Royals Release Elliot Johnson
MONDAY: Johnson has been placed on unconditional release waivers, the Royals announced on Twitter.
THURSDAY: The Royals have created roster space for the recently acquired Emilio Bonifacio by designating infielder Elliot Johnson for assignment, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Johnson came over from the Rays this offseason as part of the James Shields–Wil Myers blockbuster.
The 29-year-old Johnson batted .179/.218/.241 in 173 plate appearances for the Royals this season — a steep decline from last season's .242/.304/.350 in 331 plate appearances. While Johnson offered little with the bat this season, he did provide some value on defense and on the basepaths. Both UZR/150 (+15.9) and The Fielding Bible (nine runs above average) loved his work at second base at second base this season, and he went 14-for-14 in stolen base attempts
Johnson also has experience at shortstop and third base, and he's even appeared briefly in all three outfield spots throughout his career. He's a career .212/.267/.313 in 704 plate appearances — all coming with the Rays and Royals.
Oscar Taveras Joins The Legacy Agency
Cardinals top prospect Oscar Taveras has left MDR Sports and signed with Greg Genske of The Legacy Agency, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (subscription required). This marks the third agency change for Taveras in 2013. He left MDR for Rob Plummer in January but switched back less than a month later.
Taveras, 21, hit .306/.361/.462 with five homers in 46 games for Triple-A Memphis in what proved to be an injury-riddled 2013 that will culminate in season-ending ankle surgery this week (as previously reported by MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch). He currently ranks as the No. 2 prospect in baseball according to ESPN's Keith Law, Baseball America and MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
Taveras is the second player that Genske has brought to TLA in recent weeks; Tommy Hanson also signed with Genske earlier in the month. TLA also represents high-profile names like Carl Crawford, CC Sabathia, Aaron Hill and Johan Santana.
For additional agency info on nearly 1,900 Major League and Minor League players, check out MLBTR's Agency Database. If you see any omissions or errors within the database, please email us at mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
Yankees Release Luis Cruz
MONDAY: The Yankees have released Cruz, according to the MLB.com Transactions page.
FRIDAY: The Yankees have designated infielder Luis Cruz for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for the newly signed Mark Reynolds, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). The Yankees optioned right-hander Preston Claiborne to Triple-A to open up a 25-man roster spot, Hoch adds.
The 29-year-old Cruz hit just .145/.190/.179 in 187 plate appearances between the Dodgers and Yankees this season, just one year removed from an impressive .297/.322/.431 effort with Los Angeles in 2012. Cruz had been on the disabled list with a knee sprain since July 24 prior to his DFA.
Hughes Prefers To Stay In Starting Role
MONDAY: Hughes clarified to Martino that his strong preference and intention is to remain in a starting role for many years.
THURSDAY: Phil Hughes hasn't made a relief appearance since 2011, but the Yankees right-hander told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that he will be open-minded about a relief role this offseason when he hits free agency, depending on the offers. Asked if a relief role was off the table, he replied:
“No. I mean, I feel like pitching at this level is a blessing in any way. So if teams value me as a starter, that’s great. If not, and that’s their opinion, we’ll see what happens. We will see how it shakes out.”
Hughes, 27, entered play today with a 4.99 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and just a 29.2 percent ground-ball rate. Many feel that his success as a starter during the team's 2009 World Series run means he should be transferred to a bullpen role full-time. For his career, Hughes has a 1.44 ERA as a reliever and a 4.73 ERA as a starter, though that relief sample size is just 56 1/3 innings.
There's also a belief that Hughes — an extreme fly-ball pitcher — simply needs to escape the homer-friendly Yankee Stadium and move to a larger park. That's also understandable, as he's pitched to a 6.18 ERA with 16 homers in 62 2/3 home innings this season (2.3 HR/9) compared to a 3.67 ERA on the road with just six homers allowed on the road. Since moving back into the rotation full-time in 2010, Hughes has a 5.02 ERA and 5.10 FIP at Yankee Stadium. His road marks of 4.08 and 3.81 are much more respectable.
Red Sox To Promote Xander Bogaerts
The Red Sox will make a series of roster moves today, writes WEEI.com's Alex Speier, with none being more notable than the promotion of top prospect Xander Bogaerts. 
The 20-year-old Bogaerts has mashed his way into a universal Top 10 prospect, ranking third on Keith Law's Midseason Top 50 Prospect list (ESPN Insider required), fourth on Baseball America's Midseason Top 50 and ranking sixth on the current Top 100 list of MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. The Aruban shortstop is batting .297/.388/.477 with 15 home runs in 515 plate appearances between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket this season.
