Quick Hits: Mets, Indians, Cameron, Gregerson
Tuesday night linkage..
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson says that he isn't counseling manager Terry Collins on how to use Francisco Rodriguez, writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. K-Rod is on pace to finish more than 55 games this year.
- Indians owners Larry and Paul Dolan have encouraged GM Chris Antonetti to find ways to improve the club, but that doesn't mean he's operating with an open checkbook, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
- The Mariners, Phillies, Nationals, Twins, and Rangers didn't inquire on Mike Cameron before he was dealt to the Marlins, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- A major league executive told Tom Krasovic of InsideThePadres (via Twitter) that no team wants to take on money in a deal. The teams that can absorb salary, the exec says, have a big advantage.
- The Padres activated right-hander Luke Gregerson from the disabled list today and a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that there's already trade interest in him.
- There's been a lot of interest in pitcher Scott Kazmir and he should have a team soon, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. On Sunday, Buster Olney of ESPN estimated that Kazmir would find a club by early next week.
Rays Sign Eric Otanez
The Rays have agreed to sign Dominican catcher Eric Otañez, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. Terms of the deal were not immediately available.
Otanez, a right-handed hitter, was considered to be one of the top Dominican catching prospects in this year's pool of July 2nd-eligible players. The 6-foot-2, 195 pound backstop comes out of La Academia and boasts a strong arm.
White Sox Agree To Deal With Keenyn Walker
6:21PM: Walker's deal is worth $795K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter).
5:00PM: The White Sox have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with their first pick in the 2011 draft, outfielder Keenyn Walker, according to a team press release. Walker was selected 47th overall out of Central Arizona Junior College.
Terms of Walker's deal were not disclosed but slot would put his deal at roughly $740K. Walker hinted that he was close to an agreement with the White Sox on Wednesday with an enthusiastic tweet.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was drafted previously by the Cubs in the 16th round of the '09 draft and by the Phillies in the 38th round in 2010. Walker was recommended by White Sox scouts John Kazanas and Derek Valenzuela according to the team.
Marlins Acquire Mike Cameron
The Marlins have acquired outfielder Mike Cameron from the Red Sox, according to the Marlins' official Twitter page. Boston will receive a player to be named later or cash considerations in return.
The Red Sox will likely receive some cash back for Cameron rather than a PTBNL, a team source tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com. When all is said and done, the Red Sox will pay about $3MM of the $3.6MM owed to Cameron, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. As of right now, however, Florida will be responsible for less than $200K of Cameron's remaining salary, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel.
Cameron, 38, was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on June 30th. The veteran was expected to hit left-handed pitching this year, but he posted a .143/.214/.302 line in 70 plate appearances against southpaws.
The centerfielder could have a chance to be an everyday player in Florida as Chris Coghlan has struggled offensively this season and will be out-of-action as he rehabs a knee injury. The Marlins are Cameron's eighth career club.
Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Harden, Dodgers, Ring
Some links for Sunday afternoon…
- Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets that All-Star Joel Hanrahan doesn't have a bonus for being selected to the All-Star Game built into this year's contract with the Pirates, but you can bet his 2012 contract will have one.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Rich Harden could make sense for the Rockies or Diamondbacks if he continues throwing well.
- Olney quotes ESPN's Evan Cohen in this tweet, pointing out that the Dodgers owe $74MM to 40 creditors, which is more than twice the $31MM they have committed to players for 2012.
- The New York Post's Joel Sherman spoke to a Yankees executive and says it's unlikely that they pursue Royce Ring (Twitter link), who opted out of his contract with the Mariners today. Ring had a solid 2010 season for the Yanks' Triple-A affiliate.
- The Indians could use an outfielder and Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer outlined some possible trade targets for the Tribe. Ryan Ludwick, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur, and Jason Kubel are among the names suggested.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) expects Padres reliever Chad Qualls to be dealt.
- Between Latin American prospects Elier Hernandez and Nomar Mazara, Ben Badler of Baseball America (via Twitter) prefers the potential of Hernandez. Hernandez signed with the Royals yesterday for $3.05MM while Mazara agreed to a record setting deal worth more than $5MM with the Rangers.
Indians Sign Dorssys Paulino
SUNDAY: Hoynes tweets that the signing is now offical. MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that the Indians have confirmed the deal.
9:34PM: A deal with Paulino is close, but nothing is definite at this time, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. The $1.1MM offer figure, however, is accurate.
8:57PM: The Indians do not currently have a signed contract for a Dominican prospect, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
4:13PM: The Indians have signed Dominican shortstop Dorssys Paulino to a deal with a $1.1MM signing bonus, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.
Paulino, 16, is said to have one of the better bats among infielders in this year's class. His 5-foot-11, 175 pound frame might mean that he's better suited for second or third base than shortstop.
The youngster is the son of Jesus Sanchez, a left-handed pitcher who played for the Marlins, Cubs, Rockies, and Reds from 1998-2004.
Royce Ring Exercises Out Clause With Mariners
Reliever Royce Ring has exercised his out clause with the Mariners and is now a free agent, MLBTR has learned. Ring, 30, signed a minor league deal with the M's in December of 2010.
After posting a 1.93 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 in 42 Triple-A innings for the Yankees' affiliate in 2010, Ring hasn't been able to find similar success in 2011. In 27 apperances for Triple-A Tacoma, Ring has a 6.08 ERA with 12.5 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
Pirates Sign Elvis Escobar
The Pirates have signed Venezuelan center fielder Elvis Escobar for $570,000, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. This is yet another significant international signing by the Pirates who inked Colombian outfielder Harold Ramirez to a deal yesterday.
Escobar is a 5-foot-9, 165-pound lefty with advanced baseball instincts and feel for hitting, Badler writes. The 16-year-old is the son of Jose Escobar, who played ten games with the Indians as a middle infielder in 1991. His older brother, Giants lefthander Edwin Escobar, signed with the Rangers for $350K in 2008. Escobar is also a cousin of Kelvim Escobar and Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar.
Dodgers Not Ready To Sell
Even though the Dodgers find themselves in the cellar of the NL West, GM Ned Colletti says that it's too early to go into selling mode, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
"We haven't been healthy all year, but I still don't think we've played as well as we can play," the GM said. "The next three-plus weeks, if we can show some of that, we might be adding people."
The Dodgers could draw interest from contenders in players such as Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll. Kuroda is in the middle of yet another strong season, posting at ERA of 2.90 with 6.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. Carroll, meanwhile, is hitting .300/.370/.365 and can play a number of positions. The Rockies are believed to be interested in Carroll, but Colletti said that he'd have to feel very confident about the return in order to trade within the division.
Olney On Dodgers, Cardinals, Bell, Kazmir
The Dodgers are playing hard and preparing diligently for every game, but you'd have to be blind to not see the cloud that hangs over the team on a daily basis, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Because of the club's situation, the team knows that there probably won't be help coming in before the trade deadline. They've also seen their farm system dry up and their club is no longer a top destination for big-time free agents. Regardless of who the owner is of the team this time next year, they'll likely need years to repair the damage that has been done. Here's more from Olney..
- The Padres are scouting the farm systems of several clubs as the deadline approaches, and the Cardinals are among those clubs. All along, St. Louis has been a natural fit for Heath Bell or one of the other San Diego relievers. On Thursday, Olney reported that San Diego has told teams that they're ready to take offers on Bell and Mike Adams.
- Pitcher Scott Kazmir is expected to pick his next team sometime in the next ten days. The veteran has met with the Rangers and other clubs are in the mix, such as the Padres. Kazmir worked out for Texas last week and was healthy for the workout.