Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Yankees Notes: Trade Calls, Myers, Scouts

By Mike Axisa | May 28, 2011 at 10:38am CDT

The Yankees cut ties with Randy Winn on this date last year. The outfielder hit just .213/.300/.295 in 71 plate appearances, seemingly getting exposed when an injury to Curtis Granderson forced him into regular duty. Here are some notes from the Big Apple…

GM Brian Cashman told George A. King III of The New York Post that he isn't getting any calls about trades just yet. "I am not getting calls," said Cashman. "We have the farm system and money, but no calls … The headache stuff is available. The quality stuff is not available."
Within the article, King notes that the team could look for upgrades at DH, in right field, and for the pitching staff. He says the Astros "will listen" to offers for Brett Myers, but the Yankees "don't have a match." King speculates that Carlos Beltran, Michael Cuddyer, and Vladimir Guerrero could be potential trade targets.
Dan Barbarisi of The Wall Street Journal wrote about the club's pro scouting department, which helped unearth Bartolo Colon and others this offseason. "It's easy to recommend a guy when the numbers are there," said scout Tim Naehring. "The most difficult thing is feeling confident and putting in a report when the production isn't there. The biggest challenge is sticking your neck out and saying,'I know there's more in there. I know there's better performance coming.'"

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Posey, Astros, Beltran

By Mike Axisa | May 27, 2011 at 1:45pm CDT

The Indians pulled off the rare triple steal on this date three years ago. Jamey Carroll got caught in a rundown after being picked off first by Ehren Wassermann, but Paul Konerko threw home to try to cut down David Dellucci, who broke from third. Dellucci was safe at home after beating the throw and Carroll advanced to second, all while Grady Sizemore (who was originally on second) scooted over to third. It was the first triple steal since 1987, when the Braves victimized the Astros.

Here are the best links the blogosphere had to offer over the last week…

Call To The Pen chimed in on the Buster Posey–Scott Cousins collision.
The Dugout Report explored Posey's future with the Giants before his injury.
Bronx Bombers Report wonders if the Yankees could help the Giants given all their young catchers.
Infield Chatter, meanwhile, wrote about the dangers of keeping elite players behind the plate.
Crawfish Boxes listed some GM candidates for the Astros in case new owner Jim Crane lets current GM Ed Wade go.
Bleacher Nation provided a complete dictionary of reasons of why the Cubs should fire GM Jim Hendry.
The Shea Faithful says Carlos Beltran was worth the Wilpons' money.
Pirates Prospects tried to figure out Joel Hanrahan's trade value.
FanSpeak thinks the Nationals should look to move Todd Coffey sooner rather than later.
Wahoo Blues warns the Indians to be careful as the trade deadline approaches.
Royals Review looked at the improvement of Wilson Betemit.
Tomahawk Chop tried to figure out what's wrong with Dan Uggla.
The Last Sports Blog On Earth wonders if the Dodgers' best option is to punt the season.
The Todd Van Poppel Rookie Card Retirement Plan weighs in on the Brian Fuentes-Bob Geren situation.
The Hardball Times explained why it would be a bad idea for the Padres to call up Anthony Rizzo.
Replacement Level Baseball provided scouting reports and video of four top draft prospects.
MLB Reports took a shot at realigning the divisions.
Through The Fence Baseball wrote about the problem with baseball announcers.
MLB Depth Charts listed some top prospects with a chance to have some fantasy impact later this summer.

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

McCourt Expects To Make Payroll Next Week

By Mike Axisa | May 26, 2011 at 11:47am CDT

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has told MLB officials that he expects to make payroll next week, reports Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times. If he does make the May 31st payroll, it would avoid the prospect of MLB stepping in and seizing control of the team, at least temporarily.

Shaikin hears from a source that McCourt needs approximately $9.8MM to make payroll next week, and he could raise some of that money by "accelerating payments the Dodgers were due later this season." The team's payroll will rise next month when a $6MM deferred payment to Manny Ramirez must be made at the end of June. McCourt and his lawyers met with the league on Tuesday to again discuss a television deal with FOX that would infuse the team with some much needed cash.

