White Sox Rumors

Central Notes: Humber, Cubs, Rasmus, Draft

By Mark Polishuk | June 8, 2011 at 6:59pm CDT

The Central divisions are home to not just the four worst records in baseball (the Twins, Astros, Cubs and Royals) but also to the Cardinals and their MLB-best 37-25 record. Here's some news from the middle of the baseball map…

Phil Humber's improbable journey from being a third overall pick to injury-riddled obscurity to a star in the White Sox rotation is chronicled by ESPNChicago's Jon Greenberg.
The Cubs have no plans to rush Brett Jackson to the Major Leagues, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Jackson just recently returned to action after a finger injury. Muskat's piece also contains updates on several other Cubs prospects.
The Cardinals would be "crazy" to think about dealing Colby Rasmus, writes Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Tigers took position players with 10 of their first 11 draft picks, and 24 of their first 29 picks were college players. Baseball America's John Wagner looks at how both trends were a departure from Detroit's recent draft strategies.
Bill Hall has cleared waivers and is now a free agent, tweets Steve Campbell of the Houston Chronicle. Hall was put on release waivers by the Astros on Monday.
The Astros can also claim the first signing of the 2011 Amateur Draft, as 44th-round pick Blake Ford told Stephen Goff of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) that he will sign tonight. Ford, a right-hander from Lamar University, happened to have tickets to tonight's Astros-Cardinals game so he figured he would take care of his contract while at the ballpark. Also from Goff, the Astros have already signed two other draft picks.

Yankees Claim Jeff Marquez

By Tim Dierkes | June 8, 2011 at 12:36pm CDT

The Yankees claimed pitcher Jeff Marquez off waivers from the White Sox, MLBTR has learned. The 26-year-old righty had been designated for assignment by Chicago on Sunday. The move will require the Yankees to open up a spot on the 40-man roster; Marquez will be in uniform for tonight's game against the Red Sox.

Marquez was drafted 41st overall by the Yankees in 2004 and was later traded to the White Sox as part of the Nick Swisher deal in November of 2008. This year in nine Triple-A starts he posted a 3.97 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 47 2/3 innings.

White Sox Notes: Dunn, Williams, Guillen

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 7, 2011 at 10:53am CDT

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he has confidence that slumping slugger Adam Dunn will go on a hot streak and help the team return to contention. Dunn leads the league with 80 strikeouts and has five homers with a .176/.314/.309 line two months into his $56MM contract. Here's the latest on the 29-33 White Sox…

Reinsdorf told Morosi that he’s confident in GM Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen and expects both to return in 2012.
Reinsdorf isn’t thinking about becoming ‘sellers’ at this point, but he is disappointed to be spending more money for diminished results. “We have a much bigger payroll than we had last year,” Reinsdorf said. “And we’re on pace to draw the same number of people. Obviously, that makes it tougher financially. But we’ll be OK.”
Guillen's son, Ozney Guillen is excited about the possibility of being drafted and starting his pro career, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. The White Sox selected him out of high school in the 22nd round last year, but he didn't sign and is draft-eligible once again. Ozney expects to sign this year.

White Sox Designate Jeff Marquez For Assignment

By Luke Adams 2 | June 5, 2011 at 10:53am CDT

The White Sox have designated Jeff Marquez for assignment, the team announced. The move clears a spot on the roster for Mark Teahen, who was activated from the disabled list.

Marquez, selected 41st overall by the Yankees in 2004, was called up from Triple-A Charlotte last Monday, but didn't pitch for Chicago before being designated. The 26-year-old has appeared in just one big league game, allowing a two-run home run to Yuniesky Betancourt in his lone inning of work last July. This season, Marquez has made nine starts for Charlotte, recording a 3.97 ERA.

Rosenthal On Wood, White Sox, Reyes, Rays, Dodgers

By Zachary Links | June 4, 2011 at 4:22pm CDT

Let's check out the latest edition of Full Count from FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal..

Cubs reliever Kerry Wood is likely to be in high demand at the deadline, in part because his salary this year is just $1.5MM. The Cubs gave him a full no-trade clause and Wood told Rosenthal that he hasn't thought about what he would do if the team asked him to waive it. After all, Wood came back to Chicago to be with his family and to lay the groundwork for a job with the organization after his career is through.
The White Sox expect teams to inquire about their surplus of starting pitching, with Edwin Jackson as their most obvious trade candidate as he is a potential free agent. However, GM Ken Williams wouldn't necessarily seek offense in return. Instead, they'd prefer a right-handed reliever or even prospects. If the White Sox were to add a bat, they wouldn't know where to put it in the lineup.
The Rays have been sliding as of late but are still in contention in the AL East so we can expect them to be buyers. With offense as their biggest need, it wouldn't be surprising to see them inquire on Jose Reyes, but they likely won't land him. Tampa Bay would have to part with top-notch prospects to pull off such a deal, and prospects are more valuable for the Rays than they are for most teams.
The Dodgers were hoping to bounce back in the NL West once they got healthy, but a second rash of injuries has left them depleted again. If the Dodgers ever do get healthy, Rosenthal expects them to go after a power bat to put in left field or at third base.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Danks, Athletics, Yankees, Mets

By Zachary Links | June 3, 2011 at 10:35pm CDT

Tampa Bay selected Jose Bautista off of waivers from the Orioles on this date in 2004. That was, of course, before the Rays dropped the "Devil" portion of their nickname and before Jose Bautista was Jose Bautista..

