Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Quick Hits: Peter Bourjos, Cardinals Draft, Jim Crane

By | at

The Nationals are 12 games over .500 for the first time since July 23, 2005 after sweeping the Red Sox at Fenway Park over the weekend. The 2005 Washington squad would go on to finish the season 81-81 with a starting lineup featuring the bats of Vinny Castilla and Brad Wilkerson. Here's the latest odds and ends from around the league…

  • The emergence of rookie Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo's increased presence in the outfield has cost Peter Bourjos significant playing time, but that doesn't mean the Angels center fielder is in danger of losing his spot on the roster or being traded, writes Trey Scott of MLB.com. Count manager Mike Scioscia among Bourjos' supporters as he believes the second-generation big leaguer can aid the team even while playing in a limited capacity. "It's difficult for a young player that has the ability to play every day but isn't in there," Scioscia said. "But Peter is going to help us win games."
  • The starting point for recently signed draft picks in the Cardinals organization is less about potential and more about current ability, says Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While not all of the 44 players drafted by the Cardinals will ultimately sign with the franchise, the ones who do will begin their careers across three Class-A short-season affiliates. It's not unheard of for a top pick to make it to a full-season club in his first year like Kolten Wong in 2011, but the likelihood of doing so stems from how quickly the player signs his contract after being drafted.
  • The subtle, confident nature of new Astros owner Jim Crane should prove to benefit both his franchise and the city of Houston, contends Chris Baldwin of CultureMap Houston. Crane's decision to hire Jeff Luhnow as the Astros' general manager has paid immediate dividends as the team signed first overall pick Carlos Correa for $2.4MM below slot value, giving them a stronger chance to sign Lance McCullers, selected 41st overall. The decision to draft Correa was a surprise to many and speaks to the organization's belief system in which the Astros will take calculated risks that are swiftly executed once a decision is reached. 

Week In Review: 6/3/12 – 6/9/12

By | at

As teams hope to sign a future Derek Jeter or Chipper Jones in the aftermath of Monday's amateur draft, let's catch up on the week that was here on MLBTR…

  • The Astros signed first overall selection Carlos Correa. The Puerto Rican shortstop's bonus is worth $4.8MM, which is the lowest guarantee for a top selection since the Royals gave right-hander Luke Hochevar $3.5MM in 2006.
  • Princeton graduate Ross Ohlendorf signed a Major League contract with the Padres after obtaining his release from the Red Sox last weekend. The 29-year-old had a 4.61 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings over the course of ten starts for Boston's Triple-A affiliate. The Padres designated right-hander Matt Palmer for assignment in a corresponding move.
  • While noted for his glove and versatility, Donnie Murphy will need to improve his hitting if he looks to return to big leagues after being designated for assignment by the Marlins. The 29-year-old utility infielder hit .136/.250/.318 in 52 plate appearances with Miami.
  • The Diamondbacks reached a deal with first round draft pick Stryker Trahan. Selected 26th, the catcher will receive a straight slot bonus of $1.7MM.
  • Supplementary first round selection (52nd overall) Patrick Wisdom agreed to terms with the Cardinals. The former St. Mary's third baseman signed for $693K which saves St. Louis approximately $277K of draft pool money.
  • The Red Sox designated Marlon Byrd for assignment. Byrd, 35 this August, will look to catch on with his third team this season after starting the year with the Cubs.
  • Pete Orr is headed to Triple-A as the Phillies outrighted the 33-year-old infielder to Lehigh Valley after he hit .286/.302/.429 in 45 plate appearances for Philadelphia this season.
  • Brewers first round selection Clint Coulter signed with Milwaukee and will receive a $1.675MM bonus, which is the amount MLB recommends for the 27th overall selection. 
  • Selected directly after Coulter at 28th, Victor Roache also agreed to terms with the Brewers. Roache, an outfielder from Georgia Southern University, will receive a $1.525MM bonus, slightly below the recommended slot price of $1.65MM.  
  • The Mets agreed to terms with first-round pick (12th overall) Gavin Cecchini on a $2.3MM contract. Cecchini, 18, is a high school shortstop from Louisiana who had committed to the University of Mississippi. 
  • Jeff Francis signed with the Rockies, where he pitched from 2004-10. Francis posted a 4.22 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 215 1/3 innings for the Rockies in 2007.
  • The Royals signed right-hander Kyle Zimmer, their first round pick (and the fifth pick overall).  
  • First round pick Lucas Sims signed with the Braves. The right-hander from Georgia's Brookwood High School was selected with the 21st overall pick. 
  • The Blue Jays signed supplementary first round selection Matt Smoral after selecting the high school left-hander 50th overall on Monday as compensation for losing reliever Frank Francisco.
  • Jamie Moyer, who pitched for Baltimore from 1993-95, has signed with the Orioles. The 49-year-old left-hander will report to Triple-A Norfolk.
  • The Athletics designated first baseman Kila Ka'aihue for assignment. 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.
  • Upon reinstating him from the disabled list, the Rays designated Brandon Allen for assignment. 
  • The Tigers designated catcher Omir Santos for assignment. Santos, 31, elected free agency instead of reporting back to the minor leagues.
  • Nate McLouth is headed to the American League after signing a minor league deal with the Orioles. The Pirates placed the outfielder on release waivers last week after designating him for assignment.
  • The Rockies designated Esmil Rogers for assignment. Rogers, 26, pitched to an 8.06 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9 in 25 2/3 relief innings for Colorado this season. 

