Minors Moves: Hill, Carlson, Ka’aihue
We'll keep track of today's minor league moves here, with the latest up top..
- The Cubs outrighted catcher Koyie Hill to Triple-A Iowa, writes Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com. Hill, who appeared in 11 games with the North Siders this season, was designated for assignment Thursday.
- The Red Sox released reliever Jesse Carlson, tweets Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. Carlson, a left-hander, missed most of 2010 and all of 2011 due to a shoulder injury. He signed a split contract with Boston last offseason.
- The A's announced that first baseman Kila Ka'aihue cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento. The Hawaiian, acquired from the Royals for Ethan Hollingsworth last September, was designated for assignment by Oakland last week.
Quick Hits: Manny, Youkilis, Indians, Hernandez
Manny Ramirez is a free agent after being cut loose by the Athletics and says that he wants to continue playing, but it's not clear where he might get the major league opportunity that he's seeking. The Rockies don't have any need for Manny, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Orioles GM Dan Duquette, who brought Ramirez to Boston, told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) that he has no interest in signing him. Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers aren't interested in bringing Mannywood back to Chavez Ravine, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Here's more from around baseball..
- Scouts from around baseball aren't terribly hot on Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, writes Cafardo. "He’s been an outstanding hitter in this league for a long time. But given some of the injuries, he’s got to show that he’s completely healthy and that he can still be the same hitter he was," a veteran scout said.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti says that the trade market is still not clear, tweets Jordian Bastian of MLB.com. There are more buyers than sellers but the team will look at bats and arms as the market develops.
- Pitcher Livan Hernandez doesn't plan on retiring after being DFA'd by the Braves yesterday, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The 37-year-old posted a 4.94 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 31 innings out of the bullpen for Atlanta.
Olney On Hamels, Dempster, Cubs, Red Sox, Draft
Some rival executives believe that unless the Phillies run off a string of victories between now and the deadline, they will seriously consider offers for left-hander Cole Hamels, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. In today's column (Insider subscription required), Olney looks at the pros and cons of trading Hamels and more..
- If the Red Sox are waffling about whether to get involved in talks for Ryan Dempster, then the right-hander must have opened their eyes with his strong outing Friday. However, it remains to be seen if the Cubs and BoSox can move past the Theo Epstein compensation drama to make a deal.
- Matt Garza could also figure to be one of the top pitchers on the market leading up to the deadline and execs say that he has been talked about a lot more in recent days.
- A pair of baseball execs told Olney that they're in favor of the new draft rules putting prospects into their respective systems more rapidly. "For them, it's one less year to the major leagues. High school kids do not have to spend as much time in rookie league. College players who are high draft [picks] can get more easily get to Double-A in Year Two," said Mark Newman, Yankees senior VP of baseball operations.
- The Padres are extremely high on top pick Max Fried and one evaluator compared his breaking ball to Clayton Kershaw's. Fried, the No. 7 pick, agreed to a $3MM deal with the club yesterday.
D’Backs Notes: Youkilis, Parra, Saunders
Here's the latest on the Diamondbacks courtesy of Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic..
- The D'Backs have had multiple looks at Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis and GM Kevin Towers is reluctant to go down that road for several reasons. Towers is turned off by the money owed to Youkilis and is also balking at the asking price. The Red Sox apparently were asking for Gerardo Parra to be included in a deal for the veteran.
- There are still indications that Arizona would be willing to trade left-hander Joe Saunders if the right deal came along. Interested clubs include the Braves, Orioles, Red Sox, and Pirates. Trading Saunders, who makes a reasonable $6MM this year, would open up room for top prospect Trevor Bauer.
- On the whole, the Diamondbacks are on the fence about whether to make moves that will help their cause in 2012 or to instead look to add a piece for 2013 and beyond.
Cardinals To Sign Stephen Piscotty
The Cardinals will sign supplementary first-round pick Stephen Piscotty to a contract within the hour, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). The 36th overall pick will receive a $1.4MM bonus, right in line with the recommended value for that selection.
The Stanford product will report to the Cardinals' Quad Cities affiliate where he will be the starter at third base, Goold tweets. Piscotty has shown the ability to hit for average but many scouting reports note that his power potential isn't on the same level.
Braves Acquire McCurry From Orioles
Today's minor moves..
- The Braves have acquired minor league left-handed pitcher Cole McCurry from the Orioles for cash, according to Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. McCurry had been with the Orioles since they drafted him in 2007 and was on the verge of being squeezed out of Triple-A Norfolk with the recent additions of Jamie Moyer and Rich Rundles. Joel Pineiro and Dontrelle Willis could also be on their way as well.
AL West Notes: Manny, A’s, Saunders, Vargas
Manny Ramirez has been eligible to join the A's major league roster for more than two weeks after completing his 50-game suspension, but the slugger remained in Triple-A. Last night, the situation reached its logical conclusion as Ramirez requested his outright release and the team obliged. Here's more on Manny and a look around the AL West..
- Ramirez told ESPNDeportes.com's Enrique Rojas that he isn't mad at Oakland for not promoting him and hopes to continue his career. "The A's treated me amazingly during all this time, but sadly didn't have space for me and this is something I can't control. I'm going home to continue my training hoping to get the chance to play again," said the slugger.
- Pitcher Joe Saunders was emotional when he learned that the Angels were trading him to the Diamondbacks in 2010 as part of a package for Dan Haren, writes Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times. Looking back on it now, the hurler says that he is glad to be a part of the building process in Arizona.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) says not to discount the Mariners' Jason Vargas as a trade candidate due to his road ERA (4.53). In total, the left-hander has a 3.95 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 15 starts this year.
East Notes: Blue Jays, Phillies, Braves, Soler
Earlier today we learned that Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos asked the Twins about Justin Morneau. However, one exec noted that Anthopoulos seems to "[call] about everyone." Here's more on the Blue Jays and the rest of the division..
- Anthopoulos isn't worried about any criticism that may come his way, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Even though the GM knows that the club has to show progress on the field, he insists that he won't be swayed by popular opinion and won't rush into making a move.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) spoke to a scout who didn't have a very high opinion of where the Phillies stand or what they can offer in a trade. “They’re not young. They’re not healthy. And their system is thin," the scout said.
- The Braves were right there with the Cubs and willing to spend $30MM on Jorge Soler, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com. The White Sox and Yankees, meanwhile, had bids that fell between $25MM and $30MM.
Athletics Release Manny Ramirez
The Athletics have announced that Manny Ramirez has requested his outright release and the team has granted his request. The veteran recently completed his 50-game suspension and was eligible to join the club on May 30th.
Ramirez, 40, hit .302/.348/.349 for Triple-A Sacramento in 69 plate appearances this year. Just last week, A's GM Billy Beane said that the club hadn't decided whether to release the slugger. Oakland signed Ramirez in February and Beane insisted that the move had everything to do with baseball and nothing to do with PR.
Athletics To Sign Daniel Robertson
The Athletics have agreed to terms with third baseman Daniel Robertson, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Robertson's $1.5MM bonus exactly matches the suggested value for the No. 34 pick.
The high schooler was the club's first of two supplemental first-round picks. Callis writes that Robertson has a quality bat with a chance for average to plus power. Yesterday we learned that the A's agreed to pay the full $2.625MM bonus for 11th overall pick Addison Russell.