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Archives for February 2013

Indians Notes: Choo, Antonetti, Bourn

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Earlier this week, we learned that the Indians were finalists to sign Edwin Jackson before he hooked on with the Cubs this winter.  They may not have been able to top the offer from Chicago, but the Tribe has had an extremely busy offseason nonetheless.  Here's more out of Cleveland..

  • Most traded players exchange a few words with their GM before moving on to their next team but Shin-Soo Choo felt compelled to send Chris Antonetti a moving letter when he was sent to the Reds, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Choo is being asked to move to center field in Cincinnati but he implied to Rosenthal that a swap with Jay Bruce is still possible.
  • The new-look Indians remind MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom of the club's teams from the mid-90s.  While Cleveland's starting pitching could be stronger, there is a lot of optimism surrounding the club and their improved offense.
  • It will take time for the aggressive Michael Bourn to get acclimated with his outfield mates in Cleveland and vice versa, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.

Dodgers Gauging Interest In Chris Capuano

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They Dodgers have called teams to gauge the interest in left-hander Chris Capuano, sources told Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  The Rockies, who have an obvious need for rotation help, are among those teams.

It makes sense that the Dodgers would actively shop Capuano as they have a surplus of pitching after signing free agents Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu.  Renck doesn't see Capuano as a fit for the Rockies, however, given the interest he will draw and the reluctance of both teams to trade within the division.  The veteran will earn $6MM in 2013, meaning that the Rockies would have to also unload salary in a deal for him. 

For his part, the 34-year-old says that he hasn't asked out even though he seems likely to be squeezed out of the rotation.  Capuano is open to moving to the bullpen if he is asked, but fellow veteran Aaron Harang doesn't seem interested in becoming a reliever.

Rockies Have Inquired On Niemann, Others

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The Rockies are in search of starting pitching and have checked in with the Rays about Jeff Niemann and others, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  However, the talks have yet to reach an advanced stage.

Niemann missed the bulk of 2012 after he was struck by a comebacker off of the mound against the Blue Jays in May.  The soon-to-be 30-year-old won't be eligible for free agency until 2014 and will earn a reasonable $3MM this season after avoiding arbitration with Tampa Bay.  Across five big league seasons, Niemann owns a career 4.08 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

The Rays, of course, aren't short on pitching and could afford to part with Niemann.  The Rockies, meanwhile, hope to improve upon their current group of starters which includes Jhoulys Chacin, Jeff Francis, Jorge De La Rosa, Drew Pomeranz, and Juan Nicasio.

AL East Notes: Yankees, De La Rosa, Red Sox, Orioles

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Here's the latest out of the American League East..

  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com ran down his likes and dislikes on the Yankees this season.  Heyman likes that the Bombers have kept their strong rotation in tact and believes that even though they acted like a small-market team this winter, they will go out and spend in July if they need to.  Meanwhile, Heyman is concerned about the club's age and lack of depth in the minors.
  • Pedro Martinez believes that Rubby De La Rosa, one of the key pieces of the Red Sox's blockbuster trade with the Dodgers, has a chance to be "someone special", writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.  De La Rosa is rebounding from Tommy John surgery and will see his innings capped in 2013.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com wonders if quality is more important than quantity when it comes to a team's farm system.  The Orioles had just two players ranked in the Baseball America top 100 prospects list this year, with Dylan Bundy at No. 2 and Kevin Gausman at No. 26.  Manny Machado also would have been towards the very top of the list had he qualified for rookie status.
  • Orioles reliever Darren O'Day told the local press, including CSNBaltimore.com (video link) that he is especially happy to have a contract extension with the club given the way that he has bounced around in the past.  O'Day inked a two-year extension with a club option for 2015.

Quick Hits: Hernandez, Morneau, Blue Jays, McClellan

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Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports speculated that the Rockies could trade a catcher in order to bolster their pitching staff and of the team's three backstops, Ramon Hernandez would be the most likely to go.  The 36-year-old, who is earning $3.2MM this season on the backend of his two-year deal, has learned not to be bothered by trade talk, writes MLB.com's Thomas Harding.  "I remember when I was with the Reds, it was the same thing..The last few days before the deadline, the Giants' manager told me, 'You're leaving with us. You're going back to San Francisco.' Then later on I was told I wasn't going anywhere until the end, right at the deadline. Then the Reds put me on waivers, somebody claimed me, they pulled me back out, and I didn't go anywhere."  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Twins star Justin Morneau downplayed comments he made earlier this week in which he said that it would be "very cool" to play for the Blue Jays since he grew up in Canada, writes Phil Miller of the Star-Tribune.  While he didn't disown the remark but he did restate his desire to win in Minnesota.
  • Pitcher Kyle McClellan wants to be more than just insurance for the Rangers this season, writes Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com.  The right-hander signed a minor league deal with Texas this winter and can opt out of his deal on March 22nd if he does not make the big league roster.  The Rangers could potentially use McClellan as a starter or place him in the bullpen.
  • John Maine is looking to get back on track with the Marlins in 2013 and the former Mets hurler says that he is throwing without pain for the first time since 2012, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.

