NL West Notes: Romero, Dodgers, Giants, Padres
Here's the latest from the NL West…
- Lefty reliever J.C. Romero is with the Rockies today according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter), but he has not signed. Troy Renck of The Denver Post says (on Twitter) that Romero will see a doctor and throw a bullpen tomorrow, and if all goes well, he could be added to the roster as soon as Monday. The Yankees released Romero earlier this week.
- Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers are currently on pace to lose more than $42MM in annual revenue since 2009, their last playoff appearance. Shaikin also has a breakdown of some payments the team made in recent years, including more than $5K for Red Sox tickets.
- A source told Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle that the Astros asked the Giants for one of their untouchable prospects "plus plus" in exchange for Hunter Pence before the trade deadline (Twitter link).
- Tyler Kepner of The New York Times wrote about the Padres and their knack for finding relievers in uncommon places, including Josh Spence. The left-hander from Australia has a 1.61 ERA in 22 1/3 innings since being called up, and lefties have hit just .140/.159/.279 off him.
- Despite a 38-56 record in their lasts 94 games, SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) that the job of Rockies manager Jim Tracy is not in jeopardy.
Stark On Astros, Damon, Jimenez, Rockies
There's now almost no chance that MLB will expand the playoffs by next year, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. It's far from a lock that the postseason will expand under baseball's upcoming collective bargaining agreement, despite heavy rumblings about expanded playoffs. The union views postseason changes as part of a series of related possible changes, which is why we won't necessarily see more playoff teams by 2012, according to Stark. Here are the rest of his rumors…
- Incoming Astros owner Jim Crane has told commissioner Bud Selig privately that he wants to keep the Astros in the NL Central. However, MLB might look to move Houston to the AL West to even out baseball's divisions.
- Johnny Damon cleared waivers and can now be dealt to any team, according to Stark. Rival teams say Damon didn't draw heavy trade interest last month.
- Stark hears that the MRI the Indians took of Ubaldo Jimenez came back "remarkably clean."
- Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who has often been mentioned as a possible successor to Selig, isn't lobbying to become the next commissioner, according to a longtime associate. "If he did it, he'd do it out of loyalty to the game. But I wouldn't say he has a burning passion to do it."
- The Rockies are saying they'd like to swap Ian Stewart for another player who could use a change of scenery. However, other clubs recognize that Stewart is a non-tender candidate, so his trade value is not high.
- The Rockies could take a flyer on J.C. Romero, according to Stark.
- One NL scout says Dontrelle Willis looks as good as he has in three or four years.
Diamondbacks Claim Tommy Manzella
The Diamondbacks claimed Tommy Manzella off of irrevocable waivers from the Astros, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (on Twitter). The Astros had designated the infielder for assignment yesterday.
The Diamondbacks restore some of the shortstop depth they lost when Stephen Drew hit the disabled list with a season-ending ankle injury last month. Manzella has a .230/.319/.360 line in 417 plate appearances at Triple-A this year. He had a .225/.267/.264 line in 282 plate appearances with Houston last year, but hasn't appeared in the Major Leagues since.
Astros May Place Wandy On Trade Waivers This Week
There is a "growing belief" that the Astros will place Wandy Rodriguez on trade waivers this week, and also that at least one team will place a claim on the lefty according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. It's believed that at least one NL team is interested enough to risk a claim, and there may be others interested as well.
Rodriguez, 32, has more than $23MM left on his contract, and that doesn't include his $13MM club option for 2014 that becomes a player option if traded. If a team were to claim him, the Astros could pull him back and attempt to work out a trade with the claiming team, or they could award Wandy and his entire contract to that club. Knobler says the Astros would not do the latter and would instead seek some kind of return for the southpaw.
Through 21 starts, Rodriguez has a 3.52 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 133 innings. He has allowed five or more runs in four of his last nine starts however, which doesn't jive with his track record of strong second halves. The Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays were among the teams with interest in Wandy before the trade deadline.
Astros Designate Tommy Manzella For Assignment
The Astros have designated Tommy Manzella for assignment, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter). The moves creates roster space for Henry Sosa, who was called up to make his MLB debut against the Diamondbacks tonight.
This year Manzella has a .230/.319/.360 line in 417 plate appearances at Triple-A. Manzella had a .225/.267/.264 line in 282 plate appearances with Houston last year, sharing shortstop duties with Angel Sanchez.
Sosa, 26, has turned in four strong starts for Astros affiliates since joining the Houston organization in the Jeff Keppinger trade. He has a 4.53 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 89 1/3 minor league innings for the Giants and Astros this year.
Quick Hits: Astros, Bell, Tigers, Angels, Rays
On this date last year, the Brewers sent Jim Edmonds to the Reds. Tonight, Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum will look to extend his club's division lead against Edwin Jackson and the Cardinals. Here's the latest from around MLB…
- Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle reports that the official transfer of ownership of the Astros from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane is likely to take place on August 22nd if the other 29 owners approve the sale at next week's owners' meetings.
- Executives believe Wandy Rodriguez will clear waivers, but not Heath Bell, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Neither player had been sent through waivers yet as of this morning.
- The Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies are in one tier and the rest of MLB is in another, Tom Verducci writes at SI.com.
- The Tigers’ deep rotation and strong attendance led to extensions for GM Dave Dombrowski, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press writes.
