The Blue Jays have signed Dominican shortstop Dawel Lugo, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 16-year-old recieved a $1.3M signing bonus, the largest bonus given to a Latin American infielder this year.
Badler's subscriber-only scouting report describes Lugo as having "a solid swing, good bat speed and makes consistent contact with natural loft, showing the potential for plus power down the road." Some expect him to move off short down the line, likely to third base.
The Rockies and Padres played the shortest game in Coors Field history three years ago today, just one hour and 58 minutes worth of baseball. Aaron Cook needed just 79 pitches in the five hit shutout, and his teammates scored all the runs they'd need in the four-run fifth inning. Here is this week's batch of links, which will hopefully be worth more of your time than Cook give the Padres three years ago…
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The Red Sox cut ties with veteran outfielder Mike Cameron yesterday, designating him for assignment after he hit just .149/.212/.266 in 105 plate appearances this year. "Rest assured I'll play again," said Cameron to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). "I'm not going out that way."
Despite his poor season and last year's injury riddled campaign (just 48 games), Cameron figures to draw interest based on his track record. He hit .250/.342/.452 with 24 homers as a full-time player just two seasons ago, and he went deep at least 20 times every year from 2006 through 2009. That power might be gone at 38 years old, but his three homers this year suggest that he might still be able to provide double digit long balls given enough playing time.
With approximately $3.625MM left on his contract this year, it's very likely that Cameron will clear waivers and hit the open market. Any team would then be able to sign him for the pro-rated league minimum, which is attractive to clubs on a budget. Let's look at some teams that could be potential suitors for Cameron…
Jack Curry of the YES Network heard that the Yankees "probably" won't have interest in Cameron (Twitter link), but several other teams figure to come calling once he clears waivers and is available on the cheap. It's easy to see Cameron fitting on the 25-man roster of nearly even team, though the amount of playing time he'll receive is sure to factor into his decision.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
The Mets will welcome their crosstown rivals to CitiField this weekend, so here are some links to peruse before game time…
ESPN's Buster Olney outlined plans for National League teams heading into the trade deadline yesterday, and today he follows up with the American League in an Insider-only column that comes highly recommended. Here's a brief recap…
Links for Thursday…
Some links from the so-called junior circuit…
Despite interest from several teams, the Dodgers have not had any serious trade discussions about right-hander Hiroki Kuroda according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi notes that tomorrow's start against the Angels will give teams a chance to evaluate Kuroda against an AL lineup.
Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers is said to hold the 36-year-old righty in high regard, and team ownership recently said they'll be able to take on payroll at the deadline. Kuroda will require compensation to waive his no-trade clause, though it's unclear exactly what kind of compensation he's looking for. The Reds and Rockies scouted his most recent start, and Morosi reminds us that the Yankees are always lurking.
Kuroda has a stellar 3.10 ERA through 101 2/3 innings this year, and his strikeout (6.8 K/9) and walk rates (2.5 BB/9) are right in line with his career norms. He is getting fewer ground balls in 2011 (44.6%) compared to the rest of his career (49.7%), so it's not surprising that he's giving up a career high 1.1 homers per nine innings.
Free agenty left-hander Scott Kazmir worked out for the Rangers earlier this week, reports Anthony Andro of The Star-Telegram. Kazmir was healthy for the workout but the team hasn't made any decision yet.
"We've talked with him, doing our due diligence," said GM Jon Daniels. "Not sure if anything's going to come of it, but we try to look at every opportunity to see if someone can help us."
Kazmir posted a 3.51 ERA and 742 strikeouts in 689 2/3 innings for the Rays between 2005 and 2008, including a league-high 239 K's in 2007. Since then, he has dealt with a number of injuries, and Tampa Bay dealt him to the Angels in August 2009. The southpaw has managed just a 5.31 ERA and 5.7 K/9 in 35 starts with Los Angeles. The Angels released Kazmir earlier this month, and since then we've heard that a number of teams have interest in signing him.
The Rangers are focusing on bullpen help at the moment, and they currently have three lefties in their bullpen: Arthur Rhodes, Darren Oliver, and Michael Kirkman.
The Rockies shored up their second base situation earlier today by acquiring Mark Ellis from the Athletics, and GM Dan O'Dowd told Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post that he still has a "little" financial room to make another move (Twitter link).
Colorado has reportedly been calling other teams to gauge the pitching market, and they're one of several clubs showing interest in Hiroki Kuroda. The Rockies took on $1MM of the $3MM left on Ellis' contract and they started the year with a payroll just over $82MM. If they are willing to match last year's payroll ($84MM or so), they would still have another million bucks to play around with.
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