Yankees Have Interest In Sean Burnett
The Yankees have expressed interest in Nationals lefty reliever Sean Burnett, though the two clubs have not yet had any discussions according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter links). Craig Heist of WTOP 103.5 FM in Washington originally reported the rumor. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that the Yankees have discussed Burnett internally, but Washington has not yet made him available (on Twitter).
New York has been looking for left-handed bullpen help basically all season, since they learned that free agent signing Pedro Feliciano would miss considerable time with a shoulder injury. Burnett, 28, has an ugly 5.59 ERA in 29 innings this year, but he's held lefties to a .224/.304/.347 batting line against. He is under contract next year ($2.3MM) with a club option ($3.5MM) for 2013 ($250K buyout).
Cardinals Designate Bryan Augenstein For Assignment
The Cardinals have designated Bryan Augenstein for assignment, reports B.J. Rains of FoxSportsMidwest.com (on Twitter). The move frees up a roster spot for P.J. Walters.
Augenstein, 25 next week, had been claimed off waivers from the Diamondbacks during the offseason. He appeared in five games for St. Louis, all in relief, and allowed seven runs in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six, but walked three (all intentional) and allowed 11 hits. In 12 2/3 innings in the minors, Augenstein struck out 13 but allowed 11 runs.
Quick Hits: Pirates, Mariners, Rangers
Links for Wednesday…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports that Pirates GM Neal Huntington led a meeting today that focused on the team's outlook leading up to the trade deadline. Part of the meeting revolved around internal pieces, specifically players due to come off the disabled list soon.
- The Mariners announced in a press release that they've signed fourth rounder John Hicks, a catcher from Virginia. MLB's slot recommendation for the 123rd pick is approximately $234K.
- The Rangers have signed Dominican right-hander Pedro Payano according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (on Twitter). He received a $650K bonus.
AL East Links: Red Sox, Rays, Orioles
The Orioles cut ties with Garrett Atkins one year ago today. The corner infielder hit just .219/.282/.292 with one homer in 49 plate appearances for Baltimore. Let's round up the latest from AL East…
- Sources have told Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Red Sox have not yet pursued any starting pitchers. Boston is without Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and now Jon Lester due to injury.
- The Rays confirmed the signing of Dominican catcher Eric Otanez as well as eight other Latin American free agents in a press release. Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times has the full list.
- The Orioles have signed tenth round draft pick Tyler Wilson, reports Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. The size of the Virginia right-hander's signing bonus is unknown.
2012 Vesting Options Update
The season is offically more than halfway complete now, so let's update the status of the various vesting options from around the league…
- Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu is just 82 plate appearances short of that total, so this one will vest later this month, barring injury.
- Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Injuries have limited Furcal to just 82 plate appearances this year, so this one won't be vesting.
- Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. A few days ago we heard that Garland is unlikely to pitch the rest of the season due to a shoulder issue. He's at 54 innings, so the Dodgers won't have to worry about this one vesting either.
- Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the year. K-Rod has finished 32 games already, putting him on pace for 60. A trade to a team that would use him as a setup man would change things, though we recently heard that some GMs beleieve Rodriguez's trade value is reaching a "tipping point" as he racks up the games finished.
- Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 35 games and finished 16, putting him on pace for 68 and 29, respectively.
- Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. Rhodes has appeared in 28 games so far, and he's on pace for 52. Texas will need to use him a little more liberally down the stretch for this one to kick in.
- Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. With 35 appearances already to his credit, Soria is on pace to pitch in 69 games this year.
- Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 26 games this year with a disabled list stint mixed in. He'd have to appear in 39 of the team's final 77 games for the option to vest, which seems unlikely.
Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.
Rangers Sign Nomar Mazara
The Rangers have officially signed Dominican outfielder Nomar Mazara according to Anthony Andro of The Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com originally reported the agreement. The deal would top the previous watermark set by Athletics pitcher Michael Ynoa, who signed for $4.25MM in 2008.
Mazara, 16, stands at 6-foot-5 and hits for power from the left side. Rojas writes that he is considered to be the best power-hitting prospect out of Latin America since Wily Mo Pena and Miguel Cabrera. The Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Athletics also showed interest in the 16-year-old, the source said. Ben Badler of Baseball America (via Twitter) previously said that it was difficult to gauge what kind of bonus the outfielder might command.
Mariners Designate Jose Yepez For Assignment
The Mariners have designated Jose Yepez for assignment, tweets Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Kyle Seager.
Yepez, 30, was hitting .276/.324/.347 in 105 plate appearances for Seattle Triple-A affiliate this year, his third at the level. He has never appeared in the big leagues. Seager, 23, hit .312/.381/.459 with their Double-A affiliate before making a quick stop with their Triple-A club. Baseball America ranked him as the Mariners' ninth best prospect before the season, noting that he "profiles best as a utility player."
Indians Sign Two Venezuelan Prospects
The Indians have signed left-hander Edgar Pineda and outfielder Omar Sanchez, both from Venezuela, according to Baseball America's Ben Badler. Neither player's bonus is known at this time.
In a subscriber-only piece, Badler notes that the 16-year-old Pineda can touch the low-90's with his fastball even though he stands just 5-foot-7. Sanchez, also 16, is said to have a "flat, line-drive swing and has started to show more consistent contact with gap power."
Cleveland had previously signed Venezuelan outfielder Anthony Santander and Dominican shortstop Dorssys Paulino.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Buddy Carlyle
Let's keep track of all the day's outrights right here…
- The Yankees have outrighted Buddy Carlyle to Triple-A according to the Intentional League transactions page. The 33-year-old righty reliever was designated for assignment last week after posting a 4.70 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 8.2 BB/9 in 7 2/3 innings with New York.
Astros Sign Luis Reynoso
The Astros have signed Dominican shortstop Luis Reynoso, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 16-year-old received a $700K signing bonus.
Badler's subscriber-only scouting report says Reynoso "has an athletic, projectable body and combines solid tools with instincts and feel on both sides of the ball." He's a contact-oriented hitter with speed from the right side, and it's expected that he'll be able to man the middle infield long-term.