Mariners Designate Colome, Texeira For Assignment
The Mariners designated pitchers Jesus Colome and Kanekoa Texeira for assignment, according to a team press release. The moves freed up spots for Garrett Olson and Sean White.
Colome, 32, posted a 5.29 ERA, 8.5 K/9, and 5.8 BB/9 in 17 innings this year, allowing only one home run despite a low groundball rate. The Mariners had signed the hard-throwing righty to a minor league deal in February. Baseball America ranked Colome the 53rd best prospect in baseball in 2000, a few spots above Adam Dunn and C.C. Sabathia. The next year he ranked 69th, just beating Francisco Rodriguez and Carl Crawford.
Texeira, 24, has a 5.30 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 4.8 BB/9 in 18.6 innings, with no home runs allowed. He was taken in December's Rule 5 draft from the Yankees, so any team acquiring him must keep him on the Major League roster all season. Before outrighting him to the minors, he'd need to be offered back to the Yankees for $25K. Baseball America ranked Texeira 26th among Mariners prospects heading into the season, describing him as a deceptive sinker/slider reliever who "could have value in a lower leverage role." Jack Zduriencik had drafted Texeira out of a Hawaii high school in '04, but the righty did not sign with the Brewers.
Odds & Ends: Angels, Willis, Oswalt, Jones
Memorial Day linkage, as Ubaldo Jimenez continues to amaze…
- T.J. Simers of the LA Times offers a profile of refreshingly down-to-earth Angels owner Arte Moreno.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune explains the dilemma the White Sox will face when they have the chance to select Ozney Guillen on draft day.
- Ryan Zimmerman would like to see the Nationals acquire Roy Oswalt, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
- A scout told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that he would be interested in Adam Jones if the Orioles considered trading him, despite the young outfielder's 2010 struggles.
- MLBTR is looking for an intern with strong Excel skills and a willingness to contribute for 30 minutes a day. If you are interested in this unpaid data entry position, send a short e-mail to mlbtrintern@gmail.com by the end of the day.
- We will be giving away a DVD of the movie Sugar to our 30,000th Twitter follower (currently 584 followers away). Sugar chronicles a Dominican pitcher trying to make it to the Majors.
- The Cubs announced the promotion of 2008 first-round pick Andrew Cashner. The big righty will work out of the bullpen. Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle notes that several years ago, Cashner offered the Astros a hometown discount and they declined.
- The Pirates benched second baseman Akinori Iwamura in favor of Neil Walker, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Iwamura, the team's highest-paid player, was an out-of-character acquisition for GM Neal Huntington. At the time of the trade there had been talk about an extension, but we have to assume that idea has been tabled.
- Dontrelle Willis' agent Matt Sosnick spoke to MLB.com's Jason Beck, saying his client could benefit from a fresh start despite a fair chance with the Tigers.
- Rany Jazayerli says Dayton Moore is not the worst GM in baseball, and it is too early to judge his organizational rebuilding effort.
- With one week left, AOL FanHouse's Frankie Piliere has his third first-round mock draft. ESPN's Keith Law also posted a mock draft, for those who have Insider.
- Heath Bell explained to Bill Center and Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune why he still has hostility toward the Mets.
Rosenthal On Cardinals, Silva, Yankees
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports leads his latest column by noting that the Angels' problems extend beyond the loss of first baseman Kendry Morales. On the business side, I wonder how Morales' abbreviated 2010 will affect his first-time arbitration payday after the season. A few other hot stove notes from Rosenthal…
- Rosenthal would not be surprised to see the Cardinals add a starting pitcher. They've got payroll flexibility but a reluctance to move more prospects. In my opinion, that points toward an acquisition of someone like Jake Westbrook.
- Carlos Silva has surpassed all expectations, and you have to credit Cubs GM Jim Hendry for saving money and getting a useful player for Milton Bradley. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said to Rosenthal, "We didn't see any flashes of him doing what he's doing now. It just didn't feel like it was going to work here."
- Rosenthal finds it likely that the Yankees will attempt to acquire a bat as well as bullpen help.
- Could Phillies first base prospect Jonathan Singleton become trade bait? Rosenthal spoke to one scout who raved about Singleton, who the Phillies drafted out of high school in the eighth round last year. Singleton, ranked 20th among Phils prospects heading into the season by Baseball America, is off to a strong start in Low A.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Jon Garland
Padres righty Jon Garland is currently tied for fifth in MLB with a 2.15 ERA through his first eleven starts. Let's take a closer look Garland's work and see if he's improved his stock in the upcoming free agent market.
Garland's rate of 5.6 strikeouts per nine innings is hardly inspiring, yet it'd mark a career high. His 4.0 walks per nine rate would be his worst since 2001. So what exactly is he doing well?
