NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Luhnow, Pirates, Poreda
Wrapping up a few NL Central loose ends from the Winter Meetings:
- GM John Mozeliak said Thursday that the Cardinals will "redeploy the resources" that had been allotted for Albert Pujols, writes MLB.com's Matthew Leach.
- Jon Heyman of the MLB Network tweets that the Cardinals figure to non-tender Ryan Theriot, and names the Mets, Braves, Astros, Reds, Blue Jays, and Royals as teams who may have interest in the infielder.
- New Astros GM Jeff Luhnow was introduced today and said he's "very optimistic" about taking the club in the right direction, as MLB.com's Brian McTaggart writes.
- The Pirates' deal with Erik Bedard includes $500K in potential innings bonuses, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
- In the Triple-A portion of today's Rule 5 draft, the Pirates selected Aaron Poreda, tweets John Manuel of Baseball America. The former first-rounder was part of the trade that sent Jake Peavy from the Padres to the White Sox in 2009.
2011 Rule 5 Draft Results
Rule 5 players must stay with their new big league club all year or be offered back to the old team. MLB.com has a full recap of both the Major League and minor league portions of the draft. The results of the Major League phase are listed below:
- Astros take Rhiner Cruz from Mets.
- Twins take Terry Doyle from White Sox.
- Mariners take Lucas Luetge from Brewers.
- Orioles take Ryan Flaherty from Cubs.
- Royals take Cesar Cabral from Red Sox; traded to Yankees for cash.
- Cubs take Lendy Castillo from Phillies.
- Padres
- Pirates take Gustavo Nunez from Tigers.
- Marlins
- Rockies
- Athletics
- Mets
- White Sox
- Reds
- Indians
- Nationals
- Blue Jays
- Dodgers
- Angels
- Giants
- Braves take Robert Fish from Angels.
- Cardinals take Erik Komatsu from Nationals.
- Red Sox take Marwin Gonzalez from Cubs, traded to Astros for Marco Duarte
- Rays
- Diamondbacks take Brett Lorin from Pirates.
- Tigers
- Brewers
- Rangers
- Yankees take Brad Meyers from Nationals.
- Phillies
Overnight Links: Wise, Gonzalez, Fielder, Rule 5
Some links for the bleary-eyed readers still awake at their computers/smartphones/tablets:
- The Yankees are discussing a minor league deal with outfielder Dewayne Wise, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). A strong defender, Wise is probably best known for preserving former teammate Mark Buehrle's 2009 perfect game in the ninth inning by robbing a home run off the bat of Gabe Kapler.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that the Rangers met with Scott Boras to discuss Mike Gonzalez today, and they also checked in on Prince Fielder.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin said his team probably won't make a pick in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- The Pirates have at least thought about picking Nationals lefty Josh Smoker in the Rule 5 Draft, though it's not a lock according to John Perotto of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). Smoker was selected 31st overall by the Nats in 2007.
- Even with tonight's hiring of Jeff Luhnow as the new Astros GM, it will be interim GM Dave Gottfried and scouting director/assistant GM Bobby Heck calling the shots at the Rule 5 Draft tomorrow, tweets Alyson Footer of the Astros.
- Baseball America's John Manuel writes that reports of the Twins focusing on pitching led to speculation on Mets righty Rhiner Cruz, but a club source said the team is looking in another direction.
- The Red Sox compensation from the Cubs for Theo Epstein is expected to be sorted out after the Rule 5 Draft, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
NL West Notes: Rockies, Stewart, Dodgers
Earlier today we saw a rare trade between division rivals when the Rockies sent Huston Street to the Padres for a player to be named later and cash. Let's take a look at some other news and rumors from the NL West…
- The Rockies "immediately contacted" Hiroki Kuroda's agent following the Street trade, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. With $7MM freed up, Colorado has a number of options. Renck once again mentions Colorado's interest in Michael Cuddyer as well.
- The Rockies like Jonathon Niese a lot, but have had no conversations to date with the Mets, according to Renck. New York is open to moving the 25-year-old lefty.
- The Pirates are keeping in touch with the Rox on Ian Stewart, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers are keeping in touch with the agent for Mike MacDougal. GM Ned Colletti is also talking with other relievers, but talks with MacDougal are the furthest along.
