Mets Acquire Javier Castillo
Bart Hubbuch of The New York Post tweets that the Mets have acquired infielder Javier Castillo from the White Sox, and have assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo. The 25-yr old Castillo hit 262-.319-.387 in 182 plate appearances for Triple-A Charlotte this year, playing third base exclusively. He also has experience at shortstop, but hasn't played the position regularly since 2006. No word on what Chicago receives in the deal at this time.
Castillo has never played in the big leagues.
Diamondbacks Sign Supplemental First Rounder
KTAR.com's Craig Grialou reports that the Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with California high school third baseman Matt Davidson, the 35th overall pick in last week's draft. Davidson was Arizona's third selection, one of five players they drafted before the end of the supplemental first round. Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic says Davidson was given a tour of Chase Field and took batting practice with the big league club after signing.
Financial terms of the deal are unknown, but MLB's recommended slot bonus for the 35th overall pick is expected to be right around $1MM.
Orioles, Cardinals Interested In Sano
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles will attend a three day workout for Dominican prospect Miguel Angel Sano later this month. John Stockstill, the O's director of international scouting, confirms the team's interest:
"We've seen him a few times, but it gets back to our commitment of seeing the top players," John Stockstill said. "We're going to make sure we give him a thorough look and evaluation. We have legitimate interest, but we have to be sure of what we're seeing."
The Orioles worked Sano out just over a week ago, but apparently they still want to see more. Meanwhile, Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette passes along word that the Cardinals have also scheduled a workout for Sano later this week. It certainly looks like it will be a very competitive market for the 16-yr old shortstop, by our count no fewer than 12 teams have expressed interest in the youngster.
You can follow all of the Sano rumors here.
Braves Acquire John Halama
According to a press release, the Braves have purchased lefthander John Halama from the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League. Halama pitched to a 2.05 ERA in 66 IP while working as a starter, and was named the league's pitcher of the month in both April and May. He last pitched in the big leagues in 2006, allowing 51 baserunners in just 29.1 IP for the Orioles.
Odd & Ends: Penny, Reds, Nationals, Buchholz
The College World Series kicked off today, with Arkansas knocking off Cal State Fullerton in Game One of the double elimination event. Virginia is taking on LSU tonight. You can see the game on ESPN.
Anyway, here's some Saturday night linkage:
- The Angels have signed nine draft picks, including 48th overall pick Tyler Kehrer according to Mike DiGiovanna.
- Jon Heyman tweets that teams have called the Red Sox about Brad Penny, and even though the Dodgers are looking "they wouldn't take him back."
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer spoke to Reds GM Walt Jocketty, who said he's looked outside the organization for help, but "there’s not a lot going on right now." Jocketty also said that the team is not looking for a third baseman, despite reports.
- Chico Harlan of The Washington Post says that the Nationals signed righthander Trevor Holder, their third round pick, to a below slot bonus.
- Rockies reliever Taylor Buchholz suffered a setback in his return from a right elbow injury according to Patrick Saunders, and could be out for the year. Could Buchholz's injury impact the Rockies' decision to move closer Huston Street if they maintain their current hot streak?
- The New York Times' Joe Brescia wrote about the Yankees and how they've used Mexico as a source of talent recently.
- Personal fave Chris Britton caught on with the independent York Revolution according to Jim Seip. The Padres released Britton last month after allowed 47 baserunners and had a 10.45 ERA in 20.2 IP between Double-A and Triple-A. (h/t Chad Jennings)
Donald To Have Surgery, Phils Lose A Trade Chip
6:49pm: The Morning Call's article has been updated to say Donald will miss three to four weeks. which matches Zolecki's report. This would give the Phillies a few weeks before the deadline to showcase a healthy Donald.
5:42pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that Phillies' infield prospect Jason Donald will have surgery on Monday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The Morning Call says that he could miss up to six weeks, which means he could be on the shelf until the trade deadline.
Donald was hitting just .230-.293-.324 in 226 plate appearances for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, but he's considered one of Philadelphia's best prosects. Just last week we heard rumors of a Brad Penny for Donald swap, but any trade talks involving the 24-yr old shortstop will have to be put on hold now.
