Cafardo On Napoli, Red Sox, Royals, Yankees
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe credits Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly for not avoiding difficult subjects. Mattingly has been less than thrilled with the club, which hasn't produced much despite its hefty price tag. “They wanted to make a big splash with the new ownership,” said an American League executive. “They wanted to show their fans they were going to spend the money and put what they thought was the best team on the field money could buy. Well, not so much. You can win with All-Star teams. The Yankees have won with one. But the mix has to be right.” As far as Cafardo is concerned, Mattingly doesn't deserve to be fired. Here's more from today's column..
- Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli has not heard from the club on an extension. Meanwhile, he has told his agent, Brian Grieper, that the environment around the team is even better than it was in Texas, which Napoli thought was great. Grieper said he’s open to talks, but “we’ll let it play out and show during the course of the season that Mike is healthy.”
- The combination of Elliot Johnson and Chris Getz at second base isn't getting it done for the Royals and they're on the lookout for help. It won't be easy, however, and with Miguel Tejada now 39, he wouldn’t seem to be the answer, either. The Royals knew coming into the season that they might struggle offensively at the position, and they have.
- Chris Bootcheck is having a resurgence at the Yankees’ Triple A affiliate, posting a 2.80 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. The Yankees haven’t called the right-hander up yet and he has a late-June opt-out. If he’s still pitching well, he would be in demand.
- If Reid Ryan's thinking is similar to his father's, then there might not be much room for a lot of statistics-driven analysis with the Astros under their new regime.
- Some have wondered if Roy Oswalt has lost the fire to pitch. He'll have four starts for the Rockies' Double-A affiliate to show that he's still got it and worthy of a callup to the big league roster.
Alfonso Soriano More Open To Approving Trade
While Alfonso Soriano shot down a trade that would have sent him to the Giants last year, he may be more open to a deal if it presents itself this season, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
"Yeah," Soriano said when asked if he's more likely to consider waiving his no-trade rights than he thought he might be a few months ago. "But it depends on them. It depends what the team wants. A chance to win, that's the most important thing. But it depends on the front office. It's not on me."
Soriano is hitting just .262/.291/.399 this season and will make $18MM this year and next, so he doesn't appear to be a particularly attractive trade target. Depending on how much salary the Cubs are willing to absorb, however, a team might be willing to trade for him, hoping for something more along the lines of last year's peformance, when he hit .262/.322/.499.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Yankees Claim David Huff, Designate Rondon
The Yankees announced that they have claimed David Huff off of waivers. To make room on the roster, the club designated Francisco Rondon for assignment.
Huff, 28, has a 5.40 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 across 52 career big league starts and six relief appearances. Huff was designated for assignment by the Indians just two days ago in order to make room on the roster for fellow southpaw Scott Barnes. The hurler, who was drafted 39th overall in 2006, made just three relief appearances during his short stint with Cleveland's varsity squad.
Rondon, 25, has yet to reach the major leagues. He has been with the club's' Double-A affiliate in Trenton with less-than-stellar results, posting a 7.46 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 6.4 BB/9 across 35 innings this season.
Camden Riversharks Sign Wilson Valdez
The Camden Riversharks announced that they have signed infielder Wilson Valdez. The veteran is represented by Kinzer Management Group according to the MLBTR Agency Database.
Valdez, who celebrated his 35th birthday earlier this week, signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in March. His performance at Triple-A New Orleans wasn't enough to earn him a ticket up to the big leagues, however, as he hit .232/.275/.259 in 122 plate appearances. For his major league career, Valdez owns a slash line of .236/.281/.313 across seven seasons. While he has never shined at the plate, Valdez has a reputation for solid defense at second base, third base, and shortstop with a bit of outfield experience as well.
Rangers Claim Joe Benson
The Rangers have claimed 25-year-old outfielder Joe Benson off of waivers from the Twins, tweets MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. Apart from a brief call-up in 2011, Benson has spent his entire career in the minors.
Thus far, he has struggled to a .192/.256/.285 line in 164 plate appearances for the Twins' Triple-A affiliate. The claim enabled the Twins to free a 40-man roster spot for pitcher P.J. Walters to take the rotation spot of the scuffling Vance Worley.
The Rangers subsequently optioned Benson to Double-A, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). To make space on the team's 40-man roster, Texas moved Matt Harrison to the 60-day DL, according to a tweet from Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Walker, Hughes, Vogelsong
Talk about bonus baseball. On this date in 1973, the Mets topped the Dodgers 7-3 in a 19-inning marathon. L.A. outfielder Willie Davis racked six hits at Dodger Stadium and the two clubs established a National League mark by hitting into a combined nine double plays. Here's this week's look around the baseball blogosphere..
- Rumbunter chatted with Pirates' second baseman Neil Walker.
- Pinstripe Pundits looks into the inconsistency of Phil Hughes.
- The Giants Cove says that Ryan Vogelsong's injury can bring about changes in 2014.
- Kings Of Kauffman examines Eric Hosmer's swing.
- Sodo Mojo tries to gauge what Michael Bourn's value would be for the Mariners.
- Climbing Tal's Hill sees five Astros infielders that could be in it for the long haul.
- Rays Colored Glasses tackles the bullpen.
- MLB Injury News is hopeful that Joe Mauer can stay healthy.
- Steel City Buzz likes North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran for the Pirates.
- MLB Reports breaks down Will Middlebrooks' sophomore slump.
- Baseball Hot Corner talks mental toughness.
- Splice Today says the Cubs still have a ways to go.
- Southpaw Yakker spoke with Scott Proctor about baseball and his faith.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Cherington On Ellsbury, Masterson, Theo
Red Sox GM Ben Cherington took some time out of his schedule to talk with WEEI's Dennis & Callahan and Alex Speier has the goods. Let's take a look at some of the highlights..
- While the Red Sox reportedly haven't talked about an extension with Jacoby Ellsbury so far in 2013, they have talked about a new deal with him at various points over the years about a multi-year pact. However, each time, both sides agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration instead. Cherington implied that he does not expect to start talks with the outfielder again until after the season.
- Ellsbury has struggled so far in 2013, but the GM believes that he is in line for a turnaround. Cherington believes that he has been unlucky with balls in play and the abundance of left-handed pitching that he has faced has also affected him.
- Even though Justin Masterson has been one of the top starters in the AL this season, Cherington said that he would have made the same trade that his predecessor, GM Theo Epstein, did. However, he acknowledged that the team didn’t anticipate Masterson turning out to be this good. “We thought, at the time, he would be a good major league starter or a really good reliever, and he’s probably exceeded that in a starting role,” said Cherington. “We were able to get him at a spot in the draft…but fast-forward, and if I’m in Theo’s shoes at the time, I would have done the same thing. The deal made a lot of sense at the time. We were trying to get into the playoffs, and Victor Martinez certainly helped to get us into the playoffs.”
Rangers Sign Mark Teahen, Waive Derek Lowe
The Rangers announced that they have placed Derek Lowe on release waivers. Meanwhile, they've also signed Mark Teahen to a minor league deal.
Lowe was designated for assignment on Monday to make room for the newly activated Josh Lindblom. The hurler cleared waivers yesterday and had the option of joining the club's Triple-A affiliate but instead chose to elect free agency. The Rangers signed Lowe to a minor league deal on March 6th and he subsequently made the team’s Opening Day roster. In nine relief appearances with Texas, Lowe allowed 13 runs while striking out eight batters and allowing three walks.
As MLBTR reported earlier this week, Teahen was granted his release from the Diamondbacks and became a free agent. The D'Backs agreed to trade the veteran to the Reds earlier this month but the deal fell through due to Cincinnati's concerns about his physical. While Arizona claims to have spotted a red flag or two, both the D'Backs and Teahen say that he is healthy. Across seven big league seasons, the versatile 31-year-old posted a .264/.327/.409 line for the Royals, White Sox, and Blue Jays.
Quick Hits: Francona, Indians, Mattingly, Dodgers
Here's tonight's look around baseball as Wednesday turns to Thursday..
- With Terry Francona returning to Fenway Park later this week as the Indians' manager, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes that solid relationships have contributed to his success at the helm of his new club. Morosi notes that part of the reason Nick Swisher signed with the Indians was because of Francona. “We’ve got the best manager on the planet leading us," Swisher said.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com argues that the pointed remarks from Don Mattingly are not a sign of an imminent dismissal, but rather honest assessments that the Dodgers should heed. Heyman contends that while Mattingly does deserves some responsibility for the poor start, it was the right move to criticize the roster construction.
- Meanwhile, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs thinks that Mattingly is almost certainly on his way out. The Dodgers may also consider moving Andre Ethier, though his sizable contract could deter teams.
Max Fogle contributed to this post.
AL East Notes: Orioles, Red Sox, Ellsbury
Earlier today, we learned that the Red Sox and Jacoby Ellsbury have yet to discuss a new deal this season. The outfielder can land a monster deal this winter if he recaptures his 2011 form, but so far he's hitting just .242/.307/.335 in 2013. Here's more on Ellsbury and the latest out of the American League East..
- Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com tweets that Orioles General Manager Dan Duquette weighed considerations beyond service time when promoting top prospect Kevin Gausman. "It shows a commitment to the club," said Duquette. "I think it tells the team we want to win." While the team will still control Gausman through 2019, the right-hander can now potentially gain Super Two status and enter arbitration a year earlier than if the club had waited until mid-June.
- In an interview with WEEI's Mut & Merloni, ESPN's Buster Olney described the circumstances of a possible Jacoby Ellsbury trade this summer, writes Kevin Dillon of WEEI.com. Olney points out that even if Ellsbury falls out of favor with the Red Sox, they would still have to find a contender in need of a center fielder to swing a deal.
- Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona stopped by WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show and discussed the fallout from his book released earlier this year, Dillon writes. The current Indians skipper says that he hasn't gotten the chance to talk with Red Sox owners since releasing the book in which he claimed that they cared more about making money than baseball.
Max Fogle contributed to this post.