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Cardinals Release Ty Wigginton

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The Cardinals announced they have released infielder Ty Wigginton, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and others.  The team also promoted catcher Rob Johnson.  Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier today that the Cards were considering a roster move involving Wigginton and their bench.

Wigginton, 35, signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Cardinals in December.  He hit .158/.238/.193 in 63 plate appearances, however, and playing time was scarce with better options on the roster such as Matt Adams.  The Cardinals are on the hook for the $3.6MM or so remaining on Wigginton's contract, less the pro-rated portion of the league minimum if he finds his way back to the Majors.

Cardinals Exploring Options With Wigginton

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The Cardinals are "considering a roster move before tonight’s game against Houston that could bring clarity to veteran Ty Wigginton’s role with the club and reshape the club’s bench," sources tell Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  A minor league assignment for Wigginton is among a handful of options the club is exploring, writes Goold.

Wigginton, 35, signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Cardinals in December.  He's hitting .158/.238/.193 in 63 plate appearances, however, and playing time has been scarce.  The Cardinals' bench consists of backup catcher Tony Cruz, plus Matt Adams, Daniel Descalso, Shane Robinson, and Wigginton.

Central Notes: Garza, Soriano, Peavy, Carpenter

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Five years ago today, the Brewers acquired CC Sabathia from the Indians for Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, and a player to be named later. The PTBNL turned out to be Michael Brantley who hit a pair of homers, including the game-winner, and drove in a career-high five runs in the Indians' 9-6 win over the Tigers this afternoon. Brantley, who has matched his career-best with seven home runs on the season, has become the headliner in the deal for the Indians as LaPorta has been a disappointment and is no longer on their 40-man roster, Bryson is struggling with an ERA over 11 at Double-A Akron, and Jackson is now in the Royals organization. Sabathia, meanwhile, was so dominant during his short tenure as a Brewer he led the NL in complete games (seven) and shutouts (three) while posting a 1.65 ERA during 17 regular-season starts. Sabathia used that platform to sign a record seven-year, $161MM contract with the Yankees. Will there be a similar blockbuster deal between MLB Central Division teams in 2013? Here's the latest:

  • With Ricky Nolasco becoming a Dodger, the trade rumor spotlight will now shine brightly upon the Cubs' Matt Garza. The Nationals have kicked the tires on the right-hander, but talks have not progressed to the point of a formal proposal being exchanged, a person familiar with the situation told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Nationals, who already have scouted Garza this year, have long had an interest in acquiring Garza engaging in a "not insignificant" pursuit of him in 2011 before the Rays shipped him to the Cubs. 
  • Alfonso Soriano has increased his trade value thanks to five home runs and 13 RBIs in his last eight games, writes ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine. 
  • Jake Peavy will continue his rehab from a fractured rib with a simulated game Tuesday after reporting normal soreness from a 53-pitch bullpen session Friday, reports Scott Merkin of MLB.com. If healthy, Peavy could be dealt before the Trade Deadline. "We'll see how it plays out," Peavy told Merkin. "I'm open to anything and I'll do everything I'm asked to do. If that's staying here, I'll be happy to do that. If that means to move, then that's something we'll address and be OK with when that time comes." 
  • The Cardinals are conducting a low-key search for a starting pitcher and, if healthy, Chris Carpenter could be that starter bringing the club confidence, energy, and swagger during the dog days of the schedule, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "They’re going to evaluate me," Carpenter said. "Is my stuff good enough? Am I good enough to fit in and move one of these guys? If not, be honest, tell me and move on." 
  • Scouts from the Tigers, Cardinals, and Orioles were on hand for the Brewers–Mets game today, tweets MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.   
  • Last night, MLBTR's Jeff Todd highlighted the Trade Deadline options for the Indians. 

NL Notes: Cardinals, Giants, Phillies

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As we wait to hear more about the much-discussed trade of Ricky Nolasco, here are a few links on some National League clubs:

  • The Cardinals will go as far as their rotation can take them, argues Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While the club's outstanding start has slowed, GM John Mozeliak insists that he still feels comfortable with the internal rotation depth he has at his disposal. Nevertheless, he says that he "reserve[s] the right to re-examine things [over] the next four weeks."
  • Not so long ago, the Giants looked like a contender that might look to shore up some holes before the trade deadline. Now, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says (on Sulia), the team is playing its way into becoming an obvious seller. He argues that, unless the team can manage at least a .500 mark on its current homestand, it should consider dealing Hunter Pence, Javier Lopez, and possibly Tim Lincecum. 
  • With players like Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, and Jonathan Papelbon receiving much of the attention as difficult trade decisions for the Phillies, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer says that the club's most complicated quandary involves catcher Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz could fetch a nice return on a market that does not include many attractive catching options, in spite of his tepid start to the season. Perhaps more importantly, he probably does not make long-term sense for the Phils, as he is set to become a free agent and enter 2014 at the age of 35. Nevertheless, explains Brookover, the club's replacement options all come with serious risk, making Ruiz potentially very difficult to replace.
  • The Phillies also received some unwelcome news today, as Ryan Howard finally went to the 15-day DL to rest his aching knee. As Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says the team will be "conservative" with Howard and could not rule out the need for surgery. Certainly, Howard is no longer a potential piece of trade bait (however unlikely such a scenario may have been), and his loss could edge the Phils away from keeping its full roster together for a postseason run.

Injury Notes: Carpenter, Anderson, Pagan, Chen, Cervelli

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As always, the rehabilitation status of injured players can have a major impact on teams' plans as the trade deadline nears. Here are a few updates on some players whose recovery could play a role in the trade market's development:

  • Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter threw over 100 pitches in a bullpen session Friday and could face live hitters shortly, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. Though Cards' GM John Mozeliak said recently that Carpenter's status is unlikely to factor into the team's plans, a continued positive trajectory could potentially change that stance.
  • The Athletics received good news on starter Brett Anderson today, with MLB.com's Jane Lee reporting (via Twitter) that he will be shedding his walking boot and beginning to work back from an ankle fracture. She also tweets that manager Bob Melvin is bullish on Anderson returning strong, with Lee suggesting that we could see a repeat of Anderson's mid-August return from last season. While the A's rotation has not exactly been a problem area, some have suggested that Oakland could shop for another arm.
  • It appears that the Giants are prepared to go the rest of the way without center fielder Angel Pagan, with the club putting him on the 60-day DL. The San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea also relayed comments (on Twitter) by GM Brian Sabean indicating that the club does not expect him back in 2013. As previously noted, this could make the Giants potential buyers for a Pagan replacement. 
  • On the other hand, in spite of that need (and this evening's earlier report that the club is actively pursuing Ricky Nolasco), San Francisco could instead stand pat. Shea tweets that, according to Sabean, the Giants will not make any acquisitions unless the team turns around its play before the deadline.
  • Though the Orioles recently added a starter in the first significant trade of the pre-deadline market, they could still be considering the addition of more starting pitching. One major factor in Baltimore's internal analysis will surely be the return of Wei-Yin Chen, who has missed much of the year with a strained oblique. Chen looked strong in his rehab outing last night and, according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun, could take a spot in the rotation as soon as Tuesday. If Chen can pick up where he left off — his ERA stands at 3.04 through his first 47 1/3 innings of the year — it may obviate the need for the O's to revisit the market. 
  • Another day, another bit of bad injury news for the Yankees. As Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports, the catching-strapped club learned yesterday that its primary backstop to start the year, Francisco Cervelli, will have his rehab halted and be shut down for two weeks. With an early August return now the best case scenario for Cervelli and rookie Austin Romine struggling, the Yankees could find it necessary to look for another capable backstop before the trade deadline.

International Prospect Signings: Astros, Cards, Yankees, Tigers, Brewers

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Teams were able to submit contracts for this year's class of July 2nd international prospects starting at 8am central time today.  You can find rankings here from Baseball America and MLB.com, and information on each team's international bonus pool at BA.  This is the first year in which teams have different bonus pools, and as explained by BA's Ben Badler, teams can trade for up to 50% of their pools (with plenty of stipulations).  The latest deals:

  • Badler reports that the Astros have signed Dominican shortstop Joan Mauricio for $600K. The infielder didn't make the Top 30 from BA or MLB.com, but Badler lauds his defensive actions and hands.
  • The Cardinals have signed Venezuelan outfielder Carlos Talavera (No. 28 on BA's list), Badler reports. The Cardinals have announced that signing as well as three others, and Kiley McDaniel has the bonus amounts: Dominican shortstop Hector Linares received $400K, Dominican right-hander Sandy Alcantara received $125K and Nicaraguan lefty Kerrion Bennett got $30K (Twitter links).
  • The Yankees have signed Dominican shortstop Yonauris Rodriguez for $575K, according to Sanchez (on Twitter). BA noted that he's one of the best defensive shortstop prospects in Latin America.
  • The Tigers signed Venezuelan catcher Elys Escobar for $350K, reports Badler.  They also signed shortstop Hector Martinez for $400K, tweets Sanchez. MLB.com's Jason Beck adds that the team has also reached agreements with Venezuelan outfielder Hector Hernandez and Venezuelan shortstop Anthony Pereira (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers signed Dominican outfielder Nicolas Pierre for $800K, tweets Soldevila.  Badler ranked him 20th, noting the Brewers connection, while MLB.com had him 28th. The Brewers also signed shortstop Franly Mallen, Badler reports. He later tweeted that MLB.com's No. 22 prospect received the same $800K bonus as Pierre.
  • The Athletics signed Dominican shortstop Carlos Hiciano for $750K, reports Badler.  The speedy infielder was 17th on BA's rankings and 26th at MLB.com.
  • The Indians signed Dominican outfielder Junior Soto for $600K, reports Badler.  He's known for his right-handed raw power. Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes tweets that the team also signed shortstop Willy Castro for $850K
  • The Padres signed shortstop Ruddy Giron for $600K, tweets Soldevila.  Baseball America called Giron a "high-energy player with good athleticism and above-average speed."
  • The Diamondbacks signed Dominican outfielder Francis Martinez for $350K and Dominican third baseman Josue Herrera for $150K, reports Badler.  They're nearing a deal with switch-hitting Venezuelan catcher Jose Herrera worth an estimated $1MM, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.  MLB.com ranks Herrera seventh; BA has him tenth.
  • The Cubs signed Dominican righty Jefferson Mejia for $850K, according to Badler.  Badler notes that the 18-year-old Mejia can begin playing immediately, as his contract is for the 2013 season unlike most July 2 signings.  Mejia previously had an issue with his paperwork and had been declared ineligible to sign until April.  At $4,557,200, the Cubs have the second-largest bonus pool and figure to be active.  
  • The Mets signed Venezuelan catcher Ali Sanchez for $690K, reports Badler.  BA ranked him 25th, calling him an "intelligent, high-energy player" and noting the many Venzuelan catchers in the big leagues.    The Mets also signed Venezuelan righty Luis Silva for $275K, according to Badler.  They signed Dominican shortstop Yeffry de Aza for $475K, he adds.  The Mets have a pool of $2,664,600 this year.
  • Colombian righty Erick Julio agreed to sign with the Rockies, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.  Julio, the best prospect out of Colombia this year, was ranked 14th by MLB.com and 13th by Baseball America's Ben Badler.  The Rockies are also expected to sign Venezuelan shortstop Carlos Herrera for close to $1MM, tweets Sanchez.  He was ranked 11th by BA and 15th by MLB.com.  The Rockies have the third-largest international bonus pool this year, at $4,213,800 according to BA.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Buxton, Gonzalez, Cardinals, Reds, Kinney

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“I am positive he’s the best prospect I’ve seen in (more than a decade) of full-time scouting,” a National League scout raved to Baseball America's J.J. Cooper about Twins prospect Byron Buxton. “It’s not even close. Tools, athleticism, feel and vision. Time will tell what kind of major league player he becomes, but the sky is the limit.”  Other scouts shared similar praise and there's even a belief that Buxton is as good a prospect as Mike Trout was before his legendary 2012 season.

Here's the latest from around the majors as we head into July…

  • Buxton was taken second overall by the Twins in the 2012 draft, with the Astros passing on the outfielder to select Carlos Correa at #1 and then using their surplus bonus pool money to sign Lance McCullers and Rio Ruiz.  Cooper surveys scouts who have been all four youngsters play and discovers that the majority would take Buxton alone over the other three, even though Correa/McCullers/Ruiz are themselves strong prospects.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos watched Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez pitch on Friday in Tijuana, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports (Twitter link).  The Jays made a high-profile signing out of Cuba three years ago when they signed shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to a four-year, $10MM contract.
  • Two Cardinals officials say that trading within the NL Central is "not desirable" and GM John Mozeliak said that the club isn't going to move top prospects like Oscar Taveras or Michael Wacha, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.  The Cards are likely to look for relief help before the deadline, or perhaps a starter that would then send a current rotation member into the bullpen.
  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer chimed in on some Reds-related trade deadline discussion on Twitter this afternoon.  Finding relief pitching is the priority for the Reds and it's doubtful that they're looking for starters.  Prospects Billy Hamilton and Robert Stephenson are probably untouchable in trade talks.  White Sox reliever Jesse Crain is a realistic trade target for Cincinnati, while Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo and Mariners slugger Michael Morse are not.
  • Mariners right-hander Josh Kinney was listed on the Tacoma Rainiers roster today, Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto tweets, so it appears as though Kinney has accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A.  Kinney has been recovering from a rib injury for the entire season and was just reinstated from the 60-day DL on Friday.

