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Quick Hits: Dodgers, Nationals, DeJesus, Ripken

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Last August's blockbuster Adrian Gonzalez / Carl Crawford / Josh Beckett deal between the Dodgers and Red Sox is a winner for both teams, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal writes. Despite Gonzalez, Crawford and Nick Punto all playing fairly well and the Dodgers having a very successful season so far, however, there is still a case to be made that the Dodgers would have been better off to hold onto James Loney and their prospects and spend their money elsewhere — Rosenthal notes that the deal may have helped the Red Sox, themselves in the midst of a strong season, to pursue veterans like Shane Victorino and Jake Peavy. In any case, Rosenthal's article is a fascinating look behind a major deal. He chronicles how conversations involving the two teams' presidents and even Red Sox owner John Henry helped shape the trade. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • The Nationals recently traded outfielder David DeJesus to the Rays, but the Nats could try to acquire DeJesus again in the offseason if the Rays don't pick up his 2014 option, MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes (via Twitter). DeJesus is owed $6.5MM in 2014, with a $1.5MM buyout.
  • The Nats are open to trading Dan Haren, but GM Mike Rizzo says they would want "a good package of players" in return, Ladson reports. It seems unlikely that any team would meet that price, since Haren has already cleared waivers. In 132 innings this season, Haren has a 4.64 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9. He has about $3MM remaining on his contract before he becomes a free agent at the end of the year.
  • Rays manager Joe Maddon says the depth DeJesus has added to the team makes his job "more difficult — in a good way," Sam Strong and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com report. "We have to be creative in resting people," says Maddon. "I don't want anyone too tired. We've taken advantage of these off-days to keep everyone spiffy to this point, but we have to be careful moving forward. New players help that. It takes more than nine people to win a World Series." DeJesus started in left field for the Rays as they took on the Yankees on Friday, while rookie Wil Myers did not play.
  • Former Orioles great Cal Ripken is more interested in a big-league managerial job than he has been in the past, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports. His interest could extend to the Nationals job, which will be open once Davey Johnson retires at the end of the season. "I’ve been asked to interview for many managing jobs, and I never said yes because I was never serious about it, and I thought it would be wrong to go through that process," says Ripken. "I haven’t been asked by [the Nationals]. … I think I would be more curious at this stage in my life than I have been."

Rays Acquire David DeJesus

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2:51pm: The Nats will choose a PTBNL from a list with fewer than five names, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).

12:11pm: David DeJesus' stay in Washington was brief, to say the least. After acquiring him from the Cubs on Monday, the Nationals  and Rays have both announced that DeJesus has been traded to Tampa Bay in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. 

DeJesusDeJesus went 0-for-3 with a walk in his brief tenure with the Nationals.

DeJesus was placed on waivers immediately following his acquisition by the Nationals, who many speculated may never have been keen on acquiring him in the first place. Yesterday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago reported that he'd been claimed off waivers by the Rays.

In 322 plate appearances this season, the 33-year-old DeJesus is batting .247/.327/.397. Nearly all of his damage has come against right-handed pitching, as evidenced by his .264/.346/.438 batting line against opposite-handed pitching. Ultimate Zone Rating has graded his center field defense as a positive this season (The Fielding Bible has not), which is a rarity, considering his -0.6 career UZR/150 in center. Both metrics suggest that he's a plus corner defender.

DeJesus is in the final season of a two-year, $10MM contract that he signed with the Cubs prior to the 2012 campaign, though the Rays will hold a $6.5MM club option on him with a $1.5MM buyout. Essentially, they'll make a $5MM decision on DeJesus this offseason. In terms of 2013 salary, he is owed roughly $883K, bringing Tampa Bay's total commitment to him to $2.383MM. From the Nationals' point of view, it's an odd sequence of events, though it'd be worth it if the player they acquire from the Rays is superior (in their opinion) to the player they will ultimately send to the Cubs.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported that the two sides had agreed to a trade to send DeJesus to the Rays (on Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rays Designate Jason Bourgeois For Assignment

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The Rays have designated Jason Bourgeois for assignment, accoridng to Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune (on Twitter).  The move will create roster space for the newly-acquired David DeJesus.

The outfielder was signed to a minor league deal in January by Tampa Bay.  Bourgeois, 31, saw just nine games of big league actions in 2013 and spent most of the season with the club's Triple-A affiliate.  At Triple-A Durham, Bourgeois hit .291/.336/.371 with two homers in 363 plate appearances.

You can keep track of all DFA'd players and their current status with MLBTR's brand new DFA Tracker.

Rays Claim David DeJesus Off Revocable Waivers

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FRIDAY: The two sides are nearing resolution on the claim with just minutes remaining until the deadline, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).

THURSDAY, 11:37am: Rogers tweets that the Rays are the team that has claimed DeJesus.

