NL Central Notes: Aybar, Peralta, Beltran, Brewers
2013/11/nl-central-notes-aybar-peralta-beltran-brewers.htmlThis is my speculation, but with top prospect Oscar Taveras knocking on the door, Allen Craig warranting time in right field to give Matt Adams at-bats at first, and Jon Jay still in the fold, a return for Beltran might require another trade to make sense at this point. … Baseball America breaks down the players involved, explaining that Ortega is a longshot to make the bigs and profiles as a reliever.
Indians Intend To Sign Reliever With Closer Experience
2013/12/indians-intend-to-sign-reliever-with-closing-experience.htmlAnd as Shapiro added, the club feels that both Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw could "step up and pitch later in…… Most recently, Cleveland has been connected to former Tigers closer Joaquin Benoit as well as one-time Brewers 9th-inning man John Axford.
Diamondbacks Extend Brad Ziegler
2013/12/diamondbacks-to-extend-brad-ziegler.htmlArizona sent Brandon Allen and Jordan Norberto to Oakland to land the side-armer. … The Diamondbacks have agreed to an extension with right-hander Brad Ziegler, the pitcher himself announced on Twitter.
Golden Eagles To Post Masahiro Tanaka
2013/12/golden-eagles-to-post-masahiro-tanaka.html9:23pm: The Golden Eagles will announce momentarily that Tanaka will be posted, according to Jim Allen of Kyodo News (on Twitter). … Teams can place their bids - up to $20MM, of course - starting tomorrow morning (link).
East Notes: Braves, Rays, Berry, Red Sox
2014/01/east-notes-braves-rays-berry-red-sox.htmlThat's a bit hyperbolic, as Brisbee acknowledges, but the Braves' payroll has fallen from third in the big leagues in 2000 to 16th in 2013, because their payroll hasn't really risen since then, while it has for most other teams. … "I felt [Tampa Bay] was going to be the best option and this is where I wanted to be," Loney says.
West Notes: McHugh, Astros, Mariners, Giants
2014/01/west-notes-mchugh-astros-mariners-giants.htmlIt's unclear whether the Giants might consider signing Brandon Belt to an extension, but if they did, the Anthony Rizzo, Allen Craig, Paul Goldschmidt and Billy Butler deals might provide a basic framework, writes Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles. … One of the more interesting of those is that the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs is just 45 minutes from Denver, while the Astros' Triple-A team in Oklahoma City is six hours from Houston.
Quick Hits: Coleman, Rockies, Red Sox
2014/01/quick-hits-coleman-theriot-carroll-red-sox.htmlThat could be tricky because of their sheer number (they include Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa, Anthony Ranaudo, Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, Drake Britton and Henry Owens) and because young starters often have "hiccups," as GM Ben Cherington describes it. … Coleman suffered a fall in early December and had been in and out of the hospital since then, Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
NL Notes: Reds, Cardinals, Padres, Dodgers
2014/01/nl-notes-reds-cardinals-padres-dodgers.htmlWhile the organization dealt with injuries impressively last year, it is no sure thing to do so again, and players like Peter Bourjos and Allen Craig have some injury baggage. … Louis Post-Dispatch, but that does not mean the club has only smooth sailing ahead.
NL Notes: Cardinals, Nationals, Betancourt, Coffey
2014/01/nl-notes-cardinals-nationals-betancourt-coffey.htmlThe Cardinals have extended Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, and Allen Craig during the last two Spring Trainings. … The Cardinals' Shelby Miller had an excellent rookie campaign with 15 victories (the most by any rookie) and the NL's tenth-best ERA at 3.06.
Quick Hits: Red Sox, Indians, Crain, Mets, Dodgers
2014/02/quick-hits-red-sox-indians-crain-mets-dodgers.htmlThe Indians' revamped bullpen will now feature John Axford in the closer's role, with Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen also pitching in the late innings. … Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, Stephen Drew, Nelson Cruz and Kendrys Morales are all still free agents, and draft-pick forfeiture is a key reason why, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes.
Quick Hits: Free Agents, Braves, Ortiz, Lester, Rays
2014/02/quick-hits-free-agents-ortiz-lester-rays.htmlPluto notes that the Indians hope Shaw turns into a new Smith, and the club sees Allen as a future closer. … The experience of many of Atlanta's best young players is another issue, Baseball Prospectus' Ben Lindbergh tells Bradley, since "most of them have established themselves.
Cardinals Extend Matt Carpenter
2014/03/cardinals-to-extend-matt-carpenter.htmlCarpenter's extension also comes one year to the day after the Cardinals signed Allen Craig for five years and $31MM; Craig also had between two and three years' service at the time of his deal. … Earlier this week, it emerged that Carpenter and the Cardinals were close to an extension that could be worth $50MM-$55MM.