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AL Central Notes: V-Mart, Hunter, Zimmer

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We’ve already had one batch of AL Central news items earlier today, but here are a few more from around the division…

  • It seems “certain” that the Tigers will extend a qualifying offer to Victor Martinez this winter, MLive.com’s Chris Iott writes as part of a reader mailbag.  Though Martinez turns 36 in December, he’s still swinging a live bat, bringing an .859 OPS over 99 PA into today’s action.  This is just my speculation, but given Martinez’s age and defensive limitations, I wonder if he could actually accept the one-year qualifying offer (which should be worth roughly $15MM) to stay in a familiar situation in Detroit rather than risk facing a Kendrys Morales -esque extended wait in free agency.
  • Torii Hunter did a bit of recruiting to bring Joel Hanrahan to the Tigers, both players tell MLB.com’s Jason Beck.  Hunter and Hanrahan are both represented by agent Larry Reynolds and work out together during the offseason.
  • Kyle Zimmer, the fifth pick of the 2012 draft, skipped Spring Training and will see his first game action this coming week, Jim Callis writes for MLB.com.  While Zimmer is presently healthy, he had a bout of late-season biceps tendinitis and said his arm still didn’t feel when throwing in December.  As such, the Royals are taking it very easy with their star prospect and plan to cap him around 148 innings, though they could call on him for a pennant race.  “If he pitches like we expect him to, we’ll have a fresh Kyle Zimmer in September,” Royals assistant GM J.J. Picollo said.  “He’s as important as anybody in the organization for this year and the future, and this just made more sense.”
  • In other prospect-workload news, Twins assistant GM Rob Antony hinted to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that Alex Meyer could see roughly a 30-percent increase in his innings from 2013.  “I think 30 percent is pretty much the standard,” Antony said. “It’s kind of the guideline you work under. You monitor it….We just want him to stay healthy throughout the year and continue to progress.”  This projects to around 156 IP for Meyer in 2014, and since he’s pitched so well in five Triple-A starts, the big righty could be a late-season callup.  Antony didn’t address that possibility other than to say “The intensity is a lot different (in the minors).”

Angels Outright Yoslan Herrera

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6:37pm: Herrera has already cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter link).

5:01pm: The Angels have announced that they’ve outrighted pitcher Yoslan Herrera in the series of moves that included the promotion of prospect C.J. Cron. They also placed David Freese on the 15-day disabled list, optioned outfielder J.B. Shuck to Triple-A, and promoted third baseman Luis Jimenez.

Herrera appeared in six games for the Angels in 2014 in his first big-league experience since 2008, when he played for the Pirates. The 33-year-old pitched six innings of relief with the Angels, striking out six batters and walking seven, three intentionally, while allowing three earned runs.

Minor Moves: Cubs, Gonzalez, Russell

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We’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions here, with the newest moves at the top of the page…

  • The Cubs moved right-hander Kyuji Fujikawa to the 60-day disabled list today, creating a 40-man roster spot for Chris Coghlan, the club announced.  (Southpaw Zac Rosscup was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Coghlan on the 25-man roster.)  Fujikawa underwent Tommy John surgery last June and isn’t expected back on the mound until at least midseason.  In making the Cubs’ Major League roster, Coghlan will now earn $800K as per the minor league contract he signed with Chicago in January, and he has another $250K available to him in incentives.
  • The Padres have acquired shortstop Benji Gonzalez from the Pirates for cash or a player to be named later, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. Gonzalez, a seventh-round pick in 2008, hit .232/.314/.294 for Class A+ Bradenton in 2013. The Padres have assigned him to Lake Elsinore, which is at the same level.
  • The Reds have signed pitcher Adam Russell to a minor-league deal, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The Diamondbacks released Russell in March. In 2013, the 31-year-old posted a 2.37 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 60 2/3 innings for the Orioles’ Triple-A Norfolk affiliate. He has pitched for the White Sox, Padres and Rays, last appearing in the big leagues in 2011.

