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Reds Claim Alfredo Simon

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The Reds have claimed Alfredo Simon off of waivers from the Orioles, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets. The Orioles had placed the 30-year-old right-hander on waivers over the weekend.

Simon posted a 4.90 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 43% ground ball rate in 115 2/3 innings as a starter and reliever for the Orioles last year. He has a 44.7% ground ball rate and an average fastball velocity of 94.5 mph in four seasons with Baltimore.

Ryan Madson will miss the 2012 season and Nick Masset will open the season on the disabled list, so the Reds are short on relievers. Simon will join right-handers Jose Arredondo, Logan Ondrusek and Sam LeCure in manager Dusty Baker's bullpen.

Cafardo On Pelfrey, Thornton, Byrd, Gregg, Padres

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks every manager in the majors, one through 30.  Cafardo's top five skippers in the game for 2012 are Joe Maddon (Rays), Jim Leyland (Tigers), Mike Scioscia (Angels), Charlie Manuel (Phillies), and Joe Girardi (Yankees).  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • While the Mets were considering releasing right-hander Mike Pelfrey, they likely won’t do that because there should be a trade market for the veteran.  The 28-year-old makes $5.6MM on a non-guaranteed deal and the Mets may be able to get something from a club looking for a back-end starter.
  • White Sox left-hander Matt Thornton is a player who always draws interest, though other clubs wish he didn’t make $12MM over the next two years. With Hector Santiago and Will Ohman on the team, the closer could again be trade bait.
  • The Cubs may eat some money to move outfielder Marlon Byrd, who is scheduled to earn $6.5MM this season.  They may have suitors in the Braves, Phillies, and others.  A National League scout indicated that Byrd’s name is being mentioned more and more as the end of spring training approaches.
  • Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg is available as the O's try to rid themselves of extraneous players and save money.  Gregg makes $5.6MM this year, and the Orioles don’t want his 2013 contract to kick in at $6MM if he finishes 50 games in 2012.
  • Cafardo expects long-term extension talks between Cole Hamels and the Phillies to move slowly. 
  • One American League owner said of the Padres, "They’re probably a half-billion to $700MM purchase. And I don’t believe that many, or any, of the finalists for the Dodgers would be interested."

Quick Hits: Hamilton, Axelrod, Abreu, Pelfrey, Mets

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Saturday night linkage..

  • Josh Hamilton told Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas that he's open to talking to the Rangers about a contract extension during the season. “If they want to talk to my agent, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” he said after previously indicating an unwillingness to negotiate during the season.
  • Agent Barry Axelrod has been discussing employment opportunities with the Diamondbacks, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic (Twitter links). Axelrod and GM Kevin Towers are close friends.
  • Unlike agents Jeff Moorad and Arn Tellem, Scott Boras has no desire to own a major league team, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
  • The Angels' deal to trade Bobby Abreu to the Indians fell apart due to salary concerns, a source familiar with the talks told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Cleveland wanted the veteran slugger but the two sides couldn't agree upon how much of his $9MM salary they would assume.
  • Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey was surprised to learn that his job was on the line during spring training, writes David Lennon of Newsday. The front office was kicking around the idea of releasing the 28-year-old before Opening Day to free up roughly $4MM, the non-guaranteed portion of his one-year, $5.7MM deal.
  • Scouts covering the Giants say the club is getting nervous about rotation depth, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
  • The Orioles cut minor league pitcher Josh Banks, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. The right-hander spent most of 2011 with the Giants' Triple-A affiliate and posted a 7.27 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in twelve starts and seven relief appearances.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

East Links: Pineda, Michaels, Banks, Larish, Branyan

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Happy birthday to Jeff Mathis (29) and Chien-Ming Wang (32). Here's the latest from their respective divisions, the AL East and NL East…

Minor Moves: Jamie Hoffmann, Andres Blanco

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Let's keep track of Saturday's minor moves right here as we get closer and closer to Opening Day…

  • The Orioles have signed Jamie Hoffmann to a minor league deal, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com (on Twitter). The 27-year-old outfielder elected free agency after being outrighted by the Rockies earlier this month. Hoffmann battled illness this spring and struggled in games.
  • The Phillies have signed Andres Blanco to a minor league contract, the team announced (on Twitter). The 27-year-old opted out of his minor league deal with the Nationals at some point in the last ten hours or so. Blanco is a .255/.301/.333 career hitter in 654 plate appearances, and has experience all over the infield. The Phillies are trying to add infield depth following Chase Utley's latest knee problems.

