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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.

O’s Acquire Mike Belfiore To Complete Josh Bell Trade

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The Orioles have acquired minor league lefty Mike Belfiore from the Diamondbacks to complete the Josh Bell trade, the team announced. Arizona acquired Bell for a player to be named later last month.

Belfiore, 23, was the 45th overall pick of the 2009 draft but has yet to develop as hoped. He owns a 4.05 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 282 1/3 minor league innings, but has experienced some success after moving to the bullpen full-time last year. Baseball America did not rank him among Arizona's top 30 prospects in their 2012 Prospect Handbook.

Belfiore may be best known for throwing 9 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for Boston College during an NCAA postseason game in 2009, the longest game in college baseball history.

AL East Links: Hall, Zduriencik, Robertson

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Four of the six best AL teams by winning percentage (and run differential) reside in the AL East at the moment. Here's the latest from what again appears to be the toughest division in baseball…

  • Utility man Bill Hall tweeted that he has been called up by the Orioles. He signed a minor league contract with Baltimore last month, and the team will need to clear both a 25-man and 40-man roster spot for him.
  • "I feel very bad for the Yankees," said Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik to Ken Davidoff of The New York Post when asked about the Jesus Montero–Michael Pineda trade. Pineda is out for the season with a torn labrum and Montero homered against his former team last night. “I don’t think you enter a deal thinking that you’re going to win a deal," he added. "I think what you do is, you have common sense and respect for all parties involved and say, ‘I hope this helps all organizations.’"
  • David Robertson's route to the Yankees started with a letter from a high school coach to George Steinbrenner about a minor league utility infielder more than a decade ago, according to the AP. Robertson is currently closing for New York following Mariano Rivera's season-ending knee injury.

Orioles Designate Zelous Wheeler For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated infielder Zelous Wheeler for assignment, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).  The O's placed right-hander Matt Lindstrom on the disabled list to make room on the 25-man roster for pitcher Dana Eveland and DFA'd Wheeler to make space on the 40-man.

Wheeler, 25, split time between Double-A and Triple-A this season and hit just .202/.288/.283 in 27 games.  For his minor league career, Wheeler owns a .268/.367/.402 slash line with most of his time coming at the Double-A level.

AL East Notes: Reynolds, Keppinger, Rivera

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Joe DiMaggio hit the first of his 361 career home runs against the Athletics on this date in 1936. The present-day Yankees and C.C. Sabathia host David Price and the Rays tonight in New York. Here are some AL East-related links in the meantime…

Quick Hits: Rivera, Orioles, Peavy

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Mariano Rivera told reporters that he still has "love and passion for the game" and wants to play next year, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. Rivera’s out for the season after tearing his ACL and his contract with the Yankees expires this winter. Here are more links from around MLB… 

  • For the Orioles to win fans back to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, they’ll have to win, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The success of the NFL's Ravens and the nearby Nationals hasn't made it any easier for the Orioles to draw large crowds.
  • Matt Wieters of the Orioles is emerging as one of the game's best catchers, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick writes. The 25-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the first time following the 2012 season and he's under team control through 2015.
  • White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he realizes he could be traded this summer (Twitter link). “If that comes about, I’ll welcome that and do what I’m asked to do,” he said. “But I’d love to be in Chicago.” Peavy may become a midseason trade candidate, as Mike Axisa explained earlier this season.
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