Blaine Boyer Clears Waivers
THURSDAY, 10:07pm: Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets that Boyer has cleared waivers and will be reassigned to Arizona's Triple-A affiliate in Reno tomorrow.
TUESDAY, 10:05am: The Diamondbacks designated reliever Blaine Boyer for assignment to make room for starter Billy Buckner, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Buckner was recalled from Triple A to make today's start against the Marlins.
Boyer, 28, posted a 7.82 ERA, 4.3 K/9, and 7.8 BB/9 in 12.6 innings for the D'Backs this year. This marks his third time being designated for assignment. The Braves did it in April of '09 before sending him to the Cardinals for Brian Barton. Boyer was designated again in June, at which point Arizona claimed him off waivers.
The Diamondbacks' bullpen shakeup began yesterday, as they released Bob Howry and acquired Saul Rivera.
Minor League Transactions
Baseball America's Matt Eddy gave his weekly look at some of the comings and goings in the minors. Here are few of the notable names involved in this week's report….
- Milwaukee signed outfielder Josh Anderson, who was just released last week by the Reds. Anderson's career .665 OPS isn't much to look at, but the Kentucky native is a decent base-stealer — he had 25 swipes out of 30 attempts with Kansas City and Detroit in 2009.
- Utilityman Kory Casto was signed by Arizona. Casto last played in the majors in 2008 with Washington, and he has posted a .540 OPS in 239 career plate appearances. He split his time at first, third and in the outfield for Triple-A Syracuse in 2009. Casto signed a minor league deal with Detroit over the winter but was released in April.
- Right-hander Devern Hansack was released by the Red Sox. Hansack pitched relatively well in limited action with Boston from 2006 to 2008, posting a 3.70 ERA and a 5:00 K/BB ratio in nine career major league games, three of them starts.
- Veteran catcher J.R. House, who last played in the majors in 2008, was signed by the Mets. Originally drafted by Pittsburgh in 1999, House was ranked at the 21st best prospect in baseball by Baseball America before the 2001 season.
- Rough week in the Ka'aihue household: Kila was sent back down to Triple-A by the Royals, and younger brother Kala was released by the Athletics. Kala Ka'aihue put up some impressive power numbers of his own in his first four seasons in the minors, but struggled over his last two years in the Atlanta and Oakland systems.
D’Backs Sign Luis Ayala
The D'Backs signed Luis Ayala to a minor league deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). D'Backs relievers have combined for a 7.90 ERA this year, so GM Josh Byrnes added a low-risk arm to his 'pen. The club added Saul Rivera earlier in the week, only to see him surrender five runs in his first appearance.
Ayala signed with the Dodgers this winter and appeared in 14 Triple A games this year, where he posted a 4.50 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic notes (via Twitter), the 32-year-old right-hander was recently released.
Ayala posted a 5.68 ERA with four major league clubs over the course of the last two seasons. Last year, he mixed a low 90s fastball with sliders and the occasional change to strike out about twice as many batters as he walked. Ayala has had much more success against right-handed batters over the course of his career.
D’Backs Sign Wagner Mateo
The Diamondbacks officially signed 17-year-old prospect Wagner Mateo to a deal worth $512K today. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported that the sides were nearing a deal in late April; MLBTR contributor Blake Bentley reported that the deal was done days later and Piecoro added the dollar amount. Today, Piecoro noted (via Twitter) that the deal had become official.
The $512K is a steep, but expected, drop from the $3.1MM deal that Mateo signed with St. Louis last July. That contract was voided by the club out of concerns about Mateo's vision. The Dominican outfielder was rumored to join the Giants in the winter, but a deal never materialized.
Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Rosenthal On Vargas, D’Backs, Hillman, Baldelli
Jason Vargas is off to a hot start with the Mariners, but when they acquired him in the 2008 J.J. Putz deal, he wasn’t considered a major part of the trade. GM Jack Zduriencik tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he asked for Vargas while trying to “finish up the deal.” Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s hot stove-related notes:
- One NL official wonders how the D'Backs can operate without a left-handed reliever in a division that includes many imposing left-handed hitters.
- The Royals fired manager Trey Hillman last week, but his baseball career is probably not over. Hillman is still "well-thought of in the industry," according to one GM.
