Red Sox Designate Mauro Gomez For Assignment
The Red Sox have announced they have designated infielder Mauro Gomez for assignment. The move was made to create room on the 40-man roster for Jackie Bradley, Jr. The Red Sox now have ten days to trade, release, or outright Gomez to the minors.
Bradley, who was named the Opening Day left fielder by manager John Farrell today, played his way onto the roster with a Spring Training slash line of .419/.507/.613 and a team-high 12 RBI's in 28 games. The absence of David Ortiz, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right Achilles tendinopathy, also opened the door for the 40th overall pick in the 2011 amateur draft.
At 22, Bradley becomes the youngest starting Opening Day left fielder for the Red Sox since Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski in 1961 and 1962 (per the team's public relations department) and is also the youngest Red Sox position player to start Opening Day in 15 years (h/t Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald).
Gomez, meanwhile, struggled this spring batting only .156./.240/.200 during 50 plate appearances. The 28-year-old did post respectable numbers in his MLB debut season last year: .275/.324/.422 in 111 plate appearances over the course of 37 games.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR over the last week:
- MLBTR's Tim Dierkes was the first to report Roy Oswalt is working out and waiting for the right offer from a contender, and does not have a geographic preference.
- MLBTR was the first to learn the Dodgers released infielder Dallas McPherson.
- MLBTR correspondent B.J. Rains examined the pros and cons of signing a pre-arbitration contract extension with a trio of Nationals: Denard Span, Kurt Suzuki and Gio Gonzalez.
- There were three installments of the Why I Chose My Agency series this week: Ryan Ludwick on Dan Horwits and the Beverly Hills Sports Council (by Zach Links), Ted Lilly on Larry O'Brien and Full Circle Sports Management (by B.J. Rains), and Ike Davis on Lou Jon Nero of Octagon (by Tim Dierkes). With the Davis piece, the Mets' first baseman revealed he has not been approached by the team about a long-term extension.
- Steve Adams continued the Transaction Retrospection series with a look back at the Ubaldo Jimenez trade.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith reminisced with Randy Johnson's agent Barry Meister about the Big Unit's free agency after the 1998 season.
- Mark Polishuk explored the paramenters of a contract extension for the Indians' Michael Brantley.
- Charlie Wilmoth discussed the likelihood of a contract extension between Josh Reddick and the A's.
- Ben reviewed the offseason of the White Sox, Royals, Rangers, Astros, A's, and Angels while Tim did so with the Phillies.
- Charlie asked MLBTR readers to select the most one-sided trade of the past decade. The top choice (21%) was the 2007 deal where the Rangers acquired Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, Neftali Feliz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Beau Jones from the Braves for Mark Teixeira and Ron Mahay.
- Ben hosted this week's chat.
- Zach compiled this week's edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Want the latest rumors for your favorite team? Check out MLBTR's team-by-team links for Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds.
Angels, Yankees In Agreement On Vernon Wells Trade
11:42pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post says "most of the dollars will be applied to 2013" for the Yankees. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has further details, explaining how "fancy accounting" could actually lead to a luxury tax credit for 2014. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports pegs the Yankees' tab closer to $14MM.
5:44pm: Out of the $42MM owed to Vernon Wells for 2013-14, the Yankees will pay in the range of $12-14MM, tweets Heyman. Earlier this afternoon, Heyman reported that the Yankees and Angels are in agreement on the deal, and "only seemingly small hurdles like commissioner approval remain." Since Wells has been a complete non-factor over the last two seasons, unloading $12MM+ of his contract seems like a big win for the Halos. – Tim Dierkes
3:28pm: Wells has let the Angels know he will accept the trade, tweets Heyman. "Always tough to say goodbye, but I'm excited," Wells told reporters, including MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez, as he was pulling out of the Angels' parking lot.
2:45pm: The Angels and Yankees are discussing a trade involving Vernon Wells and a deal could be done today, sources tell Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com categorized the talks as serious (on Twitter). Passan however tweeted one important caveat: Wells has a no-trade clause and it is uncertain whether he would waive it for the Yankees. A source tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney there is a "strong chance" the deal happens as Wells is said by a teammate to be excited about the possibility of joining the Yankees (via Twitter).
