Yankees Acquire Chris Nelson
The Yankees announced that they have acquired infielder Chris Nelson for cash considerations or a player to be named later. The Bombers moved Francisco Cervelli to the 60-day disabled list in order to make room on the 40-man roster for their newest acquisition.
We learned yesterday that the Yankees have had trade talks with the Rockies about Nelson, who was recently designated for assignment to make room for the promotion of Nolan Arenado. The 27-year-old posted a .242/.282/.318 slash line in 68 PA as the Rockies’ regular third baseman this season. Prior to that, he hit .284/.327/.427 in 593 PA from 2010-12.
Nelson has played mostly third and second in the majors, and also played shortstop in the minor leagues. With the Yankees, he’ll presumably provide extra support at third while Kevin Youkilis is on the mend.
Yankees Seek Right-Handed Hitters
With Kevin Youkilis sidelined with a lumbar spine sprain, the Yankees are asking around about right-handed hitters, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Understudy Jayson Nix will take over at third base in the interim with rookie Corban Joseph called up in support, but the Bombers will also look out-of-house for reinforcements.
Youkilis has been put on the 15-day disabled list, but it's an ailment that he dealt with last season and may not be in his rear view mirror in a couple of weeks. Of course, it's not terribly easy to find an impact player on the trade market this early in the season and the Yankees may have to wait for clubs to slip in the standings to get something done.
Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues suggests that lesser players such as Marlon Byrd of the Mets and Placido Polanco of the Marlins could probably available sooner than other right-handed hitters. More desirable options would include impending free agents like Alfonso Soriano, Corey Hart, Paul Konerko, Mike Morse, and Mark Reynolds.
Rockies, Astros Complete Wilton Lopez Trade
The Rockies announced that they have received outfielder Jose Monzon from the Astros as the player to be named later in the Wilton Lopez trade. The 21-year-old will report to extended spring training before being assigned by Colorado.
Colorado received Lopez and a PTBNL or cash considerations from the Astros in exchange for starter Alex White and minor leaguer Alex Gillingham in December. Lopez hasn't been terribly sharp so far in 2013 as he has posted a 6.17 ERA across 11 and 2/3 innings of work, though he does have eight strikeouts with no walks issued.
Monzon has yet to advance above Rookie ball in his four seasons in the Houston organization. The youngster was not rated amongst the top 30 prospects in the Astros' farm system by Baseball America.
Marlins Likely To Designate Green For Assignment
Barring an unforseen setback, the Marlins are set to designate Nick Green for assignment, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria is eligible to come off the disabled list on Thursday and chances are he will be reinstated, meaning that the club will have to make roster space for him.
Green, 34, is understandably disappointed by the pending move as he has been playing well for the Marlins. The infielder has a .292/.321/.417 slash line so far this year in a small sample size of 30 plate appearances. For his career, Green has hit .237/.304/.349 across eight big league campaigns.
The veteran signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in January and was called up earlier this month. Green spent the bulk of 2012 in Triple-A, where he hit .344/.397/.599 in 63 games for New Orleans.
Rays Designate Shelley Duncan For Assignment
The Rays designated DH/first baseman Shelley Duncan for assignment, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). The move was made in order to create roster space for Luke Scott.
Duncan, 33, struggled in 64 plate appearances for the Rays after signing a minor league deal in January and making the team out of Spring Training given Scott's injury. He's shown pop at times in the Majors, slugging .430 with 33 home runs in 770 plate appearances over 2010-12. A right-handed hitter, Duncan hasn't shown a significant platoon split in his career with the Yankees, Indians, and Rays.
Shelley is the brother of former Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan, and the son of legendary Cards pitching coach Dave Duncan. Shelley's 43 career home runs rank 14th among those born in Arizona; he's a dozen behind his brother but 105 behind all-time leader Ian Kinsler.
Pirates Designate Jonathan Sanchez For Assignment
The Pirates announced that they have designated pitcher Jonathan Sanchez for assignment. The move will open up a roster spot for right-hander Bryan Morris.
