Reds Sign Will Ohman
The Reds have signed left-hander Will Ohman, according to Assistant Director of Media Relations Jamie Ramsey (via Twitter). The 34-year-old will report to Triple-A Louisville.
Ohman was released by the White Sox earlier this month after being designated for assignment. In 26 2/3 innings for Chicago, Ohman posted a 6.41 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9. The veteran likely came to the Reds at a reasonable rate as he will collect on the $2.5MM owed to him on the backend of his two-year deal from the ChiSox.
West Links: Angels, Schierholtz, Rangers, Quentin
Here is the latest from baseball's two West divisions…
- "We have nothing significant or imminent at this time. We're just doing our due diligence," said Angels GM Jerry Dipoto to reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times) today (Twitter link). Check out today's Angels rumors right here.
- Although he has not officially requested a trade, Nate Schierholtz indicated to Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle that he is ready to move on to a team with that can offer a greater opportunity. "There's not one thing I can't say I love about this place, but I think I've come to the realization that maybe I'm not their guy. I'm not in the cards having a future here," said the Giants outfielder.
- The Rangers are focused on Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke, but Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com hears that the team's long-shot backup plan involves trading for Cliff Lee again. Lee's contract is an obstacle, plus the Phillies indicated that they're not looking to move their veteran lefty ace.
- Scott Miller of CBSSports.com hears that the Padres may keep Carlos Quentin and try to re-sign him after the season. The Reds, Indians, Pirates, and Marlins have all inquired about his availability.
Twins Notes: Liriano, Sanchez, Span
The Twins have the worst record in the AL and lots of pieces to offer at the trade deadline. Here's the latest from Minnesota, courtesy of 1500ESPN.com's Phil Mackey…
- The Angels and Blue Jays are among the teams who have shown legitimate interest in Francisco Liriano. The Red Sox had internal discussions about the left-hander as far back as Spring Training, but their current level of interest is unknown.
- The Twins have no interest in taking on Jonathan Sanchez and his pro-rated $5.6MM salary, but he is a "possibility" if he clears waivers and becomes a free agent. The Royals designated Sanchez for assignment yesterday.
- The Reds have been looking for a leadoff man and have been scouting Denard Span.
Bowden On Padres, Tigers, Indians, Royals, Pirates
Here's the latest from around the league, courtesy of ESPN's Jim Bowden…
- The Padres have fielded offers for both Huston Street and Carlos Quentin, but they've yet to seriously debate any of them internally.
- The Tigers are seeking a second base upgrade and would like to acquire Darwin Barney from the Cubs for a mid-level prospect.
- The Indians are looking all over to acquire an outfield bat, but they are unable to take back a significant contract and are unwilling to move their best prospects.
- Meanwhile, the Royals are trying to convince the Indians or Reds to take Jeff Francoeur so they can promote Wil Myers from Triple-A.
- The Pirates are aggressively trying to land a middle of the order bat while the Orioles are seeking starting pitching and a third base upgrade.
- There have been rumors of a Mike Morse for B.J. Upton trade, according to Bowden. The Nationals are also looking to add a starter with Stephen Strasburg's innings limit approaching.
- The Giants have no plans of making a deal similar to the one they made last year, when they traded Zack Wheeler for a rental (Carlos Beltran). They are looking for a bat or two, however.
Competitive Balance Lottery Results
Baseball’s first Competitive Balance Lottery took place in New York City today. The lottery, which allocates additional draft picks to small-market and low-revenue teams, provides teams with draft choices they can choose to use or trade. The Diamondbacks, Orioles, Indians, Royals, Athletics, Pirates, Padres, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers and Cardinals were eligible to obtain draft picks. The Tigers were also eligible, though only for the group of selections that takes place after the second round. Here are the results, via MLB.com:
Selections Between First & Second Rounds (Round A)
- Royals
- Pirates
- Diamondbacks
- Orioles
- Reds
- Marlins
Selections After Second Round (Round B)
- Padres
- Indians
- Rockies
- Athletics
- Brewers
- Tigers
The Rays and Cardinals did not receive a pick in either of the Competitive Balance Lottery Rounds.
