White Sox Outright Ozzie Martinez To Triple-A
Tonight's outright assignments..
- The White Sox outrighted Ozzie Martinez after he hit .184/.233/.248 in 40 games with Triple-A Charlotte, tweets Scott Merkin of MLB.com. The 40-man roster now stands at 37. Martinez, 24, was acquired by the White Sox as a part of the deal that sent manager Ozzie Guillen to the Marlins.
Yankees Notes: Matsui, Pettitte
A couple of items on the Bombers as they take on the Rays tonight..
- Before last night's game, Hideki Matsui admitted to reporters that the Rays were the only team to make him an offer during the offseason, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. Matsui added that he wasn't surprised when he didn't hear from the Yankees as they searched for a designated hitter this winter.
- Even though the signing of Andy Pettitte seemed like an unnecessary move at the time, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes that it now like the best seven-figure investment in Yankees history. The soon-to-be 40-year-old has a 2.78 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in five starts.
Heyman On Quentin, Hamilton
The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..
- The Padres haven't given up the idea of signing to Carlos Quentin to an extension even though he figures to be the star hitter of the trade market, Heyman writes. However, the club's unsettled ownership situation could hurt the team's chances to retain him if it remains in limbo. Heyman suggests that Michael Cuddyer, who got $31.5MM for three years from the Rockies, and Josh Willingham, who got $21MM for three years from the Twins could be solid comps. Recently, Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the veteran's stock on the trade market.
- The Rangers expect Josh Hamilton to file for free agency at the end of the year but still may try to sign him before the season is through, according to Heyman. The Rangers are believed to be willing to offer him a big annual salary but do not want to give a long-term deal along the lines of the Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Joey Votto. The Rangers have assigned a life coach to chaperone and monitor Hamilton, but people who have spoken to them say it has proven to be a very demanding job.
Indians Claim Chris Schwinden Off Waivers
The Indians announced that they have claimed right-hander Chris Schwinden off of waivers from the Blue Jays. Schwinden has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus.
The 25-year-old spent less than a week with Toronto after being picked up off of waivers from the Mets on Saturday. Schwinden started two games for the Mets this year and nine starts for Triple-A Buffalo in which he posted a 2.59 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. The righty allowed eight runs in three innings in his lone start for Toronto's Triple-A affiliate.
Kendrick “Disappointed” In Stephen Drew
Diamondbacks Managing Partner Ken Kendrick says that he's disappointed with Stephen Drew and his slow return to the field from injury in an interview today with Brad Cesmat of XTRA Sports 910 (via Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic on Twitter). Kendrick believes that the shortstop is overly focused on protecting his future value rather than his maximizing his current production.
"I think Stephen and his representatives are more focused on where Stephen's going to be a year from now than going out and supporting the team that's paying his salary," Kendrick said, before adding that Drew hasn't been direct when presented with these concerns by the club.
Meanwhile, agent Scott Boras was quick to respond and denied the notion that his client is taking his time in coming back from his ankle injury. Boras told Piecoro that the suggestion flat out doesn't make sense.
"If you're talking about what the best thing Stephen can do for himself, that's to play baseball and play a lot of it," Boras said. "I don't think he wants anything different. That's the best thing he can do for Stephen and for his team. Why would he not want to play? The guy's going to be a free agent."
Drew has been out of action since fracturing his ankle on a slide into home plate nearly a year ago. The 29-year-old is earning $7.75MM this season with a $10MM mutual option for 2013 ($1.35MM buyout).
Draft Notes: Appel, Correa, Astros, Blue Jays
Earlier this evening, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow made it known that he expects to sign first-overall pick Carlos Correa this week. According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the deal will likely be in the vicinity of $5MM. Houston has until July 13th at 4pm CDT to sign the top pick, but it sounds as though they'll have it done with plenty of time left on the clock. Here's tonight's batch of draft news..
- Some executives (though, not Pirates execs) told Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that Mark Appel was drafted about where they had him on their boards, at No. 8. The right-hander was in the mix for the first-overall pick but appears to have priced himself out of consideration.
