Odds & Ends: Burrell, Diamondbacks, Oswalt
Some links to check out following Roy Halladay's perfect night..
- MLB.com's Cash Kruth passes along a quote from Giants' manager Bruce Bochy regarding the signing of Pat Burrell: "The thought of signing him to help us off the bench, give us a right-handed bat, some power, a good threat coming off the bench and help us late in games and maybe play against certain pitchers. Right now he needs some at-bats in the Minor Leagues, and we'll see where he's at in the next ten days or so."
- The Diamondbacks are leaning towards taking a pitcher with the 6th overall pick in next month's draft, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Scouting director Tom Allison has seen Ole Miss lefty Drew Pomeranz and Georgia Tech righty Deck McGuire in the last few days.
- The Astros and Roy Oswalt are in an uncertain state of limbo, writes Tyler Kepner of The New York times.
- The A's knew about Justin Duchscherer's hip troubles before signing him to a one-year deal this offseason, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The righty will earn the base pay of $2MM but now will not have the opportunity to earn up to $3.5MM in incentives.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle speculates as to why the Giants are calling up Buster Posey today.
- Roberto Alomar is looking for a front office job and would like for it to be with Toronto, writes MLB.com's James Hall.
Rosenthal On Diamondbacks, Hart, Rangers
Let's dive into the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- While Dan Haren's trade value isn't exactly peaking, the D'Backs have internally discussed moving the 29-year-old hurler. Another option would be to move No. 2 starter Edwin Jackson. The combined salary of the two pitchers is set to jump from roughly $12.8MM this season to $20.5MM in 2011. That increase could be too much for Arizona to handle, even with Brandon Webb's salary coming off of the books.
- The Brewers are once again drawing interest in outfielder Corey Hart. The Giants, Padres, and A's are among the teams that could use a boost in the outfield and Milwaukee will seek starting pitching in return. Rosenthal doesn't see the Giants as a fit because they won't part with any of their starters and their outfield situation has recently improved. Meanwhile, the A's and Padres want to be comfortable with their overall health and chances before they make any moves. If Jim Edmonds and Jody Gerut get healthy, Hart could be dealt. Hart is under team control through 2011, should his team choose to tender him a contract.
- The Rangers still believe that either Justin Smoak or Chris Davis will be their long-term answer at first base, but they could seek a veteran stopgap for the second half of the season. Paul Konerko is likely too rich for their blood. Cleveland's Russell Branyan would be a more economical solution.
Rockies Release Paul Lo Duca
The Rockies have released catcher Paul Lo Duca, writes Jack Etkin of Inside The Rockies. The veteran lost his spot on the Triple-A roster when fellow backstop Paul Phillips cleared waivers and accepted his minor league assignment. Phillips was DFA'd to make room for Chris Iannetta.
In 14 games for Colorado Springs, Lo Duca hit .233/.292/.302 with one HR. The 38-year-old, who spent 2009 away from baseball, played for Rockies manager Jim Tracy when Tracy managed the Dodgers.
Prior to Opening Day, the Mariners were said to be keeping an eye on Lo Duca.
Brewers Designate Claudio Vargas For Assignment
Milwaukee has designated righthander Claudio Vargas for assignment, according to the Brewers' VP of Communications Tyler Barnes (via Twitter). The move was made in order to accommodate the arrival of Chris Capuano, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville.
In 19.2 innings this season, Vargas has a ERA of 7.32 with 8.2 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. For his career, the soon-to-be 32-year-old has a 4.83 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.
Vargas, who has thrown his fastball at an average of 91.3 mph throughout his career has seen his velocity dip to just 86.5 mph this season.
Eric Chavez Hopes To Avoid Retirement
MONDAY, 8:05am: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Chavez emphasized he is not retiring. He'll attempt to rehab his neck injury. Chavez has a pair of bulging discs; Slusser has more in her May 22nd blog post.
SATURDAY, 2:09pm: The recent neck injury suffered by Eric Chavez may force him to retire, the A's slugger told Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (link goes to Twitter).
However, in a follow-up tweet, Stiglich cautions that he has yet to hear from the team trainer and therefore it's hard to say if the injury is even season-ending. Furthermore, Chavez says that he wants to return. The longtime third baseman is hitting .234/.276/.333 in 123 plate apperances this season.
