Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Draft Links: College Players, Mock Draft

By Mike Axisa | May 10, 2012 at 6:28pm CDT

The 2012 amateur draft is less than four weeks away. The new collective bargaining agreement imposed spending restrictions with strict penalities, but the draft remains the most efficient way for clubs to acquire young talent. Here's the latest…

"This draft is the worst crop of college position players I've seen in my 20+ years of doing this," said a big league executive to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter).
Jim Callis of Baseball America published his first mock draft of the spring. He has the Astros taking Stanford RHP Mark Appel with the first pick. Four of the first five players selected in Callis' mock are college players.
ESPN's Keith Law published an updated list of the top 100 draft prospects earlier this week, with high school outfielder Byron Buxton claiming the top spot.

East Links: Gonzalez, Red Sox, Yankees, Nationals

By Mike Axisa | May 8, 2012 at 9:32pm CDT

The Yankees announced that Andy Pettitte will make his return to the team this Sunday against the Mariners. The 39-year-old left-hander came out of retirement during Spring Training to re-sign with New York. Here's the latest out of baseball's two East divisions…

The Red Sox had some talks with Scott Boras about left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez before he signed with the Nationals, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. Gonzalez felt he had more of an opportunity with Washington.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters (including Chad Jennings of The Journal News) that he has not made a single call about trading for reliever in the wake of Mariano Rivera's torn ACL. Late last week we heard that the team won't aggressively pursue a reliever via trade.
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he's hoping players like Xavier Nady and Roger Bernadina will step up during Jayson Werth's absence so he doesn't have to make a trade (Twitter link). Werth will miss about three months with a broken left wrist.

Padres Sign Kip Wells, Anthony Reyes

By Mike Axisa | May 8, 2012 at 7:02pm CDT

The Padres have signed right-handers Kip Wells and Anthony Reyes to minor league contracts, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter links). The moves will replenish the club's Triple-A depth following injuries to Tim Stauffer, Dustin Moseley, and Cory Luebke.

Wells, 35, signed with the White Sox last month but was released just ten days later. The Burton Rocks LTD client hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2009 and owns 4.71 ERA in over 1,300 innings. Reports from earlier this spring indicate that his fastball is still running as high as 93 mph.

Reyes, 30, did not play at all last season. He's pitched to a 5.12 ERA in 293 1/3 career innings, but like Wells he hasn't been in the show since 2009. Reyes is perhaps best known for his eight-inning, two-run performance in Game One of the 2006 World Series for the Cardinals.

Orioles Sign Miguel Tejada

By Mike Axisa | May 8, 2012 at 5:51pm CDT

The Orioles have signed Miguel Tejada to a minor league contract, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The SFX client served as the designated hitter in an Extended Spring Training game today.

Tejada, 37, contacted the Orioles about rejoining the team and they agreed to give him a look. He passed a physical yesterday and will remain in Extended Spring Training to work out. Tejada hit just .239/.270/.326 in 343 plate appearances with the Giants last season before being released in September. He spent 2004-2007 and the first half of 2010 with Baltimore, hitting .305/.354/.481 overall.

Brewers Sign Tommy Manzella

By Mike Axisa | May 8, 2012 at 11:47am CDT

The Brewers have signed Tommy Manzella to a minor league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The move gives the club infield depth following Alex Gonzalez's season-ending torn ACL.

Manzella, 29, was the Astros' Opening Day shortstop in 2010. He hit just .225/.267/.264 in 282 plate appearances before spending last season in Triple-A. Houston designated the Sports One Athlete Management client for assignment last August. Manzella was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks before being removed from the 40-man roster in September.

Orioles Close To Deal With Miguel Tejada

By Mike Axisa | May 7, 2012 at 7:33pm CDT

MONDAY: Tejada passed his physical and is expected to sign his minor league deal with the O's tomorrow, reports Roch Kubato of MASNsports.com (Twitter link).

FRIDAY: The Orioles are close to a deal with Miguel Tejada, reports Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com (Twitter links). GM Dan Duquette told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that they'll watch Tejada work out at the team's complex in Florida on Monday before officially signing him (Twitter link).

