The Red Sox have designated outfielder Darnell McDonald for assignment, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter). The move allows Boston to make room for Josh Beckett's activation.
Red Sox Rumors
Red Sox Links: Injuries, Ross, Bard, Hernandez
The Red Sox signed Rich Hill to a minor league contract on this date in 2010. The 32-year-old southpaw reinvented himself as a reliever with low arm slot and has held left-handed hitters to a .140/.260/.209 batting line with Boston while batting numerous elbow injuries (including Tommy John surgery). Here are some links from Beantown…
- The Red Sox will have some roster decisions to make once they start getting players back from injury, writes Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. Boston could have as many as seven healthy starting pitchers and nine healthy outfielders shortly after the All-Star break.
- Trading Marco Scutaro to free up cash to sign Cody Ross has worked out wonderfully for the Sox, writes WEEI.com's Alex Speier. Ross is hitting .277/.345/.578 with 12 homers after signing a one-year, $3MM contract this offseason.
- Daniel Bard has struggled as a reliever in Triple-A and both CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler and Kirk Minihane of WEEI.com wonders if the failed starting pitching experiment could have long-term ramifications. Boston has not yet missed Bard in its bullpen this season, however.
- Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe muses about Felix Hernandez being a fit for the Red Sox, suggesting that Northwest natives Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury would make sense for the Mariners. Just to be clear, this isn't an actual trade or rumor being discussed, just Cafardo thinking out loud.
Stark On Garza, Orioles, Braves, Phillies, Headley
Arizona general manager Kevin Towers says he’s been impressed by Mike Trout and Bryce Harper from an offensive and defensive standpoint, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. "They can beat you on the basepaths. They impact the game defensively,” Towers said. “They can beat you with key hits or the long ball. They're both very special." Here are Stark’s latest rumors from around MLB…
- One American League executive says the Cubs are basing their asking price for Matt Garza on last summer’s Ubaldo Jimenez deal. This means it’ll take two controllable, young players with upside to pry the right-hander away from Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein.
- Other teams say the Orioles are involved in the Garza talks. However, Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy aren’t going to be available in summer trade talks with any club.
- The Braves are looking for "an impact starting pitcher" and they’ve scouted trade candidate Jason Vargas extensively
- The Angels are desperate to add a really good bullpen piece and would dangle Peter Bourjos in the right deal, according to rival teams.
- One executive doesn’t expect Luke Gregerson of the Padres to become available, though there would be heavy demand if San Diego were willing to listen.
- Another executive suggests the Red Sox could trade Kelly Shoppach and call Ryan Lavarnway up from the minor leagues.
- The Twins continue to tell teams they expect to hold onto Josh Willingham.
- The Marlins are telling rival teams they haven’t discussed becoming sellers this summer. The Phillies also seem to want to add, not subtract. The Phils are considering a long list of relievers and have asked the Padres about Chase Headley.
- The Diamondbacks have “window-shopped” for bullpen depth, Stark writes. Towers says he prefers his current team, now 38-37, to the one that won the NL West a year ago.
- Stark also reported on the Blue Jays' approach to the trade deadline and you can read the details here.
Red Sox Sign Tzu-Wei Lin
The Red Sox have signed Taiwanese shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The shortstop obtains a $2.05MM bonus, according to Badler, who calls Lin one of the top international amateurs available in advance of the July 2 signing period.
The deal, which took shape earlier in the month, is now official. Lin, a left-handed hitter, has excellent speed and could hit .300, though he doesn't offer much power. He's an average fielder with an average arm, Badler writes. Lin's bonus won't count against Boston's $2.9MM spending cap for 2012-13 because the sides completed the deal before July 2. Lin's bonus establishes a new record for Taiwanese position players, Badler writes.
AL East Notes: Guthrie, Yankees, Stewart, Red Sox
Items out of the American League East..
- Jeremy Guthrie may be a potential fit for the injury-depleted Yankees after enjoying previous success in the AL East while with the Orioles, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman says that he would prefer not to go outside of the organization to solve the team's rotation issues, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network.
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) also hears from sources that the Yankees will look to handle loss of Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia from within using Freddy Garcia, Adam Warren, and David Phelps.
- Zach Stewart is used to moving around a lot after being a part of three major league trades in the last three years, writes Paul Kenyon of The Providence Journal. Stewart came to the Red Sox along with Brent Lillibridge in the Kevin Youkilis deal.
- The Red Sox signed third-round pick Austin Maddox for $350K, less than the pick value of $400K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. The right-hander out of Florida has a 92-96 mph fastball with a promising slider.
Pirates Claim Oscar Tejeda, DFA Slaten
The Pirates have claimed infielder/outfielder Oscar Tejeda off waivers from the Red Sox, the team announced. To make room for Tejeda, Pittsburgh has also designated left-hander Doug Slaten for assignment.
Tejeda, 22, was designated for assignment by Boston following their acquisition of Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge earlier this week. Tejeda split time between designated hitter and left field this season, hitting .262/.294/.396 in 51 Double-A games.
Slaten, 32, appeared in ten games for the Pirates this season. The left-hander also pitched 25 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis and allowed just one run with 15 strikeouts and six walks. Slaten owns a 3.52 ERA in the big leagues with 6.6 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in parts of seven big league seasons.
