Blue Jays Claim Alex Burnett, Clint Robinson
The Blue Jays claimed right-hander Alex Burnett off of waivers from the Twins and first baseman Clint Robinson from the Pirates, according to a team press release. To make room on the 40-man roster, Toronto designated first baseman Lars Anderson for assignment.
Burnett, 25, made 67 appearances for the Twins last season, posting a 3.52 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. To date, the right-hander has spent his entire professional career with Minnesota, posting a 4.61 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 across three major league campaigns.
Robinson, 28, played in four big league games for the Royals last season but spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A Omaha. In 131 games, Robinson hit .292/.393/.452 with 13 homers.
Toronto claimed Anderson off of waivers from the White Sox a little over a month ago. The left-handed hitter, spent most of the 2012 season at Triple-A, where he posted a .250/.353/.396 batting line in 470 plate appearances.
Burnett will be sent to Triple-A Buffalo, while Robinson has been sent to Double-A New Hampshire.
Reese Havens, Darin Gorski Clear Waivers
3:02pm: Both Havens and Gorski have cleared waivers, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
1:04pm: Havens has cleared waivers, according to Rubin (on Twitter). Gorski's status is unknown, however.
11:39am: The Mets want to clear a pair of 40-man roster spots and are expected to so by exposing infielder Reese Havens and left-hander Darin Gorski to waivers, sources tell Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
Havens, a first-round pick in 2008, has struggled through back injuries throughout his career. The 26-year-old spent last season with Double-A Binghamton and hit .215 .340 .351 in 94 games. Gorski, 25, made 24 starts and one relief appearance for Binghamton last season, posting a 4.00 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.
Shedding Havens and Gorski will leave the Mets with 35 players on their 40-man roster.
A’s Claim Josh Stinson Off Waivers From Brewers
The Athletics claimed Josh Stinson off of waivers from the Brewers, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter). Milwaukee exposed the right-hander to waivers this week as they wanted to free up a spot on their 40-man roster.
Stinson, 25, has made 19 relief appearances and one start for the Brewers and Mets across the last two seasons, posting a 4.43 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. In 24 starts and five relief appearances for the Brewers' Double-A affiliate last season, Stinson posted a 3.16 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9.
Buster Posey, Giants In Serious Talks
The Giants and catcher Buster Posey are in serious discussions about a long-term deal, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. We first learned last week that Posey and the Giants have been discussing a lengthy deal with Posey hoping to become a Giant for life.
A ten-year deal would not be out of the question, according to Heyman, and the two sides have been trying to hammer something out by Opening Day. A ten-year deal that begins in 2013 would buy out six of Posey's free agent seasons and would cost well over $100MM. This winter marked Posey's first time through the arbitration process and the clubs avoided a hearing with a $8MM salary for 2013.
Posey is a super two player and is scheduled to go to arbitration three more times. As it stands, the catcher will be eligible for free agency following the 2016 season. In parts of four MLB seasons, the 25-year-old has a .314/.380/.503 batting line, two World Series titles, a Rookie of the Year award, and an MVP award.
The Giants reached agreement on a deal with star pitcher Matt Cain just prior to Opening Day 2012 that gave Cain an additional $112.5MM over five years.
AL East Notes: Ellsbury, Red Sox, Yankees, Wells
While many players entering their walk years opt to table contract talks until after the season, Jacoby Ellsbury says that negotiations on a new deal won't be a distraction for him, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. “I know that [the Red Sox] talk [to Scott Boras] not just about me but other guys [on the team]..If there’s something to be discussed regarding me and the future, that’s when it’s brought to my attention — not every little conversation,” said Ellsbury. “There might be talks that I won’t know every little detail, but if there’s something, a decision to be made, that’s when I would get involved and go from there.” Here's more out of the AL East..
- While some are pushing the panic button on the aging Yankees, Steve Politi of the Star-Ledger has five reasons to believe in the Bombers this season. Politi reasons that the Yankees always seem to get production from unlikely places, and the recently-acquired Vernon Wells could be the latest example.