Wells is owed $42MM over the next two years and Passan tweeted the Yankees will receive some money in the deal, but the amount is not nearly as significant as one might think. The New York Post's Joel Sherman suspects the Angels will need to eat $34MM and that, along with the no-trade clause, will require more time before a trade can be finalized (Twitter links).
Last month, it was reported the Yankees were not expected to deal for Wells. But with Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter expected to start the season on the disabled list, their need for Wells' bat has increased with the 34-year-old likely becoming the everyday left fielder.
Charlie Wilmoth and Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Nationals Outright Carlos Rivero
The Nationals announced they have outrighted infielder Carlos Rivero to Triple-A, but he will remain in the Major League Spring Training camp. The Nationals now have two openings on their 40-man roster.
Rivero is out of options and was required to pass through waivers before being sent down, which surprised one NL scout, according to the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore. Rivero has spent his entire professional career in the minors posting a line of .265/.322/.386 over the course of seven seasons in the Indians, Phillies, and Nationals organizations including last year's .303/.347/.435 with Washington's Triple-A affiliate.
Phillies Release Yuniesky Betancourt
The Phillies have released Yuniesky Betancourt, tweets MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The Phillies signed Betancourt to a minor league contract in January.
"It was a very difficult decision," Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters including Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He played great for us. We had some other guys feel great, and we’re comfortable with where we are as far as those players are concerned."
Those players would be Freddy Galvis and Kevin Frandsen. Agent Alex Esteban told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that Betancourt requested his release by exercising his out clause and there are three teams who are interested in his client (Twitter link). Gelb tweeted the Phillies tried to trade Betancourt, but other teams walked away.
Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com tweets both the Yankees and Cardinals are "poking around" Betancourt. The mention of the Yankees is interesting, as GM Brian Cashman told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News earlier today that he won't be looking outside the organization for a shortstop despite Derek Jeter's ailing ankle (Twitter link). The Giants and Brewers are in the market for an utility infielder and could be interested in Betancourt, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Twitter.
Betancourt hit just .228/.256/.400 with seven home runs in 228 plate appearances for the Royals last season. The 31-year-old is in the midst of an incredibly strong Spring Training collecting 21 hits in 47 at-bats en route to a .447/.451/.574 batting line with a 1.025 OPS in 51 plate appearances.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Rangers Claim Brad Mills
The Rangers have claimed left-hander Brad Mills off waivers from the Angels, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jeff Wilson tweets the Rangers created a spot on the 40-man roster for Mills by placing Neftali Feliz on the 60-day disabled list. The Rangers have confirmed both moves.
Mills, who is out of options, was acquired by the Angels from the Blue Jays for Jeff Mathis in December 2011, but appeared in only one game, a spot start, for the Halos in 2012. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Salt Lake compiling a 5.86 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, and 11.0 H/9 in 21 games (19 starts) covering 109 innings. This spring, Mills appeared in three games, including one start, for the Angels pitching six innings allowing four earned runs with two strikeouts and one walk.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- Steve Adams continued the Transaction Retrospection series by revisiting the Brewers acquisition of Zack Greinke from the Royals.
- MLBTR continued its series examining the arbitration process from the player's persepective with B.J. Rains' profile of Dan Uggla's experience with the Marlins.
- The Why I Chose My Agency series continued with Tim Dierkes discussing Paul Kinzer and Kinzer Management Group with Aramis Ramirez and B.J. Rains asking Cody Ross about his relationship with SFX and his primary agents Mike Milchin and Mark Pieper.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith reviewed the offseason of the Twins, Indians, and Tigers while Tim did likewise with the Mets.
- MLBTR correspondent B.J. Rains spoke with Dan Haren about his offseason, which featured his first foray into free agency and almost being traded to the Cubs.
- Zach Links asked MLBTR readers to name the Diamondbacks' best transaction this offseason. More than 41% of you believe the best move by GM Kevin Towers was signing Brandon McCarthy to a two-year, $15MM contract.
- Ben hosted this week's live chat.
- Zach assembled the best of the baseball blogosphere for you in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- There are many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a refresher on how to use MLBTR.
- Teams and players often agree to contract extensions during Spring Training, so be sure to use MLBTR's Extension Tracker to keep abreast of the latest deals.
