Quick Hits: Romero, Melky, Michael, Mondesi, Bailey
Saturday evening linkage..
- The Mets have signed infielder Niuman Romero to a minor league contract, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (on Twitter). Romero appeared in two games for the Red Sox last season and hit .222/.294/.244 in 159 plate appearances in the Phillies' and Blue Jays' farm systems this year.
- Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report that the Giants, Angels, and Phillies are among the teams with some level of interest in Melky Cabrera. The Melkman has delivered a .293/.332/.452 line for the Royals this season.
- The Twins are making progress in talks with first round pick Levi Michael, tweets LaVelle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune. Michael was the 30th overall pick, which carries a slot recommendation of $1.1MM or so.
- Adalberto Mondesi, the 16-year-old son of Raul Mondesi, is expected to sign for $1MM when eligible in two weeks according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (link in Spanish). Rojas says the Royals have the inside track, but the Yankees, Mets, Giants, and Athletics are also interested. Make sure you tell your friends about our Spanish-language sister site Rumores de Beisbol.
- Yesterday we learned that the Athletics have received calls on closer Andrew Bailey. Two sources tell Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that the Rangers are among those teams and the A's have at started looking more in-depth at Texas' farm system.
- The Braves are in search of a bat, but Athletics outfielder Josh Willingham isn’t high on their list, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Earlier today, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote that Willingham "is going to be traded at some point".
- With their payroll already at an all-time high, the White Sox might be better off making in-house moves rather than deals, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin. If GM Ken Williams & Co. do make a deal they may look to land a right-handed reliever, despite the emergence of Brian Bruney.
- Rival evaluators say that the degree of separation in the standings could impact the the aggressiveness of the Phillies, Braves, and Giants before the deadline, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
- The Cardinals have been one of the most aggressive teams in baseball as far as looking at starters, a source tells Morosi (via Twitter).
Rosenthal On Nolasco, Rays, Upton, Jimenez
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports brought us another edition of Full Count today while sporting yet another fantastic bow tie. Here are some highlights..
- The Marlins could wind up trading Ricky Nolasco if they fail to get back to the .500 mark. The Rangers have shown interest in Nolasco since last winter and the Yankees could look to reunite him with manager Joe Girardi. If the Fish make such a deal, it won't be in one of their classic salary dumps, it will be instead for baseball reasons. They're looking to increase their payroll ahead of their move into a brand new stadium and they could be major players for free agents this winter.
- The Rays still could end up as sellers but right now they appear to be buyers as they were looking to get Francisco Rodriguez before the Brewers swooped in at the final hour. If Tampa Bay sells, it's doubtful that they'll move any of their starters but B.J. Upton is another story. In theory, the Nationals, Phillies, and Braves could all be potential destinations for the outfielder.
- The three teams with the best chance of meeting the Rockies' asking price for Ubaldo Jimenez are the Yankees, Tigers, and Reds. The concerns with Jimenez are that he's not back to his 2009/early 2010 form and that his velocity has dropped. One scout told Rosenthal that he's not back to his ace form yet but he's getting close.
- The first-place Pirates are after upgrades but they should also improve from within. They have a number of injured players returning such as Jose Tabata, Evan Meek, and Ross Ohlendorf. The Bucs continue to search for a bat but they're not terribly interested in the Cubs' Carlos Pena.
NL West Links: Padres, Adams, Ubaldo
The Giants have won four in a row to open up a 4.5 game lead in the NL West. Let's check in on the latest from the division…
- Padres scouts have spent a lot of time looking at Phillies and Rangers prospects recently, says Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Earlier today we heard that Philadelphia has interest in Heath Bell and Mike Adams.
- Meanwhile, ESPN's Buster Olney says rival GMs believe the Padres should trade Adams now to maximize his value, especially since he'll be 33 in two months and has a lengthy injury history (Twitter links). Olney adds that Adams has more trade value than Bell because he's under team control next season.
- Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd shot down speculation that the Rockies are open to trading Ubaldo Jimenez because of his attitude, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. "I don't know where that's coming from. That's not even close to the truth," said O'Dowd. "He's as fine as a kid you will come across in this game."
Gillick On Phillies, Werth, Daniels, Orioles
Longtime baseball executive Pat Gillick will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next weekend alongside Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar. The former Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners and Phillies GM reflected on his career and the state of the game on a conference call with reporters this morning. Congratulations in advance to Gillick; here are some highlights from his conversation:
- Gillick, who is now a senior advisor for the Phillies, would like to see Philadelphia add a right-handed bat this summer. Though doing so is not imperative, it's "very important."
- Gillick now provides the Phillies with scouting reports on amateur players on the West Coast and talks with GM Ruben Amaro Jr. about twice per week.
- Jayson Werth's $126MM contract with the Nationals "stunned and shocked" Gillick, who once signed Werth for $850K under considerably different circumstances. The longtime GM says he's not a fan of long-term deals. "It wouldn't have been something I would have recommended," Gillick said.
- Jon Daniels of the Rangers reminds Gillick of himself. "I always considered myself a little adventurous," Gillick said, "and I think Jon and his Texas group are headed in the right direction."
