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Archives for August 2012

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Lester, Orioles, Reynolds

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Yesterday, Red Sox President Larry Lucchino took some time to talk to the press in the midst of the team’s recent turmoil.  Lucchino told reporters, including Tim Britton of The Providence Journal (via Twitter), that despite the criticism the club has faced in recent weeks, “The cynical, jaded media do not necessarily capture the voice of the fan base.”  Here’s more out of Fenway and the rest of the AL East..

  • Boston has been a desirable free agent destination for the better part of the last decade, but pitcher Jon Lester isn’t sure if that is still the case, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  “I don’t know,” Lester said. “It’s always been a demanding place to play, but until the last two years, it always was about baseball. Now we’ve got things written and said about guys’ personal stuff as human beings, as people. Now you’re starting to question people’s manhoods. That’s where it gets hard.”  Meanwhile, Lucchino doesn’t believe that the drama will dissuade players from wanting to come to Boston.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com wonders if Mark Reynolds may be playing himself into the Orioles’ plans for 2013 with his recent hot streak.  Baltimore is unlikely to pick up his $11MM option for next season but they could non-tender him and bring him back for considerably less.  In total, Reynolds isn’t having a stellar year by his standards, hitting .220/.335/.413 with 12 homers in 355 plate appearances.
  • If the Red Sox decide to make a managerial change, Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests Jason Varitek as a good fit for the clubhouse.  The success of Robin Ventura of the White Sox and the Cardinals’ Mike Matheny should make clubs feel better about first-time managers, Sherman opines.
  • Meanwhile, Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com has a different ex-player in mind: Bill Mueller.  Mueller is currently serving as a special assistant in the Dodgers’ front office and like Varitek, doesn’t have any managerial experience.

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Red Sox Place Aaron Cook On Trade Waivers

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The Red Sox have placed Aaron Cook, Felix Doubront, and Andrew Miller on trade waivers, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Cafardo notes that while Doubront won't be going anywhere, Cook is a trade candidate.

In ten starts this season, Cook has a 4.58 ERA with 1.1 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9.  The 33-year-old inked a minor league deal with Boston over the winter, worth $1.5MM prorated upon his promotion to the big leagues.  The Red Sox waited until the 11th hour to call him up rather than trigger his opt-out clause, but ultimately putting him on the big league roster in early May.

The right-hander was said to be drawing "modest interest" from clubs in late July.  The Rangers were scouting Cook at one point last month but wound up backing off closer to the deadline.

NL West Notes: Francoeur, Giants, Pence, Padres

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We took a look at both Western divisions earlier today, now we'll zero in on just the National League side..

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) wonders if Jeff Francoeur could be a fit for the Giants.  Rosenthal notes that the outfielder, owed $6.75MM next season, would likely would clear waivers.  However, the Royals couldn't be expected to just give him away.
  • It has been widely speculated that the Giants acquired Hunter Pence as a response to rumors surrounding Melky Cabrera's possible suspension, but GM Brian Sabean denied that being a factor, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  "We tried to acquire [Pence] at the deadline last year and he was going to be a Giant if we could find a way to do it this year," Sabean said.  The GM also said that there was nothing "too compelling or interesting" available on the waiver wire.
  • The new Padres ownership could take the club in a number of directions, writes Chris Jenkins of U-T San Diego.  The sale of the team is now complete as it was approved at the owners meetings this week.

Cubs Sign Horacio Ramirez

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The Cubs have signed left-hander Horacio Ramirez to a minor league deal, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.  The 32-year-old, who has spent the year in independent ball, has been assigned to Triple-A Iowa.

Ramirez posted a 1.96 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in twelve starts for the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League this year.  The hurler spent last season with the Angels where he saw nine innings of big league work while posting a 3.96 ERA with 3.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 45 Triple-A outings.

West Links: Melky, Soriano, Felix, Murphy

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Wednesday was a busy day for baseball's two West divisions, as the Giants lost Melky Cabrera for 50 games while Felix Hernandez threw the first perfect game in Mariners history. Here is Thursday's news and notes from the left coast…

  • Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants have a decision to make in the wake of Cabrera's suspension. The 28-year-old is due to become a free agent after the season and team seemed likely to explore a multiyear extension before yesterday's news broke.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean has not been much of an Alfonso Soriano fan through the years, so he seems unlikely to pursue him following Cabrera's suspension according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Yesterday we heard that Soriano is unlikely to approve a trade to San Francisco anyway.
  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post wonders if the Mariners' willingness to commit to Hernandez and Hernandez's willingness to remain in Seattle will fall in line when the right-hander hits free agency after 2014.
  • In a chat with David Laurila of FanGraphs, David Murphy says getting traded to the Rangers was the best possible opportunity for him and his career. Murphy was part of the trade that sent Eric Gagne to the Red Sox in 2007.

Central Notes: Indians, Astros, Tigers

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Here is the latest from baseball's two Central divisions…

  • "It's no secret, we're going to need to improve our offense," said Indians manager Manny Acta to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer when asked what his team needs to improve in 2013. "We're going to have to find a solution in left field, we're going to have to find a solution at first base and we're going to have to find a solution at DH. That's pretty obvious. And the third base situation is not determined either."
  • The Astros acquired 15 prospects in their midseason trades following today's Kevin Comer pickup, and Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle points out (on Twitter) that ten are pitchers. You can see all of new GM Jeff Luhnow's moves with our Transaction Tracker.
  • Lynn Henning of The Detroit News wrote about the Tigers' network of scouts, including those responsible for covering pro leagues, amateur leagues, and players overseas.

Red Sox Acquire Beato To Complete Shoppach Deal

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The Red Sox have acquired right-hander Pedro Beato from the Mets as the player to be named later in the Kelly Shoppach trade, reports ESPN's Keith Law (on Twitter). New York acquired Shoppach earlier this week.

Beato, 25, has pitched to a 4.67 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 71 1/3 relief innings with the Mets over the last two seasons. They originally acquired him as a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Orioles prior to last season, then retained his rights by keeping him on the roster all summer. Beato has pitched to a 4.14 ERA in 37 Triple-A innings this season while also missing time with a shoulder problem.

Giants Seeking Outfield Help

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The Giants are seeking outfield help following Melky Cabrera's 50-game suspension, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). For now the team plans to promote Justin Christian from Triple-A and stick with Gregor Blanco, Angel Pagan, and Hunter Pence as the regulars.

Rosenthal reports that Scott Hairston and Juan Pierre have yet to be placed on trade waivers, though the Diamondbacks would likely block both players from getting to San Francisco. Arizona has a higher waiver priority and both Hairston (approximately $300K) and Pierre ($200K) are reasonably priced for the remainder of the season. Alfonso Soriano remains unlikely to approve a trade to the 2010 World Champs.

Kevin Millwood and Josh Beckett still have yet to be placed on waivers according to Rosenthal. The Red Sox have put a handful of players through waivers but otherwise have remained quiet this month.

Phillies Acquire O’Sullivan To Complete Blanton Trade

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The Phillies have acquired right-hander Ryan O'Sullivan from the Dodgers to complete the Joe Blanton trade, the team announced (on Twitter). Los Angeles acquired Blanton for a player to be named later earlier this month.

O'Sullivan, 21, was a fourth round pick in the 2011 draft. He's pitched to a 3.05 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 88 1/3 innings at the Single-A level this season. Baseball America ranked O'Sullivan has 23rd best prospect in the Dodgers' system before the season in their Prospect Handbook.

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