Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Orioles Rumors

Blue Jays Claim Jimmy Paredes From Orioles

By | at

1:10pm: The Blue Jays and Orioles have both announced the claim. In a full column on the move, Kubatko offers the following quote from Duquette about Toronto’s claim of Paredes:

“The O’s tried but we just didn’t find a fit for Jimmy Paredes on this year’s team when it was time for him to be reinstated. Jimmy worked hard with us and we appreciate his contributions over the past two seasons.”

12:21pm: The Blue Jays have claimed infielder/designated hitter Jimmy Paredes off waivers from the Orioles, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Baltimore placed Paredes on waivers over the weekend.

Paredes, 27, had a big first half for the O’s in 2015, batting .299/.332/.475 with 10 homers in 277 plate appearances. However, he was unable to maintain that production in the second half as his slash line dipped to .216/.252./265 in 107 plate appearances. This season, Paredes has yet to appear in a Major League game, as sprained left wrist caused him to open the season on the disabled list. Paredes batted a combined .309/.377/.471 across three minor league levels on a rehab assignment (77 plate appearances, 19 games), but the Orioles’ offseason additions left him without a clear spot on the roster.

While Paredes has played second base and third base extensively in the minors, the Orioles were skeptical enough of his defense to limit him to  just 72 2/3 innings in the field last season. Even as Jonathan Schoop missed time due to injuries last season, Baltimore’s preference was to move first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce to second base with Paredes DHing, despite the fact that Pearce had never played the position in the Majors or minors. The offseason addition of Pedro Alvarez gives the O’s another option that the club considers to be more or less a strict DH, thus leaving the team without an easy of way of carrying Paredes.

The Blue Jays currently have a bench consisting of backup catcher Josh Thole, fourth outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, backup shortstop/second baseman Darwin Barney and corner infielder Andy Burns. Given the defensive capabilities of Thole, Carrera and Barney, it would seem that Paredes’ best fit on the roster would be to supplant Burns for the fourth bench spot.

Cafardo’s Latest: Trout, Trumbo, Reyes, Chapman, Ruiz

By | at

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is the latest to weigh in on the possibility of the Angels trading superstar center fielder Mike Trout, naming 10 teams capable of putting together packages for the 24-year-old. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, Nationals, Astros, Rangers, Mets, Giants and Cubs could all make a hypothetical Trout trade work, writes Cafardo.

Here’s more from the Boston-area insider:

  • The Orioles haven’t begun contract talks with free agent-to-be Mark Trumbo, but that may change if the 30-year-old outfielder continues his torrid pace. Trumbo, whom the Orioles acquired from Seattle for a pittance in the offseason, has hit a tremendous .314/.365/.606 with 11 home runs in 148 plate appearances this year and is putting himself in position to earn an appreciable raise over his 2016 salary of $9.15MM.
  • There’s seemingly interest around the league in shortstop Jose Reyes, whom the Rockies will make available when he’s reinstated from a domestic violence suspension at the end of the month. Reyes, 32, is still owed roughly $41MM – including a $4MM buyout in 2018 – and is coming off arguably the worst season of his career.
  • The Yankees could make closer Aroldis Chapman available in late June if they’re not in playoff contention by then, according to Cafardo. The lights-out left-hander is on an $11MM-plus salary and is slated to hit free agency at the end of the season.
  • Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz is reviving his stock, having hit .291/.371/.509 with three homers in 62 PAs, and could interest teams looking for a cheaper alternative to the Brewers’ Jonathan Lucroy – who will be the best backstop on the market if Milwaukee shops him. “He doesn’t have the arm he once had, so that aspect of his game won’t come back, but young pitchers love throwing to him,” a National League scout told Cafardo. The 37-year-old Ruiz’s contract includes a $4.5MM club option for 2017.

Orioles Place Jimmy Paredes On Waivers

By | at

The Orioles have placed infielder/designated hitter Jimmy Paredes on waivers, reports Rich Dubroff of CSN Mid-Atlantic (Twitter link). Because Paredes has been outrighted in the past, he could refuse a minor league assignment and become a free agent, notes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).