The 32-year-old is in the final year of a six-year, $66MM extension he agreed to in March of 2004. Chavez will earn an additional $3MM when he is bought out of the 2011 season. According to Baseball Reference, the California native has earned more than $75MM in his big league career.
Odds & Ends: Duncan, Dodgers, Marlins, Posey
Links for Sunday night..
- Shelley Duncan is playing well for the Indians since being promoted from Triple-A, writes Dennis Manoloff of The Plain Dealer. The 30-year-old outfielder signed a minor league deal with the Tribe in January.
- The Dodgers have signed righthander Jon Huber to a minor league deal, according to the MLB Transactions page. Huber, who has been assigned to Double-A Chattanooga, last appeared in the majors in 2007 for the Mariners.
- In his latest mailbag, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com writes that the Marlins are more likely to deal for a relief pitcher than a starter.
- ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter) wonders aloud if the Giants might decide to promote Buster Posey after being swept over the weekend by the A's.
Blue Jays Designate Dana Eveland For Assignment
The Blue Jays designated Dana Eveland for assignment, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. If he clears waivers, Eveland says that he will report to Triple-A Las Vegas.
The lefty was pitching successfully until he faced the Red Sox on May 11th. Prior to that, the 26-year-old had a 3.82 ERA in six outings. However, he has a 16.39 ERA in his last three starts.
This marks the second time that Eveland has been designated for assignment in 2010 as the A's DFA'd the hurler back in February. Prior to being acquired by Toronto, the Diamondbacks and Mariners were reportedly interested in his services.
Phillies Scouting Jenks, Putz
The Phillies are scouting Bobby Jenks and J.J. Putz of the White Sox, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. Philadelphia is "among a couple of teams" looking at the White Sox and trying to project which players will be available if they are unable to get back into the AL Central race in the next few weeks.
Jenks and Putz would help solidify the back end of the Phillies' bullpen, which is their main area of concern. Jenks, 29, has 12.0 K/9, 4.2 BB/9 with a 5.40 ERA in 16 appearances this season. However, he has looked strong in his last three outings where he surrendered two hits and no runs. Putz, 33, has a 3.95 ERA with 11.9 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 13.2 innings.
Jenks will make $7.5MM after avoiding arbitration with the White Sox this offseason. Tim recently wrote that Jenks is a non-tender candidate. Meanwhile, Putz is set to earn $3MM in 2010 with the opportunity to earn more through incentives.
Following a team meeting on Wednesday, White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters that he has been politely turning down overtures from other teams to make a deal. However, if they continue to struggle, it's hard to imagine Williams keeping that stance.
Astros Sign Two Top Dominican Pitchers
Houston has signed two of the top arms from the Dominican Republic, 16-year-old righthander Michael Feliz and 17-year-old righthander Jose Montero, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. Feliz's deal is worth $400K while Montero will reportedly earn $350K.
Feliz reached agreement with the A's on a deal worth $800K in the offseason, but Oakland voided the deal upon the pitcher testing positive for an anabolic steroid and receiving a 50-game suspension. Scouts who have kept tabs on the hurler this year say that he was regularly hitting 92-93 mph on the radar gun before the positive drug test but has been topping out at 91 mph in recent months.
Montero can pitch at 89-92 mph and has hit 93 mph on the radar gun for some scouts. Latin American sources have said that the Yankees and Padres were also interested in his services. While he throws a slider and an occasional changeup, his secondary stuff and overall feel for pitching isn't as advanced as Feliz's.
The Astros now appear poised to have three first-year fireballers on their Dominican Summer League staff, with lefty Edgar Ferreira also expected to be on board. Ferreira, 17, signed with Houston in December of last year.
Brewers Owner: No Staff Changes Imminent
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio says that GM Doug Melvin has total job security and that manager Ken Macha will not be let go on Monday, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Monday is an off-day for the club and it has been widely speculated as an opportunity for Milwaukee to make some changes.
Attanasio explained that Macha's fate is up to Melvin as he trusts the judgment of his GM. The owner made it absolutely clear that his GM will be staying put:
"Doug Melvin is very, very secure. You're not going to see any GM changes here."
On Thursday, Melvin told a local radio station that he doesn't "see any reason" to fire Macha. Milwaukee is 16-26 heading into their afternoon showdown with the Twins.