox, Indians, Braves, and a fifth team are in on Youkilis.  A second source says that the Pirates and Diamondbacks are no longer involved.  A source with knowledge of the talks indicated that Boston is focused on getting the best return available, whether its in the form of prospects or current major leaguers.
  • Youkilis is in today's lineup and a team source tells Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) that it's not indicative of one thing or another and a trade remains still in play.
  • The White Sox, Dodgers, and Indians are likely going to be amongst the final five teams for Youkilis, tweets Heyman.
  • The White Sox’s pursuit of Youkilis is more advanced than any other club’s and could be approaching the final stages, a major league source tells Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Sources say Boston is willing to include about $5MM of the nearly $8MM remaining on Youkilis’ contract in the trade.  As of late last night, the Indians appeared to be a “longshot,” the Dodgers’ talks were minimal, and the Pirates pulled out of the discussions, according to sources.

Quick Hits: Braves, Pirates, Rockies, Nationals

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The Marlins ended their franchise record offensive draught of scoring five runs or less for 25 consecutive games in their 9-0 win over the Blue Jays. And, for good measure, the nine runs were a season-high for the Marlins, who ended their six-game losing streak. Here's the latest news from around baseball.

  • The Braves could make starting pitching a priority at the trade deadline because of the growing pains of Mike Minor and Randall Delgado and the uncertainty surrounding Jair Jurrjens, tweets Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
  • The Pirates need to create an opening in their starting rotation when Jeff Karstens returns from the disabled list this week and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review thinks a trade could create that opening (via Sulia). Biertempfel reported yesterday the Pirates are shopping Kevin Correia.
  • With the Pirates looking for offensive help, the Denver Post's Troy Renck notes the Rockies have players available, including Marco Scutaro. In the same piece, Renck offers his suggestions on who the Rockies should play the rest of the way in 2012, so as to best prepare for 2013.
  • The Nationals are not willing to pay a fine in order to exceed their draft bonus pool, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. This is a corection to a story Kilgore wrote yesterday. Kilgore writes this stance will lower the amount the Nationals will be able to offer their first round draft pick Lucas Giolito.
  • Condolences to the friends of family of Padres' bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer today.  He was 50.

Athletics Designate Danny Farquhar For Assignment

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The Athletics announced that they have designated right-hander Danny Farquhar for assignment.  The move will allow the club to promote fellow righty  A.J. Griffin from Triple-A Sacramento.

Farquhar, 25, was claimed off of waivers by Oakland on June 9th after he was let go by the Blue Jays.  The pitcher posted a 2.97 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 20 Double-A appearances for Toronto's affiliate and pitched eight innings for the A's Triple-A squad this year.

Pirates Claim Sutton Off Waivers From Rays

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The Pirates announced that they have claimed infielder Drew Sutton off of waivers from the Rays.  This marks a return of sorts for Sutton, who spent less than 24 hours as a member of the Pirates last month.

On May 20th, Atlanta sent Sutton to the Bucs for cash considerations and the infielder was flipped to Tampa Bay the next afternoon for a player to be named later.  The 28-year-old was designated for assignment by the Rays on Friday.   Sutton posted a .271/.314/.354 batting line in 51 plate appearances for the Rays in 2012.

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