NL Central Notes: Brewers, Rodriguez, Cubs, Marmol
Yesterday, we learned that the Brewers offered a contract extension to Jean Segura about a month ago, but no deal is close between the two sides at this time. The 23-year-old has just 81 big league games under his belt and there's not a great deal of precedent in place to work out a new deal as only two position players with less than one year of service (Evan Longoria and Salvador Perez) have inked extensions. Still, Milwaukee would love to lock up their young standout to a team-friendly deal as the Cubs did earlier this week. Here's more out of the NL Central..
- Today was Francisco Rodriguez's opt-out date with the Brewers and the club decided to call him up to the big league roster, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Now that he has been promoted to the varsity squad, K-Rod's deal calls for him to earn roughly $2MM for the 2013 season. Milwaukee had 30 days to evaluate Rodriguez before making their determination today.
- Despite his struggles, Carlos Marmol firmly denied a rumor that he wants out of Chicago in order to get a fresh start, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. “I’m not going nowhere,” Marmol said. “I’m very happy here. I can’t wait until they do something so I can stay here. I always talk about how I love Chicago, I love being here, I love my teammates, I love everybody here.” The pitcher met with agent Paul Kinzer earlier today but Marmol says they weren't talking about moving on from the Cubs.
- In his latest mailbag, a reader asks Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune if the club could get Marmol back on track by moving him to the starting rotation. Sullivan notes that the reliever began as a starter in 2006 and didn't succeed and opines that a trade is the only solution.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Wells, Red Sox
Here's the latest out of the American League East..
- Whether you like the Yankees spend-heavy ways or not, you have to give General Manager Brian Cashman a great deal of credit, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. While detractors could call the Bombers lucky for finding diamonds in the rough such as Travis Hafner, Vernon Wells, and Lyle Overbay, it's difficult to write off similar success Cashman has had in the two years prior with unheralded acquisitions.
- Despite his resurgence in New York, Vernon Wells still says that he plans to retire after next season when his seven-year, $126MM contract expires, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. When Morosi noted that the allure of playing for the Yankees has kept Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte in the game past age 40, Wells laughed and said, “I think Mariano is sticking with his plan this time, so I’ll go with that.”
- Despite the club's recent slide, Red Sox manager John Farrell says that this is not the time for a shakeup, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- Here's more on the Red Sox from earlier today.
Angels Notes: Scioscia, Hunter, Pujols, Moreno
As Jean Segura thrives for the Brewers after coming up in the Angels' system, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that he may become a cautionary tale for other clubs who make deals for rentals. The current CBA disallows clubs from making a qualifying offer to free agents they acquired during the just-completed season. That meant that the Halos couldn’t offer Zack Greinke a one-year, $13.3MM deal and, consequently, gained no compensation when he was inked by the Dodgers. When all was said and done, the Angels traded Segura for just 13 starts from Greinke. Here's more out of the AL and NL West..
- The Angels may be struggling, but owner Arte Moreno says that manager Mike Scioscia's job is safe, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Outside of MLB's headquarters in New York, Moreno told Morosi that there is "zero" chance right now that the skipper will lose his job. The owner acknowledged the team's struggles but cited Scioscia's body of work across 14 seasons.
- Moreno also said that he loved having Torii Hunter on the team and would have liked to bring him back. “I thought we were going to get a one-year deal, but we didn’t get it done,” said Moreno. Hunter wound up inking a two-year, $26MM pact with the Tigers over the offseason.
- The owner asserts that he has no regrets about allocating a great deal of his payroll to Albert Pujols. The slugger has hit just .276/.338./496 since signing a ten-year, $240MM deal with the club.
AL East Notes: Jurrjens, Orioles, Yankees, Blue Jays
As Curtis Granderson gets set to return to the Yankees lineup, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes that the club surprisingly doesn't need him. The strong play of Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, and Travis Hafner has given the offense a major boost in the absence of Derek Jeter, Kevin Youkilis, and others, putting them atop the division with a 24-14 record. Here's more from the American League East..
