Blue Jays Sign Miguel Batista
The Blue Jays have signed Miguel Batista to a minor league deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The Rockies released the 42-year-old prior to Opening Day.
The right-hander hooked on with Colorado in January on a minor league deal but couldn't break camp. In 52 2/3 innings with the Braves and Mets last season, Batista posted a 4.61 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, and a 46.2 percent ground-ball rate.
Batista has appeared with eleven different Major League clubs over parts of 18 seasons and has a 4.48 career ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9.
Yankees Sign Clay Rapada
The Yankees announced that they have re-signed Clay Rapada to a minor league deal. The Bombers were forced to designate Rapada for assignment on March 31st in order to make room for Lyle Overbay on the roster.
Rapada, 32, posted a 2.82 ERA, 8.9 K/9, and 4.0 BB/9 in 70 games (38 1/3 innings) out of the bullpen for the Yankees in 2012. However, Rapada was suffering from shoulder bursitis over the spring and will still need to time to get back on track.
Rangers Designate Julio Borbon For Assignment
The Rangers announced that they have designated center fielder Julio Borbon for assignment. The move will allow the club to make room for the debut of Nick Tepesch.
Borbon has long been expected to be the odd man out upon Tepesch's promotion to the varsity squad. The out-of-options outfielder posted a .304/.349/.433 slash line for Triple-A Round Rock in 2012. The Rangers will have ten days to find a trade for the 27-year-old, but it's unlikely that they'll get much for him as he has yet to establish himself in the majors.
AL East Notes: Bush, Blue Jays, Davis, Orioles
Here's a look at the AL East as the Yankees get set to take on Cleveland tonight..
- Blue Jays pitcher Dave Bush has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (on Twitter). Bush was designated for assignment yesterday to make room for Mauro Gomez on the roster.
- The Rangers didn't want to give up Chris Davis to land Koji Uehara from the Orioles in 2011, former O's president Andy MacPhail told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Initially, Texas was only willing to part with right-hander Tommy Hunter to get a deal done, but Baltimore wanted Davis too. Last year with the Orioles, Davis hit .270/.326/.501 with 33 homers.
- The Rays' trade of Robinson Chirinos to the Rangers on Monday has left them thin at catcher in the upper levels of their minor league system, writes Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune.
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Quick Hits: Moyer, Oswalt, Phillies, Draft
Here's today's look around baseball..
- Jamie Moyer won't rule out a return to pitching, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, but he noted that "it's not a dog and pony show" if he does pitch again. Moyer turned 50 last November and would be the first Major Leaguer to pitch at that age. Moyer tossed 53 2/3 innings for the Rockies last year.
- When asked if he would like to return to the Phillies, Roy Oswalt (on Twitter) said that he would love to come back to Philadelphia, as he enjoyed his time there. The hurler added that he hasn't felt this good since 2010 (link). Oswalt's agent, Bob Garber, confirmed that the tweets were made by Oswalt and that his client wants to come back and pitch this year, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Garber "has not been in contact with any teams and does not plan to sell his client until his arm is ready," writes Gelb.
- Five years later, Jim Callis of Baseball America did a re-do of the 2008 draft. Callis' new draft has Buster Posey going first overall to the Rays, Brett Lawrie second to the Pirates, Eric Hosmer third to the Royals, and Alex Avila fourth to the Orioles.
- Teams have received their preliminary bonus pools for the 2013-14 international signing period, which begins on July 2, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America. The Astros have the most to work with at $4.943MM, while the Nationals are last with $1.846MM. The pools are based on the reverse order of the 2012 Major League winning percentage.
Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, Jimenez
The Yankees can learn from the Red Sox's approach to free agency, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Other teams could also follow their lead if Boston is successful this season, which would mean aggressively attacking the middle-class free agent market and constructing a deep bullpen. Someday, Sherman argues, we may look back on the August blockbuster as the Red Sox's Herschel Walker trade as it brought them a couple of impressive arms in Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster while giving the club a financial do-over. Here's more from around baseball..
- Meanwhile, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times writes that the Dodgers seemed to have sense the current flurry of contract extensions coming when they made their mega-deal with Boston and acquired Hanley Ramirez from the Marlins. The Dodgers could have their own pricey extension coming up as they look to lock Clayton Kershaw up for the long term.
- Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal wonders if the Indians' Ubaldo Jimenez is starting to figure things out. The hurler is in the final year of his deal with Cleveland unless both parties agree to trigger the mutual option for 2014, which is unlikely.
