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Hoyer Talks Adams, Bell, Draft, Petco Park

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Padres GM Jed Hoyer appeared on XX1090 Sports Radio with Darren Smith yesterday, and you can listen to the interview right here. Let's recap the important stuff…

  • "No one liked watching Mike Adams pitch the eight inning more than I did," said Hoyer, who added that trading the setup man was about getting better in the long-term and maintaining payroll flexibility. "You can't have the back end of your bullpen taking up a third of your payroll space."
  • Hoyer has spoken to Heath Bell's agent a number of times since the trade deadline, but said the nature of those talks will remain private. He did acknowledge that he cleared the air with Bell.
  • "We're going to be aggressive and make them good offers, but we're not going to do anything ridiculous," said the GM in reference to the team's unsigned draft picks. "I think we'll get all these guys signed, I hope we do." The Padres have already signed top pick Cory Spangenberg.
  • Hoyer spoke about Petco Park, and how his team is third is scoring on the road but 15th at home. "[Moving in the fences is] something that's always under consideration. I don't think it's imminent. I think it's something … we need to get over the Petco hurdle without moving the fences in."

Gaslamp Ball recapped the rest of the interview, in which Hoyer discussed injuries, the surging Jesus Guzman, and more.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Sabathia, Yonder, Maybin

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On this date in 1994, the MLB Players' Association went on strike, leading to the cancellation of the World Series and a delayed start to the 1995 season. Dave Winfield was traded from the Twins to the Indians for a player to be named later two weeks after the strike but before the season was officially canceled, so the player to be named later was never actually named. Instead, Indians' executives took Twins' executives out to dinner and picked up the tab as compensation for the trade. Winfield, a Hall of Famer, was traded for dinner.

Here are this week's links, which will hopefully net the authors something more than a nice dinner one day…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Diamondbacks Considering Lyle Overbay

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The Diamondbacks lost first baseman Xavier Nady for four-to-six weeks with a broken hand last night, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says (on Twitter) the team is considering signing Lyle Overbay. Nady suffered the injury on a hit-by-pitch.

The 34-year-old Overbay became a free agent earlier this week when the Pirates cut him loose. He hit just .227/.300/.349 in 391 plate appearances for Pittsburgh, but that's better than what Nady was doing for Arizona: .248/.287/.359 in 223 plate appearances. The D'Backs could also turn to Juan Miranda, who is hitting .268/.387/.500 in Triple-A after being outrighted last month.

Overbay started his career with the D'Backs after they took him in the 18th round of the 1999 draft. He hit .271/.357/.391 in parts of three seasons with Arizona before being one of six players they sent to the Brewers for Richie Sexson after the 2003 season. The Diamondbacks would only have to pay Overbay the pro-rated portion of the league minimum, with the Pirates being on the hook for the rest of his $5MM salary.

This post was originally published on August 12th.

Rockies Intend To Keep Rafael Betancourt

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Rockies' setup man Rafael Betancourt picked up his first save of the season last night, filling in for a banged up Huston Street, and it sounds like he'll be around much longer if needed. ESPN's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter) that Colorado intends to keep Betancourt this month rather than move him in a waiver trade.

Betancourt, 36, owns a 3.61 ERA in 47 1/3 innings this season, but his peripheral stats are much more impressive: 10.6 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. That's actually worse than last year, when he posted an identical 3.61 ERA, but with better strikeout (12.9 K/9) and walk (1.2 BB/9) numbers. Betancourt is under contract for $4MM next season with a $4.25MM mutual option for 2013 ($250K buyout).

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes identified Betancourt as one of several players on the Rockies that could be candidates for a waiver trade this month. Make sure you check out Closer News for all your fantasy bullpen needs.

Astros May Place Wandy On Trade Waivers This Week

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There is a "growing belief" that the Astros will place Wandy Rodriguez on trade waivers this week, and also that at least one team will place a claim on the lefty according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. It's believed that at least one NL team is interested enough to risk a claim, and there may be others interested as well.

Rodriguez, 32, has more than $23MM left on his contract, and that doesn't include his $13MM club option for 2014 that becomes a player option if traded. If a team were to claim him, the Astros could pull him back and attempt to work out a trade with the claiming team, or they could award Wandy and his entire contract to that club. Knobler says the Astros would not do the latter and would instead seek some kind of return for the southpaw.

Through 21 starts, Rodriguez has a 3.52 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 133 innings. He has allowed five or more runs in four of his last nine starts however, which doesn't jive with his track record of strong second halves. The Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays were among the teams with interest in Wandy before the trade deadline.

Cardinals Are “Kicking Tires” On Arthur Rhodes

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Tony LaRussa's affinity for left-handed relievers is no secret, and Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals are "kicking tires" on Arthur Rhodes. He is scheduled to become a free agent today.

Rhodes, 41, was cut by the Rangers following their acquisitions of Mike Adams and Koji Uehara at the trade deadline. He held left-handed batters to a .217 batting average, but they also posted a .310 OBP and .405 SLG, less than stellar marks. The Rangers are on the hook for the rest of Rhodes' $3.9MM salary this year; any team that signs him will only be responsible for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum.

