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Minor Moves: Lew Ford, Henry Sosa

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The latest minor moves from around MLB…

  • The Orioles signed outfielder Lew Ford to a minor league deal, according to their Triple-A affiliate (via Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com on Twitter). The 35-year-old last appeared in the Major Leagues in 2007, but he picked up MVP votes after posting an .827 OPS with the 2004 Twins.
  • The Astros have sold the rights of right-hander Henry Sosa to the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization, Alyson Footer of the Astros tweets. Sosa, 26, started ten games for the Astros last year, posting a 5.23 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings. He had been starting for Houston's Triple-A affiliate this season.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Brad Bergesen

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Let’s keep track of the day’s outright assignments right here…

Quick Hits: Reds, Youkilis, Angels, Beltran, Orioles

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Links from around baseball as Wednesday becomes Thursday..

  • The Reds are not seeking outside help at third base with Scott Rolen on the disabled list, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Inquirer.  General Manager Walt Jocketty also said that he hasn't had discussions with the Red Sox, shooting down any speculation that the club might have interest in Kevin Youkilis.
  • Angels manager Mike Scioscia wouldn't go into much detail about the firing of hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, but it clearly wasn't his choice, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.  "Obviously the GM’s position is to try to make changes, whether it’s personnel or staffing, that he believes is going to help us [get] better, and we have to respect that," said the skipper.
  • Carlos Beltran didn't feel that the Giants made a strong effort to re-sign him last season even though the club knew that he liked playing in San Francisco, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links).  However, the team did talk with agent Dan Lozano in generalities, Schulman tweets.
  • Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun hopes that the Orioles will spend the money necessary to keep Matt Wieters and Adam Jones in the fold despite the team's bad luck with hefty contracts in the past.
  • In a piece for Deadspin, Craig Fehrman gives an inside look at the Atlantic League's Bridgeport Bluefish.

AL East Notes: Bergesen, Wakefield, Youkilis

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The injury bug continues to bite notable AL East players.  The Yankees put closer David Robertson on the 15-day DL with a strained left oblique, while Rays starter Jeff Niemann will miss the next 4-6 weeks after suffering a broken fibula during last night's game in Toronto.  Rafael Soriano will take over as New York's new closer while the Rays will call up either Alex Cobb or Chris Archer to take Niemann's spot in the rotation.

Here's some other news from around the division…

  • The Orioles haven't put Brad Bergesen on waivers since they're still trying to trade the right-hander, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  The O's designated Bergesen for assignment on Saturday.
  • "The fire to compete is still there," Tim Wakefield tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link), but while retirement is "difficult," the knuckleballer said he's enjoying spending time with his family.  The Red Sox honored Wakefield with a pregame ceremony before their 5-0 win over the Mariners this afternoon at Fenway Park.
  • David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News speculates about a Kevin Youkilis-for-Joe Blanton trade between the Red Sox and Phillies.  I don't see the Red Sox making that deal, as I'm not sure Blanton could replicate his current good form in the AL East, nor is he necessarily even a clear upgrade over any of Boston's current rotation.

Latest On Orioles, Dontrelle Willis

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May 15th: The Orioles removed Willis from the restricted list and assigned him to Class A, the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate announced (Twitter link).

May 9th: Willis has agreed to drop his grievance, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports. The Orioles will allow him to start in the minor leagues once he builds up arm strength at extended Spring Training.

April 24th: Left-hander Dontrelle Willis will file a grievance against the Orioles following the club's decision to place him on the restricted list, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports. Willis recently left the Orioles' Triple-A team after a disagreement about his role in the organization.

Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette told CBSSports.com yesterday that Willis left Triple-A Norfolk without permission, but the pitcher's agent, Matt Sosnick, says Willis did obtain permission from the Orioles to leave. Willis can't sign with another club while on the restricted list, so Willis and Sosnick are frustrated.

"We're talking about a minor league player that Baltimore has relatively no financial investment in whatsoever," Sosnick told Crasnick. "It's the dumbest thing ever and a waste of everybody's time. Dan [Duquette] has had a thousand chances to ratchet this down a notch, and all he's done is ratchet it up."

Duquette told Jon Heyman yesterday that he hopes Willis will return and pitch effectively out of the bullpen. However, it sounds as though Willis would prefer to move on.

Minor Moves: Johnson, Mahay, Thurston, Bates, Garko

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Tonight's minor moves..

