Indians Acquire Zach McAllister To Complete Trade
The Indians have acquired pitcher Zach McAllister from the Yankees to complete the Austin Kearns deal, according to a team press release. The trade called for Cleveland to receive a player to be named later or cash.
McAllister, a native Midwesterner, has a 5.09 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate this season. He enjoyed a strong 2009 in Double-A Trenton, however, posting a 2.23 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.
Heading into the season, Baseball America ranked the 6'5" righthander as the fifth-best prospect in the organization and the second-best pitcher behind the now-departed Arodys Vizcaino. According to their 2010 Prospect Handbook, he had the best control of any pitcher in the Yankees system but his slider is his only plus pitch.
Giants Interested In Hawpe
The Giants are exploring the possibility of acquiring Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe, according to Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com. Bobby Evans, the club's vice president of baseball operations, said the team is "open-minded" about Hawpe, who was designated for assignment last night.
However, Evans stressed that San Francisco may have trouble adding Hawpe to its roster. At present, the Giants seem to be set at both first base and right field. The 31-year-old is owed $2.2MM for the remainder of the season. Hawpe has had a down year in 2010, hitting .255/.343/.432 with seven homers in 300 plate appearances.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post first reported the Giants' "potential interest" in the slugger last night. A source told Renck that the Rangers, Rays, White Sox, and Red Sox are all possible suitors as well.
Odds & Ends: Harper, Dodgers, Romero, Hermida
Sunday night linkage..
- Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports implores the Nats to get a deal done with Bryce Harper.
- Nats pitcher Stephen Strasburg had some interesting comments to make about the club's negotiations with Harper, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (in these tweets) says that rival agents think that the Dodgers will offer first-round pick Zach Lee roughly $3MM and at least one of them thinks that will be enough to get a deal done.
- Toronto manager Cito Gaston told David Ely of MLB.com that he didn't think Ricky Romero would feel any pressure after signing a lucrative contract extension. The lefty didn't show any signs of jitters today as he allowed just one run in seven innings against the Angels.
- Boston outfielder Jeremy Hermida is making the most of his time in the minors, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Hermida was just thirty days shy of accruing enough major league time to decline a demotion when he was sent down by the Red Sox.
Pirates Notes: Heredia, Taillon, Allie
Let's check out some Pirates tidbits, courtesy of Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette..
- The Pirates remain the favorites to land 16-year-old Mexican pitcher Luis Heredia. Veracruz, the Mexican team that holds his rights, is allowed by the Mexican Baseball League to begin entertaining offers on Thursday. Early last month, the Pirates and Blue Jays were said to be the favorites for his services. Toronto reportedly offered $2.8MM while Pittsburgh offered $2.5MM. The Yankees were said to be gaining interest in the prospect as of a month ago.
- Jameson Taillon's father Michael expects his son and the club to reach agreement prior to tomorrow's deadline. Michael mentioned that there remained a "variable" for the two sides to work out. The variable, Finder says, could be a spot on the 40-man roster. It appears that the Pirates are reluctant to oblige, though the father of the second overall selection doesn't see it as a potential stumbling block. The slot recommendation for Taillon is $3.25MM, though he will likely receive more.
- As for the Pirates and second-round choice Stetson Allie, there's optimism on both sides that a deal can be reached. Both Allie and Taillon are represented by the Hendricks brothers.
Poll: What Should The Dodgers Have Done?
Sitting seven games back of the Padres and five-and-a-half games back in the wild card chase on deadline day, the Dodgers decided to burn up the phone lines and upgrade their roster. Despite the impact that the McCourt divorce may have on the club's financial situation, Los Angeles surprisingly became one of the deadline's most active teams.
After acquiring Scott Podsednik from the Royals, GM Ned Colletti decided that he wasn't done. He swung a deal for Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot from the Cubs and also grabbed Pirates reliever Octavio Dotel. The Lilly deal would cost them Blake DeWitt, Brett Wallach, and Kyle Smit. For some observers, the Dotel deal was the real head-scratcher as Colletti surrendered pitcher James McDonald and outfield prospect Andrew Lambo. While each player has suffered their own setbacks, both continue to hold promise and could blossom into real contributors.