11:22am: The Braves are not the team that claimed DeJesus, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago (Twitter link).

10:58am: An unknown team has claimed David DeJesus on revocable waivers from the Nationals, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal notes that the deadline to work out a deal is tomorrow at 1pm ET, which would indicate that DeJesus was claimed yesterday afternoon (Twitter links). He also points out that the Nationals could, of course, simply let the claiming team have DeJesus and assume the remaining $2.5MM he's owed (between his 2013 salary and his $1.5MM option buyout).

The Nationals acquired DeJesus on Monday and immediately placed him on revocable waivers. It seemed an odd move, though Rosenthal reported at the time that the Nationals may not have been that interested in acquiring DeJesus when they made their claim. This is my own speculation, but the Nats could have acquired DeJesus for a player to be named later simply to move him to a team with worse waiver priority in hopes of receiving a superior player to the PTBNL they sent to Chicago.

In 320 plate appearances this season, DeJesus is batting .248/.328/.399. Nearly all of his damage has come against right-handed pitching, as evidenced by his .266/.347/.440 batting line against opposite-handed pitching. Ultimate Zone Rating has graded his center field defense as a positive this season (The Fielding Bible has not), which is a rarity, considering his -0.6 career UZR/150 in center. Both metrics suggest that he's a plus corner defender.

Rays Sign Delmon Young To Minor League Deal

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The Rays have signed Delmon Young to a minor league, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Young will head to Double-A Montgomery as opposed to Triple-A Durham for the time being, based on his own personal preference (All Twitter links). The 27-year-old was released by the Phillies last week and will now return to the organization that selected him first overall in the 2003 draft. Young is represented by Joel Wolfe of the Wasserman Media Group.

Young batted .261/.302/.397 in 291 plate appearances for the Phillies this season before being released. Originally drafted by Tampa Bay, Young played just one full season there before being traded to the Twins in a trade that brought Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett to the Rays. Young enjoyed one strong season in Minnesota, but has failed to translate the tools that made him the No. 1 overall pick into consistent Major League production. In parts of eight big league seasons, he's a .283/.316/.423 hitter but also grades out as one of baseball's worst defenders in the outfield.

Minor Moves: Marlins, Red Sox, Mortensen, Mock

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Here are today's minor moves from around the league…

  • The Marlins announced (via Twitter) the transfer of Marcell Ozuna to the 60-day disabled list.  This frees up a roster spot for Gil Velazquez, called up from Triple-A to take the place of Placido Polanco, who is going on the seven-day DL for concussion issues.
  • The Red Sox announced that they have moved Clay Buchholz and Andrew Bailey to the 60-day DL and sent Rubby De La Rosa, Ryan Lavarnway and Brock Holt to Triple-A in order to create roster spots for David Ross (activated from the 60-day DL) and call-ups Xander Bogaerts and Brayan Villarreal.  Bailey is out for the season but Buchholz may soon return from a neck/shoulder issue that has kept him sidelined since June.  Steve Adams examined the Bogaerts promotion earlier today on MLBTR.
  • The Rays signed right-hander Jared Mortensen to a minor league contract and assigned him to High-A Charlotte last week, according to a release from the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Mortensen, 25, went undrafted out of LSU-Shreveport and had been pitching for the American Association's Grand Prairie AirHogs. In 100 1/3 innings for the AirHogs (15 starts), he posted a 3.77 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. Mortensen has made one relief appearance since reporting to the Florida State League, firing a pair of scoreless innings.
  • The Diamondbacks released right-hander Garrett Mock from Triple-A Reno, according to the Pacific Coast League Transactions page. The 30-year-old Mock posted a 6.72 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 75 innings for the Aces this season. Mock spent parts of three seasons with the Nationals from 2008-10, posting a 5.17 ERA in 135 2/3 innings, but he hasn't pitched in the big leagues since. The D-Backs are his third organization since the Nationals, as he's also spent time with the Astros and Red Sox.
  • Following the releases of Luis Cruz and Elliot Johnson earlier today, Sean O'Sullivan is the only player in DFA limbo at this time.  O'Sullivan was designated for assignment by the Padres earlier today.

Minor Moves: Astros, Ryan Roberts, Doug Mathis

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Here are Sunday's minor moves from around MLB:

  • The Astros will sign first baseman Japhet Amador and outfielder Leonardo Heras from Diablos Rojos in the Mexican League, according to a team press release. The 26-year-old Amador, who is listed at 6'4" and 315 pounds, was hitting .368/.419/.693 with 36 home runs in 449 plate appearances. Heras, 23, was hitting .310/.398/.519. The amounts of their bonuses are unclear.
  • Ryan Roberts has cleared waivers and has accepted the Rays' outright assignment to Triple-A Durham, tweets the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith. Roberts was designated for assignment Thursday after hitting .247/.295/.377 with five home runs in 173 plate appearances for Tampa Bay. 
  • The Pirates have acquired right-hander Doug Mathis from the Marlins for a player to be named later or cash, tweets Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mathis, who has spent the entire season at Triple-A New Orleans, will be assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Mathis, who last appeared in a MLB game in 2010 with the Rangers, has posted a 3.85 ERA, 6.7 K/9, and 4.2 BB/9 over 114 2/3 innings with the Zephyrs covering 24 games (21 starts). 

