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2011 Rule 5 Draft Results

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Rule 5 players must stay with their new big league club all year or be offered back to the old team. MLB.com has a full recap of both the Major League and minor league portions of the draft. The results of the Major League phase are listed below:

  1. Astros take Rhiner Cruz from Mets.
  2. Twins take Terry Doyle from White Sox.
  3. Mariners take Lucas Luetge from Brewers.
  4. Orioles take Ryan Flaherty from Cubs.
  5. Royals take Cesar Cabral from Red Sox; traded to Yankees for cash.
  6. Cubs take Lendy Castillo from Phillies.
  7. Padres
  8. Pirates take Gustavo Nunez from Tigers.
  9. Marlins
  10. Rockies
  11. Athletics
  12. Mets
  13. White Sox
  14. Reds
  15. Indians
  16. Nationals
  17. Blue Jays
  18. Dodgers
  19. Angels
  20. Giants
  21. Braves take Robert Fish from Angels.
  22. Cardinals take Erik Komatsu from Nationals.
  23. Red Sox take Marwin Gonzalez from Cubs, traded to Astros for Marco Duarte
  24. Rays
  25. Diamondbacks take Brett Lorin from Pirates.
  26. Tigers
  27. Brewers
  28. Rangers
  29. Yankees take Brad Meyers from Nationals.
  30. Phillies

Overnight Links: Wise, Gonzalez, Fielder, Rule 5

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Some links for the bleary-eyed readers still awake at their computers/smartphones/tablets:

  • The Yankees are discussing a minor league deal with outfielder Dewayne Wise, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). A strong defender, Wise is probably best known for preserving former teammate Mark Buehrle's 2009 perfect game in the ninth inning by robbing a home run off the bat of Gabe Kapler.
  • Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that the Rangers met with Scott Boras to discuss Mike Gonzalez today, and they also checked in on Prince Fielder.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin said his team probably won't make a pick in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
  • The Pirates have at least thought about picking Nationals lefty Josh Smoker in the Rule 5 Draft, though it's not a lock according to John Perotto of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). Smoker was selected 31st overall by the Nats in 2007.
  • Even with tonight's hiring of Jeff Luhnow as the new Astros GM, it will be interim GM Dave Gottfried and scouting director/assistant GM Bobby Heck calling the shots at the Rule 5 Draft tomorrow, tweets Alyson Footer of the Astros.
  • Baseball America's John Manuel writes that reports of the Twins focusing on pitching led to speculation on Mets righty Rhiner Cruz, but a club source said the team is looking in another direction.
  • The Red Sox compensation from the Cubs for Theo Epstein is expected to be sorted out after the Rule 5 Draft, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.

Astros Hire Jeff Luhnow As General Manager

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The Astros have hired Jeff Luhnow as their new general manager, tweets MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Astros have confirmed the hiring in a team release, with a press conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Luhnow was previously employed as the vice president of player procurement for the Cardinals. He will take over the Astros job that was held by Ed Wade until he was dismissed a week and a half ago. Dave Gottfried served as the interim GM while the Astros conducted interviews searching for Wade's replacement.

NL Central Notes: Brewers, Betemit, Wood, Young

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Some tidbits from the NL Central….

  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, GM Doug Melvin and agent Scott Boras (who represents Prince Fielder) had a meeting late last night that Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was unplanned and more of a check-in session.  "Scott just said he wanted to give us an update," Melvin said.  "You never really close the door on anything because you don't know what's going to happen. You can't really read anything into it."
  • Haudricourt doesn't think the meeting is a sign that the Brewers could re-sign Fielder, believing that "Boras basically was giving them a chance to jump in and make an offer that he could shop around to other clubs….More likely, [the team] gave an indication of what they might be willing to do if Fielder decided he wanted to seriously entertain the possibility of staying in Milwaukee."
  • Boras also represents Francisco Rodriguez, and Haudricourt reports the Brewers "got the feeling" in speaking to the agent that Rodriguez will reject the club's arbitration offer today.
  • The Pirates are no longer pursuing Wilson Betemit, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link).  Biertempfel reported yesterday that the Bucs were close to deals with both Betemit and Nate McLouth, and the club agreed to terms on McLouth's contract today.
  • Kerry Wood wants to return to the Cubs but wants a raise, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Wood has said he will either pitch for Chicago next season or retire, and last winter signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Cubs that was well below what other teams offered him. 
  • The Reds have spoken to the un-retired Dmitri Young, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).  Young, 38, has lost 70 pounds and is looking to make a comeback in either the Major Leagues or Japan.  Young played in Cincinnati from 1998-2001.
  • The Astros are looking at Marlins assistant GM Dan Jennings as a candidate for their open general manager's job, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).  Jennings' name has been connected to several GM openings in recent years but the Marlins have turned down at least four clubs' requests for interviews.  Jennings is under contract to Miami for four more years.

