Minor Deals: Zumaya, Red Sox, Reds, Blue Jays
Troy Patton, who was designated for assignment by the Orioles last week, cleared waivers and has been optioned to Triple-A, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Here are the rest of today’s minor moves:
- The Tigers released Richard Zumaya, the younger brother of Major Leaguer Joel Zumaya, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 21-year-old right-hander struggled in the lower minors in 2010 and 2011.
- The Red Sox signed right-hander Chris Huseby, who once signed a seven-figure deal with the Cubs, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The 23-year-old hasn't pitched this year but he has a 3.58 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 158 1/3 innings of pro ball.
- The Reds acquired righty Brandon Hynick from the White Sox and the Phillies acquired Niuman Romero from the Blue Jays, according to Eddy (on Twitter). The White Sox and Blue Jays obtained cash considerations in return for their respective prospects.
- The Reds also signed righty reliever Steven Jackson after the Dodgers released him, according to Eddy (on Twitter).
- The Braves signed right-hander Steven Shell to provide depth at Triple-A, according to Eddy (on Twitter).
Brewers Claim Danny Ray Herrera Off Waivers
The Brewers claimed reliever Danny Ray Herrera off waivers from the division-rival Reds, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Brewers will have to open a spot on the 40-man roster for the 5'6" lefty, who is currently at Triple-A. Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein first tweeted that Milwaukee made the claim on Herrera.
The 26-year-old Herrera came to the Reds from the Rangers in December of 2007 along with Edinson Volquez for Josh Hamilton. Herrera logged 92 big league innings from 2008-10, posting a 3.62 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 0.8 HR/9. Against southpaws, he has a 7.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 0.41 HR/9 in 44 career innings. He's the definition of a soft-tosser, with an average fastball in the 83-84 mile per hour range. Herrera's out pitch is a screwball, as ESPN's Tim Kurkjian explained in this article a couple of years ago.
The Brewers are the only contender currently without a left-handed reliever on the active roster. Zach Braddock, Manny Parra, and Mitch Stetter are all on the DL.
Reds Release Dallas Buck
The Reds have released right-hander Dallas Buck, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Buck never managed to impress while with the Reds organization and posted a 8.50 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in eight Double-A starts this season.
The release of the 26-year-old means that there are no players remaining from the Adam Dunn deal with the Diamondbacks in 2008. The other two players in the deal are already elsewhere as Micah Owings returned to Arizona this offseason and Wilkin Castillo hooked on with the Braves.
Rosenthal On Chapman, Braves, Rockies, Norris
Aroldis Chapman went on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation today, after Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on the Reds’ options for proceeding with the struggling Cuban left-hander. Here’s the latest on Chapman plus notes from around the league:
- A veteran scout insists that the Reds need to demote Chapman and make him a starter, but pitching coach Bryan Price isn’t so sure that a demotion is the way to go. He points out that Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson took time to develop. “Both struggled with command until they got enough work to figure out how their body works, how to put their hand in the right position to throw quality strikes,” Price said.
- The Braves would ideally add a leadoff hitter and put Martin Prado second in the order, according to Rosenthal. He suggests the Braves could target leadoff options Jose Reyes, Grady Sizemore, Denard Span or David DeJesus via trade or free agency after the season.
- The Rockies appear to be concerned about losing out of options relievers Felipe Paulino and Franklin Morales to waivers.
- Astros GM Ed Wade says Bud Norris has become a much more mature pitcher. The 26-year-old right-hander has 60 strikeouts in 50 innings this year.
Quick Hits: Dodgers, Cardinals, Inglett, Broderick
Saturday evening linkage…
- Frank McCourt told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that the Dodgers' roster would look the same even if the team didn't have financial problems. He was also vague about future payroll plans if the multi-billion dollar deal with FOX were to be approved (Twitter link).
- B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com points out that the Cardinals will have to make room for Brian Tallet when the lefty comes off the disabled list next week (Twitter links). He doesn't think they'll cut ties with the struggling Ryan Franklin, but he says it's "debatable."
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that Joe Inglett has accepted his outright assignment and will join the Astros' Triple-A affiliate (on Twitter). Inglett could have elected free agency after clearing waivers earlier in the week.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo believes that pitcher Brian Broderick has a bright future in the big leagues, despite being DFA'd by the club earlier today, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Manager Dusty Baker is curious to see if the newly activated Jose Arredondo can provide the Reds with the kind of pitching they expected upon signing him.
- Dave Gershman of Beyond The Box Score examined the market for Padres pitcher Dustin Moseley.
Minor Deals: Brewers, Clevlen, Alaniz, Boleska
The D'Backs released Ron Mahay and the Mariners claimed Jeff Gray. Here are the rest of today's minor moves…
- The Brewers released Alex Periard and Demetrius McKelvie, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (Twitter links).
- The Reds signed Brent Clevlen, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Clevlen, a former top prospect who's now 27, has big league experience with the Tigers and Braves.
