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Indians Designate Jason Rice For Assignment

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The Indians announced today on Twitter that they've designated minor league reliever Jason Rice for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for reliever Zach Putnam.

Rice began the year in Boston's system and was traded to the Athletics for Conor Jackson on August 31st.  Then one week ago the Indians claimed him off waivers from the A's, and now he's been bumped off the Tribe's 40-man roster.

Rice, 25, posted a 3.69 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 85 1/3 Triple-A innings this year.  He sits in the mid-90s with a hammer curveball, according to Red Sox vice president of player development and amateur scouting Mike Hazen. 

Quick Hits: Indians, Iannetta, Mariners

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The Tigers extended their winning streak to ten games tonight with a 14-4 victory over the White Sox. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • Deadline deals played a significant role in this year's AL Central race, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. The Tigers and Indians were both aggressive on the trade market in July and August, as our Transaction Tracker shows.
  • Chris Iannetta told Thomas Harding of MLB.com that he hopes to remain with the Rockies, though he has lost playing time to rookie backstop Wilin Rosario in recent weeks.
  • The Mariners announced that they promoted Roger Hansen, who is now a special assistant to GM Jack Zduriencik. The 50-year-old Hansen spent 18 years working for the Mariners in player development, most recently as the organization's minor league catching coordinator.
  • As Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal shows, Jose Reyes of the Mets has raised his on-base percentage to .375 with a counter-intuitive method.

AL Central Links: Tigers, Pena, Buehrle, Acta

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The Tigers' magic number for clinching the AL Central is nine after Brandon Inge's walkoff blast against the Twins this afternoon.  Red-hot Detroit has won eight games in a row and the team looks like a sure bet to reach the postseason for the first time since 2006.

Let's round up the latest from the division…

  • Intra-divisional trades made been a big part of the Tigers' success, writes Lynn Henning for the Detroit News.  Jhonny Peralta, Delmon Young and Wilson Betemit have all come to Detroit from AL Central rivals over the last two seasons.
  • Brayan Pena wants to keep playing for the Royals and is happy to remain a backup catcher, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
  • Following last night's game, Mark Buehrle told reporters that he plans to work out this offseason as if he'll be pitching next season, but he doesn't know if a contract will get worked out with the White Sox. You can watch the video on CSNChicago.com. Buehrle will be a free agent for the first time in his career after the season, and he's hinted at retirement in the past.
  • Ozzie Guillen, for his part, thinks Buehrle will pitch in 2012.  "Oh, he's staying," Guillen tells ESPN Chicago.  "I talk to him every day and he never mentions [to] me anything about retirement. I think this kid's got a lot left to give [to] baseball. I think this kid can help a lot of big league ballclubs. Believe me, I don't think he's retiring."
  • In that same piece, Guillen also reiterated his commitment to the White Sox, saying he wishes to manage the club in 2012 and for "the next 20 years."
  • Joe Mauer talks to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (video link) about his season, his future behind the plate and the Twins' struggles.  Two days ago, more than 3,000 MLBTR voters said the Twins have been baseball's most disappointing team this season. 
  • "That's a good question for the off-season," said Indians GM Chris Antonetti when asked about manager Manny Acta's club option for 2013 by Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Acta will be in the final year of his three-year contract next season, and Antonetti made it clear that he's pleased with the job his manager has done.
  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland told Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press that they're "thrilled" about the Delmon Young acquisition. "It's worked out pretty good so far, and when he steps in that batter's box he's a man," said Leyland. "He's going to get his rips and has a pretty good idea how to hit and what pitchers do."

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Rosenthal On Wright, Showalter, Sizemore

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Let's take a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • There are conflicting signals over the Mets' willingness to deal David Wright.  They've turned away suitors and the subject has hardly come up in internal discussions.  However, others in baseball think the club will look to deal Wright if they re-sign Jose Reyes.  Wright's club option for 2013 becomes void if he's dealt, making him a free agent after next season.
  • Orioles owner Peter Angelos is willing to give Buck Showalter virtually anything that he wants.  Sources tell Rosenthal that Angelos has told the skipper that he can stay on as manager while assuming the role of General Manager.  The club will have to work out Andy MacPhail's siutation before making any moves.
  • The chances of a new labor agreement being struck by the World Series seem to be diminishing.  Things are tough to handicap as things can pick up at anytime, but the two sides are very far apart on the draft.  The owners want hard slotting and a worldwide draft which would be a difficult undertaking.  Of course, free agent compensation, the luxury tax, and revenue sharing are also among the chief topics of discussion.
  • Grady Sizemore's future with the Indians might hinge on how he performs in the final weeks of the season.  The Tribe holds a 8.5MM option on Sizemore for 2012 but they'll be reluctant to exercise it on a player who hasn't played much recently.  One potential solution would be a contract extension with a lower base salary but the outfielder might prefer to test the open market.