- Astros scouting director Bobby Heck said the team had a pool of five players they were considering with the top pick and did not decide on Correa until the afternoon of the draft, writes Conor Glassey of Baseball America. All things considered, Glassey writes that there were only a few surprises on the first day of the draft.
- Potential signability issues scared some teams off from outfielder Anthony Alford, but the Blue Jays pulled the trigger on taking him in the third-round anyway. Alford, who is committed to Southern Miss on a football scholarship, has been scouted by Toronto all season long, writes MLB.com's Chris Toman.
This Date In Transactions History: Bill Buckner
Everyone makes mistakes. However, not everyone draws the ire of an entire fan base and a city for their errors in life or on the baseball diamond. For a long time, it seemed as though Bill Buckner would never be forgiven by the Red Sox faithful for his infamous play. The Mets, seemingly on the verge of elimination in Game Six of the 1986 World Series, mounted a comeback in the 10th inning that should have been extinguished by Mookie Wilson's slow roller to first base. Buckner, hampered by two bad ankles, let the ball squeak through his legs, allowing the Mets to score the winning run, tie the series at 3-3, and capture the title two days later at Shea.
Buckner remained with the club for the 1987 season until he was released in early July after hitting .273/.299/.322 with two homers in 75 games. His final 57 games with the Angels were much stronger as he posted a slash line of .306/.337/.432 with three home runs. Prior to the 1990 season, the Red Sox signed the 40-year-old Buckner and the veteran received a standing ovation when he was introduced at the home opener on April 9th. Buckner's Beantown homecoming would be short-lived, however, and on this date in 1990, the veteran would retire upon being released by the Red Sox.
The first baseman made just 48 plate appearances in his second Boston go-round but would retire with a strong 22-year body of work to reflect upon. Buckner came into his own as a member of the Dodgers before enjoying his prime with the Cubs, where he hit .300/.332/.439 across eight seasons. While Buckner's most memorable moment on the field was his gaffe October of 1986, the first baseman was able to wrap up his impressive career on good terms with the Fenway Park crowd.
Nats Talked With Dodgers And Rockies About Lannan
The Nationals have had recent discussions with the Dodgers and Rockies about pitcher John Lannan, but no trade is close, major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Sources say that the Nats want a club to pay the rest of his remaining salary and give up at least one legitimate player.
Talks between the Dodgers and Nationals have been only preliminary, according to sources, while the Rockies kicked the tires on the pitcher before being turned off by the price. For the Dodgers, Lannan would be an alternative to left-hander Ted Lilly while he is sidelined with a shoulder issue.
Lannan, 27, is now owed less than $3.5MM of his $5MM total salary. The left-hander will be arbitration eligible this offseason and is in line for free agency the year after. Lannan has been less-than-stellar through ten starts with Triple-A Syracuse, posting an ERA of 5.62 with 4.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.
Astros Expect To Sign Correa By Thursday
General Manager Jeff Luhnow said that the Astros expect to sign first-overall pick Carlos Correa by Thursday, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (via Twitter). The high school shortstop was tabbed by Houston after the club also considered Stanford right-hander Mark Appel and other top prospects.
The deal is expected to be worth roughly $5MM, sources tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Astros were considering a few other options very late in the game as one source told Heyman that the decision "came down to the last thirty seconds.''
Red Sox Notes: Youkilis, Phillies, Diamondbacks
A few items on the Red Sox as they get set to take on the Blue Jays in Toronto..
- The Phillies and Diamondbacks have been in Toronto scouting third baseman Kevin Youkilis, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com identified the Phillies and D'Backs as two of ten clubs that could be in the chase for the veteran.
- Youkilis is too good to just simply give away, opines John Tomase of the Boston Herald. Instead of selling Youkilis now because plays the same position as rising star Will Middlebrooks, Tomase would like to see the Red Sox find a way to keep him in the lineup.
- The new draft regulations will handcuff what the Red Sox are able to do, Tomase writes. One of the best examples of Boston taking advantage of their ability to spend in the draft came in 2007 when they gave fifth-round pick Will Middlebrooks $925K rather than the recommendation of $130K.