Padres Designate Jeff Suppan For Assignment
The Padres have designated right-hander Jeff Suppan for assignment, according to a team press release. The move will allow the club to recall catcher Yasmani Grandal from Triple-A Tucson.
Suppan, 37, has a 5.28 ERA with 2.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 30.2 innings of work this season. The veteran inked a minor league deal with San Diego in February in a deal that paid just $950K for his promotion to the varsity roster. Suppan spent 2011 with the Royals' Triple-A affiliate where he posted a 4.78 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.
Mets Designate Manny Acosta For Assignment
TUESDAY: The Mets made the move official (on Twitter).
MONDAY: The Mets will designate reliever Manny Acosta for assignment tomorrow, a baseball official told Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). The move will create roster space for fellow right-hander Chris Schwinden.
Acosta, 31, served up a three-run homer to the Phillies this afternoon to raise his ERA to 11.86 with 9.4 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9. In six big league seasons, Acosta owns a 4.13 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 for the Mets and Braves.
Dodgers Have Made Offer To Roy Oswalt
TUESDAY: While the Dodgers did make Oswalt an offer, it came a while ago and the sides were far apart, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The Rangers are seen as the favorite to land the right-hander.
MONDAY: The Dodgers have made an offer to Roy Oswalt, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The Rangers, who are likely Oswalt's preferred team, are still in mix among other clubs.
Yesterday, it was reported that the Dodgers inquired on the veteran at one point but didn't appear to be involved any longer. The Brewers also checked in on Oswalt but didn't feel that his salary could fit into their budget. A major league source told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that Oswalt's preferred destinations are Texas and St. Louis, just as they were during the offseason.
Cubs Open To New Contract For Ryan Dempster
Even though Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster knows that he could be traded in July, team president Theo Epstein says that he has talked to the pitcher about remaining in Chicago beyond 2012, writes Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times. Epstein said that there has been open dialogue and the two sides could possibly work out a new contract.
"Long term, sure. We’ll have to take a realistic look at where we are," Epstein said.
Dempster, 35, is in his ninth season with the Cubs and in the final year of a four-year, $52MM deal. The veteran has a 2.14 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 through eight games this season and is likely the Cubs' most attractive trade chip.
NL West Notes: Abreu, Dodgers, Padres, Giants
The Dodgers are sitting atop the National League West with a 32-15 record but have reason to worry with Ted Lilly sidelined due a shoulder injury. Just as the left-hander hit the 15-day disabled list, we heard tonight that the club has put an offer out to Roy Oswalt. Here's more out of the NL West..
- Newly-acquired Bobby Abreu may not have been a great locker room influence with the Angels, but the veteran has provided tremendous veteran leadership with the Dodgers, write Ken Gurnick of Alex Angert of MLB.com. Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly noted that the club was excited about picking up Abreu but didn't anticipate him playing as much as he has been.
- Three years after resisting the ownership overtures of Jeff Moorad, Phil Mickelson is joining forces with the O'Malley family in an effort to buy the Padres, writes Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune. If the group is successful, second-leading money-winner in professional golf history says that he hopes to get Tony Gwynn involved.
- Barry Bonds hopes to return to the Giants in some coaching capacity, writes MLB.com's Chris Haft. Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that the club plans to bring him back into the organization once his legal proceedings are through.
Quick Hits: Oswalt, Dempster, Diamondbacks, Jones
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- The Dodgers inquired on Roy Oswalt at one point but don't appear involved now, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). This morning we learned that Oswalt would still rather play for the Rangers or Cardinals than the Red Sox.
- Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster hopes to stay in Chicago even though he knows that he could be trade bait, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I want to be here and be part of what’s going to be a bright future," Dempster said. "Sometimes you have to endure some of the tough times in the present to get to that. We’ll just see how it goes."
- At certain points, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers put out feelers with other teams to see what another catcher might cost in trade and didn't like what he heard, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Arizona realized what they have in catcher Miguel Montero and locked him up to a five-year extension over the weekend.