Peavy Could Miss Three Months
Scott Miller at CBSsports.com spoke to Padres' head trainer Todd Hutcheson, who said Jake Peavy could be out 8-12 weeks "if things don't come along as fast as we'd like them to." That means Peavy could be out until after the trade deadline, a major blow to a Padres team looking to retool and shed payroll.
It was originally reported that Peavy could miss up to a month, however Miller says that is the best case scenario right now.
Discussion: Veterans In Triple-A
One year ago today, the Mets swung a deal for veteran outfielder Trot Nixon, who at the time was hitting .309-.437-.558 for Triple-A Tuscon. While Nixon wasn't much of a boost to the Mets' offense, teams could still look to patch up holes without breaking the bank by acquiring veterans stuck in the minors. Let's take at some guys who have been performing well down in Triple-A and could possibly offer a big league team help off the bench or out of the bullpen. First, the position players:
- Andy Marte: .321-.351-.530 in 171 PA while playing first and third for Cleveland's AAA affiliate.
- Shelley Duncan: .310-.379-.670 in 227 PA, leading the International League in homers and RBI, and not by a small margin either. He's played the corner outfield spots and first base for the AAA Scranton Yankees.
- Hector Luna: .351-.413-.655 in 218 PA, playing first, second and third base for the Dodgers' top minor league club.
Marte has certainly gotten his fair share of big league opportunities, as has Luna. Both could possibly offer infield depth to a team beset by injuries. Duncan has had a tremendous offensive season (not quite a Jake Fox season, though), but swings from the right side, so he's not an ideal pinch hitter for an NL club. Here's some pitchers:
- Lenny DiNardo: 3.48 ERA, 52-13 K/BB in 64.2 IP, mostly out of the rotation in the Royals' organization.
- Elmer Dessens: 1.15 ERA, 26-7 K/BB in 31.1 IP, working exclusively out of the bullpen for the Mets' AAA affiliate.
- Brendan Donnelly: 2.04 ERA, 16-5 K/BB in 17.2 IP, all as a reliever with Houston's top minor league team.
None of these three are strangers to the big leagues. DiNardo could be particularly attractive to a team looking to add another lefty to their relief corps, especially since he could spot start as well. Donnelly has playoff and World Series experience, which has value to some.
Do you see any teams that could be possible fits for these guys? Are there any other veteran players down in Triple-A that could help someone?
Odds & Ends: Sano, Jones, Draft, Fukumori
A bevy of links for your Saturday morning…
- Dennis Manoloff reports that the Indians intend to make an offer to uberprospect Miguel Angel Sano.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure tweets that the "Yankees have made it very clear that catcher Gary Sanchez is their top choice" on the international market. Last night we noted that the Yanks were going to work Sano out at their Dominican academy next week.
- Andruw Jones says he asked out of Dodger Blue because of the way owner Frank McCourt treated him, according to Dylan Hernandez.
- Frank Seravalli reports that Phillies are set to sign second round pick Kyle Dugan today. Dugan was Philadelphia's first selection in the draft after they forfeited their first rounder to sign Raul Ibanez.
- Kevin Goldstein wonders why Stephen Strasburg's impending megadeal is such a big deal. Meanwhile Michael Wilbon says "No way in the world I'd have taken Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 pick in the draft," citing the risk. Show me a draft pick without risk, and I'll show you the three bridges in New York I have for sale.
- Patrick at NPB Tracker notes that the recently released Kazuo Fukumori is set to audition for his former team, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League.
Red Sox, Bay Yet To Resume Extension Talks
The Boston Globe's Adam Kilgore reports that the Red Sox have yet to resume talks about a contract extension with outfielder Jason Bay.
"There's nothing new," Bay said yesterday. "There's really nothing to say about it. It's been a hot topic. I understand that. Until there's something to say, there's nothing to say."
"There's still a lot of time left, plus there was some real bad timing with the draft, all the time leading up to it," Bay said. "I understand whether it happens or not, but now is not a great time. Maybe when things settle down. But like I said, there's nothing exciting."
The two sides ended negotiations back in March, and since then all we've heard is that they still haven't talked. Bay is enjoying a tremendous season at the perfect time, hitting .280-.402-.587 in 264 plate appearances.