Indians Designate Nick Weglarz For Assignment
The Indians have designated outfielder Nick Weglarz for assignment, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (via Twitter). The move will allow the club to call up infielder Jose Lopez, who was DFA'd earlier this month.
Weglarz, 24, has hit .226/.366/.411 in parts of four seasons at the Double-A level. The outfielder also spent 50 games with the team's Triple-A affiliate in Columbus in 2010.
Olney On Hamels, Victorino, Youkilis, Dodgers
A look at today's column from Buster Olney of ESPN.com..
- The Phillies could have an ulterior motive in exploring trade possibilities for left-hander Cole Hamels and center fielder Shane Victorino. The club could be suggesting that they are willing to trade the two veterans in order to pressure them to come to the negotiating table. However, it both cases, there appears to be a significant gap to overcome.
- Olney speculates that the Dodgers could be a good landing spot this summer for Kevin Youkilis if James Loney doesn't turn things around and the club is in search of an upgrade at first. Youkilis, of course, would have to appear healthy enough to take on for the rest of the season.
- The Blue Jays don't have a master plan for Vladimir Guerrero as they basically signed him for organizational depth, similar to what the Rays did by signing Hideki Matsui. If Guerrero shows in Triple-A that he can be a productive player, and a need arises for the Jays, then he could be promoted. If a need doesn't develop, then the club will allow Guerrero to pursue better opportunities elsewhere.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Matt Maloney
Today’s outright assignments..
- The Twins announced via Twitter that left-hander Matt Maloney has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. The 27-year-old was designated for assignment on Wednesday to make room for right-hander P.J. Walters.
This Date In Transactions History: Dave Winfield
On this date in 1990, the Yankees traded future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield to the California Angels for right-hander Mike Witt. However, the deal was not truly consummated until almost a week later when the rightfielder would finally give the deal his blessing. Winfield's situation was a complicated one: the veteran had ten-and-five rights and therefore had the right to reject trades. However, his contract included a list of seven teams that he would agree to be traded to and the Angels were on it.
"This has nothing to do with the California Angels. I respect them, like them, the city, the weather," said Winfield on May 12th, according to Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times. "I played with [Angel Manager] Doug Rader [in San Diego]. Everything's cool. I have nothing bad to say about the Angels. I'm going to play a lot of years for somebody, but it isn't going to be determined today where or when.."
Donald Fehr, the executive director of the Players Association, argued that the list was given to the Yankees under protest and the club was aware that Winfield had final say over any trade. Fehr cited another botched deal from 1988 which would have send the outfielder to the Astros until it was rejected by Winfield. One could assume that Winfield's refusal to sign off on on the trade stemmed from his infamous rift with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, but there was a much simpler explanation for his veto. The outfielder was in the final year of his ten-year, $20MM deal and was looking for a contract extension from the Halos.
The Angels were now in an awkward position and ultimately decided to give in to Winfield's demands. On May 17th, the club agreed to a three-year, $9.1MM deal with Winfield that was only guaranteed for the first season. If released before the '91 campaign, Winfield would receive a buyout of $2MM plus an additional $450K to cover the following year. With that, the deal was finally put through.
For his part, Witt was excited by the prospect of joining the Yankees and resuming his role as a starter. The 6'4" hurler turned in a 4.47 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 16 starts for the Bombers that season. As for Winfield, he bounced back in spectacular fashion after getting off to a slow start in the first 20 games of the season. Upon joining the Angels, Winfield hit .275/.348/.466 in 112 games and won the 1990 MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Winfield would call it quits after the 1995 season, capping off a spectacular 22-year major league career. The rightfielder was inducted into Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility of 2001 and became the first player to go into the Hall as a San Diego Padre.
Pirates Acquire Jeff Larish From Red Sox
The Pirates have acquired first baseman/third baseman Jeff Larish from the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations, according to a team press release. Larish will be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis tomorrow.
