Indians Designate Carlos Carrasco For Assignment
The Indians announced that they have designated pitcher Carlos Carrasco for assignment for the purpose of placing him on their Triple-A team. The move will allow the Tribe to remove Carrasco from the 25-man roster while keeping him on the 40-man roster once he clears optional waivers.
Carrasco, 26, allowed 29 earned runs across 28 and 2/3 innings this season with 15 strikeouts and 13 walks. The right-hander made 21 starts for the Tribe in 2011, posting a 4.62 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.
Dodgers In Serious Talks For Ricky Nolasco
7:14pm: Another right-handed reliever, Josh Wall, is also likely to be included in the deal, according to another Frisaro tweet. Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com was the first to report (Twitter link) Wall's potential inclusion, and also reports that young right-handed starter Angel Sanchez could be the third piece. (Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel have both tweeted confirmations of that report.) For his part, Frisaro tweets that Ames and Wall are both "solidly confirmed," while the last player is a still-undetermined pitcher.
Wall checked in one spot ahead of Ames among Dodgers prospects before the season, but has struggled in 2013. He was shellacked (14 earned runs in 7 innings) during a call-up and has a 5.60 ERA in 27 1/3 Triple-A innings. The tall righty is noted by BA as possessing late-game stuff, but has still yet to master his command. Sanchez, meanwhile, is the Dodgers' 25th ranked prospect in the view of Baseball America. The 23-year-old has what BA calls an "exciting arm," though he has yet to dominate in the lower minor leagues.
6:10pm: One of the players going to Miami will be righty Steve Ames, Frisaro tweets. Ames ranked 21st among Dodger prospects according to Baseball America's preseason rankings, with BA saying he should be ready as a 7th or 8th inning setup man in the big leagues as soon as this year. The 25-year-old reliever has pitched to a 3.67 ERA in 34 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year, his first season at that level. He has, however, seen his strikeout rate decline and walk rate go up this season, as compared to the stellar marks he put up in the lower minor league levels.
6:03pm: The Dodgers could also receive some international slot funds along with Nolasco, tweets FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
5:25pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro is reporting on Twitter that a deal is expected to be completed tonight. He says the deal will likely include three pitchers, two of whom would be considered prospects. CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler tweets that his sources believe a deal is close, and says that minor-league arms will likely be the price for Nolasco. Also by way of Twitter, Frisaro explains that Nolasco's solid outing against the Braves increased the return that Miami is expected to receive from LA.
Likewise, ESPN's Jayson Stark reports that other clubs that have discussed Nolasco with Miami now see the Dodgers as the clear frontrunners, with the teams still hashing out which players will head to Miami in exchange. Stark also says that the Rockies seem to be easing out of the Nolasco sweepstakes, with the Orioles out altogether. Meanwhile, he writes, the Padres, Rangers, and Giants remain in contact with the Marlins.
4:28pm: The Dodgers are in serious talks for Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The deal would call for L.A. to send three prospects, none of them being upper echelon types, to Miami for the right-hander. The two sides are "getting close" to an agreement, according to one source.
Los Angeles would absorb the prorated portion of Nolasco's salary, which is roughly $5.5MM. The SoCal native will hit the open market after the season but could eventually sign a new deal with the Dodgers if things work out.
We learned yesterday that the Giants and Dodgers both made open offers to acquire Nolasco, but it would appear that the Dodgers have the upper hand at this stage. The Marlins have reportedly talked with more than six clubs about a Nolasco trade and they've had varying levels of interest from the Rockies, Rangers, Padres, and Orioles as well.
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
Orioles Acquire Alex Liddi
The Orioles have acquired Alex Liddi from the Mariners, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). In the swap, the M’s also sent their No. 3 international slot to Orioles and received the O’s international signing slot No. 2. To make room for Liddi on the 40-man roster, Baltimore announced that they have designated Russ Canzler for assignment.
Baltimore’s No. 2 international slot is $351,200 and Seattle’s No. 3 slot is $277,500 and the swap adds an extra $73,700 to Seattle’s pool, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America (on Twitter).
Seattle designated Liddi for assignment towards the end of June in order to promote shortstop Brad Miller. The infielder posted a .263/.322/.454 slash line over his 262 plate appearances in Triple-A this year but wasn’t as strong in 188 major league plate appearances.
Canzler, 27, has 29 big league games to his credit between 2011 and 2012. In 86 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season, the infielder/outfielder has slashed .276/.369/.430.
East Notes: Red Sox, Phillies, Buchholz
Earlier today, we learned that the Phillies are likely to decide between buying and selling based on their current ten game homestand. General Manager Ruben Amaro says that he has had a lot of interesting discussion on his players with other clubs but whether any of them actually get moved remains to be seen. Here's more on the Phillies and other Eastern items..
- Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes that what the Red Sox do at the deadline will impact their roster on December 12th. Boston has a number of players they need to protect from the Rule 5 Draft this winter, and that will explain who’s available and who’s not in July.
- If Clay Buchholz is healthy, it will be tough for the Red Sox to go out and acquire a starter, tweets Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. If another hurler is added to the starting five, it's not clear who would get bumped from the group.
- Within today's column from Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, Amaro went on to say that no one is truly off the table, but there are players he'd definitely like to hang on to in particular. “Some guys are a lot less touchable than others,” he said. “But we’ll keep our eyes open, our ears open.” Amaro has been open about his desire to keep Cliff Lee and hang on to fan favorite Chase Utley. Last night, Amaro said it would be "really tough" for him to part with the second baseman.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Harvey, Perkins, Brown, A’s
On this date in 1997, the Expos retired Andre Dawson's uniform number 10 prior to their game with Atlanta at Olympic Stadium. During his eleven-year tenure with Montreal, the future Hall of Fame outfielder once set the single-season club records for home runs (32), RBIs (113), and extra base hits (78). Here's this week's look around the baseball blogosphere..
