AL East Notes: Yankees, Rodriguez, Orioles
Despite their public declarations of support, the Yankees desperately hope Alex Rodriguez's hip injury forces him into retirement, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. If A-Rod has to step away from the game due to his troublesome hip, that could allow them to use insurance to recoup a portion of the $100MM-plus remaining on his deal. However, it's not just one insurance policy they'd seek to use, it's more than a dozen that combined could cover up to 80% of his remaining salary, sources say. That means that the Yanks will have multiple companies looking into the third baseman's issues before agreeing to pay up on the policies. Here's more from the AL East..
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has a similar take on the Yankees and A-Rod as he believes that the club is hoping for the 38-year-old to hang it up. While it's possible that Rodriguez could return to the Yanks lineup and make an impact, the odds are against him as he is trying to recover from a second hip reconstruction with a drug investigation hanging over his head.
- Orioles pitcher Troy Patton faced his former team, the Astros, earlier tonight. Alyson Footer of MLB.com (via Twitter) notes that Patton was once considered "untouchable" by Houston, along with Hunter Pence.
- There are probably only a few big name pitchers that the Orioles could be interested in trading for, opines Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com. Ultimately, a deadline deal involving the O's is possible, but it’s not probable.
Draft Notes: Red Sox, Twins, Gray
The 2013 amateur draft goes down at 6pm central tomorrow and we'll have wall-to-wall coverage here on MLBTR. Here's a look at the latest news on the eve of the draft..
- Picking at No. 7 hasn't changed much about the Red Sox's draft philosophy as they will still take the best player still left on the board, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. "I've always thought you've got to take the best player," amateur scouting director Amiel Sawdaye said. "That's the way I've been taught. That's the way we've tried to proceed here in the last 10 years, 15 years. That's the way we'll continue to do it."
- Twins Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) that pitcher Jonathan Gray is "still a player you're considering and have a lot of interest in" despite his positive test for Adderall. After the news broke, ESPN's Keith Law estimated that the news wouldn't harm the Oklahoma product's draft position.
- Radcliff expects to draft at least seven pitchers with the Twins' first ten picks and at least 20 with their top 40 picks, Wolfson tweets.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America looked at graduation rates and the impact that they historically have had on top 100 picks in the draft. Among other observations, Eddy surmises that teams seem more than willing to players who profile as corner players or second basemen prove themselves in college before committing big bucks to them outside of the first round.
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Cliff Lee Wants To Stay With Phillies
Cliff Lee said yesterday that he wouldn't be surprised if he was dealt between now and the deadline, but he stated today that his first choice is to remain in Philadelphia, write Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The hurler also noted his desire to win, which is part of what drew him to Philadelphia in the first place as a free agent.
"Yeah, this is where I signed as a free agent and this is where I want to be," said Lee. "But I definitely want to win, there's no doubt about that. That's the main thing…I don't think anyone could have expected the way we played last year and being under .500 this year. I think it's a surprise to a lot of people, myself included. But there is still a lot of season left."
Lee, of course, has a no-trade clause that can allow him to block deals to 20 teams. While the Yankees, Orioles, and Rangers are among the clubs that are on his no-trade list, that doesn't necessarily mean that he won't OK a deal to those teams. The full list is not known, but the Cardinals are not among the clubs that the left-hander can turn down. While St. Louis wouldn't appear to be in need of pitching, it's not out of the question that they could get in the mix.
Draft Notes: Moran, Gray, Blue Jays, Mariners, Orioles
Baseball is a generational game, and it should come as no surprise to hear that many of this year's prospects have relatives involved in the sport. Conor Glassey of Baseball America ran down some of the more prominent players who have fathers, uncles, brothers and cousins involved in baseball. Top prospect Colin Moran has major big league ties as his brother is Mariners pitching prospect Brian Moran and his uncles are former outfielder B.J. Surhoff and pitcher Rich Surhoff. Here's more draft linkage…
- The Twins would take Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray if he was available when the club was on the board with the fourth overall pick, two sources tell Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com (Twitter link). It's no surprise the pitching-hungry Twins would take the highly-touted righty, though it would be a mild surprise to see Gray drop to the No. 4 pick, his recent positive test for Adderall notwithstanding.
- Stanford right-hander Mark Appel tops Keith Law's ranking of the top 100 draft prospects. While Law thinks Appel is the best talent in this year's draft, he predicted the Astros would take Moran with the first overall pick in his most recent mock draft (an ESPN Insider subscription required for both pieces).
- Blue Jays amateur scouting director Brian Parker talks to Sportnet's Shi Davidi about the upcoming draft and how the Jays won't have extra compensatory picks for the first time since 2008.