Draft News: Lanphere, Farinaro, Bryant

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Last night, the Pirates agreed to terms with first-rounder Austin Meadows. Here are today's draft-related news items and notable non-first-round signings…

  • The Rangers have signed 21st-rounder Luke Lanphere for a $400K signing bonus, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (Twitter link). That's $300K over-slot for Lanphere, a projectable high school right-hander out of California. The UC Riverside recruit's fastball touches 91 mph presently, according to Callis.
  • Baseball America reports that Cardinals 11th-round pick Steven Farinaro signed for $750K, which is the largest bonus ever for a player drafted after the 10th round under the new CBA's rules. Because the assigned pick value for each pick after the 10th round is $100K, signing Farinaro meant a $650K hit to the Cards' bonus pool. The Cardinals have now exceeded their bonus pool by $325K, resulting in a $243K penalty tax and leaving them just $20,896 shy of the point at which they would forfeit their 2014 first-round pick. Farinaro, a high school right-hander, ranked 423rd on BA's Top 500.
  • While recent reports suggest that the Cubs and No. 2 overall pick Kris Bryant are "nowhere close" to a deal, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets that he expects a deal to be completed. He does note that Bryant could be the last first-rounder to sign, however.

NL Central Links: Garza, Cubs, Lohse, Pujols

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With the Cubs and Brewers both more than 14.5 games out of first place, the NL Central figures to be the source of plenty of rumors this summer. Both teams have an ample amount of trade chips that should ultimately exchange hands. Here's the latest out of the division…

  • The Nationals, Dodgers, Phillies, Orioles and Blue Jays all had scouts on hand to watch Matt Garza's dominant start against the Brewers today, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
  • Cubs president Theo Epstein told ESPN Chicago's Sahadev Sharma that he owes it to the organization to explore trades of Garza and the team's veteran players to improve the future. Garza added that he doesn't pay attention to rumors.
  • From that same piece, Epstein said that trading for additional pool space in this year's international free agency market isn't a huge priority, though he didn't specifically deny rumors that the Cubs are looking to acquire additional funds. For those who don't recall, the new CBA will allow teams to trade international spending money.
  • Teams have ramped up their evaluations of Kyle Lohse to determine if he's a worthwhile trade target, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • Albert Pujols told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that St. Louis is still a special place for him and it made him the person that he is today. The longtime Cardinal said he's slightly bitter about the way the front office handled his departure, though he declined to get into specifics on the topic.

NL Central Notes: Stewart, Cole, Soler

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The five NL Central clubs' possible trade deadline moves are highlighted by Grantland's Jonah Keri in his weekly MLB power rankings.  The Cubs have several trade chips to sell while the Brewers may move some relievers at the deadline but wait until the offseason to decide if they're going to truly rebuild, Keri writes.  The Pirates have made deadline additions in each of the past two seasons and have a few clear needs now, though Keri says the current team is good enough to get just a minor upgrade or maybe even stand pat.  The Reds and Cardinals both need bullpen help, with Keri noting that the Cards are deep enough that they can get by with Pete Kozma at shortstop.

Here's the latest from around the division…

  • The Cubs are close to parting ways with Ian Stewart, sources tell CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, with "the resolution allowing him to move to another organization is expected to come within a couple of days."  The move seemed inevitable after Stewart was suspended by the team after he criticized the Cubs organization in a Twitter rant.  Heyman wasn't sure if any financial concessions are involved in the move though since Stewart's deal is guaranteed, he isn't obligated to give back any of the approximately $1MM remaining on his 2013 contract.
  • Gerrit Cole may get sent down to Triple-A once A.J. Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez return to the Pirates rotation, GM Neal Huntington hinted during his Sunday radio program (passed on by Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review).  Since Cole and Jeff Locke are the only Bucs starters with minor league options remaining, Huntington said “there's a business component to it, as far as keeping our depth….if we need another starter (due to injury) later, it may make sense to send Gerrit back so we have a sixth quality starter.”  While Huntington said that Cole's possible Super Two status won't be a factor in the team's decision, a demotion would guarantee that Cole doesn't receive another year of arbitration eligibility.
  • Yasiel Puig's instant stardom has raised expectations for the Cubs' own Cuban prospect Jorge Soler, though CSN Chicago's Patrick Mooney outlines how the Cubs are taking a more measured approached to Soler's development.
  • MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch also expects the Cardinals to get some bullpen help before the trade deadline, though it's likely to be a smaller-name reliever than Jonathan Papelbon, who isn't a fit in St. Louis for several reasons.  Langosch also covers a few other Cards topics as part of this reader mailbag piece.
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