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Rockies Looking To Improve Bench

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The Rockies are dissatisfied with their lack of athleticism and plan to shake up their bench, major-league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The players that are most in jeopardy are infielders Alfredo Amezaga and Jose Lopez while they seem sweet on the idea of promoting Eric Young Jr. and Chris Nelson.

Lopez has a minor-league option remaining, but his five-plus years of Major League service allow him to reject a demotion and choose free agency.  If that happens, Rosenthal writes that he would likely clear waivers and sign a Triple-A contract elsewhere.  Lopez is signed to a one-year, $3.6MM contract and sources say that he's generating minimal trade interest.

The versatile Amezaga would also be exposed to waivers if the Rockies tried to demote him to Triple-A.

NL West Notes: Rizzo, De La Rosa, D’Backs

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Giants catcher Buster Posey appeared to suffer a serious leg injury while blocking the plate in extra innings last night. Posey's agent, Jeff Berry, says he's going to call Joe Torre about changing rules for plays at the plate to make collisions safer for catchers, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. "It's brutal," Berry said. "It's borderline shocking. It just stinks for baseball." Here are some other notes from the NL West:

  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Bill Center of of the San Diego Union-Tribune that top first base prospect Anthony Rizzo is "not yet" ready for the Major Leagues. The Padres want Rizzo to stay in the Majors once he arrives, so "the timing and situation has to be right."
  • Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd told Dave Krieger of the Denver Post that he has the financial freedom to make a trade. "I have some flexibility that we saved for opportunities that may come up," O'Dowd said. "It would be hard to do multiple things, so we're probably going to have to prioritize what that is if something should come available." Though the Rockies aren't about to make a sudden move, they'll keep talking to teams about possible deals.
  • The Rockies will call on internal options to replace Jorge de la Rosa, who will miss the rest of the season with Tommy John surgery, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Rockies owner Dick Monfort says the team didn't have insurance on the left-hander's contract.
  • The D'Backs continue to eye other teams' arms as they look to bolster their Triple-A pitching depth, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Quick Hits: Hill, Uggla, Rockies

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The Royals announced that former pitcher and broadcaster Paul Splittorff died from complications from melanoma this morning at the age of 64. Splittorff is the all-time winningest pitcher in franchise history and we pass along our condolences to his friends and family. Here are links for Wednesday night…

  • Red Sox lefty Rich Hill tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com that it’s especially thrilling to be succeeding in Boston, since he grew up in nearby Milton and cheered for the Red Sox growing up.  Hill has yet to allow an earned run in 7 innings this year and he has a 10K/2BB ratio.
  • Dan Uggla told Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he feels some pressure associated with his new multiyear extension. The 31-year-old has a .185/.256/.344 line with seven homers since signing a $62MM deal with the Braves this offseason. 
  • The Rockies are not looking to make trades right now, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).

Quick Hits: Orioles, Cardinals, De La Rosa, Matsuzaka

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Links for Tuesday night, as Tigers catcher Alex Avila enjoys his third career two-homer game…

  • Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli that he will continue considering internal and external replacements for Brian Roberts, who won't return before the end of May (Twitter link). 
  • Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explains that the Cardinals demoted Mitchell Boggs in spite of his strong 2011 numbers because they can stretch him out at Triple-A. The Cards could have near-term needs for starters or middle relievers. 
  • On a related note, GM John Mozeliak told Tom Krasovic of MLB.com that he may explore trades for relievers at the deadline. However, Mozeliak says it’s still too early to predict with certainty that the bullpen will be the Cardinals’ biggest need this summer.
  • Rockies left-hander Jorge de la Rosa has a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, the team announced (on Twitter). Tommy John surgery appears to be a likely option for de la Rosa.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests we should keep Kevin Slowey in mind as a possible target for the Rockies should they look outside of the organization for rotation depth (Twitter link).
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan calls Daisuke Matsuzaka a "$103MM migraine" and reports that the right-hander has ignored what the Red Sox have wanted him to do since signing with Boston. Matsuzaka, who has a sprained UCL, might never pitch for the Red Sox again if he needs Tommy John surgery, according to Passan.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com previews his top five potential sellers at this year's trade deadline: the Mets, Astros, Twins, Cubs and Padres.

Quick Hits: Holliday, Twins, Astros, Nats, Red Sox

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Some links to browse through on your Sunday afternoon…

Rockies Designate Felipe Paulino For Assignment

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The Rockies have designated right-hander Felipe Paulino for assignment, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  Greg Reynolds was scratched from his Triple-A start tonight, so he is the likely corresponding call-up.

We heard earlier this week that the Rockies were looking for trade partners for Paulino and Franklin Morales, since both pitchers were out of options and Colorado was worried that either would be claimed on waivers.  The Rockies worked out a deal with the Red Sox for Morales, but apparently nothing could be found for Paulino.

