Cardinals Continue To Seek Pitching
The Cardinals continue looking for starting pitching depth and the team will consider adding a left-handed reliever, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. GM John Mozeliak has suggested a major acquisition is less likely than a modest upgrade, Strauss writes.
Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels probably won’t be traded to St. Louis this year. The Cardinals are unwilling to trade from their MLB roster, but they may be willing to discuss trades for top pitching prospect Shelby Miller for the first time, according to Strauss. Miller, who entered the season as the 8th-best prospect in the game, according to Baseball America, has struggled in 17 starts at Triple-A, posting a 6.17 ERA.
Though second base is a potential area of need for the Cardinals, Strauss suggests the team is likely to focus on making moves to improve the pitching staff. I recently previewed the trade market for starting pitchers and second basemen.
Quick Hits: Draft, Headley, Phillies, Pence
For the most part, the new draft system has reined in costs and pushed players to sign early, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. However, six first-round picks remain unsigned as the Friday deadline approaches. Of course, the draft pool limit should keep the drama in check as teams are unwilling to overspend to the point where they have to forfeit draft picks. The two most interesting teams to watch figure to be the Pirates (Mark Appel) and the Nationals (Lucas Giolito), Mayo writes. Links from around baseball as Wednesday turns into Thursday..
- If the Padres make Chase Headley available, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter) expects the Orioles to inquire on him. For his part, the third baseman has said that he would prefer to remain in San Diego.
- Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence might have the most trade value of anyone on the team, including Cole Hamels, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Pence, 29, should make close to $15MM through arbitration for 2013.
- It may seem like a no-brainer for the Phillies to have an all-out fire sale, but Richard Justice of MLB.com writes that it's not quite that simple. Philadelphia is leading the majors in attendance for a second straight year and their core players believe that they can still make a run in 2012. Regardless, one has to imagine that Ruben Amaro Jr. & Co. will make trades with the future in mind.
AL West Notes: Rangers, Fuentes, Napoli, Vargas
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (video link) caught up with Josh Hamilton in Kansas City and asked him which team he'll be representing this time next year at Citi Field. "Hopefully an American League team, and hopefully back with the Rangers, that'd be nice," said the outfielder. Here's more out of the American League West..
- The Angels will look to improve their bullpen this month but they have no interest in bringing back struggling left-hander Brian Fuentes, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. Fuentes was released by the A's earlier today.
- Mike Napoli, who is in his contract year with the Rangers, says that he prefers to catch, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. “I’d rather catch than play first base,” he said. "Sometimes, at first base, I feel a little lost. I just want to make the routine play. Knock it down and flip it to the pitcher — that’s basically my mindset," Napoli explained.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (via Twitter) is a bit suspicious that the Mariners won't be starting Jason Vargas this weekend during their homestand and are instead pushing him to Monday in Kansas City. Baker theorizes that this could be to show that the left-hander can pitch on the road for interested teams. Ben Nicholson-Smith recently examined Vargas as a trade candidate.
Latest On Zack Greinke
Despite the constant stream of rumors surrounding Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke, General Manager Doug Melvin still sounds like he wants to see how the team fares early in the second half before making deals, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel. Haudricourt writes that moving their other upcoming free agents, however, won't be an easy task. Randy Wolf and Francisco Rodriguez haven't done much to boost their trade value while Shaun Marcum is on the disabled list with an elbow issue.
Meanwhile, the Royals haven't ruled out bringing Greinke back if he hits the open market after the season, a person familiar with the team's thinking told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The odds of a reunion aren't terribly strong though as Greinke is looking for a chance to win right away.
East Notes: Gee, Mets, Garza, Jones
Here's a look at items out of the AL and NL East..
- Mets right-hander Dillon Gee will undergo potentially season-ending surgery on Friday to repair artery damage in his shoulder, a source told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Gee should be able to throw in six to eight weeks but the best case scenario would be a late September or October return if the Mets reach the playoffs.
- Rays pitcher David Price hopes that former teammate Matt Garza finds his way back to the American League East, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The two hurlers speak on a daily basis and Price wants to see his friend in person more often during the course of the season.
- Chipper Jones said he might work in television or consult for the Braves once he retires following the 2012 season, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. However, he insists that he won't change his mind about retiring, no matter how well he plays from here on out. “To be honest, I don’t want the lifestyle anymore,” Jones said. “I don’t want the schedule, the major league schedule anymore. I’ve been living out of suitcases for 23 years.”
International Signings: Pirates, Orioles
The Diamondbacks signed Colombian catcher Oswaldo Garcia and Dominican shortstop Fernery Ozuna, as MLBTR noted earlier today. Here are some more noteworthy international signings:
- The Pirates announced that they signed 16-year-old Dominican Michael DeLaCruz. The outfielder obtained a $700K bonus, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (Twitter links). “He is a young player with … tools that are still developing,” Pirates director of Latin American scouting Rene Gayo said. “He is also an instinctive and aggressive performer with a very strong opportunity to be a five-tool player.” If the name sounds familiar, it's because the Pirates recently signed Dominican third baseman Julio Delacruz for $700K.
- The Pirates are waiting to sign three more Dominican players for a combined total of $750K or so, Biertempfel adds.
- The Orioles signed Cuban outfielder Henry Urrutia to a minor league contract with a bonus of $779K, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The 25-year-old's bonus won't count against Baltimore's $2.9MM pool for the 2012-13 international signing period. Urrutia is an athletic switch-hitter who could begin his professional career at Double-A, according to Baseball America.
Draft Notes: Giants, Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays
The deadline to sign draft picks is 4pm CT this Friday. Here are the latest deals…
- The Giants signed second round pick Martin Agosta for $613K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The right-hander can touch 96 mph and his fastball regularly checks in between 90-92 mph.
- The Orioles have made a new offer to fourth overall pick Kevin Gausman and "still feel pretty confident" they will sign him, reports Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. Earlier this week we heard that the right-hander from LSU was leaning towards returning to school for his senior season.
- The Blue Jays have signed 15th rounder Ryan Borucki to an above-slot $426K bonus, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The high school right-hander from Illinois can throw his fastball in the low-90s but had an elbow issue in March.
Minor Moves: MacDougal, Olsen
The latest minor moves from around MLB…
- The Cubs released right-hander Mike MacDougal, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. The Cubs signed MacDougal to a minor league deal in May after the Dodgers released him. The 35-year-old, who signed a one-year, $1MM deal before the season, posted a 7.85 ERA with more walks than strikeouts in 19 appearances for the Cubs' top affiliate.
- The White Sox released left-hander Scott Olsen, Eddy tweets. The White Sox signed the 28-year-old to a minor league deal in January. Olsen, who has battled shoulder injuries in recent years, appeared in just three minor league games for the White Sox before being released.
Dodgers Seeking Lefty Reliever; No Interest In Fuentes
The Dodgers are looking to add a left-handed reliever but have no interest in Brian Fuentes, reports Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). The Athletics released Fuentes earlier today.
Scott Elbert has been the lone southpaw in the Los Angeles bullpen this year, but lefties have tagged him for a .286/.349/.429 batting line in 63 plate appearances. Any team that signs Fuentes will only owe him the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for the remainder of the season.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Tim Dillard
We'll track the latest outright assignments right here…
- The Brewers announced that they outrighted Tim Dillard to Triple-A Nashville, pending the right-hander's acceptance of the move. Dillard appeared in 34 games for the Brewers this year, posting a respectable 4.38 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 37 innings. The Brewers will recall right-hander Tyler Thornburg and promote infielder Jeff Bianchi in related moves.