Larish, 29, last appeared in the majors in 2010 with the Athletics. The veteran hit .240/.330/.449 in 75 games for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate last season and hooked on with Boston last week.
The move marks the second trade of the day for the Red Sox as they acquired Scott Podsednik from the Phillies earlier this evening.
Red Sox Acquire Scott Podsednik From Phillies
The Red Sox have acquired Scott Podsednik from the Phillies, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Phillies will receive cash considerations for the outfielder and he will report to Triple-A Pawtucket, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com (Twitter links).
Podsednik, 36, has not appeared in the majors since 2010 when he played for the Royals and Dodgers. The Red Sox were said to be scouting the veteran roughly three weeks ago as they have been on the lookout for a left-handed hitting outfielder.
The outfielder hit .254/.340/.396 in the Phillies' and Blue Jays' farm systems in 2011 and signed a minor league deal with the Phillies last fall. For his big league career, Podsednik owns a .279/.340/.381 slash line.
Valentine: Sox Not Looking To Deal Or Acquire Pitcher
Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said that he is not aware of any trade talks involving either the acquisition or trading of a pitcher, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Major league sources also dismissed the idea that Boston would consider trading Josh Beckett in the wake of his golfing controversy.
“I’m sure that Ben’s looking at every conceivable way of improving our team, but I haven’t been in on any trade conversations about pitching, either coming or going,” said the manager.
Speier writes that Beckett's value would be virtually non-existent and points out that he has given the team more quality outings than any other pitcher so far this year. Beckett, 31, is set to earn $15.75MM each year through 2014.
Valentine also said that no real consideration was given to the idea of sending the struggling Clay Buchholz to the minors. Had Boston made that move, they would have exposed the pitcher to optional waivers.
Angels Not Actively Shopping Peter Bourjos
Despite reports to the contrary, Angels General Manager Jerry Dipoto denies that the club is actively shopping centerfielder Peter Bourjos, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Yesterday, the Angels were said to have had preliminary discussions with the Nationals involving Bourjos.
"We are not actively shopping him or looking for a fit for him. We believe he's an asset for us," Dipoto said.
The Royals, Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays also reportedly checked in on the outfielder's availability. However, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez said earlier today that there's no more truth to the Bourjos-Nationals rumors now than there was this offseason. The Nats were actively searching for a solution in center field this winter and had the 25-year-old high on their wish list.
The Angels are in need of bullpen support and Washington would be a solid trade partner if it weren't for the injuries suffered by Drew Storen and Brad Lidge.
Orioles Designate Zelous Wheeler For Assignment
The Orioles have designated infielder Zelous Wheeler for assignment, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The O's placed right-hander Matt Lindstrom on the disabled list to make room on the 25-man roster for pitcher Dana Eveland and DFA'd Wheeler to make space on the 40-man.
Wheeler, 25, split time between Double-A and Triple-A this season and hit just .202/.288/.283 in 27 games. For his minor league career, Wheeler owns a .268/.367/.402 slash line with most of his time coming at the Double-A level.
Quick Hits: Indians, Hernandez, Hamilton, Dodgers
On this day four years ago, the Padres released Jim Edmonds after he hit just .178/.265/.233 through 26 games. On May 14th, the Cubs picked up the veteran for the prorated portion of the league minimum. Edmonds proved to be a fantastic bargain as he hit .256/.369/.568 with 19 homers across 85 games. Here’s a look at tonight’s linkage..
- Indians manager Manny Acta said that Roberto Hernandez‘s camp initially believed that his visa issues would’ve been resolved by now, tweets MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Hernandez remains in the Dominican Republic.
- Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton doesn’t believe that his past troubles will make his free agency “complicated,” writes Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated. The soon-to-be 31-year-old added that his relationship with the club his deep and one that he hopes to extend.
- In order to keep the Dodgers fan base on board, Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times implores the new ownership group to be forthcoming from this point forward. Dilbeck notes that while Magic Johnson’s ownership stake is known to be roughly 3%, the rest of the breakdown is still under wraps.