AL Central Notes: Zumaya, Twins, Tigers, Cabrera

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Links from the AL Central before the Tigers host the Twins and the White Sox host the Indians…

Outrighted To Triple-A: Jerad Head

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The latest players to get outrighted to the minor leagues…

  • The Indians announced that they outrighted Jerad Head to the Triple-A Columbus roster after he cleared waivers. The Indians designated Head for assignment on Wednesday after he made his MLB debut on August 28th. The 28-year-old corner outfielder hit .284/.338/.526 with 24 home runs in 463 Triple-A plate appearances this year.

Arbitration Eligible Players With Club Options

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Three pitchers have club options for 2012 yet are not named on our free agent list.  The reason?  They'd still be arbitration eligible if the options are declined.  Let's take a look.

  • James Shields, Rays: $7MM club option with a $2MM buyout.  This is a slam dunk, as Shields' arbitration salary would certainly beat the $5MM net price of the option.  Plus, exercising for 2012 allows the Rays to enjoy options for '13 ($7.5MM net) and '14 ($11MM net).  It should be noted that Shields' contract, signed prior to the '08 season, includes $6MM in performance bonuses.
  • Fausto Carmona, Indians: $7MM club option. Carmona signed three months after Shields, and his contract also provides the ultimate in team flexibility with three club options.  Carmona's 2012 option does require pause, but it's worth exercising as well.
  • Colby Lewis, Rangers: $3.25MM club option with a $250K buyout.  Coming from a $3MM salary, Lewis would obviously beat the $3MM net price of the option.  So this one will be picked up as well.

Indians Designate Jerad Head For Assignment

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The Indians announced today that they've designated outfielder Jerad Head for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for Trevor Crowe, who was activated from the 60-day DL.

Head, 28, made his Major League debut for the Indians on August 28th, playing left field and getting an infield single against Bruce Chen.  Head hit .284/.338/.526 with 24 home runs in 463 Triple-A plate appearances this year, appearing mostly at the outfield corners.  The Indians signed Head six years ago as an undrafted free agent.

Indians Claim Jason Rice

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The Indians claimed minor league reliever Jason Rice off waivers from the Athletics, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  The A's had acquired Rice from the Red Sox in the Conor Jackson deal last Wednesday.  The Tribe made room on the 40-man roster for Rice by moving Carlos Carrasco to the 60-day DL.

Rice, 25, posted a 3.69 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 85 1/3 Triple-A innings this year.  The Red Sox had obtained Rice from the White Sox in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, prior to the '09 season.  Red Sox vice president of player development and amateur scouting Mike Hazen talked to Pawtucket announcer Dan Hoard about Rice's arsenal in this post from February.

Arbitration Eligibles: Cleveland Indians

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The Indians are next in our arbitration eligibles series.

Carmona would be arbitration eligible if the Indians decline his $7MM club option.  He hasn't been great in terms of the categories that earn pitchers big bucks in arbitration, but he's done enough for the option to represent about $1MM in savings.

The Indians' group doesn't appear to have any non-tender candidates.  Masterson projects to a healthy $4MM for his first time.  Choo had been on the fast track to big arbitration earnings, but this year's dismal counting stats may keep him under $5MM for 2012.  Perez's first 30+ save season should allow him to jump to $4.3MM.  Cabrera's power surge should push him to $4.9MM or so.  Hannahan, Smith, and Perez each project to fall in the $1.4-1.9MM salary range.

Assuming Carmona's option is exercised, these eight players should cost about $30MM in 2012.  If the Indians pick up Grady Sizemore's option as well, they'll be around $56MM.  That commitment is firmly in the middle of their last two Opening Day payrolls, though it doesn't account for minimum salary players.

Matt Swartz contributed to this post.

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