Quick Hits: Towers, Cron, Johnson, Tigers

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Kevin Towers of the Diamondbacks isn’t sure whether he’ll still have his job when his team turns its fortunes around, Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com writes. “When you spend $110 million and you’re 9-22 at the end of April, I wouldn’t be happy, either,” says Towers. “I’m also disappointed, but I still believe in the core group. I think they will get better. Will I be around to see it? I don’t know.” Towers also says the team’s poor start must have managing partner Ken Kendrick wondering if the Diamondbacks have the right GM and manager in place. Here’s more from around the big leagues.

  • The Angels have promoted first baseman C.J. Cron, who is in their lineup tonight as their DH, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook 2014 rated Cron the Angels’ second-best prospect. The 2011 first-round pick got off to a great start this season for Triple-A Salt Lake, hitting .319/.369/.602 in his first 122 plate appearances there.
  • The Braves feel like they’re getting a good deal in third baseman Chris Johnson’s recent three-year extension, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman writes. “He was looking for stability and we were looking to have a solid player at a tough position to man,” says GM Frank Wren. “When this contract is over, he’s 32. We all feel like that is when they’re in their prime. So it was another example of tying up a player long term, but not extending beyond their prime.” Johnson will earn $4.75MM in his first year of arbitration eligibility this season, and the $23MM deal buys out Johnson’s last two years of arbitration eligibility, plus one year of free agency, with a reasonable option for a second.
  • The Tigers aren’t yet sure what they’ll do to address their shortstop position, reports MLB.com’s Jason Beck. “We really haven’t approached those specific topics yet,” says GM Dave Dombrowski. Beck suggests that reinforces the perception that it’s unlikely the Tigers will sign free agent Stephen Drew before the draft in early June.

White Sox Claim Moises Sierra

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The White Sox have claimed corner outfielder Moises Sierra off waivers from the Blue Jays, SportsNet.ca’s Shi Davidi tweets. The White Sox also placed outfielder Adam Eaton (hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list, moved pitcher Nate Jones (back) to the 60-day disabled list, and promoted pitcher Frank De Los Santos.

The Jays designated Sierra for assignment on Thursday. He has played sparingly in parts of three seasons in the big leagues, hitting .229/.290/.368 in 314 plate appearances. The 25-year-old is out options, so the White Sox will need to keep him on their active roster or risk exposing him to waivers again. He had gotten off to a slow start with the Blue Jays, with just two hits in his 35 plate appearances this season.

With Sierra’s situation now resolved, MLBTR’s DFA Tracker shows that four players (Greg Dobbs of the Marlins, Nick Buss of the Dodgers, Chris Leroux of the Yankees, and Elliot Johnson of the Indians) remain in DFA limbo.

 

Indians Designate Elliot Johnson For Assignment

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The Indians have designated infielder Elliot Johnson for assignment, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. The Indians also placed catcher Yan Gomes on the paternity list and promoted catcher George Kottaras and pitcher Nick Hagadone.

Cleveland signed Johnson to a minor-league deal in January after the Braves non-tendered him in December, and he made the Indians out of spring training. Johnson collected just 20 plate appearances with the Indians, hitting .105/.211/.316. In parts of five seasons mostly spent with the Rays, Royals and Braves, Johnson has a .215/.269/.316 line in 826 plate appearances.

Prospect Notes: Rodon, Aiken, Taveras

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The Astros should take NC State’s Carlos Rodon with the top overall pick in the June draft even though Rodon’s stock has fallen, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo writes. There’s a decent chance that the worry over Rodon’s less-than-dominant performances this year are “much ado about nothing,” Mayo says. Rodon has gotten great results in his last two starts, and he has a long track record — Mayo notes that some scouts believe he could have been the first overall pick even in 2012 if he had been eligible then. Here are more notes on prospects.

