Red Sox Put In Claim On Guzman?
With the recent injury to Jed Lowrie, the Red Sox have accelerated their search for a big-league shortstop. That search has led them to claim Cristian Guzman from the Nationals, says Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe. The Nationals can either allow Guzman to be claimed, pull him back from waivers, or try to work out a deal in the next 48 hours.
Guzman is in the first year of a two-year, $16MM contract, and the Sox would likely be on the hook for his prorated salary this year and $8MM next year. The 31-year-old Guzman is batting .315/.333/.437 this year. If the Sox are awarded the claim, which has not been confirmed, this means he has likely been passed on by all of the NL and a significant portion of the AL, or that the Sox were awarded the claim over the other claiming team(s).
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giambi, Smoltz
On this day last year, Brian Giles invoked his no-trade clause in a deal that would have sent him to Boston. Some links:
- Robinson Cano, Brian Bruney, Mark Melancon and David Robertson have all cleared waivers for the Yankees, says George A. King III at the New York Post, and quite a few more names are going through waivers now, including A.J. Burnett and Melky Cabrera. Keep checking out our updated Players Who Have Cleared Waivers post as August progresses.
- Vicente Padilla is "disappointed" in having being designated for assignment and being called a "bad teammate," says T.R. Sullivan at MLB.com, and he wants to pitch again.
- According to George A. King III at the New York Post, the Yankees have no interest in bringing back Jason Giambi, who was released by the A's this week.
- Yahoo Sports' Gordon Edes writes that the failed John Smoltz gamble by the Red Sox proves just how deep the gap is between small and large-market teams.
- Ray Ratto at the San Francisco Chronicle believes that the failed Jason Giambi gamble proves that GM Billy Beane shouldn't continue with one-year deals for older veterans.
Odds And Ends: Zaun, D’Backs, Byrd
A few more links to read as we try to figure out who claimed Alex Rios…
- Gregg Zaun told Roch Kubatko of MASN.com that he was "totally shocked" to hear he was traded to the Rays.
- The D'Backs agreed to terms with Chris Owings, the 41st overall pick in this year's draft, on a $950k deal, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Owings, a high school shortstop, signed for $135k above slot.
- Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe reports that it may be three weeks before Paul Byrd is ready.
Red Sox DFA John Smoltz
The Red Sox designated John Smoltz for assignment, according to DJ Bean of WEEI.com. Smoltz, 42, struggled in eight starts for the Red Sox. He only walked nine, but eight of the 59 hits he allowed were homers. His ERA ballooned to 8.32 after allowing eight earned runs at Yankee Stadium last night.
Smoltz receives $35k for every day spent on the active roster, so with nearly 60 days left in the season, he could have made about $2MM over the course of the next two months, plus an additional $500k for being on the roster on the last day of the season. He receives $500k if the Red Sox trade him.
Red Sox Add Tazawa & Woodward; DFA Traber
The Red Sox called up Junichi Tazawa, acquired Chris Woodward from the Mariners and designated Billy Traber for assignment this afternoon, according to DJ Bean of WEEI.com. Tazawa pitched well in the minors, striking out 88 in 98 AA innings before pitching twice in Triple A.
They acquired Woodward off of waivers, according to a team press release.
Olney On Gonzalez, Draft, Strasburg
Two prominent baseball figures inched closer to retirement yesterday and ESPN.com's Buster Olney recognizes both of them. John Smoltz's fading repertoire brings him closer to retirement than ever and the faltering newspaper industry will push longtime Reds writer Hal McCoy to call it a career after the season. Here are Olney's rumors:
- Olney hears that the Mariners came closer to obtaining Adrian Gonzalez than the Red Sox ever did.
- Many teams are believed to have struck deals with their top picks. So why haven't we heard about them? Teams will announce over-slot deals at the last minute so it seems like they're respecting the commissioner's recommended bonuses.
- Real doubts are beginning to emerge that the Nats will be able to sign Stephen Strasburg.
Odds And Ends: Wagner, Red Sox, Scherzer
An assortment of links to get the day started…
- Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News hears that one AL contender has at least some interest in adding Billy Wagner for the stretch run. The lefty makes $10.5MM this year and has a $1MM buyout for 2010, so Wagner seems likely to clear waivers.
- Rubin says the Mets won't likely offer Wagner or Carlos Delgado arbitration after the season.
- As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports, Max Scherzer uses some pretty advanced stats to judge his performances.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Yanks and Padres almost completed the Chad Gaudin trade before the deadline. When Kenny Williams called about the Jake Peavy deal, Towers had to ignore Cashman, but the teams struck a deal in the end.
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports says one look at John Smoltz's face suggests he may be done.
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes says Smoltz looked like a "pitcher turned pinata" last night.
- Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. looks pretty smart right now.
Odds & Ends: Sandberg, Indians, Red Sox, Yankees, McCoy
A few links for Thursday evening.
- Ryne Sandberg, the only Hall of Famer currently managing in the minors, wants to make it back to The Show, according to the Associated Press.
- Chris Shelton cleared waivers and reported to AAA Tacoma Rainiers, according to Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune. The first baseman was designated for assignment by the Mariners to make room for pitcher Luke French.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that the Indians have used 28 different pitchers this year, the most of any team in the majors.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Red Sox have a thin lead over the Yankees in July trades in the AL from 2000 to 2009. The score stands at 26 to 25.
- And on a sad note, Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy announced today that he will retire from the Dayton Daily News, which has decided to stop covering the Reds.
Odds And Ends: Yanks, Red Sox, Indians, Peavy
More links to look through as we ready ourselves for four days of Yankees vs. Red Sox…
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney presents nine reasons the upcoming Boston-New York series matters. To an extent, both teams have their psyches on the line this weekend.
- Indians ownership says the team will likely lose about $16MM this year, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN). The Indians trimmed about $8.1MM in payroll leading up to the deadline.
- So how do teams like the Indians compete with big spenders like the Yankees and Red Sox? Joe Posnanski of SI.com says small market teams may have to beat richer ones by taking advantage of the 'win now' mentality in large markets.
- Jake Peavy is set to pitch in three minor league games before joining the White Sox, according to Bruce Levine of ESPN.com. He's still expected to make his AL debut in late August or early September.
Odds And Ends: Byrd, Timlin, Giambi
Some links to look through…
- Bobby Abreu tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that it was frustrating to see other players sign big contracts last offseason. Abreu waited and finally settled for a $5MM deal, but now he loves LA.
- The Jason Giambi signing didn't work out nearly as well for the A's. When MLB.com's Mychael Urban asked manager Bob Geren if Giambi will be back next year, Geren avoided the question. Presumably the A's would rather buy the slugger out for $1.25MM than pay him $6MM next year.
- Paul Byrd told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he's in Boston to win a World Series ring.
- Mike Timlin is rehabbing in the Rockies' minor league system to prove he can still pitch, according to Jack Etkin of Inside the Rockies.
- Justin Smoak, Martin Perez and Julio Borbon top Jamey Newberg's updated list of top Rangers prospects at MLB.com.