Draft Signings: Wood, Perez, Diamondbacks, Reds

By | at

Here are Sunday's notable non-first round draft pick signings…

  • The Braves have agreed to terms with second rounder Alex Wood for $700K, tweets Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA. The left-hander from the University of Georgia was the 85th overall pick, which carries a slot value of $583K.
  • The Padres have signed third rounder Fernando Perez for a below slot $400K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). Selected 102nd overall, the third baseman from Central Arizona Junior College was slotted for $467K.
  • The Diamondbacks have signed 11th round selection Ben Eckels for $125K, tweets Callis. Arizona's draft budget will be reduced by $25K after giving the high school right-hander from California a bonus over $100K.
  • The Reds have signed 18th round pick Jackson Stephens for $100K, reports Callis (on Twitter). The high school right-hander and third baseman hails from Alabama.

Quick Hits: Alfonso Soriano, Cubs Draft, Mets

By | at

The Nationals rewrote Major League history on Sunday in yet another sign that the beleaguered franchise has turned the proverbial corner. Bryce Harper and Steve Lombardozzi became the first rookies to hit back-to-back home runs to lead off a game in the modern era. Here's the latest odds and ends from around the league as we look forward to Monday's amateur draft…

  • Alfonso Soriano is open to being traded to a contender as he concedes his career is winding down at 36, reports Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Soriano has made himself an attractive trade candidate with a 2012 slash line of .267/.311/.460, but remains unlikely to be moved thanks to his hefty contract. The Cubs owe Soriano the remainder of his $18MM salary for this year and $36MM over the next two seasons.
  • Cubs manager Dale Sveum hasn't seen team president Theo Epstein or scouting chief Jason McLeod in days and that's because they are in lockdown mode for Monday's amateur draft, says Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. "Theo and Jason and Jed (Hoyer), they've had a whole different system in the draft, and obviously it's worked pretty well," Sveum said. "The high picks they had in Boston panned out pretty good." Equipped with the sixth pick in the draft, the Cubs are expected to take high school center fielder Albert Almora or Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa based upon projections from Baseball America. 
  • Look for the Mets to consider making minor moves at the trade deadline rather than taking on salary to acquire an expensive veteran, writes Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com. Cerrone points to Buster Olney's comments on Sunday night in which he stated that the team is focused on the big picture when Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler arrive in Queens in as soon as 14 months. 

Padres To Designate Matt Palmer For Assignment

By | at

We'll keep track of the day's minor moves here…

  • The Padres will designate right-hander Matt Palmer for assignment prior to Tuesday's game against the Giants, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The move will allow the club to activate Huston Street off the disabled list on Tuesday. Palmer, 33, had struggled in three relief appearances with San Diego after having his contract selected from Triple-A Tucson on May 20.

Draft Notes: Astros, Orioles, Red Sox

By | at

The Astros hope Stanford's Mark Appel follows in the path of Stephen Strasburg and David Price as successful big league pitchers who were first overall picks coming out of college. Houston is expected to take Appel with the top pick on Monday in the amateur draft as we noted earlier in the day. Let's catch up on the latest draft news and rumors as teams make their final preparations in the hunt for quality Major League talent…

