Odds & Ends: Perez, Howry, Brewers
Sunday night linkage..
- Mets manager Jerry Manuel insists that Oliver Perez's knee tendinitis is legitimate, writes Andy Martino of the Daily News. The timing of Perez's trip to the DL is being investigated by MLB in light of its curious timing.
- In her latest mailbag, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com writes that the Cubs brought back Bob Howry with the hope that he can help in specific situations with the help of Larry Rothschild. The Cubbies signed the reliever to a major league deal in mid-May.
- Former Brewers farmhand Brent Brewer will choose football over baseball after all, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The 2008 second-round selection quit baseball last month and will now play on scholarship at the University of Tennessee.
Draft Links: Pirates, Brewers, Red Sox
More draft news from around the web..
- The Pirates will take either shortstop Manny Machado or righthander Jameson Taillon with the second overall pick, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Earlier today, it was reported that the Bucs were looking at Machado, or Taillon but were also considering a "college pitcher".
- The Brewers' have had countless "what if" moments in the draft in recent years, including almost nabbing Wade Davis in 2004, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
- Several Red Sox shared their memories of draft day with Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.
- A pair of Illinois prospects should go in the early rounds of the draft, writes Mike Helfgot for the Chicago Tribune. Mike Foltynewicz, a Texas commit ranked amongst the top 50 prospects in this class by Baseball America, will likely be the first.
Week In Review: 5/30/10 – 6/5/10
Let's take a look back at the week that was on the eve of the MLB Draft..
- The Orioles fired manager Dave Trembley after the club got off to a 15-39 start under his direction and dropped eight consecutive games. Baltimore appointed Juan Samuel to be the team's interim skipper.
- After 22 seasons and 630 home runs, Ken Griffey Jr. has decided to call it a career.
- The Angels won't deal for Mike Lowell, but the M's, Rangers, or White Sox might.
- Kevin Millwood and Ty Wigginton are open to playing for the Mets if the O's become sellers.
- The Cards reached agreement on a deal with 18-year-old Dominican righthander Carlos Matias. Matias was one of the best hurlers on the international market this year.
- Brian Bruney signed a minor league deal with the Brewers though he has the right to opt out in a month.
- Kansas City claimed pitcher Kanekoa Texeira off of waivers from the M's. The Royals have to expose the Hawaiian to waivers if they decide to take him off of their roster. If no one claims him, they have to offer him back to the Yankees – his team prior to being taken in the Rule 5 draft.
- It was reported on Friday night that the Royals have struck a deal with catcher Yasmani Grandal for the fourth overall pick. Mike recently took a look at Grandal, calling him the best catcher in the 2010 draft.
- After being DFA'd by the Yankees last week, Randy Winn found a new home with the Cardinals.
- The Blue Jays signed DeWayne Wise to a minor league deal days after he opted out of his deal with the Phillies. Philly filled the void by inking Willy Taveras to a minor league deal.
- Nelson Figueroa was DFA'd by the Phillies but accepted a Triple A assignment with the club after clearing waivers.
- The Mets designated Gary Matthews Jr. for assignment. Matthews will earn $11MM for this season and $12MM for 2011 which will be paid mostly by the Angels.
- Reliever Claudio Vargas was released by Milwaukee.
- The Rays may have found themselves a bargain with their signing of Jose Julio Ruiz.
- Howard took a look back at the 1995 trade deadline.
- Mike continued his look at the top players in the 2010 MLB Draft with posts on prospects such as Michael Choice, Chris Sale, and Matt Harvey.
Odds & Ends: Green, Gonzalez, Berkman, Stanton
Links for Saturday….
- Nick Green, who was designated for assignment by the Dodgers, has cleared waivers and accepted a minor league assignment, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
- WEEI's Alex Speier explains why trading for Adrian Gonzalez appears less and less likely for the Red Sox.
- Lance Berkman's agent is telling teams that his client will approve a trade in which his $15MM option for 2011 is picked up, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. No teams are willing to do that but if the demand is dropped, Heyman says that the Angels are a match.
- Joe Frisaro of MLB.com says that while no exact date has been set for the major league debut of Mike Stanton, speculation is that he could get the call as soon as Tuesday when the Marlins head to Philadelphia.
- Alex Rodriguez now has some say in the fate of his former team after being named to the Rangers creditors' committee, tweets Heyman. Texas owes A-Rod $24.9MM in deferred compensation.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times writes that Jaime Garcia would have been an Oriole if not for a translation mishap.
- Hank Blalock is happy to be in Tampa Bay, writes Drew Davison of the Dallas Morning News.