- The Dodgers have "no interest" in bringing back Manny Ramirez, writes Hernandez's colleague Steve Dilbeck.
Pirates Release Ross Ohlendorf
The Pirates have released Ross Ohlendorf, tweets MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The 29-year-old had been a Pirate since the Yankees traded him to Pittsburgh in 2008's Xavier Nady/Jose Tabata deal. As Langosch writes, releasing Ohlendorf today will give the Pirates roster space to make a selection in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft.
Ohlendorf was coming off a dismal 2011 campaign in which he posted an 8.15 ERA in nine starts for the Pirates. He was arbitration eligible, and MLBTR's projected a salary of about $2.1MM if the Pirates retained him.
Pirates Acquire Yamaico Navarro
The Pirates have acquired Yamaico Navarro from the Royals in exchange for Brooks Pounders and Diego Goris, reports Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star first broke news that Navarro was heading to Pittsburgh (Twitter link). The teams have confirmed the deal in respective press releases.
Earlier today, Dutton reported that the Royals were shopping Navarro in an attempt to clear a 40-man roster spot for the Rule 5 draft. The 24-year-old was acquired by the Royals from the Red Sox in the Mike Aviles trade and saw limited big league action in 2011 for both clubs.
NL Central Notes: Brewers, Betemit, Wood, Young
Some tidbits from the NL Central….
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, GM Doug Melvin and agent Scott Boras (who represents Prince Fielder) had a meeting late last night that Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was unplanned and more of a check-in session. "Scott just said he wanted to give us an update," Melvin said. "You never really close the door on anything because you don't know what's going to happen. You can't really read anything into it."
- Haudricourt doesn't think the meeting is a sign that the Brewers could re-sign Fielder, believing that "Boras basically was giving them a chance to jump in and make an offer that he could shop around to other clubs….More likely, [the team] gave an indication of what they might be willing to do if Fielder decided he wanted to seriously entertain the possibility of staying in Milwaukee."
- Boras also represents Francisco Rodriguez, and Haudricourt reports the Brewers "got the feeling" in speaking to the agent that Rodriguez will reject the club's arbitration offer today.
- The Pirates are no longer pursuing Wilson Betemit, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). Biertempfel reported yesterday that the Bucs were close to deals with both Betemit and Nate McLouth, and the club agreed to terms on McLouth's contract today.
- Kerry Wood wants to return to the Cubs but wants a raise, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Wood has said he will either pitch for Chicago next season or retire, and last winter signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Cubs that was well below what other teams offered him.
- The Reds have spoken to the un-retired Dmitri Young, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Young, 38, has lost 70 pounds and is looking to make a comeback in either the Major Leagues or Japan. Young played in Cincinnati from 1998-2001.
- The Astros are looking at Marlins assistant GM Dan Jennings as a candidate for their open general manager's job, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Jennings' name has been connected to several GM openings in recent years but the Marlins have turned down at least four clubs' requests for interviews. Jennings is under contract to Miami for four more years.
Pirates Sign Nate McLouth
The Pirates have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Nate McLouth, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It's a big league deal worth $1.75MM, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Pirates have officially announced the signing.
The deal represents a reunion for the Pirates and McLouth, who was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2000 and spent nearly a decade in the organization before being traded to the Braves in 2009. After a disappointing two and a half year stint in Atlanta, the Braves declined McLouth's option for 2012, making him a free agent.
MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported earlier today that the Pirates were getting close to a deal to bring back McLouth.
Pirates Designate Pedro Ciriaco For Assignment
The Pirates designated infielder Pedro Ciriaco, announced the Pirates in a press release making the Nate McLouth signing official. Ciriaco, 26, was acquired from Arizona in a 2010 trade deadline deal for Chris Snyder. He struggled offensively this year in Triple-A, playing mostly the middle infield positions.
Pirates Designate Jason Jaramillo For Assignment
The Pirates designated catcher Jason Jaramillo for assignment today upon announcing the Erik Bedard signing, according to a press release. Jaramillo, 29, hit .276/.368/.373 in 155 Triple-A plate appearances this year.