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Minor Moves: Eyre, Palmer

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The latest minor transactions from around MLB…

  • The Orioles have released right-hander Willie Eyre from Triple-A Norfolk, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports. The 33-year-old was drafted by Minnesota in the 23rd round in 1999 and has a 4.95 ERA across parts of four seasons with the Twins, Rangers, and Orioles. This season, he'd pitched to a 7.92 ERA in 25 innings for Norfolk.
  • The Padres outrighted right-hander Matt Palmer to Triple-A, Tucson, according to MLB.com’s transactions page. San Diego had designated Palmer for assignment last week in order to clear roster space for Huston Street. Palmer appeared in three games for the Padres after being called up from Tucson, where he had a 4.50 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 34 innings.

More Draft Signings: Reds, Angels, Twins, O’s

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We'll keep track of tonight's notable draft bonuses from the second round and later right here…

  • Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets that the Reds have signed third round pick Dan Langfield for the recommended slot value of $436,800. Callis writes that Langfield can get his fastball up to 97mph, but his slider may be an even better pitch.
  • The Reds have also signed second round pick Tanner Rahier for the No. 78 overall pick's full slot bonus of $649,700, according to Callis (Twitter link). Callis notes that the high school shortstop out of California has a "promising bat," and praises his instincts and energy.
  • R.J. Alvarez, the Angels third round selection who signed earlier today, received a bonus of $416,300, which was the recommendation for his slot, according to this tweet from Callis.
  • The Twins have signed third round pick Adam Brett Walker, tweets Callis. Walker, the 97th overall pick in the draft, was reported to be one of the most powerful college bats in the draft. The Jacksonville first baseman signed for full slot value — a total of $490,400.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNsports writes that the Orioles signed non-drafted University of Maryland right-hander Sander Beck. The O's drafted the local product in the 33rd round of the 2011 draft, but he returned to Maryland for his senior season. Melewski adds that Baltimore also signed 19th-rounder Josh Hader, a high school lefty and another product of Maryland.

Draft Signings: Orioles, Angels, Tigers

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Some significant signings from the second round and on…

  • Elliott Waterman, Washington’s 13th round selection, agreed to sign with the Nationals for $100K, MLBTR has learned.
  • The Orioles signed third round pick Adrian Marin for $481K, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (all Twitter links). That’s precisely the bonus MLB recommends for the 99th overall selection. Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich said "significant number" of picks have signed and are undergoing physicals, Connolly reports.
  • The Angels announced they have agreed to sign 11 draft picks, including four of their first five selections. Right-hander R.J. Alvarez, the club’s third round selection, is one of the players to agree to terms. All of the 11 players are "at or very close to" their slotted amounts, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports (on Twitter).
  • Right-hander Jake Thompson told James Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press that he expects to sign with the Tigers tomorrow. The Tigers selected the high schooler with the 91st overall selection last week.

Cafardo On Upton, Phillies, Red Sox, Mariners

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks the top ten managers in baseball.  Don Mattingly of the Dodgers tops the list as he has the club off to a surprising 38-22 record, putting them four games above the Giants in the NL West.  Robin Ventura (White Sox), Terry Collins (Mets), Bobby Valentine (Red Sox), and Buck Showalter (Orioles) round out the top five.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Only Kevin Towers knows for sure if the inconsistent Justin Upton could ever be available in a deal.  However, a few baseball evaluators wouldn’t mind tempting the Diamondbacks with a package.  Arizona doesn't need pitching, so the Red Sox can't use someone like Clay Buchholz to get him.
  • The Phillies may be more interested in Will Middlebrooks than Kevin Youkilis, a major league source told Cafardo.  However, it doesn't look like the Red Sox would have interest in dealing Middlebrooks.
  • The Orioles' new six-year, $85MM deal with Adam Jones has led to speculation on how the Red Sox will approach Jacoby Ellsbury, who can be a free agent after the 2013 season.  However, there's reason for both sides to wait.  As an Oregon native who shuns the spotlight, Ellsbury may want a quieter market.  The Sox, meanwhile, would want to see Ellsbury stay healthy for a while before committing 6-8 years to him.
  • While the Mariners haven’t given indications that they will sell off veteran pieces, teams are targeting them as a seller.  The M's have already received some inquiries for Brandon League.
  • The Rays have to be looking for a middle infielder, which are extremely hard to come by.  Tampa Bay is anxious to upgrade from the defensive play of Sean Rodriguez.
  • The Red Sox really like Jorge Soler, but they don’t appear to be the front-runners for him.