Indians Looking At Right-Handed Bats

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WEDNESDAY: The Indians are a fit for Houston's Carlos Lee but are wary of the cost, tweets Jon Paul Morosi.  Of course, the Astros would assume a portion of Lee's $18.5MM salary.  

TUESDAY: The Indians are looking at right-handed hitters such as Derrek Lee, Andruw Jones, and Mike Cameron, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Yesterday we heard the Indians have mild interest in Josh Willingham, and on Friday they were linked to Mark DeRosa.

Also, Morosi says the Indians are willing to trade from their bullpen depth to acquire the right bat.

Overnight Links: Gio, Rangers, Yankees, Astros

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As you probably know by know, MLBTR will have 24-hour coverage of the Winter Meetings. I'll be at the wheel until 8am, so feel free to stay up late with me. Here's tonight's batch of overnight quick hits:

Tigers Rumors: Wandy, Zumaya, Pitching Targets

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The Tigers are attempting to make a strong push for Gio Gonzalez, but that's not the news surrounding the club. Here are a few more Tigers notes from Dallas, courtesy of MLB.com's Jason Beck:

  • The Tigers were approached earlier in the offseason about trading for Wandy Rodriguez, but their limited interest quickly faded.
  • Detroit won't be one of the teams watching Joel Zumaya throw next week, but they have a standing minor league contract offer (with a Spring Training invitation) for the right-hander if he wants to come back.
  • While the Tigers have ruled out pursuing Yu Darvish, they're keeping an eye on other Asian pitchers. GM Dave Dombrowski on the subject: "I don't think we're on the verge of [signing] anybody from the Asian market, but we're aware of some players that are there."
  • The Tigers announced that they've signed six players to minor league deals: Quentin Berry, Matt Young, Jerad Head, Audy Ciriaco, Argenis Diaz, and Ramon Garcia.

NL Central Rumors: Astros, Reds, Saito, Bedard

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Tuesday night updates out of the NL Central, as MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the Winter Meetings continues….

  • Rival executives view Rockies assistant GM Bill Geivett as the favorite for the Astros' GM job, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
  • Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner hears (Twitter link) that the Astros may select a reliever with the first pick of Thursday's Rule 5 draft.
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty talked about the team's search for pitching, and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has the quotes. Jocketty also said Edgar Renteria's reps had contacted him, but the Reds probably aren't interested in signing him.
  • All signs are pointing to the Brewers bringing back Takashi Saito on a one-year deal, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • Erik Bedard is drawing interest from the Pirates, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Quick Hits: Nats, White, Montero, Cespedes, Mets

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Let's catch up on some links that have taken a backseat while we wait with bated breath to find out where Albert Pujols will sign…

  • The Nationals prefer to trade minor leaguers over big leaguers, as Mark Zuckerman writes at Nats Insider.
  • Dodgers assistant GM Logan White interviewed today for the Astros' GM opening, as MLB.com Brian McTaggart writes.
  • The Diamondbacks are at the "very early stages" of negotiations on a Miguel Montero contract extension, said GM Kevin Towers. He doesn't expect anything to be resolved this week, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
  • Yoenis Cespedes is still awaiting residency in the Dominican Republic, but when he gets it, bidding should be fast and strong, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
  • J.D. Martin has agreed to a minor league contract with the Marlins, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
  • Brandon Warne of Fangraphs breaks down the trade that sent Kevin Slowey to the Rockies.
  • The Mets will fill their backup catcher opening with an in-house option rather than a free agent, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

Marlins Have Interest In Wandy Rodriguez

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The Marlins aren't just pursuing big-name free agents — they're also looking into some of the more interesting pitchers on the trade market. Having already inquired on Gio Gonzalez, the Fish also have some interest in Wandy Rodriguez, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (via Twitter).

Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) hears that if the Marlins can sign Albert Pujols, they'll turn their attention to trades rather than pursuing a high-end free agent pitcher. Meanwhile, the Astros are reportedly telling teams that they don't want to take on any salary if they trade Rodriguez.

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