Diamondbacks Designate Takashi Saito For Assignment
The Diamondbacks have designated Takashi Saito for assignment following yesterday's three-team deal, according to their official transactions page. Saito was already set to hit the open market this winter, so the move essentially just removes him from the 40-man roster in advance.
The D'Backs signed Saito to a one-year, $1.75MM deal last December after the veteran drew interest from at least five other teams. The right-hander was sidelined for most of the season with a calf injury after a hamstring strain kept him out of action for the bulk of 2011. Across the last two seasons, Saito has pitched just 38 and 2/3 innings.
Shohei Otani Headed To MLB
Japanese pitching prospect Shohei Otani announced that he will pursue a career in MLB rather than turn professional in Japan, according to the Associated Press. The Red Sox, Rangers, and Dodgers have all sent representatives to Japan to meet with Otani recently and the Orioles are also said to have interest in the right-hander.
"I think I will start in the minor leagues but I want to challenge in the majors. It's been my dream since entering high school," said the 18-year-old.
Otani, who stands at 6'4" and weighs 190 pounds, has a strong fastball that has been clocked in the 99-100 mph range. If Otani signs with a major league club, he'll be the first potential top NPB draft pick to make the direct jump from high school in Japan to the U.S.
As a tall right-hander, many are quick to compare Otani to fellow Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish. Otani boasts a similarly live arm with a little bit more velocity and a lot less polish than Darvish showed in high school, writes Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. In terms of build, Otani is slightly shorter than the 26-year-old hurler but is heavier than Darvish was at 18.
Quick Hits: Soriano, Blue Jays, Phillies, Rockies
The Yankees will indeed make a qualifying offer to Rafael Soriano if he opts out of his contract, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. This morning, agent Scott Boras strongly hinted that the reliever would be opting out of his contract with the Bombers. Rather than make a guaranteed $14MM for next season, Soriano will instead choose a $1.5MM buyout and the uncertainty of the open market. Here's more Saturday night linkage..
- If John Farrell winds up in Boston, Sandy Alomar Jr. is the favorite to be the next manager of the Blue Jays, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Everyone Renck has spoken with believes that Alomar is ready to be a quality big league skipper.
- Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com looks at which corner outfielders are likely to remain with the Phillies and which ones are probably on their way out. Salisbury expects to see John Mayberry Jr., Domonic Brown, and minor league phenom Darin Ruf back in the mix while Juan Pierre, Laynce Nix, Ty Wigginton, and Nate Schierholtz seem likely to wind up elsewhere.
- More from Renck (via Twitter) as he expects to see the Rockies move an outfielder as they look to improve via trade this winter.
- Pirates second baseman Neil Walker hopes to see the club add some established impact players this winter, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. However, he concedes that the Bucs will likely look to fill most of their holes from within.
Athletics Notes: Gomes, Crisp, Young
Earlier tonight, Athletics General Manager Billy Beane spoke with reporters to discuss the three-team deal that brought Chris Young to Oakland. Beane admitted that the Young acquisition "will have an impact" on their decision to bring back free agent Jonny Gomes and seemed to infer that he won't be back in 2013, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Here's more on Beane and the A's..
- The GM doesn't intend on moving any of the club's other outfielders after acquiring Young and reiterated how important Coco Crisp is to the team, tweets Casey Pratt of CSNBayArea.com. Beane believes that the club can find playing time for all of their outfielders by rotating them and utilizing the DH spot.
- Beane said that he phoned Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers about the possibility of trading for Young the day after the Athletics were eliminated by the Tigers, tweets Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group.
- If Beane has a change of heart about Crisp, Jim Bowden of ESPN (via Twitter) suggests that the Rays, Mets, Indians, and Mariners could all be interested in the outfielder. Obviously, the Rays would only be a fit if they lose B.J. Upton to the open market.
- Scott Sizemore will shift back to his original position of second base, a move that seemed possible, Stiglich tweets.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Thompson, Rodriguez
Tonight's outright assignments..
- The Rays have outrighted right-hander Wilking Rodriguez and outfielder Rich Thompson to Triple-A, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rodriguez stepped up to Class-A Advanced ball this year, posting a 5.56 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in seven starts. Thompson saw time in 23 games for the Rays this season, his only big league action since a six game stint with the Royals in 2004.
Trade Reactions: Bell, D’Backs, A’s, Young, Marlins
The Diamondbacks bolstered their bullpen today with the acquisition of Heath Bell and they may not be done, tweets Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. General Manager Kevin Towers is still on the lookout for a shortstop, third baseman, left-handed specialist, and a starting pitcher. Arizona still has an excess outfielder to work with as well and could dangle Justin Upton, Jason Kubel, or Gerardo Parra to upgrade elsewhere. Here's more on the surprising trade..
- In Chris Young, the D'Backs owed $10MM to an outfielder whom they felt was redundant, so they are instead redirecting the money to a reliever, tweets Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) is surprised at how little the Diamondbacks netted in return for Young. Meanwhile, the A's can now use their new found outfield surplus and trade one, likely Coco Crisp, elsewhere, Rosenthal tweets.
- Trading Bell, who clashed with manager Ozzie Guillen this year, is one indication that the skipper may return in Miami next year, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. It has been widely speculated that Guillen would be relieved after a tumultuous first year with the Marlins.
- The A's came away with the best player in the deal in Young, opines Jim Bowden of ESPN (via Twitter). Bowden adds that Miami had to move Bell and was fortunate to find a taker while Arizona got a solid defensive shortstop in Cliff Pennington.
- Pennington being moved out of the picture in Oakland bodes well for Stephen Drew's return, writes Jane Lee of MLB.com. The shortstop has a $10MM mutual option for 2013.
Diamondbacks Notes: Putz, Bell, Towers
The Diamondbacks started off the day by finalizing the long awaited decision of exercising J.J. Putz's $6.5MM option for 2013. It turns out that was small potatoes compared to the move they would pull later in the day – a three-team deal sending Chris Young to Oakland and bringing in Heath Bell from Miami. Here's more on the D'Backs..
- Some scouts are already speculating that Putz could be on the trading block after Bell's arrival, tweets Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. However, Miller notes that General Manager Kevin Towers is a fan of strong bullpens and would relish the chance to have David Hernandez, Bell, and Putz as the club's 7-8-9 relievers (Twitter link).
- Towers believes that Bell can help "get the ball" to Putz, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. That would seem to infer that Putz is still part of the club's plan for 2013, but the closer would absolutely have value if the D'Backs chose to shop him.
- Prior to the deal being announced, Towers told Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (via Twitter) that he will talk to Putz about a contract extension. "I hope he finishes his career in a Diamondbacks uniform," said the GM.
D’Backs Acquire Heath Bell In Three-Team Deal
The Diamondbacks announced that they have acquired Heath Bell, infielder Cliff Pennington, and cash considerations from the Marlins in a three-team deal with the Athletics. Miami will receive minor league infielder Yordy Cabrera from the A's and Oakland will get outfielder Chris Young and $500K from Arizona.
The Marlins will be picking up $8MM of the remaining $21MM owed to Bell over the next two years, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). The veteran was unhappy in Miami as the club was unwilling to restore him as closer and found himself clashing with manager Ozzie Guillen at points during the year.
The 35-year-old struggled in his first and only year with the Marlins, posting a 5.09 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 73 appearances. The new-look Marlins signed Bell in December of last year as a part of their spending spree, giving the reliever a three-year, $27MM deal. The contract includes a vesting option for the 2015 season which will guarantee him $9MM with 55 games finished in 2014 or 100 games finished in 2013-14.
Pennington has been a member of the A's since being tabbed with the 21st overall pick in the 2005 draft. The 28-year-old was slotted at shortstop until the acquisition of Stephen Drew bumped him over to second base. For his career, Pennington owns a .249/.313/.356 batting line across parts of five seasons in Oakland.
Young, 29, is set to make $8.5MM in 2013 with an $11MM club option for the 2014 season that comes with a modest $1.5MM buyout. The centerfielder has been unable to regain his All-Star form of 2010 and posted a .231/.311/.434 slash line with 14 homers last season. Young played in just 101 games last season, due in large part to a shoulder injury he suffered when he slammed into a wall in early April. The outfielder now reunited with skipper Bob Melvin, who he developed a bond with during his time in Arizona.
While the Marlins' main reward in the deal is being freed from the bulk of the money owed to Bell over the next two years, they also pick up a former second-round pick in Cabrera. The 22-year-old, who played high school baseball four hours north of Miami in Lakeland, Florida, made the move to Class-A Advanced in 2012. Cabrera hit .232/.293/.332 with three homers in 60 games last season.
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic (via Twitter) first reported that Arizona would send $500K to Oakland in the deal.
Yankees Notes: Swisher, A-Rod, Cashman, Girardi
Earlier today we learned that the Yankees intend to exercise Curtis Granderson's $15MM club option for 2013, and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the team is disinclined to explore a long-term extension for the slugger. Let's see what else is going on in the Big Apple…
- The Yankees are still planning on making a qualifying offer of about $13.5MM to free agent Nick Swisher, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. However, the club will only do so in order to receive draft pick compensation and have no expectations of Swisher accepting the deal.
- Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman told Heyman that he has no plans to shop Alex Rodriguez this winter. Furthermore, the GM doesn't seem to think that there's much of a market for the third baseman. "He's got a full no-trade, and his contract is what it is,'' Cashman said.
- Yankees president Randy Levine confirmed to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that both Cashman and manager Joe Girardi will return in 2013. Heyman adds (via Twitter) that the status of the team's coaches will be up to Cashman and Girardi. Cashman told Heyman that as far as he's concerned, all of the coaches are safe (Twitter link).
- Ken Davidoff of the New York Post believes that Rodriguez will return to the Yankees and refuse to waive his no-trade clause as he stated last night. The highly-paid third baseman has been linked to the Marlins in recent days following his disappointing performance in the playoffs.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
NL Central Notes: Hamilton, Reds, Brewers, Astros
Here's a look at the latest out of the NL Central..
- There are several reasons why the Reds won't look to orchestrate a reunion with Josh Hamilton this winter, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. For starters, it has been projected that the outfielder can net upwards of $20MM to possibly $30MM annually in his next contract. Fay classifies $20MM as a pipe dream for the Reds while $30MM would be downright impossible.
- The Brewers outrighted infielder Hector Gomez to Triple-A, tweets Media Relations Director Mike Vassallo. The 24-year-old, who was ranked as a top 100 prospect in 2008 by Baseball America, has yet to advance beyond Double-A.
- The Astros announced that they have added hitting coach John Mallee and Dave Trembley to their staff for 2013. The club will retain pitching coach Doug Brocail and third base coach Dave Clark while adding two more to the staff in the coming weeks.