Elvis Andrus Clears Waivers
Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus has cleared waivers, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Knobler adds that despite the fact that Andrus is technically eligible to be traded, the Rangers have no intention of dealing the 24-year-old.
Andrus signed an eight-year, $120MM extension prior to the season, though it's possible the deal will be much shorter than that, as he received a pair opt-out clauses that allow him to elect free agency following the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Opting out after the 2018 season would effectively make his contract a four-year, $62MM extension. Opting out after 2019 would make it a five-year, $77MM extension. Were he pass on both opt-outs, Andrus would be guaranteed an additional $124.475MM beyond this season.
Andrus has seen his numbers decline dramatically in 2013, as he's hitting just .255/.317/.306 with one homer. He remains a premium defender at shortstop and a terror on the basepaths though, as evidenced by his 30 steals in 34 attempts. Andrus joins a growing list of players to have cleared waivers, though he is arguably the unlikeliest of the bunch to be traded.
West Notes: Ramirez, Giants, Zito, D’Backs
Earlier today a pair of AL West clubs made a small trade when the Astros shipped Travis Blackley to the Rangers for cash and a player to be named later. Blackley, who was recently outrighted by Houston, was assigned to Triple-A Round Rock. Here's a look at the latest out of the AL and NL West..
- Manny Ramirez tells Hector Cruz of ESPNDeportes (via Twitter, Spanish link) that he won't retire from baseball and will seek out a new opportunity. The slugger was released by the Rangersyesterday.
- Barry Zito's large home/road split is an obstacle to an August trade, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com says. The Giants hurler has a 3.01 ERA in 71.2 innings at home this year, but a 9.50 ERA in 41.2 innings on the road. However, the lefty is now in the final guaranteed months of his contract, so it could be "more than just a formality" that he cleared waivers, sources told Knobler. Zito is owed $20MM this season, with a $7MM buyout for 2014.
- The Diamondbacks won't rush to promote top prospect Archie Bradley this season unless they're in the thick of things and he can make a difference, writes MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Rangers Acquire Travis Blackley
12:50pm: A source tells MLBTR that the deal has the Rangers sending a PTBNL to the Astros in addition to the cash considerations.
12:34pm: The Rangers announced that they have acquired left-handed pitcher Travis Blackley from the Astros in exchange for cash considerations. However, the Astros' press release says that the deal calls for a player to be named later in addition to the cash. Blackley was recently outrighted to Triple-A by Houston, two days after he was DFA'd.
Blackley, 30, posted a 4.89 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 35 innings for the Astros this year. The Australian has been effective against left-handed hitters, limiting them to a .200/.258/.367 batting line through 66 plate appearances. However, his .265/.400/.603 batting line versus opposing righties isn't quite as strong.
Quick Hits: Konerko, Harrison, Bernadina, Guerrero
Paul Konerko could draw interest from the Orioles, who tried to acquire another right-handed bat at the deadline, Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com opines. Konerko considered signing with the O's after the 2005 season, according to Dubroff, who says the 37-year-old could fill the club's DH slot. Though he's hitting just .243/.306/.359, Baltimore would prefer Konerko over a reunion with Mark Reynolds, Dubroff says. Here's more from around baseball..
- Rangers starter Matt Harrison's back issues will cause him to miss the remainder of the season, Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest tweets. Harrison, 27, underwent surgery to repair a herniated disk in April. The Rangers were targeting a September return for the left-hander, but his back "isn't strong enough," according to Andro.
- Bill Ladson of MLB.com ran down the Nationals that might not return to the club in 2014. The list starts with non-tender Roger Bernadina and one talent evaluator tells Ladson that GM Mike Rizzo has never been a fan of his.
- Cuban prospect Alexander Guerrero is still waiting to be unblocked by the U.S. Government and cannot enter into a contract until that happens, tweets Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. The infielder has three teams vying for him including the Twins and the Dodgers, who are believed to be the favorites.