Ultimately, the Dodgers rolled the dice for a chance to gain some ground in the home stretch. To date, the upgrades have not helped them in the standings as they are 60-58, ten games back in the NL West and six-and-a-half games behind in the wild card chase.
Should the Dodgers have been buyers, sellers, or stood pat at the Trade Deadline?
Blue Jays, Romero Agree To Extension
4:57pm: Romero will receive a $1.25MM bonus, according to Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulous via conference call. The lefty will earn $750K in 2011, $5MM in 2012, and $7.5MM each year from 2013 through 2015. The option in 2016 will be for $13MM with a $600K buyout.
3:24pm: The contract includes a club option for the 2016 season, according to the Blue Jays (via Twitter).
2:05pm: The Blue Jays and Ricky Romero have agreed to a five-year, $30.1MM extension, a major league source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The pact will run from 2011 through 2015.
The contract matches Yovani Gallardo's deal for the largest guarantee for a pitcher with fewer than three years of service, excluding foreign hurlers. Rosenthal adds (via Twitter) that this is the largest guarantee ever for a pitcher with fewer than two years of major league service.
Romero, 25, has a 3.53 ERA in his sophomore campaign with 7.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. The extension will buy up all of the former sixth overall pick's arbitration years.
Red Sox Release Shealy
The Red Sox have released first baseman Ryan Shealy, writes Alex Speier of WEEI. Boston's Triple-A affiliate announced the move after Jeremy Hermida was assigned to the team.
Boston designated Shealy for assignment roughly three weeks ago. In five games for the Red Sox this season, the soon-to-be 31-year-old didn't yield a hit in seven plate appearances. In 80 combined Triple-A games for the Tampa Bay and Boston affiliates, he posted a slash line of .231/.345/.472 with 15 homers.
Castillo Unhappy With Mets
Mets second baseman Luis Castillo is unhappy with his relegation to the bench in New York and believes that he will be elsewhere in 2011, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post.
"I can't be here anymore," the second baseman said prior to last night's game against the Phillies at Citi Field. "I know I'm not going to be here next year."
While GM Omar Minaya declined to comment on Castillo's desire to be moved, a team source said that he has not asked the club for a trade. However, the Mets are aware of his desire to play every day. The veteran was taken out of the starting lineup in favor of rookie infielder Ruben Tejada.
Castillo, 34, is set to earn $6MM in 2011, the final year of his contract. The three-time All-Star has struggled this season, hitting .241/.335/.281 in just 62 games.
Francoeur Open To Trade
TUESDAY: Francoeur's agent Molly Fletcher explained to Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger:
"We want to play every day. We prefer to play in New York. But if we’re not going to play every day in New York, we absolutely welcome the opportunity to play every day somewhere else."
It's difficult to picture a team playing Francoeur every day this year, even if the Mets pick up the tab.
SATURDAY: Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur is expected to meet with GM Omar Minaya to discuss trade options, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Francoeur is ostensibly less-than-thrilled about the club's plan to platoon him alongside Fernando Martinez.
Rubin notes that there may be minimal trade options for the 26-year-old. Last week, Tim wrote that the Mets won't find much of a market for Francoeur as he won't provide much for a contender and other clubs may not be interested in acquiring a guy who is certain to be a non-tender.
In 104 games this season, Frenchy has hit just .241/.295/.378 with 10 home runs.
Odds & Ends: Gibbons, Anderson, Pirates, Francoeur
Sunday night linkage..
- Jay Gibbons, who retired from baseball a season ago, is grateful for his latest opportunity with the Dodgers, writes Evan Drellich of MLB.com.
- Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times wonders why the Dodgers waited until now to designate Garret Anderson for assignment.
- The Pirates fired pitching coach Joe Kerrigan and bench coach Gary Varsho, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Mets manager Jerry Manuel told reporters that Fernando Martinez and Jeff Francoeur won't platoon all of the time, according to Michael Baron of MetsBlog. Yesterday we learned that Francoeur was unsatisfied with the arrangement and was ready to meet with GM Omar Minaya to discuss trade possibilities.