Olney On Hamels, Hamilton, Quentin

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The free agent market will feature an unusually strong class of outfielders this coming offseason, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Josh Hamilton leads a group that includes Michael Bourn, Andre Ethier, Melky Cabrera, Shane Victorino, B.J. Upton and Carlos Quentin. However, teams are looking to avoid unnecessary long-term commitments, so it may not be possible for all of these players to cash in. Here are more notes from Olney:

  • Cole Hamels’ contract talks with the Phillies remain dormant, Olney reports. Hamels is on track for free agency after the season, when he’ll be the top starting pitcher available.
  • One general manager suggested the Orioles could become aggressive bidders for Hamilton, who will likely command an annual salary of $20MM-plus. "But [at that price] I don't think he's got a lot of places to go," the GM told Olney.
  • Some MLB officials guesstimate Quentin could be in line for a deal in the four-year, $48MM range if he stays healthy and keeps hitting. Four years and $60MM isn’t out of the question, according to those officials. 
  • Personally I see Quentin signing for two or three years at an average annual value of $6-9MM. He'll turn 30 before the offseason, his defense isn't particularly well-regarded and injury questions persist, so I believe he'd do well to match Josh Willingham's three-year, $21MM deal.

Quick Hits: Manny, Wolff, Marin, Rangers

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It was on this day in 1966 that the Mets made one of the most infamous draft blunders in history, taking Steve Chilcott with the first overall pick of the June amateur draft.  Chilcott became the first #1 pick to never play a game in the Major Leagues, while the A's fared a bit better with the #2 selection — Reggie Jackson.

Let's check out some news from around baseball as we prepare for some interleague action…

  • Athletics GM Billy Beane said no decision has been made about releasing Manny Ramirez, reported Joe Stiglich of the San Jose Mercury News, though Beane also wasn't sure when or if Ramirez would be called up to Oakland.  Ramirez has completed his 50-game suspension but has been hampered by a leg injury and isn't hitting well in Triple-A.
  • In a radio appearance on 95.7 FM The Game, Athletics managing general partner Lew Wolff said that he wants to keep the team in the Bay Area and his ownership group has no plans to sell the A's.  Wolff predicted that in five years, the A's would be playing in a new stadium in San Jose. (All links at to Twitter.)
  • The Orioles have signed third-round pick Adrian Marin, as announced by Marin himself on his Twitter page.  Marin is a high school shortstop who was originally committed to the University of Miami.
  • The Rangers announced the signings of 18 draft picks, including all of their selections between the fourth and tenth rounds.
  • The Tigers shouldn't trade top prospect Nick Castellanos in an effort to win this season at the sake of the minor league system, writes Jamie Samuelsen for the Detroit Free Press.
  • ESPN's Keith Law examines how teams' first-round draft picks fit in among their organizations' other top prospects.
  • The Twins have hurt themselves by not dealing veterans at the trade deadline in recent years and shouldn't make that same mistake again this season, opines Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  Souhan does name a few players, however, he thinks the Twins shouldn't deal: Jared Burton, Glen Perkins, Jamey Carroll and Josh Willingham.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes an early look at the trade deadline in his latest Hot Corner video, naming the Twins, A's, Padres and Cubs as the few clubs who are clear sellers, with the Cubs "probably the biggest seller out there."  Rosenthal also thinks the Astros will likely join this group as they want to get rid of their high-priced veterans, though Houston is playing well right now.
  • In terms of potential sellers, Rosenthal names the Brewers, as they could look to move Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum and/or Francisco Rodriguez if they fall out of contention.  The Phillies "are kind of hanging on a precipice" in the tough NL East and unless they get more concrete news about the health of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay, Philadelphia could become sellers as well and look ahead to 2013.
  • Fredric Horowitz has been hired as the arbitrator between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association, reports the Associated Press.  Horowitz replaces Shyam Das, who was fired in the wake of his decision to lift Ryan Braun's 50-game suspension for a positive drug test.

