Brewers Claim Josh Ravin
The Brewers have claimed Josh Ravin off waivers from the Reds, according to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (via Twitter). The right-hander took to Twitter himself to confirm the transaction.
Ravin was designated for assignment by Cincinnati earlier this week. The 25-year-old posted a 5.82 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 6.7 BB/9 in 51 innings of relief between Double-A and Triple-A this season. He boasts a career 8.1 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 across parts of eight minor league seasons.
To keep up with the status of all players in DFA limbo, be sure to check out the MLBTR DFA Tracker.
Hart Would Give Brewers Discount To Stay In Milwaukee
Corey Hart hasn't played a game for the Brewers this season but he hopes to make it up to them in 2014. The outfielder/first baseman says that his preference is to stay in Milwaukee when his contract expires after the season, and he is willing to take a pay cut to make that happen, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
"I told them I would be very generous to stay here. I wouldn’t sit there and ask for anything outlandish. I’d definitely take a discount to stay here because I think I owe it to them to stay here and be a cheaper player," Hart said. "Nobody wants to play for free but I basically sat there and watched all season. I owe it to them and the fans to come back at a cheaper price."
Hart has been sidelined for all of 2013 while undergoing surgery on both knees and even when taking the loyalty out of the equation, it didn't seem likely that he'd find a deal to match his $10MM salary from this season. While Hart has told the club "numerous times" that he wants to stay put, he has yet to have discussions about a new deal.
For his career, the 31-year-old owns a .276/.334/.491 slash line across nine seasons with two All-Star selections in 2008 and 2010.
Quick Hits: Jimenez, D’Backs, Cubs, Dodgers
Ubaldo Jimenez has managed to turn things around as of late and is looking more like the pitcher that the Indians expected to have when they traded first-round picks Drew Pomeranz and Alex White for him more than two years ago. His resurgence is incredibly well-timed, as he’ll be a free agent this winter. What does he attribute the turnaround to? Jimenez says that he’s no longer obsessing about getting his velocity back to where it once was and is instead focusing on mixing up his pitches, writes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Here’s more from around baseball..
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers took responsibility for the team’s .500 record and acknowledges that neither he nor skipper Kirk Gibson are safe, writes Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com. Towers didn’t get into specifics about his offseason plan to improve the roster, but he sounds pretty content with the offense as it stands.
- Cubs skipper Dale Sveum doesn’t have a vote of confidence yet from team brass, but he understands that the process comes with the territory of being a big league manager, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
- The Dodgers announced the signing of a relatively unknown Japanese prospect in 19-year-old right-hander Takumi Numata this week and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com attempts to profile him based off of the crumbs of information that are available.
- Raul Ibanez and Kendrys Morales are the last two people to blame for the Mariners‘ woes this season, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Barring obvious bat improvements at DH and first base/outfield front, Baker says there’s nothing wrong with having both impending free agents return to the team in 2014.
AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Yankees, Logan, DeRosa
Earlier tonight we rounded up the latest from the NL East and in the interest of equal time, we'll run down tonight's news from the AL East..
- Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet runs down the Blue Jays' in-house and out-of-house rotation options for 2014. BNS expects GM Alex Anthopoulos to go after high-end starters this winter and sees Matt Garza, Ricky Nolasco, Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Tim Lincecum as potential targets. Of course, they won't just be limited to the open market and they could even explore deals for Chicago's top young arms – Jeff Samardzija and Chris Sale.
- Impending free agent Boone Logan makes no secret of his desire to stay with the Yankees beyond this season, writes Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal. "Why wouldn't you?" he said. "I look at it like this: When I started pitching good, I was with the Yankees. It's something I'm going to look a lot more into, and give it more thought, but I will say this: Why fix something that isn't broke? That's something I've got to talk to myself about. That time will come. But why wouldn't you want to play for the Yankees, if you can?"
- Blue Jays veteran Mark DeRosa still isn't sure if he wants to return in 2014 or retire, writes MLB.com's Evan Peaslee. Toronto will likely exercise his $750K option for next season, so the decision to come back to the Blue Jays rests in the 38-year-old's hands.
Abreu Takes First Step Towards Free Agency
Cuban prospect Jose Dariel Abreu has oficially established residency in Haiti, effectively the first step towards becoming an MLB free agent, a source tells Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. The slugger has been unblocked by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and will be eligible to sign with a big league club when he is declared a free agent after filing the proper paperwork with MLB.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reported earlier this week that Abreu will hold a showcase for scouts later this month. However, there’s a chance he won’t sign until sometime this winter, possibly as late as the Winter Meetings in December, according to Sanchez's source.
Crasnick sees the Red Sox, Rangers, Giants, Mets, White Sox, Pirates, and Marlins as possible landing spots for the 26-year-old first baseman. It's not clear how much Abreu will command once he's eligible to be signed, though one August report said that he could get something in excess of $60MM.
NL East Notes: Harvey, Werth, Halladay
Earlier today, we learned that Marlins owner Jeffery Loria seems to be taking the lead on baseball decisions as rumors swirl about the job security of president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest. Here's more out of the NL East..
- Yesterday we learned that for the time being, Mets ace Matt Harvey will try to avoid Tommy John surgery by rehabbing his throwing elbow this fall. However, the Mets' statement on the situation seemed to take a more glass-half-empty view of the plan. According to the club, doctors determined that "surgical repair would likely be necessary, unless [Harvey] could complete a throwing program free of elbow-related symptoms."
