Blue Jays Sign Aaron Sanchez
The Blue Jays signed supplemental round pick Aaron Sanchez, according to the team. The Jays formally announced the signing of Noah Syndergaard, another right-hander the club selected in the supplemental round, and 12 other draft picks.
Jim Callis of Baseball America notes that the Blue Jays signed Sanchez for $775K and Syndergaard for $600K.
Sanchez, a high schooler who batted .542 as a junior, has a 91-93 mph fastball that intrigued scouts. Baseball America ranked Sanchez, who had committed to the University of Oregon, 59th among draft-eligible prospects. He and Syndergaard are two of the four righties the Blue Jays selected with their top four picks this year. Deck McGuire and Asher Wojciechowski have yet to sign.
Tigers Release Adam Everett
The Tigers released Adam Everett, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press. They didn't find any takers for the shortstop after designating him for assignment about ten days ago. The Tigers signed Everett to a one-year $1.55MM deal that had the potential to become a bargain.
Everett has always been a terrific defender, and though the sample size is limited, UZR suggests his glove has been good once again in 2010. Everett made just one error this season, but his batting line fell to .185/.221/.247 in 89 plate appearances, so the Tigers were willing to let him go.
Despite his poor performance at the plate, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Everett sign on with someone. There aren't many reliable free agent middle infielders, especially not with Everett's defensive ability.
Rosenthal On Braves, Marlins, Lee, Cubs
The Braves are interested in adding a right-handed hitting outfielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Melky Cabrera and Nate McLouth have not hit well for the Braves, and Jason Heyward's now slumping. Eric Hinske has played tremendously, but can't be expected to post an OPS near 1.000, so the Braves may deal from pitching depth for a bat. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- The Marlins are actively seeking relief help.
- Rosenthal says the Cardinals, Reds and Brewers – yes, the Brewers – could be interested in Cliff Lee this summer. The Brewers could provide the Mariners with a hitter like Corey Hart or Mat Gamel and trade Lee to a third team for younger pitchers.
- The Cubs would love to deal Kosuke Fukudome, but he will earn more than $21MMM between now and the end of 2011, so trading him will not be easy. Click here for more from Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi on Fukudome's availability.
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein will probably look to acquire a reliever this summer.
Mark Mulder Retires
Mark Mulder has only appeared in six games since 2006, but it wasn't until yesterday that the left-hander officially announced his retirement. Mulder, 32, told Jeff Fletcher of AOL FanHouse that he has retired from baseball and is instead devoting himself to becoming a better golfer.
A few months ago, it seemed that Mulder could return to pitch this season, since he was not ready to retire. The Brewers then seemed like a possible destination, but Mulder hasn't touched a baseball since February, so his baseball career is over.
"I guess I have retired," Mulder said.
The two-time All Star was one third of Oakland's "Big Three," along with Barry Zito and Tim Hudson. Mulder retires with a 103-60 record, a 4.18 ERA in 1314 innings, 834 strikeouts and, according to Baseball-Reference, about $33MM in career earnings.
The A's got more than memories from Mulder. They obtained Dan Haren for him in 2004, and later flipped Haren for Brett Anderson and others, so there are traces of Mulder on the current A's team.
A’s Acquire Conor Jackson
The A's acquired Conor Jackson from the D'Backs for righty Sam Demel, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (Twitter link). The A's note that they are receiving cash to cover part of Jackson's $3.1MM salary (Twitter link). ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the D'Backs will cover about $400K of the remaining $1.85MM (Twitter link).
Jackson, 28, is hitting .238/.326/.331 in 172 plate appearances this year. He missed most of last season with Valley Fever and has had some hamstring problems in 2010. Jackson has spent most of the season in left field, though he has considerable experience as a first baseman, too.
Despite Jackson's slow start at the plate and history as an average defender, the A's weren't the only interested team. The Rangers were also exploring a deal for Jackson, who will be a non-tender candidate after the season.
D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes says the club acquired Demel since he's "another quality arm in [the team's] attempt to improve the bullpen." The 24-year-old righty has pitched well at Triple A this year. Demel has a 1.26 ERA in 28.2 innings, with 8.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. It's the best season the 2007 third rounder has had as a pro. Demel was not ranked among Oakland's top 30 prospects by Baseball America before the season, but the D'Backs (7.33 bullpen ERA) need relievers badly.
Arizona is considering major moves and one executive tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that the club is ready to "blow things up" (Twitter link).
