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Royals Designate Mitch Maier For Assignment

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The Royals announced that they designated outfielder Mitch Maier for assignment (Twitter link). They recalled Nathan Adcock and Louis Coleman from Triple-A and optioned Vin Mazzaro to the minor leagues in corresponding moves. Kansas City now has two open spots on its 40-man roster.

Maier, 30, appeared in 32 games for the Royals this year, playing right and center field and pitching one scoreless inning. He posted a .172/.260/.313 batting line in 74 plate appearances. Maier's earning $865K as a first-time arbitration eligible player in 2012.

Int’l Free Agency Links: Puig, Rangers, Royals

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There's been no shortage of signings on this, the first day of 2012's international signing period, but there's also plenty of chatter around the league. Here's some links for your perusal…

  • In the latest edition of Ask BA, Jim Callis relays some Yasel Puig-related notes from his colleague Ben Badler. Giving the caveat that it's difficult to compare the 21-year-old Puig to 15- and 16-year-olds, Badler notes that he'd only have ranked Puig 11th on his Top 20 international free agents. Beyond that, Badler says that the consensus from his talks with teams was that Puig would've gone in the third round of the 2012 Amateur Draft. Puig signed a seven-year, $42MM deal with the Dodgers just prior to July 2, narrowly avoiding the new CBA's spending limitations.
  • Badler tweets that the Rangers could be a fit for Wendell Rijo now that the Yankees have used up most of their $2.9MM cap. Badler ranked Rijo 10th on his Top 20.
  • Despite Badler's comment, Rangers GM Jon Daniels told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that his club isn't likely to be active on the international front because they're awaiting resolution on the Jairo Beras situation (Twitter link).
  • Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart) that his team is prepared to spend on international players in the coming days. Luhnow though, is more excited for the 2013-2014 classes, when bonus pools will be based on the previous year's standings. "…that's when things will be more interesting, and you'll see more unique strategies like we saw in the Draft this year," said Luhnow.
  • Badler doesn't think the Royals will be shy with signing someone they like, despite not having been active yet (Twitter link).

Dodgers Notes: Cubs, Brewers, Dempster, Lee

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Earlier today the Dodgers officially announced the signing of Cuban outfielder Yasel Puig to a seven-year deal.  The news of the agreement sent shock waves through baseball this week and clearly shows that the club is very serious about getting back into signing top Latin American players.  Here's more out of Los Angeles..

  • The Puig deal could be just the start of major moves to come from the Dodgers, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  According to major league sources, they have talked multiple times to the Cubs, Astros, and Brewers.  They've also touched base with a number of other teams, including the Mariners, Royals, Twins, Blue Jays and Padres, sources said.  The Dodgers would like to add a hitter, a starting pitcher, and a left-handed reliever.
  • Speaking of the Cubs, the Dodgers are viewed as a favorite to land Ryan Dempster once he returns from the disabled list, sources suggest to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The two sides haven't talked since the week before Dempster went down but a person familiar with the situation says Los Angeles has a very good chance to land the right-hander.
  • The Dodgers are lukewarm to the idea of signing Derrek Lee, and would prefer to explore other options first, a major league source told Rosenthal.  Lee would require time at Triple-A and the Dodgers seem to prefer more certainty and perhaps a more immediate solution at first base.

Royals Designate Humberto Quintero For Assignment

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The Royals announced that they have designated Humberto Quintero for assignment.   In a related move, the team is set to recall outfielder Jason Bourgeois from Triple-A Omaha.

Kansas City acquired the catcher from Houston in March along with Bourgeois for left-hander Kevin Chapman and a player to be named later.  The trade was completed just over two weeks ago when the PTBNL turned out to be minor league outfielder D'Andre Toney.

Quintero, 32, hit .232/.257/.341 in 144 plate appearances for the Royals this season.

Quick Hits: Byrd, Royals, Youk, Padres Sale

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Marlon Byrd was suspended for 50 games today after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, according to MLB's official PR department (on Twitter). Byrd issued the following statement:

“I made an inexcusable mistake. Several years ago, I had surgery for a condition that was private and unrelated to baseball. Last winter, I suffered a recurrence of that condition and I was provided with a medication that resulted in my positive test. Although that medication is on the banned list, I absolutely did not use it for performance enhancement reasons. I am mortified by my carelessness and I apologize to everyone who loves this game as I do. I will serve my suspension, continue to work hard and hope that I am given an opportunity to help a Club win later this season.”