AL West Notes: Rangers’ Pitching, Geren

By Mike Axisa | May 25, 2011 at 7:25pm CDT

The Mariners and Rangers already picked up wins this afternoon, but the AL West won't go a perfect 4-0 today because the Angels and A's are playing each other later tonight. Here's the latest from the game's only four team division…

The Rangers may have excess starting pitching if some combination of Tommy Hunter, Scott Feldman and Brandon Webb returns, yet they may try to add starter if they can make a definite upgrade, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Former A's reliever Huston Street ripped Oakland manager Bob Geren in conversation with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Street's assessment of his former manager: "my least favorite person I have ever encountered in sports from age 6 to 27. I am very thankful to be in [Colorado] where I can trust my manager." The harsh words come after lefty Brian Fuentes publicly criticized Geren, but Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the skipper's job is safe.

Nationals Rumors: LaRoche, Ramirez, Bernadina

By Mike Axisa | May 24, 2011 at 7:11pm CDT

Livan Hernandez threw out the first pitch in Washington Nationals history, and tonight he's taking on the Brewers in his 456th career start. Let's recap the latest from the nation's capital…

MLB.com's Bill Ladson hears that Adam LaRoche has a large tear in his labrum and some tearing in his rotator cuff (Twitter links). He'll rehab for two or three weeks, but won't swing a bat or throw.
GM Mike Rizzo told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that his team is "playing terrific baseball except for the fact that we’re struggling with runners in scoring position." He's not looking for scapegoats though, and he's satisfied with the work of manager Jim Riggleman and hitting coach Rick Eckstein. As a team, the Nats are hitting .223 with runners in scoring position, fifth worst in baseball.
Washington returned Rule 5 Draft pick Brian Broderick to the Cardinals yesterday, and Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post says they won't have to make a decision on their other Rule 5 pick, reliever Elvin Ramirez, for a while. The former Mets' farmhand had shoulder surgery and will be out for the season. The Nats can keep him through the offseason, but the Rule 5 Draft rules will still apply in 2012.
Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com wrote about the team's outfield logjam now that Rick Ankiel has come off the disabled list. They need to figure out if and how Roger Bernadina fits into their long-term plans.

Dan Johnson Clears Waivers

By Mike Axisa | May 24, 2011 at 1:59pm CDT

TUESDAY: Johnson cleared waivers and accepted a Triple-A assignment, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

FRIDAY: The Rays have designated Dan Johnson for assignment according to a team press release. Rob Delaney was also optioned to Triple-A, and the moves free up roster spots for Justin Ruggiano and J.P. Howell.

Johnson, 31, hit just .115/.179/.167 in 84 plate appearances this year. Though his left-handed bat seemed serviceable, Johnson lost his starting job and has only appeared in six games this month. The Rays signed Johnson before the 2010 season and saw him post a .343 OBP with seven homers in 140 plate appearances despite a .198 batting average.

Quick Hits: Branyan, Bedard, Vazquez, Turner

By Mike Axisa | May 21, 2011 at 3:14pm CDT

On this date in 1999, the Twins traded Scott Downs and Rick Aguilera to the Cubs for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan. Aguilera and Ryan ended their careers years ago, but Downs has a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings for the Angels this year while Lohse owns a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.

Here are Saturday's links, as Cliff Lee prepares to pitch against his former Rangers' teammates…

Since joining the Red Sox, the club has learned that Adrian Gonzalez is a great mentor for their young Latin players, writes Peter Gammons of MLB.com.
As Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter) points out, the Diamondbacks' release of Russell Branyan marks the end of his time with his tenth different club. He's had multiple stops in the same place as well as the Indians had and traded him four different times while the Brewers and the Mariners each had him twice.
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that any team interested in trading for Erik Bedard would have to convince themselves that he could find the same comfort zone on their team that he has with the Mariners.
Seattle is "almost certainly in position to ask for a top prospect" for Bedard according to Olney, who has a 3.94 ERA in eight starts this year but remains an injury risk given all his shoulder trouble.
Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez indicated that Javier Vazquez is not pitching for his job today, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Vazquez has a 7.55 ERA with more walks (24) than strikeouts (20) in 39 1/3 innings across eight starts this year, in part because his fastball velocity has disappeared.
Joel Sherman of The New York Post points out that the Yankees once drafted Mets' infielder Justin Turner, but he turned down a $200K offer as 29th round pick in 2005 and returned to school for his senior season. Turner signed with the Reds for $50K as a seventh round pick in 2006, then was traded to the Orioles in the Ryan Freel–Ramon Hernandez swap and was later claimed off waivers by the Mets. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI against the Yanks last night.