Sanchez, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in February. He was an Article XX(B) signing and hooked on with the big league roster thanks to injuries in the Bucs' rotation.
On the year, Sanchez owns a 11.85 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 through four starts and one relief appearance. The left-hander's contract called for him to earn $1.375MM this season and Pittsburgh will be on the hook if they cannot find a taker in the next ten days.
Phillies Designate Ezequiel Carrera For Assignment
The Phillies announced that they have designated Ezequiel Carrera for assignment. The move will allow the Phillies to activate outfielder Delmon Young from the 15-day disabled list.
Carrera, 25, was claimed off of waivers from the Indians earlier this month. The left-handed hitting outfielder has 129 big league games to his credit with a slash line of .249/.304/.337 across the last three seasons. Carrera has also spent parts of the last three seasons at the Triple-A level where he has hit .286/.351/.372.
Phillies Designate Humberto Quintero For Assignment
2:00pm: Quintero has already agreed to report to Triple-A, if the Phillies are unable to swing a trade and no other team claims him on waivers, according to Gelb.
8:18am: The Phillies have designated catcher Humberto Quintero for assignment, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). The move will allow the club to activate Carlos Ruiz.
Quintero has looked good so far this year, posting a .313/.353/.438 slash line over a tiny sample size of 17 plate appearances. The 33-year-old was the more logical choice to be DFA'd, however, as fellow backstop Erik Kratz still has an option remaining. However, Kratz hasn't been terribly sharp as the starting catcher in April, hitting .191/.222/.309 in 72 plate appearances.
Quintero hooked on with the Phillies in November after finishing out 2012 with the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate. Prior to that, the Royals released the catcher outright less than four months after acquiring him.
Athletics Designate Casper Wells For Assignment
The Athletics announced that they have designated Casper Wells for assignment. The move will allow Oakland to reinstate Yoenis Cespedes from the disabled list.
The well-traveled outfielder cost the A's $100K when they picked him up from the Blue Jays but he wound up making just one start for Oakland. The 28-year-old is capable of playing all three outfield positions and has posted a strong .264/.349/.489 batting line versus left-handed pitching in his career. Last season with the Mariners, Wells hit .228/.302/.396 in 316 plate appearances.
Cafardo On Aceves, Red Sox, Orioles, Angels
One month doesn't tell the entire story for a team, but clubs are trying to look at April performances and figure out what direction things are going in, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Phillies aren't getting much production out of Ryan Howard and with the Nationals and Braves likely to pick things up soon, they might sell off pieces like Cliff Lee. The Mariners have been struggling to open 2013 and so far offseason acquisitions Kendrys Morales and Michael Morse aren't helping. The 10-13 White Sox are also worth watching because there’s always talk that they would part with players such as Gavin Floyd, Jake Peavy, Alexei Ramirez, Alex Rios, and maybe even Paul Konerko. Here's more from today's column..
- Surprisingly, baseball people have an open mind about acquiring Red Sox right-hander Alfredo Aceves. Boston won't fetch much for him, but one veteran adviser to a GM said, “You’d be crazy not to take that chance with an arm like that. Change of environment can do wonders for a player who might have had a troubled past. I think you always take that risk if the player has skills, and Aceves has skills.” Cafardo wouldn't be surprised to see the Angels and Rangers show interest.
- Scouts who have watched Red Sox minor leaguer Brandon Snyder want him on their team. The first baseman is off to a hot start for Triple-A Pawtucket, hitting .328/.427/.578 with three homers. Snyder was the O's pick in the first round of the 2005 draft (13th overall), a rich draft in which Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Ricky Romero, Troy Tulowitzki, Mike Pelfrey, Cameron Maybin, Andrew McCutchen, and Jay Bruce were taken ahead of him. One AL scout said that he can't imagine Snyder not being able to help a big league club.
- Orioles decision maker Dan Duquette is trying to make adjustments to his roster, perhaps by acquiring a power bat off the bench and another starting pitcher.