Reds Sign Jeff Gelalich
The Reds have signed supplemental first-round pick Jeff Gelalich for $825K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. The bonus amounts to slightly less than the $898K assigned value for the No. 57 slot.
The UCLA product was key to the Bruins' College World Series run this spring and Callis writes that he has average or better tools across the board as a right fielder. With Gelalich in the fold, the Reds have wrapped up all of their picks in the first ten rounds and are roughly $92K under their total bonus pool.
Rockies Won’t Trade Gonzalez, Cuddyer
While there has been some speculation that the Rockies could consider moving outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, General Manager Dan O'Dowd says that the standout will be staying put in Colorado, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
O'Dowd says that talk of the team putting the 26-year-old on the block started when Nationals GM Mike Rizzo inquired on him via phone. The Rockies GM says that he told Rizzo that the outfielder wasn't available, and that was the end of it.
O'Dowd added that he has had a great deal of calls on Michael Cuddyer but won't part with him either. He expects to keep Dexter Fowler past the deadline as well but stopped short of calling him untouchable.
"I can't say for certain [we're not trading him] but we put a lot higher value on him than someone looking to acquire him," the GM said. Fowler has put it together since his demotion last season and is hitting .282/.377/.539 with ten homers this season.
Padres Sign Travis Jankowski
3:15pm: Jankowski's deal is for $975K, less than the $1.16MM recommendation, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter).
3:00pm: The Padres have signed compensation pick Travis Jankowski, according to Clark Goble of MLB.com. The Stony Brook University standout wasn't able to sign until now due to his team's surprising run to the College World Series.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the recommended bonus for the 44th overall pick is $1.16MM. The centerfielder is said to have a quick bat and better-than-average speed.
Indians Claim Rottino Off Waivers, DFA Schwinden
The Indians claimed infielder Vinny Rottino off outright waivers from the Mets, the team announced. To create space, right-hander Chris Schwinden has been designated for assignment.
Rottino owns a career .188/.282/.319 slash line in 44 big league games. The 32-year-old hit .307/.361/.479 in 36 games for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate before being DFA'd on Monday.
Schwinden, 25, has bounced around quite a bit so far in June. The right-hander was DFA'd by the Mets on June 1st and was claimed the next day by Toronto. His time north of the border would last less than a week, however, as he was soon DFA'd by the Blue Jays and picked up by Cleveland. In 13 starts for the three Triple-A affiliates this year, Schwinden turned in a 4.16 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.
Pirates Claim Oscar Tejeda, DFA Slaten
The Pirates have claimed infielder/outfielder Oscar Tejeda off waivers from the Red Sox, the team announced. To make room for Tejeda, Pittsburgh has also designated left-hander Doug Slaten for assignment.
Tejeda, 22, was designated for assignment by Boston following their acquisition of Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge earlier this week. Tejeda split time between designated hitter and left field this season, hitting .262/.294/.396 in 51 Double-A games.
Slaten, 32, appeared in ten games for the Pirates this season. The left-hander also pitched 25 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis and allowed just one run with 15 strikeouts and six walks. Slaten owns a 3.52 ERA in the big leagues with 6.6 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in parts of seven big league seasons.
Central Notes: Greinke, Brewers, Liriano, Byrd
A Rangers scout is in town for Zack Greinke's start against the Reds this afternoon, and that's no accident, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Morosi speculated yesterday that Texas could be in on the right-hander as they were also interested in him before Kansas City traded him to the Brewers. As we know, Milwaukee is prepared to move Greinke before the deadline if they can't sign him to a new deal. More news out of the Central divisions..
- Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano could draw serious interest as the deadline approaches, but he scares a lot of evaluators around baseball, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider sub. req'd). Three evaluators that Olney spoke with were skittish about the 28-year-old and two said that they preferred Matt Garza even though he's the more expensive option.
- The Yankees also have a scout on hand for Greinke's start today, but that appears to be just be regular coverage and Morosi (via Twitter) would be surprised if they make a play for him.
- The Cubs won't recoup any of the $6.5MM released outfielder Marlon Byrd is being paid this year despite his unpaid 50-game suspension, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Cubs Designate Randy Wells For Assignment
The Cubs have designated pitcher Randy Wells for assignment, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter). The club also announced that fellow right-hander Rafael Dolis has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa.
Wells allowed four walks in just three innings against the Mets on Tuesday, leading manager Dale Sveum to hint that he could be bumped from the rotation. In four starts and eight relief appearances this season, Wells has a 5.34 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 7.5 BB/9. The 29-year-old also made six Triple-A starts, posting a 7.71 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.
Royals Designate Humberto Quintero For Assignment
The Royals announced that they have designated Humberto Quintero for assignment. In a related move, the team is set to recall outfielder Jason Bourgeois from Triple-A Omaha.
Kansas City acquired the catcher from Houston in March along with Bourgeois for left-hander Kevin Chapman and a player to be named later. The trade was completed just over two weeks ago when the PTBNL turned out to be minor league outfielder D'Andre Toney.
Quintero, 32, hit .232/.257/.341 in 144 plate appearances for the Royals this season.
Omar Vizquel To Retire After Season
After stating last month that he is "51 percent" sure that he will retire, Blue Jays shortstop Omar Vizquel now seems certain that he will call it a career after the 2012 season. The 45-year-old told Didier Morais of NESN.com that he hopes to stay connected to the game after his playing days are through.
"This will be my last year," Vizquel said in Spanish. "I've enjoyed this game a lot, but I think it's time to pursue a new career as a coach or manager, and hopefully I'll get that opportunity in the future."
This season will be the finale of Vizquel's 24-year career, during which he earned eleven Gold Gloves and three All-Star nods. The shortstop spent time with the Mariners, Indians, Giants, Rangers, and White Sox throughout his career, including two World Series appearances with Cleveland. Baseball-Reference estimates that he has earned roughly $62.5MM dating back to his 1989 rookie season.
Nationals Release Brad Lidge
June 25: The Nationals officially released Lidge today, according to Comak (on Twitter).
June 17: The Nationals designated Brad Lidge for assignment, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times (via Twitter). Lidge has appeared in just 9.1 innings this year, allowing ten runs with ten strikeouts and eleven walks.
The reliever known as "Lights Out" gave up a two-run double to Mark Teixeira in the 14th inning of yesterday's 5-3 loss to the Yankees. Lidge had just recently come off of a stint on the DL which kept him out of action from late April until June 8th. The 35-year-old has a career ERA of 3.54 with 11.9 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.