"We've got to take a look at him first," said the GM.

Tejada, 37, hit just .239/.270/.326 in 343 plate appearances with the Giants last season before being released in September. The SFX client spent 2004-2007 and the first half of 2010 with Baltimore, hitting .305/.354/.481 overall. Tejada could provide some third base depth is Mark Reynolds continues to struggle.

East Links: Tejada, Orioles, Rizzo, Yankees, Jays

By Mike Axisa | May 5, 2012 at 12:04pm CDT

On this date in 2000, the Yankees signed Chien-Ming Wang as a 20-year-old amateur out of Taiwan for $1.9MM. The sinkerballer pitched to a 4.16 ERA in parts of five years with New York before hurting his shoulder and being non-tendered after the 2009 season. Here's the latest from baseball's two East divisions…

Orioles GM Dan Duquette told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com that Miguel Tejada initiated contact with the team (Twitter link). Tejada will sign a minor league deal if he passes his physical on Monday, then will head to Extended Spring Training to work out.
Adam Kilgore of The Washinton Post recapped a story told by GM Mike Rizzo at the Nationals Press Club luncheon. Rizzo spoke about his journey from minor league player to GM and the team's rise to contention.
ESPN's Jim Bowden put together a list of trade candidates for the Yankees in wake of Mariano Rivera's torn ACL, including Brandon League, Joel Hanrahan, and Grant Balfour. The majority of MLBTR readers believe David Robertson should replace Rivera according to this morning's poll.
The Blue Jays have started to show signs of contention in the AL East, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports. Toronto is 16-11 even though Jose Bautista has yet to really get going.

Poll: Replacing Mariano Rivera

By Mike Axisa | May 5, 2012 at 10:20am CDT

The Yankees lost Mariano Rivera for the season when he tore his ACL shagging fly balls during batting practice two days ago. He says he will return to pitch next season, though the team still needs to replace him for the remainder of 2012.

Rivera, 42, is the greatest reliever in baseball history and even at his advanced age, the Yankees will be unable to find someone who can match his brilliance. Setup man David Robertson has emerged as one of the game’s best non-closing relievers over the last year, pitching to a 0.92 ERA with 121 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings since the start of last season. He seems like the obvious choice to replace Rivera, at least initially, but he’s not the only option.

Ownership overruled GM Brian Cashman two offseasons ago to sign Rafael Soriano, the former All-Star closer with the Rays who became a setup man in New York. He missed time with an elbow issue last year and has pitched to a 3.72 ERA with 8.2 K/9 in 48 1/3 innings since signing with the Yankees. Although he’s been outpitched by Robertson, the team could prefer his ninth inning experience in Rivera’s stead. His salary ($11MM in 2012) could also be a factor.

Yesterday we heard that the Yankees will not aggressively pursue a reliever, but a trade can never really be ruled out. Closers like Huston Street, Brandon League, Brett Myers, and Jonathan Broxton could be available at the trade deadline, though that is just my speculation.

Outrighted Off 40-Man Roster: Omar Poveda

By Mike Axisa | May 5, 2012 at 8:49am CDT

Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments here…

The Marlins have outrighted Omar Poveda to Double-A according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 24-year-old right-hander had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and has pitched to a 4.34 ERA in four Double-A starts this year. Miami originally acquired Poveda from the Rangers for Jorge Cantu two years ago. Baseball America considered him the team's 23rd best prospect prior to last season.

Quick Hits: Rivera, Yankees, Contracts

By Mike Axisa | May 4, 2012 at 10:36pm CDT

Here's the latest from around the league, as Friday turns into Saturday…

"Absolutely," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Marc Carig of The Star Ledger when asked if he'd welcome Mariano Rivera back next year (Twitter link). Rivera said today that he will pitch next year after tearing his ACL yesterday, and I can't imagine Cashman would have answered any differently.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears that the Yankees will not aggressively pursue a reliever in a trade in the wake of Rivera's injury (Twitter link). They are confident in David Robertson and Rafael Soriano in the late innings.
ESPN's Jim Bowden put together a list of baseball's most immovable contracts. Barry Zito, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Howard highlight the list of five players.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect