West Notes: Profar, Giants, Padres, Dodgers, Victorino
Here's a look at the latest out of baseball's two West divisions…
- In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about the Rangers calling up top prospect Jurickson Profar. He says the 19-year-old shortstop gives them flexibility going forward, allowing them to possibly market Elvis Andrus in a trade.
- Even though the August waiver trade deadline came and went, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy won't rule out a trade or acquisition in the coming days, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. Baggarly adds that General Manager Brian Sabean continues to explore the market for players that can help down the stretch.
- The Padres are set to name cross-checker Billy Gasparino as their new scouting director, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Law, who worked with Gasparino in the Blue Jays organization, likes the move for San Diego.
- The Dodgers logjam in next year's outfield is a good problem to have, but still a problem nonetheless, writes Eric Seidman of Fangraphs. Recently, Shane Victorino said that he would like to return to Los Angeles in 2013 but scoffed at the notion of signing up for a bench slot. The Dodgers will likely need someone like a Victorino to act as an insurance policy for Carl Crawford or keep the seat warm for Yasiel Puig. Convincing someone of Victorino's caliber to sign up for a non-everyday role, however, will be challenging.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Astros Claim Brandon Laird From Yankees
The Astros have claimed Brandon Laird off of waivers from the Yankees, according to Chad Jennings of The Journal News (via Twitter). The move essentially works as a trade between the two clubs as the Yankees acquired Steve Pearce off waivers from the Astros earlier this week.
The Yankees designated Laird for assignment on August 27th to make room on the roster for Pearce. Laird, 24, posted a .254/.307/.414 slash line with 15 home runs and 31 doubles in 550 plate appearances for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year.
Rosenthal On Pierzynski, Ortiz, Cardinals, Marlins
Here's a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- A.J. Pierzynski is in a slump but all in all, he's having a strong year at the age of 35 and could be an interesting name on the open market. The Yankees could have interest if they look to replace Russell Martin, the Marlins could look to reunite him with Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buehrle, and the Dodgers were close to signing him after the 2010 season. As for the White Sox, no one knows what direction they'll head in, but price could be a major factor. The catcher is making $6MM this year.
- David Ortiz accepted arbitration from the Red Sox last season to take himself off of the open market, but this year could be a different story. This would be a smart time for him to reject a one-year deal and pursue a multi-year contract with leverage on his side. Both the Yankees and Blue Jays could have interest in him as a DH.
- The Cardinals are unlikely to re-sign Kyle Lohse, who should be one of the top starters available this winter. They also are unlikely to overpay on an extension for Adam Wainwright, who has one year left on his contract. St. Louis has a glut of talented starters both in the majors and waiting in the wings and is against locking up too much money in the rotation long-term.
- The Marlins' top front office execs are signed through 2015 but other clubs say owner Jeffrey Loria is considering a major shakeup. Team president David Samson told Rosenthal that they'll go through their usual evaluations after the season and take a hard look at everyone, but he added that it is only September 1st and they'll won't get into it until after the season.
Quick Hits: Astros, Putz, Soriano, Giants
A hearty congratulations goes out to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus who bid farewell to the internet today as he will be joining the Astros as a Pro Scouting Coordinator. Houston also announced that they will be bringing Oz Ocampo on board as Director of International Scouting. More from around baseball..
- Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers spoke very highly of closer J.J. Putz, tweets Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Arizona holds a $6MM option on Putz for 2013, but Towers (Twitter link) made it sound as though it's a price he's ready to pay. "$6MM for an experienced closer is probably not a bad number," said the GM.
- Alfonso Soriano made it clear this summer that he would not accept a trade to the Giants due to the climate there, but the outfielder brought some clarity to the situation this evening. Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com tweets that the outfielder explained that the weather in San Francisco would be detrimental to his knee. Earlier reports suggested that Soriano did not like the idea of hitting in colder weather.
- Scott Miller of CBSSports.com looks back at the dismissal of Angels scout Eddie Bane, the man responsible for landing Mike Trout, Jered Weaver, Mark Trumbo, and many other key Halos pieces. Bane admitted that he and then-General Manager Tony Reagins did not get along overall.
East Notes: Red Sox, Phillies, Nationals, Strasburg
We'll be waiting to see if any waiver trades take place between now and 11pm CDT, but a few clubs are already indicating that they won't be waiting near the phones. Here's a look at the latest out of the AL and NL East..
