Blue Jays Claim Dewayne Wise
Dewayne Wise is heading to Toronto for a third stint with the Blue Jays. The team announced that they have claimed the outfielder off of waivers from the Marlins. He is scheduled to report to Toronto tomorrow, at which point the club will make a corresponding move.
Starting center fielder Colby Rasmus has been dealing with a sore wrist, so the Blue Jays could create 25-man roster space for Wise by placing Rasmus on the 15-day disabled list. They have two open 40-man roster spots, so no one is in danger of losing his spot when Wise arrives.
Wise signed with the Marlins twice this year, first in January, then in June, before they designated him for assignment earlier this week. In 72 plate appearances, he posted a .239/.278/.269 line for Florida, appearing in left and center field. The 33-year-old has a .223/.261/.373 line in a nine-year MLB career that includes one stint with Toronto from 2000-02 and another in 2010.
Andrew Miller’s Contract Was Reworked
Major League Baseball initially approved Andrew Miller’s contract with the Red Sox, but ended up objecting to the deal and it was reworked, WEEI.com’s Alex Speier reports. However, the Red Sox don’t have to worry about losing the left-hander, who has emerged as a valuable piece of their pitching staff in the past two months.
Miller’s minor league deal with Boston initially included a $3MM option for 2012 that would become guaranteed if another team claimed Miller off of waivers. The option had apparently been designed to deter rival teams from claiming the former first rounder, but it was removed from the agreed upon contract after MLB objected.
Given Miller’s importance to the Red Sox – he has put together consecutive strong starts – and the upcoming expansion of rosters, it seems highly unlikely that Boston would expose him to waivers by sending him to the minors.
Instead, Miller will likely remain with the Red Sox for the remainder of 2011 and then some. He’s arbitration eligible next year (working from a $1.2MM salary) and it appears that the Red Sox will tender him a contract, as Speier explains. The 26-year-old has a 4.42 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 55 innings this year.
Ramon Hernandez Claimed On Waivers, Pulled Back
An unknown team claimed Ramon Hernandez on waivers, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). However, the Reds pulled the catcher back off of waivers, so he'll be staying in Cincinnati.
The 35-year-old earns $3MM this year and projects as a Type A free agent, so it's not hard to see why the Reds are keeping him. He'll only cost $500K or so for the remainder of the season and could bring Cincinnati draft picks next year. Hernandez, a 13-year veteran, has a .288/.345/.458 line with 11 homers in 290 plate appearances so far this season.
Heyman On Cubs, Valverde, Bell, Hernandez
Jon Heyman of SI.com runs through the Cubs’ options for their open GM position and concludes that White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn is “perhaps the most logical choice” for chairman Tom Ricketts. Click here for more rumblings about the Cubs and keep reading for Heyman’s other notes from around MLB…
- Manager Mike Quade is seen as a “long shot” to return as the Cubs’ manager next year.
- The Tigers will “surely” exercise Jose Valverde’s $8MM option for 2012, Heyman writes.
- No one with the Giants or Padres saw a Heath Bell trade as a likely possibility, according to Heyman. The Giants won the claim for Bell earlier in the week.
- The Reds are believed to be open to trading Ramon Hernandez, since catching prospect Devin Mesoraco could replace him. Hernandez hit the waiver wire this week.
Cubs Notes: Evans, Beane, Garza, Pena
Here’s the latest on the Cubs, including an update on their search for a successor to Jim Hendry…
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says former Dodgers general manager Dan Evans fits all the criteria chairman Tom Ricketts has established for his new GM. Friends and associates of Evans tell Wittenmyer that the executive has always considered the Cubs' GM job his dream position.
- A’s owner Lew Wolff told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that he wouldn’t prevent GM Billy Beane from exploring job opportunities elsewhere, though he hopes to retain him for a long time. "I would never inhibit anybody from bettering themselves because of a contract," Wolff said, noting that no teams have called regarding the "indispensable" Beane.
- Wittenmyer says Matt Garza's presence at the front end of Chicago's rotation seems critical to any Cubs turnaround. The Cubs can retain Garza as an arbitration eligible player through 2013, though he won't be cheap.
- Meanwhile, Carlos Pena told Wittenmyer that he was "pleasantly surprised" that the Cubs pulled him off of waivers after the Yankees claimed him earlier in the week.
Cardinals Expect To Exercise Wainwright’s Options
Adam Wainwright will be back in St. Louis next year, health permitting. GM John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that barring an unexpected complication in Wainwright’s recovery from Tommy John surgery, the Cardinals will exercise their two-year, $21MM option for 2012-13.
