Red Sox Designate Niuman Romero
The Red Sox designated Niuman Romero for assignment to make room for Ryan Shealy, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). The 25-year-old Romero appeared in one game at first and another at second, but did not reach base in four plate appearances this year.
Shealy, 30, has posted an overall .240/.361/.489 line with the Triple A affiliates for the Rays and Red Sox this year. The right-handed hitting first baseman has a .764 OPS in parts of four big league seasons, though he hasn't played in the majors since 2008.
Kevin Youkilis is in tonight's lineup, but he gave Red Sox fans a scare when he appeared to hurt his right ankle last night. Shealy will provide depth off the bench and could play first if Youkilis needs a break.
Red Sox Weighing Bullpen Options
The Red Sox are interested in Scott Downs and have also had internal discussion about acquiring Kerry Wood, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. However, given the price tags on Downs, Wood, and other veteran arms, along with the Red Sox' reluctance to part with prospects for relievers, the team may just attempt to shore up their bullpen internally instead.
Cafardo suggests that the Sox are trying to find their "2010 Billy Wagner," a reference to the club's late-season bullpen addition last season. After coming to Boston from the Mets, Wagner posted a 1.98 ERA in 15 appearances. The Sox could once again be in the market for a southpaw this year, with Hideki Okajima battling back issues. Both Downs, whose trade value we looked at yesterday, and the Orioles' Will Ohman may be options for Boston.
If the Sox don't trade for a reliever, help could come from the minors, in the form of Michael Bowden. Cafardo notes that the team has moved the right-hander from the Triple-A rotation to the bullpen, a move that suggests a call-up may be in his near future.
Red Sox Have Not Talked Extension With V-Mart
The Red Sox have not approached Victor Martinez about an extension, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The catcher, who is now on the disabled list with a broken left thumb, becomes a free agent after the season. It isn’t clear whether the Red Sox would want Martinez to catch, play first or DH, but it doesn’t matter to V-Mart.
“I let them know very early in the season I’d like to play here and come back here, but the future is in their hands,’’ he said.
Martinez has impressed the Red Sox with his efforts to improve as a defensive catcher, but he says he would play anywhere on the diamond. Martinez split time between first and catcher in Boston last year, but has been the team’s primary catcher in 2010, throwing out 19% of would-be base stealers.
The 31-year-old has more impressive offensive numbers. Martinez had a .289/.344/.480 line before his trip to the DL. Those numbers won’t be enough to match Joe Mauer’s $184MM deal, but V-Mart was never going to approach Mauer’s record-setting deal. Instead, he could aim to sign a four or five-year deal in the $50MM range, as Jorge Posada has done more than once.
Odds & Ends: Phillies, Orioles, Nats, Rangers, Lowell
Monday night linkage..
- Using MLBTR's reverse engineered Elias Rankings, Jack Moore of Fangraphs writes that Ted Lilly and Felipe Lopez are two Type A free agents to keep an eye on in the National League.
- R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs sees Kelly Johnson and Jose Lopez as potential fits for the Phillies.
- Buck Showalter told Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun that he has not yet been offered the O's managerial position.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson expects the Nationals to be buyers at the Trade Deadline.
- Chuck Greenberg's group has waived their exclusive right to purchase the Rangers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The lenders who hold the debt on Hicks Sports Group believe that there are other potential buyers out there who would pay more for the club.
- Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal wonders if Mike Lowell might consider retiring before the end of the season. If he were to retire now, the veteran would be leaving more than $5MM on the table.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Red Sox, Werth, Gonzalez
Exactly one year ago, the Marlins signed Brendan Donnelly and the A's traded for Scott Hairston. Here are some links to check out today…
- Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News doesn't expect to see the Giants and Brewers strike a deal in the coming days.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean and one of his top evaluators, Lee Elder, may have been scouting Brewers players at today's Giants-Brewers game, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Schulman lists Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, and Ryan Braun as potential targets.
- There are scouts from 14 different clubs at tonight's Red Sox-Rays game, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- A scout told Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter) that the inconsistent delivery of recently DFA'd Sean Gallagher is "disappointing". The righty has been with three clubs in four big league seasons.
- Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs argues that Jayson Werth would have a whole lot of trade value if the Phillies made him available.
- The Pirates agreed to terms with six international 16-year-olds, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- The Brewers' approach to the trade deadline could depend on the outcome of the meetings the team's scouts are having this week, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Four GMs predicted to Peter Gammons that Carlos Gonzalez will be one of the NL's ten best players next year (Twitter link).
- Rival scouts tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that they rank Matt Thornton as one of the game's top ten relievers.
- Jack Moore of FanGraphs takes our latest Elias rankings and examines what they mean for Carl Pavano and Adrian Beltre.
- Omar Infante thought he had been traded when Braves GM Frank Wren phoned to tell him he had made the All-Star team, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Bloomquist Drawing Interest
Royals' super-utility man Willie Bloomquist is drawing attention from multiple clubs, according to the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton.
After a terrible start to the season, which Bloomquist attributed to offseason knee surgery, his bat has begun to heat up, with 14 hits in his last 37 at-bats. Add that to his speed, defensive versatility (he's appeared everywhere except pitcher and catcher in 2010 already), and affordable contract, and Bloomquist would be a welcome addition for many clubs.
Dutton names the Red Sox and Phillies as teams that could use a boost in the infield, which makes sense in light of injuries to Dustin Pedroia and Chase Utley. Additionally, Dutton names the Yankees as a possibility, with GM Brian Cashman recently saying he'd like to improve his bench. Remember also that the Rockies are on the lookout for versatile pieces, with Troy Tulowitzki recently landing on the disabled list as well.