Rosenthal On Fielder, Angels, Pierzynski, Mets
Let's check out the newest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- Milwaukee may not be able to find a taker for Prince Fielder before the trade deadline. Fielder's deal runs through next season and the Angels, who are the most obvious fit, only need a first baseman for the remainder of this season to fill in for Kendry Morales. The teams with the greatest needs for a first baseman/designated hitter type, such as the Mariners, aren't in contention. Rosenthal points out that Brewers GM Doug Melvin has always said that it's easier to move position players in the winter when more teams can be drawn into the mix.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins says that the team will be patient in finding a replacement for Morales. The Angels are starting to play better and Mike Napoli is an obvious internal solution as Jeff Mathis gets set to return. While their biggest need is in the bullpen, Reagins says that the team is comfortable with the pitchers that they have, for now.
- White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski would almost certainly consent to a trade if the club asked him to move on in order to give Tyler Flowers big league experience. Pierzynski has the right to veto any trade beginning on June 13th. The veteran is a free agent at the end of the season and could enhance his value by going to a contender. If he was still available in August then his salary is high enough that he would likely clear waivers.
- The Mets say that they have the payroll flexibility to add a starter at the deadline but it remains to be seen just how much and how willing they are to part with young talent. One solution could be putting Jenrry Mejia in the starting five as GM Omar Minaya believes that he could be a dominant starter. However, manager Jerry Manuel raised doubts about that happening this season.
Roster Moves Hinge On Oliver Perez’s Decision
SATURDAY, 4:10pm: Major League Baseball will independently review Oliver Perez's medical records, including the MRI he took on Friday, a league official told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. The official told Martino that the league often does this when an injury needs clarification.
11:09am: Perez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with knee tendinitis today according to SNY's Kevin Burkhardt (via Twitter). No further move will be needed to make room for Niese.
FRIDAY, 9:48pm: If Oliver Perez does not accept a minor league assignment, the Mets may designate a reliever for assignment, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. The organization is hoping that Perez will agree to the demotion by tomorrow when they plan to activate Jon Niese off of the disabled list.
In order to make room on the roster, Elmer Dessens could be DFA'd. The Mets re-signed Dessens to a minor league deal in December and have given him just 4.1 innings of work heading into tonight's game. However, the veteran hurler made his case for staying on with the club tonight by pitching 1.1 scoreless innings to set the table for a Francisco Rodriguez save.
Another possibility for the Mets would be to option Jenrry Mejia to Triple-A, though they may want to keep him on the big league roster.
Perez refused a minor league assignment from the Mets on Monday. The club reportedly asked the lefty at least twice to go to the minors.
Blue Jays Sign DeWayne Wise
The Blue Jays have signed outfielder DeWayne Wise to a minor league deal, according to James Hall of MLB.com. Wise, 32, opted out of his deal with the Phillies on Tuesday.
In 145 plate appearances for Triple A Lehigh Valley, Wise posted a slash line of .272/.317/.515. In his big league career, which has spanned parts of seven seasons, he has hit .216/.255/.380. Wise is known for his outstanding defense and has a career UZR/150 of 9.2 in the outfield.
Nationals Release Chris Coste
The Nationals have unconditionally released catcher Chris Coste, according to a team press release. The 37-year-old recently underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery.
The backstop was placed on waivers by the Mets in late March and was quickly claimed by the Nats. Coste made a combined 230 plate appearances for the Astros and Phillies last season, hitting .224/.301/.317.
Odds & Ends: Griffey, Texeira, Arguelles, Burrell
Friday night linkage..
- If Ken Griffey Jr. takes on some sort of role with the Mariners organization, it will likely be next year, writes Larry LaRue of The News Tribune.
- Speaking of Yost, he tells Daniel Paulling of the Kansas City Star that he expects to use Kanekoa Texeira as a reliever. The Royals claimed him off of waivers from the M's on Thursday.
- Dayton Moore is pleased with the job that Ned Yost has done so far with the Royals, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
- GM Andy MacPhail is next up on the O's hot seat, writes Kevin Cowherd of the Baltimore Sun.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore says that lefty Noel Arguelles has shoulder soreness and is not certain to pitch this year, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter). The Royals inked the Cuban defector to a deal this offseason.
- Pat Burrell "couldn't be happier" after landing in San Francisco, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News.
- The Reds' $1.75MM option on Jonny Gomes looks like a bargain right now, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Gomes is hitting .303/.366/.520 with 7 HRs in 175 plate appearances this season.
Royals Have Agreement With Grandal?
The Royals are believed to have a deal in place with Yasmani Grandal for the fourth overall pick, industry sources tell Frankie Piliere of Fanhouse.com (via Twitter). Yesterday, an MLB executive told ESPN's Keith Law that Grandal is looking for "Buster Posey money". Posey received a $6.2MM bonus from the Giants.
Kansas City has been linked to the catcher since April when it was first rumored that they were looking at him as a candidate for the fourth overall pick. In his latest mock draft, Law has Grandal falling to the Reds at the 12th overall selection. However, he ranks the University of Miami product as the ninth best prospect in the draft.
Our own Mike Axisa recently took a look at Grandal, calling him the best all-around catcher in the 2010 draft.