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Minor Moves: Greg Smith, Zach Clark, Cody Eppley

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Today's minor moves:

  • The Phillies signed left-hander Greg Smith, assigned him to Double-A Reading and released outfielder Ronnie Welty to create roster space, according to Reading Fightin Phils' director of PR Eric Scarcella (Twitter links). Smith, 29, was twice traded with Carlos Gonzalez — first to the A's for Dan Haren and second to the Rockies for Matt Holliday. The LSU product has a 4.51 ERA in 229 1/3 big league innings. The Phillies originally acquired Welty at the end of Spring Training in a swap of minor leaguers with the Orioles. The 25-year-old has a career .281/.356/.464 batting line but hasn't climbed higher than Double-A.
  • Orioles righty Zach Clark cleared waivers and was outrighted to Double-A, announced the team (via Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com).  The 29-year-old had been designated for assignment on Saturday to open a 40-man roster spot for Freddy Garcia.  Signed as an amateur free agent in 2006, Clark has spent his entire career in the Orioles' organization and made his big league debut with last Wednesday's relief appearance against the Mariners.
  • Yankees righty Cody Eppley cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, tweeted Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal yesterday.  The 27-year-old had been designated for assignment on Friday to open a 40-man roster spot for Preston Claiborne.  Eppley did a nice job keeping the ball on the ground in 46 frames for the Yankees last year.
  • Three players currently reside in DFA limbo: Ezequiel Carrera and Mike McDade of the Indians and Jonathan Sanchez of the Pirates.
  • The Cubs are expected to call up outfielder Ryan Sweeney today and option Dave Sappelt to the minors, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.  The Cubs will need a 40-man roster spot for Sweeney, so it appears someone will be designated for assignment today.  

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

New York Notes: Yankees Needs, Zack Wheeler

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Sporting an 18-12 record, the Yankees will be in Coors Field tomorrow with Hiroki Kuroda on the hill.  The Mets, currently at 12-16, host the White Sox tomorrow and will send Matt Harvey to the mound.  The latest on New York's teams:

  • Derek Jeter is out indefinitely and Eduardo Nunez is day-to-day with a rib cage injury.  But even healthy, "Nunez is not an everyday player," a scout tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, prompting the writer to wonder if the Yankees will make an acquisition this season.  Martino speculates that a Ronny Cedeno type could help in the short-term, while Jimmy Rollins could be intriguing despite a potential awkward situation when Jeter returns.  In my estimation, one of the only other viable targets this summer might be Asdrubal Cabrera, but only if the Indians fall well out of contention.
  • "Even if the Yankees were willing to meet a big asking price for a significant upgrade, that significant upgrade just doesn’t exist," writes Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues regarding the shortstop market, while noting that perhaps gloveman Brendan Ryan of the Mariners could be had.  Axisa also looks at potential Yankees trade targets at catcher, in the bullpen, and from the right side of the plate.
  • Following a second consecutive strong outing, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com wonders when Mets pitching prospect Zack Wheeler might get the call.  He notes that the Mets will need an extra starter in late June at Turner Field, which could serve the dual purpose of having Wheeler fail to achieve Super Two status later and allowing him to make his big league debut in his home state.

AL Notes: Yankees, Bauer, Twins, Dickey

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If you are looking for some interesting reading this evening, have a look at the evolution of the defensive shift as told by Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Meanwhile, let's take a look at some American League clubs and ballplayers:

  • We heard on Wednesday that the Yankees were looking for a right-handed bat, and all signs point to that need being real. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports that Jayson Nix, who sports a career .365 slugging percentage, has been taking balls at first base in case the team wants a righty to spell Lyle Overbay. Nix has held down third base while Kevin Youkilis works his way back, but the Yanks' recent acquisition of Chris Nelson provides the club with another option at the hot corner. 
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman deserves a ton of credit for finding value in Overbay, Travis Hafner, and Vernon Wells, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. There may be a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel for the scrambling Cashman, however. Hoch reports that Ivan Nova, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, and Youkilis are all expected to report to the Yankees' Tampa facility for rehab work. Meanwhile, Curtis Granderson has been playing in extended spring training since Wednesday.
  • Count Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer as a fan of the Indians' decision to trade for young pitcher Trevor Bauer this offseason. Hoynes writes that Bauer is ready to be a successful big leaguer this year, and may be the most talented pitching prospect in Cleveland since a certain CC Sabathia.
  • Of course, all three teams involved in the deal that brought Bauer to the Indians seem to have gotten what they wanted out of the deal (at least so far). In addition to Bauer, outfielder Drew Stubbs is off to a fairly promising start for Cleveland, and currently sports a .284/.340/.420 line. The Indians have also enjoyed quality bullpen work from Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw. Meanwhile, Shin-Soo Choo has clobbered the ball for the Reds, putting up a .330/.467/.541 line. He has done so while playing a passable, albeit below average, center field. And the Diamondbacks not only seem quite pleased with shortstop prospect Didi Gregorius, who is off to a .407/.448/.778 start in his first 30 plate appearances, but have received solid production from veteran reliever Tony Sipp.
  • Of course, not all deals turn out the way you hope. As ESPN's Buster Olney notes on Twitter, Twins fans are (or should be) cringing at the hot start for the Brewers' Carlos Gomez. After emerging as a solid regular center fielder last season, Gomez is putting up excellent power, speed, and on-base numbers thus far in 2013. The Twins shipped Gomez to Milwaukee in return for J.J. Hardy after the 2009 season, and later sent Hardy to the Orioles to make way for the failed Tsuyoshi Nishioka experiment. In exchange for Hardy, in turn, the Twins got a pair of young righties — Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson — who have failed to deliver any value to the club.
  • While the full ramifications of trades often take years to clarify, the Blue Jays could be wondering already how the recent trade for R.A. Dickey will turn out. As Mark Simon of ESPN.com explains, Dickey is failing to get hitters to chase pitches outside the zone, which could attributable in part to decreased knuckleball velocity. On the other side of the ledger, the Mets have surprisingly received incredible production from a seemingly minor piece of that deal — catcher John Buck — and were able to slot prospects Travis d'Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard atop the team's prospect list.

East Notes: Collins, Mets, Blue Jays, Nelson

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There's been lots of speculation over Terry Collins' job security as he is in the final year of his contract, but Mets GM Sandy Alderson says that he'll "absolutely" remain as manager for at least the remainder of the season, writes Mike Puma of the New York Post.  "He came into the season without a contract for next year and may not have one for next year through this season," Alderson said. "But as I've told him and said before: This isn't just about wins and losses, it's about how we approach the game and fully taking into account what he has to work with."  Here's more from the AL and NL East..

  • In his latest mailbag, Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star notes that while Josh Johnson could get back to his old form once he returns from injury and boost his trade value, the fact that he was the Blue Jays' initial target in trade talk with the Marlins could mean that the club isn't going to go for a quick trade if things aren't going well.  Johnson is making $13.75MM in his walk year, which may give him extra motivation once he takes the hill again.
  • The newest member of the Yankees, Chris Nelson, is excited about his new opportunity in the Bronx, writes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.  The Bombers acquired Nelson for cash or a player to be named later earlier this week.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says that everything is alright in the clubhouse, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com sees signs of fraying within the new-look team.

Stark On Wilson, Stanton, Price, Phillies, Utley, Norris

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In his latest edition of Rumblings & Grumblings, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark looks at what we've learned around the 30-game mark of the season.  The Red Sox have spent their money better than any team in baseball as Mike Napoli, Ryan Dempster, Koji Uehara, and Shane Victorino (before his back issues) have gotten off to excellent starts.  Meanwhile, it looks like the Braves have made the best trade of anyone so far as they landed Justin Upton and Chris Johnson for Martin Prado and four players that aren't currently in the majors.  Here's more from today's column..

  • Teams that have checked in on Brian Wilson have been told that his target date to throw for interested clubs should be around the All-Star break.  Wilson wants to ensure that he's fully recovered from Tommy John surgery before auditioning again.
  • Giancarlo Stanton's hamstring injury should probably put any talk of a July trade to rest.  "If they trade him in-season, they probably wouldn't get any major league talent," said one exec. "So given everything that's happened with their team and their attendance, are they really in a position to make a deal for him where they just get back prospects?  Probably not."  The exec concluded that the Marlins are better off waiting until the offseason and getting big league ready talent back for their star.
  • The Rays may be the most closely-watched team in the league by contenders over the next few months.  Teams know the Rays will keep David Price in July if they're alive in the AL East, and will listen hard if they're out of contention. If they're caught in between, one exec believes that the Rays still might move him if they feel like they're not good enough to win it all.  The hurler's price tag is expected to by skyhigh if he hits the open market after the 2015 season.
  • The buzzards are already starting to circle over the Phillies, Stark writes, but club officials have told teams that have checked in that they still expect their club to contend and won't even think about selling for another two months.  
  • If a Phillies sell-off happens, the biggest buzz would include impending free agent Chase Utley.  One exec who has checked into things says his impression is that the Phillies would approach Utley first and get a feel for whether he wants to go elsewhere.  Utley, who will be just short of 10-and-5 rights at the deadline – can block trades to 21 teams. 
  • Execs say they'd rather trade for Lucas Harrell than Bud Norris if they had a choice between the Astros pitchers.  Harrell has two more years of control and one scout says that the big knock on Norris is that he's still basically a "two-pitch guy".  Quite a few teams also think he profiles more as a bullpen weapon on a contender even though he's the Astros' ace.
  • The Yankees want a right-handed bat, but one scout feels that they don't have enough pieces to land an impact deal.  The Bombers added one right-handed hitter when they traded for Chris Nelson earlier this week.  

