AL East Notes: Yankees, Blue Jays, Colon, Red Sox
The AL East went 4-1 today as every team in the division won except for the Red Sox. News and notes out of the division..
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman has taken responsibility for the club's rotation woes, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com doesn't agree with that assessment. Cashman, he writes, can't be blamed for Michael Pineda's torn labrum or for going with Freddy Garcia, who was consistently effective last year, over Bartolo Colon, who faded in the second half of the season.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos refuted reports that he is actively searching for a starter and a big bat, saying that he has had "zero dialogue" with other GMs, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. The GM added that the trade market around the league is quite stagnant and he doesn't expect it to really pick up until after the draft, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- Yankees pitcher Freddy Garcia has struggled early on this season while Bartolo Colon has pitched quite well for the A's. Colon told reporters on Friday that even though he is happy in Oakland, he would have liked to remain with the Bombers, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
- The newly-acquired Marlon Byrd has been a pleasant surprise for the Red Sox defensively, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal.
Anthopoulos On Trade Talk, Darvish
Earlier today, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos took questions from reporters and denied rumblings that he's scouring the trade market early on in the year. Here's more from the GM's presser courtesy of MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm..
- There has been talk of the Blue Jays prioritizing a big bat for some time now but the GM said that isn't exactly the case. Anthopoulos believes that the talk started when he was asked a hypothetical question in an interview about what he might look to add early in the season and responded by saying that he would seek out offense.
- As for this week's rumblings that he's diligently looking for an impact starter and a bopper? "I’ve had zero dialogue with GMs right now on anything remotely resembling that," Anthopoulos said.
- It's unlikely that you'll see the Blue Jays go after elite free agents, thanks in large part to payroll constraints and the club's aversion to long-term deals. Anthopoulos said that it's much more likely that the club will add impact players via trade in the coming years. AA talked about the team's policy on contract length and the possibility of exceptions being made last month.
- In the past, Anthopoulos has implied that doling out more than $100MM to an import such as Yu Darvish was risky, but the GM backed off of that assertion. “I think when you’re spending over $100MM on a player, no matter who it is, there’s always an element of risk there. But like anything else, obviously very talented, great stuff, good athlete…whether it’s a player from here or a player from Japan or anywhere else, there’s always an element of risk no matter how good the players are."
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis from the MLBTR Writing Team this week..
- Matt Swartz looked back at the 2012 arbitration projections.
- If he can stay healthy, Erik Bedard can be a serious trade candidate, writes Dan Mennella.
- If you don't remember Dock Ellis' stint with the A's, you're probably not alone. I looked back at the trade that put the pitcher in Oakland for roughly two months.
- The Yankees restructured their rotation with trades, free agent signings and an extension this past offseason and Tim recapped their winter.
- Jake Peavy could be on the move this summer, writes Mike Axisa.
- The Brett Myers trade rumors have been circulating for a while, and there’s no reason to expect them to slow down between now and trade deadline, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith.
- What's next for Bobby Abreu? Mike Axisa asked MLBTR readers if the veteran will land a major league or minor league deal and the results were pretty much split.
- Check out the transcript for this week's chat hosted by BN-S.
- There's a new version of the Baseball Trade Rumors app for the iPhone – get it today!
- It could be time for the Braves to consider an extension for Brandon Beachy.
- I asked MLBTR readers if they believe the Giants will extend Tim Lincecum. 61% of readers don't think that San Fran will get it done.
- Mike checked in on the players who have vesting options for the 2013 season.
- It's a Make Or Break Year for Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens, writes Mike.
- Ben writes that Grant Balfour could bring in a sizable haul for the A's this year.
- Dan looked back on Billy Martin's fourth stint as Yankees skipper.
- I profiled the Graig Nettles trade that was prompted by the content of the third baseman's book.
- Mike rounded up the best of the web in this week's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
Minor Moves: Gonzalez, Hill, Barfield
Today's minor moves..
- The Cubs released Triple-A Iowa right-hander Edgar Gonzalez, tweets ESPN's Doug Padilla. Gonzalez, who had a 4.09 ERA and 12-to-2 K/BB in 11 innings will pursue opportunities in Asia.
- The Reds signed catcher Koyie Hill, according to CBSSports.com's transactions page. The 33-year-old signed with the Cardinals in January but was let go just over a month ago. For his big league career, Hill owns a .211/.275/.298 slash line across parts of eight seasons.
- The Orioles released Josh Barfield from Triple-A Norfolk to make room for right-hander Jason Berken, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The utility player has a .274/.313/.387 slash line in parts of six seasons at the Triple-A level. The O's signed the 29-year-old to a minor league deal in late March.
Quick Hits: Inge, Brewers, Dodgers, Red Sox, Angels
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- Brandon Inge clears waivers at 1pm CST and the A's are the frontrunner to sign him, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- The Brewers are tenth in payroll this season, but that won't be the case for the club every year, owner Mark Attanasio told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal also spoke to GM Doug Melvin, who sounded skittish about doling out five- and six-year deals as a small-market club.
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times wonders if the Red Sox's Carl Crawford could be a fit with the Dodgers. If Boston were willing to pay off part of his $142MM contract and accepted some decent pitching in return, he believes there could be a match between the two teams.