  • The Astros need to ensure Monday's draft bolsters the team's rebuilding effort and that starts with drafting Mark Appel over Byron Buxton, opines Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports. Selecting Appel, a starting pitcher for the Stanford Cardinal, would take the team in a different direction than the addition of Buxton, a high school outfielder with five-tool potential. While Buxton may ultimately have a brighter future than Appel, the Astros are in need of a quality player who can contribute at the big league level as soon as possible.
  • Armed with the fourth pick in the draft, the Orioles have narrowed down their list of potential selections to four players, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. Baltimore will choose between Puerto Rican high school shortstop Carlos Correa, high school left-hander Max Fried, LSU right-hander Kevin Gausman and University of San Francisco right-hander Kyle Zimmer. The Orioles have encountered mixed success with their recent first-round picks as Matt Wieters (2007) has emerged as a top catcher in baseball while Brian Matusz (2008) has struggled in Baltimore. 
  • Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington and scouting director Amiel Sawdaye talked with Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal about their approach to 2011's deep draft class. Sawdaye explains that the Sox felt fortunate to net Matt Barnes and Jackie Bradley Jr., both of whom they thought would be off the board prior to their selections at No. 19 and No. 40, respectively. Sawdaye cautions that it's dangerous for a team to set its sights on one specific player, as more often than not, that approach results in the disappointment of seeing the player go elsewhere.

Mets Notes: David Wright, Bill Maher, John Franco

By | at

The Mets will look to make it three shutouts in a row against the Cardinals as they take on St. Louis this evening at Citi Field. If successful, it would mark the first time the Cardinals have been held scoreless in three consecutive games since October 1976. Here's the latest news and headlines out of Queens…

  • David Wright says he won't talk with the Mets about an extension until the fall because in-season negotiations in 2006 had him thinking about his contract status while on the field, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. 
  • Political commentator Bill Maher can add part owner of a professional baseball team to his resume as he recently purchased a minority share of the Mets, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • The Mets will welcome former team captain John Franco into the team's Hall of Fame this evening by wearing black in honor of his 14 seasons with New York, according to the team via Twitter. 

Week In Review: 5/27/12 – 6/2/12

By | at

As we say goodbye to one former All-Star and welcome back another, let's catch up on the week that was here on MLBTR…

  • The Rangers signed Roy Oswalt for a guaranteed $5MM salary plus $1MM in incentives. Oswalt, 34, posted a 3.69 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 in 139 innings with the Phillies in 2011. The former Astros ace is expected to make four starts at Triple-A Round Rock before joining Texas near midseason. 
  • Jorge Soler has been declared a free agent and is now eligible to sign with any club. The 20-year-old Cuban outfielder is expected to garner attention from many franchises including the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Phillies and Astros. Soler has been compared to fellow countryman Yoenis Cespedes but will likely command less money as he's not yet ready for the big leagues.
  • After 15 MLB seasons, Magglio Ordonez announced his retirement on Sunday at Comerica Park. The former Tigers and White Sox star boasts a career slash line of .309/.369/.502 and nearly took home the American League MVP in 2007.
  • Bill Hall's second stint with the Orioles this season lasted two at-bats as Baltimore designated the utility man for assignment to make room for Steve Pearce. The Orioles acquired the first baseman from the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations. 
  • The Padres designated Jeff Suppan for assignment after the right-hander posted a 5.28 ERA with 2.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in six starts. Suppan, 37, returned to the big leagues in 2012 after pitching in the minors for the Royals in 2011.
  • Jamie Moyer's 25-year career is in jeopardy after the Rockies designated the 49-year-old left-hander for assignment. Moyer became the oldest pitcher to win as a starter when he beat the Padres 5-3 on April 17.
  • The Mets designated Chris Schwinden for assignment, and the Blue Jays claimed the right-hander off of waivers.
  • Ross Ohlendorf opted out of his minor league contract with the Red Sox. The right-hander obtained the right to opt out of his deal when Boston declined to call him up by June 1.
  • The Cubs claimed right-hander Jairo Asencio off of waivers from the Indians and designated right-hander Michael Bowden for assignment in a corresponding move. The Indians had designated Asencio for assignment earlier in the week.
  • Right-hander Juan Rincon opted out of his contract with the Angels and elected free agency. Rincon, 33, posted a 3.12 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 6.2 BB/9 at Triple-A Salt Lake. 
  • The Blue Jays outrighted first baseman Adam Lind to Triple-A Las Vegas.
  • Jason Marquis is headed back to the National League as the Padres signed the former Cardinals starter to a minor league contract. The team is looking for rotation depth with four starters on the disabled list.
  • The Pirates placed outfielder Nate McLouth on release waivers. If McLouth clears waivers he'll be granted his unconditional release and hit free agency.
  • Manny Acosta's lack of control (6.1 BB/9) has him on his way to Triple-A as the Mets outrighted the reliever to Buffalo.
  • The Twins returned Rule 5 selection Erik Komatsu to the Nationals after designating the outfielder for assignment.
  • The Yankees claimed Ryota Igarashi from the Blue Jays after Toronto designated the right-hander for assignment.
  • Right-hander Collin Balester is headed to Triple-A as the Tigers outrighted his contract to Toledo after he yielded nearly as many walks (11) as strikeouts (12) in 18 innings.