- Angels slugger Josh Hamilton would have been wise to take a page out of John Farrell's book and not slam his former home, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
West Notes: Dodgers, Harang, Profar
Yesterday, the Dodgers narrowed their starter surplus by one when they shipped Aaron Harang to the Rockies for catcher Ramon Hernandez. Here's more on yesterday's swap and other notes out of the Western divisions.
- The Dodgers now have seven starting pitchers, which is more livable that the eight they had yesterday, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. Observers might have expected the Dodgers to come away with more in the trade, but GM Ned Colletti has had months to gauge interest from around the majors and this was the best deal that he could find.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels was asked by Jim Bowden of SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio (on Twitter) if he would consider a swap of Jurickson Profar and Oscar Taveras, but artfully dodged the question. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak recently told Bowden that he would have to consider such an offer if presented with it.
Cafardo On Norris, Rangers, Lilly, Dodgers, Tigers
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that baseball could eventually return to Montreal. While it has always been known as a hockey town, Montreal has been responsible for such great baseball talent as Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Gary Carter, “Le Grand Orange,” Rusty Staub, Tim Raines, Marquis Grissom, Cliff Floyd, Randy Johnson, Dennis Martinez, Pedro Martinez, Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, Moises Alou, Vladimir Guerrero, and Tim Wallach. The city is looking into the possibility of giving Expos fans something to cheer about again and they claim that the strength of the Canadian dollar coupled with revenue sharing can help make it work. Here's more from Cafardo..
- Pitcher Bud Norris improved his stock after he beat the Rangers on Opening Day and he should bring the Astros a good haul between now and the trade deadline. One longtime National League adviser believes that the Rangers might be the team to scoop him up.
- After unloading Aaron Harang in yesterday's trade with the Rockies, the Dodgers would still love to find a taker for Ted Lilly, who earns $12MM this year. However, there has been little to no interest in the veteran so far.
- There aren't many people who think that the recently re-signed Jose Valverde can be the Tigers' closer, but could add to their mix in the bullpen. One AL evaluator feels that they have to move and get themselves a proven closer in a hurry.
- Kip Wells, soon to be 36, is available and throwing 93 miles per hour, according to his agent, Burton Rocks. The veteran reliever made seven starts over the summer for the Padres last season.
Dodgers Acquire Ramon Hernandez For Aaron Harang
Two division rivals were able to turn their surpluses into useful parts with a trade this afternoon. The Dodgers will receive catcher Ramon Hernandez with starter Aaron Harang and $4.25MM heading to Colorado.
However, Harang probably won't stay in Colorado for long. Soon after the deal, the Rockies announced that they designated the hurler for assignment. They'll look to find a taker for him over the next ten days and unload his contract.
The right-hander was one of the club's surplus starters and was less-than-thrilled about having to come out of the bullpen in 2013. The veteran posted a 3.61 ERA for the Dodgers last season with 6.6 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 across 179 2/3 innings of work. The Rockies already are hearing from teams with interest in Harang and the Red Sox are one possibility as they look for a John Lackey replacement.
Harang signed a backloaded two-year, $12MM deal prior to the 2012 season. The deal paid him $3MM last year and $7MM this year with a $2MM buyout if his mutual option for 2014 is not exercised. If his option is triggered, it could be worth $7MM-$8MM depending on his performance. With the $2MM buyout off of the Dodgers' books, they'll wind up saving some money in luxury tax penalties next season.
The Rockies designated Hernandez for assignment just prior to Opening Day. The catcher posted a .217/.247/.353 batting line in 184 at bats in 2012. Colorado had a surplus of catchers and Hernandez was the odd man out after Yorvit Torrealba beat him out for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
The Rockies inked the backstop to a two-year, $6.4MM deal after the 2011 season. With the Dodgers, Hernandez can be expected to serve as added support for A.J. Ellis along with current understudy Tim Federowicz.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers still have a pair of extra starters in Chris Capuano and Ted Lilly. Unlike Harang, Capuano has said that he is comfortable with serving as a reliever for the overloaded Dodgers. General Manager Ned Colletti also had said that he enjoys having rotation depth, you can expect both pitchers to attract interest from clubs in need of a starter.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter) first reported that Hernandez was traded to the Dodgers. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) reported that Harang was going to the Rockies in the deal along with the cash considerations. Additional details provided by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).