Cubs Sign Casey Fossum
The Cubs signed Casey Fossum and assigned him to Triple A Iowa, according to MiLB.com. He became a free agent last week when he opted out of his contract with the Yankees. Fossum had been pitching in Triple A Scranton since the Yankees picked him up in May. The Cubs will be his his third organization of the year, as he pitched briefly with the Mets before they designated him for assignment.
Odds And Ends: Blue Jays, Cotts, Indians
Manny's back to help celebrate the Fourth of July weekend! Here are some links to start the day off…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Blue Jays execs will decide what course of action to take this month once they see how the team performs on its ten-game road trip against divisional rivals.
- Jamey Newberg ranks this week's top 20 Rangers prospects for MLB.com. Texas just keeps churning out quality players; this week it's Julio Borbon.
- Cubs reliever Neal Cotts underwent Tommy John surgery, according to the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says the Mariners and Angels have a serious advantage over the Rangers when it comes to making deadline deals now that the Rangers are borrowing money from MLB.
- Steve Kornacki of MLive provides five reasons why the Tigers may not make the playoffs and five reasons why they're in first.
- As Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes, Seth McClung's preformance has made the Brewers' need for a starter more glaring.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Indians would need a "staggering" return for either Cliff Lee or Victor Martinez.
Cubs Acquire Jeff Baker, DFA Ryan Freel
12:07pm: In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated Ryan Freel for assignment, according to a team press release. Freel, 33, put up an OPS of .369 in 14 games for the Cubs.
11:27am: ESPN.com's Bruce Levine reports that the Rockies receive right-hander Alberto Alburquerque, who was pitching in A ball for the Cubs. The 23-year-old has struck out 44 and allowed 40 baserunners in nearly 35 innings pitched this year.
8:41am: The Cubs acquired Jeff Baker from the Rockies, according to Yahoo Sports. It's unclear what the Rockies will receive in exchange for the infielder. Baker, 28, has played in just 12 games this year for Colorado, but he posted a respectable .791 OPS in over 100 games last year. He's played all four corner positions in his five-year career, but he's played mostly at second base.
July 2nd Update: Cubs, Nats, Giants
Some links to read as the international signing period kicks off…
- Baseball America's Ben Badler expects we'll hear of more signings when teams begin making official announcements this afternoon.
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. sees a parallel between this year's international signings and last winter's free agent market: the top players are getting top dollars, with big drop-offs afterwards.
- Arangure Jr. hears that the Cubs may have signed Venezuelan catcher Wilson Contreras for $850k.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post reports that the Nats will "hardly make a peep" in this year's market. They have Stephen Strasburg to worry about, after all.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians plan on offering deals to 4-7 players.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News reports that the Giants are looking at a few international players. Don't expect them to award any big bonuses, however.
Odds & Ends: Zambrano, Royals, Hinske
A dosage of links to soothe and satisfy between innings:
- Paul Sullivan at the Chicago Tribune got Carlos Zambrano to respond to the poll that 57.2% of Cubs fans think he should be traded: "Fine, trade me to Boston," he joked.
- Joe Posnanski gives an in-depth look at the problems facing the Royals. "The Royals execs are smart people. But the more they do to this offense, the worse this offense gets," he says.
- Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, cricket players from India who won a reality T.V. show called "Million Dollar Arm" and had never picked up a baseball until recently, are now set to play their first game for rookie-level Pirates affiliate Bradenton.
- M.A. Mehta at the Newark Star-Ledger talked to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who says the deal for Eric Hinske "made some sense…he's a pro."
- Bart Hubbuch at the New York Post tweets that the Mets "inquired repeatedly" on Mark DeRosa but didn't like the price.
- ESPN's Keith Law takes a look at some intriguing pitchers in the Cape League (Insider).
- Kiley McDaniel tweets that Baltimore is a "serious darkhorse" for the services of Miguel Angel Sano, with the Pirates and Twins still favorites.
- According to MLB.com's Rustin Dodd, the Royals have begun discussions with first-round pick Aaron Crow.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Mets, Big Z
A roundup of links for a slow Monday evening in the baseball world…
- According to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, the Nationals have agreed to terms with second-rounder Jeffrey Kobernus, a second baseman from the University of California. He was handed a $705K signing bonus.
- Brewers prospect Jeremy Jeffress was suspended 100 games Monday for a second violation of the minor league drug program, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). Milwaukee assistant GM Gord Ash said the club is "concerned" about Jeffress, who is one positive test away from a lifetime ban.