Athletics Sign Lenny DiNardo

By Mike Axisa | May 21, 2011 at 10:55am CDT

The Athletics have signed Lenny DiNardo according to Mike Ashmore of The Hunterdon County Democrat (on Twitter). He will report to Triple-A.

DiNardo, 31, had been pitching with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League after the Red Sox released him from his minor league contract at the end of Spring Training. He had a 5.09 ERA in 17 2/3 innings with the Ducks before catching back on with the A's, with whom he spent 2007-2008. DiNardo last appeared in the big leagues in 2009 and owns a 5.36 ERA in 257 MLB innings.

The A's are dealing with injuries to Dallas Braden (shoulder), Rich Harden (lat), Brandon McCarthy (shoulder), and Tyson Ross (oblique), so DiNardo will serve as rotation depth in Triple-A.

Diamondbacks Release Russell Branyan

By Mike Axisa | May 21, 2011 at 8:06am CDT

The Diamondbacks have released Russell Branyan according to Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic. The move makes room on both the 25-man and 40-man rosters for Micah Owings.

Branyan, 35, was stuck in a three-way platoon with Juan Miranda and Xavier Nady at first base. He hit just .210/.290/.339 with one homer in 69 plate appearances, 17 of which came as a pinch-hitter. Dan Mennella looked at Branyan as a potential trade candidate last month, but now any club could pick him up for nothing but the minimum salary.

The 28-year-old Owings has a 4.85 ERA in seven Triple-A starts this year, and he's hit .250/.357/.500 in 14 plate appearances. The D'Backs indicated that they hoped to use Owings on the mound and occasionally at first base when they signed him to a minor league deal back in January.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bautista, Vargas, Loney

By Mike Axisa | May 20, 2011 at 12:55pm CDT

On this date in 1999, Robin Ventura became the first player in baseball history to hit a grand slam in both games of a double header. The Mets' third baseman took Jim Abbott of the Brewers deep for four runs in the first game, then did the same to Horacio Estrada in the nightcap. Here is this week's big batch of links from around the web…

Getting Blanked put together baseball's All-Crazy Team.
Roto Hardball looks at Tommy John surgery and labrum surgery.
Baseball Nation projects Jose Bautista's tragic evolution.
Infield Chatter wonders if Albert Pujols' time with the Cardinals will end with a Jorge Posada-like mess down the road if he signs a long-term deal.
North and South of Royal Brougham says the Mariners should sign Jason Vargas to a long-term extension this season or offseason if they plan to do it at all.
Bronx Bombers Report thinks the Yankees should be more open to discussing long-term contract extensions with their players.
Through The Fence Baseball wonders if getting Josh Hamilton back is enough to help the Rangers.
The Yankee Analysts explores Mark Teixeira's evolution as a hitter.
Bay City Ball wonders where Sergio Romo has been.
Memories of Kevin Malone would trade James Loney for anything with a pulse.
The Hardball Times tries to figure out what's wrong with Alexis Rios.
The Flagrant Fan breaks down Charlie Morton's improbable success.
Splashing Pumpkins looked into Ryan Vogelsong's revival.
Cubs Stats doesn't buy into Darwin Barney's early success.
Disciples of Uecker thinks the Brewers benefited when the Nationals let Marco Estrada get away.
We Should Be GMs posted some Phillies' confidence meters.
D'Backs Central believes Kirk Gibson is well-deserving of his spot as an All-Star Game coach.
Penn League Report previews one of the Astros' low-level minor league affiliates.
Replacement Level Baseball posted video of some top draft prospects.
MLB Draft Insider and Flags Fly Forever put together updated mock drafts.
The Blue Jay Hunter says Joe Carter's legacy is overblown, though no one can take away his World Series winning homer.
COSFBA lists some players on the waiver wire that could help your fantasy team.
Zoo With Roy associated some Phillies' players with Kelly Kapowski gifs.

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

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