Orioles Waive Alfredo Simon

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SATURDAY: Simon told reporters (including MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli) that he expects to get claimed off waivers, but will elect free agency is he's not. 

FRIDAY: The Orioles have waived right-hander Alfredo Simon, a source confirmed to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).  Simon, 30, had a 4.90 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 16 starts and seven relief appearances last season.

One National League exec told Connolly (via Twitter) that it's hard to imagine Simon not getting claimed based on his ability, though consistency is a concern with him.  Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets that the move will help to create room on the 40-man roster as the O's need space for Nick Johnson and Ronny Paulino.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

AL East Links: Rays, Epstein, O’s, Eveland, DePaula

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Blue Jays prospect Anthony Gose stole second, third and home all during the eighth inning of the Jays' 3-2 win over the Red Sox today in Grapefruit League action.  The young outfielder will begin the season in the minors but he's definitely drawing attention — Baseball America named Gose as baseball's 39th-best prospect in its preseason rankings.

Some news from around the AL East….

  • With B.J. Upton and Sam Fuld starting the season on the DL, the Rays are looking for outfield help, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox and Cubs seemed to have completed the compensation package for Theo Epstein's move to Chicago earlier today, but Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald hears from a team source that the Sox aren't quite satisfied.  Chris Carpenter underwent elbow surgery on Wednesday and while the Red Sox believe the Cubs gave up Carpenter with no knowledge of any injury problems, Boston "is weighing its options" about whether the matter should be revisited.
  • Dan Duquette told reporters (including Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun) that before Spring Training ends, the Orioles "have a few player contracts we need to resolve in camp, and we have had some tertiary trade discussions.”
  • Connelly thinks Duquette will try to trade Dana Eveland (designated for assignment earlier today) if the Orioles think the southpaw will get claimed on waivers.  Eveland, for his part, tells Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link) that he will accept a minor league assignment if he clears waivers and the O's wish to keep him.
  • Rafael DePaula passed his physical and his Yankees contract is now official, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The right-hander initially signed a $500K deal with New York in November 2010 but his attempt to get a visa was delayed since DePaula used to play under a false identity and was suspended by Major League Baseball in 2009.

Orioles Designate Dana Eveland For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that they designated left-hander Dana Eveland for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for infield prospect Zelous Wheeler, who was claimed off of waivers from the Brewers in a corresponding move.

The Orioles acquired Eveland from the Dodgers in December and agreed to terms with him on a one-year, $750K deal later on that month. The 28-year-old spent part of the 2011 season with the Dodgers, posting a 3.03 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 29 2/3 innings. He spent most of the season starting at Triple-A Albuquerque, where he posted a 4.38 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 154 innings.

Orioles Claim Zelous Wheeler

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The Orioles claimed infielder Zelous Wheeler off of waivers from the Brewers, the teams announced. The Orioles have optioned him to Triple-A. Meanwhile, the Brewers now have three open spots on their 40-man roster.

Wheeler, 25, posted a .272/.378/.459 batting line in the upper minors of the Brewers' system last year. The 2007 19th rounder owns a .271/.371/.408 career line in parts of five minor league seasons.

Marlins Inquired On Nolan Reimold

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The Marlins recently asked the Orioles about outfielder Nolan Reimold, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter links). However, Reimold projects as Baltimore's leadoff hitter and left fielder and isn't going anywhere.

Reimold posted a .247/.328/.453 line with 13 home runs in 305 plate appearances last year. The 28-year-old has spent most of his big league career in left field, though he has some experience in right. He'll be arbitration eligible for the first time following the 2012 season. The right-handed hitting Reimold would have provided the Marlins with another corner outfield option behind Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morrison and might have pushed Austin Kearns off of the Miami roster.

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