- The Yankees are a team in turmoil, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. While the Yankees have been known to have a touch of frenzy as Opening Day approaches, the club's last-minute roster shuffling is cause for concern.
- More from Sherman, who makes an out-on-a-limb prediction for each New York team this season. For the Yankees, Sherman suggests a midseason deal sending Andre Ethier to the Bronx for Jose Ramirez and Mason Williams. Sherman reasons that the Yankees will want to boost their offense and find a replacement for Curtis Granderson while the Dodgers will have Yasiel Puig waiting in the wings.
Minor Moves: Olivo, Rays, Murphy
We'll keep track of today's minor moves here..
- Catcher Miguel Olivo has asked for and been granted his release by the Reds, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It was previously reported that Olivo was mulling whether to accept a $100k bonus and report to Triple-A, or instead test the market. Olivo could be an option for the Marlins, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
- The Rays have released minor leaguer righties Nick Barnese and Joe Cruz, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times on Twitter. Barnese, a third-rounder from 2007, threw 56 2/3 innings over 12 starts in Double-A last year and mustered only a 5.72 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.
- Infielder Donnie Murphy exercised his out clause with the Brewers today and took his release, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The 30-year-old hooked on with Milwaukee in December and hit hit .216/.281/.379 in 129 plate appearances with the Marlins last season. Murphy is a .205/.270/.373 career hitter in 640 big league plate appearances and a .285/.351/.556 career hitter 738 Triple-A plate appearances.
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
Rangers Return Coty Woods To Rockies
The Rangers announced that they have returned Rule 5 pick Coty Woods to the Rockies. The right-hander had to be placed on the club's Opening Day roster if he was not sent back to Colorado.
Woods, 25, made 61 relief appearances for Colorado's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates last season, posting a 3.20 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. Texas was hoping to work out a trade with the Rockies to keep Woods, but they were apparently unable to work out a swap.
Rangers Receive Chris McGuiness Back From Indians
The Rangers announced that they have received Chris McGuiness back from the Indians. The first baseman was selected in the Rule 5 draft on December 6th.
The Indians were fond of McGuiness and were hoping to work out a trade with Texas to hang on to him. The soon-to-be 25-year-old hit .268/.366/.474 with 23 homers for the Rangers' Double-A affiliate last season.
AL East Notes: Niemann, Yankees, Red Sox, Overbay
Scouts watching Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann this month are wary of his lowered velocity, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, one source believes that if they move him to the bullpen, he'll be able to get his velocity up a "tick or two" and restore his trade value. Here's more out of the AL East..
- The Yankees are viewing Lyle Overbay as a free three-day look, though he is clearly their best defensive option at first base, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The Bombers picked up Overbay shortly after he was cut loose by the Red Sox.
- The Red Sox ideally would like to keep Jackie Bradley Jr. in the minors for the first few weeks of the season to delay the start of his service time clock, but the club's sense of urgency may alter those plans, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. If the Red Sox send Bradley to Triple-A Pawtucket for the first nine games of the season, he won't be eligible for free agency until 2019.
- The Yankees have reassembled a 2006 All-Star team, writes Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal. The Bombers have eight of 30 players that received AL MVP votes in the '06 season.
- The Red Sox have a roster decision to make between Daniel Bard, who has minor league options remaining, and the out-of-options Clayton Mortensen, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Boston has to decide whether Bard will have an easier time getting back on track in the majors or in Triple-A Pawtucket.
Cubs Claim Guillermo Moscoso
The Cubs announced that they have claimed Guillermo Moscoso off of waivers from the Blue Jays. Right-handed pitcher Arodys Vizcaino, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 60-day disabled list to make room for Moscoso on the 40-man roster.
The Blue Jays claimed Moscoso off of waivers just a week-and-a-half ago. Last season with the Rockies, the 29-year-old posted a 6.12 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 50 innings. He also started 21 games for the 2011 Athletics, posting a 3.38 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 128 innings.