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Archives for July 2012

Rosenthal On Pirates, Headley, Angels, Phillies

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In today's column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Pirates should go all in and trade for either Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke or Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels.  Rosenthal notes that the Bucs have the 11th-ranked farm system in the majors and enough young talent to pull off a trade without including Jameson Taillon or Gerrit Cole.  Pittsburgh's pitching has been strong this year and the team is currently focusing on boosting their offense, but finding a hitter who could make an impact on the level of Greinke or Hamels would be a challenge.  Here's more from Rosenthal..

  • The Padres are drawing serious interest in third baseman Chase Headley, but one rival exec wonders how could the team trade Headley without knowing the future of left fielder Carlos Quentin.  The club could potentially move both and replace Headley with top infield prospect Jedd Gyorko, but that would leave them flat offensively in 2013.
  • Some execs wonder if the Angels might try to add one of the elite starters on the block due to the recent struggles of Dan Haren and Ervin Santana.  The chances appear remote, however, as the Halos' farm system isn’t deep and sources say GM Jerry Dipoto is adamant about keeping right-hander Garrett Richards as a future low-cost option.
  • Even before the Phillies began calling teams about Cole Hamels, it was obvious that they wouldn't be buyers.  “Their scouts are not out there banging,” a rival exec said. “They’re usually out there banging by this time. They’re playing it more conservative.”
  • The GM carousel could pick up again this year.  The Rockies, Mariners, and Braves could all be compelled to make changes while the Dodgers and Padres are under new ownership.  Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is reportedly in the final year of his contract while the Padres’ Josh Byrnes has four years left.
  • Sellers should target teams who are under a great deal of pressure to win such as the Braves, Red Sox, Marlins, Tigers, and Angels.  The Yankees now work to take emotion out of the equation when surveying the trade market but they could feel added stress if they start to see another AL East club as a threat.
  • Giants outfielder Nate Schierholtz is out-of-options and could draw interest at the deadline.  Schierholtz is hitting .248/.314/.400 with three homers in 140 plate appearances.

Quick Hits: Jon Daniels, Cole Hamels, Matt Kemp

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Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has delivered three game-winning RBIs in his five games since being called up from Triple-A last week. Here's the latest news and headlines from around the big leagues…

  • The Rangers will take a business-as-usual approach to the upcoming trade deadline meaning Jon Daniels and his associates plan to consider the best players available, writes Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Daniels hopes his team will benefit from getting four pitchers back from the disabled list before the end of the month. "… I’m hoping we’re not big players at the deadline. Hopefully, we get our guys back, get healthy and stay healthy. That’s the biggest thing."
  • The Phillies will make at least one more attempt to sign Cole Hamels to a long-term contract before the team fully commits to dealing the left-hander, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). As mentioned earlier today, opposing clubs believe Philadelphia has an asking price of four to five prospects for Hamels, which makes a deal unlikely at this point. The 28-year-old was selected for his third All-Star team on Sunday after posting a 3.08 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 through 16 starts this season.
  • Dodgers star Matt Kemp remains confident in his team's ability to be successful on the field after Los Angeles' deal with the Astros for Carlos Lee fell through on Sunday, says Alex Angert of MLB.com. "It's always good to get people to make your team better," Kemp said. "I don't know exactly what people think we need. We did a great job with what we have here. If we get somebody, that's good. But if we don't, it keeps going on and we have to keep playing the way we have in the first half."
  • The Rays, depleted by a series of injuries, will determine how they approach the trade deadline based upon the health of Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. If Longoria and Joyce return from the disabled list shortly after the All-Star break, it would free up the Rays to bolster their weak spots at catcher and shortstop. More likely, Tampa Bay will pursue an offensive weapon that adds power to the lineup, such as Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, who has 15 home runs since May 15.

