Orioles Designate Evan Meek Off Of Active Roster
The Orioles have designated righty Evan Meek for assignment off of the 25-man roster, the club announced. Meek will be kept on the 40-man roster and placed on optional assignment waivers tomorrow, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter links).
Baltimore has recalled fellow righty Brad Brach to take Meek’s place on the active roster; as Kubatko explains, the club had to wait to bring him back up until today because he had not yet been in the minors for the necessary ten-day period. The club can keep Meek in the fold because Brach did not need to take his slot on the 40-man, meaning that Meek was not replaced on the 40-man by the move. He could not, however, be sent down without passing through optional assignment waivers — which are revocable — because he is more than three years removed from his first MLB appearance.
Meek, 31, signed a minor league deal with Baltimore over the offseason. Through 11 2/3 big league innings, he has allowed nine earned runs and struck out nine against six free passes. Over 184 1/3 career innings, most of them with the Pirates, Meek has a 3.56 ERA with 7.5 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9. His best season came in 2010, when he put up a 2.14 ERA in 80 innings for Pittsburgh.
Royals Designate Justin Maxwell For Assignment
The Royals have designated outfielder Justin Maxwell for assignment, reports Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). In a corresponding move, the team promoted righty Casey Coleman.
Maxwell, 30, had just four hits and two walks to go with 15 strikeouts in a meager 32 trips to the plate this year for Kansas City after agreeing to a $1.325MM deal to avoid arbitration. He came to the Royals from the Astros on a trade deadline deal last summer in exchange for a mid-level prospect.
Maxwell has been useful at times in his career, including down the stretch last year, and has a lifetime .225/.312/.420 line in parts of six seasons. Given his reasonably solid track record and versatility (he can play all three outfield positions), Maxwell should draw a decent amount of interest, though his salary could be an obstacle to a trade or claim.
Marlins Nearing Minor League Deal With Miguel Tejada
The Marlins are nearing a minor league contract with veteran infielder and former American League MVP Miguel Tejada, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Spanish Twitter link). The 39-year-old Tejada is a client of Relativity Sports.
Tejada received a 105-game suspension last season for a pair of positive tests for a banned amphetamine (Adderall), resulting in a 25-game and 80-game suspension, as he had already tested positive for Adderall once in the past. Tejada also faced potential punishment from the Biogenesis scandal, but Major League Baseball gave him a choice between accepting his 105-game ban for Adderall use or facing further punishment due to his Biogenesis link.
Prior to last year’s suspension issues, he’d been playing with the Royals in a utility infield capacity, batting .288/.317/.378 with three homers in 167 plate appearances. That marked his first big league action since 2011, as he sat out the 2012 season entirely.
Tejada is a career .285/.336/.456 hitter in parts of 16 seasons with the A’s, Orioles, Astros, Royals, Giants and Padres. The six-time All-Star took home AL MVP honors in 2002 when he hit .308/.354/.508 with 34 home runs for the Athletics, but his legacy has been tainted by connections to performance enhancing drugs and the falsification of his age, in which he led Major League teams to believe he was two years younger than he actually is.
Reds Notes: Votto, Cueto, Marquis
While most of the major injuries we’ve seen this season have come on the pitching front, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that there could be another significant injury to a hitter. Sources tell Rosenthal that Joey Votto did not make the current road trip with the Reds and is staying back to undergo an MRI on the same knee that he had surgically repaired in 2012. Cincinnati has already lost roughly a month of Jay Bruce as well as two months of Mat Latos, and an extended absence for Votto is the last thing they need to see as they sit seven games back in the NL Central. However, a DL stint does appear to be likely, according to Rosenthal. Here are some more Reds-related items…
- Jeff Sullivan is up in the latest edition of Fangraphs on FOX, and within it, he breaks down the changes that Reds ace Johnny Cueto has made to his two-strike approach. The changes, which have resulted in Cueto more than tripling his rate of called third strikes, have vaulted Cueto into the elite ranks of Major League pitchers and made him the clear favorite for the NL Cy Young Award, writes Sullivan.
- Cueto knows that he’s dominating this season and told Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News that he considers himself the best pitcher in baseball right now. Said Cueto (through a translator): “I would say, yes, definitely yes. My numbers have to talk for me. Every time I go on the mound I do my job. And I do my job to get the best numbers.” Cueto has a no-brainer $10MM club option this offseason and would then hit the open market entering his age-30 season in 2016. If he can continue on this trajectory, suffice it to say that he’ll be one of the wealthiest players in baseball history.
- Former Major Leaguer Jose Cruz Jr. tweeted earlier this week that he saw right-hander Jason Marquis throw a bullpen session for the Reds and Padres (hat tip: Chris Cotillo). Marquis was throwing 88-90 mph, per Cruz, which is impressive given that Marquis is just nine and a half months removed from Tommy John surgery on July 30 of last year. It was reported last September that Marquis didn’t plan to retire after his Tommy John surgery and could sign a minor league deal come April or May.