The Orioles haven't found a taker for Jake Fox yet and will likely need the full ten days to do so, according to Todd Karpovich and Avi Zaleon for MLB.com. Baltimore DFA'd the 28-year-old on Wednesday.
Despite his rough start, there's no reason to fret about John Danks' long-term future with the White Sox, writes Brett Ballantini of CSNChicago.com.
If Bob Geren is to stay on as Athletics skipper beyond this season, the club needs to turn things around, writes Jon Heyman of Sports Ilustrated. Even though things have been rocky in Oakland, Heyman expects Geren to keep his job for the rest of the year.
The Mets are open to talking trade with the Yankees, writes David Lennon of Newsday. Even though there are obvious hurdles, Lennon wonders if the two could be a match in a deal involving Carlos Beltran.

AL Central Notes: Tigers, Twins, Hernandez, Dunn

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 3, 2011 at 4:37pm CDT

On this date in 1997, the Tigers drafted Matt Anderson first overall (under management that has since been replaced). The flame-throwing right-hander briefly became the Tigers' closer, but didn't match the success of others in his draft class like J.D. Drew, Troy Glaus, Vernon Wells and Lance Berkman. Anderson attempted a comeback with the Phillies this year, but has since been released. Here's the latest from around the AL Central…

David Mayo of The Grand Rapids Press defends Tigers manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski, saying the Tigers are annual contenders and “give the Michigan summer a sporting purpose.”
Yes, the Twins are just 18-37, but GM Bill Smith tells John Shipley of the Pioneer Press that it's not too late for a comeback. Smith says better health and more home games and intra-divisional series could get the Twins back into contention. Smith also noted that his re-worked bullpen "hasn't worked" and expressed confidence in Alexi Casilla's skills.
The Royals have been linked to international prospect Elier Hernandez, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The outfielder is likely to command a $2-3MM bonus once he's eligible to sign after July 2nd.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggests that Adam Dunn's struggles and $56MM contract with the White Sox could affect the way American League teams build their rosters going forward. Red Sox DH David Ortiz tells Morosi that DHing is harder than it seems (for more on Ortiz's market value, click here).

Outrighted To The Minors: Amezaga, Sosa, Tejeda

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 2, 2011 at 6:04pm CDT

We'll keep track of all the day's outrighted players right here:

Alfredo Amezaga, designated for assignment by the Rockies on May 29th to create a spot for Chris Nelson, cleared waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A, tweets the team.
Henry Sosa, who was designated for assignment by the Giants last week, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Double-A, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
Robinson Tejeda cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). The Royals designated Tejeda for assignment last week to create roster space for hard-throwing right-hander Felipe Paulino.
Dallas McPherson cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The White Sox designated the infielder for assignment Monday after he collected a pair of singles in 15 plate appearances over the course of 11 games. The 30-year-old former top prospect had a characteristically strong .305/.366/.458 line in Triple-A Charlotte before getting the call to the Majors.

Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Jackson, Blue Jays

By Tim Dierkes | June 1, 2011 at 9:40am CDT

Links for Wednesday, as Seattle's Michael Pineda prepares to continue his Rookie of the Year bid against the Orioles…

Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan noted his daily readership of MLBTR in an interview at the MLB Fan Cave yesterday. Said Hanrahan, "[MLBTR] provides updates for all the transactions in one quick place. I go on there on my phone all the time, because you find out about any deals and transactions. I’m definitely an active reader of that site, but other than that, I don’t really read too many other baseball websites." We're honored to have Joel among the many players who read MLBTR; give him a follow on Twitter here.
Tip of the cap to White Sox righty Edwin Jackson, who explained to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that he'll accept bullpen duty if the team decides to remove him from the rotation. The Scott Boras client has a team-first attitude despite his impending free agency.
Blue Jays righty Dustin McGowan has endured two shoulder surgeries since he last appeared in the Majors in July of '08, but Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports his rehab went well in May and the Jays are now considering using him as a starter again. In other good news for the Jays, top prospect Brett Lawrie tweeted late last night that his hand is only bruised after being hit by a pitch. Prior to that pitch, Lawrie had been slated to make his big league debut Friday.
Jack Zduriencik's smaller acquisitions are looking good for the Mariners, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. For a look back at our Mariners offseason in review, click here.

White Sox Designate McPherson For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 30, 2011 at 1:50pm CDT

The White Sox announced that they designated infielder Dallas McPherson for assignment. In related moves, Chicago optioned Lucas Harrell to Triple-A and called up right-handers Brian Bruney and Jeff Marquez.

McPherson appeared in 11 games with the White Sox and collected a pair of singles in his 15 plate appearances. The 30-year-old had a .305/.366/.458 line in Triple-A Charlotte before getting the call to the Majors. Putting up gaudy minor league numbers is nothing new for the former top prospect. McPherson, Baseball America's #12 prospect entering the 2005 season, has 175 homers and a .953 OPS in the minors, though he hasn't matched that production in parts of five Major League seasons.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

White Sox Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect