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Quick Hits: Willis, Pudge, Lopez, Alvarez

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As if the Phillies didn't already have enough stars on the disabled list, Hunter Pence missed Monday's game due to a shoulder injury suffered diving for a ball Sunday against the Padres.  The extent of the injury is yet unknown and Pence is considered day-to-day for the time being.

Some news from Monday in the Major Leagues…

  • Dontrelle Willis talks to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko about the situation that resulted in Willis being placed on the Orioles' restricted list.  Willis is "almost dumbfounded" by how things unfolded, as he thought he and the O's had agreed to part ways since he was injured and not adjusting well to relief pitching.  "I don't understand what's really going on. I don't know if there's been a miscommunication there," Willis said. "Not with me. I talked to my agent and we talked about it, I talked to the proper representation, I talked to Dan [Duquette] personally….It was face-to-face. I don't know what's going on. And now if I want to sign with another team, I can't."
  • Kubatko hears that Willis has drawn interest from a team in South Korea and a team in Japan, but Matt Sosnick, Willis' agent, denies that his client has received any offers.
  • The Marlins' signing of Ivan Rodriguez in 2003 was "money well spent," team president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.  Beinfest doesn't regret any of the moves the club made that season (even trading then-prospect Adrian Gonzalez for Ugueth Urbina) because it led to a championship. "You always hate to trade away a talent like Adrian Gonzalez. But you make it every day if you're going to win the World Series," Beinfest said.
    Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/fish_bytes/2012/04/quick-reflection-on-pudge.html#storylink=cpy
  • Cubs manager Dale Sveum hopes Rodrigo Lopez will clear waivers and remain with the organization, reports ESPN Chicago's Doug Padilla.  The right-hander was designated for assignment earlier today as the Cubs added Michael Bowden to the roster.
  • Pedro Alvarez's struggles inspired a discussion of the greatest draft busts in history in this mailbag piece from Baseball America's Jim Callis.  Alvarez, taken by the Pirates with the second overall pick of the 2008 draft, could be "the biggest waste of hitting talent in draft history" unless he turns himself around, Callis writes.
  • Twins President Dave St. Peter told Jim Memolo and Jeff Nelson on MLB Network Radio that his team needs to pitch better to recover from its 5-11 start. St. Peter suggested the Twins could move Francisco Liriano to the bullpen temporarily. “He’s an asset for this franchise and we need to get him back into a situation where he can go deep into ballgames,” St Peter said. The 28-year-old lefty faces a make or break year and it was announced today that Liriano would skip his next start and not pitch until May 1.

Adam Jones Talks Contract, Future With Orioles

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Adam Jones said he hasn't heard from his representatives about any new contract extension proposals from the Orioles but isn't concerned by a lack of such talks, he tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Jones also isn't bothered by the other long-term deals being signed by young stars around baseball.

"You see it every day if you watch sports. You hear this guy signed, that guy signed. But that's a personal thing. That's an organizational call," said Jones. "It's not like the player can go up to the team and say, 'Hey, want to sign me?' I think it is an organizational call. If the organization wants you to be part of their future, they make that call.

"My side hasn't come to me, knocking down my phone, calling me, texting me. So that means nothing's in the works. Honestly, I've told my representatives to only hit me up if something is significant, because I am playing. The season has started."

Dan Duquette, the Orioles executive VP of baseball operations, said he visited with Nez Balelo, Jones' agent, during the club's recent road trip in Los Angeles. Nothing substantial appears to have been discussed, as Duquette said he met with both Balelo and several other agents simply to "keep a dialogue going" in regards to a number of different players.  Duquette reiterated that he doesn't like to negotiate contracts during the season, believing it to be a distraction.

Last August, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes projected a Jones extension could fall in the range of four years and $40MM, though that would've entailed Jones and the O's agreeing to an extension that covered the 2012 season. Jones and the Orioles agreed to a one-year, $6.15MM deal for 2012 (Jones' second arbitration-eligible season) and tabled the extension talks, leaving Jones with one more arb-eligible year before hitting free agency after the 2013 campaign. 

Through 16 games, Jones is on pace for his best offensive season (a .955 OPS in 69 plate appearances) and could significantly boost his asking price.  Connolly thinks a Jones extension could be for six years and at least $75MM, making it the most expensive contract in Orioles team history.  That type of so-called "franchise player" deal may be too much for Jones, in the opinion of one anonymous scout from another team.

"I like him a lot. He's a very good player. But will he be a great player? I don't know. He's still young, so maybe," said the scout. "But if you're going to give him franchise money, he has to be a great player. Someone will probably pay him like that regardless."

Jones said he enjoys playing in Baltimore, taking on extra responsibilities in the community as the team's only African-American player.  If he and the O's haven't agreed to an extension by April 2013, however, Jones says he will test the free agent market.

"If I'm in the same situation next year (without an extension), I am going into my free-agent year. It would be hard to give up that right," Jones said.

Minor Moves: Rivera, Miller, Wolf, Thurston

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Keeping track of the day's minor moves…

  • The Red Sox signed catcher Mike Rivera, according to the Long Island Ducks' official website.  Rivera had been playing with the independent team after being released by the Brewers during Spring Training.  The 35-year-old catcher has 605 plate appearances over nine Major League seasons, mostly with Milwaukee.
  • The Rangers released Justin Miller, Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest tweets. The right-hander has a partial tear of his right UCL.
  • The Orioles released right-hander Ross Wolf, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets. Wolf, 29, posted a 4.76 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 73 2/3 innings of relief for Houston's top affiliate last year. 
  • The Phillies released Joe Thurston, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Thurston signed with the Phillies last month after the Astros released him late in Spring Training. The 32-year-old has a .226/.305/.323 line in 384 MLB plate appearances with the Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Cardinals and Marlins. He has appeared in one MLB game since 2009.

