White Sox To Release Charlie Leesman
WEDNESDAY: The White Sox have requested release waivers for Leesman to grant him his unconditional release, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
SUNDAY: The White Sox announced that they have designated Charlie Leesman for assignment. The move will allow the club to make room for Tyler Greene on the 40-man roster.
The left-hander turned in a 2.47 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 26 Triple-A games last season, his first time at that level. The 26-year-old has been with the White Sox organization since being drafted by the club in 11th round of the 2008 draft.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Rangers Seek Pitching For Borbon
The Rangers are looking for a “pitcher with options” in any trade for outfielder Julio Borbon, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Rangers are expected to trade the 27-year-old in the next few days, but one source said they are seeking a high return.
The Rangers had expressed confidence in being able to find a trade for Borbon that would bring back at least some value. However, as Evan Grant of the Dallas News notes, it's not clear how ready Borbon would be to help a team if he’s received in a trade or claimed. The outfielder has just one at-bat this season and has been at home since being designated for assignment.
Minor Moves: Andrew Kown, Chris Wallace
Here's a look at today's minor moves..
- Right-hander Andrew Kown has been released from the Fresno Grizzlies (the Giants' Triple-A affiliate), the team announced on Twitter. The 30-year-old Kown has a 4.75 ERA in 396 Triple-A innings and has spent time with the Tigers and Nationals in addition to the Giants.
- The Indians acquired catcher Chris Wallace from the Astros in exchange for minor league left-hander Eric Berger, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. The addition of Wallace gives the Tribe catching depth following injuries to Lou Marson and Carlos Santana. Berger, who turns 27 next week, had a 5.27 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 last season in Double-A and Triple-A.
Cubs Claim Kameron Loe
The Cubs announced that they have claimed right-hander Kameron Loe off of waivers from the Mariners. Seattle designated Loe for assignment after acquiring Aaron Harang from the Rockies on Thursday. The Cubs made room for Loe on the 40-man roster by placing Steve Clevenger on the 60-day disabled list with a strained left oblique suffered yesterday.
Loe signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in February but the 31-year-old allowed six home runs in 6 2/3 innings of work (four games) this season. The 27-year-old Clevenger meanwhile has appeared in eight games for the Cubs, primarily as a pinch-hitter, with one hit in eight at-bats.
Blue Jays Inquired On Tyler Pastornicky
The Blue Jays have inquired on Braves shortstop Tyler Pastornicky, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Blue Jays are apparently looking out-of-house for some reinforcements after learning that Jose Reyes will be sidelined for three months with a severely sprained left ankle.
Toronto traded Pastornicky to Atlanta in July of 2010 along with Alex Gonzalez and Tim Collins in the deal that brought back Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes. Last year was the 23-year-old's first season in the majors and he posted a .243/.287/.325 slash line in 76 games.
Odds & Ends: Phillies, Span, Nats, Lohse
Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com looked at ten big league managers whose jobs could be in jeopardy this season. Charlie Manuel of the Phillies makes the list as he is in the final year of his contract and potential replacement Ryne Sandberg is on the coaching staff. Ron Gardenhire is another manager could be on the hot seat because of pressure from upper management, but if it's up to GM Terry Ryan, he won't be going anywhere. Here's more from around baseball..
- Baseball could be entering a golden age for trades thanks to changes in the CBA and the wave of extensions reducing the talent level in the free agent pool, writes Joel Sherman of New York Post. Teams are also no longer under the impression that a handful of superpowers will dominate the market, giving other clubs with championship aspirations confidence to make bold moves.
- The Nationals' trade for Denard Span indirectly stemmed from maneuverings involving the Upton brothers, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Nats, according to a major league source, made a strong attempt to trade for Justin Upton early in the offseason. But when that didn't happen, GM Mike Rizzo refocused on finding a left-handed hitting center fielder who could bat leadoff and rarely struck out. Span fit the description perfectly and the Braves' signing of B.J. Upton to a five-year, $75MM deal scared them off the free agent market.
- After the Cardinals learned that they would be without Chris Carpenter this season, Kyle Lohse says that he got calls from his former teammates, but not the front office, to gauge his interest in returning, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. When asked if he thought they were curious or gathering intelligence for the club, Lohse said: "Both."
Cubs Sign Kevin Gregg
The Cubs announced that they have signed reliever Kevin Gregg to a minor league deal. Gregg will report to the club's spring training facility in Mesa, Arizona before being assigned somewhere within the organization.
