NL East Notes: Stanton, Marlins, Halladay, Nationals
The Nationals topped the Mets tonight 5-3 behind a solid performance from starter Edwin Jackson. Here's a look at tonight's items out of the National League East..
- Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton admitted to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com that the thought of a multiyear deal crossed his mind recently when Adam Jones signed a five-year, $85.5MM extension with the Orioles. However, the rightfielder made it clear that he's not dwelling on it either. "It's not like I'm thinking, 'Tomorrow I'm going to get a call or we're going to have a meeting','" Stanton said. "I really don't care until the time comes. The better I play, maybe the faster they'll want to do something."
- Phillies hurler Roy Halladay likely won't hit the required number of innings to help make his 2014 option vest, but he still hopes to end his career in Philadelphia, writes MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Halladay is set to earn $20MM in each of the next two seasons with a $20MM vesting option for '14.
- The Nationals have held workouts for 16-year-old outfielder Gustavo Cabrera and 17-year-old shortstop Wendell Rijo, two of the top Dominican prospects eligible to sign before July 2nd, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
Draft Notes: Diamondbacks, Zimmer, Red Sox, Astros
The latest on the MLB draft, which has reached its conclusion after three busy days…
- The Diamondbacks are "close" to agreeing to terms with first-round pick Stryker Trahan, tweets Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The high school catcher was tabbed with the No. 26 pick.
- The Royals appear to be close to a deal with fifth-overall pick Kyle Zimmer, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. The right-hander will likely start with the club's Arizona League affiliate but may go to Idaho Falls instead.
- The Red Sox are nearing deals with supplemental first round selection Pat Light and second rounder Jamie Callahan, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
- ESPN.com's Keith Law reviews the draft class of each National League team, noting that he loves what the Astros did. The Padres impressed Law early on, and he liked the Nationals' selection of Lucas Giolito.
- A legal dispute in Ohio could impact the future use of advisors, as Darren Heitner explains in a piece at Forbes.com. The MLBPA has warned agents that a case involving the former representatives of Andy Oliver “could represent a significant threat” to agents by placing restrictions on who can represent athletes who live or attend school in Ohio.
- There have been lots of pre-draft agreements between teams and players, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick hears (Twitter link). "It's a bigger joke this year than it's ever been,'' one agent told Crasnick.
White Sox Outright Ozzie Martinez To Triple-A
Tonight's outright assignments..
- The White Sox outrighted Ozzie Martinez after he hit .184/.233/.248 in 40 games with Triple-A Charlotte, tweets Scott Merkin of MLB.com. The 40-man roster now stands at 37. Martinez, 24, was acquired by the White Sox as a part of the deal that sent manager Ozzie Guillen to the Marlins.
Yankees Notes: Matsui, Pettitte
A couple of items on the Bombers as they take on the Rays tonight..
- Before last night's game, Hideki Matsui admitted to reporters that the Rays were the only team to make him an offer during the offseason, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. Matsui added that he wasn't surprised when he didn't hear from the Yankees as they searched for a designated hitter this winter.
- Even though the signing of Andy Pettitte seemed like an unnecessary move at the time, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes that it now like the best seven-figure investment in Yankees history. The soon-to-be 40-year-old has a 2.78 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in five starts.
Heyman On Quentin, Hamilton
The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..
- The Padres haven't given up the idea of signing to Carlos Quentin to an extension even though he figures to be the star hitter of the trade market, Heyman writes. However, the club's unsettled ownership situation could hurt the team's chances to retain him if it remains in limbo. Heyman suggests that Michael Cuddyer, who got $31.5MM for three years from the Rockies, and Josh Willingham, who got $21MM for three years from the Twins could be solid comps. Recently, Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the veteran's stock on the trade market.
- The Rangers expect Josh Hamilton to file for free agency at the end of the year but still may try to sign him before the season is through, according to Heyman. The Rangers are believed to be willing to offer him a big annual salary but do not want to give a long-term deal along the lines of the Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Joey Votto. The Rangers have assigned a life coach to chaperone and monitor Hamilton, but people who have spoken to them say it has proven to be a very demanding job.
Orioles To Sign Jamie Moyer
The Orioles have agreed to sign Jamie Moyer, who pitched for the Orioles from 1993-95, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The 49-year-old left-hander will start for Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate on Saturday.
The Rockies released Moyer two days ago after designating him for assignment last week. Moyer, who turns 50 this fall, started ten games for the Rockies after signing a minor league deal with the team in January. He posted a 5.70 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery.
Athletics Designate Kila Ka’aihue For Assignment
The Athletics announced that they designated first baseman Kila Ka'aihue for assignment. They selected the contracts of Brandon Moss and Evan Scribner and placed Andrew Carignan on the 15-day disabled list in related moves.
Ka'aihue appeared in 39 games for the A's this year, posting a .234/.295/.398 batting line in 139 plate appearances. The 28-year-old has a .687 OPS with 15 home runs in 465 career plate appearances for the Royals and A's. Oakland acquired him from Kansas City for Ethan Hollingsworth last September.
Minor Moves: Alfonzo, Roemer, Kopp
The Phillies confirmed that they released right-hander Dave Bush to allow him to pursue an opportunity with the SK Wyverns in South Korea. Here are some more minor moves from around MLB…
- The Rockies released catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Alfonso was hit with a 100-game performance-enhancing drug suspension last fall and was outrighted to Triple-A in May. The 33-year-old hit .319/.347/.777 with 12 homers in 101 plate appearances at Triple-A Colorado Springs last year.
- The Dodgers signed free agent right-hander Wes Roemer, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. Roemer, the Diamondbacks' supplemental first round selection in 2007, had been pitching with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association this year. The 25-year-old pitched in the upper minors last year, posting a 4.39 ERA in 164 innings.
- The Tigers signed free agent right-hander David Kopp, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. The 26-year-old pitched in the upper minors of the Cardinals' system last year, posting a 6.08 ERA in 74 innings.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Indians Claim Chris Schwinden Off Waivers
The Indians announced that they have claimed right-hander Chris Schwinden off of waivers from the Blue Jays. Schwinden has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus.
The 25-year-old spent less than a week with Toronto after being picked up off of waivers from the Mets on Saturday. Schwinden started two games for the Mets this year and nine starts for Triple-A Buffalo in which he posted a 2.59 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. The righty allowed eight runs in three innings in his lone start for Toronto's Triple-A affiliate.
Tigers Designate Omir Santos For Assignment
The Tigers announced that they designated catcher Omir Santos for assignment (Twitter link). The team placed Alex Avila on the 15-day disabled list, purchased the contract of catcher Bryan Holaday and recalled right-hander Jose Ortega in related moves.
Santos, 31, has been removed from and added to the Tigers' roster a number of times in recent years. He appeared in three games with Detroit this month after the Tigers promoted him from Triple-A Toledo, where he had a .310/.315/.417 batting line in 89 plate appearances. Santos also appeared in 11 games with last year's Tigers team and has MLB experience in four seasons.