Rosenthal On Pirates, Astros, Rangers

By | at

The acquisition of right-handers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom has proved integral to the Orioles' early season success. The same cannot be said for Jeremy Guthrie, sent to the Rockies by Baltimore in the same trade, as the right-hander has struggled in injury-limited action for Colorado. Let's check in with Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports as he catches us up on news and rumors from around the league in his latest column:

  • The Pirates may be strong candidates to trade pitching for hitting the way the Mariners did when they traded Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero. While the Pirates' offense averages fewer than three runs per game their pitching staff has offered glimmers of hope. More specifically, the Pirates' bullpen leads the league in relief ERA with a plethora of quality relievers waiting for an opportunity at Triple-A Indianapolis.
  • Count Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow among the believers who think that the Astros may be buyers at the trade deadline given their plus-11 run differential heading into Memorial Day. “I do think so,” Luhnow said. “I don’t necessarily know if we’ll take on a whole bunch of salary. But we’ll look at every opportunity that comes our way, evaluate it in terms of short-term impact and medium and long-term impact. Look for Houston to attempt to trade Wandy Rodriguez, Carlos Lee and Brett Myers if the team begins to mimic last year's 106-loss club.
  • The inability to move right-hander Koji Uehara during the offseason and later during Spring Training has paid huge dividends for the Rangers this season. After struggling in Arlington upon being acquired from the Orioles, Uehara has rebounded nicely in 2012 by posting a 1.04 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9.

Week In Review: 5/20/12 – 5/26/12

By | at

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Let's take a look back at the week that was here on MLBTR…

  • Adam Jones can claim the distinction of being the second-highest paid center fielder in MLB (only behind Matt Kemp). His extension eclipses Miguel Tejada's six-year, $72MM deal as the largest contract in Orioles history. Jones, 27 in August, is currently enjoying a career year as he's hitting .311/.357/.601 in 196 plate appearances. The Orioles officially announced his six-year, $85.5MM extension this afternoon.
  • The Diamondbacks and catcher Miguel Montero agreed to a five-year $60MM contract extension, making him the highest-paid player in Arizona history. Montero, 29 in July, had a breakout season in 2011 when he was named to his first All-Star team and hit .282/.351/.469 on the year. It's been a busy year for catchers receiving hefty extensions as the Cardinals and Yadier Molin struck a five-year, $75MM deal in March.
  • The White Sox signed veteran infielder Orlando Hudson to a one-year deal. The Padres recently released the 34-year-old former All-Star, who will now provide the White Sox with depth at third base and second base.
  • A return to the Pirates has failed to reinvigorate Nate McLouth's career as Pittsburgh designated the veteran outfielder for assignment after his offensive struggles with the Braves followed him to PNC Park. McLouth was traded to the Braves from the Pirates in June 2009 and spent two-plus years in Atlanta.
  • The Diamondbacks designated Cody Ransom for assignment and the Brewers claimed the infielder on waivers to obtain depth at shortstop. Ransom, 36, has enjoyed success in limited action with Arizona as he posted a .269/.345/.577 batting line in 58 plate appearances.
  • Bill Hall was unable to build upon his first at-bat success with the Orioles. He homered in his first trip to the plate as an Oriole, but Baltimore designated the utility player for assignment this week and then outrighted him to Triple-A Norfolk.
  • The Angels designated David Pauley for assignment after the right-hander pitched ineffectively out of the bullpen for Los Angeles. Pauley, 28, was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake by the Halos after clearing waivers.
  • Released by the Cardinals earlier in the season, veteran reliever J.C. Romero signed a minor league deal with the Orioles and will report to Triple-A Norfolk.
  • After some early season struggles, right-hander Jason Marquis was designated for assignment by the Twins. Through seven starts in 2012, Marquis posted an ERA of 8.47 with 3.2 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9.
  • The Marlins are looking for outfield help after announcing that Emilio Bonifacio will miss four to six weeks due to surgery on his left thumb. They may have found an option when they acquired outfielder Justin Ruggiano, who has been hitting exceptionally well at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
  • Looking to improve infield depth, the Pirates acquired Drew Sutton from the Braves for cash considerations. Plans changed a day later as Pittsburgh flipped Sutton for a player to be named from the Rays.
  • D.J Carrasco's tenure with the Mets came to a close this week when the team released the veteran reliever after recently designating him for assignment.
  • With nearly as many walks (11) as strikeouts (12) in 18 innings out of the bullpen, right-hander Collin Balester was designated for assignment by the Tigers.  

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top