The Twins have designated Sean Burroughs for assignment, the team announced. The move creates room on the roster for Drew Butera.
Burroughs, 31, had just two hits and one walk in 18 plate appearances for Minnesota this season while playing both corner infield spots. The former top Padres' prospect resurfaced with the Diamondbacks last season after spending four years away from the game.
The Nationals are dealing with a rash of injuries these days, but they still sit atop the NL East with a 14-8 record. Despite all the missing players, GM Mike Rizzo told a group of reporters this afternoon that he doesn't feel any urgency to look outside the organization for help.
"We're not making a push to look outside for offense or bullpen," said Rizzo according to ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter links). "We like the club we have. We just need to get healthy."
Drew Storen (elbow), Ryan Zimmerman (shoulder), Mike Morse (lat), Brad Lidge (hernia), and Chien-Ming Wang (hamstring) highlight the crop of Nationals currently on the DL. Storen and Lidge aren't expected back anytime soon, creating two big holes in the bullpen. The absence of Zimmerman and Morse take a bite out of an offense that has already scored the fourth fewest runs in the NL, though Bryce Harper's arrival should help.
MONDAY: MLB has suspended Young for seven days without pay, retroactive to Friday according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that he will not appeal the suspension. Young can return to the lineup this Friday, and the suspension will cost him approximately $260K in salary.
SATURDAY: The Tigers have placed Delmon Young on the restricted list, reports MLB.com's Jason Beck. Danny Worth has been recalled from Triple-A to take his roster spot. Players on the restricted list do not count toward a team's 25-man or 40-man roster. They do not accrue service time and they don't always get paid.
Young, 26, was arrested for aggravated harassment yesterday following an altercation at the team hotel in New York. The Tigers are in town to play the Yankees. Young was intoxicated at the time and the charge has been filed as a hate crime. He's hit .242/.311/.333 with one homer in 74 plate appearances this season.
Lynn Henning of The Detroit News points out (on Twitter) that Young's contract can be voided if a hate crime offense did take place. Young will earn $6.75MM in 2012 before becoming eligible for free agency after the season.
As the calendar gets ready to flip over to May, let's check in on the players who have vesting options for the 2013 season…
Chipper Jones has an option worth $9MM+ that will vest with 123 games played, but he's already rendered the option moot by announcing his plans to retire after the season. Chipper has played in a dozen of the Braves' first 20 games.
Having lost five in a row and eight of their last ten games, the Angels remade their roster a bit last night by releasing Bobby Abreu and calling up top prospect Mike Trout. Trout will play everyday as the team hopes he injects some life into their season, but Abreu’s situation is a little less rosy.
The 38-year-old outfielder/DH was hitting just .208/.259/.333 in 27 plate appearances before being cut loose. Although his power output has steadily declined with age, Abreu still offers one of the game’s best batting eyes and has stolen at least 20 bases every year since 1998. Abreu also has a track record of durability, having played in no fewer than 140 games every season since breaking into the league full-time. His ability to hit left-handed pitching has disappeared later in his career, and defense was never his strong suit.
The Halos are on the hook for Abreu’s $9MM salary, less the pro-rated portion of the league minimum if another team signs him to a Major League contract. He was vocal about his dislike for his reduced role, and the Angels were “trying feverishly” to trade him at the outset of the season. They appeared to have a taker in the Indians before the deal fell apart. Now that he’s available on the open market for the most minimal of costs, what does the future hold for Abreu?
The Diamondbacks have optioned Jonathan Albaladejo to Triple-A according to the team's transactions page. Arizona had designated the right-hander for assignment earlier this week, though his unique optional waivers situation keeps him on the 40-man roster. It's a procedural move similar to what the Athletics and Jerry Blevins went through multiple times last season.
Albaladejo, 29, allowed two hits in an inning of work last week, his only appearance of the season. He spent last season with the Yomiuri Giants and prior to that he had pitched for the Yankees and Nationals. Albaladejo owns a 4.10 ERA in 74 2/3 career innings and was part of the trade that sent Tyler Clippard to Washington five years ago.
Four years ago today, the Pirates released Matt Morris after he allowed 31 runs in 22 1/3 innings across his first five starts of the season. Pittsburgh acquired Morris from the Giants in exchange for Rajai Davis and a player to be named later at the 2007 trade deadline, then ate $10M by releasing him. Two days after being released, Morris called it a career. Here's the latest from around the web…
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
After going 79-83 and finishing 16 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central last season, the White Sox focused their offseason on acquiring younger, cost-controlled players through trades. Sergio Santos and Carlos Quentin were dealt away this winter, prompting GM Kenny Williams to use the word "rebuilding" in December. Assuming their 10-7 start to this season isn't a deterrent, another player who could be on the move this summer is Jake Peavy.
Peavy, 31 next month, has been one of the very best pitchers in all of baseball in the early going this season. He threw a complete game shutout against the Athletics two days ago, lowering his season ERA to 1.88 in four starts. Peavy has struck out 26 and walked just four in 28 2/3 innings, allowing just one home run. This level of performance isn't surprising when you're talking about a former Cy Young Award winner, but it is surprising given the last three seasons of Peavy's career.
Injuries have limited the right-hander to no more than 18 starts in each of the last three seasons, and in fact Peavy was on the disabled list with an ankle injury when the White Sox acquired him from the Padres at the 2009 trade deadline. Last season he was sidelined by rotator cuff tendinitis and then a groin strain, though the most significant injury was a detached lat muscle in 2010. The injury was very unique and required surgery, though he's obviously recovered well.
The White Sox owe Peavy $17MM this season and are likely to pay him a $4MM buyout rather than exercise his $22MM club option for 2013. A sub-2.00 ERA probably isn't sustainable, but if Peavy shows that he can remain effective over the next two months, Williams could be in possession of the best available starting pitcher on the trade market at the deadline. Starting pitching is always in demand, and Peavy's limited no-trade clause – he can block trades to eight teams this year – figures to be nothing more than a minor obstacle.
Peavy's recent injury history and the fact that his new team will be unable to collect free agent draft pick compensation after the season (thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement) could limit the asking price, but division races have a way of making the market unpredictable. The injury-prone Erik Bedard fetched a top ten prospect (Trayvon Robinson) and a secondary piece (Chih-Hsien Chiang) at last year's deadline, and that deal could serve as a comparison for a potential Peavy package. If Peavy continues to pitch well into June and July, Williams could decide to cash him in as a trade chip rather than risk another injury or the possibility of him leaving as a free agent after the season.
Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
The Mets have signed outfielder Fred Lewis and infielder Brad Emaus to minor league contracts, the team announced (on Twitter). Both players were assigned to Triple-A Buffalo.
Lewis, 31, was released by the Indians earlier this month. He posted a .230/.321/.317 line in 210 plate appearances for the Reds last year, but he spent time on the disabled list with a strained right oblique muscle. Lewis played both corner outfield positions for Cincinnati, and he has a track record of success against right-handed pitching (.780 career OPS).
Emaus, 26, opened last season with the Mets as a Rule 5 Draft pick. He hit .162/.262/.162 in 42 plate appearances before being returned to the Blue Jays in mid-April. Toronto traded Emaus to the Rockies soon thereafter, and he went on to hit .313/.389/.564 in 186 plate appearances with Colorado's Triple-A affiliate.
Let's keep track of the day's outright assignments right here…
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