- Jair Jurrjens will make his Orioles debut against the Rays on Saturday to fill in for the injured Wei-Yin Chen, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The pitcher posted a 3.14 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 across eight starts in Triple-A and had an opt out date of June 15th. The Orioles can open a 40-man roster spot for Jurrjens by transferring Brian Roberts to the 60-day DL, notes Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.
- More and more teams are realizing that it makes sense to gamble earlier lock up young players for the long-term and Joel Sherman of the New York Post thinks the Yankees need to reconsider their policy of going year-to-year. The Yankees are trying to lower their payroll and one way to do so is to gain cost certainty with deals like the one Anthony Rizzo received from the Cubs.
- Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston isn't ready to give up on the team this season, writes Chris Toman of MLB.com. He also isn't ready to give up on the coaching staff. "We started out at 12-24 and made a managerial change, but we're not going to do that right now," Beeston said. "I think you look back at 1989 and just look back at what can be after what was. I think we have a very good team and a better team than our record."
- Speaking of Toronto, the Blue Jays are the leaders to sign Venezuelan shortstop Yeltsin Gudino, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America. Gudino is a well-rounded talent who has also received serious interest from the Rangers and A's in the past.
- Kubatko ran Carlos Zambrano's name past someone in the Orioles organization and got a less-than-enthusiastic response based on the pitcher's past behavior and baggage.
- Rizzo's absence is being felt in the Red Sox organization as the club has long-term questions at first base, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
Quick Hits: Brewers, Rodriguez, Mets, Astros
Here's a special Mother's Day edition of Quick Hits..
- Reliever Francisco Rodriguez has been promoted to the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate in Nashville, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (on Twitter). McCalvy reports in a second tweet Rodriguez will pitch Monday and Tuesday with GM Doug Melvin on hand to scout the outings and, according to Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash, Thursday is the deadline whether to promote K-Rod to the majors and pay him roughly $2MM or let him seek employment elsewhere.
- Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) notes that three out of the Mets' four highest paid players this year have not contributed to the club for one reason or another this season. Johan Santana is sidelined for the year, Jason Bay is with the Mariners after being cut loose, and Frank Francisco is still working his way back from injury.
- First-year manager Bo Porter admits that the Astros' 10-27 start has been frustrating for him, but he remains hopeful that the club's rebuilding plan will pan out, writes Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle.
Astros Sign Edgar Gonzalez, Designate Philip Humber
The Astros announced that they have signed right-handed pitcher Edgar Gonzalez to a major league contract and designated right-handed pitcher Philip Humber for assignment. Gonzalez elected free agency from the Blue Jays yesterday rather than report to Triple-A Buffalo.
Gonzalez, 30, owns a 5.88 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 across parts of ten big league seasons. He didn't fare well in his eight innings for the Blue Jays in 2013, allowing seven runs, five walks, and three strikeouts. Gonzalez made six starts for Houston last year and posted a 5.04 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.
Humber, also 30, has an $800K salary for this season with a $3MM club option for 2014 that will not be exercised. The right-hander has struggled in seven starts and two relief appearances for Houston this season, posting a 9.59 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. Last night, Humber gave up five hits and five runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Cafardo On Lee, Phillies, Angels, Scioscia
The Yankees and Dodgers are the two most expensive teams in baseball and similarly beset with injuries, but things couldn't be more opposite in terms of results, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Bombers have a big chunk of their payroll on the disabled list but the understudies are doing so well that one American League scout quipped, “Do they really want those injured guys [Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, and Mark Teixeira] back?” Meanwhile, the Dodgers have not been able to overcome injuries to pitchers Zack Greinke and Chad Billingsley and shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Here's more from today's column..
- There’s always a lot of talk about Cliff Lee being trade bait if the Phillies slip, but one team insider said, “Every time I hear a Lee rumor, I don’t believe it. Don’t think we’d be that dumb unless what we got back in return was so overwhelming that we’d be dumb to pass it up. Will that happen? My gut is it won’t.”