- Grant Brisbee of Baseball Nation wonders what Jayson Werth would make on the open market if he were a free agent this winter. Werth's seven-year, $126MM deal looked like an overpay on the part of the Nationals three years ago, but he's in the middle of a surprisingly strong campaign, hitting .320/.397/.533 with 23 homers. He's owed $83MM over the next four seasons and while he wouldn't get that much if he were headed towards free agency, Brisbee could see $65MM on a four-year deal.
- Last night could have been Roy Halladay's final home start in a Phillies uniform. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com asks if he should be brought back for 2014 and concludes that he would be worth it on a low-cost one-year deal with incentives.
Chicago Notes: Cubs, Sveum, Konerko
Here's a look at the latest out of the Windy City..
- Theo Epstein told reporters, including Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, that even though manager Dale Sveum has done a “remarkable job” maintaining a good clubhouse over two rough seasons, no decision has been made on his future beyond this season. Epstein says that the skipper was never being evaluated on wins and losses this season but rather the development of young players and other factors.
- Epstein went on to explain that while he'll be looking to have a more productive lineup in 2014, he won't lean on the open market to make that happen, Muskat writes. “I don’t think we’re going to get to where we need to be through free agency for the short term, honestly,” Epstein said. “Given the needs that we have and where we are and the likely price tags on the market, I don’t think we’ll have the ability to add multiple impact pieces in free agency."
- White Sox veteran Paul Konerko still refuses to address his future beyond this season, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com. Konerko has reportedly told friends that he plans on coming back in 2014, however.
Quick Hits: Rangers, Washington, Ibanez
The Rangers' seven-game slide is obviously cause for concern as the club looks to punch their ticket to the playoffs, but it also has skipper Ron Washington worried about his job security for 2014, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram. "I'm concerned about my job," Washington said on ESPN Radio. "If that decision is made, it's out of my hands. I hope I've gained credibility for what we've accomplished the past few years. I'm not a finger-pointer. We've all got to take blame for right now four our collapse, if you want to call it that. I'm calling it a slump. I don't really think about that type of stuff. I know at some point in this game of baseball, we all may have to look for another job." Meanwhile, GM Jon Daniels tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that Washington's job isn't in jeopardy. Here's more from around baseball..
- At the age of 41, it doesn't sound like Mariners veteran Raul Ibanez has any intention of walking away from baseball anytime soon based on his chat with MLB.com's Meggie Zahneis. "I feel very fortunate and blessed that I really, I get an opportunity to still do this," Ibanez said. "And there is no greater game, nothing else I would rather do than to play baseball."
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) looks at players who could be given the qualifying offer this summer and subsequently see their payday take a tumble thanks to draft pick compensation.
- Eno Sarris of Fangraphs looks at the ramifications of the possible changes to the Japanese posting system. Over the weekend, David Lennon of Newsday reported that the system could be altered this fall to allow for Japanese players to choose from the top three bidders instead of being locked into an exclusive negotiating window with one club.
NL West Notes: Balentien, Giants, Tanaka, D’Backs
Wladimir Balentien smashed his 56th home run for the Yakult Swallows on Sunday to break Sadaharu Oh's Japanese single-season record and some within the Giants organization have wondered if they could find a way to acquire him, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. There's one problem, however - Balentien signed a three-year deal with the Swallows before this season, which means he will not be a free agent until the end of 2015. “He wants to come back. That’s what he told me two or three weeks ago. His dream is to come back and play in the major leagues," said Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens. “We’ve talked about him, but nobody knows how to go about it, to get out of the contract." While the idea has been batted around, Schulman cautions that the conversations have been theoretical and have not involved GM Brian Sabean. Here's more out of the NL West..
- The Dodgers have scouted Japanese right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, a source tells Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Earlier today we learned that the rival Angels are also looking at the Rakuten Golden Eagles standout.
- Diamondbacks left-hander Matt Reynolds learned that he'll require Tommy John surgery after his MRI was reviewed, according to Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (via Twitter). The 28-year-old, who posted a 1.98 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 30 relief outings this season, will probably go under the knife with Dr. James Andrews next week.
- Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down the players that have exceeded his expectations this season, highlighted by the MVP-caliber play of Diamondbacks standout Paul Goldschmidt.
NL East Notes: Harvey, Collins, Johnson, Valencia
The plan of action could change later this offseason, but for now, Matt Harvey has decided to try and avoid undergoing Tommy John surgery, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The young Mets ace will try to rehab his right elbow for a month or two and then throw to see if he bounces back well from the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. Here's more on the Mets and the rest of the NL East…
- Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog isn't on board with the Mets bringing Terry Collins back for next season and beyond. The Mets have stopped short of officially saying that Collins will manage the team in 2014, but all indications are that he will be back in the dugout.
- Look for Elliot Johnson to be back with the Braves in a super-utility role next season, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com within his latest column. Atlanta is quite pleased with their August waiver claim on the 29-year-old as he has done a capable job of filling in for second baseman Dan Uggla.
- More from Rosenthal's piece, as he writes that Danny Valencia’s strong play with the Orioles could make him an appealing option for the Marlins, who will be looking for help at third base this winter. It doesn't hurt that Valencia has strong ties to the area as he was born in Miami, grew up in nearby Boca Raton, and attended the University of Miami.
- The Phillies are a prime example of how fortunes can change quickly in the game of baseball, writes MLB.com's Paul Hagen. The Phillies opted to keep their aging core in tact this season despite being bogged down by injuries.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.