Phillies Not Prioritizing Roy Oswalt
The placement of Vance Worley on the disabled list got some talking about the Phillies’ lack of depth and Roy Oswalt potentially returning. However, General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. isn’t looking to sign the veteran anytime soon, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
“We think he’s throwing,” Amaro Jr. said. “I guess he is. But right now what I’m worried about is our team playing better. That’s my focus right now. I feel comfortable with the starters we have. If we get to the point where we’re not comfortable with him then that might be something we explore. But I will tell you that right now I’m happy with our guys the way we are right now, unless something changes. I think we’ve got other fish to fry right now.”
The money that could be spent on the 34-year-old could also be allocated towards acquisitions via trade, but the Phillies have yet to determine whether they will be buyers or sellers. Fellow pitcher Jake Peavy recently gave Oswalt his endorsement, telling Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he’ll be ready to contribute this year.
Mets Designate D.J. Carrasco For Assignment
The Mets have designated reliever D.J. Carrasco for assignment, according to the team's official Twitter page. The right-hander appeared in just 2.1 innings for the Mets so far this season.
Carrasco, 35, couldn't find much work in the crowded Mets bullpen and the team looked at him as a trade candidate in early March. At the time, the Marlins were mentioned as a possible fit because of the pitcher's time playing for Ozzie Guillen in Chicago. Another official mentioned that the Angels could have interest as GM Jerry DiPoto traded for Carrasco while with the D'Backs.
The veteran owns a 4.50 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 across eight big league seasons. Carrasco is set to earn $1.2MM this year, the final season of his two-year pact.
NL East Notes: Wang, Nationals, Phillies, Mets
Some intra-divisional action in the National League East tonight as the Braves and Marlins are underway in Miami. More out of the division..
- Nationals hurler Chien-Ming Wang told reporters, including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, that he'd be willing to move into the bullpen when he returns to the majors. However, Kilgore writes that the Nats are unlikely to ask him to do that. Washington currently has a surplus of starting pitching with Ross Detwiler in the fifth spot and John Lannan in Triple-A.
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) writes that the Phillies should make trades to replenish their thin farm system. Acquisitions such as Cliff Lee and Hunter Pence have cost them youth but moving potential free agents Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino could change that if they decide against signing them. Bowden also opines that the Red Sox should explore the trade market.
- Mets owner Fred Wilpon may be iffy on David Wright as a superstar, but he would like him as a son-in-law, tweets David Lennon of Newsday. "If I had another daughter, I’d love if she married a David Wright," said Wilpon.
NL West Notes: Padres, Bartlett, Hudson, Giants
Items out of the National League West..
- Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes isn't afraid to buy out a contract when he feels that it's in the team's best interests, writes Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Releasing Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson would cost roughly $10.5MM in guaranteed salary but it's significantly less than what he paid to part ways with Russ Ortiz as GM of the Diamondbacks.
- Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune wonders if Tony Gwynn could be a part of the Padres' next ownership group. Acee writes that any group involving Mr. Padre would have an easy time winning over the team's fanbase.
- Melky Cabrera told reporters, including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, that he loves playing in San Francisco and could be open to mid-season contract extension talks. Yesterday, Mark Polishuk looked at what it might take for the Giants to lock up Cabrera.
Quick Hits: Hamilton, Pettitte, Cardinals, Romero
Bad news for the Royals tonight as they learned that left-hander Danny Duffy is likely out for the year with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. The 23-year-old is the second Royals hurler sidelined for the year following Joakim Soria's season-ending injury. Tonight's links..
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports handicapped the free agent market for Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. Passan has Texas as the heavy favorite with the Dodgers in second.
- Yankees starter Andy Pettitte will be guaranteed his full $2.5MM salary come Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan told ESPN Radio Dallas that he believes that Hamilton and his family are happy living in the Arlington, Texas area.
- The release of left-hander J.C. Romero will leave the Cardinals with just one southpaw in the bullpen, but manager Mike Matheny is confident that Marc Rzepczynski can handle the workload, writes B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest.
