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Angels Sign Two First-Round Picks

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The Angels have signed first-round picks Cameron Bedrosian and Chevez Clarke, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Bedrosian and Clarke were two of the Angels' three first-rounders in this year's draft, selected 29th and 30th overall respectively. Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that Bedrosian will receive a bonus of $1.116MM, while Clarke signed for $1.089MM.

The son of former Cy Young winner Steve Bedrosian, Cam was selected with the first-round pick the Angels earned when John Lackey signed with the Red Sox. Baseball America ranked Bedrosian 56th overall in their list of draft prospects, noting that his fastball hits the mid-90s and that he has a chance to become a major league starter.

Clarke is a switch-hitting high school outfielder who projects as a leadoff type, with MLB.com's scouting report likening the 18-year-old to Denard Span.

Kaleb Cowart, who the Angels selected with the 18th overall pick they received for losing Chone Figgins, is now the lone first-rounder who has yet to reach an agreement with the team. For the full list of which 2010 first-round picks have signed, click here.

D’Backs Called Red Sox About Chris Snyder

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The Diamondbacks called the Red Sox today, attempting to trade Chris Snyder, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com and MLB Network. Today was the first day on the job for interim general manager Jerry DiPoto, who seems to have wasted no time in preparing for the July 31st trade deadline.

Though Gammons doesn't indicate the Sox' level of interest in Snyder, it's probably safe to say that the D'Backs are more interested in moving the backstop than Boston is in acquiring him. Snyder has about $2.4MM left on his 2010 salary, and is owed $5.75MM next year, along with a $750K buyout for 2012's $6.75MM club option. With Miguel Montero healthy and raking (.375/.444/.563), Snyder has been relegated to backup duty for the D'Backs.

However, the Sox were rumored to have interest in Snyder earlier this season, and could be interested again with Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez both on the disabled list. In April, Gammons thought that the club would prefer to spend any excess money before the deadline on "a big piece," rather than taking on Snyder's salary.

Stark On Wigginton, Lopez, Atkins, Lee

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Unlike the Red Sox and Rockies, who may try to avoid making a trade to replace their injured infielders, the Phillies are "trying like hell" to find an infield bat, writes ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Stark breaks down the Phillies' options and shares some Cliff Lee rumors in a new blog entry:

  • Enough teams are interested in Ty Wigginton that the Orioles can be patient in their attempts to get maximum value for him. The Phillies, on the other hand, need an infielder now, so they'll either have to meet Baltimore's asking price or look elsewhere.
  • A scout tells Stark that some people in the Phils' organization like Jose Lopez "a lot."
  • The Phillies have never been overly interested in Garrett Atkins, and that hasn't changed now that he has become available.
  • Kelly Johnson, Jhonny Peralta, Jose Bautista, and Miguel Tejada are also possibilities to varying degrees for Philadelphia.
  • The Phils don't want to move Domonic Brown, Jarred Cosart, Anthony Gose, or Trevor May for an infielder, but would discuss anyone except Brown for a top starting pitcher.
  • The Reds "are more interested than they're letting on" in Lee, while the Yankees also continue to monitor the Mariners' left-hander.
  • The Rangers and Dodgers would love to acquire Lee, but would have to give up a slew of prospects to avoid taking on his salary.
  • According to Stark, there have even been rumblings that the Rays could be a match for the M's ace if they were willing to move B.J. Upton.

Phillies Interested in Lee, Tejada, Wigginton

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that we can add the Phillies to the list of teams interested in trading for Cliff Lee. Only a few months after sending Lee to the Mariners, the Phillies would like to reacquire the left-hander, according to Rosenthal's sources.

A source tells Rosenthal that the Phillies consider themselves long-shots in the Lee sweepstakes, given what the M's will ask for in return. Philadelphia would likely have to part with Domonic Brown to reacquire Lee, something they'd be reluctant to do with Jayson Werth facing free agency and no other blue chip, major-league-ready prospects in their farm system. Nonetheless, the Phillies would like to upgrade their rotation, and are focusing on impact starters rather than back-of-the-rotation types.

In addition to having interest in Lee, the Phillies are also expected to "move quickly" to acquire infield help, according to Rosenthal, who says the team is targeting Miguel Tejada and Ty Wigginton. Rosenthal himself speculated yesterday that Tejada and Wigginton could be possibilities for the Phils, in the wake of injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco, while MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also mentioned the pair of Orioles when he examined the Phillies' options.

Mets Sign Brian Bruney

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Well-traveled right-hander Brian Bruney will join his third team so far this season. Newsday's David Lennon reports (via Twitter) that the Mets have signed Bruney to a minor league deal.