Week In Review: 6/24/12 – 6/30/12

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As Boston says goodbye to one former All-Star and Baltimore welcomes another, let's catch up on the week that was here on MLBTR…

  • The White Sox acquired Kevin Youkilis and cash from the Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Zach Stewart and utility player Brent Lillibridge. Youkilis was hitting .225/.311/.359 in 41 games with Boston this season while appearing in 32 games at third base and 13 at first base. 
  • Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler officially signed a nine-year, $30MM contract with the Cubs. 
  • The Orioles acquired Jim Thome from the Phillies in exchange for two minor league prospects. Baltimore designated Zach Phillips for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster for Thome.
  • Cuban outfielder Yasel Puig signed a seven-year, $42MM contract with the Dodgers.
  • The White Sox designated left-hander Will Ohman for assignment. The 34-year-old has a 5.84 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 24.2 innings of work this year.
  • Ryan Doumit's solid start to the season netted him a two-year, $7MM extension with the Twins.
  • The Cubs designated Randy Wells for assignment and then outrighted the right-hander to Triple-A after he cleared waivers.
  • The Yankees claimed right-hander Chris Schwinden off waivers from the Indians and designated Danny Farquhar for assignment in a corresponding move. 
  • First round pick Corey Seager reached an agreement with the Dodgers on a $2.35MM bonus.
  • The Brewers claimed shortstop Hector Gomez off waivers from the Rockies and designated right-hander Brandon Kintzler for assignment in a corresponding move. 
  • Taiwanese shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin signed with the Red Sox and received a $2.05MM bonus.
  • The Red Sox designated Darnell McDonald for assignment to clear space for Josh Beckett's activation.
  • Travis Buck is headed to Triple-A as the Astros outrighted the outfielder to Oklahoma City after he posted a .216/.284/.311 batting line in 81 plate appearances for Houston.
  • The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with right-hander David Hernandez on a two-year contract extension.
  • The Reds signed supplemental first round pick Jeff Gelalich for $825K.
  • Kosuke Fukudome's tenure with the White Sox came to an end as Chicago released the veteran outfielder.
  • The Phillies designated right-hander Chad Qualls for assignment. The 33-year-old reliever posted a 4.60 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 54.5% ground ball rate in 31 1/3 innings.
  • Supplemental first round pick Travis Jankowski signed with the Padres for $975K.
  • The Pirates claimed infielder/outfielder Oscar Tejeda off waivers from the Red Sox. To make room for Tejeda, Pittsburgh designated left-hander Doug Slaten for assignment.
  • The Indians‬ claimed infielder Vinny Rottino off outright waivers from the Mets. Rottino owns a career .188/.282/.319 slash line in 44 big league games.
  • Veteran Jamie Moyer signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays as the 49-year-old looks to continue his career with his third different team this season.
  • The Royals designated Humberto Quintero for assignment. Quintero, 32, hit .232/.257/.341 in 144 plate appearances for Kansas City this season.
  • The Pirates designated Daniel Moskos for assignment. Moskos had pitched to a 3.86 ERA in 14 Triple-A innings this season while battling elbow problems.
  • First-round pick Brian Johnson signed with the Red Sox for $1.575MM. 
  • The Pirates claimed infielder Drew Sutton off of waivers from the Rays.
  • Willie Harris is headed to Triple-A as the Reds outrighted the outfielder to Louisville after he posted a .114/.170/.205 batting line in 48 plate appearances for Cincinnati. 
  • The Nationals released Brad Lidge after the right-hander appeared in just 9.1 innings this year, allowing ten runs with ten strikeouts and 11 walks.
  • The Cardinals signed first round selection James Ramsey for $1.6MM.
  • Miguel Tejada sought and was given his release by the Orioles after hitting .260/.327/.290 in 147 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • The Royals outrighted Roman Colon to Triple-A after the 32-year-old appeared in three games for Kansas City and allowed six runs in eight relief innings.
  • The Padres claimed right-hander Mark Hamburger off waivers from the Rangers and optioned him to Triple-A.

Braves Notes: Greinke, Liriano, Chipper

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With nearly 81 games in the books, the Braves signed Ben Sheets to a minor league deal earlier today as the team hopes he can help bolster its rotation in the second half of the season. Here's the latest from Turner Field…

  • Look for Atlanta to join the pursuit of Zack Greinke's services if the team can secure him long term for closer to $15MM per season than $20MM, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Greinke, 28, is enjoying a strong season in his second year with the Brewers after being acquired from the Royals in December 2010. The right-hander has posted a 2.82 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 through 16 starts.
  • The Braves were among a series of teams scouting Francisco Liriano today during his start against the Royals, reports Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com (via Twitter). While Liriano failed to turn in a quality start on Sunday, the former All-Star has improved his performance each month of the season thus far. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $5.5MM deal with the Twins in January and will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season.
  • Count Bryce Harper among Chipper Jones' supporters for his bid to be added to the National League All-Star roster through the Final Vote competition, writes Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com. The 19-year-old rookie, who is competing with Jones for a spot on the team, said that a future Hall of Famer should be able to go to the All-Star Game during his last season. "If I was going to make a vote, I'd go vote for Chip."