Olney On Rangers, Mariners, DeJesus
Rangers fans should soon know how quickly the team's sale will be completed, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The timeline of the sale could determine how aggressive the Rangers are at this summer's trade deadline. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Rival executives tell Olney that they expect the Mariners to become one of the summer's most aggressive sellers. Cliff Lee would be the most appealing trade chip on the 24-40 Mariners if they decide to sell.
- Olney hears that few teams are willing to take on money this year. Fair enough, but I'd be surprised if five or ten teams don't add payroll this summer. Teams seemed similarly hesitant to take on money this time last summer, but found ways to do it.
- The Padres, Angels, Giants and Reds could be fits for David DeJesus in Olney's opinion.
Braves Call Up Chris Resop
The Braves called up Chris Resop instead of exposing him to the other major league teams, according to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Resop had a clause in his contract that would have forced the Braves to make him available to other clubs if he wasn't in the majors by today. But Resop was pitching so well that the Braves chose to promote him, likely at the expense of Craig Kimbrel or Jesse Chavez. Agent B.B. Abbott told O'Brien that it wasn't for lack of interest in Resop.
"I know they got offers,” Abbott said. “But they thought he could help the club at least initially."
Resop's Triple A numbers certainly suggest he can help a big league team. The 27-year-old right-hander has a 1.84 ERA in 73.1 innings with 9.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 this year. It's a complete turnaround for Resop, whose big league numbers in parts of four seasons as a reliever are not nearly as impressive. Resop, who pitched in Japan in 2009 and last appeared in the majors in 2008, is out of options, so the Braves can't send him to the minors without exposing him to other teams.
Royals Will Listen To Offers
Royals GM Dayton Moore told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that the club has some "nice pieces" to market this summer. The 27-37 Royals have a number of players who might appeal to contenders and Moore is ready to listen, even though the Royals aren't actively looking to move players at this point.
"We'll evaluate what comes our way if anything does come our way," he said.
It wouldn't be surprising to see an offer or two for David DeJesus come the Royals' way. Dutton reports that clubs are already scouting the outfielder, who is hitting .314/.392/.479. DeJesus makes an affordable $4.7MM salary this year and there's a club option for $6MM in 2011 ($500K buyout).
If the Royals hold onto DeJesus, they could decline his option and offer him arbitration. If he turns down their offer to sign elsewhere, they would obtain at least one draft pick, possibly two. The promise of draft picks makes the Royals hesitant to deal him for a pedestrian return, but there are advantages to dealing now. DeJesus must climb into Type A territory under the Elias rankings system and decline arbitration for them to get two picks. Even if they get the picks, they would have to wait a year and pay each draftee about $1MM.
Rival teams could also have interest in Scott Podsednik, Jose Guillen, Kyle Farnsworth, Willie Bloomquist, Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies, Alberto Callaspo and Rick Ankiel.
Padres Reluctant To Deal Pitching Depth
The Padres are reluctant to deal from apparent pitching depth, even though it may be the easiest way to acquire the bats they clearly need. Padres GM Jed Hoyer admitted to Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune that the club needs offense, but explained that he's uneasy trading pitchers.
“Pitching depth can evaporate faster than anyone can imagine," Hoyer said. "I’m not ruling anything out, but you have to be careful when you start trading your quote-unquote ‘pitching depth.’"
When Hoyer was in the Boston front office last year, the Red Sox appeared to have more arms than they needed. But Brad Penny and John Smoltz disappointed and the club's depth disappeared. Sometimes a team truly has enough pitching to trade from depth (the 2010 Braves come to mind) but most clubs don't find themselves in that position.
“Everybody wants pitching depth," Hoyer said. "I’d rather have pitching depth than bring in one more bat that may not help us in the long run. I’m not saying I won’t do it, but it’s risky."
No winning team has scored fewer runs than the Padres this year, but they have the best run prevention in all of baseball. The team's starters have a 3.26 ERA, and the bullpen (2.66 ERA) may be more impressive. Mike Adams, Heath Bell, Luke Gregerson, Edward Mujica, Joe Thatcher and Ryan Webb have been a dominant group. Relievers like that could help Hoyer find a bat if the Padres decide they can sacrifice some pitching depth.
Poll: The Angels And Kendry Morales
Angels manager Mike Scioscia recently told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are prepared to keep replacing Kendry Morales from within, even though the club is open to making a deal. The Angels have choices: they can keep relying on the players in their system, or they can trade for a corner infielder. It's time to hear your predictions.
How are the Angels going to replace Kendry Morales?