Garland is getting lots of groundballs; his 53.3% rate is a career best. On a related note, he's allowed just five home runs in 67 innings. Despite his low strikeout rate, Garland is preventing hits so far. His 7.5 hits per nine, .258 batting average on balls in play, and 80% left on base rates are not sustainable. Garland has particularly taken advantage of PETCO Park by preventing hits, stranding tons of baserunners, and getting extra grounders. Garland figures to allow hits at a higher rate from here on out, though he could balance that by cutting walks.
Assuming the walk rate comes down, Garland has made positive strides that may carry over to future seasons. More strikeouts and grounders always help. He's improved his stock at least slightly, and will get a $300K buyout if he declines his end of a $6.75MM mutual option for 2011. Represented by LSW Baseball, Garland could seek the two-year, $15MM deal Jason Marquis received. LSW's 2011 free agent group includes several other resurgent players, such as Paul Konerko, Brett Myers, and J.J. Putz.
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Oliver Perez Trade Ideas
After a look at our Bad Contract Swap Meet post, let's put on our speculating cap and try to find a trade that would work for the Mets and Oliver Perez.
Perez is owed $20.2MM through 2011. He refused the Mets' minor league assignment and isn't helping the big league team. Not only is he a project, he's one that must be tinkered with in the Majors.
Gary Matthews Jr.'s contract qualifies as equally bad, but he's already on the Mets. A couple of Perez trade ideas:
- Perez and $8.8MM to the Brewers for Jeff Suppan. Suppan has $10.6MM left on his contract. The Mets save $800K here, about $500K beyond what they'd get back if they released Perez and he signed elsewhere. From the Brewers' point of view Perez at least has more upside than Suppan. The lefty would be reunited with pitching coach Rick Peterson, who was Perez's guide during the pitcher's initial Mets resurgence. The Brewers might require assurance that Perez would accept a minor league assignment in 2011 if necessary.
- Perez and $10.5MM to the Royals for Jose Guillen and Kyle Farnsworth. Guillen is owed $8.2MM, Farnsworth $3.6MM. This scenario has the Mets taking on $2.1MM to acquire Guillen and Farnsworth, about $550K of which covers what the Royals might get after releasing the two players.
Bridgeport Bluefish Sign Wily Mo Pena
The Atlantic League's Bridgeport Bluefish signed outfielder Wily Mo Pena on Saturday, according to the team. Pena, 28, had been released by the Mets about a year ago after posting a .276/.296/.414 line in 152 Triple A plate appearances. Pena's new team features plenty of familiar names, such as Brian Barton, Denny Stark, Jorge Julio, Antonio Alfonseca, Tike Redman, Adam Greenberg, and Esteban Yan.
Pena was once very highly regarded as a power hitter. He has three appearances on a Baseball America Top 100 Prospects list, once for the Yankees and twice for the Reds. He was still an interesting player upon being dealt to the Red Sox for Bronson Arroyo in '06 and to the Nationals the following year. Shoulder surgery and a $2MM salary led to Pena's release by the Nats in March of '09.
Pirates Acquire Jonathan Van Every
The Pirates reacquired outfielder Jonathan Van Every from the Red Sox for catcher Josue Peley, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Sox had acquired Van Every from the Bucs on April 24th, but designated him for assignment ten days ago.
Van Every, 30, missed most of the '09 season due to knee surgery. In '08 he hit .263/.360/.524 in 442 Triple A plate appearances. He's played mostly center field in the minors.
Peley, 22, has struggled mightily with the bat in his minor league career, most recently with the Pirates' Low A club. Peley was a 35th-round draft and follow pick in '06; the Pirates converted him from middle infield to catcher.
Yankees Sign Chad Gaudin
The Yankees signed pitcher Chad Gaudin to a major league deal. He'll join the team tonight for a middle relief role, taking lefty Boone Logan's spot on the 25-man roster. To make room for Gaudin on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated right-hander Shane Lindsay for assignment.
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News first reported the agreement.
Gaudin, 27, was acquired by the Yankees from the Padres in August of last year. The arbitration-eligible righty agreed to a non-guaranteed contract after the season, and the Yanks cut him after a rough Spring Training. Gaudin then signed as a free agent with the Athletics, but was released a few days ago after turning down a minor league assignment.
Paul Hoover Clears Waivers
WEDNESDAY, 1:52pm: Hoover cleared waivers and accepted a Triple A assignment, tweets Zolecki.
MONDAY, 10:36am: The Phillies designated catcher Paul Hoover for assignment to make room for Brian Schneider, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
Hoover, 34, appeared in six games for the Phillies this year. The veteran minor leaguer posted a .253/.329/.339 in 281 Triple A plate appearances in 2009. He's also been designated for assignment by the Rays and Marlins in his career.