Competitive Balance Lottery Takes Place Today
Baseball’s first Competitive Balance Lottery takes place today, when small-market and low-revenue teams will have the chance to win extra selections in next year’s amateur draft. The ten smallest-market teams and ten lowest-revenue teams will have the chance to win extra selections in 2013, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
There’s overlap between small-market teams and low-revenue teams, so there are 13 clubs involved in the first-round lottery: the Diamondbacks, Orioles, Indians, Royals, Athletics, Pirates, Padres, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers and Cardinals. The first six selections will be made between the first and second rounds of next year’s draft. A second group of six picks will be available to the teams from the first group that didn’t get an early pick, plus the Tigers. The second group of selections will be made after the second round of the draft.
MLB teams can trade the draft picks they obtain in the Competitive Balance Lottery. The picks, which can only be traded once, cannot be sold or traded during the offseason. In theory, the draft picks could be involved in some of this summer’s deadline deals.
The lottery takes place today at 12:30pm CDT/1:30pm EDT in New York and the winners will be announced 75 minutes later. A team’s chances of winning depend on its winning percentage from the previous season.
NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Greinke, Reds
There’s confusion in baseball front offices as executives navigate the trade deadline for the first time under the sport’s new collective bargaining agreement, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan writes. Last offseason MLB and the MLBPA added one Wild Card berth per league and changed the rules regarding draft pick compensation. Here’s the latest from the NL Central…
- John Mozeliak traded Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen and Shane Peterson for Matt Holliday in 2009, but the Cardinals GM told Passan he probably wouldn't make the same trade today because of the new draft compensation system.
- Mozeliak also explained that teams are demanding significant returns with two weeks to go before the trade deadline. "The ask is high," he told Passan.
- Brewers manager Ron Roenicke is thinking about 2013 and beyond when it comes to Zack Greinke’s place on Milwaukee’s roster, Yahoo’s Tim Brown reports. "Yes, I'm concerned right now, but I'm also concerned with next year and the year after," Roenicke said. Greinke will miss his scheduled start on Wednesday as the Brewers look to get him some rest.
- The Reds are drawing more fans this year, so John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer suggests the team can probably take on payroll at the upcoming trade deadline.
NL Central Notes: Cubs, Dempster, McClellan, Baker
Yesterday we learned that ten teams have shown legitimate interest in acquiring Ryan Dempster, including the Dodgers, Tigers, Yankees, Braves, Indians, and White Sox. Here’s more on the Cubs pitcher plus other items from the NL Central..
- The Cubs will look to trade Dempster now in part so that his presence doesn’t affect their marketing of Matt Garza later this month, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d). While the Dodgers once looked like the favorite to land the veteran, it’s now unclear if they can outgun the rest of the field to trade for him.
- After undergoing shoulder surgery, pitcher Kyle McClellan believes that he has probably pitched his last game for the Cardinals, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. McClellan will be arbitration eligible for the third time this winter and says that he anticipates being non-tendered. The 28-year-old makes $2.5MM this year and would probably command upwards of $3MM in arbitration.
- Reds skipper Dusty Baker isn’t sure if the club will ask him to return for next season but he sounds like he’d be ready to move on to another team if the opportunity isn’t there, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. “At this point in my career, this point in the season, I have as much say about it as the organization does. And that’s not sounding cocky or arrogant,” Baker said.
Quick Hits: Pena, Braves, Reds, Maier
Some late-night links as Saturday turns into Sunday…
- Prior to acquiring Paul Janish from the Reds, the Braves were talking to the Yankees about Ramiro Pena as a shortstop backup plan according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post (on Twitter). Pena is hitting .236/.287/.297 in 271 plate appearances for New York's Triple-A affiliate this season.
- The Reds thinking behind the Janish trade was to add pitching depth at Triple-A according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Cincinnati acquired right-hander Todd Redmond in the trade.
- The Royals have outrighted Mitch Maier to Triple-A, the team announced (on Twitter). Kansas City designated the outfielder for assignment on Independence Day. Maier, 30, hit .172/.260/.313 batting line in 74 plate appearances for the Royals on the season.
Minor Moves: Quintero, Gathright, Threets
Here are the day's minor moves…
- The Marlins have signed Humberto Quintero to a minor league deal according to the CBSSports.com transactions page. The Royals released the 32-year-old backstop earlier this month after he hit .232/.257/.341 in 144 plate appearances.
- The Reds have released Joey Gathright according to the International League transactions page. The 31-year-old speedster hit .299/.346/.347 in 161 plate appearances for their Triple-A affiliate after signing out of an independent league back in May.
- The Athletics have released Erick Threets at his request, reports Casey Pratt of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter links). The hard-throwing 30-year-old southpaw pitched to a 1.84 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 44 innings for Oakland's Triple-A affiliate this season.