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AL East Links: Hall, Zduriencik, Robertson

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Four of the six best AL teams by winning percentage (and run differential) reside in the AL East at the moment. Here's the latest from what again appears to be the toughest division in baseball…

  • Utility man Bill Hall tweeted that he has been called up by the Orioles. He signed a minor league contract with Baltimore last month, and the team will need to clear both a 25-man and 40-man roster spot for him.
  • "I feel very bad for the Yankees," said Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik to Ken Davidoff of The New York Post when asked about the Jesus Montero–Michael Pineda trade. Pineda is out for the season with a torn labrum and Montero homered against his former team last night. “I don’t think you enter a deal thinking that you’re going to win a deal," he added. "I think what you do is, you have common sense and respect for all parties involved and say, ‘I hope this helps all organizations.’"
  • David Robertson's route to the Yankees started with a letter from a high school coach to George Steinbrenner about a minor league utility infielder more than a decade ago, according to the AP. Robertson is currently closing for New York following Mariano Rivera's season-ending knee injury.

Orioles Designate Zelous Wheeler For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated infielder Zelous Wheeler for assignment, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).  The O's placed right-hander Matt Lindstrom on the disabled list to make room on the 25-man roster for pitcher Dana Eveland and DFA'd Wheeler to make space on the 40-man.

Wheeler, 25, split time between Double-A and Triple-A this season and hit just .202/.288/.283 in 27 games.  For his minor league career, Wheeler owns a .268/.367/.402 slash line with most of his time coming at the Double-A level.

AL East Notes: Reynolds, Keppinger, Rivera

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Joe DiMaggio hit the first of his 361 career home runs against the Athletics on this date in 1936. The present-day Yankees and C.C. Sabathia host David Price and the Rays tonight in New York. Here are some AL East-related links in the meantime…

Quick Hits: Rivera, Orioles, Peavy

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Mariano Rivera told reporters that he still has "love and passion for the game" and wants to play next year, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. Rivera’s out for the season after tearing his ACL and his contract with the Yankees expires this winter. Here are more links from around MLB… 

  • For the Orioles to win fans back to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, they’ll have to win, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The success of the NFL's Ravens and the nearby Nationals hasn't made it any easier for the Orioles to draw large crowds.
  • Matt Wieters of the Orioles is emerging as one of the game's best catchers, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick writes. The 25-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the first time following the 2012 season and he's under team control through 2015.
  • White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he realizes he could be traded this summer (Twitter link). “If that comes about, I’ll welcome that and do what I’m asked to do,” he said. “But I’d love to be in Chicago.” Peavy may become a midseason trade candidate, as Mike Axisa explained earlier this season.

Orioles Sign Miguel Tejada

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The Orioles have signed Miguel Tejada to a minor league contract, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The SFX client served as the designated hitter in an Extended Spring Training game today.

Tejada, 37, contacted the Orioles about rejoining the team and they agreed to give him a look. He passed a physical yesterday and will remain in Extended Spring Training to work out. Tejada hit just .239/.270/.326 in 343 plate appearances with the Giants last season before being released in September. He spent 2004-2007 and the first half of 2010 with Baltimore, hitting .305/.354/.481 overall.

Quick Hits: Lee, Brewers, Moyer, Bonderman

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Giants reliever Guillermo Mota is appealing his 100-game suspension due to a positive drug test, reports Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.  In a statement issued through Adam Katz, Mota's agent, the right-hander claims that children's cough medicine was responsible for the banned substance (clenbuterol) that was found in his system.  Since this is his second drug-related suspension, Mota will not be allowed to continue playing while waiting for an appeal.

Here's the latest from around the majors….

