Blue Jays Outright Brian Dopirak
The Blue Jays have outrighted first baseman Brian Dopirak, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (via Twitter). Dopirak has cleared waivers and has been removed from the team's 40-man roster, which now stands at 39.
The 26-year-old was playing with Toronto's Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas, hitting .258/.281/.393 with six homers in 256 plate appearances. A former second round pick of the Cubs, Dopirak has never appeared in the big leagues, and is a career .279/.335/.480 hitter in the minors.
Rays Release Ryan Shealy
The Rays have released first baseman Ryan Shealy according to the International League transactions page. Tampa signed Shealy to a minor league deal back in December.
The 30-year-old hit .238/.354/.512 with ten homers in 206 plate appearances for the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, so performance wasn't the issue. Shealy last appeared in the big leagues back in 2008 with the Royals, and he's a .271/.335/.429 career hitter in the show.
Odds & Ends: Chipper, DeJesus, Rincon
A few links to check out as you celebrate Kansas City being awarded the 2012 All-Star Game…
- Chipper Jones isn't ready to talk about his future yet, reports Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A settlement of the $28MM left on his contract is one issue that has to be cleared up before Jones can announce any retirement plans, if any.
- Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star says the Royals should find a way to maximize David DeJesus' value, either through trade or letting him leave as a free agent and receiving compensation draft picks. DeJesus currently projects to be a Type-B free agent, assuming the team declines his $6MM option for 2011.
- Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post mentions that Rockies' manager Jim Tracy indicated that Juan Rincon would likely be the reliever to bounce back and forth between the big leagues and Triple-A this year, however he's out of options and would need to clear waivers each time he is sent down.
Athletics Sign Jamey Wright
The Athletics have signed righthander Jamey Wright and assigned him to Triple-A Sacramento, according to the Pacific Coast League's transaction's page. The Indians released Wright late last week.
The 35-year-old threw 21.1 innings for Cleveland, posting a 5.48 ERA with as many walks (nine) as strikeouts. Oakland would be Wright's eighth big league team if he were to join them at some point. He's got a 5.03 ERA in 1723.1 career innings, a sneaky high total.
Odds & Ends: Angels, Brewers, Gordon, Romero
Some links to check out while we wait to see if Jon Garland can help the Padres extend their lead in the NL West…
- Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that the Angels may take their time in trading for a first baseman, both to save money and to determine if they need to make a big pickup.
- Brewers' first-round pick Dylan Covey is looking for a $2MM signing bonus, which Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes is about $300K higher than MLB's slotted bonus price for a 14th overall selection.
- Haudricourt also reports that Milwaukee's first two picks from the 2009 Amateur Draft (26th overall right-hander Eric Arnett and 39th overall outfielder Kentrail Davis) have both been sent down a level. Arnett posted a 6.87 ERA in 12 starts at the low-A level and is moving down to rookie ball, while Davis goes from high-A to low-A.
- Royals manager Ned Yost tells MLB.com's Dick Kaegel that in spite of Alex Gordon's success at Triple-A, Gordon won't be called back up to the majors until Kansas City can find an everyday space for him.
- Five teams have an interest in outfielder Wilmer Romero in advance of the international signing period opening on July 2, tweets Melissa Segura of Sports Illustrated.
- Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks the Pirates could spend around $10.5MM to sign their draft class since they "need, and want, to flood…their system with talent."
- The already pitching-rich Braves have "the most talented rotation in the minors" at Advanced-A Myrtle Beach, according to Fangraphs' Marc Hulet.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson sees Washington pursuing a pitcher and a hitter at the trade deadline, and answers a number of hot stove-related questions in a fan mailbag.
- Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times says that the Dodgers haven't made any progress towards acquiring Cliff Lee and are balking at the money left on Roy Oswalt's contract.
- Meanwhile, Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times says the Angels could have Paul Konerko today, if they wanted. He adds that if they do make a trade, they might be better off targeting a third baseman.
- A Mets' official indicated that the team won't discuss an extension with Rod Barajas until after the season, tweets Newsday's David Lennon.
- Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe tweets that Ted Lilly was "begging" the Yankees to sign him before the 2007, but they went for Kei Igawa instead.
- Paul Hagen of The Philadelphia Daily News says the Phillies shouldn't expect a trade deadline boost this year because of a depleted farm system beyond Domonic Brown and close to $140MM in salary commitments for 2011.
- Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle says it might not be until July that the Astros decide to "blow up the roster and start over."
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports looks at nine starting pitchers who will be on the market this summer, led by Lee.
Astros, Rangers Getting Close To Oswalt Deal?
5:16pm: Jon Daniels tells T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com that "there is no truth" to the Oswalt speculation.