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Cafardo On Morneau, Red Sox, Young, Johnson

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that rival scouts have their eye on the Red Sox who, despite leading the majors in runs, have been shut out nine times this season.  “If you pitch the Red Sox the right way, you can shut them down,” said one National League scout. “They do a tremendous job of working the count. It’s an organizational philosophy that works for them. But they prey on pitchers who can’t throw strikes. They grind out at-bats, work the count, make pitchers throw way more pitches than they need.  If you see a game where they get shut out or they get dominated, it’s because whoever is pitching isn’t allowing them to get into their game."  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Justin Morneau wants to stay in Minnesota, but the Twins have rejected any offer to talk about a new deal, indicating they are ready to move on.  The Red Sox might have some interest in him with Mike Napoli struggling, but their Mike Carp/Daniel Nava option at first base might a better alternative.
  • A team like the Rays could take a chance on Delmon Young, who struggled considerably in Philly both at the plate and in the field. “He’s 27 years old going on 37,” said one AL scout. “He’s got bad feet, very slow. There are a lot of teams who need right-handed bats, but I wouldn’t touch him.”
  • Josh Johnson will hit the open market in the winter after being shut down with a forearm strain and rival execs are understandably wary about the Blue Jays pitcher.  “He’s either going to be a gold mine for someone who gets him cheap and then reaps the benefits or someone is going to get taken like the Blue Jays did,” said one AL executive.

AL East Links: A-Rod, Jeter, Ellsbury, Myers, Jones

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According to a "60 Minutes" report, members of Alex Rodriguez's inner circle obtained unredacted Biogenesis documents in February and leaked the names of Ryan Braun, Francisco Cervelli and Danny Valencia (who was later cleared) to Yahoo Sports.  Michael Radutzky of CBS News writes.  Rodriguez talked to the media (including Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York) today and denied leaking the names of any fellow player, particularly his Yankee teammate Cervelli.  The third baseman also warned that more details in the case would be made public in the coming days: 

"You know, I've been a member of this union for 20 years, and it is important for all the guys to understand that my loyalty is to this union and it would never happen, it would never occur and it didn't happen. Let's make one thing clear: For the next seven weeks, it is going to be a very bumpy road. Every day expect a story like this, if not bigger."

Here are some more items from around the AL East…

  • Given the uncertainty of Rodriguez's situation and Derek Jeter's health, the Yankees will need to explore alternatives at third base and shortstop this winter, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.  Under Sherman's scenario, Jeter would play half his games at shortstop and the rest at first base or as the Yankees' primary DH against right-handers.
  • As least 12 teams project to be suitors for Jacoby Ellsbury this winter, Fangraphs' Paul Swydan writes.  The Red Sox are one of those teams, as "GM Ben Cherington isn’t letting Ellsbury go without a fight," though Swydan notes that the Sox could be in a position crunch in left field (with Jackie Bradley, Daniel Nava and Jonny Gomes) if they re-sign both Ellsbury and Mike Napoli.
  • The Rays still look like the winners of the Wil Myers/James Shields trade, despite the Royals' recent hot streak, Grantland's Rany Jazayerli opines.
  • The hiring of Buck Showalter was the key move that turned the Orioles from also-rans into contenders, outfielder Adam Jones writes in a guest piece for Buster Olney's column (ESPN Insider subscription required).

Mutual Interest Between Rays, Delmon Young

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Following Delmon Young's release from the Phillies earlier this week, there appears to be mutual interest between Young and the Rays, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The two sides have had some conversations, and the Rays would like to add another right-handed bat to their roster.

Young, 27, is currently on release waivers from the Phillies and will be eligible to sign anywhere once he clears on Saturday. In 291 plate appearances with Philadelphia this season, he batted .261/.302/.397 with eight homers. As is always the case, Young hit much better against lefties (.286/.361/.397). However, he typically displays much more power versus lefties, which clearly wasn't the case this season as his .397 slugging percentage against lefties was identical to his .397 mark against righties.

Young was drafted by the Rays with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft. He played just one full season with the Rays, however, before being the headlining piece of Tampa Bay's Matt Garza trade with the Twins in 2007. Young is a career .283/.316/.423 hitter in parts of eight seasons with the Rays, Twins, Tigers and Phillies.

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