Archives for June 2012

Braves To Consider Pitching Upgrades

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 21, 2012 at 10:11am CDT

For now, the Braves will replace Brandon Beachy by recalling Jair Jurrjens from the minor leagues. But the Braves' long-term solution could come from outside of the organization, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.

“I think we get through the next few weeks leading up to when the trading season really begins,” general manager Frank Wren said. “And we evaluate what we have, how guys are throwing and who might be available.”

The Braves are believed to be among the teams interested in Cubs right-hander Matt Garza, O’Brien writes. Garza earns $9.5MM this year and will be arbitration eligible for the fourth and final time before the 2013 season. His teammate, right-hander Ryan Dempster, could also interest the Braves.

The Braves hope Jurrjens pitches respectably, and they believe his minor league performance was better than his numbers would indicate (5.18 ERA, 4.7 K/9, 2.2 BB/9). Beachy will miss the remainder of the season to undergo Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, which leaves Jurrjens, Randall Delgado, Mike Minor, Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson in the Braves' rotation.

Kevin Youkilis Rumors: Thursday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 21, 2012 at 9:05am CDT

Potential suitors for Kevin Youkilis are waiting to see if the Youkilis of old returns, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. So far this year, the 33-year-old has a .225/.311/.359 batting line, which means he's on track for the lowest batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage of his nine-year career. Here are the latest Youkilis rumors from Boston:

The Red Sox have stepped up their efforts to trade the infielder, and will have to absorb most of his $12MM salary to facilitate a deal, Cafardo writes. However, they want something more than salary relief for Youkilis, a homegrown player who developed into an All-Star.
The Indians are very much involved in talks and talks with the Diamondbacks don’t appear to be dead, Cafardo reports. The Phillies have scouted Youkilis, and the Dodgers could have interest, but the White Sox are more likely to pursue pitching help.

Quick Hits: Drew, Bundy, Machado, Blue Jays

By Mike Axisa | June 20, 2012 at 10:47pm CDT

Here are some links from around the league as Wednesday turns into Thursday…

Scott Boras told reporters (including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford) that a "couple of teams" have inquired about J.D. Drew during the season. "I've got no indication from him a desire to return," said Boras of the outfielder, who has been at home. "But then again I haven't addressed the issue with him, if he's done anything formally."
Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports (on Twitter) that clubs keep asking the Orioles for top prospects Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado in trade talks. Needless to say, those two are as close to untouchable as it gets.
The Blue Jays promoted Andrew Tinnish to assistant GM, reports Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun (on Twitter). Tinnish had been the team's amateur scouting director.

Draft Signings: Diaz, Blach, Cubs, Red Sox

By Mike Axisa | June 20, 2012 at 9:26pm CDT

Here are the latest mid-to-late round draft signings…

The Mariners have signed third rounder Edwin Diaz for $300K reports ESPN's Kiley McDaniel (via Keith Law on Twitter). The right-hander was slotted for a $186K bonus.
The Giants have signed fifth rounder Ty Blach for a straight slot $225K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).
MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports that the Cubs have signed fifth rounder Anthony Prieto ($200K), 10th rounder Chad Martin ($10K), 13th rounder Bijan Rademacher, 16th rounder Michael Hamann ($100K), and 22nd rounder Eduardo Orozco ($1K). Chicago has signed 21 picks so far.
The Red Sox have signed sixth rounder Justin Haley and 19th rounder Iseha Conklin according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier (on Twitter). Haley's slot number was approximately $164K.

Blue Jays Remain In “Buy” Mode

By Mike Axisa | June 20, 2012 at 8:13pm CDT

Despite sitting in last place in the AL East and losing three starting pitchers to injury within the last week, the Blue Jays remain in "buy" mode according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Toronto is scouting the Major Leagues heavily and are in obvious need of pitching.

Kyle Drabek (Tommy John surgery), Brandon Morrow (oblique), and Drew Hutchison (elbow) all hit the disabled list recently, forcing the Jays to turn to Jesse Chavez and Joel Carreno for spot starts. They've recently spoken to the Rockies about Jeremy Guthrie and reportedly had someone on hand to watch Wandy Rodriguez's start last night.