Prior to the season, Law noted that Bogaerts had vastly improved his chances to stay at short, and while he may never become a plus defender at the position, his bat will allow him to be a five-WAR player even with average defense. BA noted that he has plus-plus raw power which he hasn't quite tapped into yet, but his easy swing allows him to spray the ball to all fields and make hard contact. Mayo adds that while he's an average runner, he has surprising range at shortstop and a plus arm. Over at Baseball Prospectus, Chris Mellen projects Bogaerts' ceiling to be an annual 30-homer shortstop once he matures (with more power in his peak seasons), but cautions that he needs to continue to improve his defense at short and also work on his plate discipline.
If he's on the big league roster for good, Bogaerts will miss the Super Two cutoff and be eligible for arbitration three times before reaching free agency as a 26-year-old following the 2019 season. Had the Red Sox kept him down at Pawtucket for the remainder of the season and the first three weeks of the 2014 campaign, they'd have picked up an extra year of team control over Bogaerts and been able to keep him through 2020. As they've shown in the past with Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, however, the Red Sox aren't shy about extending core players when they're amenable to a long-term contract. Clearly that's a discussion for a much later date though, as Boston's current hope is simply that the infusion of a young, talented player like Bogaerts will spark a team that has won just three of its past ten contests.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Quick Hits: A-Rod, Rangers, D’Arnaud, Morneau
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez currently faces a 211-game suspension stemming from his role in the Biogenesis scandal, but his suspension might have been far shorter, perhaps as few as 50 games, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal writes. "At different points, it could have been way, way less than where it is now," a source tells Rosenthal. Rodriguez has appealed his suspension. Here are more notes from around the Majors.
- The Mets have decided Travis d'Arnaud's promotion won't be temporary, Rosenthal tweets. The Mets promoted d'Arnaud after starting catcher John Buck went on paternity leave. Now, Rosenthal writes, the Mets plan to keep d'Arnaud on their roster and give him "significant playing time." That would suggest that Buck is likely to play much less. D'Arnaud, 24, has hit .286/.420/.514 across three minor-league levels in 2013 after having missed much of the season with a foot injury.
- The Rangers are looking for a pitcher to start on Tuesday, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News writes. Texas has a need in its rotation after Alexi Ogando received an anti-inflammatory injection on Saturday. The Rangers will have Matt Garza pitch on Monday, a day earlier than expected. Josh Lindblom, who has made five starts for the Rangers this year, started Sunday night for Triple-A Round Rock, so he isn't a candidate to pitch Tuesday. The Rangers could promote the recently-acquired Travis Blackley, but Fraley raises the possibility that they could deal for a starter like Dan Haren or Erik Bedard, both of whom have passed through waivers.
- The Indians are not interested in former Phillies outfielder Delmon Young, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer tweets. Hoynes also notes that the Indians have put in waiver claims on "several players," although they have not been able to trade for any.
- The Twins aren't likely to trade Justin Morneau to the Red Sox, writes Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Morneau cleared waivers on Wednesday, and Sox first baseman Mike Napoli is currently nursing a sore foot. It's not yet clear that Napoli's injury is severe, however, and it's questionable whether Morneau would be an upgrade over options like Daniel Nava and Mike Carp.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- MLBTR was the first to report left-hander Mike Zagurski was signed by the A's to a minor league deal with a September 1 opt-out.
- Steve Adams presented another Transaction Retrospection with a look back at the Mark Reynolds–David Hernandez trade.
- Earlier this year, Tim Dierkes posted advice from front office executives to students hoping for a career in baseball operations. In a special follow-up for MLBTR, Ricky Benichak shares his experience working as a baseball operations intern for the Reds.
- Charlie Wilmoth posited a later Trade Deadline would not have necessarily created more trade activity.
- Steve asked MLBTR readers which player to clear waivers was the most surprising. More than 26% of you found it hard to believe Justin Morneau passed without a claim.
- Jeff Todd asked MLBTR readers to rank the midseason moves made by teams in rebuilding mode. The Cubs' aggressive spending on international free agents was ranked the best (33%) while the Mariners, Mets, and Rockies standing pat at the Trade Deadline was viewed as the worst (55%).
- Steve hosted the MLBTR live chat this week.
- Zach Links put together the best of the baseball blogosphere in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
AL East Notes: Orioles, A-Rod, Blue Jays
Wilson Betemit is on his way back from a knee injury suffered in the spring, but that won't prevent the Orioles from hunting for a designated hitter, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. "We want to find another hitter. We have been looking at this issue for a while, and we want to find a solution for DH," Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette says. "[Betemit] can certainly be a solution. He is a good hitter, but he needs some at-bats." Connolly reports that the Orioles do not seem interested in Justin Morneau and have not seriously considered Paul Konerko, both of whom have passed through waivers. Here's more from the AL East.
- Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees are in the midst of a feud centered on accusations against the Yankees made by Rodriguez attorney Joseph Tacopina. Despite that and Rodriguez's 211-game suspension, the Yankees are not considering releasing Rodriguez, Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger writes. "That’s not something for me. I wouldn’t think that that’s – I don’t think that’s something that would be considered, personally," GM Brian Cashman says.
- The Blue Jays have done a nice job finding depth players this season, but have struggled overall because bigger-name players aren't producing, SportsNet.ca's Shi Davidi writes. On Sunday, the Jays got a solid start from former waiver claim Todd Redmond, but couldn't put together enough offense to beat the Rays. The Jays have gotten underwhelming results from big-name acquisitions like Josh Johnson, R.A. Dickey, Melky Cabrera and others en route to a 57-67 season so far.
Week In Review: 8/11/13 – 8/17/13
Here's a look back at this week at MLBTR.
- The Phillies fired manager Charlie Manuel and replaced him with Ryne Sandberg.
- Cuban first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu defected.
- The Yankees signed infielder Mark Reynolds.
- The Royals acquired infielder Emilio Bonifacio from the Blue Jays for a PTBNL or cash.
- The Rangers acquired pitcher Travis Blackley from the Astros for a PTBNL and cash.
- The Rays acquired reliever Wesley Wright from the Astros for cash.
- The Twins acquired minor-league pitcher Miguel Sulbaran from the Dodgers to complete the Drew Butera trade.
- The Phillies released outfielder Delmon Young.
- The Mets promoted catcher and top prospect Travis d'Arnaud.
- The Cardinals promoted second baseman and top prospect Kolten Wong.
- Major League Baseball suspended Royals infielder Miguel Tejada for 105 games for Adderall use.
- The Rangers claimed infielder Adam Rosales from the Athletics.
- The Rays outrighted infielder Ryan Roberts.
- The Athletics outrighted infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima.
- The Giants outrighted catcher Guillermo Quiroz.
- The Royals outrighted catcher Brett Hayes.
- The Phillies released outfielder Laynce Nix.
- The Yankees designated infielder Luis Cruz for assignment.
- The Royals designated infielder Elliot Johnson for assignment.
- The Athletics signed reliever Mike Zagurski to a minor-league deal.
- The Braves released infielder Blake DeWitt. They also signed infielder Tyler Greene to a minor-league deal after the White Sox released him.
- The Rangers released former star outfielder Manny Ramirez.
- The Pirates acquired pitcher Doug Mathis from the Marlins for a PTBNL or cash.
- Catcher Ronny Paulino was assigned outright to the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate in Toledo.
- The Pirates signed reliever Kyle Farnsworth and catcher Kelly Shoppach to minor-league deals.
- The Indians signed first baseman David Cooper to a minor-league deal.
- The White Sox signed infielder Tommy Manzella to a minor-league deal.
- The Diamondbacks signed utilityman Jake Fox to a minor-league deal.
- The Nationals signed Dominican third baseman Anderson Franco.
- The Cubs signed Taiwanese pitcher Jen-Ho Tseng.
- The Astros signed first baseman Japhet Amador and outfielder Leonardo Heras out of the Mexican League.
- The Diamondbacks signed outfielder Joash Brodin to a minor-league deal.
Minor Moves: Astros, Ryan Roberts, Doug Mathis
Here are Sunday's minor moves from around MLB:
- The Astros will sign first baseman Japhet Amador and outfielder Leonardo Heras from Diablos Rojos in the Mexican League, according to a team press release. The 26-year-old Amador, who is listed at 6'4" and 315 pounds, was hitting .368/.419/.693 with 36 home runs in 449 plate appearances. Heras, 23, was hitting .310/.398/.519. The amounts of their bonuses are unclear.
- Ryan Roberts has cleared waivers and has accepted the Rays' outright assignment to Triple-A Durham, tweets the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith. Roberts was designated for assignment Thursday after hitting .247/.295/.377 with five home runs in 173 plate appearances for Tampa Bay.
- The Pirates have acquired right-hander Doug Mathis from the Marlins for a player to be named later or cash, tweets Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mathis, who has spent the entire season at Triple-A New Orleans, will be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Mathis, who last appeared in a MLB game in 2010 with the Rangers, has posted a 3.85 ERA, 6.7 K/9, and 4.2 BB/9 over 114 2/3 innings with the Zephyrs covering 24 games (21 starts).
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.