- MLB Injury News talks Matt Harvey and the innings limit.
- Puckett's Pond goes point/counterpoint on Glen Perkins.
- I R Fast breaks down Domonic Brown's 2013.
- A's Farm caught up with some of Oakland's top prospects.
- Replacement Level Red Sox makes the case for Nomar Garciaparra in Cooperstown.
- Talkin Sox With Dan defends John Lackey.
- Phoul Ballz interviewed Phillies outfield prospect Carlos Tocci.
- MLB Reports says Chris Davis and Manny Machado are poised for a big second half.
- Monkey With A Halo says the Angels need Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez.
- Baseball News Source looks at relievers that could be available after the deadline.
- Rays Colored Glasses wonders if David Price's injury means that he'll be in Tampa Bay next season.
- The Giants Cove examines four myths surrounding San Francisco.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
D’Backs, Brewers Talking Gallardo, Relievers, Skaggs
11:14am: The Diamondbacks have "no interest" in moving Skaggs, writes MLB.com Steve's Gilbert. Gilbert also notes that Skaggs has been impressive at Triple-A as of late and is likely to replace the injured Trevor Cahill in the rotation tomorrow.
THURSDAY, 11:08am: The Diamondbacks are also interested in relievers John Axford, Jim Henderson and Francisco Rodriguez, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi adds that given the recent injury to White Sox setup ace Jesse Crain — who some considered to be the best reliever on the market — interest in the Brewers' relievers could pick up quickly.
WEDNESDAY: While nothing is imminent, the Diamondbacks and Brewers have been talking about possible trades involving right-hander Yovani Gallardo and one of the Arizona names that's surfaced in discussions is top pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
The two teams appear to be good partners as the Brewers have another veteran starter in Kyle Lohse and Arizona has plenty of solid young pitching, including Skaggs and Randall Delgado. However, it doesn't appear anything is close at this point and one person familiar with the talks said, "There's no traction at this point.''
Even though a deal isn't going down today or tomorrow, Heyman says that it's a situation worth keeping an eye on. Gallardo fits the bill for the Diamondbacks as they are targeting younger, high-upside, controlled starters.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
AL West Notes: Manny, Rangers, Gonzalez, Angels
It's the start of trade season with July underway, but the Rangers made the biggest splash of the day with a minor league signing. Fresh off of a very successful stint in Taiwan, Manny Ramirez will attempt to join the majors for the first time since his brief stint with the Rays in 2011. Whether Manny can bring his hot hitting from overseas to Arlington, Texas, however, remains to be seen. Here's more out of the AL West..
- Some many wonder if Ramirez is worth the gamble at age 41, but in the case of the Rangers, he absolutely is, opines Todd Wills of ESPNDallas.com. Texas needs a right-handed bat ever since Opening Day and Ramirez's minor league deal is a no-risk move.
- Before signing with the Rangers, Ramirez told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter) that he also had conversations with the Nationals. The slugger believes that Washington had some interest in him as a pinch hitter.
- The Angels have scouted Cuban pitching prospect Miguel.Alfredo Gonzalez, but likely will not compete for him as hard as others, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. Gonzalez is being pursued by a number of clubs, but we've heard recently that the Yankees won't try to sign him and he's "not a fit" for the Nationals either.
Clayton Mortensen Clears Waivers
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here..
- Red Sox reliever Clayton Mortensen has cleared waivers, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Boston designated Mortensen on Saturday to make room for the call-up on Jonathan Diaz. The 28-year-old posted 5.34 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 30 and 1/3 innings for the Sox this season. Last season, Mortensen had a 3.21 ERA in 42 innings for Boston with 8.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9.
Yankees Sign Luis Cruz
The Yankees announced that they have signed infielder Luis Cruz. The veteran is represented by John Boggs & Associates, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.
Cruz, appeared in 45 games this season with the Dodgers before being designated for assignment on June 28th. The 29-year-old made 30 starts for L.A., 20 at third base and ten at shortstop, but had an abysmal .344 OPS in 128 plate appearances. For his big league career, Cruz has a .240/.277/.328 slash line, but he is valued more for his defense than his bat. The veteran boasts a career 25.6 UZR/150 at third base and 10.8 UZR/150 at shortstop.
Rangers Sign Manny Ramirez
The Rangers have agreed to sign Manny Ramirez to a minor league deal, a major league source tells Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The 41-year-old recently left his Taiwanese club, the EDA Rhinos, to try to get back to the big leagues for the first time since 2011. The move has been confirmed by Texas via press release.
Ramirez, a Barry Praver client, will report to Triple-A Round Rock. Late last month, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe spoke with a scout who watched Ramirez and was told that he can "still hit with the best of them." The slugger told the Rhinos that he missed his family in New York, but in June, Praver told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that his client wanted to free himself in order to play in MLB once again.
Ramirez played in just five games for the Rays in 2011 before testing positive for elevated testosterone, which would have netted him a 100-game suspension. He agreed to retire instead and when he returned in 2012 in the A's system, he served a 50-game suspension in the minors. Unable to get into a groove, he eventually took his release from Oakland.
Texas needs a big right-handed bat given Lance Berkman's recent struggles and they're hoping that Ramirez, who comes with minimal risk, could be the answer.