- More from Shaikin, who writes that the Angels could opt-out of their stadium deal in 2016 and potentially move right down the street from the Dodgers. The Dodgers could not challenge such a move on the grounds of traditional territorial rights like the Giants are blocking the A's from moving to San Jose.
- For Japanese imports such as Hiroki Kuroda and Yu Darvish, the major leagues represent a significant change, writes Jeff Bradley of the Star-Ledger.
Cafardo On Balfour, Hanrahan, Angels, Twins, Myers
Older ballplayers are showing a lot of life so far this season, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Veterans Paul Konerko, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Jamie Moyer have all looked sharp in the month of April. Ortiz lost 25 pounds to get himself into shape for this season and plans to keep up the hard work as he hopes to play for another two seasons. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Angels have inquired on A’s pitcher Grant Balfour and he is becoming one of the more sought-after bullpen pieces. The Halos have also shown interest in Joel Hanrahan of the Pirates and the Mariners' Brandon League, but Balfour seems the most logical.
- If the Twins don’t turn things around by the trade deadline, Carl Pavano will be a highly sought-after pitcher. The right-hander is earning $8.5MM in the final year of his contract and has limited no-trade protection. Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, and Francisco Liriano could also be used as chips to land prospects.
- Teams probably have their eye on Astros right-hander Brett Myers. Many teams, such as the Angels and Red Sox, could use the 31-year-old’s arm right now. He has also shown that he can pitch in a big market with his time in Philadelphia.
- If Tigers outfielder Delmon Young is convicted of a hate crime, it will be interesting to see whether the the club void his contract. They would be within their rights to do so under the collective bargaining agreement. The 26-year-old earns $6.75MM this year and can become a free agent after the season.
- The A's are a good bet to land Brandon Inge.
- Most baseball people feel there’s no way the Red Sox let Aaron Cook hit the open market by not calling him up May 1. The 33-year-old will earn the prorated portion of $1.5MM if he is called up to the majors.
Quick Hits: Abreu, Dodgers, Padres, Harper
Friday Night Links..
- There doesn't seem to be any natural fit for Bobby Abreu now that the Indians have Johnny Damon, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Scouts don't think that the veteran can play in the outfield anymore and might have to start out in Triple-A.
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) says that Abreu would not fit with the Dodgers or any other National League team except as a pinch hitter and he can't play defense regularly.
- The O’Malley group has signed documents to gain access to the Padres' financial information and apparently has raised sufficient equity to buy the club, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It appears that the group values the club at less than half of the Dodgers’ $2.15 billion sale price, and perhaps significantly less.
- The Nationals' promotion of Bryce Harper looks like a panic move to Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) rather than a well thought-out developmental plan.
Angels Release Bobby Abreu
The Angels announced that they have released veteran Bobby Abreu. The outfielder was in the final season of his three-year contract extension with the Halos and is set to make $9MM.
The move will help pave the way for the promotion of Mike Trout, who is on his way from Triple-A, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). Manager Mike Scioscia says that Trout "will play", DiGiovanna tweets, while MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez tweets that it seems that the 20-year-old will play everyday.
The slugger has been outspoken about his reduced role with the club since the offseason and there has been a great deal of speculation that his tenure with the Angels was coming to an end. The 38-year-old was said to be warming up to his backup role at the start of the season but Jerry Dipoto & Co. were said to be "feverishly" shopping him.
The Halos appeared to have a taker for Abreu in late March when they had advanced discussions with the Indians. The deal apparently fell apart over how much of Abreu's $9MM salary would be covered by the Angels.
This Date In Transactions History: Dock Ellis
On this date in 1977, the the Athletics traded Mike Torrez to the Yankees for Dock Ellis, Larry Murray, and Marty Perez. If you don't remember Ellis' stint with the A's, you're probably not alone. The enigmatic right-hander wound up spending just two months in Oakland.
Nearly seven years after throwing his storied no-hitter, Ellis was the centerpiece of the three-player package headed cross-country. The 32-year-old hurler wasn't able to find his groove with the Athletics, however, posting a 9.69 ERA in seven starts totalling 26 innings. The A's, figuring that Ellis had jumped the shark, promptly sold him to the Rangers.
Ellis, however, got back on track in Texas in a big way. In 22 starts and one relief appearance, Ellis turned in a 2.90 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9. The right-hander stayed on with the Rangers until the summer of 1979, when he was dealt to the Mets. Ellis brought everything full circle later in the year when his contract was purchased by Pittsburgh, allowing him to retire as a Pirate.
Meanwhile, Torrez became part of Yankees lore despite only spending the 1977 season in pinstripes. The right-hander earned two complete-game victories in the club's six-game World Series over the Dodgers and even caught the final out to seal the deal. Torrez went on to pitch for another five seasons and change, four of which were spent with the rival Red Sox.
Minor Moves: Mitchell, Wolf
Today's minor signings..
- The Marlins signed third baseman Russ Mitchell to a minor league contract, according to CBSSports.com's transactions page. The 27-year-old hit .283/.372/.503 in 93 games for the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate last season but was designated for assignment in February. Mitchell saw time in 40 games for Los Angeles in 2010 and '11.
- The Rangers have signed right-hander Ross Wolf and will assign him to their Double-A affiliate, accoridng to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (via Twitter). Wolf appeared in eleven games for the A's in 2010 but hasn't appeared in the majors since. The 31-year-old was cut loose by the Orioles earlier this week.