- Gillick says he admires some moves by Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, especially the deal that brought Adam Jones to Baltimore for Erik Bedard.
- Gillick says he doesn't expect to be a GM again, but he would consider becoming a club president in the right situation.
- The Pirates are the surprise of 2011 for Gillick.
Rangers Have Checked In On Marlins’ Arms
The Rangers have asked the Marlins about their pitching, though the sides have yet to exchange names for possible trades, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Talks are “not far along” now, but the clubs had more serious discussions about pitching at last year’s Winter Meetings.
Derek Holland pitched a shutout last night, leading the Rangers to their eighth consecutive win. Before their hot streak, they were searching for starting pitching and relief help.
Leo Nunez, who is arbitration eligible in 2012, Brian Sanches and Edward Mujica are among the trade candidates on Florida's pitching staff. For more on those names and others, check out this piece by Tim Dierkes, which explains what will happen if the Marlins – now fifth in the NL East with a 44-48 record – become sellers.
Rangers Designate Zach Phillips For Assignment
The Rangers have designated left-hander Zach Phillips for assignment, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The move creates a spot on the 40-man roster for Scott Feldman, who was activated from the 60-day DL and cleared outright waivers earlier today. In another corresponding move, the Rangers optioned Darren O'Day to Triple-A in order to make room for Feldman on the 25-man roster.
Phillips, 24, was taken by the Rangers in the 23rd round of the 2004 amateur draft. He began his pro career as a starter but has primarily been used as a reliever for the last three seasons. Phillips has a career 4.10 ERA, an 8.6 K/9 rate and a 2.33 K/BB ratio in 213 minor league appearances, 98 of them starts.
Feldman Rejects Minor League Assignment
Scott Feldman rejected an assignment to the minor leagues after clearing outright waivers and the Rangers will activate him tonight, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The Rangers, who placed Feldman on outright waivers earlier in the week, can option Yoshinori Tateyama to the minors to create active roster space for Feldman, but they'll have to make another move to create room on the 40-man roster.
Once Feldman rejected the minor league assignment, the Rangers had the choice of activating him or releasing him. If they had released Feldman, who has spent the entire season recovering from a winter knee operation, they would still have been responsible for the $9MM or so remaining on his contract.
Feldman was a starter for Texas from 2008-10, but the Rangers will likely put him in the bullpen now. The 28-year-old has a 4.80 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in six seasons. He signed an $11.5MM extension with the Rangers after posting a 4.08 ERA in 189 2/3 innings in 2009.
Rangers Place Scott Feldman On Outright Waivers
9:45pm: Feldman will join the Rangers' big league bullpen tomorrow, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The Rangers will need to clear a 40-man roster spot for the righty. Either Andres Blanco is going to the 60-day DL, or someone is getting designated for assignment or outrighted.
10:02am: The Rangers placed starter Scott Feldman on outright waivers, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The waivers expire in about two hours. The Rangers' goal appears to be avoiding adding Feldman back to the 40-man roster, since his stay on the 60-day DL is ending and the roster is currently full.
Feldman had microfracture knee surgery in November of last year, and I think he'll clear waivers because of his contract. He's owed about $1.8MM more this year, $6.5MM in 2012, and a $600K buyout for a total of almost $9MM through next season. Feldman has made ten rehab starts this year, posting a 4.17 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 across 49 2/3 Double and Triple-A innings.
Feldman, 28, posted a 4.08 ERA in 189 2/3 big league innings in 2009, earning him the multiyear contract. Teams looking for low strikeout innings eaters have safer options this month, such as Jason Marquis and Bruce Chen.
Rangers Release Manny Delcarmen, Seth McClung
The Rangers released righties Manny Delcarmen and Seth McClung from their Triple-A club, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
Delcarmen, 29, posted a 5.59 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 with 52 hits allowed in 38 2/3 innings for the Rangers' and Mariners' Triple-A affiliates this year. The Rockies non-tendered Delcarmen in December, and he signed a minor league deal with the Mariners despite a Major League offer from an NL team. He opted out of his contract with Seattle on June 1st and signed with Texas.
McClung, 30, posted a 5.19 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 0.7 HR/9 with 93 hits allowed in 78 Triple-A innigs this year, including 11 starts. He'd signed a minor league deal in December.
NL West Notes: Colletti, Ethier, Beltran, Young
Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, former Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday and former Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez will all take part in tonight's Home Run Derby. Here’s the latest from the NL West as we await tonight’s power display…
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has the support of owner Frank McCourt, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Colletti's contract expires after next year.
- Andre Ethier told Shaikin that he and Kemp expect to be with the Dodgers “for the long run” (Twitter link). Both are on track to hit free agency after the 2012 season.
- Kemp told Lyle Spencer of MLB.com that he hopes to stay with the Dodgers long-term.
- Carlos Beltran wouldn't be shocked if the Giants trade for him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Giants will consider adding rental players and Beltran has said that he would waive his no-trade clause under the right circumstances.
- Michael Young told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that at one point he thought he was going to be traded to Colorado and wanted to join the Rockies (Twitter link). Young was the subject of near-constant trade rumors earlier in the year, after he requested a trade and the Rockies had interest in acquiring him.