Here are some additional links for your Monday evening…

  • Royals general manager Dayton Moore told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that he has received zero calls on Jeff Francoeur, Bruce Chen, and Jonathan Broxton (Twitter link).
  • Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com tweets that the reason the Red Sox didn't get more for Kevin Youkilis is because some offers from interested parties simply stated that they would take Youkilis "for nothing," if the Sox were willing to pick up the entire contract.
  • The imminent sale of the Padres could have a positive impact on the Mariners, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The sale price is said to be $800MM — $600MM for the Padres and $200MM for a stake in their upcoming $1.2 billion TV deal with FOX. The Mariners can opt out of their current TV deal in 2015, and could be sitting on top of a "financial windfall," writes Baker. He writes that Mariners "should be able to get more in any pending sale if everything remains equal."
  • Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports writes that yesterday's Youkilis trade has kicked off the trade season, and runs through some big names that could be trade candidates at this year's deadline.

Minor Moves: Fox, Royals

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Some of today's minor transactions from around the league…

  • The Pirates released Jake Fox from Triple-A Indianapolis in order to make room for infielder Jordy Mercer, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Fox, 30 in July, hit .236/.309/.366 in 139 PAs at Triple-A this season. He's seen Major League time with the Cubs, A's, and Orioles. His big league experience has come at catcher and all four corner positions.
  • Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets that the Royals released three minor leaguers (Twitter link): right-hander Parker Bangs, outfielder Runey Davis, and third baseman Jake Kuebler. Bangs was selected in the 31st round in 2010 and has just 27 2/3 innings of minor league action. Davis was selected by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 2009 draft, and Kuebler was a 17th round pick of the Royals in 2008.

Cafardo On Garza, Lowrie, Greinke, Red Sox, Liriano

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The rest of the baseball world is waiting for the Yankees to get old, but so far that hasn't happened, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  "They’ve been saying that ever since I’ve been around," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "They said it after 2001. They said it after we were reshuffling in 2003, and in 2004, my therapist said I wasn’t supposed to talk about it. After 2009, we can’t be winning with older guys…So I’ve always heard it. As long as we’re winning, people can keep saying it."  Here's more from today's column..

  • About six teams have been in contact with the Cubs consistently regarding Matt Garza: the Braves, Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Jays, and Royals.  Epstein is looking for a great package to part with Garza as he is the club's biggest chip.  However, teams have some concern over whether the pitcher can control his emotions.
  • The Tigers could be heavily in the mix for Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie and Detroit would likely move him to second to fill a need.  Cafardo wouldn't be shocked if he is on the Phillies’ radar as well. Houston has a few other chips in Brett Myers, Brandon Lyon, and Wandy Rodriguez that could help contenders.
  • When teams ask about Zack Greinke's availability, they are getting "not yet" from the Brewers.  However, Cafardo writes that he'll be available as soon as they get the right offer because there doesn’t seem to be any chance of Milwaukee signing him long-term. 
  • There has been a lot of talk about Scott Podsednik being used as a trade chip but Cody Ross and Daniel Nava could also be made available by the Red Sox.
  • Francisco Liriano's recent pitching has made him a viable trade chip for the Twins.  It would still be hard for a contender to trust him, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be moved.
  • A National League talent evaluator thinks the Mets should give some thought to trading R.A. Dickey while his value is skyhigh.  The Mets don't have the money to make the deadline upgrades that they need, so they could instead continue with their three- or four-year plan by making the right-hander available.

Royals Sending Mixed Signals On Francoeur

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The Royals' willingness to trade Jeff Francoeur has fluctuated greatly in recent weeks, major league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  An official with another club termed their interest in moving the veteran as "back and forth, every other week."

Francoeur should draw even more interest once Kevin Youkilis is traded as clubs looking for right-handed hitting could turn to the Royals rightfielder instead.  Kansas City is within striking distance in the AL Central but strong play from prospect Wil Myers could motivate the club to move the 28-year-old.

Unsurprisingly, Morosi hears that Francoeur is more available than Billy Butler, who is on a longer-term contract  One source said Kansas City would need a "[Zack] Greinke-type" offer in order to part with Butler.

Royals Designate Roman Colon For Assignment

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The Royals have designated Roman Colon for assignment, the team announced (on Twitter). He is out of options and can not be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. The move clears a roster spot for left-hander Francisley Bueno.

Colon, 32, allowed six runs on 12 hits in eight innings for Kansas City. He appeared in only three games and it was his third stint with the club. Colon has also pitched for the Braves and Tigers in his career, posting a 5.19 ERA in 187 1/3 innings.

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