- Four of the five highest-paid teams in baseball would not qualify for the playoffs, even with the expanded format, if the season ended today, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale also gave his list of the five worst contracts in the sport.
Minor Moves: Johnson, Mahay, Thurston, Bates, Garko
Tonight's minor moves..
- The Rockies signed former Cardinals left-hander Tyler Johnson to a minor league deal, according to the CBSSports.com transactions page. Johnson, who won a ring with the Cards in 2006, has been out of affiliated baseball since 2009.
- The Reds released left-hander Ron Mahay, according to the International League transactions page. The 40-year-old signed a minor league deal with the club in January and appeared in 14 games for their Triple-A affiliate this season. The veteran last pitched in the majors for the Twins in 2010 and was signed and released by the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Cardinals in 2011.
- The Twins have released infielder Joe Thurston and first baseman Aaron Bates, according to Dustin Morse of the Twins (via Twitter). Thurston, 32, hooked on with Minnesota in late April after being cut by the Phillies. Once considered a top asset in the Dodgers' farm system, Thurston has yet to see significant time in the majors outside of his 124 game 2009 campaign with the Cardinals.
- The Rays signed former major-leaguer Ryan Garko to a minor league deal, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The first baseman spent time in Korea last year.
- Orioles infielder Zelous Wheeler has cleared waivers and been assigned to Double-A Bowie. Wheeler was DFA'd by Baltimore on Friday.
NL East Notes: Nationals, Wang, Braves, Bourn
A look at items out of the National League East..
- The Nationals have a scout in Boston with an eye on the Red Sox's catchers, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). The Nats will be without starting catcher Wilson Ramos for most, if not all, of the 2012 season.
- Nationals pitcher Chien-Ming Wang is probably physically ready to return from his rehab stint but the club will wait the full 30 days before making a difficult decision regarding their rotation's logjam, writes Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider. The Nats could use their pitching surplus to improve elsewhere as they're set to have Wang and Ross Detwiler on the major league roster with John Lannan in Triple-A.
- Michael Bourn is off to a red-hot start in his walk year, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Agent Scott Boras confirmed that he has had contract talks with the Braves and O'Brien opines that the centerfielder is unlikely to sign for less than $50MM.
Cardinals Release Amaury Cazana
The Cardinals have released Amaury Cazana, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch (via Twitter). The news was first reported by Brian Walton of The Cardinal Nation (via Twitter). In parts of six seasons at the Triple-A level, the corner outfielder owns a .338/.408/.528 slash line.
The Cuban was loaned out to the Triple-A Mexican league for the last two years but was with Triple-A Memphis this season, where he hit .238/.297/.327 in 30 games. Cazana, whose birth year has been reported to be somewhere between 1974 and 1978, developed a good deal of buzz amongst Cardinals fans over the years but never appeared in the majors.
Dodgers Designate Trent Oeltjen For Assignment
The Dodgers have designated outfielder Trent Oeltjen for assignment, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). The club also promoted utility man Elian Herrera from Triple-A and placed Juan Uribe on the disabled list.
Oeltjen, 29, appeared in 61 games for the Dodgers in 2011. The Australian owns a slash line of .301/.360/.473 across parts of six Triple-A seasons with the Twins, D'Backs, Brewers, and Dodgers.
Angels Place Torii Hunter On Restricted List
The Angels have placed outfielder Torii Hunter on the restricted list due to personal reasons and plan to select the contract of Ryan Langerhans from Triple-A Salt Lake, according to Tim Mead of the Angels (via Twitter). Hunter's Texas-based son was charged with a crime earlier today, according to a report from NBC Dallas Fort Worth.
Hunter, 37 in July, is in the final year of a five-year, $90MM pact. So far this year, the outfielder is hitting .256/.328/.413 with five homers in 33 games. Players on the restricted list do not count toward a team's 25-man or 40-man roster.