The Nationals acquired the 28-year-old over the winter from the Yankees, but released him in May after 19 unimpressive appearances. Bruney then signed with the Brewers, but failed to crack their big league roster during his three weeks in the organization, and was released ten days ago. In 21 IP between the majors and minors for the Nats and Brewers this season, the righty has walked exactly a batter per inning.

Yankees Interested In Ty Wigginton

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The Yankees have some interest in Ty Wigginton, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Price suggests the Yankees would be interested in the 32-year-old as a part-time player, rather than as an everyday starter.

In 299 plate appearances for the Orioles this season, Wigginton has hit .258/.342/.465, and his versatility has provided the O's even more value. In addition to logging significant time at first and second base, he has started a handful of games at third base. Though Wigginton hasn't spent any time in the outfield this season, he has shown in the past that he can play there if needed, recording 30 games in left field for the Astros in 2008.

For their part, the Orioles are reportedly looking for a young shortstop in exchange for Wigginton. If they were to discuss a trade with the Yankees, the first name the O's would bring up might be Eduardo Nunez, who Baseball America ranked 14th among Yankees prospects heading into 2010. The 23-year-old shortstop is in the midst of a breakout year (.313/.358/.416) for the Yanks' Triple-A affiliate, making it somewhat unlikely that New York would move him to rent Wigginton. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports doesn't think any team will part with a promising young shortstop for Wigginton, calling Baltimore's demand a "self-defeating stance."

Wigginton is earning $3.5MM in 2010, the final season of a two-year pact with the O's. According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, Wigginton recently left agent Dan Lozano and hired the Levinson Brothers, presumably in anticipation of his upcoming free agency.

Nationals Sign Orlando Hernandez

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The Nationals have signed Orlando Hernandez to a minor league contract, reports CSNWashington.com's Mark Zuckerman at Nats Insider. El Duque, the half-brother of Livan Hernandez, will report to the team's Florida spring complex and may pitch for Triple-A Syracuse at some point this season.

The Rangers released the veteran right-hander last July, and at the age of 44, it seemed unlikely that Hernandez would catch on with another club. However, we heard this spring that he was still working out and throwing, in hopes of signing somewhere this season. At that point, Hernandez's velocity was sitting at about 82-83 mph, according to Reds scouting director Chris Buckley.

Odds & Ends: Utley, Valentine, Giants, Haren

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Links for Thursday, as Travis Wood prepares to make his first major league start….

Bengie Molina Trade Reactions

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As opposed to the Russell Branyan trade, which saw two non-contending teams work out a deal, last night's Bengie Molina–Chris Ray swap was pulled off by two clubs with playoff aspirations. Let's check out some early reactions to the move….

  • According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the trade is more of a gamble for the Giants than the Rangers, though clearing room behind the plate for Buster Posey should make up for that.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says that the Rangers' new catching tandem of Molina and Matt Treanor "sounds just awful" on the surface, but that it might just work.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer wonders exactly how much Molina will upgrade Texas' backstop production.
  • After speaking to a source in the Giants' clubhouse, Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas is optimistic about the Rangers' end of the deal, adding that Molina should only improve an already good clubhouse.
  • Fangraphs' Jack Moore is less positive, calling the trade a "headscratcher" for the Rangers.
  • El Lefty Malo is unsure whether there's even a spot for Chris Ray in the Giants' bullpen, but is happy that Posey is now an everyday player.
  • Establishing Posey as the number one catcher should have a "positive ripple effect" for the Giants, writes MLB.com's Chris Haft.

Krasovic On Washburn, Werth, Phillies

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In his latest piece for AOL Fanhouse, Tom Krasovic discusses Carlos Gonzalez's ascension, Matt Kemp's benching, and Madison Bumgarner's potential, among other topics. Here are his hot stove notes:

  • Agent Scott Boras says it's "up in the air" whether or not Jarrod Washburn still wants to pitch this season, adding that a pennant race could be appealing to the left-hander. I'm a little skeptical about Washburn's ability to contribute much to a contending team this season, given how long he's been away from the game.
  • A major league executive tells Krasovic that the Phillies are "evaluating the trade market" for Jayson Werth. With Werth in the final year of his contract, and top prospect Domonic Brown waiting in the wings, it makes sense for the Phils to explore their options. As Krasvoic points out though, Philadelphia's lineup suffered a hit with injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco, making a Werth trade especially unlikely.
  • The Phillies may find it hard to make an impact move this month, since they'll want to hang on to Brown and their farm system doesn't have the depth it did last year at this time.

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