- Orioles center fielder Adam Jones told reporters that securing a no-trade clause in his six-year, $85.5MM contract was important to him, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- The Nationals could be interested in bringing back Erik Komatsu, who was DFA'd by the Twins earlier today, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.
Nationals Seeking Veteran Reliever, Dangling Lannan
The Nationals are actively seeking a veteran relief pitcher and are dangling starter John Lannan as possible trade bait, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The left-hander is set to earn $5MM in 2012.
Lannan, 27, hasn't looked sharp in nine starts for Triple-A Syracuse, posting a 6.12 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. A rival executive recently pointed out to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that any team that acquires Lannan might prefer to let him go rather than go to arbitration with him, further hurting his trade value.
Twins Designate Erik Komatsu For Assignment
The Twins have designated outfielder Erik Komatsu for assignment, according to a team press release. The move allowed the club to recall right-hander Jeff Manship from Triple-A Rochester.
Komatsu, 24, was DFA’d by the Cardinals earlier this month and quickly claimed by the Twins. The outfielder appeared in 15 games for each club in 2012. Komatsu hit .277/.367/.382 last season in Double-A and has never played at the Triple-A level.
Cafardo On Oswalt, Willingham, Figgins, Soriano
The number of players on the disabled list is actually down overall this season, but you'd have a hard time getting the Red Sox, Phillies, and Yankees to take solace in that, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. One theory on the prolonged absences is that players are waiting to make sure they’re 100 percent before they get back on the field at the advice of agents like Scott Boras. "I’ve heard people say that about Boras clients, but I’ve also seen Boras clients who play through all sorts of pain and come back sooner than they’re supposed to," said Boston GM Ben Cherington. “Jason Varitek and Johnny Damon played through anything." Here's more from Cafardo..
- While Roy Oswalt was eager to work out for the Red Sox after turning them down before the season, he would still rather play for the Rangers or Cardinals, a major league source tells Cafardo. As of last week, the Red Sox have not discussed money with him, even though they liked what they saw.
- It's not yet known if Twins outfielder Josh Willingham will be available but he'll be in demand at the trading deadline or when the Twins feel they’re in a sell-off mode. One GM said of Willingham, "Of all the guys out there, he’s one who can significantly impact your offense immediately."
- The Mariners didn’t release Chone Figgins after Miguel Olivo came off the disabled list, but it doesn’t appear that he will be with the club much longer. At some point, a team with a lot of injuries might be willing to take him on if the M's pick up some of the $15MM remaining on his contract.
- The Cubs are willing to eat most of Alfonso Soriano’s $48MM if they can trade him. Unfortunately, Soriano isn't producing. Epstein approached the Red Sox about Soriano before the season and while they were discussing Marlon Byrd, but not since. Even with their outfield injuries, Boston hasn't come calling for the 36-year-old.
- There’s a feeling that Royals outfielder Alex Gordon could be had in a deal, but it would take an overwhelming package involving a front-line starter.
Quick Hits: Marquis, Bourn, Nats, Athletics
Links from around baseball as the Cubs look to snap their ten-game losing streak tonight in Pittsburgh..
- Twins GM Terry Ryan said Jason Marquis was placed on release waivers, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Other clubs have 48 hours to claim Marquis, who was DFA'd on Tuesday.
- Braves centerfielder Michael Bourn could be a possible target for the Nationals and while he wouldn't directly talk about playing for Washington, he told reporters that he likes what the club has to offer, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. "They are good. They have some real good pitching," Bourn said. "They made some key acquisitions, and they have Gio Gonzalez over there now. They bring a good starter every night."
- The Athletics met with Clorox CEO Don Knauss but the team is definitely not for sale and no offer was made, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Clorox and a handful of other East Bay Companies recently announced that they are working to keep the A's in Oakland with a new stadium.
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes that the Athletics knew that they were getting a promising righty when they acquire Ryan Cook along with Jarrod Parker and Collin Cowgill in the Trevor Cahill trade, but they weren't expecting this kind of dominance.