Ben Nicholson-Smith | MLB Trade Rumors

Draft Notes: Diamondbacks, Zimmer, Red Sox, Astros

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 10:02pm CDT

The latest on the MLB draft, which has reached its conclusion after three busy days…

The Diamondbacks are "close" to agreeing to terms with first-round pick Stryker Trahan, tweets Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The high school catcher was tabbed with the No. 26 pick.
The Royals appear to be close to a deal with fifth-overall pick Kyle Zimmer, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. The right-hander will likely start with the club's Arizona League affiliate but may go to Idaho Falls instead.
The Red Sox are nearing deals with supplemental first round selection Pat Light and second rounder Jamie Callahan, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
ESPN.com's Keith Law reviews the draft class of each National League team, noting that he loves what the Astros did. The Padres impressed Law early on, and he liked the Nationals' selection of Lucas Giolito.
A legal dispute in Ohio could impact the future use of advisors, as Darren Heitner explains in a piece at Forbes.com. The MLBPA has warned agents that a case involving the former representatives of Andy Oliver “could represent a significant threat” to agents by placing restrictions on who can represent athletes who live or attend school in Ohio.
There have been lots of pre-draft agreements between teams and players, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick hears (Twitter link). "It's a bigger joke this year than it's ever been,'' one agent told Crasnick.

Orioles To Sign Jamie Moyer

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 4:13pm CDT

The Orioles have agreed to sign Jamie Moyer, who pitched for the Orioles from 1993-95, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The 49-year-old left-hander will start for Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate on Saturday.

The Rockies released Moyer two days ago after designating him for assignment last week. Moyer, who turns 50 this fall, started ten games for the Rockies after signing a minor league deal with the team in January. He posted a 5.70 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Athletics Designate Kila Ka’aihue For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 4:04pm CDT

The Athletics announced that they designated first baseman Kila Ka'aihue for assignment. They selected the contracts of Brandon Moss and Evan Scribner and placed Andrew Carignan on the 15-day disabled list in related moves.

Ka'aihue appeared in 39 games for the A's this year, posting a .234/.295/.398 batting line in 139 plate appearances. The 28-year-old has a .687 OPS with 15 home runs in 465 career plate appearances for the Royals and A's. Oakland acquired him from Kansas City for Ethan Hollingsworth last September.

Minor Moves: Alfonzo, Roemer, Kopp

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 3:08pm CDT

The Phillies confirmed that they released right-hander Dave Bush to allow him to pursue an opportunity with the SK Wyverns in South Korea. Here are some more minor moves from around MLB…

The Rockies‬ released catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Alfonso was hit with a 100-game performance-enhancing drug suspension last fall and was outrighted to Triple-A in May. The 33-year-old hit .319/.347/.777 with 12 homers in 101 plate appearances at Triple-A Colorado Springs last year.
The Dodgers signed free agent right-hander Wes Roemer, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. Roemer, the Diamondbacks' supplemental first round selection in 2007, had been pitching with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association this year. The 25-year-old pitched in the upper minors last year, posting a 4.39 ERA in 164 innings.
The Tigers signed free agent right-hander David Kopp, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. The 26-year-old pitched in the upper minors of the Cardinals' system last year, posting a 6.08 ERA in 74 innings.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Tigers Designate Omir Santos For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 1:32pm CDT

The Tigers announced that they designated catcher Omir Santos for assignment (Twitter link). The team placed Alex Avila on the 15-day disabled list, purchased the contract of catcher Bryan Holaday and recalled right-hander Jose Ortega in related moves.

Santos, 31, has been removed from and added to the Tigers' roster a number of times in recent years. He appeared in three games with Detroit this month after the Tigers promoted him from Triple-A Toledo, where he had a .310/.315/.417 batting line in 89 plate appearances. Santos also appeared in 11 games with last year's Tigers team and has MLB experience in four seasons.