NL Notes: Chapman, Stewart, Rockies, Braves
St. Patrick's Day is as much of a baseball holiday as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Labor Day thanks to former Reds GM Dick Wagner. Tom Singer of MLB.com chronicles how the baseball tradition of wearing the green came about 35 years ago. Elsewhere from the Reds and the rest of the National League:
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects a decision in the next few days on whether Aroldis Chapman will pitch out of the bullpen or be moved into the starting rotatation, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Chapman stated publicly he wants to close, which didn't sit well with Jocketty. "We don’t let every player tell us how they want to be used," the GM told MLB.com.
- Ian Stewart's lingering left quad injury could affect his chances at making the roster and how the Cubs build their bench, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Brent Lillibridge, Luis Valbuena, Edwin Maysonet, and Alberto Gonzalez are competing to fill that void while manager Dale Sveum mentioned Steve Clevenger could be an interesting option and added the team is watching all the waiver wires.
- The Rockies are giving serious consideration to making Nolan Arenado their starting third baseman with one club official telling Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com "it’s a tough call." If Arenado receives the nod, Rosenthal believes incumbent third baseman Chris Nelson could be used to acquire a veteran starting pitcher.
- Within the same piece, sources tell Rosenthal the Rockies want to move Ramon Hernandez and are willing to assume some of his $3.2MM salary to facilitate a trade.
- Don't expect the Braves to have any interest in the recently released Matt Diaz because there isn't a need right now, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- The Marlins have returned Rule 5 selection Braulio Lara to the Rays, reports Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. The left-hander appeared in four games for the Marlins this spring throwing four innings allowing two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
AL Notes: Rays, Dice-K, Indians, Red Sox, Boesch
Gary Shelton of the Tampa Bay Times expressed concern the Rays don't have enough power in their lineup to compete over the long haul. As if to add an exclamation point to Shelton's column, the Rays were stymied this afternoon by Jon Lester of the Red Sox, who was perfect for six innings (79 pitches, 53 for strikes) with six strikeouts. The Rays were on the verge of being the victim of a Spring Training perfect game until an infield single by non-roster invitee Jason Bourgeois with one out in the top of the ninth. In other American League news and notes:
- One solution to the Rays' power shortage could be Wil Myers, who was sent to Triple-A yesterday. Manager Joe Maddon told reporters, including the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin, that he believes the timing of Myers' recall will be a baseball decision and not based on service time considerations in order to avoid an extra year of arbitration eligibility.
- The Indians have yet to make a decision on Daisuke Matsuzaka even after a meeting this morning between manager Terry Francona and the front office, tweets the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes. Francona could speak with Dice-K tomorrow.
- The Indians will approach Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley about contract extensions at some point this spring, writes Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- The trade market for Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who will be a free agent after this season, is not good, tweets the Boston Herald's Scott Lauber.
- "The door's not locked. It may not even be cracked open, but it's not locked, either," a Red Sox source told Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com about the chances of Jackie Bradley Jr. making the Opening Day roster.
- The Yankees only signed Brennan Boesch because he has minor league options remaining, according to ESPN's Buster Olney in his Insider blog (subscription required). Olney added, given the apparent lack of interest in Boesch, the Yankees might have the ability, if he struggles in the next few weeks, to get him through waivers, take him off the 40-man roster, and outright him to the minor leagues.
- The Angels have acquired minor league pitcher Mike Cisco from the Phillies for no compensation. Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com explains the Phillies had an excess of pitching in Double-A and Triple-A and they wanted to make sure he’d go somewhere he’d have an opportunity to pitch. The Angels liked him and have a spot for him in their system.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- Steve Adams presented another Transaction Retrospection with a look back at the Cubs' acquisition of Matt Garza.
- The Why I Chose My Agency series continued with B.J. Rains speaking with Adam Wainwright about his agent Steve Hammond.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith finished the offseason review of the AL East by profiling the Blue Jays and Red Sox, while Tim Dierkes began the NL East offseason review with the Braves and Marlins.
- Ben asked MLBTR readers how the Yankees should fill the void created by injuries to Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira. Only 32% of you believe GM Brian Cashman should stand pat and rely upon internal options.
- Tim asked MLBTR readers how much the Angels should have paid Mike Trout. Just under 43% of you would have renewed the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up for $1MM or more.
- Zach Links asked MLBTR readers whose 2014 option will vest and more than 29% of you predict Jamey Carroll will be a Twin again next year.
- Ben hosted the weekly live chat.
- Zach gathered the best the baseball corner of the web had to offer in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Here's the schedule for MLBTR's roster of regular features and exactly what to expect from them.