Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Braun, Pence, Wilson, Lee

By Mike Axisa | April 29, 2011 at 4:08pm CDT

Two historic pitching records have been set on his date. Back in 1986, Roger Clemens set the single game strikeout record by whiffing 20 Mariners in a 3-1 win, and four years ago Trevor Hoffman made his 803rd career appearance with the Padres. That's the all-time record for games pitched with one team.

I'm not sure if any of these links will have that kind of historic significance, but that's for you to decide…

Disciples of Uecker explains why Ryan Braun's contract isn't like Ryan Howard's.
LifeCard wonders if Dusty Baker is really a sneaky genius.
Crashburn Alley didn't like Roy Halladay's recent 130-pitch outing.
Brotherly Glove explains why the Phillies should trade for Hunter Pence.
Saber By The Bay digs deep into Dave Duncan's magic.
Amazin' Avenue wonders if Dillon Gee is the next Shaun Marcum.
Rising Apple says Carlos Beltran has been underrated as a Met.
Baseball Time In Arlington is skeptical about C.J. Wilson.
7th Inning Stretch looks back at the Dan Haren trade.
Camden Crazies asks if Derrek Lee is the new Garrett Atkins.
Ivy Report wonders if Jeff Samardzija made the right career choice.
Replacement Level Baseball scouts the Rockies' broadcasters.
The Outside Corner explains why Jeff Weaver won't be a Yankee in 2013.
River Ave. Blues looks at the last player the Yankees have left from the Gary Sheffield trade.
Penn League Report says you shouldn't expect to see UCLA's Trevor Bauer pitch after the draft this summer.
Wahoo Blues breaks down which teams are best at spending money.
COSFBA pits the legend of Sam Fuld against the legend of Jed Lowrie.
Baseball Nation has some fun with power rankings.
On the 50th anniversary of his famed 1961 season, M.C. Antil celebrates Roger Maris' rise to immortality.

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

Yankees Release Jose Ortegano

By Mike Axisa | April 27, 2011 at 12:35pm CDT

WEDNESDAY: The Yankees released Ortegano, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy.

SATURDAY: The Yankees have designated Jose Ortegano for assignment according to Chad Jennings of The Journal News. New York claimed the left-hander off waivers from the Braves last month.

Ortegano, 23, is on the minor league disabled list and has not pitched this season. He posted a 5.98 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 131 innings as a starter in Atlanta's system last season, mostly at the Triple-A level. Baseball America ranked him as the 25th best prospect in the Braves' system prior to 2010, noting that his 86-88 mph fastball and ability to locate a curveball and changeup means "his ultimate role may be as a crafty left-handed reliever."

Dodgers Links: Schieffer, IRS, FOX

By Mike Axisa | April 25, 2011 at 8:46pm CDT

Earlier today we learned that former Rangers president Tom Schieffer is expected to be appointed as Dodgers' trustee by MLB, a little less than a week after the league took over the team's financial operations. Here's a round up of news items surrounding the team…

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports spoke to a former MLB executive that calls Schieffer "an outstanding choice" (Twitter links). "[Schieffer] is bright, was a good operator and probably has no aspirations to pursue a continuing job or equity stake with the team," said the exec.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports hears that Schieffer will take over all financial and day-to-day business operations of the team and will "presumably lead baseball’s investigation into [Frank McCourt]'s business practices."
In a tweet, Brown says that billionare business magnate Ron Burkle would have interest in buying the team, but he has not joined former Dodgers' first baseman Steve Garvey in a venture to do so. We heard the opposite over the weekend.
SI.com's Jon Heyman spoke to a person close to the team that said it was the IRS, not MLB's takeover that sent the Dodgers' office into a panic. The McCourts managed to take $100MM from the team but didn't pay taxes for seven years.
Remember that 20-year, $3 billion television deal with FOX that McCourt tried to get approved by MLB? Joe Flint of The Los Angeles Times reports that it's really a 13-year deal valued at $1.6 billion.

Mariners Release Justin Miller

By Mike Axisa | April 25, 2011 at 5:57pm CDT

The Mariners have released Justin Miller according to Ryan Divish of The Tacoma News Tribune (on Twitter). Miller informed the team that he planned to exercise the May 1st opt-out clause in his contract, so they told him he could leave now.

The 33-year-old right-hander appeared in six games for Seattle's Triple-A affiliate this year, striking out seven and walking five in 8 2/3 relief innings. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Dodgers last season, when he posted impressive strikeout (11.1 K/9) and walk (3.0 BB/9) rates in 24 1/3 innings. Miller has also pitched for Giants, Marlins, and Blue Jays in an MLB career that started back in 2002.

Quick Hits: Figueroa, Mock, Martin, Mets

By Mike Axisa | April 23, 2011 at 9:39pm CDT

Links for Saturday night, after Jose Bautista extended his on-base streak to ten consecutive plate appearances…

The Brewers formally announced their minor league contract with infielder Luis Figueroa, reports MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy (on Twitter). The deal was first agreed to last weekend.
Left-hander Lee Hyde was designated for assignment by the Nationals earlier today, but Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post reports that Garrett Mock was also a candidate to get the axe. He was spared and instead placed on the disabled list.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman told ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand that the Yankees tried to acquire Russell Martin via trade in each of the last three seasons (Twitter link). Cashman got his man this winter, signing him as a free agent after the Dodgers non-tendered him.
Mets GM Sandy Alderson indicated to Andy Martino of The New York Daily News that there just aren’t any moves to be made right now. “In this situation, there’s not a lot that someone in my situation can do,” said Alderson. “It’s almost organic. [If any moves] happen, if it’s going to happen from within.”