Yankees Designate Cody Eppley For Assignment

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The Yankees have designated right-hander Cody Eppley for assignment, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). The move clears a 40-man roster spot for fellow right-hander Preston Claiborne. In a related move, Joba Chamberlain was placed on the disabled list.

The 27-year-old Eppley broke camp with the Yankees but was optioned to Triple-A on April 6 after appearing in just two games. Eppley allowed four runs in 1 1/3 innings in his outing prior to being optioned. In 102 1/3 career innings at Triple-A, the former 43rd-round pick has a 3.51 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9.

Claiborne, 25, was the Yankees' 17th-round pick in the 2010 draft. In 204 1/3 minor league innings, the Tulane product has a 3.00 ERA, 8.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9. Despite a respectable minor league track record, Claiborne has never appeared on Baseball America's list of Top 30 Yankees prospect. He also failed to crack Jonathan Mayo's list of Top 20 Yanks prospects at MLB.com.

Yankees Acquire Chris Nelson

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The Yankees announced that they have acquired infielder Chris Nelson for cash considerations or a player to be named later.  The Bombers moved Francisco Cervelli to the 60-day disabled list in order to make room on the 40-man roster for their newest acquisition.

We learned yesterday that the Yankees have had trade talks with the Rockies about Nelson, who was recently designated for assignment to make room for the promotion of Nolan Arenado.  The 27-year-old posted a .242/.282/.318 slash line in 68 PA as the Rockies’ regular third baseman this season.  Prior to that, he hit .284/.327/.427 in 593 PA from 2010-12.  

Nelson has played mostly third and second in the majors, and also played shortstop in the minor leagues.  With the Yankees, he’ll presumably provide extra support at third while Kevin Youkilis is on the mend.

Yankees Seek Right-Handed Hitters

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With Kevin Youkilis sidelined with a lumbar spine sprain, the Yankees are asking around about right-handed hitters, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).  Understudy Jayson Nix will take over at third base in the interim with rookie Corban Joseph called up in support, but the Bombers will also look out-of-house for reinforcements.

Youkilis has been put on the 15-day disabled list, but it's an ailment that he dealt with last season and may not be in his rear view mirror in a couple of weeks.  Of course, it's not terribly easy to find an impact player on the trade market this early in the season and the Yankees may have to wait for clubs to slip in the standings to get something done.

Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues suggests that lesser players such as Marlon Byrd of the Mets and Placido Polanco of the Marlins could probably available sooner than other right-handed hitters.  More desirable options would include impending free agents like Alfonso Soriano, Corey Hart, Paul Konerko, Mike Morse, and Mark Reynolds.

Chien-Ming Wang Does Not Exercise Out Clause

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Yankees right-hander Chien-Ming Wang has agreed to remain with the Yankees organization rather than exercise the first opt-out clause in his minor league contract, according to a report from Focus Taiwan (via Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues).

Wang, 33, has allowed just two earned runs through his first 19 innings at Triple-A (three starts). He's fanned seven and walked three during his time with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. According to the Focus Taiwan report, Wang's contract contains four more opt out clauses: May 31, June 30, Aug. 10 and Aug. 31.

Wang inked a minor league deal following a strong performance in the World Baseball Classic (12 scoreless innings). In parts of five seasons with the Yankees, Wang pitched to a 4.16 ERA, 4.2 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and 60.1 percent ground-ball rate.

AL Notes: Astros, Draft, Andino, Nelson

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The Astros haven't yet decided who they're taking with the first overall pick in the 2013 Draft, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports. Possible candidates for the top pick include college pitchers Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray and Sean Manaea; college hitter Kris Bryant; and high school outfielders Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows. "I think it's important to keep scouting them until the very end," says Astros scouting director Mike Elias. "We're making sure we're keeping the field as open as we can. We are not going to make that decision when there's no reason to, six weeks before the Draft." The Astros' draft signing bonus pool, which stands at $11.7MM this year, could play into their decision about who to draft. In 2012, the Astros took Carlos Correa first overall and signed him for significantly less than his bonus pool allotment, allowing them to take high-upside talents like Lance McCullers Jr. later in the draft. Here are more notes from around the American League.

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