Indians Designate Jose Lopez For Assignment
The Indians announced that they designated infielder Jose Lopez for assignment. The move creates roster space for right-hander Frank Herrmann, who has been recalled from Triple-A. The Indians, losers of ten consecutive games, recently designated veterans Derek Lowe and Johnny Damon for assignment.
Lopez appeared in 66 games for the Indians this year, playing third base and seeing some time at first and second. The 28-year-old posted a .249/.272/.366 batting line in 224 plate appearances. He earns $800K this year after signing a minor league deal with Cleveland last December.
Quick Hits: Victorino, Greinke, Longoria, Nats
The Indians have lost nine games in a row, but they don’t plan on reacting to their struggles by making a managerial change. General manager Chris Antonetti said Manny Acta will return as the team's manager in 2013, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter). The team already exercised Acta's 2013 option last September. Here are today’s links…
- Shane Victorino hasn't been with the Dodgers long, but he'd like to stay there long-term, in part because of the proximity to his parents in Hawaii and family home in Las Vegas, writes ESPN's Mark Saxon.
- The Dodgers and Angels could bid against one another for Zack Greinke when the right-hander hits free agency this coming offseason, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. The Angels intend to keep Greinke, and the Dodgers are prepared to spend on elite pitching, as evidenced by their claim of Cliff Lee.
- Olney points out that Kyle Lohse is positioning himself for a solid free agent contract, and suggests he could approach Mark Buehrle’s four-year, $58MM contract. Lohse is older than Buehrle and doesn’t have the same history of durability, so I will personally be surprised if Lohse gets a four-year deal or an annual salary of $14MM.
- Matt Kemp, Carlos Gonzalez and Andrew McCutchen provide their respective teams with considerable value, relative to their contracts, but Evan Longoria has the most team-friendly contract in MLB, Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes (Passan's not considering pre-arbitration eligible players). The Rays announced that they will activate Longoria from the disabled list for tomorrow’s game.
- The Nationals announced that they agreed to sign four international free agents: right-hander Ramses Rosario and outfielders Aldrem Corredor, Darryl Florentino and Luis Guzman.
AL East Notes: Valentine, Thome, Lowe
The Orioles defeated the Mariners tonight to draw within a half game of one of the American League's Wild Card spots. In what most consider to be a shocking season, the second-place Orioles trail the Yankees by 5 1/2 games following New York's loss to the Tigers. Here are some links pertaining to the division…
- "We are not making a change at manager," Red Sox principal owner John Henry told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford via email. Henry wrote that managers often get too much credit and also too little credit for what happens on the field.
- WEEI's Alex Speier tweeted a quote from Red Sox GM Ben Cherington that echoed Henry's sentiment, though Cherington stopped short of saying how long Valentine's Boston tenure would last (Twitter links).
- Orioles DH Jim Thome was told to refrain from baseball activities for 30 days, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. With an early September return questionable at best, he may be more interested in coming back for another season, according to Ghiroli (Twitter links).
- An Orioles team official told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com that the team doesn't have interest in Derek Lowe, who was recently DFA'ed by the Indians (Twitter link). Cleveland is said to be exploring trade options for Lowe.
Central Notes: Overbay, Indians, Pirates, Burnett
Some links pertaining to baseball's two Central Divisions, which are currently led by the White Sox and Reds…
- The Reds aren't interested in Lyle Overbay, general manager Walt Jocketty told reporters including John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Jocketty mentions Overbay's defensive limitation and says his team likes Xavier Paul. Overbay was released by the D-backs earlier today.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti is exploring the trade market for both Johnny Damon and Derek Lowe, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Antonetti feels there's a chance that he can complete trades within their respective 10-day windows. Cleveland recently designated Damon and Lowe for assignment.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Antonetti is happy with the job Manny Acta has done and expects him to be the Indians' manager in 2013. Antonetti did concede that the front office and coaching staff may have over-evaluated the roster's talent in Spring Training.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington says he is actively monitoring the waiver wire and will make claims to improve his team or block others from improving theirs, writes Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- The Pirates haven't explored an extension with A.J. Burnett as of yet, Huntington told reporters including the Tribune-Review's Rob Biertempfel (Sulia link). Huntington says the team's focus is currently on making the playoffs.
Indians Claim Fabio Martinez
The Indians announced that they have claimed right-hander Fabio Martinez off of waivers from the Angels. The Indians optioned Martinez to Class A Carolina, where they plan to convert him to a reliever.
Martinez had been pitching at Class A Inland Empire this season, his sixth as a professional. The 22-year-old posted a 10.72 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 12.7 BB/9 in 22 2/3 innings, all as a starter. He has a 3.90 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 6.2 BB/9 in his minor league career. Martinez has two options remaining after this year, according to the Indians.
