Outrighted To Triple-A: Doug Slaten, Chris Leroux
Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here…
- The Pirates announced that Doug Slaten has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A on their Twitter feed. The 32-year-old southpaw was designated for assignment late last month. Slaten appeared in ten games for Pittsburgh and owns a 3.52 ERA in parts of seven big league seasons.
- The Pirates also announced that Chris Leroux has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A. Leroux, a 28-year-old righty, has battled injury this season while pitching to a 3.77 ERA in 11 1/3 minor league innings. He owns a 5.47 ERA in parts of three big league seasons, and last appearanced in the show with the Pirates last year.
Quick Hits: Towers, Headley, Dempster, Quentin
Some links from around the league as Friday turns into Saturday…
- "I'm open-minded on anybody, everybody. Even guys who have no-trade clauses," said Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert when asked about the Justin Upton rumors. "You ask people when I was in San Diego, same exact response. I think you always have to be open-minded."
- Chase Headley told MLB.com's Corey Brock and Chelsea James that despite the trade rumors, he'd prefer to stay with the Padres. "If it were my choice, I would love to be here," said the third baseman.
- Ryan Dempster will be activated off the DL on Sunday, and he told MLB.com's Carrie Muskat that he knows the trade rumors will start right back up. “They’ve been there," said the Cubs right-hander. "That stuff doesn’t bother me. I’ll just try to do my job the best I can and let those things take care of themselves."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.com suggests the Padres trade Carlos Quentin at the trade deadline then sign him as a free agent this offseason. Quentin is a San Diego native and thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, they would not have to surrender a draft pick.
Reds, Others Interested In Juan Pierre
The Reds are among the teams showing interest in Juan Pierre, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The Phillies have not yet indicated a willingness to sell, but that won't stop clubs from calling.
Pierre, 34, is hitting a solid .317/.355/.387 with 20 steals in 23 chances while taking over Philadelphia's left field job on an everyday basis. Cincinnati is said to be seeking a leadoff hitter type, and Pierre certainly fits the bill.
Minor Moves: Andy LaRoche, Hong-Chih Kuo
Here's a recap of today's minor league transactions, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy…
- The Red Sox have signed Andy LaRoche after the Indians released him late last month. The 28-year-old infielder has already played in six games for their Triple-A affiliate and is hitting .265/.352/.418 in 193 minor league plate appearances overall this season.
- The Cubs have released Hong-Chih Kuo. They signed him to a minor league deal in early-June. The 30-year-old left-hander has not appeared in a game yet this season after battling back and anxiety issues last year. Kuo owns a 3.73 ERA in parts of seven big league seasons, all with the Dodgers.
Rays Sign Jose Castillo
The Rays have signed 16-year-old Venezuelan left-hander Jose Castillo for $1.55MM, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. The publication ranked him as the sixth best prospect on the international market this summer. Badler says Castillo has impressed with his size (6-foot-4 and 200 lbs.), delivery, and power arm.
Astros Likely To Dismiss Brad Mills After Season
The Astros have lost eight straight games and currently sit in fifth place in the NL Central, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that they will likely dismiss manager Brad Mills after the season. GM Jeff Luhnow said that no change is imminent, however.
"We haven’t talked about next year at all," said Luhnow. "I’ve told everyone we’re going to wait. I’m not even thinking about it at this point … Brad has done a good job. We get along well. There is no reason to make a change … At the end of the year is when I’m going to spend time looking at all aspects of the operation. But I’m not spending time on it right now."
Mills was hired prior to the 2010 season when the team was under different ownership with a different GM. Jim Crane purchased the club from Drayton McLane last year, and Luhnow was hired during the offseason. Mills is under contract through the end of the season with a club option for 2013. The Astros are 164-243 under his watch and finished with the worst record in baseball a year ago.
AL West Notes: Suzuki, Rays, Hernandez, Moore
Former University of Florida catcher Mike Zunino was named the Golden Spikes Award winner today, which recognizes him as the best amateur player in the county. Zunino was the third overall pick by the Mariners in last month's draft and recently signed for $4MM. Here's the latest from his new division, the AL West…
- Athletics GM Billy Beane did not deny that he has spoken to the Rays about catcher Kurt Suzuki, reports ESPN's Jim Bowden (on Twitter). Beane did say that he speaks to Tampa GM Andrew Friedman regularly, however.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has given no indication that he's willing to trade Felix Hernandez, but SI.com's Tom Verducci says they should make their ace available. He says the reality of Hernandez's age, workload, and contract should not make him untouchable.
- The Mariners designated Adam Moore for assignment last Sunday and have yet to make a decision about what they're going to do with him according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). The backstop has battled knee problems but agent Mike McCann insists his client is healthy.
Cole Hamels Rumors: Friday
The Phillies once believed that they could contend this year, but the confidence of the five-time defending NL East winners seems to have dwindled, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com writes. Now Phillies people say things like "you don't know if a team is just going to blow you out of the water" for a player of Cole Hamels’ caliber. Here’s the latest on Hamels, who would arguably be the top available pitcher if the Phillies put him on the market:
- People who know Hamels believe him when he says he likes Philadelphia, Knobler reports. "I've had no indication that he doesn't want to be here," GM Ruben Amaro told Knobler. Hamels’ contract expires after the season and he'd presumably command a contract of at least five years for $20MM-plus per season on the open market.
- The Phillies won't trade Hamels before trying to sign him to a long-term deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. They have discussed Hamels with other teams but would prefer to keep him. "Since we are built on pitching, and have had success with it, having those three guys are essential, if possible,'' Amaro said in reference to Hamels, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay.
- The Rangers watched Hamels’ start last night, Knobler adds.
Tigers Inquired On Darwin Barney
The Tigers asked the Cubs about second baseman Darwin Barney a couple of weeks ago, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). However, talks didn't progress.
Tigers second basemen have combined for a .198/.272/.266 batting line, so it's no surprise that Dave Dombrowski's front office is looking into potentially available trade targets. No team in baseball has a worse OPS from the second base position in 2012.
Rival teams have asked about Barney, who has a .262/.307/.369 batting line in 302 plate appearances for the Cubs. The 26-year-old won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season. The Tigers are also interested in Cubs right-hander Matt Garza, Morosi reported today.
Orioles “Going Hard” After Greinke
The Orioles are “going hard” after Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke, an MLB executive told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles appear to be the most aggressive suitor for Greinke, but talks are preliminary, Connolly reports. Some believe the Orioles and Braves are most likely to land Greinke, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.
Brewers president of baseball operations Doug Melvin recently told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that his team is "trying to win games and get back in the hunt." The Brewers may wait until after facing the Reds, Pirates and Cardinals to determine their course of action this summer.
Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette "absolutely" has financial support from ownership to take on salary this season, Connolly reports. Greinke, who’s on track for free agency this offseason, earns $13.5MM in 2012. The Brewers could obtain two compensatory draft picks for losing Greinke to free agency, but no other team has the same opportunity under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement.
Duquette recently told Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com that he'd like to improve his team's rotation if possible. Top prospects Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy are probably off-limits in trade talks. “They look to be long-term solutions to help the Orioles," Duquette said. The Orioles don’t want to trade young pitching, Connolly reports.
Greinke, 28, has a 3.08 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 108 innings so far this year. Agent Casey Close has had some extensions talks with the Brewers on Greinke's behalf.
Brian Matusz is a possible trade chip for the Orioles, Crasnick writes (on Twitter). The Orioles are "down on" Matusz, who's now in the minor leagues.