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Quick Hits: Lowe, Cubs, Antonini, Rangers, Indians

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Links from around baseball as Saturday becomes Sunday..

Indians Designate Jeremy Accardo For Assignment

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The Indians have designated Jeremy Accardo for assignment, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The move will allow Cleveland to recall left-hander Chris Seddon who last appeared in the majors in 2010 with the Mariners.  Seddon will take the hill for the Tribe tomorrow against the Tigers.

Accardo, 30, has a 4.58 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 26 appearances this year for the Indians.  For his career, the right-hander has a 4.27 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in eight seasons with the Giants, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Indians.

Giants To Sign Xavier Nady

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The Giants and veteran Xavier Nady have agreed to a minor league contract, club officials told Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.  Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) first reported that the two sides were close to a deal.

Nady is taking batting practice with the club's Triple-A affiliate tonight and is likely to be activated tomorrow.  The Nationals designated Nady for assignment in late July before granting him his unconditional release on Sunday.

The 33-year-old has been out of action since mid-June due to a wrist injury.  Before that, Nady had a  .157/.211/.275 slash line with three homers in 109 plate appearances for Washington.  The veteran had interest from San Francisco over the winter but wound up inking a minor league deal with the Nats in March.

Beltway Notes: Orioles, Chavez, McLouth, Nats

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Here's a quick look at items on the Nationals and Orioles..

  • Endy Chavez was designated for assignment earlier today but Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn't expect him to stay idle for long, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  "Endy will end up on his feet shortly. I know Dan's going to explore some things with him," the manager said.  The outfielder was DFA'd in order allow for the promotion of Nate McLouth.
  • Showalter went on to note that McLouth had to be promoted due to his impending opt-out date, Kubatko tweets.  According to the manager, other teams asked about McLouth's ability but the O's opted to promote him instead.
  • Even though the Nationals are welcoming Kurt Suzuki with open arms, the catcher's arrival will have a significant impact on the club's depth chart beyond this year, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times.  Jesus Flores told reporters that he was "shocked" by the news but is now on the same page with the club after meeting with manager Davey Johnson.

Blue Jays Sign Jack Cust

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The Blue Jays have signed Jack Cust to a minor league deal, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).  The slugger will report to the club's Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas.

Cust, 33, was cut loose by the Yankees on Wednesday after signing a minor league deal with the club back in March.  The designated hitter/corner outfielder posted a .249/.400/.475 slash line with 20 homers, 81 walks, and 127 plate appearances for Scranton Wilkes-Barre this year.

Orioles Designate Endy Chavez For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated Endy Chavez for assignment, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter).  The outfielder was hitting just .190/.222/.281 in 47 games for the O’s this year.

Chavez, 34, signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with Baltimore in December after also receiving interest from the Mets, Rangers, and Mariners.  For his career, Chavez owns a .270/.309/.369 slash line across eleven big league seasons.

Poll: Should The Phillies Let Cliff Lee Go?

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Last night, the Dodgers were awarded claiming rights on Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee after the nine other National League clubs with worse records declined.  By claiming Lee, the Dodgers opened themselves up to the possibility of either trading for the left-hander or being assigned his contract which would saddle them with roughly $95MM in future commitments.  The struggling Phillies could help kickstart their rebuilding effort and slim down their bloated payroll by letting Lee go out west, but as it stands it doesn't seem like Ruben Amaro Jr. wants to consider it.  "It's irrelevant. [Lee] is not going anywhere," said the GM.

It's not hard to understand why the Phillies would be reluctant to let Lee go.  The soon-to-be 34-year-old has been a bright spot for the club this year, posting a 3.73 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 18 starts.  While his performance may not put him near the top in Cy Young voting this year as it did in 2011, there's no denying that Lee is still going strong and could help anchor the Phillies' rotation in 2013 and beyond.

However, Lee's contract calls for him to make $21.5MM in 2012 and $25MM per season through 2015.  The committment could also extend through 2016 as he has a $27.5MM vesting option with a $12.5MM buyout.  The Phillies stretched their payroll to retain Cole Hamels to a six-year (or, potentially seven-year) extension and wiping Lee's salary from the books would help restore some flexibility.

 

Quick Hits: Sheets, Braves, Phillies, Royals

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Saturday afternoon linkage..

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recaps the unusual story of how Ben Sheets wound up hooking on with the Braves.  The 34-year-old, who had interest from a number of clubs, told Rosenthal that the situation in Atlanta fit him perfectly even though the offer wasn't necessarily the best.  The veteran prefers the National League, likes the pitcher's advantage in Turner Field, and enjoys the humidity of the Southeast.  Sheets' deal is for the prorated portion of $2.25MM and includes up to $1.4MM in incentives.
  • While Ruben Amaro Jr. & Co. are staying positive about the 2012 season, the Phillies should be making moves with 2013 and beyond in mind, opines Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • We could see familiar August trade subjects such as Jeff Francoeur go through the process once more this year, writes Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated.  Other top candidates to be moved include Carlos Lee of the Marlins, Jose Lopez of the Indians, and Scott Hairston of the Mets.
  • Dominican third baseman Juan Carlos Arias failed his age investigation, a major league source told Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The 6-foot-3, 220 pound prospect stood out for his raw power and strength but will now have to wait until June 12, 2013 to sign.

West Notes: Giants, Chavez, Dodgers, A’s

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Last night, Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley held the Cubs to four hits over seven innings en route to the club's 6-1 victory at home.  With Cliff Lee reportedly off the market and Ted Lilly perhaps out for the season, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that the Dodgers will have to bank on more solid pitching out of the 28-year-old.  Here's more out of the Western divisions..

  • Before the trade deadline, the Giants offered Nate Schierholtz to the Yankees in an effort to land veteran Eric Chavez, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  The Giants presumably pursued Chavez prior to acquiring Marco Scutaro, who has been plugged in at third base.  Chavez, 34, is hitting .269/.332..486 with ten homers on the year.
  • After trading for Joe Blanton and putting a claim in on Lee, the Dodgers continue to show that money is no object, writes Steve Henson of Yahoo Sports.  GM Ned Colletti seems to be happy with his newly-found flexibility, but it seems unlikely that the Phillies will part with Lee.
  • Catcher Kurt Suzuki was surprised to hear that the Athletics traded him to Washington but the veteran believes that the trade will work out for him as he will play every day, write John Shea and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Blue Jays Designate Andrew Carpenter For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have designated Andrew Carpenter for assignment, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (via Twitter).  In related moves, Toronto called up shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria and right-hander Jesse Chavez.

Carpenter, 27, spent the bulk of July with the Blue Jays and saw just nine innings of work across six appearances.  In parts of five Triple-A seasons, the right-hander owns a 3.37 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9.

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