Miller To Undergo Major Surgery
According to MLB.com's Stephen Ellsesser top Indians pitching prospect Adam Miller will undergo season-ending surgery that will put his career in jeopardy. The tendons in middle finger on his pitching hand need to be repaired, so Miller will have surgery Tuesday. The Indians' head athletic trainer said it's a "career threatening" procedure.
Mets Sign Mike Lamb
According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News the Mets signed Mike Lamb; he'll likely join their AAA affiliate in Buffalo. Lamb, 33, played in 92 games with the Twins and Brewers last year. He was released by Milwaukee earlier in the month. Like the Wily Mo Pena signing, this move gives the Mets extra depth.
Figueroa Returns To Mets
According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News Nelson Figueroa has re-signed with the Mets. Earlier in the week he refused his assignment to AAA Buffalo, choosing to become a free agent. Rubin expects Figueroa to be assigned to Buffalo.
Odds And Ends: Wieters, Guerrero, Gonzalez
A few links for Saturday morning…
- Steve Melewski of MASN.com spoke with the Orioles Director of Player Development, David Stockstill, about Matt Wieters, who left last night's minor league game with an apparent right hamstring cramp.
- More bad news for Angels fans, as Vladimir Guerrero is out for at least a month.
- Luis Gonzalez tells Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that he's already missing baseball and he wouldn't ask for much salary-wise.
- Ozzie Guillen still doesn't have an answer in center field according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley wrote earlier in the week that the Giants are looking to unload Aaron Rowand.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law discusses high school prospect Donovan Tate, who's the son of former NFL running back Lars Tate. Law says Tate is the "top prep position player in this draft."
Lowrie To Be Tested, Could Miss Season
According to John Tomase of the Boston Herald Jed Lowrie will have his left wrist examined today in Arizona. If the tests don't go well he could face surgery that, as Lowrie says, "would essentially be the season."
Yankees Outfield Options
Braves DFA Blaine Boyer
According to Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the Braves have designated Blaine Boyer for assignment. You can find O'Brien's update in the comments section of the article.
The righty had allowed six earned runs in an inning and a third of work so far in three relief appearances for the Braves.
Pedro Still Plans To Play In ’09
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post a "longtime friend" of Pedro Martinez says the righthander "fully expects" to play in 2009. Pedro is apparently sticking to his $5MM asking price and incentive-based deals do not appeal to him. His agent says he's already attracted interest from a number of teams and he's expecting more calls when holes appear in rotations around the league.
Looking Back At April 2008
April's not nearly as busy as December or July for rumors, but we should have plenty of player movement to keep us entertained before the end of the month if last year is any indication. A look through MLBTR's archives turns up some of the more noteworthy trades, signings and releases that happened between this time last year and the end of April '08.
- The Rays signed Evan Longoria to a deal that could be worth up to $44MM over nine years.
- The Mariners signed Kenji Johjima to an extension too, but at $24MM over three years it's far from the bargain Longoria's deal appears to be. Even at the time, Tim noted that the deal was a surprise and "no kind of discount" for the Mariners.
- The Blue Jays released Frank Thomas and he was picked up by the A's.
- The Pirates released Matt Morris, who retired.
- The Reds fired then-GM Wayne Krivsky despite his solid track record during a short tenure in that role.
- The Barry Bonds watch was in full swing a year ago.
- And there were other deals, too: Jeff Weaver to the Brewers, Jason Grilli to the Rockies and Gabe Gross to the Rays to name a few.
Odds And Ends: Hudson, Alvarez, Anderson
Links for Saturday…
- The Astros claimed 25-year-old pitcher Wilton Lopez off waivers from the Padres and assigned him to Double-A, according to this AP article.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic relays some recent Orlando Hudson comments. O-Dog said the D'Backs made him an offer this offseason, it just didn't appeal to him.
- Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog suggests that we could see the Mets release Marlon Anderson today to make room for Livan Hernandez.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle sounds confident about the Astros' chances this year.
- John Perrotto of Pirates Report anticipates a 2009 MLB debut for Pedro Alvarez.
- Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald discusses Scott Boras in light of the Nick Adenhart tragedy.
- MLB.com's Scott Merkin reports that the White Sox still haven't found a fit for their leadoff spot.