Odds & Ends: Berroa, Futures Game, Yankees, Pedro, Rolen
There's no such thing as too many links…
- Most fans expressed their displeasure with the move in our comments, but Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus defends the Mets' signing of Angel Berroa.
- ESPN's Keith Law tell tells you everything you need to know about the prospects playing in this year's Futures Game, and then some. The game is tomorrow at 1pm CST.
- Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer comfirmed to NoMaas' Lane Meyer that the team has signed two draft picks, including seventh rounder Sean Black. Black was the highest unsigned pick in the 2006 draft, heading to Seton Hall instead of signing with the Nationals as the 59th overall selection.
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that Pedro Martinez "has said the parties are negotiating a deal," referring to his representatives and the Phillies.
- Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail says he's "hearing some interest in (Scott) Rolen." He mentions that there are a dozen scouts at tonight's Blue Jays game, including two from the Dodgers.
Pirates Sign Lithuanian Pitcher
According to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburg Post-Gazette, the Pirates have signed 16-yr old righthander Dovydas Neverauskas of Lithuania. The 6'-3", 170 pounder is the first European amateur the club has ever signed. It doesn't look any player from Lithuania has ever played in the big leagues according to Baseball-Reference.com, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
The Pirates also inked 18-yr old catcher Dylan Child to a deal out of Australia.
Seattle Acquires Jack Hannahan
CSNBayArea.com reports that the A's have traded infielder Jack Hannahan to the Mariners for minor league righthander Justin Souza. Hannahan was hitting .193-.278-.303 in 134 plate appearances this year, not to mention spending some time in the minors.
Souza, 23, was Seattle's ninth round selection in the 2006 draft, and had a 3.35 ERA working mostly as a starter in Double-A. He was not one of the Mariners top 30 prospects coming into the season according to Baseball America.
Odds & Ends: Stanton, Halladay, Sonnanstine
Even more links on a slow rumors day…
- Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post spoke to Marlins GM Larry Beinfest about top prospect Mike Stanton. Beinfest wouldn't say as much, but it sounds like Stanton is untouchable in trade talks.
- ESPN's Keith Law tweets that a Roy Halladay trade was unlikely two days ago, but seems even less likely now after some conversations.
- Andy Sonnanstine has been placed on the minor league disabled list with mononucleosis according to Joe Smith of The St. Petersburg Times. If he's out for a while, could it impact the club's ability to make a deal given the lessened pitching depth?
- Southpaw reliever Alan Embree is out for the season with a broken tibia according to MLB.com's Cheng Sio. Just two games back of the wild card, will the Rockies look to add a reliever?
- Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball has a complete list of 2009 All Star bonuses.
Mets Sign Angel Berroa
1:58pm: Bart Hubbuch of The NY Post clarifies: Berroa was signed to a minor league contract. He was released by the Yankees on Tuesday.
1:55pm: According to Adam Rubin of The NY Daily News, the Mets have claimed infielder Angel Berroa off waivers and assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo. The Yankees designated Berroa for assignment recently to make room on the roster for Cody Ransom. Berroa hit .136-.174-.182 in just 24 plate appearances for the Yanks.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Church, Francoeur, Betancourt
Had enough of yesterday's trades yet? Good, because here are some reactions from around the blogosphere…
- Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog says he's not sure the Ryan Church–Jeff Francoeur swap makes total sense, and he's not sure if the move will have an impact for either team.
- Sam Page at Amazin' Avenue says that he's convinced the trade makes no sense, and all of the "talk about potential, shake-ups and athleticism is just noise."
- Talking Chops' "gondeee" likes the Church pickup, even if it cost the once-face of the franchise. Admittedly, it's been a while since Francoeur was viewed in that light.
- Jay Yencich at USS Mariner says the Mariners came out pretty good in the Yuniesky Betancourt deal, even if they had to send some cash Kansas City's way.
- D.W. at Tangled Up In (Royal) Blue doesn't understand how the move fits into the big picture for the Royals.
- Keith at The Royals Tower is taking a hiatus from blogging out of frustration caused by the deal.
Odds & Ends: Betancourt, Halladay, Managers
A few more links for this morning…
- Joe Posnanski chimes in with his thoughts on the Yuniesky Betancourt deal. As with all of J-Poz's stuff, it's a must read.
- Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune says to keep an eye on the White Sox in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. He speculates that they could build a package around Gavin Floyd, but Gordon Beckham or Alexei Ramirez would be dealbreakers.
- Even though it's worked for the Rockies this year, in-season managerial changes rarely work as MLB.com's Thomas Harding points out.
Discussion: Jonathan Sanchez
Giants southpaw Jonathan Sanchez is no stranger to the trade rumor circuit, having been dangling for a big bat since last season. Just over three weeks ago we heard that Sanchez's stock was declining sharply because of his struggles as a starter.
However it's safe to say after last night's no-hit effort that Sanchez's stock is back up, but just how much? One game shouldn't be weighed so heavily, but what should be done isn't always what is done. Could Sanchez get the Gigantes that big bat now? Is he enough to land a Nick Johnson or Adam LaRoche? What do you guys think?
Freddy Sanchez Rumors: Saturday
Yesterday we learned that the Pirates are "pushing hard" to trade All Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez before this year's trade deadline, but nothing appears imminent right now. Here's the latest roundup of Sanchez rumors courtesy of Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports.
- Kovacevic says the Mariners and Twins remain interested in Sanchez.
- The Rockies' interest has cooled off of late, and they're now focused on acquiring bullpen help.
- Biertempfel adds a new team to the mix: Tampa Bay.
- Edes reports that a NL Central team is involved, and speculates that it could be the Cubs.
- Sanchez's $8MM vesting option based on plate appearances is an obstacle in any trade.
Odds & Ends: Betancourt, Francoeur, Halladay, Angels
We managed to find some rumors in between all of the Jonathan Sanchez no-hitter coverage this morning. Congrats to Jonathan, hopefully Juan Uribe will be buying him a very big and expensive steak dinner. Or ten. On to the links…
- ESPN's Keith Law doesn't like the Yuniesky Betancourt trade for the Royals, saying he might be the worst everyday player in the big leagues.
- David Lennon of Newsday says that Mets GM Omar Minaya wanted to send a message by acquiring Jeff Francoeur, but it's "more like a gentle poke than a full-blown shake-up."
- SI's Jon Heyman tweets that he'd include the struggling Joba Chamberlain in a package for Roy Halladay "no problem."
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure writes that the Angels efforts on the international market stalled this year after the firing of international scouting supervisor Clay Daniels, who is under investigation by Major League Baseball for his part in the bonus-skimming scandal. Arangure also has notes on several other big name international signees, including Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, who received $8.2MM from the Red Sox.
- MLBTR's own Ben Nicholson-Smith will be on 940 ESPN Radio at 10am CST this morning talking rumors. Click the link to give a listen.