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Quick Hits: Mariners, Rizzo, Gonzalez, Orioles

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On this date in 1997, the Reds called Aaron Boone up and sent his brother, Bret, to the minors. Bret would emerge as a power threat the following year and average 26 homers per season for the next seven years. Aaron put together a solid 12-year career that featured an All-Star Game berth and one of the most memorable home runs in Yankees history. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner runs through some possible left field targets for the Mariners, including Ryan Ludwick and Luke Scott.
  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he doesn't want 21-year-old first baseman Anthony Rizzo to try to replace Adrian Gonzalez, the man he was traded for last winter. "Adrian Gonzalez at 21 years old was toiling in Triple-A," Hoyer said. "It took Adrian a number of years before he really established himself as a Major League player."
  • Hoyer says he's not surprised that Gonzalez has turned in a "monster" season for the Red Sox so far. Unfortunately for the Padres, they couldn't afford him long-term.
  • The Orioles have agreed to terms with third round right-hander Mike Wright, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The MLBPA Alumni Association is working on a program that will transition players to jobs beyond the playing field, according to Evan Drellich of MLB.com. Most Major Leaguers retire without millions of dollars saved up, so the program will be important for players like veteran minor leaguer Andy Tracy, who expects to retire after the season.

Reds Eyeing Starting Pitching

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The Reds are searching for starting pitchers that they could acquire between now and the end of July, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.com (Twitter links). Cincinnati has interest in Jeremy Guthrie, according to Knobler (though many teams likely have interest in the Orioles’ righty, who has a 3.56 ERA through 91 innings).

The Reds' current rotation consists of Bronson Arroyo, Mike Leake, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez and Travis Wood. However, Arroyo has been hittable and Volquez is walking 5.9 batters per nine innings. Homer Bailey is on the disabled list along with Sam LeCure and Matt Maloney, two occasional starters for Dusty Baker, so internal help could be on the way.

Guthrie figured prominently into Tim Dierkes' list of potentially available starters earlier in the month.

Orioles Designate Jeremy Accardo For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated Jeremy Accardo for assignment, reports MLB.com Britt Ghiroli (on Twitter). The move frees up a roster spot for infielder Blake Davis, who was recalled from Triple-A.

Accardo, 29, signed a one-year deal worth $1.08MM this offseason, though Baltimore could have controlled him as an arbitration-eligible player in 2012. He came into today with a 4.50 ERA but nearly as many walks (15) as strikeouts (20) in 32 innings. The three runs Accardo gave up in just one-third of an inning tonight appear to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Miller, Maybin, Bedard

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Congratulations to the Boston Bruins on winning their first Stanley Cup since 1972.  This year's major sports champions have now come from Boston, the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Wisconsin.  All three of those regions could be gunning for their second championship parade of the year come November — the Red Sox, Rangers and Brewers are all in first place in their respective divisions.

Some news and items from around the majors….

  • The Orioles have a lot of pieces that can be moved this summer, writes Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.  He lists Koji Uehara and Jeremy Guthrie as possible trade candidates, but Schmuck predicts Vladimir Guerrero and Derrek Lee will finish the season in Baltimore since "neither…has done enough to create real value for the club."  Schmuck also notes that Andy MacPhail may not pursue a full fire sale since finishing with a .500 record would be a positive step for a team that hasn't had a winning record since 1997.
  • Andrew Miller has indeed opted to remain with the Red Sox and he will start for the team against San Diego on Monday, reports Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.
  • David Villavicencio of FOX Sports Florida has the story of Marlins first-round pick Jose Fernandez, who escaped to the United States from his native Cuba on his fourth attempt.  Florida took the right-hander with the 14th overall pick and though Fernandez has committed to the University of South Florida, the story makes it sound as if he's eager to sign.
  • Erik Bedard still carries too much risk for the Yankees to make a play for at the trade deadline, argues Mike Axisa of the River Avenue Blues blog.  Also, as Axisa notes, the Mariners aren't likely to deal the Canadian southpaw since they're contending in the AL West.
  • "China, as well as India, Taiwan, and South Korea, represents one of the next great market inefficiencies," writes Bradley Woodrum for Fangraphs.  A team that establishes a foothold in East Asia will have first dibs on a huge, untapped area for finding future baseball talent.

Quick Hits: Connor, Andrew Miller, Tigers

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A second pitching coach change occurred today, as Mark Connor resigned from the Orioles post for personal reasons.  Rick Adair will take his place.  Today's links…

AL West Notes: Weaver, Davis, Anderson, Ellis

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As the Angels and Mariners begin a three-game series at Safeco Field tonight, let's look at some items concerning those clubs and their other two division rivals….