  • The Rockies signed former Cardinals left-hander Tyler Johnson to a minor league deal, according to the CBSSports.com transactions page.  Johnson, who won a ring with the Cards in 2006, has been out of affiliated baseball since 2009.
  • The Reds released left-hander Ron Mahay, according to the International League transactions page.  The 40-year-old signed a minor league deal with the club in January and appeared in 14 games for their Triple-A affiliate this season.  The veteran last pitched in the majors for the Twins in 2010 and was signed and released by the Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Cardinals in 2011.
  • The Twins have released infielder Joe Thurston and first baseman Aaron Bates, according to Dustin Morse of the Twins (via Twitter).  Thurston, 32, hooked on with Minnesota in late April after being cut by the Phillies.  Once considered a top asset in the Dodgers' farm system, Thurston has yet to see significant time in the majors outside of his 124 game 2009 campaign with the Cardinals.
  • The Rays signed former major-leaguer Ryan Garko to a minor league deal, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).  The first baseman spent time in Korea last year.
  • Orioles infielder Zelous Wheeler has cleared waivers and been assigned to Double-A Bowie.  Wheeler was DFA'd by Baltimore on Friday.

Orioles Designate Matt Antonelli For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated infielder Matt Antonelli for assignment, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).   The move made room on the 40-man roster for the O's to promote Xavier Avery from Triple-A Norfolk.

Antonelli, 27, hooked on with the O's in November and was hitting .204/.351/.280 in Norfolk.  Antonelli was taken with the 17th overall in the 2006 draft by the Padres and was thought to be in line for significant playing time at third base for Baltimore this year.

Quick Hits: Garza, Eveland, Wright, Beckett, Brewers

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Here's the latest from around the league as Saturday turns into Sunday…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.com (video link) says talks between the Cubs and Matt Garza about a potential contract extension are going "very well." Jeff Samardzija's emergence has the club excited about possibly having two power righties in the rotation long-term.
  • The Orioles are expected to designate Dana Eveland for assignment tomorrow, reports Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com (on Twitter). Eveland made a spot start earlier this week and the move would create room on the roster for outfield prospect Xavier Avery, who will be called up.
  • Adam Rubin of ESPN New York explains why the Mets must sign David Wright to a long-term extension. The team holds a $16MM club option for their third baseman for 2013 and he'll become a free agent after that season.
  • MLB.com's Mike Bauman says the Red Sox have not gotten what they've paid for out of Josh Beckett. The right-hander signed a four-year, $68MM contract early in 2010.
  • “Stable management with good leadership is what you look for in companies,” said Brewers owner Mark Attanasio to Tyler Kepner of The New York Times about his front office. GM Doug Melvin and manager Ron Roenicke recently received contract extensions.

Orioles Designate Brad Bergesen For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated Brad Bergesen for assignment, reports Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The move clears a 40-man roster spot for Bill Hall, who was called up from Triple-A.

Bergesen, 26, had pitched to a 5.13 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 for the team's Triple-A affiliate this season. He's made 59 starts and 24 relief appearances for the Orioles over the last three seasons and owns a 4.68 ERA in 394 1/3 career innings. Bergesen appears to be a candidate for a waiver claim given his age, flexibility, and the fact that he has a minor league option remaining.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Hamels, Jones, Bourjos, Padres

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has new Full Count video up, so let's dive in…

  • Rosenthal says it's interesting that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro declined comment after Nationals GM Mike Rizzo criticized Cole Hamels for intentionally hitting Bryce Harper. It may be an indication that the relationship between the club and the free agent-to-be left-hander is touchier than it has been in the past.
  • Hot starts by the Orioles and Adam Jones should reduce the chances that the center fielder is traded this summer and could create momentum for a long-term deal. Jones has emerged as a leader in the clubhouse and is a piece they could build around going forward, along with prospects Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado.
  • The Nationals have been trying to acquire Peter Bourjos since last offseason, but the Angels view the center fielder as a long-term asset and possible replacement for Torii Hunter. Hunter will become a free agent after the season, but that does not mean Bourjos is untouchable.
  • The Padres have Huston Street, Carlos Quentin, and four starting pitchers on the disabled list, and Rosenthal says they could infuse some young talent into the roster by trading some of their back-end starters. They need Tim Stauffer (elbow) to get healthy and for Clayton Richard (5.32) to pitch better first.
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