- Angels skipper Mike Scioscia was once considered invincible, but the club's struggles have many saying that his job is in jeopardy. One Angels exec doesn't see a shakeup coming anytime soon, saying, “I doubt it. It’s Mike Scioscia. Did he get dumb all of a sudden? Or do we have a few issues with our pitching and a couple of our big hitters?”
- Left-hander Neal Cotts had a streak of 14 and 1/3 scoreless innings for the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate and has retired 21 of the last 22 batters he’s faced. Cotts, who has completely shut down lefthanded batters, could be had, as the Rangers don't have room for him on the big league roster and have a team policy that they will let go of players in that position.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Lester, Delabar, Machado
The Red Sox bullpen was dealt another blow today with the news that Joel Hanrahan will undergo flexor tendon surgery and miss the rest of the season. Most pundits were in agreement that the Phillies overpaid when they signed Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year, $50MM contract following the 2011 season, but Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe writes that the Red Sox might end up being the ones paying the biggest price for Papelbon's departure given how the Sox have struggled to fill the void at closer over the last two years.
Here's a look at the latest out of the American League East..
- Right-hander Steve Delabar has become a key contributor out of the Blue Jays' bullpen since joining the team last July, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm writes. Delabar has a 2.86 ERA and a 12.7 K/9 in 44 games as a Blue Jay.
- As he approaches a $13MM club option year, Red Sox southpaw Jon Lester is looking strong through one month and change, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. First-year pitching coach Juan Nieves helped make some adjustments to Lester's mechanics and the 29-year-old has a 2.73 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 through eight starts this sesaon.
- Recent acquisition Alberto Gonzalez is nothing special, but the Yankees had to fortify their Triple-A affiliate's middle infield, writes Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues. The Bombers acquired Gonzalez from the Cubs earlier this week in exchange for a player to be named later or cash.
- Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com makes the case that the Orioles' Manny Machado belongs in the conversation alongside Mike Trout and Bryce Harper as the best young player in baseball.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
Padres Designate Fautino De Los Santos
The Padres announced that they have designated pitcher Fautino De Los Santos for assignment. The move creates roster space which will allow Double-A hurler Burch Smith to be called up to the varsity squad.
De Los Santos, 27, has 40 big league games to his credit with the A's where he posted a 4.21 ERA with 11.4 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9. Over three seasons at the Triple-A level, the right-hander has a 4.65 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9. De Los Santos is no stranger to the waiver process and came to the Padres in February when he was cut loose by the Brewers.
Quick Hits: Gray, Haren, Angels, Nationals
One scout is hoping to bring baseball to Africa, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. White Sox scout John Tumminia has worked to provide baseball supplies to impoverished children around the world, and Kenya is this year's target. Commissioner Bud Selig has raised baseball's profile internationally in recent years with events like the World Baseball Classic and increasing amounts of players from South America and Europe. Also, this year the MLB will host camps in African nations of Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa, tweets Diamondbacks European scout Rene Saggiadi. Here tonight's look around the rest of the baaseball world…
- Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray has climbed all the way to the top of Baseball America's (subscription required) draft prospect rankings. Some see parallels between Gray's steady rise in the scouting world, to that of Stephen Strasburg in the 2009 draft. Boras Corporation advisees take the next two spots, with Stanford right-hander Mark Appel and San Diego third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant ranking No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
- Dan Haren empathizes with the Angels and their 12-22 start, reports Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Haren signed with the Nationals after the Angels declined a club option for the right-hander last winter following an up-and-down year in 2012. Haren understands what if feels like to endure a rough stretch to the season, but added "If they would have kept the team together and rolled it over into this year, I guarantee that team would have played really good baseball."
- Former Major Leaguer Akinori Otsuka is attempting a comeback, tweets Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The 41-year-old right-hander intends to pitch for the Grand Serows team of the Japanese independent BC League. Otsuka's last pitched appeared in the majors in 2007 with the Rangers. The former set-up man pitched to a 2.44 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over his four big league seasons.
Max Fogle contributed to this post.