- The Phillies released Adrian Alaniz, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The 27-year-old right-hander struggled in eight appearances at Class A this year, posting a 7.71 ERA. He has a 3.19 ERA with 7.8 K/0 and 3.0 BB/9 in five minor league seasons, but has yet to pitch above Double-A.
- The Pirates released Double-A right-hander Tom Boleska, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Boleska, a 24-year-old right-hander, has a 2.73 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in five minor league seasons, but has struggled in 12 appearances at Double-A this year.
- The Mets acquired Bubba Bell from the Indians and assigned him to Triple-A, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The Indians acquired Bell from the Red Sox in March and he hit .292/.346/.375 at Triple-A..
NL Central Links: All Six Teams
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by one game over the Reds. A link for each of the six teams:
- The $680MM deal to sell the Astros to Jim Crane's group "could be completed as early as next week," report Zachary Levine and Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle. Ownership of the club could be tranferred to Crane "as early as July," they write. Crane is believed to prefer having an agreement in place before the June 6th draft, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Pirates reliever Jose Ascanio's rehab period ends today, reports Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the team must decide whether to add the out of options righty to the 25-man roster or risk losing him to another team. The 26-year-old has been battling shoulder and elbow injuries, but MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch wrote Monday that adding him to the big league bullpen is the most likely move.
- You read yesterday about the hug heard 'round the Midwest, as Cubs GM Jim Hendry embraced Albert Pujols before the game at Wrigley. The hug means next to nothing; as CSN's Patrick Mooney points out, Hendry has tons of connections throughout the industry. Still, it can't hurt to note that Cubs owner Tom Ricketts shook hands with the free agent to be as well.
- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has begun an "open-ended convalescence" in the words of Joe Strauss' source, as he recovers from shingles. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter says La Russa "will miss the rest of the team's current road trip and perhaps significantly more time."
- Despite allowing five runs and nine hits in six innings, Brewers offseason acquisition Shaun Marcum picked up his fourth win yesterday. Marcum is showing no ill effects from his springtime shoulder stiffness; his 4.17 K/BB ratio ranks sixth in the NL. With a strong season I can see him getting close to $10MM for 2012, his final arbitration year.
- Aroldis Chapman won't be sent to the minors to work out his issues, Reds manager Dusty Baker told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The hard-throwing lefty has allowed at least one run and two walks in each of his last three appearances.
NL Central Notes: Pujols, Hendry, Arredondo
Links for Tuesday night, as Carlos Zambrano and Chris Carpenter face off at Wrigley Field and Ryan Theriot explains his thoughts on the Cubs–Cardinals rivalry…
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry spoke with Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols behind the batting cage before today's game and Hendry denied that anything unusual occurred between him and the free agent-to-be, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. “I like Albert. We’ve always gotten along," Hendry said. "Great, great player. I admire the heck out of him.”
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune breaks down a few of Hendry's recent moves before noting that it's a "do-or-die season" for the Cubs GM.
- Jose Arredondo's rehab runs out after tonight, though the Reds don't have to activate him, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. We can expect the Reds to make a decision about Arredondo's future Friday, according to Fay.
Heyman On Wheeler, Reyes, Martin, Reds
Now that top prospects Eric Hosmer and Jose Iglesias are in the majors, Jon Heyman of SI.com examines the minors’ top prospects. Mariners infield prospect Dustin Ackley, the second overall pick behind Stephen Strasburg two years ago, is "over-rated'' and without a clear defensive position in the opinion on one NL executive. Here’s Heyman’s latest from around the league:
- The Giants and Mets don’t appear to be talking about Jose Reyes at the moment, but the rumors won’t stop until the calendar flips to August or another team acquires the shortstop. Heyman hears from one person who believes the Mets would “have to” send Reyes to San Francisco if they could get pitching prospect Zack Wheeler in return.
- MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes suggested Wheeler as a possible target for the Mets last week.
- In off-field news, Heyman reports that the Mets are getting more interest than expected from buyers interested in a minority stake in the team.
- The Rangers hope Cuban outfield prospect Leonys Martin, who signed last week, can help them in 2011.
- The Reds were among the teams that bid on Martin, according to Heyman.
NL Central Notes: Reds, Friedman, McCutchen
Links from the NL Central, before Pirates starter Kevin Correia pitches against his former teammates in San Diego…
- The Reds signed left-handed reliever James Adkins and catcher James Skelton to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). Adkins, 25, has a 4.76 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in parts of five minor league seasons. Skelton, also 25, has a .267/.396/.368 line in parts of seven minor league seasons.
- The Reds also activated Fred Lewis from the disabled list and optioned Jeremy Hermida to Triple-A, according to the Associated Press (via the Boston Herald).
- The father of Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman is involved with a group that has interest in buying the Astros, but Friedman says those dealings don’t impact his job in Tampa Bay, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- Andrew McCutchen left no doubt that he wants to continue playing for the Pirates when speaking to Jared Macdonald of The Good Point. "I plan on being here, that's the mindset. This is where I want to be, " he said. "I don't want to go anywhere, and I'm going to be here for as long as they want me to be here." The Pirates are discussing an extension with McCutchen, though no agreement appears imminent.