Carlos Lee Rumors: Sunday

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Yesterday, we learned a deal is on the table for the Dodgers to acquire Carlos Lee and cash from the Astros for pitching prospect Garrett Gould. All that is needed is for Lee to approve the trade. Here's the latest:

  • The Dodgers have pulled the plug on the Lee trade and will look elsewhere for a bat, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. 
  • Sources tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Lee has not changed his mind since Saturday and won't agree to a deal (via Twitter).
  • Lee told reporters, including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, that he still hasn't made a decision and admitted the weight of trying to decide whether to accept the trade to the Dodgers or stay in Houston has been difficult. McTaggart writes several of Lee's teammates feel he wants to remain with the Astros.

Minor Moves: Danny Farquhar

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here…

  • Danny Farquhar has cleared waivers and rejoined Double-A Trenton, tweets Mike Ashmore of The Trentonian. The Yankees designated the right-hander for assignment on Friday to clear space on the 40-man roster for Chris Schwinden, who was claimed off waivers from the Indians. Farquhar, 25, made his big league debut this season and appeared in three games for the Blue Jays. 

MLBTR Originals

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Let's look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

Yankees Acquire Chad Qualls

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4:08 pm: The Yankees have designated infielder Matt Antonelli for assignment to make room for Qualls on their 40-man roster, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The Yankees had claimed Antonelli on waivers from the Orioles in May.

3:38 pm: The Yankees announced they have acquired reliever Chad Qualls from the Phillies for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The Phillies had designated Qualls for assignment on Thursday. This is the second trade in as many days for the Phillies, who dealt Jim Thome to the Orioles yesterday for a pair of Class A prospects.

The Yankees needed to supplement their bullpen with the recent struggles of Cory Wade and the promotion of Freddy Garcia to the starting rotation because of injuries to C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte. Qualls has struggled himself in 2012 with a 4.60 ERA in a team-high 35 games for the Phillies. 

Draft Notes: Blue Jays, Cardinals, Brewers, Padres

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The deadline for teams to sign their 2012 draft picks is 4 pm (CT) on July 13. Here's the latest news and signings involving the non-first and supplemental first round selections.

  • The Blue Jays have signed second round draft choice Chase DeJong for an over slot bonus of $860K, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America. The recommended value for the pick is $620,300. Callis says the California right-hander has a plus fastball and curve.
  • Callis, in a separate tweet, says the Blue Jays can offer their first rounder Marcus Stroman just over $2.13MM without forfeiting a 2013 draft pick.
  • Callis tweets the Cardinals signed their fourth round pick Alex Meija for $250K (recommended slot value of $294,200). Meija played short for the College World Series champion Arizona.
  • Brewers fifth round draft choice Damien Magnifico tweeted a cryptic message about his future. "It's great to be around family, friends, and the girlfriend. And now have things figured out for the future," wrote Magnifico. The Brewers aren't saying much either about the future of the right-handed pitcher from the University of Oklahoma, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. "Both parties are still doing their work," was the response Brewers amateur scouting director Bruce Seid gave when asked about the tweet. Magnifico is the highest unsigned pick of the Brewers.
  • There have been conflicting reports this week as to whether the Padres have signed their 25th round selection Corey Kimber. Callis confirms the North Carolina prep right-hander signed for $120K, $20K of which counts against the bonus pool (all links go to Twitter).

Mariners Expected To Sign Mike Zunino Shortly

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July 1: ESPN's Keith Law tweeted Zunino is on his way to Seattle to sign with the Mariners. Jerry Crasnick confirms his colleague's report tweeting Zunino is heading to Seattle to take his physical.

June 26: The Mariners are expected to sign third overall pick Mike Zunino shortly, reports Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. The announcement could come in early-July after the catcher from Florida attends two awards ceremonies.

Slot money for the third overall selection is $5.2MM. Baseball America says Zunino's hitting ability "projects to be above-average for a major league catcher" while noting that he offers strong intangibles that draw Jason Varitek comparisons. Zunino is the highest unsigned pick and is one of ten unsigned first rounders.

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