Rangers Acquire Travis Blackley
12:50pm: A source tells MLBTR that the deal has the Rangers sending a PTBNL to the Astros in addition to the cash considerations.
12:34pm: The Rangers announced that they have acquired left-handed pitcher Travis Blackley from the Astros in exchange for cash considerations. However, the Astros' press release says that the deal calls for a player to be named later in addition to the cash. Blackley was recently outrighted to Triple-A by Houston, two days after he was DFA'd.
Blackley, 30, posted a 4.89 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 35 innings for the Astros this year. The Australian has been effective against left-handed hitters, limiting them to a .200/.258/.367 batting line through 66 plate appearances. However, his .265/.400/.603 batting line versus opposing righties isn't quite as strong.
Quick Hits: Konerko, Harrison, Bernadina, Guerrero
Paul Konerko could draw interest from the Orioles, who tried to acquire another right-handed bat at the deadline, Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com opines. Konerko considered signing with the O's after the 2005 season, according to Dubroff, who says the 37-year-old could fill the club's DH slot. Though he's hitting just .243/.306/.359, Baltimore would prefer Konerko over a reunion with Mark Reynolds, Dubroff says. Here's more from around baseball..
- Rangers starter Matt Harrison's back issues will cause him to miss the remainder of the season, Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets. Harrison, 27, underwent surgery to repair a herniated disk in April. The Rangers were targeting a September return for the left-hander, but his back "isn't strong enough," according to Andro.
- Bill Ladson of MLB.com ran down the Nationals that might not return to the club in 2014. The list starts with non-tender Roger Bernadina and one talent evaluator tells Ladson that GM Mike Rizzo has never been a fan of his.
- Cuban prospect Alexander Guerrero is still waiting to be unblocked by the U.S. Government and cannot enter into a contract until that happens, tweets Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. The infielder has three teams vying for him including the Twins and the Dodgers, who are believed to be the favorites.
- The Twins placed Justin Morneau on waivers, but manager Ron Gardenhire doesn't think that it'll hurt the veteran's play, writes MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "It just gets out there," Gardenhire said. "There's so many people getting run through waivers now. It's just part of the year here. We understand that this was probably going to happen. It happens to pretty much all our players and everybody else's players."
Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Indians Sign David Cooper
The Indians announced that they have signed first baseman David Cooper to a minor league deal. Cooper can opt out of the contract in late August if he's not added to the major league roster by that time, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). The 26-year-old is a client of CAA Sports.
Cooper appeared in 45 games for the Blue Jays in 2012 as a first baseman and designated hitter and posted a .300/.324/.464 batting line in 145 plate appearances, including four home runs. He was released in March by Toronto after missing significant time with a back injury. The problem was apparently serious enough to make retirement a possibility.
Paul Konerko Placed On Waivers
Paul Konerko has been placed on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The White Sox slugger can say no to any deal thanks to his ten-and-five rights and is likely to clear waivers. The waiver claim period will expire tomorrow, Rosenthal adds in a second tweet.
The 37-year-old is owed roughly $3.25MM for the remainder of the season. Konerko owns a slash line of .243/.306/.359 with nine homers in 87 games this season, a significant dropoff from his usual production.
It's possible that this will be Konerko's final go-round as he is on an expiring contract, dealing with back issues, and has stated that he doesn't want to stay in the game "just to chase some numbers."
NL Notes: Cubs, Weiss, Rockies, Manuel
On this date in 1961, 40-year-old Warren Spahn became the 13th pitcher in MLB history to win 300 games as he went the distance in the Milwaukee Braves' 2-1 victory over the Cubs. The complete game was the 317th for the left-hander, who also drove in Milwaukee's first run with a sacrifice fly. Spahn was enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 with 363 victories, the most by any left-hander and the most by any pitcher who played his entire career in the live ball era. Here's more from this era's National League:
- Cubs catcher Welington Castillo is having a strong season behind the plate and he's showing the club he can be a valuable piece for the future. The same can't be said for the rest of the catchers in the Chicago farm system and the position is thin enough that GM Jed Hoyer said this weekend the front office plans to make acquiring more backstops a priority this winter, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Walt Weiss signed only a one-year contract to manage the Rockies this season, but he told the Denver Post's Patrick Saunders he wants to return in 2014. "Yes, sure. I knew it wasn't going to be all fun and games," Weiss said. "I have been through enough Major League seasons to understand that you'll get beat up. But I want to be a part of building something special here. That's what drives me."
- The final weeks of the season provide the Rockies a platform for cold-hard analysis, opines Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies need more talent and Renck names Giancarlo Stanton and Nelson Cruz as aquisitions who could fill the club's void of a right-handed power bat and Jesse Crain should be a free agent priority as a much needed late-inning arm.
- The Phillies need to provide clarity to their managerial situation, according to Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Brookover writes the assumption is Charlie Manuel will step aside for Ryne Sandberg and, if that is the Phillies' desire, the announcement should be made now so Manuel can use the remainder of the season as a well-deseved bow for being the franchise's winningest manager while also giving the players, who will be around when Spring Training opens in February, an idea of what they can expect from their next manager.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Diamondbacks Promote Matt Davidson
The Diamondbacks have promoted third baseman Matt Davidson, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The California native, who has been considered a top prospect for the last few years, was taken with the 35th overall pick in the 2009 draft by Arizona.