4:36pm: ESPN's Buster Olney hears from a highly placed source that there's nothing to the Oswalt to Texas rumors (Twitter links). He adds the it doesn't make sense for them to pursue the highest paid starting pitcher on the market not just given their financial situation, but also when the market is flush with starters.
4:01pm: A source tells NBCSports.com's Craig Calcattera that the Astros and Rangers are "getting close" to having a Roy Oswalt deal in place. It's not clear who Houston would receive in the deal, but the package of players is more or less agreed too.
However, Texas' financial situation is the sticking point, as the Rangers are trying to convince MLB to allow them to take on the roughly $27MM left on Oswalt's deal. MLB currently has a line of credit to cover expenses out to the Rangers, who are in bankruptcy. As Calcattera explains, it's unclear if the bankruptcy court must approve any new obligations.
The 32-year-old Oswalt has indicated that he will waive his no-trade clause to go to a contender, and the Rangers are currently a half-game up in the AL West. He's posted a 3.16 ERA with 8.6 K/9 this year, his highest mark since his rookie season. The $27MM left on his deal is broken down into $9M for the remainder of this season, $16M next year, and a $2MM buyout of his $16MM option for 2012.
The Rangers' team ERA is middle of the pack at 4.12, but their starters have thrown just 362.1 innings, among the lowest in the league. Oswalt has fired off six straight years of at least 30 starts and 181.1 innings, so he'd fit comfortably at the top of their rotation.
Orioles Release Tony Butler, Jake Smith
The Orioles have released lefthanded pitching prospects Tony Butler and Jake Smith according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (via Twitter). Both had been playing with Baltimore's Low Class-A affiliate.
Butler, 22, was the Mariners' third round pick in the 2006 draft, and was traded to the Orioles as part of the Erik Bedard deal. He battled injury and ineffectiveness after the trade, posting a 5.91 ERA in 112.2 innings with the organization, including a 7.66 ERA in 44.2 innings this season. Baseball America ranked him as the team's 24th best prospect as recently as last season.
Smith, 24, was Baltimore's 45th round pick in 2007, and pitched to a respectable 4.01 ERA in 112.1 innings. In 33.2 innings in 2010, he posted a 4.54 ERA with unimpressive peripherals. Neither he nor Butler made it out of A-ball.
Rangers Exploring Deal For Conor Jackson
The Rangers are exploring a deal for outfielder Conor Jackson according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, but "nothing is remotely close." Texas has been looking for a righthanded bat for their bench basically all year, and have been linked to Mike Lowell since the winter. They are also considering other options beyond Lowell and Jackson.
Of course, the Rangers must consider finances more than most clubs, and Jackson is still owed close to $1.9MM during the remainder of the season. He is under team control for 2011, which is certainly a nice benefit. Rosenthal mentions that Texas has prospects to spare, so perhaps they could convince the Diamondbacks to kick in some money by offering up a higher quality player.
The 28-year-old Jackson is hitting .238/.326/.331 in 172 plate appearances this season, spending time in left and at first. The Rangers already tried Ryan Garko as the righty bat off the bench, but he was waived after hitting .094/.171/.094 in 37 plate appearances.
Heyman’s Latest: Lee, Oswalt, White Sox, Nady
Jon Heyman has a new column up at SI.com, so let's dive on in…
- Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt are the two big name pitchers available on the trade market, but their value is very different because of the money owed to them. "At the end of the day," says one AL exec, "I don't think Houston will be able to move the entire (Oswalt) contract and get premium players back."
- Another AL executive noted that Lee has proven that he can be successful in the American League and will fetch two draft picks at the end of the season.
- The Red Sox turned down a straight up Lee for Clay Buchholz offer last year.
- The Yankees are happy with their rotation at the moment, but they plan on putting in a call in the coming days just in case they are "pleasantly surprised" by Seattle's asking price. Oswalt, meanwhile, isn't even on their radar.
- Some wonder if the Dodgers are saving money for a big score, but GM Ned Colletti will be hard pressed to acquire either Lee or Oswalt without ownership approval.
- The Cardinals might not be willing to take on Oswalt's deal with Albert Pujols' free agency rapidly approaching.
- The Mets might not want to give up the prospects to acquire another frontline pitcher, though the Rangers would be able to work Lee's salary into the budget.
- Heyman also goes through and offers some opinion on other teams that could use one of the two aces, including the Reds, Phillies, and Angels.
- Kenny Williams would like to fire Ozzie Guillen according to one person close to the team, but owner Jerry Reinsdorf is too loyal to let it happen.
- A trade of Xavier Nady to open up the Cubs' outfield logjam seems likely.
Dan Haren Trade Destination Poll
The Diamondbacks have been meeting about making major changes because of their slow start, and one such move could involve trading ace Dan Haren for a boatload of prospects. Today's poll question:
Which team will acquire Dan Haren by the 2010 trade deadline?