AL East Notes: Reyes, Rundles, Blue Jays

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David Price is set to face C.C. Sabathia in the Bronx tonight, but this battle of lefty aces has been pushed back to 6:30 CST due to a rain delay.  While you're waiting, check out these notes from around the AL East…

  • The Yankees have signed 22-year-old Dominican right-hander Manolo Reyes, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The contract is worth $600K but is contingent on Reyes obtaining a visa and passing an MLB investigation into his identity and age, as Reyes has already served one year-long suspension due to problems with his paperwork.  Reyes was originally signed by the Braves in 2009.
  • The Orioles signed left-hander Rich Rundles to a minor league contract.  The 31-year-old had been pitching for the Atlantic League's Lancaster Barnstormers, who announced the transaction on their website.  Rundles appeared in nine games (six IP with a 1.50 ERA) for the Indians in 2008-09 and was originally drafted by the Red Sox in 1999 when Dan Duquette was Boston's general manager.
  • The Blue Jays are going well under slot with some of their early draft picks, signing tenth-round pick Alex Azor to a $1K bonus (as reported by Chris Toman of MLB.com) and sixth-rounder Eric Phillips to a $5K bonus, according to Rogers Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.  As Davidi's piece outlines, the Jays' strategy is to free up money in their draft pool to lock up some of their perceived tough-sign picks.  One such higher pick, supplemental first-rounder Matt Smoral, has reportedly agreed to sign with Toronto for a signing bonus almost double the recommended slot value.

Orioles To Sign Jamie Moyer

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The Orioles have agreed to sign Jamie Moyer, who pitched for the Orioles from 1993-95, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The 49-year-old left-hander will start for Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate on Saturday.

The Rockies released Moyer two days ago after designating him for assignment last week. Moyer, who turns 50 this fall, started ten games for the Rockies after signing a minor league deal with the team in January. He posted a 5.70 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 53 2/3 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Orioles Sign Nate McLouth

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The Orioles signed Nate McLouth to a minor league deal, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The Pirates placed the outfielder on release waivers last week after designating him for assignment.

McLouth signed a one-year, $1.75MM deal with the Pirates this past offseason after spending two and a half years in Atlanta. The 30-year-old posted a .385 OPS in 62 plate appearances back in Pittsburgh and appeared at all three outfield positions. The Sparta Group represents McLouth.

Draft Notes: Astros, Gausman, Twins, Red Sox

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The MLB Draft got started last night and now the first round and supplemental round are complete. Here are some reactions to the events of day one before the action resumes at 11am CDT…

  • High school shortstop Tanner Rahier and high school outfielder Anthony Alford are among the top remaining players, Nathan Rode of Baseball America writes.
  • Keith Law of ESPN.com likes what the Astros (Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers Jr.) and Pirates (Mark Appel) accomplished yesterday. Law's list of best available players features nine high schoolers including third baseman Carson Kelly and right-hander Kieran Lovegrove.
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com provides an overview of day one, including a preview of the interaction between the Pirates and Scott Boras, the advisor for Appel. Commissioner Bud Selig said he's "very optimistic" that the new system will work out, according to Crasnick.
  • McCullers and his father, Lance McCullers Sr., were selected 41st overall 30 years apart from one another, Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle notes (on Twitter).
  • Blue Jays scouting director Andrew Tinnish says college right-hander Marcus Stroman is very advanced, though not necessarily MLB-ready, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
  • Top Orioles selection Kevin Gausman said he's confident he’ll be able to reach a deal with Baltimore, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The Orioles drafted Gausman fourth overall, making him the first pitcher selected.
  • Scouting director Deron Johnson said the Twins wanted Byron Buxton all along and had been targeting the high school outfielder since last summer, Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com reports.
  • Arizona State coach Tom Esmay says top Red Sox pick Deven Marrero is committed to improving his game, Alex Speier of WEEI.com writes. Red Sox scouting director Amiel Sawdaye doesn’t sound concerned about the shortstop's unimpressive offensive numbers.
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