In 14 2/3 innings of relief work for the Rockies this year, Paulino has a 7.36 ERA and an ungainly 14.1 H/9 rate.  Paulino has a 5.93 ERA in 65 career games (34 of them starts) but his 95-mph fastball makes him an intriguing low-cost pickup for a team that thinks it can get him on track.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Pence, Phillies, Sabathia

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Here's the weekly 'Full Count' video from Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com…

  • Three different scouts have told Rosenthal that the Phillies have asked the Astros about Hunter Pence.  A deal seems unlikely for a number of reasons — Pence's salary (he's owed roughly $5MM more this season), the Phillies' reluctance to move top prospects in a deal, and the fact that Jim Crane wouldn't want to begin his ownership of the Astros by dealing their best player.
  • Ruben Amaro tells Rosenthal that Phillies ownership hasn't yet given him direction about what the GM can or can't do at the deadline.  Amaro says the Phillies could find some payroll space without having to deal Joe Blanton, which might be impossible anyway given Blanton's struggles, high salary and the fact that Blanton is currently on the DL.
  • The Angels are looking to acquire a corner infielder with some pop.  Rosenthal suggests Russell Branyan, just released by Arizona, could be signed to share time at first base with Mark Trumbo.  Wilson Betemit could be acquired to play third, since the Royals will shop Betemit to clear space for Mike Moustakas.
  • Ian Stewart is another possible target for the Halos, but the Rockies aren't likely to deal him since they don't have any other answers at third base.  The Rockies are also "relucant to sell low" on the struggling Stewart; Rosenthal says the Pirates recently asked about Stewart but were "simply bottom-feeding" rather than making a serious offer. 
  • The Dodgers were one of C.C. Sabathia's "top choices" when he was a free agent after the 2008 season, and he would "love to have the Dodgers as leverage" when he (as expected) opts out of his contract with the Yankees this winter.  As Rosenthal says, impending free agents hope the Dodgers solve their ownership problems quickly so the team can resume its status as a big-market destination. 
  • Jose Reyes "is going to make a killing" in free agency this winter and Jimmy Rollins should also do well given the lack of quality shortstops around the league, Rosenthal predicts.  The Brewers, Mets, Dodgers, Giants and Athletics are just a few of the teams that could be in the market for a shortstop in the offseason.  The Giants and A's may be a particular fit for Rollins, an Oakland native. 
  • The Phillies, of course, could re-sign Rollins themselves.  Rosenthal notes it would be difficult for the Phils to part with their long-time shortstop, particularly if the club makes another deep postseason run.

Red Sox Notes: Millwood, Morales, Okajima

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The Red Sox made a pair of moves yesterday and won again, boosting their record to a season-best 23-20. Here’s the latest on Boston as they prepare to take on the Cubs…

  • If recent signing Kevin Millwood reaches the Major Leagues, he’ll earn a pro-rated portion of $500K, plus incentives, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. In other words, he's guaranteed slightly more than the MLB minimum.
  • If the Rockies had sent Franklin Morales to the Pirates instead of the Red Sox, Colorado would have asked for a prospect rather than former Rockie Joe Beimel, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox designated Hideki Okajima for assignment to create roster space for Morales, but the Japanese left-hander says re-signing in Boston this offseason was not a mistake, according to Speier.

Red Sox Acquire Franklin Morales

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The Red Sox have acquired Rockies left-hander Franklin Morales for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald (via Twitter).  In order to make room for Morales, Hideki Okajima has been designated for assignment by the BoSox.

Boston has until November to either agree on a player in the Morales trade or pay a nominal amount of money to the Rockies, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.

Morales was ranked as the eighth-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America prior to the 2008 season.  The left-hander throws the ball extremely hard as evidenced by his 94.4 mph fastball last year.  Across parts of five big league seasons, he owns a 4.83 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9.

The 25-year-old is out of options and the Rockies have reportedly been concerned about losing him to waivers.  Yesterday we learned that the Rockies were measuring trade interest in Morales as well as fellow fireballer Felipe Paulino. 

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) first reported that the two sides were close to an agreement while Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) reported that a deal was completed.

Quick Hits: Mortensen, Dodgers, Benoit

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On this date 101 years ago Cy Young became the first pitcher in baseball history to win 500 games. We don’t pay too much attention to pitcher wins at MLBTR, but 500 of them sure are impressive. Here’s the latest from around the league…

  • Clayton Mortensen told Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post that his goal is simple: maintain a spot on the Major League roster for as long as possible. The right-hander has a 2.01 ERA through 22 1/3 innings in his first season with the Rockies.
  • An attorney for Dodgers owner Frank McCourt told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that they aren't even thinking about selling the team (Twitter link).
  • The Joaquin Benoit deal won’t be a total waste of money, but will be a bad contract, according to Jamie Samuelsen at the Detroit Free Press. Benoit signed a three-year, $16.5M deal with the Tigers over the winter and has since posted a 7.98 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 14 2/3 innings. 
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Mets GM Sandy Alderson talk to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff about the challenge of balancing a team’s needs with personal relationships with players.
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