Rosenthal On Tigers, Castillo, Astros
Blue Jays' rookie third baseman Brett Lawrie has been raking this spring but the 21-year-old might not start the year in the majors, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The club might send him to the minors to work on his defense – and to prevent him from becoming eligible for a fourth year of arbitration. Here's more from Rosenthal..
- One scout following the Tigers says the team is deep enough in young outfielders to possibly move one for a starting pitcher. Right now, Brennan Boesch, Clete Thomas, Casper Wells, and Andy Dirks are all vying for reserve spots. Wells appears to be a lock to make the big league roster as he is the only right-handed hitter of the bunch and plays all three outfield positions.
- The Marlins are talking about signing second baseman Luis Castillo once he clears waivers, but they also have in-house options. The club could decide to go with Emilio Bonifacio at second and Omar Infante at third if they choose to demote rookie third baseman Matt Dominguez.
- If the Astros go with Carlos Lee over Brett Wallace at first base they would like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder to platoon with Jason Michaels. However, the club is at the payroll limit and the team's greater need is a replacement for catcher Jason Castro.
Quick Hits: Putz, Castillo, Varitek, Pirates, Ortiz
Links for Saturday evening..
- New to Arizona, J.J. Putz tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he's a perfect fit for the Diamondbacks.
- Second baseman Josh Barfield is competing for a utility spot on the Phillies but isn't concerned with talk of Luis Castillo, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
- Brian MacPherson and Tim Britton of The Providence Journal wonder how much longer Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek will continue to play. Varitek could be asked to backup Jarrod Saltalamacchia in 2011 but could still be given plenty of playing time in a platoon. McPherson set the over/under at 2.5 years but Britton takes the under, pointing out that the list of catchers who have played the most games is chock full of players who retired before reaching 40-years-old. The team captain will celebrate his 39th birthday in less than a month.
- Pirates left-hander Joe Beimel was scratched again due to elbow pain today, which seems to contradict what GM Neal Huntington said yesterday after picking up Garrett Olson off of waivers, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Huntington insisted yesterday that the addition of Olson was not motivated by concern about Beimel or Scott Olsen.
- Pittsburgh right-hander Kevin Hart was on the bubble for a roster spot with the club and out of options for 2011, but the club will now have more time to consider him after a shoulder injury sent him to the 60-day DL, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
- Dave Cameron of Fangraphs rallies against the tyranny of the corner label.
- Red Sox veteran David Ortiz told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com that the pressure isn't off, even with the new additions.
- ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider req'd) hears from a talent evaluator that the best way for Kevin Millwood to get back to the big leagues is by signing with a team and pitching in games. "That's no way to win a job — sitting at home," said the source. Millwood's fastball was clocked at 85 mph during a recent workout.
- The Rangers ackowledge that Chris Davis has opened some eyes with his strong Spring Training, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. He's under consideration for a roster spot, though teams have inquired about his availability.
- Now without star second baseman Dan Uggla, the Marlins are once again in a transitional phase, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
- While he really enjoyed his time in Houston, Lance Berkman is happy to be with the Cardinals, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Mets Notes: Perez, Collins, Warthen
After cutting ties with Luis Castillo, many are wondering if Oliver Perez is next on the Mets' chopping block. Here's a batch of Mets news with a heavy focus on the beleaguered left-hander..
- After a rough outing today against the Nationals in which he gave up a pair of homers to career minor leaguers, this is probably the end of the line for Perez, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Even before this afternoon's performance, Martino says that he couldn't find anyone in organization who truly believed that the Perez experiment would work.
- Martino (via Twitter) has been told that Perez won't be released tonight but he wouldn't be surprised to see the Mets cut Perez tomorrow or shortly thereafter.
- A person with direct knowledge of the team’s thinking told Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger that no decision on Perez would be made before today.
- McCullough (via Twitter) agrees that the end of the left-hander's time in New York is near though, pointing out that even supportive pitching coach Dan Warthen, says Perez's pitches are not good enough.
- After the team's 7-4 win over the Nationals today, manager Terry Collins said he wants to have compassion for the hurler, but the reality is that he needs to pitch better, writes Rich Coutinho of MetsBlog.
- Collins realizes now that his intensity has worked against him in the past and he's determined not to let it happen again, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
Rangers Willing To Eat Half Of Young’s Contract
The Rangers are calling teams about Michael Young and are willing to eat about half of the $48MM remaining on his contract, tweets Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. As we've been hearing in recent weeks, the club is still asking for top-end prospects and not getting any bites.
Several teams have been linked to the veteran slugger but it doesn't appear that anyone is close to making a deal for him. The Diamondbacks rekindled talks with Texas a little more than a week ago but there has been little word on that front since. Some have suggested that the Cubs and Phillies could look to acquire Young, but neither club has yet to make a move.