Orioles To Sign Bill Hall

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The Orioles will sign utility player Bill Hall to a minor league deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Hall will replace Josh Bell at Triple-A, according to Rosenthal.

Hall had signed a minor league deal with the Yankees in February, but elected free agency earlier this month. The 32-year-old played for the Astros and Giants in 2011, posting a .211/.261/.314 line in 199 plate appearances. He played second base and left field last year, but has MLB experience at a wide array of other positions.

Latest On Orioles, Dontrelle Willis

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Dontrelle Willis is on the restricted list following a difference of opinion on the left-hander's role in the Orioles' minor league system. Willis left Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate over the weekend, believing he had been released when he had actually been placed on the restricted list.

"My understanding is that the Orioles people involved in telling Dontrelle he could have his release reiterated that commitment to Dan Duquette," Agent Matt Sosnick told MLBTR's Tim Dierkes. "Yet Duquette refused to honor that and instead put Dontrelle on the restricted list.  We ended up reading about him being put on the restricted list in the news.  It's the craziest thing.  Our expectation is that Dontrelle will be removed from the restricted list today."

Willis left the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate without permission, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported today. Duquette, Baltimore's executive VP of baseball operations, confirmed to Heyman that the sides had a difference of opinion on whether Willis should start or pitch out of the bullpen. Duquette hopes Willis will return and believes he can be an effective reliever, Heyman reports.

Minor Moves: Negrych, Haughian

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We'll keep track of the minor transactions around the league this Sunday in this post…

  • The Nationals have signed infielder Jim Negrych to a minor league contract, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has appeared primarily at second and third base in the minors, but didn't reach Triple-A until he was 25 years old in 2010. A sixth round pick by Pittsburgh in 2006, Negrych is a career .302/.377/.402 hitter in six minor league seasons.
  • Orioles minor league lefty Nicholas Haughian asked for his release and was granted it, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports. The 25-year-old Haughian was Baltimore's ninth round pick in 2008, but has yet to advance past High-A Frederick. He has a career 3.76 ERA, 7.1 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9.

Diamondbacks Acquire Josh Bell From O’s

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The Diamondbacks have acquired infielder Josh Bell from the Orioles, a source tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), and Arizona announced that Baltimore will receive a player to be named. The Orioles designated Bell for assignment earlier in the week.

Baltimore acquired Bell, 25, from the Dodgers shortly before the non-waiver trade deadline in 2009, in the deal that sent left-handed reliever George Sherrill to Los Angeles. Bell was a well-regarded prospect then but played poorly in two stints with the O's in 2010 and '11, hitting .200/.221/.264 in 226 Major League plate appearances.

Arizona was one of four teams interested in acquiring the 2005 fourth-round draft pick, according to Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com, who adds that the Dodgers were in the mix, as well (Twitter links). Bell will be assigned to Triple-A Reno, Ghiroli writes.

Quick Hits: Glass, Bell, Bumgarner

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The 1909 T-206 Honus Wagner baseball card continues to be the hottest item in the memorabilia market, as one of the rare cards was sold today for $1.2MM in an online auction.  Here's some news from around the majors as we head into the weekend…

Minor Moves: Pettit, Hester, Miner

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We'll keep track of the day's minor (and Miner) moves right here…

  • The Mariners have signed outfielder Chris Pettit to a minor league deal, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnicktweets. Pettit, who has MLB experience with the Angels, was released by the Dodgers at the end of Spring Training.
  • The Orioles released minor league catcher John Hester, Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com tweets. Baltimore’s Norfolk affiliate let Hester go to create roster space for the recently claimed Luis Exposito.
  • The Tigers have acquired right-hander Zach Miner from the Royals, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets. The Royals confirmed the deal, noting that they'll obtain cash for Miner (Twitter link). The 30-year-old pitched in the Royals' minor league system last year after pitching for the Tigers from 2006-09. Miner has a 4.24 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 as a big leaguer, but posted a 5.26 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 as a minor leaguer in 2011.

Stark On Nationals, Trumbo, Abreu, Orioles

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Earlier today, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported that MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to stop including personal services deals and milestone bonus clauses in player contracts. He offers some reaction and detail in today’s column to go along with more rumors from around the league. Here are the highlights:

  • One prominent agent says the aforementioned changes more make it more difficult to add dollars to contracts without counting them against the luxury tax.
  • The Nationals still want to move John Lannan, but his slow start at Triple-A (7.50 ERA in three starts) is limiting his trade value.
  • The Nationals aren’t trying to trade Roger Bernadina, Stark reports. Right now Washington is thin on outfield depth, so they’re probably not in a position to trade outfielders away.
  • Some teams wonder if the Angels should shop Mark Trumbo for a controllable reliever. There’s no indication the Angels are looking to trade Trumbo, but they’re “trying feverishly” to move Bobby Abreu, Stark reports.
  • Scouts say the Orioles would “do anything” to trade third baseman Mark Reynolds and right-handed reliever Kevin Gregg.
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