Baltimore had to make a decision on the out-of-options Paredes, whose Triple-A rehab assignment was set to end today. The 27-year-old had been working his way back from a wrist injury since beginning the season on the disabled list. While Paredes logged extensive time at the plate in 2015, slashing .275/.310/.416 with 10 home runs in 384 trips, the Orioles’ lack of trust in his defense limited him to just 72 2/3 innings over a career-high 104 games. Given his defensive issues and Pedro Alvarez’s presence as their DH, Paredes no longer had a place on the Orioles’ roster.

Paredes, a career .257/.293/.369 hitter in 845 major league PAs, is owed a $520K salary this season and has three years of arbitration eligibility remaining.

Injury Notes: Canha, Boxberger, Norris, Cashner, Brantley, Gallardo, Travis, Chirinos

By and | at

Athletics first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha is weighing surgery to repair a hip impingement, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Undergoing the procedure would keep him out the rest of the way, per the report, but he’s still undecided and will seek a second opinion. It seems that he’ll at least try out a cortisone shot before going under the knife. The 27-year-old had a strong 2015 season, sticking as a Rule 5 pick, but has come out of the gates with a meager .122/.140/.341 slash in 44 plate appearances in 2016.

Here are some more injury updates from around the game that are worthy of note:

  • Rays closer Brad Boxberger, who is on the mend from core muscle surgery dating back to Spring Training, threw 22 pitches in an extended Spring Training game yesterday, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. If Boxberger feels good today, he’ll likely begin a rehab assignment early next week (possibly Monday) with an eye toward returning late in the month of May. Boxberger led the American League with 41 saves in 2015 and would immediately deepen a bullpen that ranks 10th in the Majors in ERA but carries a more troubling ranking of 25th in the FIP department.
  • The Padres had originally planned to carry three catchers for a short time following the claim of Hector Sanchez, but a hand injury to Derek Norris last night now makes the decision to claim Sanchez all the more critical, writes Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Norris was hit on the hand by a pitch and would ultimately leave the game, and while initial x-rays were negative, he’s undergoing further tests today. Interestingly, Lin notes that the Sanchez claim, initially, would’ve allowed the Padres to use Christian Bethancourt as a pinch-hitter, and there was even some talk of him getting some work in at third base (scouting reports have long touted his arm as an 80-grade tool). However, if Norris is found to have any kind of fracture and will miss some time, those plans will change.
  • Meanwhile, the Padres decided to put righty Andrew Cashner on the 15-day DL today after determining that his hamstring wasn’t quite ready to go, as Lin tweets. It certainly doesn’t appear to be a major injury, since Cashner very nearly was allowed to pitch tonight, but it’s nonetheless notable. After all, San Diego doesn’t appear to be primed to contend this year, and Cashner could be an important trade piece — or qualifying offer recipient, if he can really turn things around. But he’s currently allowing just under five earned runs per nine, with ERA estimators not much more optimistic.
  • Michael Brantley’s surgically repaired shoulder is fatigued, reports Cleveland.com’s Zack Meisel, which prompted the Indians to rest him on Tuesday and Wednesday in advance of yesterday’s off-day. Brantley will take batting practice today and be re-evaluated. Per Meisel, Brantley’s shoulder has not been “bouncing back in ideal fashion” following an increase in playing time for the team’s star player. Brantley underwent shoulder surgery over the winter, and while earlier projections had him possibly remaining on the disabled list well into May, he instead beat that timeline by a good margin and was in the Indians’ lineup in late April.
  • Orioles righty Yovani Gallardo is set to begin throwing again tomorrow, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. It’s been a three-week gap since he last picked up a baseball, and Gallardo is only expected to engage in a light toss. His timeline to return to action from a shoulder injury remains uncertain, with at least a couple rehab outings seemingly in his future even if things go well.
  • The Blue Jays, meanwhile, now have reason to believe that second baseman Devon Travis will soon be back. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca tweets that Travis is heading out on a rehab assignment, which will begin a maximum twenty-day stretch in the minors. So long as Travis progresses, he ought to be back in Toronto by early June, it would appear. The 25-year-old burst onto the scene early last year, but he hasn’t played since late July after undergoing a procedure on his left shoulder.
  • Likewise, Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos has been able to throw for each of the last five days, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. That’s certainly promising, given that he’s recovering from a broken right forearm. Chirinos won’t be eligible to come off of the 60-day DL until June 9th, but Texas would surely like to get him back as close to that date as possible.