- Presented without comment: In a poll taken this afternoon, 57.2 percent of Chicago Tribune readers agreed with Phil Rogers, who opined Monday morning that the Cubs should waive Carlos Zambrano.
- Jay Schreiber of the New York Times wants to hear from Mets fans and want-to-be GMs alike. "Does anyone have any suggestions for the woebegone Mets?," he asks.
- According to MLB.com's Wayne Staats, the Cubs have signed 10 of their top 15 draft picks and 21 of 50 overall. Top pick Brett Jackson, an outfielder out of the University of California, was inked early last week.
- Don't forget about MLBTR's weekly live chats. Ben Nicholson-Smith will be your host Tuesday at 2pm CST.
Odds & Ends: Indians, Pirates, Zambrano
Some links to wrap up a relatively busy weekend, with more on the way:
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure says the Yankees, Red Sox, Reds and Padres in on 16-year-old Dominican RHP Cristopher Cabrera.
- John Perrotto at Pirates Report says if he were Neal Huntington, he'd go ahead with the rumored swap of Nyjer Morgan for Lastings Milledge with the Nationals.
- Phil Rogers at the Chicago Tribune is fed up with Carlos Zambrano and thinks the Cubs should waive him and take anything another club is willing to give. Not a great week for Cubs fans, eh?
- Bud Shaw at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer notes that the Indians have had more success making deals than with their draft picks.
- Paul Hoynes at the Plain-Dealer gets some more player reactions to the Mark DeRosa deal.
- Andrew Baggarly at the San Jose Mercury News wonders if Jermaine Dye and Mark Teahen could be on Giants GM Brian Sabean's radar screen.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bradley, Red Sox, Nady, Corcoran, Giants
Let's take a look at what some fans are writing about their favorite teams around the worldwide netweb…
- Bleed Cubbie Blue says Milton Bradley must go. Bradley is hitting just .237-.355-.379, but the riff with Lou Piniella and off-the-field issues are the real problem.
- Fire Brand of the American League wonders if shortstop might end up being a position of strength for the Red Sox.
- River Ave. Blues looks back on the Xavier Nady trade, and says that even though Nady and Damaso Marte are hurt, it was the right move because the Yankees were just one game back of a playoff spot at the time.
- USS Mariner says it's time for the team to wave goodbye to reliever Roy Corcoran. Considering he's allowed 37 baserunners in just 13.2 IP, can you blame them?
- McCovey Chronicles muses about trade philosophies for the Giants.
Cubs, Indians Discussed DeRosa
According to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs had conversations with the Indians earlier this month about reacquiring jack-of-all-trades guy Mark DeRosa. Wittenmyer says any potential move to bring DeRosa back to the north side depends "on the asking price and ownership's willingness to take on about $2 million in salary." Aramis Ramirez could come off the disabled list before the All-Star break, and his performance would also be a factor in any potential move.
Jayson Stark reported that the Cubbies were considering making a move for DeRosa earlier this week.
Stark On Lee, DeRosa, Phillies, Rays, Beltre
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com calls this one of the slowest-moving trade markets in a while, but provides lots of rumors anyways:
- Teams are making introductory calls now to set the tone for the next five weeks.
- One official looking to add a reliever says no one is available.
- With so few teams willing to part with players, sellers are asking for a lot.
- The Brewers, Dodgers, Phillies and Mets are among the teams to call about Cliff Lee. The Indians would still have to be overwhelmed to part with him.
- The Cubs have considered trying to reacquire Mark DeRosa.
- They've also done some preliminary searching for a bat, but they're not sure where they'd play a new hitter so that gives the versatile DeRosa extra appeal.
- Stark's heard nothing to suggest Bobby Valentine will end up managing the Nationals.
- The Phillies have given indications that they'd part with Michael Taylor and/or Jason Donald in a deal for a top starter.
- However, they won't listen on these players: Dominic Brown, Lou Marson, Kyle Drabek, Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco and Antonio Bastardo.
- Doug Davis and Ian Snell aren't Phillies targets.
- The Rays are looking for long-term upgrades. They'd like to acquire "the next J.P. Howell."
- They're asking about young corner outfielders, rather than Jermaine Dye types.
- Pedro Martinez still wants a $5MM salary (prorated) plus incentives, so don't expect him to sign soon.
- The Reds have the best minor leaguers in the division and some could become trade chips.
- The Mets checked in on Garrett Atkins.
- Tony Reagins believes 2009 free agent Vladimir Guerrero can still hit.
- At least one scout can't imagine Adrian Beltre being traded. Makes sense, given his shoulder injury and contract.