Quick Hits: Lowe, Cubs, Antonini, Rangers, Indians
Links from around baseball as Saturday becomes Sunday..
- The Cubs are not interested in pitcher Derek Lowe, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter), who spoke with a major league source. Last night it was reported that the Cubs were "looking into" what it would take to acquire the veteran, who was designated for assignment by the Indians earlier this week.
- Dodgers pitcher Michael Antonini cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Albuquerque, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com (via Twitter). Antonini was designated for assignment to make roster space after the acquisitions of Brandon League and Shane Victorino.
- Rangers General Manager refused to succumb to outside pressure and held on to his most prized prospects through the trade deadline, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. While third baseman Christian Villanueva and right-hander Kyle Hendricks were shipped out, infielders Mike Olt and Jurickson Profar and pitcher Martin Perez stayed with the organization.
- Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer would like to see the Indians take a page out of the White Sox's book and rebuild while keeping the focus on winning.
Indians Designate Jeremy Accardo For Assignment
The Indians have designated Jeremy Accardo for assignment, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (via Twitter). The move will allow Cleveland to recall left-hander Chris Seddon who last appeared in the majors in 2010 with the Mariners. Seddon will take the hill for the Tribe tomorrow against the Tigers.
Accardo, 30, has a 4.58 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 26 appearances this year for the Indians. For his career, the right-hander has a 4.27 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in eight seasons with the Giants, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Indians.
Quick Hits: Sheets, Braves, Phillies, Royals
Saturday afternoon linkage..
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recaps the unusual story of how Ben Sheets wound up hooking on with the Braves. The 34-year-old, who had interest from a number of clubs, told Rosenthal that the situation in Atlanta fit him perfectly even though the offer wasn't necessarily the best. The veteran prefers the National League, likes the pitcher's advantage in Turner Field, and enjoys the humidity of the Southeast. Sheets' deal is for the prorated portion of $2.25MM and includes up to $1.4MM in incentives.
- While Ruben Amaro Jr. & Co. are staying positive about the 2012 season, the Phillies should be making moves with 2013 and beyond in mind, opines Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- We could see familiar August trade subjects such as Jeff Francoeur go through the process once more this year, writes Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated. Other top candidates to be moved include Carlos Lee of the Marlins, Jose Lopez of the Indians, and Scott Hairston of the Mets.
- Dominican third baseman Juan Carlos Arias failed his age investigation, a major league source told Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 6-foot-3, 220 pound prospect stood out for his raw power and strength but will now have to wait until June 12, 2013 to sign.
Chicago Notes: Lowe, Soriano, Williams, Liriano
Here's the latest from both Windy City teams….
- The Cubs are "looking into what it would take to acquire" Derek Lowe, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Lowe has a 5.52 ERA in 21 starts this season and was designated for assignment by the Indians two days ago. The Orioles and Red Sox have also been mentioned as possible suitors for Lowe, though the Red Sox haven't been in contact with the Indians about Lowe, according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.
- Also from Wittenmyer's piece, Cubs president Theo Epstein said Alfonso Soriano had one semi-legitimate suitor before the trade deadline. ‘‘There were a few nibbles, and there was one match of a team that had expressed interest and a place that he would go,’’ Epstein said. ‘‘But they ended up never making an actual offer and addressing their needs somewhere else.’’ This team could possibly be the Dodgers, who were known to have an interest in Soriano before acquiring Shane Victorino from the Phillies.
- White Sox general manager Kenny Williams tells reporters (including MLB.com's Scott Merkin) that he plans to monitor the waiver wire, though "we don't have a lot of positions where if you claim somebody they're going to come in and play."
- Francisco Liriano ended up being Williams' biggest acquisition in the days before the trade deadline and the GM thinks Liriano will thrive under pitching coach Don Cooper. "While there might be some other guys out there who were available, I just felt that Liriano's one that all he really has to do is be in the strike zone on a more consistent basis," Williams said.
Indians Designate Johnny Damon For Assignment
The Indians announced that they designated Johnny Damon for assignment. The move creates 25-man roster space for outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, who has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus.
Damon signed a minor league deal with the Indians in April after an extended stint on the free agent market. The 38-year-old didn't provide much offense, hitting just .222/.281/.329 with four home runs in 224 plate appearances as a left fielder and designated hitter. Damon now has 2769 hits, 235 home runs and 408 stolen bases in his 18-year career. He ranks in the top 50 all-time in runs scored (1668, 31st) and doubles (522, 41st).