  • Could the Angels considering moving Jered Weaver this summer?  FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal looks at what might happen if the Halos fall out of contention, with a Weaver deal being the biggest possible move the club could make to rebuild.  I looked at Weaver as both a trade and an extension candidate last April.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan looks at some reader suggestions about what the Rangers might do before the trade deadline.  Sullivan speculates that the Orioles could be a good trade partner for the Rangers — Texas wants right-handed relivers (like Jim Johnson or Koji Uehara) and Baltimore could use a first baseman for the future like Chris Davis.
  • Athletics southpaw Brett Anderson will not need Tommy John surgery, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.  (Twitter link)  Dr. James Andrews instead recommended six weeks of rehabilition for Anderson, and the two will meet again in three weeks for a re-evaluation.
  • Also from Buster Olney, (via Twitter), the Athletics could find a suitor for Mark Ellis without leaving the Bay Area.  The Giants need second base help with Freddy Sanchez possibly out for the season, while the A's might prefer to give playing time at second base to Jemile Weeks or Scott Sizemore.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes listed Ellis as a possible trade candidate in his examination of what the A's might do if they become sellers.  Of note: Ellis does have no-trade protection in his contract, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts.
  • The three-team deal between the Mariners, Indians and Mets in December 2008 has proven to be a boon for the M's, writes Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.

Rosenthal On Reyes, Hardy, Blue Jays, Padres

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As always, good reading from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • The Mets would listen to an offer for shortstop Jose Reyes if the suitor "bowled them over," according to Rosenthal's source, but they're not currently looking to trade him.  Rosenthal says the Mets "might be growing more flexible" as to what they're willing to offer Reyes for an extension.  The team initially hoped for three years and $45-50MM, which they now realize isn't happening.  I can see Reyes getting a Jayson Werth-type contract on the open market, but 60% of the Mets' season remains. 
  • ESPN's Adam Rubin discussed the Reyes topic recently, writing "it now appears highly likely the Mets will keep Reyes at the trading deadline, take their chances trying to re-sign him as a free agent next offseason, then take the draft picks if he ends up elsewhere."
  • Rosenthal says the Orioles want to discuss an extension with shortstop J.J. Hardy before season's end, and The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec quotes Andy MacPhail on his aim to start talks before the All-Star break.  The 28-year-old Hardy, who is hitting .287/.363/.473 on the season in 147 plate appearances, would be a nice two-year bridge to top prospect Manny Machado.  Of course, Hardy's agent at LSW Baseball knows that his client could get more than two years on the open market if his client remains healthy and keeps hitting.  If the O's do extend Hardy before July 31st, it will strengthen Sandy Alderson's position if he decides to move Reyes.
  • Rosenthal believes the Blue Jays and Padres, both enduring losing streaks, will soon have to put aside notions of contending.

Quick Hits: Guthrie, Giants, Brewers, Realignment

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Here are a few stray items of note as Mike Moustakas bashes the first homer of his career for the Royals:

Quick Hits: Pirates, Cabrera, Realignment, Oeltjen

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Links for Saturday, as a pair of offseason headliners (Cliff Lee and Matt Garza) prepare to face off in Philadelphia this afternoon…

  • The Pirates have been asking around for a catcher but have found that the asking prices are high as clubs want to take advantage of their situation, tweets Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.  Pittsburgh is in a bind with Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder on the disabled list.
  • As the Giants look for infield help, ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter) says that Orlando Cabrera is a name to keep an eye on.  The veteran just lost his everyday job in Cleveland and the Giants were close to inking him over the winter.
  • After the Orioles tabbed Dylan Bundy with the fourth overall pick in the draft, Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun takes a look at Adam Loewen, the No. 4 pick that got away.
  • Major League Baseball and the players' association have discussed doing away with divisions altogether and balancing out the leagues to 15 teams each, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.  The new structure would have teams vying for five playoff spots in each league.  The odds of this happening, however, are still less than 50-50, according to one source.
  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times says that Trent Oeltjen could have become a free agent if the Dodgers didn't add him to the Major League roster by June 15th (Twitter link). Oeltjen was called up two days ago.
  • In a piece for ESPN, Jim Bowden wrote about how GM's prepare to make trades, a process that usually begins with low-ball offers being exchanged.
  • The writers at FanGraphs conducted a franchise player draft, selecting a player they would build a team around. Evan Longoria and Troy Tulowitzki were the first two off the board.
  • The Royals have signed 16 draft picks according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. The highest signed pick was ninth rounder Aaron Brooks.

2012 Vesting Options Update

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Now that the calendar has flipped to June, let's check in on the status of the various vesting options around the league…

  • Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu has already come to the plate 276 times this year, so this one seems life a safe bet to vest, barring injury.
  • Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Furcal is back on the disabled list with an oblique strain, and he's still a month away from returning. He has only 69 plate appearances this year, so this one won't vest.
  • Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. Garland has been on the disabled list twice this year (the first two times of his career), and he's currently out with a sore shoulder. He only has 54 innings to his credit and won't be back anytime soon, so this one won't vest.
  • Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the year. K-Rod has already finished 25 games, putting him on pace for 65 at season's end. A trade to a team that would use him as a set-up man would change everything, but right now the option figures to vest.
  • Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 26 games and finished 11, putting him on pace for 69 and 29, respectively.
  • Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. He's appeared in 20 games so far, putting him on pace for 50. Rhodes' workload could increase down the stretch.
  • Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. He's already appeared in 28 games and is on pace for 71. It's worth noting that even if the option doesn't vest, the Royals would still control Soria as an arbitration-eligible player in 2012.
  • Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 17 games so far, so a stint on the disabled list did not help his cause.

Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.

Mark Buehrle is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2011 season and although he doesn't have a traditional option in his contract, he gets an extra year at $15MM tacked onto his current deal if he's traded at some point this season.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

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