Oscar Taveras Returns To MDR Sports

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Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras has returned to MDR Sports and longtime agent Melvin Roman, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).  The 20-year-old left Roman's company in late January to join up with Rob Plummer but it would seem that he has had a change of heart.

Taveras is universally regarded as one of the top prospects in all of baseball with most prospect gurus having him in their top three.  The outfielder reached Double-A last year and could join the Cards' varsity squad in 2013.  In 531 plate appearances last season, Taveras posted a .321/.380/.572 slash line with 23 home runs.

For agency info on over 1,700 players, check out MLBTR's Agency Database. Agents: if you've got a 40-man roster player or top prospect whose representation is not correctly noted, we welcome corrections at mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Rangers Notes: Theriot, Ryan, Hamilton

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Earlier this week, we learned that the Rangers are still not in on top remaining free agent Kyle Lohse, but they are eyeing a less significant pickup during spring training.  Here's more out of Texas..

  • Ryan Theriot, who has been talking the Rangers as well as the Indians, continues to wait as he is hoping for chance to compete for a starting job somewhere, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 33-year-old posted a .270/.316/.321 batting line in 104 games with the Giants in 2012.
  • Rangers president Nolan Ryan believes that the Rangers can still contend without Josh Hamilton in 2013, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN.com.  "I think that we stepped back, assessed the situation and were able to accomplish some things that needed to be done as far as strengthening our ballclub," Ryan said. "I think we're a better ballclub today than we were the day Josh signed with the Angels. That's the way I look at it."
  • However, Ryan added that he would have liked to add a consistent, experienced starter to the rotation as long as well as a veteran reliever, Durrett writes.  At the same time, he expressed confidence that the starting five and the bullpen can perform well as currently constructed.

Minor Moves: Maloney, Hampson, Blanco, Blue Jays

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Here's a look at today's minor moves, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy..

  • The Red Sox have signed left-hander Matt Maloney to a minor league deal, according to Eddy. The 29-year-old has spent time in the big leagues in each of the past four seasons and owns a career 3.83 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in Triple-A.
  • The Mets have re-signed left-hander Justin Hampson, Eddy writes.  The 32-year-old posted a 2.33 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 for Triple-A Buffalo in 2012.  Hampson also saw time in 13 big league games last season for the Mets and a combined 74 for the Padres in 2007 and 2008.
  • The Phillies released shortstop Andres Blanco, according to Eddy.  Blanco, 28, last appeared in the majors with the Rangers in 2011 and owns a career .255/.301/.333 slash line across six big league seasons.
  • The Blue Jays re-signed right-hander Clint Everts, Eddy reports.  Everts, who spent last season with Toronto's Triple-A affiliate, was taken with the fifth-overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Expos.

Jim Thome Hopes To Play In 2013

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Jim Thome will eventually retire as one of the game’s most accomplished power hitters, but he doesn’t want to call it a career just yet. The 42-year-old free agent told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he’s heading to Phoenix next week to continue his workouts. He’ll stay in shape to be sure he’s ready should an interested team call. However, after 22 seasons at the MLB level, Thome has been reluctant to accept a minor league deal.

“For me, what I’ve done in the game, I felt really strongly about that,” Thome told Rosenthal. “I still love the game. I want to keep playing. But I felt after 20-something years, that if I went back and played, I wanted to get an opportunity to make a club at the Major League level. To me, that was important. I feel I’m still a Major League player. I’m in great shape.”

Thome, an SFX client, doesn’t offer defensive value at this stage in his career; he’s strictly a designated hitter and pinch hitter. He played for the Phillies and Orioles in 2012, posting a .252/.344/.442 batting line with eight home runs in 186 plate appearances.

The Yankees and Orioles don’t appear to be fits for Thome based on recent reports. The Indians once had interest, but have since added a similar player in Jason Giambi. At this stage, no team stands out as an obvious candidate to offer Thome a guaranteed roster spot.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: A’s, Strasburg, Stubbs, Lohse

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On this date in 2005, California state assemblyman Tom Umberg introduced legislation that would have required pro franchises to use disclaimers if they did not play the majority of home games in the location used in their name. His “Truth in Sports Advertising Act” was designed to keep the Angels from changing their name to Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Of course, his efforts were unsuccessful and the Angels went ahead with the name change in 2005.  The Dodgers weren’t thrilled about the Halos’ decision and continued to designate the Angels as “ANA” on their out-of-town scoreboard that season.  Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.  

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