Cubs Sign Pierce Johnson

By Steve Adams | June 20, 2012 at 6:49pm CDT

June 20th: MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports that Johnson signed for a straight slot bonus of $1.196MM.

JUNE 11th: Cubs supplemental round pick Pierce Johnson tweeted that he has signed with the team.

Chicago selected the Missouri State right-hander with the 43rd overall pick in the draft, which they received as compensation for the departure of Aramis Ramirez. The recommended slot bonus for the No. 43 pick is $1.196MM. The Rays selected Johnson out of high school in the 15th round of the 2009 draft, but he elected to pitch in college.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

No Extension Talks For Jacoby Ellsbury

By Mike Axisa | June 20, 2012 at 5:45pm CDT

The Red Sox have been without reigning AL MVP runner-up Jacoby Ellsbury for most of the year due to a shoulder injury, part of the reason why they've had to use a dozen different outfielders. Today, agent Scott Boras told reporters (including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford) that there have been no discussions with the team about a long-term extension.

"We've only had the traditional discussions of one-year contracts," said Boras. "(GM Ben Cherington) and I will certainly begin contract discussions at year's end because we have to. We have at minimum a one-year contract to discuss. We're going to play through the season. Ben's operating his team and I'm signing draft picks, operating my team."

Boras went on to explain that Matt Kemp's eight-year, $160MM contract extension with the Dodgers isn't a fair reference point for a potential Ellsbury deal.

"The Matt Kemp contract is not a free agent contract," said Boras. "It's not a barometer that has a great deal of relevance other than it's what players get who are not free agents and are really talented. So when you look at the free agent markets and you look at those types of contracts you can understand there is always a big disparity between a free agent contract and a contract that is signed before the player is a free agent."

Ellsbury will earn $8.05MM this season and remains under team control as an arbitration-eligible player next year. He can become a free agent after 2013. During the offseason, Ellsbury indicated a willingness to sign a long-term deal with the Red Sox but said he will leave negotiations up to Boras. MLBTR's Mark Polishuk suggested that a seven-year deal worth roughly $130MM could work for both sides, though that was predicated on another MVP-caliber season. The shoulder injury throws a wrench into that.

Minor Moves: Patterson, Bergmann

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 20, 2012 at 4:40pm CDT

We'll keep track of the latest minor moves right here…

The Tigers released utility player Eric Patterson, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets. Patterson, 29, posted a .244/.365/.317 line in 267 plate appearances at Triple-A before getting released. He has experience with the A's, Cubs, Red Sox and Padres in five MLB seasons.
The Rockies signed free agent right-hander Jason Bergmann, according to the team's website. Bergmann, 30, had been pitching for the Camden Riversharks of the independent Atlantic League before signing with the Rockies, who are in need of pitching depth. He has a career ERA of 5.04 with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in six seasons with the Nationals, most recently in 2010.

Yankees To Sign Omar Luis Rodriguez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 20, 2012 at 4:23pm CDT

4:23pm: The left-hander will obtain a $4MM bonus, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. He has five pitches, including a fastball that ranges from 86-92 mph, and a competitive approach.

1:09pm: The Yankees have agreed to sign Cuban left-hander Omar Luis Rodriguez to a minor league deal worth an estimated $4-5MM, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports (on Twitter). Rodriguez, 19, drew interest from several MLB teams, including the Dodgers, Royals and Phillies, Sanchez reported two days ago.

Rodriguez projects as a starter and impressed onlookers with his performance at the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship, according to Sanchez. MLB declared Rodriguez a free agent earlier in June. Like Jorge Soler and others, he had until July 2 to sign without being subjected to the spending restrictions that will soon take effect under baseball's collective bargaining agreement.

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 20, 2012 at 4:05pm CDT

If you prefer your MLBTR fix limited to only your favorite team, we've got you covered. Below are links to our team Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds.

AL East