AL West Links: Rangers, Tepesch, Blanks, Sipp, McHugh
The surprising outbreak of injuries to Rangers pitchers has forced GM Jon Daniels to turn his attention from an underperforming offense to the gaping holes in the rotation, writes MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. Texas will rely on Colby Lewis, Nick Tepesch, Robbie Ross and Nick Martinez to fill in behind ace Yu Darvish for the time being, with Scott Baker representing an alternative as Joe Saunders and Derek Holland mend. Daniels’ preference is to remain in-house, writes Sullivan, who also briefly notes that the Rangers have scouted Kendrys Morales to help the offense, but don’t want to meet his asking price.
Here are some more links pertaining to the Rangers’ pitching woes and the rest of the AL West…
- Over at Fangraphs, Dave Cameron compares injured Rangers lefty Martin Perez to his likely replacement — Nick Tepesch. Cameron points out that despite Perez’s prospect status and the perception that Tepesch doesn’t have as much ceiling, the two have had remarkably similar results in their short careers. Tepesch’s ERA looks worse due to a high BABIP with runner in scoring position, but aside from that, they compare favorably. While Tepesch’s numbers have come in a smaller sample, his recent work at Triple-A and his MLB track record cause the ZiPS and Steamer projection systems to project that he’ll be as good or better than Perez over the rest of the season.
- Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area was among the reporters to speak with Athletics GM Billy Beane about his acquisition of Kyle Blanks. The A’s were looking for a right-handed bat that could capably play both first base and the outfield, and Beane feels that Blanks fits that bill “exactly,” adding that “there aren’t many out there.” As Stiglich notes, Tommy John surgery and shoulder surgery have slowed what once looked to be a promising career for Blanks. Said Beane: “He was a pretty highly thought of prospect coming through the minors. It looked like he was going to be that guy in the majors until injuries derailed him.”
- The Astros have gotten big contributions from lefty Tony Sipp and right-hander Collin McHugh in the season’s early stages, but Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports that the team’s first attempts to acquire each player failed. The Astros pursued Sipp this offseason and made an offer before he elected to sign with the Padres, and GM Jeff Luhnow told Drellich he tried to acquire McHugh from the Mets and Rockies in trades last season.
- Within that same piece, Luhnow discussed the early success of left-hander Dallas Keuchel, which has come as no surprise to him. Each member of the Astros front office made a “pick to click” during Spring Training this year, writes Drellich, and Luhnow’s was Keuchel, and the GM certainly makes it sound like Keuchel is viewed as a long-term rotation piece. “He’s never been handed a job … I think after this year he will put himself in a position where that’s no longer a question.”
Chris Getz Retires
Second baseman Chris Getz, who was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays and outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo, has decided to retire rather than accept his outright assignment, reports MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo. He quotes Getz:
“I’ve enjoyed every minute that I’ve played and will always be passionate about the game. I’m starting a family, and I’m interested in other endeavors both inside and outside of the game.”
The 30-year-old Getz signed a minor league deal with Toronto this offseason after being non-tendered by the Royals last November but struggled in his 10 games with the Jays, hitting .160/.222/.200.
Getz spent the 2009 season as the primary second base option for the White Sox and posted a .261/.324/.347 batting line, delivering outstanding value on the basepaths that year and going 25-for-27 in stolen base attempts. He was afforded similar playing time with the Royals in 2011 and batted .255/.313/.287 with 21 steals in 28 attempts.
Overall, Getz’s big league career will come to a close with a .250/.309/.307 batting line in 1574 plate appearances. The former fourth-round pick stole 89 bases in 107 attempts, good for an 82 percent success rate. Between his $225K signing bonus out of the draft and his yearly salaries, Getz made more than $3.5MM in his big league career. MLBTR wishes Chris the best of luck in his post-playing endeavors.
Yankees Notes: Whitley, Beltran, Payroll
The Yankees got 4 2/3 shutout innings in a spot start from rookie right-hander Chase Whitley tonight, and manager Joe Girardi praised his effort as “spectacular,” writes Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. Girardi said he pulled Whitley in the fifth due to the fact that his arm isn’t used to such a large workload — Whitley just converted from reliever to starter in 2014 — but the 24-year-old did more than enough to earn himself a second start while CC Sabathia mends. More on the Yankees…
- Carlos Beltran has been placed on the disabled list, and the injury could be very serious. The 37-year-old received a cortisone shot in attempt to alleviate pain stemming from a bone spur in his elbow, but he told reporters (including ESPNNewYork.com’s Andrew Marchand) that if the shot doesn’t do the trick, he could require surgery that would sideline him for up to eight weeks.