- The most recent collective bargaining agreement hurt the amateur draft, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star writes, and Griffin believes the system would be improved by a worldwide talent pool draft and allowing picks to be traded.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America spoke with Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith about the Blue Jays' possibilities in the draft. While there's no Bryce Harper-type player to be found in this year's class, Toronto can still snag a "really good player" at No. 10 overall, in Callis' estimation. Kohl Stewart is a guy that could intrigue the Blue Jays, but Callis expects the Twins to snag him at No. 4.
- The Mariners see plenty of promise at the No. 12 pick, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns. "I keep reading and hearing this is a weak Draft and I always stay away from that," M's scouting director Tom McNamara said. "I think it's fine. Where we're picking, we're fine." Catcher Reese McGuire is regarded as a top 12 pick by most experts and is right in the Mariners' backyard, but McNamara is predictably tight-lipped about the club's potential interest in him.
- Callis also checked in with Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com about what we might see the Orioles do. In two of his three mock drafts so far, Callis has the O's taking South Carolina high school catcher Nick Ciuffo and the BA scribe says that he has gotten some A.J. Pierzynski comps.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
Nationals Designate Henry Rodriguez For Assignment
Henry Rodriguez told James Wagner of the Washington Post (via Twitter) that he has been designated for assignment by the Nationals. The move is a part of a roster shuffle that will allow the Nats to promote Anthony Rendon and left-hander Ian Krol.
Rodriguez, 26, owns a 4.23 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 across parts of five big league seasons with the A's and Nats. He pitched 18 innings in relief for Washington this season, posting a 4.00 ERA with eleven strikeouts and 16 walks. Though he might not know where the ball is going, Rodriguez is the definition of a live arm, averaging around 100 miles per hour on his fastball in his last few outings.
Rodriguez was signed by the Athletics as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2003, and was traded to the Nationals in the December 2010 Josh Willingham deal.
Minor Moves: Kila Ka’aihue, Erik Hamren
We'll keep track of today's minor moves here..
- The Braves have traded minor league right-hander Erik Hamren to the Rays and he will report to Double-A Montgomery, tweeted the Mississippi Braves (Atlanta's Double-A affiliate). The Rays will give up future considerations, tweets Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. Hamren has 14 MLB appearances to his credit, all with the Padres in 2011, good for a 4.38 ERA, 7.3K/9, and 6.6 BB/9 in 12 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old has made 13 relief appearances for Double-A Mississippi this year with a line of 2.55 ERA, 9.2 K/9, and 4.1 BB/9 in 17 2/3 innings.
- The Diamondbacks announced that they have released Kila Ka'aihue from Triple-A Reno. The first baseman had an out clause in his minor league deal with the club, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic (via Twitter). The Hawaiian has spent parts of four seasons at the big league level – most recently with the A's last year – with a slash line of .221/.305/.382. Ka'aihue did quite well at Reno this year, hitting .313/.426/.620 with 16 homers in 235 plate appearances.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Astros Notes: Norris, Appel, Boras, Luhnow
Astros hurler Bud Norris continues to have a strong season and he figures to be one of the most sought-after trade pieces this summer, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Norris, who was taken in the sixth round of the 2006 draft, currently has a career-best 3.39 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 through 12 starts. How will this year's draft shake out for the Astros? Here's the latest..
- Agent Scott Boras' history of being a tough negotiator has led many to theorize that the Astros will pass on Mark Appel in an effort to spread their bonus pool money and avoid drawn-out post-draft talks. For what it's worth, Boras told Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle that he has no intention of overvaluing client Mark Appel and backing the Astros into a corner if they take him.
- Boras said he's had a couple of recent pre-draft conversations with Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow and believes that he'll select the best available player on the board, not the player with the best monetary value. He also believes that the Astros have yet to make up their mind on the No. 1 pick.
- Appel, Jonathan Gray, Kris Bryant, and Colin Moran are the Astros' top possibilities, with high school outfielder Clint Frazier a distant fifth, Smith writes.
Mariners Designate Vinnie Catricala For Assignment
The Mariners have designated minor leaguer Vinnie Catricala for assignment, according to Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN (via Twitter). The move will allow Seattle to promote Jeremy Bonderman for today's game.
Catricala, 24, has a .253/.318/.351 slash line this season for the Mariners' Double-A affiliate. The Mariners made another minor move earlier today when they sent outfielder/third baseman Francisco Martinez back to the Tigers.
Tigers Acquire Francisco Martinez, Designate Berry
The Tigers announced that the club has acquired outfielder/third baseman Francisco Martinez from the Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations by June 15. To make room for Martinez on the roster, the club has designated Quintin Berry for assignment.
Martinez, 22, was sent to the Mariners as part of the six-player trade that brought Doug Fister to the Tigers around the 2011 trade deadline. Martinez, who has hit .255/.309/.355 in parts of three seasons at Double-A, will report to Single-A Lakeland.
Berry, 28, has been with Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate this season with a slash line of .168/.278/.234. The former fifth-round choice had 330 plate appearances for the Tigers last season and hit .258/.330/.354 with two homers.