Free Agent Notes: Lincecum, Nathan, Oviedo

By | at

Fielding questions about the Orioles’ interest in Tim Lincecum, executive VP Dan Duquette downplayed that likelihood and provided some hints as to the market’s development, as Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports. In Duquette’s view, Lincecum is likely to sign with a west coast club and is likely to get a shot at a rotation. “He’s going to sign with a club that needs a starter,” said the O’s top baseball decisionmaker. “That’s what he wants to do, and I’m confident he’s going to get that opportunity.”

  • The Diamondbacks are a theoretical suitor with a geographic match, but the club does not appear likely to get involved on Lincecum, as Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets. While GM Dave Stewart says that the organization had scouts on hand for the showcase, he went on to say, “I don’t see us going any steps further.” Lincecum appears to be drawing fairly wide interest, but it’s still not clear which team will make him a handshake agreement of a starting role. We had heard that the 31-year-old could reach a decision over the weekend after his showcase on Friday, but that obviously didn’t happen.
  • Last we checked in, veteran reliever Joe Nathan was still set on a comeback, and Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets an update. Nathan, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, is beginning a throwing program. There’s apparently at least some hope that he’ll be ready for game action by July 1st, though it would be pretty surprising to see him in the majors anywhere near that soon if he’s only now ramping up.
  • Cuban righty Johan Oviedo is opening some eyes, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez tweets. An 18-year-old with a big frame, Oviedo is said to be working in the mid-nineties with his fastball, though of course scouts will be looking for quite a bit more than just that. He’s eligible to sign, but will be subject to bonus pool restrictions.
  • Morgan Campbell of the Toronto Star provides an interesting look at the question of how the talent flow from Cuba to the majors may impact the game on the island. At present, stakeholders on the island merely watch as their best players depart, receiving no compensation. It’s certainly fair to raise doubts about the long-term impacts of that set of incentives, to say nothing of the other issues that have arisen in player movement out of Cuba. Of course, all indications are that a new system will be installed, but it remains to be seen how it’ll be structured.

AL Notes: Gallardo, Ausmus, Hill

By | at

Orioles righty Yovani Gallardo will have a “light catch” over the weekend, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. Gallardo hit the DL on April 23rd but is only now apparently set to test out his bothersome shoulder. Even if he’s able to begin progressing back toward the mound, his timetable remains uncertain. And beyond that, Gallardo still will face questions about his ability to remain effective while exhibiting a rather significant velocity decline that apparently preceded his injury.

Here are a few more notes from the American League:

  • Tigers manager Brad Ausmus acknowledges that he is “in the crosshairs” with his team struggling, writes MLive.com’s Aaron McMann. “I knew when I took this job, I was probably going to get fired before I walked away from it,” said Ausmus. “Not this job in particular, but just managing in general. How many managers walk away from a job?” The Tigers are off to a fairly disappointing 14-16 start and suffered through a disastrous bullpen meltdown on Sunday, when Mark Lowe and Justin Wilson combined to serve up seven runs in the eighth inning. Ausmus said he hasn’t heard anything either way from owner Mike Ilitch or GM Al Avila in terms of his job security.
  • Rich Hill has been one of the best stories in the league this season with the A’s, but the Red Sox made an effort to keep around following his September renaissance last season, according to WEEI.com’s John Tomase. Boston offered Hill a one-year, Major League deal on the heels of his four brilliant starts down the stretch, but the money didn’t match up to Oakland’s $6MM, per Tomase’s sources. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wouldn’t get into any specific details, unsurprisingly, but he did acknowledge that his team made Hill what it felt to be a competitive offer. “We gave him what we felt was a solid offer,” said Dombrowski. “They did better. It’s always easier in hindsight. It’s a situation where we did like him enough to offer him a nice deal, we thought. Oakland really stepped up, and you tip your cap.”