- Yahoo's Tim Brown suggests Mike Scioscia deserves credit for keeping the light-hitting Angels in the race (they trail the Rangers by 1.5 games).
- It's unlikely that the Rays will make any moves this month, ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Durango, Ledezma
Here are the latest players to get outrighted to Triple-A…
- The Astros outrighted Luis Durango to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter). Houston designated him for assignment on Friday.
- The Blue Jays announced that they outrighted Wil Ledezma to Triple-A to create roster space for right-hander Henderson Alvarez, who will make his MLB debut tomorrow night. Ledezma appeared in two games for the Blue Jays, allowing three earned runs in as many innings pitched. Alvarez, 21, has a 3.18 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 96 1/3 innings this year, mostly at Double-A.
Stark On Reyes, Bell, Astros, Slowey
Jose Reyes’ injuries have hurt his free agent stock, as we saw earlier today. ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark surveys people around MLB to determine what kind of contract the shortstop will obtain in free agency. Here are the details and the rest of Stark’s rumors:
- There’s buzz that the Mets were prepared to offer Reyes $100MM over five years earlier in the summer, Stark reports. It’s not hard to imagine the Mets scaling back their offer or replacing guaranteed years with vesting options now.
- One of Stark’s sources estimates that each day on the disabled list costs Reyes $500K. However, there's no doubt that Reyes will see some substantial offers this winter.
- Rival teams expect the Padres to trade Heath Bell this month, Stark reports. The Cardinals and Diamondbacks are the serious NL contenders with the worst record (62-53), which makes them prime candidates to make a claim on Bell. Assuming he does get claimed, the Padres will only be able to trade with the claiming team, so they’ll want to time his placement on waivers carefully.
- The Astros’ sale is just a week away, Stark writes. Other clubs are hearing that incoming owner Jim Crane may drive payroll down to $50MM or below from $71MM.
- One executive expressed his surprise at the Twins’ decision to keep Kevin Slowey, a non-tender candidate who’s currently earning $2.7MM at Triple-A. “If they'd traded him, at least they would have gotten something,” the person said. At least they would have gotten rid of the money. So I'm just not sure why he's still there."
Draft Links: Dodgers, Springer, Boras, Fisher
We're a week away from the August 15 deadline for MLB teams to sign their 2011 draft picks. Here's the latest on a few signings, a few players still in negotiations and a few players who are going to college…
- The Dodgers have agreed to terms with sixth-rounder Scott Barlow and 10th-rounder Tyler Ogle, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. (Twitter links) Barlow, a right-hander who had committed to Fresno State, will earn a $150K bonus. Ogle, a product of the University of Oklahoma, received a $100K bonus.
- George Springer is expected to sign the Astros, tweets Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner. Goff said he would be surprised if the Astros didn't ink their first-round pick, selected 11th overall.
- Right-hander Jack Armstrong, Houston's third-round selection, talks to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart about his elbow problems and how he isn't worried about the signing deadline. The piece also notes that Springer passed his physical with the team last week. Springer and Armstrong are the only two unsigned players among the Astros' first 13 draft picks.
- "The Royals will be offering the biggest bonus in franchise history" to Bubba Starling, writes Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star, and while "most observers expect a contract to be signed…there is just enough in [agent Scott] Boras’ history and confidence to make everyone unsure." Mellinger also briefly details Boras' background and his dealings with the Royals over the last several years.
- Rangers officials tell MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that they don't expect sixth-round pick Derek Fisher to sign a contract. Fisher, the Pennsylvania high school player of the year, has a commitment to the University of Virginia and "his asking price exceeds what the Rangers are willing to pay."
- The Brewers officially announced the signing of second-rounder Jorge Lopez, reports MLB.com's Audrey Snyder. We heard last week that Milwaukee had agreed to terms with Lopez and fifth-rounder Michael Reed, though no final word has yet come on Reed's deal.
- The Phillies have signed seventh-round pick Kenny Giles to a contract with a $250K bonus, reports Baseball America's Jim Callis (Twitter link). Giles, a high-schooler who had committed to the University of Arizona, "has touched 99 mph with his fastball."
- Marlins second-round pick Adam Conley and Diamondbacks seventh-rounder Ben Roberts will "definitely sign," reports Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA, while Yankees sixth-round selection Jake Cave is "about 95 percent" signed. (Twitter links)
- Rogers also tweets that Taylor Ard (a 25th-round pick for the Red Sox) and Derek Jones (the Orioles' 13th-rounder) will not sign. Both players have committed to attend Washington State.
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier has an update on the status of every Red Sox pick from the first 10 rounds of the draft, including both signed and unsigned players.
Astros Designate Luis Durango For Assignment
The Astros announced that they have designated outfielder Luis Durango for assignment. They have called outfielder J.B. Shuck up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
The Astros claimed Durango from the Padres in June and he pitcked up a single and a walk in seven plate appearances for Houston. He appeared in 28 games as a backup center fielder for the Padres last year and had a .243/.328/.294 line with 10 stolen bases at Triple-A Tucson before Houston claimed him.
Shuck, 24, has yet to appear in the Major Leagues. The 2008 draft pick has a .302/.401/.375 line at Triple-A and was a Pacific Coast League All-Star this year.