Gregg, 34, was released by the Dodgers earlier this month as the club already had their surplus starters taking up spots in the bullpen. The right-hander appeared in 40 games for the O's before being released last September, with a 4.74 ERA, 7.6 K/9, 4.9 BB/9, and a 47.8 % ground ball rate in 43 2/3 innings.
Rangers Notes: Stanton, Borbon, Orioles
Yesterday, we learned that the Rangers are "growing confident" that they'll be able to find a taker for Julio Borbon after designating him for assignment last week. We already know that the Twins are among the teams with interest in the 27-year-old, but another interested club has emerged. Meanwhile, the Rangers are in the early stages of plotting what would be a much bigger move. Here's the latest out of Arlington, courtesy of ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider sub. req'd).
- The Rangers are doing early reconnaissance and prep work on what it would take to land Giancarlo Stanton down the road, according to Olney. In a poll last week, roughly 70% of MLBTR readers said that the Marlins star would be traded either this season or following the 2013 season. Only 4% see Stanton signing a long-term deal to remain with Miami.
- The Orioles have interest in trading for Borbon, but the asking price is high. The out-of-options outfielder posted a .304/.349/.433 slash line for Triple-A Round Rock in 2012. Recently, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan suggested that the Rangers might get a reliever in return for Borbon.
Cafardo On Willingham, Headley, Iglesias, Red Sox
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that MLB is working to address the lack of African-American participation in baseball, both on the field and in the stands. While the RBI program [Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities] has seen more than 200 of its kids drafted to major league teams, Cafardo writes that it hasn't sparked the kind of interest that leads to a kid getting his friends together and playing an informal game at the park. Here's more from today's column..
- The feeling is that if the Twins aren’t in the race in early July, Josh Willingham would become available. “He’s a power righthanded bat that any contender could stick right in the middle of their lineup and get outstanding production,” said one National League GM. “You’d have to give something up, but he’d be worth the expenditure. He can really hit.”
- Scouts and GMs say Chase Headley could be the most sought-after player at the trade deadline. Part of it is that the Padres star plays third, is a good hitter, and teams in contention believe he would really thrive if he played for a winner.
- The Pirates really wanted shortstop Jose Iglesias in the Joel Hanrahan deal as their scouts felt he would eventually hit. For now, it looks like his offense has improved. “The Pirates really wanted a young shortstop they could build around and Iglesias was the guy they earmarked,” said one baseball executive. “The jury was out by some teams’ evaluations on him, but there was no denying his defense and no denying that he had a chance with the bat as he matured. Maybe that time has come.”
- One scout who watched the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate recently gave high marks to the club for their haul in last year's mega-deal with the Dodgers. "If Ben Cherington never makes another trade he can rest assured that the two kids he got from the Dodgers [Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa] have tremendous arms." The scout added that he would like to see the Red Sox continue to extend De La Rosa as a starter.
- There’s a feeling among Astros personnel that Chris Carter, who was acquired from the A’s, could emerge as a 30-home run guy. Carter has been hot after a 1-for-19 start to the season.
Rosenthal On Samardzija, Cubs, Cardinals, Rays, Price
Here's a look at this week's edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- One problem with figuring out a contract extension for Jeff Samardzija is that there are really no comparables for him. He has only two years of arbitration before coming a free agent but he's also only had one season as a full-time starter. The Cubs want to keep him and Samardzija likes Chicago but he's already made about $17MM over the course of his career. He could develop into a big time ace over the next couple of years and might be willing to gamble a bit for a massive payday on the open market.
- The Cardinals repeatedly got trade requests on Allen Craig, Matt Adams, and Oscar Taveras last offseason, but going forward they should be able to accommodate all three rather easily. They're already using Craig in the outfield at times to work Adams in at first base and rest either Carlos Beltran or Matt Holliday. Next year, Beltran could be gone as a potential free agent and Taveras will be ready to take his place. At that time, the Cards can work the same type of rotation with the three players.
- The Rays could trade David Price at the deadline in the unlikely event that they fall out of contention, but its more likely that they make their move next offseason when he's coming off of a $10MM+ salary with two years of arbitration remaining. It's possible that the club could afford Price for one more year through 2014 with each team's national TV revenue will going from $25MM this season to about $52MM next year. The problem with that is, the closer he gets to free agency, the lower his trade value will be.
- Davey Johnson says its a given that he won't manage the Nationals next season but he also says that he's not anywhere close to wanting a farewell tour. He might be 70, but he also wants to stay in baseball and keep his options open. After the Dodgers fired him in 2000, he went on to eventually manage different teams (Netherlands and the U.S.) in international play, and could do the same once he's done with the Nats.