This Date In Transactions History: Joaquin Arias

By Mike Axisa | April 23, 2011 at 7:42pm CDT

The "player to be named later" is one of baseball's many transactions quirks. They must be named within six months of the trade, but are often agreed upon by the two teams long before that. Sometimes the November 40-man roster freeze gets in the way, sometimes it's because a player just signed his first professional contract and isn't eligible to be traded yet (a player can not officially be traded until a year after he signs his first contract). Sometimes it's just a placeholder, a piece of the puzzle the two clubs will figure out later.

Currently part of the Royals organization, Joaquin Arias knows what being a PTBNL is like. The Yankees signed him out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old back in 2001, giving him a $300K signing bonus. They then watched him hit a respectable .300/.338/.394 with 12 walks and just 16 strikeouts in 218 plate appearances with their rookie level Gulf Coast League affiliate the following year. He impressed the Yankees enough that they bumped him up to their Low-A affiliate in 2003, when he was still just 18. Arias hit just .266/.306/.343 in 520 plate appearances that year, but he dazzled scouts with "plus-plus range and speed" to go along with "outstanding bat speed and raw power" according to Baseball America.

Unfortunately for Arias, he would never advance further in the Yankees' system. Seven years ago today, the Rangers officially acquired him from New York as the player to be named in the Alex Rodriguez trade. Texas chose Arias from a pool of five prospects that included Robinson Cano and current Astros' reliever Jose Valdez. At the time, Arias was ranked as the fourth best prospect in the Yankees' system by Baseball America while Cano ranked sixth and Valdez placed 21st.

Arias climbed the minor league ladder steadily after the trade, making his Major League debut in 2006. He bounced back and forth between Triple-A and the minors for the next few seasons, not sticking in the big leagues for good until he was out-of-options in 2010. Overall, he hit just .286/.322/.279 in 242 career plate appearances for the Rangers before being traded to the Mets for Jeff Francoeur last summer. Although his career has been unremarkable thus far, Arias will always be able to say that he was traded for one of the greatest players in baseball history, even if he had to wait a few weeks to be included.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Marlins To Sign Gabe Gross

By Mike Axisa | April 23, 2011 at 6:06pm CDT

The Marlins have signed Gabe Gross to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). Like the Chris Sampson deal, this one is pending a physical.

Gross, 31, asked the Mariners for his release in March after having a poor Spring Training. He hit just .239/.290/.311 for the A's last year, and is a .239/.330/.385 hitter in 1,680 career plate appearances. Gross' defense in right field has been particularly strong, though.

Marlins To Sign Chris Sampson

By Mike Axisa | April 23, 2011 at 5:11pm CDT

The Marlins have signed Chris Sampson according to the right-hander's Twitter feed. He was in camp with the Rockies last month, but they released him at the end of Spring Training.

Sampson, 32 next month, had spent his entire career with the Astros before joining Colorado. He owns a 4.42 ERA in 358 2/3 career innings, striking out 4.4 men per nine while walking just 2.2 per nine. A 51.8% ground ball rate helps make up for the lack of whiffs.

Dodgers Takeover Links: Saturday

By Mike Axisa | April 23, 2011 at 3:27pm CDT

MLB took control of the Dodgers' financial operations on Wednesday, and a trustee should be appointed any day now. Yesterday we learned that the baseball operations department "will continue to work under the same guidelines and budget," and that MLB assumed control of the team in part because other owners "fear the devaluation of their own franchises." Here are today's links, with the latest at the top…

Recently appointed Dodgers VP Steve Soboroff is used to fighting uphill battles, writes Robin Abcarian of the Los Angeles Times.
GM Ned Colletti said he doesn't have any new information about the league's seizure of the club, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that going forward, the Dodgers will have to get league approval to make roster moves, add payroll, etc. The team isn't paralyzed, but the commissioner's office will be "calling the shots" once Bud Selig puts someone in charge. It will follow the same blueprint as the Rangers last year (three Twitter links).
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will still lose the team if he files for bankruptcy according to ESPN The Magazine's Molly Knight (Twitter link). It would, however, "gum up" Selig's immediate takeover plans since McCourt will argue that any moves approved by an MLB official could negatively impact the value of the franchise before a sale.
Former Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey has teamed with billionaire business magnate Ron Burkle in an investment group that would like to buy the team, reports Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times. Burkle owns a share of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, and he's also pursued ownership of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals in recent years.
Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times adds that Garvey's interest in buying the team is curious because he has a sketchy financial past and also because he is currently employed by McCourt as a member of his marketing and communications department. Plus the team isn't for sale, at least not yet.
In his Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that many people in the game expect Dennis Gilbert to wind up as part of the group that eventually owns the Dodgers. Gilbert, a former agent, made a play for the Rangers last year.
When asked about his supervisor until MLB announces its representative to lead the team, GM Ned Colletti told the AP (via Philly.com) that he "still [reports] to Frank."

Braves To Sign Ben Swaggerty

By Mike Axisa | April 23, 2011 at 9:46am CDT

The Braves will sign left-handed pitcher Ben Swaggerty, MLBTR has learned. The former Royals' Double-A Pitcher of the Year asked for and was granted his release out of Spring Training by Kansas City.

Swaggerty, 28, struck out 8.8 batters per nine innings with the Royals' Double-A affiliate last year, posting a 3.81 ERA in 59 relief innings. That was the lowest strikeout rate of his career; he owns a 10.4 K/9 (4.7 BB/9) in four minor league seasons.

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