"There is no reason for us not to assume it," Mozeliak said.
However, that’s unofficial at this point, since the Cardinals don’t have to make a decision until after the season ends. Wainwright, who underwent the ligament replacement operation before the season, says his rehab is progressing well and expects to throw on a mound next month. Mozeliak also expressed cautious optimism about the right-hander's recovery.
That said, the Cardinals don’t expect to explore the possibility of a long-term extension at this point. Wainwright, 29, finished second in the 2010 NL Cy Young balloting after finishing third in 2009.
Rockies Acquire Kevin Kouzmanoff
THURSDAY: The Rockies are paying $250K of Kouzmanoff's remaining salary, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter).
TUESDAY: The Rockies have acquired third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and cash considerations from the A's for a player to be named or cash considerations, the teams announced. Colorado's new acquisition will report to Triple-A, according to the Rockies.
Kouzmanoff, who spends his offseasons in Evergreen, Colorado, hasn't appeared in the Majors since June 6th, when the A's optioned him to Triple-A. Before getting sent down, the 30-year-old posted a .221/.262/.353 line with four homers in 149 plate appearances. Kouzmanoff hit 75 MLB homers in total from 2007-10 and led the A's with 16 last year. He has a career line of .255/.300/.421 in six seasons.
The Rockies don't have a long-term solution at third base and they figure to give Kouzmanoff a chance at the hot corner in the Majors over the course of the season's final five weeks. It's possible that Colorado will call their new acquisition up within 24 hours.
Kouzmanoff earns $4.75MM this year and will be arbitration eligible for the final time after the season. The A's were presumably looking to obtain something of value for a player who no longer figured into their long-term plans and had become a non-tender candidate.
MLBTR has learned that Kouzmanoff recently switched agents from Adam Katz of WMG to Sosnick Cobbe Sports. Check out our Agency Database for the latest on which agents represent which players.
White Sox Notes: Kubel, Danks, Peavy, Guillen
The Cubs are looking for a new GM and they appear to be considering White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn for the job opening. Here’s the latest on the White Sox, as they prepare for their weekend series in Seattle…
- The White Sox reportedly were awarded the claim on the Twins' Jason Kubel, but it doesn't sound as though he'll be heading to the South Side of Chicago, writes Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald.
- John Danks told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he isn't sure whether Jered Weaver's five-year, $85MM extension has any effect on him or not. In my opinion it does – they're in the same service class – though Danks doesn't have the same earning potential as Weaver.
- Jake Peavy told Merkin that he's looking forward to 2012, since he'll be one more year removed from his 2010 back surgery by next spring.
- White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told Brett Ballantini of CSNChicago.com that even after 23 years in baseball, the August trade period is still confusing. By the way, if you agree with Guillen, click here.
Quick Hits: Nationals, Mets, Wandy, Blue Jays
On this date 25 years ago, A's rookie Mark McGwire hit his first MLB home run. Another historic slugger, Jim Thome, could be on the move this week. Here are the latest links from around MLB…
- Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post wants to see Davey Johnson return as the Nationals' skipper in 2012. Earlier this week, GM Mike Rizzo raved about Johnson's ability to connect with his players.
- The Mets haven't yet had internal discussions about picking up the 2013 option for manager Terry Collins, but they'll likely discuss the possibility within the next month, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from someone connected to baseball management who wonders why MLB players don't insist on slotting. Capping bonuses does have potential benefits, but as Rosenthal explains, it's far from an ideal system.
- The Astros wanted Wilin Rosario or Drew Pomeranz for Wandy Rodriguez, but the Rockies were only offering Jason Hammel, Casey Weathers or Christian Friedrich, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Talks between the two teams reached a standstill yesterday, after the Rockies claimed Rodriguez earlier in the week.
- The Blue Jays announced that they signed non-drafted free agent Luke Willson, a left-handed hitter who also plays tight end for the Rice University Owls.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Felix Pie
Here are the latest players to get outrighted to the minor leagues…
- Felix Pie cleared waivers and the Orioles outrighted him to Triple-A, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (on Twitter). Baltimore had designated the outfielder for assignment on Tuesday. Pie can elect free agency instead of accepting the assignment and has until Saturday morning to decide, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. If he elects free agency, he'll lose what remains of his $985K salary. Pie is expected to accept the assignment, according to Connolly (Twitter link).