Mets Looking For Bullpen Help
At 5.21, the Mets have the worst bullpen ERA in baseball by three-tenths of a run. Closer Frank Francisco is out with an oblique injury and Bobby Parnell has taken over ninth inning responsibilities, leaving the setup work to Jon Rauch and Miguel Batista. Ken Davidoff of The New York Post writes that the club is looking for bullpen help outside the organization.
“It’s not too early to do the research,” said assistant GM John Ricco. “It’s probably too early to make a move, although each year there is several pre-emptive ones. For the seller more than the buyer.”
Ricco also indicated that sometimes “you try to catch lightning in a bottle,” using the team's 2006 acquisition of Guillermo Mota as an example. Mota pitched to 6.21 ERA in 34 games for the Indians before being sent to New York and posting a 1.00 ERA in 18 appearances that year.
GM Sandy Alderson told Davidoff that the club hasn't ruled out the possibility of adding payroll, but they are weary of trading top-shelf prospects for volatile relievers. Davidoff mentions that the Mets are likely to get involved in any trade talks for Brett Myers and Huston Street, and not to rule out Grant Balfour as well.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Willie Harris
We'll keep track of today's outright assignments right here, with the latest up top…
- The Reds have outrighted Willie Harris to Triple-A according to MLB.com's transactions page. Cincinnati signed the 34-year-old utility player to a minor league contract this offseason and has already outrighted him once before this season. Harris has hit .114/.170/.205 in 48 plate appearances for the Reds and .245/.309/.318 in 123 plate appearances for their Triple-A affiliate this year.
Blue Jays Sign Jamie Moyer To Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays have signed Jamie Moyer to a minor league contract, reports Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio Seattle (Twitter link). The 49-year-old starter will head to Triple-A Las Vegas this week.
Moyer is joining the ninth team of his 25-year career and his third in a month. Moyer began the season on a minor league pact with the Rockies and was released after posting a 5.70 ERA in 10 starts for the team. The southpaw then signed a minor league deal with the Orioles but asked to be released last weekend, as was his option after not being called up to the Major League roster. Moyer had a 1.69 ERA and 16 strikeouts with no walks in three starts (16 innings) for Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate.
Though the Jays have made Moyer "no promises" outside of a few Triple-A outings (according to Rogers Sportnet's Shi Davidi), Moyer has a good chance at a callup simply due to the raft of injuries suffered by Toronto starters over the last two weeks. Brandon Morrow, Drew Hutchison and Kyle Drabek are all on the DL, and Henderson Alvarez left Monday's start with soreness in his throwing elbow.
Quick Hits: Byrd, Royals, Youk, Padres Sale
Marlon Byrd was suspended for 50 games today after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, according to MLB's official PR department (on Twitter). Byrd issued the following statement:
“I made an inexcusable mistake. Several years ago, I had surgery for a condition that was private and unrelated to baseball. Last winter, I suffered a recurrence of that condition and I was provided with a medication that resulted in my positive test. Although that medication is on the banned list, I absolutely did not use it for performance enhancement reasons. I am mortified by my carelessness and I apologize to everyone who loves this game as I do. I will serve my suspension, continue to work hard and hope that I am given an opportunity to help a Club win later this season.”
Here are some additional links for your Monday evening…
- Royals general manager Dayton Moore told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that he has received zero calls on Jeff Francoeur, Bruce Chen, and Jonathan Broxton (Twitter link).
- Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com tweets that the reason the Red Sox didn't get more for Kevin Youkilis is because some offers from interested parties simply stated that they would take Youkilis "for nothing," if the Sox were willing to pick up the entire contract.
- The imminent sale of the Padres could have a positive impact on the Mariners, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The sale price is said to be $800MM — $600MM for the Padres and $200MM for a stake in their upcoming $1.2 billion TV deal with FOX. The Mariners can opt out of their current TV deal in 2015, and could be sitting on top of a "financial windfall," writes Baker. He writes that Mariners "should be able to get more in any pending sale if everything remains equal."
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports writes that yesterday's Youkilis trade has kicked off the trade season, and runs through some big names that could be trade candidates at this year's deadline.
NL Central Links: Rizzo, LaHair, Brewers, Astros
The Reds paid a hefty price to acquire Mat Latos from the Padres this offseason, sending Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, Brad Boxberger, and Edinson Volquez to San Diego in exchange for the young ace. Latos has been largely disappointing, but turned in his best start of the season tonight, striking out a career-high 13 in a one-run complete game effort. Here are some more links related to the division…
- The Cubs officially called up Anthony Rizzo, the team announced, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that they now view Bryan LaHair as an outfielder. The Cubs, however, would be willing to move LaHair for "the right offer," according to Morosi (Twitter link).
- The Brewers may be one good week away from contention, but the club could always be one bad week away from selling, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Zack Greinke, Francisco Rodriguez, Shaun Marcum, and George Kottaras would all appeal to other clubs, to varying degrees. Milwaukee's farm system has been depleted by trades for Greinke, Marcum, and C.C. Sabathia and could stand to be replenished, opines Rosenthal. He's careful to note that this could be a dicey PR move, as Milwaukee could surpass 3MM fans on the season and selling would send a bad message.
- Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle details the Astros' draft strategy and how it led to the signing of Rio Ruiz for a bonus that was leaps and bounds above slot ($1.85MM). General manager Jeff Luhnow tells Levine that he considers Ruiz, Carlos Correa (No. 1 overall) and Lance McCullers Jr. (No. 41 overall) all to be first round talents.
Yasiel Puig Targeting Free Agency
9:55pm: Sanchez provides another pair of updates (via Twitter), reporting that Puig has established residency in Mexico and MLB's investigation of the papers is believed to be complete. An issue with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is keeping Puig from free agency. It is expected to be resolved by July 2, and possibly even as soon as tomorrow.
June 25, 6:40pm: Sanchez tweets that Puig has not yet filed his Mexican residency papers to Major League Baseball. Those papers will need to be authenticated before Puig can be granted free agency, and the authentication process can take a week or longer according to Sanchez.
June 19: Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig aims to become a free agent soon so that he can sign with an MLB team by July 2, when the spending restrictions in baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement take effect, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports. Puig has defected from Cuba and is in the process of establishing permanent residency in Mexico. Agent Jaime Torres says he hopes MLB will declare the 21-year-old a free agent once his residency has been established.
"We should all be on the same page by July 2nd in order to have the clubs evaluate him and sign a contract before the new rule kicks in," Torres told Sanchez.
Torres has tentatively scheduled a showcase for scouts in Mexico City later this week. Puig, a 6'3" 210 pound outfielder, has two seasons of experience in Cuba’s Serie Nacional. He’s more polished than Jorge Soler but less seasoned than Yoenis Cespedes, according to Sanchez. If MLB declares Puig a free agent in the coming days, he’ll be able to sign before July 2 and maximize his earnings.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Nationals Release Brad Lidge
June 25: The Nationals officially released Lidge today, according to Comak (on Twitter).
June 17: The Nationals designated Brad Lidge for assignment, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times (via Twitter). Lidge has appeared in just 9.1 innings this year, allowing ten runs with ten strikeouts and eleven walks.
The reliever known as "Lights Out" gave up a two-run double to Mark Teixeira in the 14th inning of yesterday's 5-3 loss to the Yankees. Lidge had just recently come off of a stint on the DL which kept him out of action from late April until June 8th. The 35-year-old has a career ERA of 3.54 with 11.9 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.
Padres Ownership Deal Imminent
June 25: The O'Malley family appears to be the sole group left in the bidding, writes Miller. San Diego businessman Ron Fowler will play a much larger role in the ownership group than previously reported, according to Miller's sources.
Fowler would be the point man for the ownership group, which includes Brian and Kevin O'Malley, Peter and Tom Seidler (sons of O'Malley's sister), and PGA superstar Phil Mickelson.
June 22: An agreement for the sale of the Padres is imminent, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The club is believed to be the O'Malley family's to lose, though Gary Jabara remains in the mix.
Earlier tonight, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com reported that the bidding was down to those two principal groups. Although a deal could be reached soon, he says the earliest ownership would likely be transferred is during the owners' meetings in August. The sale price is expected to approach $800MM.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Cardinals Reach Agreement With James Ramsey
8:17pm: Ramsey's deal is for a below-slot $1.6MM, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (on Twitter). The $1.6MM bonus represents the fifth-largest bonus ever for a college senior, says Callis (clarifying an earlier mistake). Only Matt LaPorta ($2.07MM), Kenny Baugh ($1.8MM), Casey Weathers ($1.8MM), and Josh Fields ($1.75MM) have signed for more after spending four years in college.
7:20pm: The Cardinals have a deal in place to sign first round selection James Ramsey, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Ramsey, an outfielder from Florida State University, was eligible to sign once the Seminoles were eliminated from the College World Series. He'll need to pass a physical before signing, but could finalize the deal as soon as Friday. The Cards selected Ramsey with the 23rd overall pick in the draft, which carries a slot recommendation of $1.775MM.
Following the draft, Baseball America wrote that Ramsey has average to above-average tools across the board but lacks a standout tool. Scouts are split on whether or not he can stick in center field; some feel he's better suited for right field or second base. The Twins selected Ramsey in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft, but he elected to return to FSU for his senior year.
Draft Signings: Kivel, Reynolds
Let's keep track of the day's notable non-first and supplemental first round draft signings here, with the latest up top…
- Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that the Reds have signed tenth round pick Jeremy Kivel for a $500K bonus — well above the slot recommendation of $125K. Kivel, a high school right-hander out of Texas, can throw his heater at 95 mph but missed most of this season due to a torn ACL.
- Second rounder Matt Reynolds has signed with the Mets according to his Twitter feed. The third baseman out of Arkansas was the 71st overall pick, which is slotted for $724K.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.