- Rocco Baldelli could make a comeback this year. He's a special assistant to the Rays, and he continues to hit daily. The 28-year-old outfielder hit .253/.311/.433 for the Red Sox last year in 164 plate appearances.
D’Backs Acquire Saul Rivera, Release Howry
The Diamondbacks have acquired reliever Saul Rivera from the Indians for cash and released Bob Howry, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.
Rivera, 32, has a 0.53 ERA, 5.8 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9 in 17 Triple A innings so far this year. He's got similar peripherals over 275.6 career big league innings, leading to a 4.05 ERA. Rivera was released by the Nationals in December (on his birthday) to make room for Brian Bruney. He later signed a minor league deal with the Indians.
Howry, 36, was signed by the D'Backs to a one-year, $2.25MM deal in December. In 14.3 innings this year, he sports a matching 3.8 in terms of home runs, walks, and strikeouts per nine innings. That's not an effective formula. Arizona's bullpen has a 7.68 ERA in 104.3 innings, so changes were necessary. Aside from Aaron Heilman, everyone has struggled.
Possible Destinations: Kelly Johnson
Earlier today, Nick Cafardo speculated that Arizona could have to consider trading someone like Kelly Johnson in order to boost its dreadful bullpen. The D'Backs entered today dead last in baseball with a 7.42 bullpen ERA, and the six earned runs it surrendered aren't helping.
Johnson was signed to a one-year, $2.35MM deal this offseason after being non-tendered by the Braves. Apparently, the desert air has rejuvenated the once-productive second baseman. If chicks really do dig the long ball, it's safe to say Johnson is Arizona's newest heartthrob. He entered today hitting .279/.361/.628, having already crushed 11 round-trippers on the season. Even more enticing than his affordable salary and big-time production may be that Johnson has one year of arbitration left, meaning any new team could control him for the 2011 campaign as well.
The Diamondbacks entered today 7.5 games out of first, and after Dan Haren's pummeling at the hands of the Braves, they find themselves down 13-1 as I write this post. Simply put, things aren't pretty in Arizona this season. If they do look to move Johnson, let's speculate as to where he could end up:
- Detroit: The Tigers have the lowest bullpen ERA of any team in baseball, thanks to their signing of Jose Valverde and the resurgence of Joel Zumaya. They also just demoted second base prospect Scott Sizemore back to Triple-A after Sizemore posted a line of .206/.297/.289 through his first 115 plate appearances. An upgrade at second base would be a huge boost to the TIgers, who sit just one game back of the Twins in the AL Central.
- San Diego: If the two don't mind dealing within their own division, there's a match between the needs. The Padres are in first place in the NL West, but have mustered just a .663 OPS from their second basemen so far this offseason. David Eckstein has seen most of the time there, but could be shifted to shortstop as an upgrade over Everth Cabrera's .211/.273/.282 line this season or simply to a utility role. With just 4.16 runs per game and a mere 27 home runs on the season, an offensive upgrade would help San Diego, who also happens to own a sparkling 2.70 bullpen ERA.
- St. Louis: The Cardinals can be none too pleased with Skip Schumaker's .589 OPS on the season. His .261 BABIP and increased line drive rate likely point to bad luck as the source more than anything else, but if his numbers can't correct themselves, the Cardinals could consider dipping into a relief corps that's produced a 2.85 ERA to help them keep up with the Reds in the NL Central.
What other destinations would make sense for the Arizona masher, and what's a reasonable price to pay for 1.5 years of the resurgent second-bagger? Should clubs be wary of his new hitting-friendly environment, or is Johnson's warpath so far legitimate? Keep in mind that the Diamondbacks could simply elect to hang onto Johnson, but it's hard to argue that now is a good time to sell high.
Cafardo’s Latest: Padres, Lee, Iannetta, D’Backs
In this week's Baseball Notes column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe praises the Padres for building a roster suited to their home ballpark. Let's take a look at a few other highlights from Cafardo's piece….
- The Padres aren't talking about Adrian Gonzalez at the moment, but according to a GM who has inquired about the slugger, a losing streak might be all it takes for San Diego to reconsider Gonzalez's availability.