- Though owner Hal Steinbrenner eventually put a limit on the Yankees’ offseason spending, he’s willing to stretch the payroll this summer in order to make trade acquisitions, he told the Post’s Ken Davidoff. “[We’re] always willing to look at options come July. … [W]e’re not going to ever lay down and die. We’re going to do what we need to do to stay in.” Steinbrenner noted that injuries have raised numerous concerns and specifically called the onslaught of pitching injuries a “big concern.” As Davidoff points out, the amount of money they’re able to take on is a big factor, as the team doesn’t have the prospects to outbid many other clubs but could be better equipped to absorb salary when acquiring a player’s contract.
MLB Forms Committee To Search For Selig’s Successor
At the quarterly Owners Meetings earlier today, Bud Selig announced the formation of a committee to help determine his eventual successor as commissioner of Major League Baseball, Paul Hagen of MLB.com writes.
The succession committee, according to Hagen, will be overseen by Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. and consist of six other owners: Dick Monfort (Rockies), Dave Montgomery (Phillies), Arte Moreno (Angels), Bob Nutting (Pirates), Jim Pohlad (Twins) and Jerry Reinsdorf (White Sox). While no official timeline is known, the committee will eventually present candidate(s) to all 30 Major League owners. Candidates will require an 80 percent vote (24 of 30) to pass and be named commissioner.
Selig said that the committee will consider people from both inside the game and outside the game, but there won’t be much information made available to the public. “[T]he process goes much more smoothly if there isn’t all kinds of speculation,” said Selig. “We’re not going to announce when we get a list together or who the potential candidates are, whom we’ve talked to or any of that.”
Ken Davidoff of the New York Post also touched on the formation of the committee, noting again that Selig’s preference seems to be for current MLB COO Rob Manfred to fill his shoes, though that will be up to the committee to decide. DeWitt did tell Davidoff that Selig’s opinion would have a definite impact on the search: “We’d be remiss if we didn’t ask his opinion along the way.” DeWitt would not rule out the possibility of a current owner, perhaps even one of the committee members, being nominated as a candidate.
Selig, who assumed his current role on an interim basis in September of 1992, was the owner of of the Brewers prior to being named commissioner. As Hagen notes, he was eventually unanimously named the official commissioner in July 1998.
Orioles, Mariners Among Four Teams Interested In Heath Bell
Free agent right-hander Heath Bell is drawing serious interest from four teams, including the Mariners and Orioles, reports Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. The former Padres closer is weighing offers from those clubs as he decides which is the best fit, and he could choose a new team within the next few days.
Cotillo writes that Bell is likely to sign a minor league deal and begin at Triple-A with his eventual team rather than jump right into a big league bullpen. The 36-year-old was designated for assignment and released by the Rays earlier this month after posting a 7.27 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 4.2 BB/9 and a 66.7 percent ground-ball rate in 17 1/3 innings of work. Tampa acquired the former All-Star from the D’Backs this offseason in a three-team deal that essentially amounted to a salary dump for Arizona. Tampa acquired Bell from the Snakes and catcher Ryan Hanigan from the Reds, while Cincinnati landed left-hander David Holmberg and the D’Backs acquired Justin Choate and the now-retired Todd Glaesmann.
Though Bell’s career has taken a downturn since signing a three-year, $27MM contract with the Marlins prior to the 2012 season, he showed some reason for optimism in 2013. Bell whiffed more than a batter per inning last season with the best walk rate of his career and was primarily plagued by a fluky homer-to-flyball ratio. This year’s struggles appeared to be more genuine, though it’s worth noting that Bell’s velocity did increase consistently as the season went on.
Minor Moves: Moore, Sosa, Schwinden, Liddi
Catcher Adam Moore, who had a May 15 opt-out date in his current minor league deal with the Padres, has elected to remain with the team’s Triple-A affiliate in El Paso, reports Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish adds that Moore and the Padres have agreed to a rolling opt-out date, in which Moore is free to opt out at any time should a big league opportunity present itself (Twitter link). The former top prospect is hitting .357/.410/.527 with four homers in 122 PA this season. Here are some more minor moves from around the league…
- Former big league right-hander Henry Sosa has signed with the Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization, according to a report from Korean media outlet Yonhap (hat tip: Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net). The 28-year-old Sosa posted a 5.23 ERA in 51 1/3 innings with the Astros’ bullpen in 2011, averaging 6.4 strikeouts and 3.9 walks per nine innings pitched. Sosa, who had been with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, has pitched for KBO’s Kia Tigers previously.
- Right-hander Chris Schwinden has inked a minor league deal with the Rangers, reports Mike Ashmore of the Trentonian (Twitter link). Schwinden, who appeared in seven games (six starts) for the 2011-12 Mets, was pitching for the Atlantic League’s Lancaster Barnstormers, where he’d notched a 1.96 ERA with a 13-to-2 K/BB ratio in 23 innings.
- Cotillo also reports (via Twitter) that the Dodgers have signed corner infielder Alex Liddi to a minor league deal. Liddi, who was recently released by the White Sox, will head to the team’s Triple-A affiliate. He’s a career .252/.314/.450 hitter in 1501 Triple-A plate appearances and has also seen big league action in parts of three seasons with the Mariners.