General Manager Jon Daniels & Co. could generate some interest in the infielder if they are in fact willing to eat a significant portion of his contract. Young is owed $16MM per season through 2013.
Nationals Could Shop Ivan Rodriguez
The Nationals are thinking about making Wilson Ramos the Opening Day starter behind the plate, two baseball sources tell Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ladson writes that if Ramos wins the starting job, then Ivan Rodriguez would be relegated to the bench or dealt to another team. With Rodriguez out of the picture, Jesus Flores would presumably be the backup.
With the aforementioned catchers plus prospect Derek Norris in the fold, the Nationals have seemed willing to move a backstop this winter. Flores drew some interest from the Astros following Jason Castro's potentially season-ending knee injury, but the club quickly cooled on him due to concerns about his surgically repaired shoulder.
If Washington feels comfortable with Ramos as their top catcher, then Rodriguez would be expendable. The 39-year-old is in the final year of a two-year, $6MM deal.
Cardinals Release Two Minor League Pitchers
The Cardinals have released right-handed pitchers Mark Diapoules and Houston Summers from minor league camp, according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Summers signed with the team as a minor league free agent last year while Diapoules was St. Louis' 21st round pick back in 2006.
Diapoules, 22, spent most of 2010 with High-A Palm Beach, where he posted a 2.44 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in nine starts and five relief appearances. He also made two starts for Double-A Springfield but did not fare well, pitching just 5.1 innings combined.
According to Goold, there was no room for Diapoules as the organization's higher-level bullpens are more or less set. By releasing him now, the club is giving him the opportunity to hook on elsewhere before rosters are cemented in a couple of weeks.
Quick Hits: Peavy, Kontos, Rowand, Reyes
Some links to round out this Monday evening..
- Even though he's now with the White Sox, Jake Peavy still looks back fondly on his time with the Padres, writes Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock writes that Rule 5 pick George Kontos was a longshot to make San Diego's bullpen. Earlier today the club returned the right-hander to the Yankees.
- The Giants would be better off releasing Aaron Rowand, opines Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles.
- Left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes is out of options but MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm expects the Blue Jays to keep him on the 25-man roster.
- Now with his third club, the Orioles' J.J. Hardy is looking to get his career back on track, writes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
Rosenthal On Teahen, Linares, Red Sox
A couple of Spring Training notes from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- The White Sox are open to trading Mark Teahen, who is set to earn $4.75MM this season and $5.5MM in 2012. At the moment, the veteran is little more than a pricey utility man, though he could serve as insurance for rookie third baseman Brent Morel. The youngster is viewed as an outstanding defender who might not be able to produce at the plate immediately. Manager Ozzie Guillen is likely in favor of keeping Teahen as he believes that he can find significant playing time for him if Morel wins the starting job at third base.
- Teams are asking the Red Sox about right-handed hitting outfielder Juan Carlos Linares. Boston signed the Cuban defector 2009 for $750K. Linares is currently set to open the season in Triple-A but the club doesn't want to sacrifice any depth. Because of that, we probably won't see them move any significant pieces before Opening Day.
Collins Wants Mets To Release Castillo
Mets manager Terry Collins does not want to see second baseman Luis Castillo on the Opening Day roster, a baseball insider tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Collins, the source says, wants to limit the drama around the club and releasing Castillo potentially helps that cause.
Collins may not get his way as the decision is not solely his. One rival executive believes that the skipper will get his way and Castillo won't be with the team by the end of Spring Training. Meanwhile, scouts say Castillo is the best candidate to man second base, partly because his competition is less-than-fierce.
Even though Castillo might not have the manager's support, Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus has a backer in team executive J.P. Ricciardi. The 24-year-old infielder hasn't impressed so far in the Grapefruit League.
Central Notes: Royals, Chisenhall, Theriot, Brewers
Let's take a look at some items from both the AL and NL Central..
- Royals manager Ned Yost told the Associated Press that he would like to have two left-handers in the bullpen to start the year, though he won't have two southpaw relievers just for the sake of it. For the time being, it sounds like Kansas City will look for an answer in-house, starting with their newest acquisition Robert Fish.
- When asked if service time factored into the decision to demote Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians GM Chris Antonetti said, "That's certainly not the case," tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
- After being dealt from the Dodgers to the Cardinals, Ryan Theriot says that he's looking to play the way he did in 2008, writes MLB.com's Matthew Leach. In '08, Theriot posted a slash line of .307/.387/.359 for the Cubs.
- Chris Cwik of Fangraphs wonders if the Brewers' acquisition of Zack Greinke has left them too thin in some areas.