Davidson was ranked as the 70th best prospect heading into 2013 by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, No. 75 by Keith Law of ESPN.com, and No. 88 by Baseball America. This season was Davidson's first at the Triple-A level and he has looked strong thus far, hitting .278/.348/.484 with 16 homers in 466 plate appearances.
The 22-year-old was rated as the top power hitter in the D'Backs' system and their fifth best prospect overall. BA notes that while he has an issue with strikeouts and probably won't blossom into a high average hitter, he has the ability to drive the ball deep and to all fields when he isn't pressing.
As an August promotion, Davidson will be clear of the Super Two cutoff, meaning he will only be eligible for arbitration three times if he sticks with the varsity squad. Staying with the big league club would mean that he will be controlled through the 2019 season.
Royals Designate Brett Hayes For Assignment
The Royals announced that they have designated catcher Brett Hayes for assignment. The move will allow KC to activate fellow backstop Salvador Perez from the seven-day disabled list.
Hayes, 29, saw just three games of big league action (all last week) before being DFA'd. The catcher has a .219/.266/.364 slash line across parts of five major league seasons and a .252/.294/.398 in five Triple-A campaigns.
Cafardo On Stanton, Red Sox, Ramirez, Willingham,
No one would have predicted it this time a year ago, but Red Sox–Dodgers series next week in Los Angeles could very well be a prelude to the World Series, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. It's not a surprise to see that L.A. has benefited from the swap early on, but few expected the Red Sox to be this strong in 2013. Does Dodgers GM Ned Colletti see this intriguing World Series matchup happening? “That’s something you can dream about. I’m worried about Tampa Bay,” Colletti said, referring to the Dodgers’ weekend opponent. Here's more from today's column..
- The Twins and Red Sox might be in the best position to acquire Giancarlo Stanton this offseason if the Marlins make him available since both teams have the organizational depth to make a blockbuster deal. A few teams like the Rangers have inquired about Stanton and were consistently told he wasn’t available, but Miami would have to listen if someone offered a handful of top prospects. “The Red Sox might be in a better position than the Twins because the Twins have to rely on their top players to come up and man several positions,” said one baseball exec. “The Red Sox have veteran players so their need to keep their best guys isn’t as severe. So if they can trade them off for a young player like Stanton, they wouldn’t have to fear about thinning out as a result.”
- The Yankees could turn out to be the best fit for White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez as they eventually will need a replacement for Derek Jeter, who could wind up DHing a lot in 2014. The Bombers' weak farm system could be a stumbling block, however.
- Now that he's back from knee surgery, Twins outfielder Josh Willingham could be moved before the end of August. Willingham hasn’t had a good season but last year he hit .260/.366/.524 with 35 homers last year. The 34-year-old is signed for one more year at $7MM.
- ESPN analyst and Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin has been one of the most interesting names bandied about as a possible replacement for Nationals manager Davey Johnson. Another candidate is Houston manager Bo Porter, but he says he's not returning to the Nats.
- Even though the Red Sox are looking for a right-handed power bat, they don’t see Mark Reynolds as a fit because of his poor defense and high strikeout rate.
Poll: How Will The D’Backs Finish?
You may remember the Diamondbacks' last trip to the postseason in 2011 when they finished with a 94-68 mark and took the division before getting bounced in five games by the Brewers. Their last playoff cameo before that? It was in 2007 when they captured the NL West crown and made quick work of the Cubs in the opening round before they got the favor returned to them by the Rockies in the NLCS. As it stands in 2013, the Diamondbacks are a 6.5 games back of the red-hot Dodgers and are 4.5 games back of the Reds for the final Wild Card spot.
Arizona was in need of a bullpen boost heading into the trade deadline this year and while they got themselves a left-hander in Joe Thatcher, it didn't come cheap. Landing the LOOGY from San Diego meant parting ways with 28-year-old Ian Kennedy, a starter who is under club control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player. Whether you like that deal for the D'Backs in the long-term (many don't), it should only help improve things for them this year as their rotational depth made Kennedy fairly expendable. So far, Thatcher has surrendered just one hit across four relief appearances for Arizona.
If the playoffs started today, the Diamondbacks would be the best National League club to be left on the outside looking in. Of course, there's still plenty of time left for the Diamondbacks to make up ground as well. How do you see the rest of this season playing out for Arizona?
Poll: How Will The D'Backs Finish?
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Above .500 but no playoffs 74% (5,290)
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Below .500 14% (1,005)
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Playoff berth 12% (826)
Total votes: 7,121
Royals Designate Francisley Bueno
The Royals have designated Francisley Bueno for assignment, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). The right-hander made his sole 2013 big league appearance yesterday, allowing just one hit in 2 and 1/3 innings.
This marks the second time this summer that the 32-year-old has been DFA'd by the Royals – he was also bumped off of the 40-man roster in late June to make way for the reactivation of Danny Duffy. In 30 relief appearances and one start at Triple-A Omaha this season, Bueno posted a 2.93 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.