- According to multiple scouts, the Cubs would move Derrek Lee if they could. Lee is earning $13MM in the final year of his contract, and also has a no-trade clause.
- Rhode Island native Chris Iannetta acknowledged he'd heard rumors that he could be traded to the Red Sox, but said: "They’re just rumors. I don’t put any stock in any of that until someone directly involved actually tells me."
- The Diamondbacks may have to think about dealing someone like Kelly Johnson in an attempt to acquire help for their bullpen (7.42 ERA).
- Some managerial speculation: Cafardo thinks that if Joe Torre doesn't return to the Dodgers, he'd fit with the Braves, Mets, or Blue Jays next year, and wonders if the Orioles might consider Davey Johnson to replace Dave Trembley.
Odds & Ends: Abreu, Torrealba, DeRosa, Strasburg
Links for Thursday, as we await an Opening Day rematch between Josh Johnson and Johan Santana…
- Tony Abreu could be an attractive trade chip if the D'Backs shop him for relief help, writes Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic.
- Ken Griffey Jr. should retire gracefully, writes MLB.com's Hal Bodley.
- We shouldn't be surprised to see Drew Storen arrive in the majors before Strasburg. As Ben Goessling of MASN.com explains, the Nationals may choose to reward Storen for signing so soon after they drafted him.
- Yorvit Torrealba has been one of baseball's best free agent bargains, if you ask MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- In a pre-draft notebook, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo explains why pitcher Peter Tago is gaining on some fellow amateurs and the answer is pretty simple.
- Wondering which pitchers have seen their strikeout rate climb or tumble this year? RotoAuthority has the results for the season so far.
- If Mark DeRosa hits the disabled list, the Giants will rely on their own players, mostly John Bowker, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney believes the Nationals would like to debut Stephen Strasburg at home, while his colleague Rob Neyer can see the Nats breaking him in on the road. Last night I suggested we could see Strasburg's first MLB start against the Astros in early June.
- Marc Hulet of FanGraphs says it's too early to worry, but pitching prospect Aaron Crow reminds him a little of another former first rounder in the Royals' system: Luke Hochevar.
Possible Areas Of Concern: Nationals, Cubs, D’Backs
It's still early – probably too early to draw definite conclusions about teams' strengths and weaknesses – but let's take a look at some clubs that could look to improve in certain areas. This is purely speculative, and remember – these weaknesses could become strengths in a matter of weeks.
- Nationals right fielders are hitting .159/.276/.327 this year. No one player is to blame, as Willie Harris, Roger Bernadina, Cristian Guzman, Justin Maxwell, Mike Morse and Willy Taveras have all spent time in right this season. None of those players has hit more than three homers, but Jim Riggleman recently told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he has confidence in Harris and Bernadina because of their defense.
- Possible solutions: Jose Guillen could become available, though the Royals say they don't expect to make moves soon. Free agents Jermaine Dye and Gary Sheffield would likely bring more power than the Nats' current mix.
- The Cubs have used six right-handers in relief this year and only one – Carlos Marmol – has an ERA below 6.00. Now ERA can be deceiving, but Marmol and Carlos Zambrano are the only Cubs relievers who have struck out more batters than they have walked (Marmol by a wide margin, as he has an astounding 18.4 K/9 rate).
- Possible solutions: As Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports, the Cubs could call on Triple A right-handers Jay Jackson and Casey Coleman. The Cubs could also look to the free agent market; is Juan Cruz worth a flier? Alternatively, GM Jim Hendry could call up the Mariners or D'Backs, two teams with all-right-handed bullpens.
- The Mariners appear fine without a left-handed reliever, but the D'Backs, who don't have a left-handed pitcher on their active roster, have allowed a .294/.356/.496 line against lefty batters this year. The D'Backs have a bullpen ERA of 7.09, so righties are hitting them, too.
- Possible solutions: The D'Backs could pursue a trade for a left-hander, but GM Josh Byrnes told Nick Piecoro that he would prefer to be patient. There isn't much available on the free agent market, other than Eddie Guardado. The D'Backs could call on Jordan Norberto, who was in the majors earlier in the year, or Zach Kroenke, also at Triple A. Baseball America placed the two pitchers 29th and 30th respectively when ranking top D'Backs prospects before the season.