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/9/16

By | at

Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Cubs have purchased the contract of righty Alex Sanabia from the Mexican League Tijuana Toros, MLBTR’s Zach Links has learned. Sanabia will head to Triple-A Iowa to bolster the club’s rotation depth. The 27-year-old has seen action in parts of three MLB seasons with the Marlins, throwing 138 2/3 innings over 24 starts and four relief appearances and posting a sturdy 4.15 ERA with 5.6 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9. Sanabia had a rough go of things with the Angels’ top affiliate last year, but has given the Toros 30 innings of 3.60 ERA ball with 6.0 K/9 against a stingy 0.9 BB/9.
  • Left-hander Ryan O’Rourke has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A by the Twins, tweets Mike Berardino  of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The 28-year-old has appeared in 36 games for Minnesota over the past two seasons but struggled to a 5.83 ERA. While O’Rourke misses plenty of bats (8.9 K/9), he also has struggled with his control, as evidenced by the 20 walks he’s issued in 29 1/3 big league innings. Lefties, however, have been befuddled by him, batting just .149/.286/.234 in 58 plate appearances.
  • The Orioles announced today that right-hander Scott McGough has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore designated the 26-year-old, who was claimed off waivers from the Marlins earlier this year, for assignment last week. McGough made his big league debut in Miami last season but allowed seven runs in 6 2/3 innings. He’s been roughed up for a dozen runs in 8 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level this season but had an excellent 2015 campaign, posting a 1.93 ERA in 37 1/3 innings across three minor league level.
  • The Red Sox have signed former A’s first baseman Nate Freiman to a minor league deal and assigned him to Double-A Portland, according to an announcement from the independent Atlantic League. Freiman, 29, has been playing for the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks and hitting quite well through a small six-game sample (8-for-21, two homers, one double, two walks). Freiman showed good pop and handled left-handed pitching well for the 2013-14 A’s (.279/.326/.470 in 233 PAs), but his production evaporated at the Triple-A level last season when he hit just .220/.279/.321 in 305 PAs.
  • The Nationals acquired minor league catcher Martin Medina from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations, per Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. The 26-year-old was originally drafted by the White Sox in the 20th round back in 2011, but Chicago flipped him to Toronto last summer (also for cash considerations). He’s a career .244/.314/.334 hitter in the minors and has caught 30 percent of opposing base-stealers, but he’s yet to progress beyond the Double-A level.
  • Also via Eddy, the Braves have released right-hander Rob Wooten from Triple-A Gwinnett. The long-time Brewers reliever signed a minors pact with Atlanta this winter and had a nice showing with Gwinnett, yielding just three runs on seven hits and no walks with seven strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. The rest of Wooten’s career has come with the Brewers organization. He owns a 4.07 ERA with 8.3 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 in 185 2/3 Triple-A innings and a 5.03 ERA with 7.0 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 68 big league frames.
  • One more from Eddy, who adds that the Reds traded outfielder Pin-Chieh Chen to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. The 24-year-old Chen, signed by the Cubs as a free agent out of Taiwan prior to the 2010 season, has climbed as high as Double-A in the minors, spending parts of four seasons at that level and compiling a .236/.344/.327 batting line there. Baseball America rated him as Chicago’s No. 31 prospect prior to the 2012 season but didn’t rise higher than that on their prospect rankings.

Big-Name Rumors: Chicago, Braun, Angels, Orioles, Lincecum

By | at

The latest rumblings on a slew of established players who could change uniforms in the coming months:

  • The White Sox have $13MM to spend as a result of Adam LaRoche’s March retirement and are in need of another left-handed bat, which means they’re a potential fit for outfielders Jay Bruce, Brett Gardner, Carlos Gonzalez, Seth Smith and Nick Markakis, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Angels could also be in on those players, per Cafardo. It’s difficult to imagine a pitching-devoid team with a barren farm system dealing assets for an outfielder, however, especially considering the respective price tags those five players carry. The least expensive player of the group is Smith, who is making $6.75MM this season and has a $7MM club option for 2017, but he’s a solid part of a first-place Seattle team that’s trying to break a 14-year playoff drought and fend off the Angels, among others, in the AL West.
  • Like their crosstown rivals, the Cubs could also pursue Bruce, Gonzalez and Markakis, in addition to Ryan Braun and Josh Reddick, reports ESPN’s Jim Bowden. The 23-6 Cubs don’t look like a team in need of a major acquisition, though they did lose a highly useful outfield cog early in the season when Kyle Schwarber suffered a catastrophic knee injury. In Schwarber’s absence, the depth-laden Cubs have divvied up left field playing time among star third baseman Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Matt Szczur.
  • Orioles general manager Dan Duquette told Bowden on MLB Network Radio that the team is monitoring the Tim Lincecum market, but he expects the two-time Cy Young Award winner to sign somewhere west of the Mississippi (Twitter links).