- The Twins placed Justin Morneau on waivers, but manager Ron Gardenhire doesn't think that it'll hurt the veteran's play, writes MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "It just gets out there," Gardenhire said. "There's so many people getting run through waivers now. It's just part of the year here. We understand that this was probably going to happen. It happens to pretty much all our players and everybody else's players."
Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Rangers Release Manny Ramirez
The Rangers have released Manny Ramirez from Triple-A Round Rock, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). The slugger had signed a minor league deal with Texas on July 3.
The 41-year-old Ramirez hit .259/.328/.370 with three homers for the Rangers during his time at Round Rock but drew questions from scouts on his bat speed. Ramirez began the season in Taiwan playing for the EDR Rhinos, where he hit .352 with eight homers, but he was unable to translate that success back over to the United States.
In parts of 19 Major League seasons between the Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox and Rays, Ramirez is a .312/.411/.585 batter with 555 homers.
Rangers Claim Adam Rosales
The Rangers have claimed Adam Rosales off waivers from the Athletics for the second time in the past 10 days, the team announced via press release.
Rosales, 30, has been designated for assignment by the A's on three separate occasions in the past five weeks. The first time, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento. Following a July 31 DFA, he was claimed by the division-rival Rangers. Texas designated Rosales for assignment just three days later, however, in order to make room for outfielder Joey Butler.
Oakland reclaimed Rosales, only to designate him again just days later, this time to clear a roster spot for right-hander Sonny Gray. The versatile Rosales is batting .191/.267/.316 in 154 plate appearances with the A's this season. He didn't get an at-bat in his previous three-game stint with the Rangers.
Rangers Acquire Alex Rios
AUGUST 11: The White Sox have announced, via Twitter, Garcia is the player to be named later in the Rios trade. Garcia will report to Triple-A Charlotte and will most likely be a September call-up, before if needed, reports Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com (Twitter links).
AUGUST 9: It looked like a long shot just hours ago, but the White Sox and Rangers have announced a trade that will send Alex Rios to Texas in exchange for a player to be named later. The White Sox are reportedly including $1MM to help offset some of the remaining money on Rios' contract. 
Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago feels that it's likely Leury Garcia will be the player to be named later at a time when he's not required to clear waivers to be moved (Twitter link). MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan agrees that Garcia will head to the White Sox, adding that the trade came together just minutes before the deadline to move Rios before his waiver period expired.
The 32-year-old Rios is hitting .277/.328/.421 with 12 homers and 26 stolen bases this season. Originally set to earn $12.5MM next year with a $13.5MM option for 2015, Rios has a clause in his contract that escalates both of those figures by $500K if traded, which is likely the reason that the Sox included the $1MM in cash.
The Rangers claimed Rios off waivers earlier this week after expressing interest in him prior to the trade deadline. This is the second time that he has changed teams in August, as the White Sox originally acquired him from the Blue Jays back in 2009 in a down season when the Jays simply dumped his contract onto the White Sox. In parts of five seasons with the White Sox, Rios hit .269/.310/.430, offering solid defense in right field. He's also capable of playing center field in a pinch, though he hasn't done so regularly since 2011.
The 22-year-old Garcia is hitting just .192/.236/.231 in 57 plate appearances this season. The switch-hitter entered the season ranked as the Rangers' No. 20 prospect, according to Baseball America. In their scouting report, BA noted that Garcia is a near 80 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale and also possessed the best infield arm in Texas' system. His ultimate role may be a super utility player capable of handling second base, shortstop and center field, according to BA.
Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago first reported that Rios had been traded and that the White Sox would receive a PTBNL (Twitter links). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported that that the White Sox were including $1MM (on Twitter).
AL West Notes: Ryan, Jaso, Rosales
Here's a look at the latest from the AL West:
- Nolan Ryan met with reporters ahead of the Rangers' matchup with the Astros tonight and said he doesn't anticipate changes in regard to his position as the club's CEO. “Things have settled down and I feel good about the ballclub and the way things are going," Ryan is quoted as saying in an article by TR Sullivan of MLB.com. "You just get through each season and see how you feel and how your health is."