Red Sox Sign Brian Johnson
June 26: The Red Sox have signed Johnson for a straight slot $1.575MM, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America.
June 21: The Red Sox are expected to sign first rounder Brian Johnson by the weekend, Evan Drellich and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com report. The University of Florida left-hander is expected to obtain a bonus of $1.575MM, which is precisely what MLB recommends for the 31st overall selection.
Johnson's college team has been knocked out of the College World Series, so he should be coming to Boston for a physical soon. The Red Sox obtained the 31st overall selection from the Phillies as compensation for losing closer Jonathan Papelbon via free agency. They obtained a second selection for losing Papelbon — the 37th overall pick — and used it to sign right-hander Pat Light.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Stroman, Gausman
Derek Jeter turns 38 years old today, and the Yankees shortstop is hitting .304/.353/.412 with seven homers and six steals this season, his 18th in the big leagues. The game's active career hits leader with 3,181, he could move into the all-time top-ten with a strong second half. Here's the latest from the only division Jeter has known, the AL East…
- “I’d rather not do anything, if possible,” said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Anthony McCarron of The New York Daily News, referring to the upcoming trade deadline. “I’d rather keep our prospects, keep our payroll down. That’s what I’d always like to do. But at the same time, I want to get better.”
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says (on Twitter) that the Yankees expect Brett Gardner back from his elbow injury in late-July, but will pursue a speedy center field type if he takes longer than expected.
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington told Casey Stern and Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that starting pitching remains his team's top target between now and the trade deadline.
- With Kevin Youkilis traded, the Red Sox are likely to remain quiet for the next few weeks according to Sean McAdam and Maureen Mullen of CSNNE.com. If Boston decides to sell at the deadline, Kelly Shoppach, Ryan Sweeney, Scott Atchison, and Matt Albers could be trade candidates.
- The Blue Jays are offering 22nd overall pick Marcus Stroman the $1.8MM slot bonus, reports Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star (Twitter links). He notes that even though that pick is compensation for failing to sign last year's first rounder, the Jays will get another compensation pick next year if they fail to sign Stroman thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.
- Agreements between the Orioles and first rounder Kevin Gausman and second rounder Branden Kline are not imminent according to MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli, but the two sides are negotiating. “Nothing unusual about the way it’s progressing,” said scouting director Gary Rajisch.
Quick Hits: Byrd, Royals, Youk, Padres Sale
Marlon Byrd was suspended for 50 games today after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, according to MLB's official PR department (on Twitter). Byrd issued the following statement:
“I made an inexcusable mistake. Several years ago, I had surgery for a condition that was private and unrelated to baseball. Last winter, I suffered a recurrence of that condition and I was provided with a medication that resulted in my positive test. Although that medication is on the banned list, I absolutely did not use it for performance enhancement reasons. I am mortified by my carelessness and I apologize to everyone who loves this game as I do. I will serve my suspension, continue to work hard and hope that I am given an opportunity to help a Club win later this season.”
Here are some additional links for your Monday evening…
- Royals general manager Dayton Moore told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that he has received zero calls on Jeff Francoeur, Bruce Chen, and Jonathan Broxton (Twitter link).
- Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com tweets that the reason the Red Sox didn't get more for Kevin Youkilis is because some offers from interested parties simply stated that they would take Youkilis "for nothing," if the Sox were willing to pick up the entire contract.
- The imminent sale of the Padres could have a positive impact on the Mariners, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The sale price is said to be $800MM — $600MM for the Padres and $200MM for a stake in their upcoming $1.2 billion TV deal with FOX. The Mariners can opt out of their current TV deal in 2015, and could be sitting on top of a "financial windfall," writes Baker. He writes that Mariners "should be able to get more in any pending sale if everything remains equal."
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports writes that yesterday's Youkilis trade has kicked off the trade season, and runs through some big names that could be trade candidates at this year's deadline.
Kevin Youkilis Trade Reactions
The Red Sox agreed to send Kevin Youkilis and cash to the White Sox for Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge in a deal that was announced earlier today. The trade provides the White Sox with much needed stability at the hot corner and gives the Red Sox the opportunity to play Will Middlebrooks on a daily basis. Here are some reactions to the deal:
- The emergence of Middlebrooks as a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate made a struggling Youkilis expendable in the eyes of the Red Sox front office, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal.
- Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington told reporters, including MacPherson, that it was pretty clear Middlebrooks needed to be in the lineup every day (via Twitter).
- The White Sox are getting a player in Youkilis who was an All-Star third baseman last season in exchange for cash and two replaceable players, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
- The legacy of Youkilis was built upon his ability to will himself into a player who far exceeded his natural talents, says Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
- The Indians, Dodgers and White Sox were the finalists for Youkilis as of Saturday evening, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The White Sox separated themselves Sunday morning with the inclusion of Stewart in the trade.
- By acquiring Youkilis, the White Sox are making the statement that the Tigers are vulnerable and not a guarantee to win the division, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- White Sox manager Robin Ventura expects Youkilis to be a strong fit with Chicago given how the veteran plays hard and has a reputation as a good teammate (video link).
- A change of scenery for Youkilis may prove to benefit the former All-Star considering his strained relationship with manager Bobby Valentine and the series of injuries that kept him off the field, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