Orioles Designate Scott McGough For Assignment

By | at

The Orioles have announced that they’ve designated righty Scott McGough for assignment. The move clears space for infielder Paul Janish, who the Orioles have added to their roster to provide Manny Machado with a bit of shortstop help for their doubleheader against the Athletics today. The O’s also optioned lefty T.J. McFarland to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles claimed McGough from the Marlins last month, then sent him to Norfolk, where he struggled in six appearances. For the season, McGough has allowed 12 runs and six walks while striking out seven over 8 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old made six relief appearances for the Marlins last season.

AL East Notes: Gallardo, Sandoval, Swisher, Sowers

By | at

Orioles right-hander Yovani Gallardo tells reporters, including Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), that there’s still no timetable for him to begin throwing. However, the 30-year-old did somewhat vaguely say he believes his return to throwing to be just “around the corner.” Gallardo hit the disabled list back on April 23 due to shoulder tendinitis and was originally projected to miss around four weeks. It’s been nearly two weeks since that time, though, so it’s looking like he may miss that window by a bit, as one has to figure that he’ll require a minor league rehab assignment after not throwing for several weeks. Gallardo agreed to a three-year deal with the Orioles this winter but saw that reduced to a two-year, $22MM pact over concerns with the same shoulder that now has him on the disabled list.

  • Red Sox chairman Tom Werner elaborated on the lack of insurance on Pablo Sandoval’s contract earlier this week in an appearance on WEEI’s Ordway, Merloni and Fauria show, writes Rob Bradford. Werner said that the decisions to take out insurance policies on contracts are made on a case-by-case basis and that while the club does have insurance on some contracts, Sandoval’s five-year, $95MM deal isn’t one of them. “The fact is this guy played in 157 games with the Giants the year before we signed a deal with him, and that doesn’t include postseason,” said Werner. “…You know there is wear and tear. You could look at an MRI on 80 percent of players and there would be something that you would notice. … We don’t know what happened. I’m going to surmise that he did something this year that injured it because he woke up one day and he couldn’t lift his arm above his stomach. He’s not saying at the moment.”
  • Nick Swisher is off to a solid start with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, batting .299/.324/.463 with three homers in 71 plate appearances, but the 34-year-old is having some difficulty running, one evaluator told the New York Post’s George A. King III. The person to whom King spoke described Swisher’s running as “hard to look at,” which is perhaps unsurprising for a player of his age coming off multiple knee surgeries. Nonetheless, the limited mobility likely restricts Swisher to first base, King writes, so the likeliest means by which Swisher could be recalled would be in the event of an injury to Mark Teixeira, although even than New York could turn to Dustin Ackley, King notes.
  • Fangraphs’ David Laurila interviews former MLB left-hander Jeremy Sowers, who is now working for the Rays after obtaining an MBA from the University of North Carloina. Sowers discusses the end of his career, his transition to the other side of the game, his future in front offices and the openness he has to data and analytics as a new way of looking at pitching in an excellent Q&A with Laurila. “After about two weeks with the Rays, and hearing some of the information they could bring to me, I kind of began wishing I had approached pitching differently,” said Sowers of the Rays’ use of data and analytics. “…It was just another way of thinking about first-pitch strikes, or trusting my breaking ball, or understanding sink versus carry. It’s all stuff you could think about in 2009, but not in the same way we can look at it now. … I’m not going to look at data and say that it is, for lack of a better word, ‘crap.’ I’m going to try to understand what it means.” The entire interview is well worth a read.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top