- With the waiver trade deadline closing in, a baseball source told Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter) that the Red Sox are "not expecting anything" in terms of a deal. Earlier today we learned that they're reportedly in no rush to spend the money that has been freed up in the wake of their blockbuster trade with the Dodgers. We also heard that Boston wouldn't be trading Cody Ross or Jacoby Ellsbury today.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro also doesn't anticipate making any moves today, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). Outfielder Juan Pierre cleared waivers today and could be of interest to clubs as he is set to make just $160K for the remainder of the season.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opines that Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo could go back on the innings limit imposed on Stephen Strasburg if he publicly shifts the onus back to agent Scott Boras. While such a move would hurt the Nats' relationship with Boras, Rosenthal believes that he wouldn't turn down their money for Michael Bourn or any other of his clients.
Rays Designate Albert Suarez For Assignment
The Rays have designated right-hander Albert Suarez for assignment, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The move will allow Tampa Bay to create space for the newly-acquired Ben Francisco.
Suarez, 22, spent the year with Advanced-A Charlotte where he posted a 4.08 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 25 starts.
Rays Acquire Ben Francisco From Astros
The Rays announced that they have acquired Ben Francisco from the Astros in exchange for a player to be named later. Houston first acquired the outfielder from the Blue Jays in their ten-player trade on July 20th.
Francisco, 30, hit .244/.292/.370 with two homers in 144 plate appearances for the Astros and Blue Jays this season. The veteran has now been a part of four trades in his big league career and will join his fifth club when he arrives in Tampa Bay. Across six big league seasons, the outfielder owns a .258/.328/.425 slash line.
Braves Acquire Jeff Baker From Tigers
The Tigers announced that they have traded Jeff Baker to the Braves for a player to be named later. The 31-year-old was designated for assignment earlier today to make room for Avisail Garcia on the roster.
Baker appeared in 15 games for the Tigers this month after he was acquired from the Cubs. The veteran has played second base and all four corner positions this year, while posting a line of .254/.293/.408 in 181 total plate appearances. For his career, Baker boasts a strong batting line of .298/.346/.505 against left-handers.
International Notes: Mariners, Rangers
We'll keep track of today's international news right here..
- The Mariners have signed 16-year-old Dominican third baseman Leurys Vargas for $400K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Vargas, who stands at 6'3", 215 pounds, is the son of former big league lefthander Yorkis Perez. Badler writes that he has great bat speed and raw power from the left side but could be moved to first base because of his size.
- The Rangers signed Luis Terrero, a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic, Badler writes. The 6'0", 180 pound shortstop is built similarly to a young Juan Uribe and has a solid righthanded bat. Terrero has a chance to stick at shortstop but his build might push him over to second or third base.
Stark On Clemens, Dodgers, Red Sox, Mauer
In his latest column, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark writes that Astros players have told their friends on other teams that they already think Roger Clemens' arrival in Houston is a done deal. An old friend of Clemens himself also told Stark that he is convinced The Rocket is gearing up for a big league comeback. Here's more from Stark..
- The Dodgers have $181.3MM committed to 17 players for next season, putting them at $3.3MM over the $178MM tax threshold. However, team president Stan Kasten says that he isn't terribly concerned about it. "I don't know. It's not something we've focused on yet," he said. "To us, that's a secondary issue. First, we want to put the best team on the field now and worry about other things later. We're not focusing on that yet." In the long term, Dodgers' brass wants to lean heavily on scouting and player development with a payroll close to what other teams in "similar markets" have, according to Kasten.
- The Red Sox are giving agents and other teams the vibe that they aren't in a rush to spend just because of their new found payroll space. People who have talked with Boston predict that they're more likely to make creative moves this offseason rather than eat an undesirable contract like that of a Joe Mauer or Cliff Lee.
- Speaking of Mauer one exec that checked in on him says trade talk surrounding the catcher lately is "garbage." As for Lee, Stark writes that he is also likely to stay as the Phillies made it clear earlier this year that they have no interest in moving him.
- Stark asked an AL scout and an NL scout about their thoughts on Dan Haren, who will be a free agent after the Angels buy out his final option year. Both said that while there are concerns about his velocity and his all-around stuff, he could be an intriguing one-year pickup at the right price.
- The scouts were also asked about Jeremy Guthrie and neither scout was terribly high on him. The NL scout pointed out his high volume of mistakes over the plate but said that he would install him in the back of a rotation on a one-year deal. The AL scout on the other hand said he would rather take his chances with Daisuke Matsuzaka or Haren.