- The hall-of-famer said he's happy with the club's position following GM Jon Daniels' acquisition of Alex Rios from the White Sox to replace the suspended Nelson Cruz. Ryan also told reporters that he's "thrilled" with Ron Washington's stewardship of the club.
- John Jaso's absence and the lack of other catchers on the Athletics' 40-man roster mean that Oakland might have to start monitoring the waiver wire for backstops, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Jaso has been out since July 25 with a concussion.
- The A's recently designated Adam Rosales for assignment, but Jane Lee of MLB.com notes that the club is a fan of his defense and would probably like to retain him. In the last 11 days, the 30-year-old has been DFA'd twice by the A's and once by the Rangers.
AL Notes: Longoria, Rangers, Reynolds
You'll want to give a read to this excellent piece from Tyler Kepner of the New York Times on outlasting the decade-long saga of Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees. Elsewhere in the American League …
- Fellow AL East third bagger Evan Longoria discussed the recent PED suspensions in pointed terms, reports SI.com's Cliff Corcoran. Longoria's most interesting observations, however, relate to the possibility of the players approving (or even seeking) enhancements to the penalties for PED use. "I definitely feel the risk needs to outweigh the reward," said Longoria, who went on to explain that a 50-game suspension was inadequate. "[I]t seems more players are starting to come forward and voicing their opinion negatively about cheating and PEDs," he continued. "If it comes to this offseason or the next, where we have [a] formal meeting [take] place where everybody in the union is there, and we have keynote players in the game today speaking adversely, then policy could get changed. The penalties could get more severe because guys want it out of the game."
- GM Jon Daniels "did his part," according to Rangers manager Ron Washington. As MLB.com's Richard Justice reports, Daniels utilized a blend of aggressiveness and patience in scooping up two players — Matt Garza and Alex Rios — who Justice says were "probably the best" starter and outfielder available.
- If the Orioles are interested in the recently-designated Mark Reynolds, GM Dan Duquette isn't letting on. As Eduardo Encina writes for the Baltimore Sun, Duquette refused to comment on Reynolds, but did note that the O's "have a credible right-handed hitter in Danny Valencia, who is already on the [40-man] roster and would be available to us."
- Meanwhile, the Red Sox are not interested in Reynolds, according to a tweet from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. With power-first, strikeout-prone players like Mike Napoli and Will Middlebrooks already in the BoSox infield mix, the lack of interest from Boston is not surprising.
Reactions To The Alex Rios Trade
With Nelson Cruz's suspension leaving the Rangers thin in the outfield, Texas acquired Alex Rios from the White Sox today for a PTBNL (widely reported to be infielder Leury Garcia) and $1MM. Now, several hours after news of the trade broke, here are reactions to the deal from around the web.
- Assuming the player to be named later in the deal does turn out to be Garcia, the Rangers paid a reasonable price for Rios, Eno Sarris of Fangraphs.com writes. With Rios only under contract for one more guaranteed year after 2013, the Rangers aren't assuming too much risk. Garcia didn't rank as a top prospect entering the season, and the Rangers have several infielders around for the long term and therefore could afford to part with him.
- The Rios trade is "a great move" for the Rangers, argues Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. The deal addresses the Rangers' needs both now and in the near future, since Rios is under contract in 2014 and Cruz and David Murphy are eligible for free agency after this season.
- The deal makes sense for both teams, says CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. The Rangers get an average player who adds depth to their lineup, Heyman says, and the White Sox avoid paying Rios' salary through 2014, when they didn't figure to compete anyway.
- Rios says he will remember fondly, MLB.com's Scott Merkin writes (on Twitter). "It was a great ride," says Rios. "I enjoyed my whole time here. I had many great moments here. So, I’m going to miss this place."