Mets Designate Josh Satin For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 1:07pm CDT

The Mets announced that they designated infielder Josh Satin for assignment (Twitter link). The club placed right-hander Chris Young on the paternity list and activated outfielder Jason Bay and right-hander Pedro Beato from the disabled list in corresponding moves.

Satin has appeared in one game for the Mets this year, spending most of the season at Triple-A Buffalo. The 27-year-old has a .274/.359/.380 line in 206 plate appearances at Buffalo, where he has played first, second and third base. He owns a .304/.393/.458 batting line in five minor league seasons.

Rays Designate Brandon Allen For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 12:43pm CDT

The Rays designated Brandon Allen for assignment upon reinstating him from the disabled list today, MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports. The 26-year-old must clear waivers before the Rays can assign him outright to the minor leagues.

Allen appeared in seven games for the Rays, who claimed him off of waivers from the Athletics in April. His brief tenure in Tampa Bay included a walk-off home run on April 26th but was otherwise unremarkable. Allen has a .203/.290/.375 line in 389 MLB plate appearances and experience at first base and left field.

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Jeff Suppan Elects Free Agency

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 10:32am CDT

Jeff Suppan has elected free agency, according to the Padres’ website. The Padres removed Suppan from the roster to create room for Yasmani Grandal last week, designating the right-hander for assignment.

Suppan posted a 5.28 ERA with 2.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 30 2/3 innings with San Diego this year. The Padres signed the 37-year-old to a minor league deal worth $950K in February. Lapa/Leventhal represents Suppan, a veteran of 17 MLB seasons.

Olney On Quentin, Appel, Pirates

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 9:35am CDT

General managers don’t expect many frontline hitters to be available in trades this summer, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. Here are more of Olney’s notes:

Carlos Quentin of the Padres could be the most sought-after hitter on the trade market, but teams may have concern over the outfielder’s injury history. Olney speculates that teams such as the Reds, Rays, Indians, Dodgers, Braves, Blue Jays, Pirates and Marlins could have interest in Quentin depending on how the next two months unfold. In case you missed it, I set out to determine Quentin’s trade value last week.
It was somewhat surprising to see potential first overall selection Mark Appel stay on the board until the Pirates made him the eighth pick of the draft, but executives from many teams had Appel projected as the fourth or fifth-best pitcher available, Olney reports. The presence of agent Scott Boras wasn’t scaring teams off, the clubs simply preferred other players.
Most of Olney’s sources believe the Pirates did well to select Appel eighth overall, yet there’s an expectation that the team won’t be prepared to spend wildly and forfeit future draft picks to complete a deal.

Kendrick Expects More Consistency From Upton

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 6, 2012 at 8:13am CDT

Diamondbacks managing partner Ken Kendrick said in a radio interview on XTRA 910 AM that he expects more consistency from Justin Upton (full quotes via Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic).

“He’s certainly not the Justin Upton that he has been in the past and that we would expect of him,” Kendrick said. “He’s 24 years old and it’s time for him to be a consistent performer and right now this year he’s not been that.”

Upton, who's now in the third year of a six-year, $50MM contract, has a .243/.340/.365 batting line in 212 plate appearances this year. He told reporters, including Piecoro, that Kendrick is entitled to his view.

“He’s the one who makes the decisions around here,” Upton said. “Whatever decision he decides to make or whatever he thinks about me, it’s ultimately his decision.”

In the same interview Kendrick voiced concern that Stephen Drew and his representatives at the Boras Corporation are “more focused on where Stephen's going to be a year from now than going out and supporting the team that's paying his salary.” Scott Boras responded, pointing out that it’d be best for both Drew and the Diamondbacks if the shortstop plays.

The 26-30 Diamondbacks trail the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West following a breakout 2011 season that saw them take the division with 94 wins. Piecoro explained the dynamic between Upton, Kendrick and manager Kirk Gibson in a recent blog entry.

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