Bloomquist is finishing out a two-year, $3.1MM deal signed with Kansas City back in January of 2009. He's owed roughly $850K for the rest of the season. His batting line sits at a mere .247/.291/.397, though as previously mentioned, it's trending upward. And while he hasn't been a standout defensive player at any of his many positions throughout his career (according to UZR/150, that is), the combination of these assets make him a valuable piece that likely wouldn't be too difficult to pry away from the Royals.
Bloomquist notes that he'd like to stay in Kansas City for another five or six years if possible, and manager Ned Yost shares that sentiment, but it shouldn't be a surprise to see him in a new uniform come August 1.
Cafardo On Hart, Farnsworth, Dunn, Guillen
The Red Sox' ability to plug holes in their roster following a slew of injuries can be attributed in large part to Allard Baird, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. After discussing Baird's importance to the Sox and listing his All-Star picks, Cafardo shares a few hot stove items….
- The Giants are "very interested" in Corey Hart, but with Milwaukee not entirely out of the NL Central race, the Brewers haven't yet elected to become sellers.
- Although it's unclear whether or not Boston would have any interest in Kyle Farnsworth, Cafardo thinks he could be an option for the Sox. Farnsworth's strikeout rate is down to 6.8 K/9 this season, but a National League scout opines that the right-hander's stuff is as strong as ever.
- Cafardo speculates that the White Sox would part with a promising prospect or two in exchange for Adam Dunn, and suggests that the Braves, Giants, and Rays could be fits for Jose Guillen.
- After being told by a couple potential suitors that they needed to see him play, Wily Mo Pena is attempting to earn another shot at the bigs by playing in the Atlantic League.
- A friend of D'Backs interim general manager Jerry DiPoto tells Cafardo that he thinks DiPoto may not have total freedom to make moves this month: "I get the feeling the major shots will be called above Jerry. If Jerry gets a chance, he’ll do some interesting things, but we’ll see whether he’ll have some reins on him."
Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Mets, Orioles, Lee
Links for Friday night, as Roy Oswalt and Mat Latos duel in San Diego….
- Joe Torre tells MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he and GM Ned Colletti have discussed potential moves for the Dodgers.
- Jerry Manuel wouldn't mind seeing the Mets acquire a starting pitcher, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun provides his take on a few Orioles-related news stories, including who he thinks their next manager will be.
- Former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi appeared on WEEI's Big Show and addressed how he thinks Theo Epstein will approach the trade deadline. Jay Asser has the transcript of the discussion at WEEI.com.
- A person "close to Cliff Lee" denies that the left-hander suggested he may have pitched his last game as a Mariner, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Sirius XM's Jim Duquette reported Lee's alleged comments yesterday (via Twitter).
- Livan Hernandez is excited about the Nationals signing his half-brother as a reliever, writes MASN's Ben Goessling.
D’Backs Called Red Sox About Chris Snyder
The Diamondbacks called the Red Sox today, attempting to trade Chris Snyder, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com and MLB Network. Today was the first day on the job for interim general manager Jerry DiPoto, who seems to have wasted no time in preparing for the July 31st trade deadline.
Though Gammons doesn't indicate the Sox' level of interest in Snyder, it's probably safe to say that the D'Backs are more interested in moving the backstop than Boston is in acquiring him. Snyder has about $2.4MM left on his 2010 salary, and is owed $5.75MM next year, along with a $750K buyout for 2012's $6.75MM club option. With Miguel Montero healthy and raking (.375/.444/.563), Snyder has been relegated to backup duty for the D'Backs.
However, the Sox were rumored to have interest in Snyder earlier this season, and could be interested again with Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez both on the disabled list. In April, Gammons thought that the club would prefer to spend any excess money before the deadline on "a big piece," rather than taking on Snyder's salary.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Miller, Branyan, Phillies
There may be a lot of NBA and NHL rumors and signings floating around today, but the MLB hot stove will only get hotter as we approach the trade deadline. Here are some items from around the majors…
- Scott Miller of CBSSports.com speculates that the Angels and Reds could join the Cliff Lee sweepstakes. Perhaps one of them could be the mystery team?
- Speaking of that mystery team and the possibility that it could be the Cardinals, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch thinks it would be a bad move for the Cards to deal prospect Shelby Miller.
- Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports that the Russell Branyan trade was "a very popular move in the Indians' clubhouse. Branyan was great with reporters, but he was not exactly up for team captain consideration by his teammates."
- Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com says trying to replace Chase Utley is Ruben Amaro Jr.'s "next big test" as Philadelphia's GM.
- Commenting on Tom Krasovic's item about Jayson Werth possibly being on the trade market, ESPN.com's Rob Neyer uses the "pretty far-fetched" rumor as further evidence that the Phillies erred with the Raul Ibanez signing.
- Washington manager Jim Riggleman is using the trade deadline as motivation for his team to play well enough that it doesn't get broken up, reports MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling.
- With the international signing period beginning tomorrow, Baseball America's Ben Badler ranks players by their projected signing bonuses. The story also provides links to other pieces breaking down what each team is looking for and scouting reports on various international players, though these stories are only available to Baseball America subscribers.
- Dan McNeil of the Chicago Tribune thinks Carlos Zambrano is a lost cause with the Cubs and can't believe that Jim Hendry defended Zambrano's contract extension.
- With Manny Delcarmen headed to the disabled list today, Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com thinks this will force Boston's hand in acquiring a reliever. If the Sox do get some bullpen help, don't expect them to give up any good prospects in return.
- Speaking of bullpen deals, Jon Weisman of ESPNLosAngeles.com cites the Josh Bell-for-George Sherrill deal as proof that the Dodgers should be very wary about another trade for a reliever.