  • The best left-handed pitcher available isn’t Rodon, it’s California high-schooler Brady Aiken, writes MLB.com’s Jim Callis. Aiken’s velocity has increased this year, and so has his command. “I’d probably take Aiken No. 1, and I think if you asked 30 teams, 15-20 would say Aiken,” says a scouting official from an NL team. “He has taken a real step up. He’s more consistent, he has a good body, good arm action, three plus pitches at times.”
  • Oscar Taveras is “checking off all the boxes” necessary for promotion to the big leagues, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Matheny says the timeline for Taveras’ promotion has more to do with the picture at the big-league level than with Taveras’ performance. “They’re just trying to keep him going not knowing what it would look like up here,” Matheny says. “Knowing there probably wouldn’t be an extended amount of playing time as far as everyday goes. For him, just keep going.” The Cardinals recently promoted outfielder Randal Grichuk to help what had been a struggling big-league outfield. Unlike Taveras, however, Grichuk isn’t a top prospect, which might mean that the Cardinals weren’t as concerned about carving out regular playing time for him. Taveras is currently hitting .316/.370/.515 for Triple-A Memphis.

AL Central Notes: Harang, Porcello, Hanrahan

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The Indians had Aaron Harang in spring training this year, but released him due to an out clause in his contract, the Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes explains. Since then, Harang has pitched very well for the Braves (despite a nine-run outing against the Marlins earlier this week), and Carlos Carrasco has struggled in the Indians’ rotation. Hoynes argues, however, that Harang is more of an NL pitcher, and that he has benefited from the Braves’ defense, which is much better than Cleveland’s. Here are more notes from the AL Central.

  • Rick Porcello’s improvements this season are legitimate, and it may be time for the Tigers to sign him to a long-term contract if they can, MLB.com’s Jason Beck writes. Through five starts, Porcello has a 5.50 K/BB ratio, thanks largely to a reduction in walks, and he’s getting lots of swings and misses. He’s also due to hit the free-agent market after next season, just before he turns 27. That could make him a valuable commodity indeed.
  • The Tigers’ bullpen is “a mess,” which was why Detroit was wise to give Joel Hanrahan a guaranteed deal this week, MLive.com’s James Schmehl writes. The Tigers sent Hanrahan to the disabled list upon signing him, since he’s still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and it’s unclear exactly when he’ll return. If he does, though, and he’s anything like he was in the past, he could help transform the Tigers’ struggling bullpen into a “dangerous” one, Schmehl argues.

Athletics Likely To Try To Deal For Starting Pitching

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The Athletics are likely to try to make a deal for starting pitching, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Another option might be to stretch out Drew Pomeranz and move him into their rotation.

The Athletics have gotten great results from Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir and Jesse Chavez this offseason, but haven’t done as well with Dan Straily, Tommy Milone and Josh Lindblom. They’ve also lost Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin, both of whom have had Tommy John surgery. Slusser suggests that the A’s could perhaps trade a big-league position player, maybe someone like catcher John Jaso, for a pitcher.

Early May is not prime trading season, of course, and most significant trades don’t occur until later in the summer. The A’s currently lead the Rangers by two games in the AL West.

Yankees Designate Chris Leroux For Assignment

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The Yankees have designated pitcher Chris Leroux for assignment, Chad Jennings of LoHud.com tweets. The move clears space on the Yankees’ active roster for Alfredo Aceves.

The Yankees promoted Leroux from Triple-A Scranton / Wilkes-Barre earlier this week, and he allowed five earned runs in the 14th inning of a 10-5 loss against the Rays yesterday. The Yankees’ bullpen threw 9 2/3 innings in that loss, so they could use a fresh arm in the bullpen. Aceves had pitched well in Triple-A, striking out 14 batters and walking five in 13 2/3 innings there.

Leroux, 30, had previously pitched in the big leagues with the Pirates in 2013, having pitched parts of four seasons in Pittsburgh. He has also pitched for the Marlins, and with the Yakult Swallows in Japan.

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