The Royals designated Ron Mahay for assignment to make room for Yasuhiko Yabuta, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Mahay, a 38-year-old lefty, has allowed 55 hits and 19 walks in 41.1 innings, striking out 34. The 13-year veteran has allowed nine homers already, which have contributed to his 4.79 ERA. Mahay's in the second year of a two-year $8MM deal that he signed before the 2008 season.
Royals Rumors
Odds And Ends: Cubs, Royals, Morgan
More links for the afternoon…
- MLB president Bob DuPuy confirmed to MLB.com's Barry Bloom that the Cubs should soon be sold to Tom Ricketts for about $900MM.
- Royals third-rounder Wil Myers told Matt Forman of Baseball America that it felt a little weird to face live pitching after a few months off. He still managed to hit a homer in his ffith pro at bat.
- You don't hear many Cardinals fans complaining about Matt Holliday, but how about Brett Wallace, the centerpiece of the trade that sent Holliday to St. Louis? As Baseball America shows with its latest Prospect Hot Sheet, Wallace homered five times this week.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post compares Nyjer Morgan to a number of leadoff hitters throughout history and shows that Morgan looks like a nice acquisition.
- The Nats introduced Stephen Strasburg to the fans at Nationals Park this afternoon, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
Stark On Wagner, Padres, Crawford
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark shows that a number of contenders have vulnerable-looking closers. The Cubs and Phillies two of many teams with shaky arms at the back of the 'pen. Here are the details and the rest of Stark's rumors:
- At least one scout believes John Smoltz would have been the perfect arm for the Marlins to add to their 'pen.
- However, clubs pursuing Smoltz heard that he wanted to start, at least for now.
- A scout who watched Billy Wagner throw has "no doubt" that Wagner could help a team win. The Rays and Marlins are thought to have interest in Wagner, but neither team would be likely to give up much of a prospect unless the Mets picked up salary.
- Stark hears that the Padres pulled Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez back off waivers after multiple teams claimed them.
- Mark Hendrickson cleared waivers, and can now be traded to any team. The Rockies were interested before the deadline, but they may decide to see where the Billy Wagner bidding goes before pursuing Hendrickson again.
- One rival GM considers the Cards "the best team in the league right now."
- The Royals don't seem interested in trading their top pitchers. They pulled Brian Bannister back from waivers and though Joakim Soria and Gil Meche are on waivers now, they aren't likely to be dealt.
- Clubs eyeing Carl Crawford believe the Rays are becoming less likely to deal him. Desmond Jennings could become the Rays' left fielder, but they'd probably have to be overwhelmed to part with Crawford.
- It's possible that Jamie Moyer could draw interest as a trade candidate after the season.
- One AL exec isn't sure Bryce Harper's the guarantee people perceive him to be.
- Stark points out that the Astros traded Ivan Rodriguez just as his incentives were about to start kicking in.
- An official of a team that inquired about Stephen Strasburg before the draft says that Scott Boras invoked Daisuke Matsuzaka's name without specifically saying he wanted $50MM for his client.
Odds And Ends: Gordon, Crow, Ordonez, Tate
Links for Wednesday…
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star says the Royals' decision to demote Alex Gordon has more to do with performance than service time.
- Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press says the Tigers had better win, especially since they'll be stuck paying Magglio Ordonez $18MM next year, "barring an influx of common sense."
- Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union-Tribune says Donavan Tate was eager and respectful throughout his first visit to Petco Park.
- Doug Tucker of the Associated Press reports that the Royals hope to start talking contract with top pick Aaron Crow now that they've seen what other first rounders signed for. Monday's deadline did not apply to Crow because he played independent ball this year.
Odds and Ends: Pudge, Reds, Boras, Gordon
Links from around the league on Tuesday evening…
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes that the Astros got good value in return for Pudge Rodriguez.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer talks to Reds GM Walt Jocketty about the plan for his team's future.
- Kevin Kaduk at Yahoo.com argues that Scott Boras neither won nor lost the Strasburg contract negotiations.
- Matthew Pouliot at NBCSports.com writes that the Royals "hit a new low" by demoting Alex Gordon.
- And Baseball America breaks down each team's total spending on the first ten rounds of the draft.
Service Time Update: Gordon, Snider
Updates on a pair of former first round picks…
- The Royals sent Alex Gordon to the minors, according to Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. If the demotion lasts for more than 20 days, the Royals will have delayed his free agency by a season. Gordon, who was expected to become a free agent after 2012, may not become a free agent until after the 2013 season.
- It's no surprise to see the Jays call Travis Snider up. As we showed earlier in the month, the Jays had the chance to prevent Snider from reaching Super Two status by keeping him in the minors for a couple extra weeks. They took advantage of the opportunity and Snider will likely be a few days short of Super Two status after 2011.
Draft Updates: White Sox, Tigers, Royals, Phils
4:33pm: John Manuel of Baseball America reports that the Phillies will sign Colvin for $900k, or six times as much as the commissioner recommends. The Phillies have now signed everyone they drafted through the first 13 rounds.
4:22pm: More updates, with under seven hours remaining before the deadline to sign picks…
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says the White Sox won't sign third rounder Bryan Morgado unless there's a last-minute turn of events.
- Law reports that the Phillies are working towards an agreement with seventh round pick Brody Colvin. However, Law hears that the Phillies aren't on the brink of signing the righty.
- The Tigers had their top three unsigned picks, including first rounder Jacob Turner, undergo physicals today, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- It's too early to tell how their picks will work out, but J.J. Cooper of Baseball America says the Royals are spending aggressively on the draft for the second straight year.
Royals Agree To Terms With Chris Dwyer
The Royals agreed to sign fourth rounder Chris Dwyer, according to a team press release. We heard last week that the sides had agreed on a $1.5MM deal, which would have been a record for the fourth round, but the Royals said they hadn't yet completed the deal with the lefty. The team hasn't said how much they agreed to pay Dwyer, who was a highly-regarded quarterback in high school. Jim Callis of Baseball America says the deal is for $1.45MM, just short of Max Stassi's record for a fourth rounder.
Odds And Ends: Meche, Hall, Red Sox, Pirates
Time for another round of links…
- Via Twitter, Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Royals told the Yankees they don't want to trade Gil Meche.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon hears that the Reds have "some interest" in the recently-DFA'd Bill Hall.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that the Red Sox signed 26th rounder Miles Head for $335k, which is more than double MLB's recommended bonus.
- The Red Sox are also nearing deals with David Renfroe and Madison Younginer, whose could each sign for seven figures.
- Callis reports that the Pirates signed 12th rounder Jeff Inman for $425k. Yet another over-slot signing for the Pirates and now Callis says they've been more aggressive than any other team.
Royals To Sign Wil Myers For $2MM
The Royals agreed to sign catcher Wil Myers for $2MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. The bonus is one of the biggest ever for a third round pick and is five times bigger than the bonus MLB recommends for the slot. Some clubs considered Myers a first round talent and some have compared him to former NL MVP Dale Murphy, who also began his career behind the plate.