The Yankees are said to have some interest in Rhodes as well. His agent says the veteran lefty is expected to make a decision about his next team tomorrow, according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). 

Draft Notes: Mariners, D’Backs, Jays, Marlins, Tigers

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We're less than a week away from the draft signing deadline, so here's the latest news on that front…

  • The Mariners have signed third rounder Carter Capps according to Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). Capps, a right-hander from Mount Olive, was taken with the compensation pick the Mariners received for failing to sign 2010 third rounder Ryne Stanek, and MLB's slot recommendation for the 121st overall pick is $243K.
  • The Mariners have also signed 19th rounder Luke Guarnaccia, reports Baker (Twitter links). Baker notes that Seattle has not yet signed their first, second, third, or fifth round picks.
  • MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reports (on Twitter) that the Diamondbacks and seventh rounder Ben Roberts are currently "miles apart" in negotiations. Roberts is a high school outfielder from the baseball hotbed known as Missoula, Montana.
  • The Blue Jays have signed fourth rounder Tom Robson for $325K accoridng to ESPN's Keith Law (on Twitter). Baseball America's Jim Callis says he received a $325K bonus (on Twitter). Robson is a high school right-hander from British Columbia, and MLB's slot recommendation for the 139th pick is $189K.
  • Aaron Fitt and Jim Callis of Baseball America report that the Marlins have agreed to terms with seventh rounder Ryan Rieger on a $200K bonus (Twitter links). Rieger, a first baseman, was committed to Long Beach State after attending the Junior College of the Sequoias. 
  • The Tigers announced on their Twitter feed that they have agreed to terms with second round pick James McCann. The catcher from the University of Arkansas was Detroit's top selection after they surrendered their first rounder to sign Victor Martinez. MLB's slot recommendation for the 76th overall pick is about $478K, but Baseball America's Jim Callis says he signed for approximately $558K (Twitter link).
  • The Yankees have agreed to terms on a $157K bonus with 25th rounder Adam Smith reports Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (on Twitter). Smith played third base and pitched at Texas A&M, and Rogers describes him as "hard-throwing, but raw." He will sign tomorrow.
  • The Indians have signed 41st rounder Brian Ruiz, they announced in a press release. Ruiz is a hometown kid, a high school outfielder from Cleveland.
  • The Nationals are not expected to sign 15th round pick Zach Houchins according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Houchins, a junior college shortstop from North Carolina, says the team has not contacted him since June, after he posted what were considered racist and homophobic remarks on Twitter.

Brewers Agree To Terms With Two Draft Picks

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MONDAY: Lopez's bonus is worth $690K, well above the $522K slot recommendation and the largest bonus of any player outside the top 65 picks, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America.

FRIDAY: The Brewers have reached preliminary agreements with second rounder Jorge Lopez and fifth rounder Michael Reed, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The contracts are pending physicals, and formal announcements are expected in the coming days.

Lopez, a high school right-hander from Puerto Rico, was the 70th overall selection in June, which carries a slot recommendation of $522K. Baseball America (subs. req'd) says he's "lanky, long and loose, with a fastball that sits 89-91 mph and touches 93 regularly." They also note his above-average curveball.

Reed, a high school outfielder from Texas, received a $500K bonus according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (Twitter links). MLB's slot recommendation for the 161st overall pick is approximately $155K. Baseball America says he "profiles nicely as a right fielder who swings the bat with authority from the right side of the plate and backs up his raw power with plus speed and arm strength."

West Links: Maybin, Balfour, Dodgers

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As Dave Cameron of FanGraphs notes (on Twitter), only two teams have yet to score 400 runs this year: the Mariners and the Giants. Although the two west coast clubs share concerns about their offense, San Francisco is in first place while Seattle is in last. Here's the lasted from the two west divisions…

  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about Cameron Maybin, who is breaking out with the Padres after being acquired this past offseason. "This is the first time in two or three seasons where I've felt comfortable," said Maybin, who is hitting .278/.332/.405 overall but .328/.378/.508 away from Petco Park. "I'm not worried about the consequences of going out there and trying to get a hit every night. Even if I have a bad week or a bad month, I feel like these guys are still with me."
  • Grant Balfour signed with the Athletics over the winter because he felt like they would be a contender, writes Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. "I definitely signed here for that reason," said Balfour. "Looking at this team, I thought we'd be better in the standings than we are, and now we're in a tough spot. But we can't worry about it; we'll just take each day as it comes and see what happens at the end of it all."
  • Richard Sandomir of The New York Times explains how the terms of MLB's $150MM loan to the Dodgers eases the club's fear of being seized by the league. "The worst that can happen — in the narrow case of default — is they can stop funding," said Bruce Bennett, one of the team's lawyers. "It is not a secured loan, so baseball can't foreclose on anything." Sandomir also notes that Bennett has his doubts about MLB's ability to finance the loan.

Quick Hits: Jones, Stanton, Francisco

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The Cardinals acquired Larry Walker from the Rockies seven years ago today. The waiver trade sent minor leaguer Jason Burch and two players to be named later to Colorado, one of whom turned out to be Chris Narveson. 

Will we see any big name players dealt in waiver trades this month? I'm thinking yes. Until then, here are the links for Saturday…

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