  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Trenni Kusnierek of WTMJ 620 radio in Milwaukee that the team "had a discussion" with free agent first baseman Derrek Lee but a signing is "not going to happen."  The team will look internally to fill its hole at first base with Mat Gamel out for the season.
  • Melvin also said that the Brewers have the financial resources and farm system depth to make trades if necessary, though the club will wait until about a week before the July trade deadline before deciding if any moves need to be made.  Melvin predicts less deadline activity in general around baseball this year due to both the Cardinals' late-season hot streak last year and the extra wild card that will have more teams unwilling to give up on their season.
  • Jamie Moyer thought he had a deal worked out with the Orioles last fall but Dan Duquette's hiring scuttled the move, reports Caleb Hannan of the Denver News.  "They said one thing one day and by the next it was completely different," Moyer said. "They pulled a complete 180."  One of the reasons may have been due to an incident between Moyer and Duquette in 1996 when both men were with the Red Sox. 
  • Jeremy Bonderman tells Chris Iott of MLive.com that he was "burnt out" and didn't expect to return to baseball when he sat out the 2011 season but he's now eager to pitch again.  Bonderman underwent Tommy John surgery last month and is hoping to catch on with a team in 2013.
  • Teams that write off several seasons in the name of a long rebuilding process run the risk of permanently alienating their fans, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.

Orioles Close To Deal With Miguel Tejada

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MONDAY: Tejada passed his physical and is expected to sign his minor league deal with the O's tomorrow, reports Roch Kubato of MASNsports.com (Twitter link).

FRIDAY: The Orioles are close to a deal with Miguel Tejada, reports Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com (Twitter links). GM Dan Duquette told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that they'll watch Tejada work out at the team's complex in Florida on Monday before officially signing him (Twitter link).

"We've got to take a look at him first," said the GM.

Tejada, 37, hit just .239/.270/.326 in 343 plate appearances with the Giants last season before being released in September. The SFX client spent 2004-2007 and the first half of 2010 with Baltimore, hitting .305/.354/.481 overall. Tejada could provide some third base depth is Mark Reynolds continues to struggle.

AL East Notes: Rays, Pauley, Encarnacion, Wada

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Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • The Rays' success with low-budget acquisitions stands out in contrast to other teams' lack of return on expensive free agents, writes Gary Shelton of the Tampa Bay Times.  The Rays had a modest offseason and have baseball's second-best record, while Shelton notes the Marlins have only a .500 record after spending big last winter.
  • Rays ownership's patience with the Andrew Friedman/Matt Silverman/Joe Maddon management team is a big reason why Tampa Bay has become a consistent contender, writes MLB.com's Bill Chastain.
  • The Blue Jays offered David Pauley a minor league contract in March, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.  Pauley decided to sign with the Angels instead since "there was an opportunity to come and play" in Los Angeles.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos "deserves a lot of credit" for Edwin Encarnacion's success in 2012, manager John Farrell tells MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.  "[Anthopoulos] is the one that has talked about him repeatedly, and consistently, with the belief that there is an above-average offensive player in there," Farrell said.
  • Tsuyoshi Wada has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list, the Orioles announced today.  The move creates space on the 40-man roster for right-hander Stu Pomeranz (brother of Rockies' hurler Drew Pomeranz), who had his contract selected from Triple-A.  Wada is set to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the 2012 season.
  • Fangraphs' Matt Klaassen looks at J.J. Hardy as "an excellent trade chip," though the Orioles' decision to move Hardy or any other veterans has been impacted by the club's surprising rise to the top of the standings.
  • The Yankees might be wise to retain impending free agent Nick Swisher, opines Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog, though signing him could be difficult given the Yankees' plan to fit their payroll under the luxury tax threshold by 2014. 
  • For more on the Bronx Bombers, check out this collection of Yankees notes compiled earlier today by MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith.

East Links: Tejada, Orioles, Rizzo, Yankees, Jays

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On this date in 2000, the Yankees signed Chien-Ming Wang as a 20-year-old amateur out of Taiwan for $1.9MM. The sinkerballer pitched to a 4.16 ERA in parts of five years with New York before hurting his shoulder and being non-tendered after the 2009 season. Here's the latest from baseball's two East divisions…

Orioles Release Luis Lebron

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Let's keep track of the day's minor moves right here…

  • The Orioles have released right-hander Luis Lebron, reports Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com (on Twitter). Baseball America ranked the 27-year-old as Baltimore's 21st best prospect prior to last season. Lebron owns a gaudy 13.3 K/9 in 205 1/3 minor league innings, though his 7.0 BB/9 and 5.13 ERA leave a lot to be desired. He had Tommy John surgery in 2010 and has struggled since.
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