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Angels Release Ryan Madson

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The Angels have released reliever Ryan Madson, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports (on Twitter). Madson signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Angels last November to bolster what turned out to be a weak bullpen. The investment didn't pay dividends, however, since Madson hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2011 — he spent all of 2012 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and has not yet pitched in 2013, except in one May rehab appearance with Class A+ Inland Empire. Madson threw bullpen sessions in Arizona last month.

Madson has a 3.59 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 630 career innings pitched. He posted a 2.37 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 2011 with the Phillies.

Minor Moves: Martinez, Marte, Urquidez

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Monday's collection of minor moves from around the league…

  • The Indians outrighted right-hander Joe Martinez to Triple-A Columbus over the weekend, according to the International League transactions page. Martinez was designated for assignment last week and has a 5.88 ERA in 19 games (16 starts) for Columbus this season.
  • The Angels have signed infielder Andy Marte to a minor league deal, according to York Revolution play-by-play announcer Darrell Henry (Twitter link). Marte, 29, once ranked as a one of the game's top 10 prospects, according to Baseball America, and was hitting .301/.367/.526 with 19 homers in 96 games for the Revolution in the Atlantic League.
  • Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com reports that the Halos have signed right-hander Jason Urquidez out of the Atlantic League (on Twitter). Urquidez, 30, was a 17th-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks out of Arizona State back in 2005. Serving as the closer for the Atlantic League's Lancaster Barnstormers, Urquidez posted a ridiculous 0.25 ERA by allowing just one earned run in 36 innings with 12.8 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. Urquidez allowed just 19 hits as well, en route to a 0.72 WHIP with Lancaster.
  • Four players are currently in DFA limbo: Julio Borbon of the Cubs, Josh Sullivan of the Rockies, Jason Bay of the Mariners and Yusmeiro Petit of the Giants.

Minor Moves: Dontrelle Willis, Ramirez, Pettit

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Here are Sunday's minor moves from around MLB:

  • The Angels tweeted they have signed left-hander Dontrelle Willis to a minor league contract and have assigned him to Triple-A Salt Lake. The 31-year-old, who last appeared in a MLB game in 2011, has been pitching with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League where he has posted a 2.57 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 4.4 BB/9 in 14 starts covering 87 2/3 innings.
  • The Phillies have tweeted the outright assignment of right-hander J.C. Ramirez to Triple-A after he cleared waivers. The 24-year-old, who made his Major League debut this year, was designated for assignment Friday after allowing 13 runs (11 earned) in his last six outings covering 8 2/3 innings.
  • The Orioles have released outfielder Chris Pettit from Double-A Bowie, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. Petit, who appeared in one game with the Angels in 2011 and ten in 2009, has a slash line of .125/.253/.219 in 77 plate appearances with the Baysox. The 28-year-old has also spent time in the Twins organization and the Mexican League this year.

Dodgers Request Release Waivers On Ted Lilly

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AUGUST 4: The Dodgers have requested unconditional release waivers on Lilly, a source told Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Lilly will become a free agent, if he goes unclaimed during the 48-hour waiver period. 

JULY 25: The Dodgers have designated veteran left-hander Ted Lilly for assignment to clear a roster spot for utility player Elian Herrera, the team announced on Twitter. Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles adds (via Twitter) that the move comes as a result of a disagreement on whether or not Lilly would head to the minor leagues to adjust to a relief role.

Lilly, 37, is in the final season of a three-year, $33MM pact that he signed with the Dodgers prior to the 2011 campaign. He's battled injuries for much of the past two seasons, as evidenced by four separate DL stints since the onset of the 2012 season. He had shoulder surgery last September and has thrown just 23 innings for the Dodgers thus far in 2013. He hasn't pitched at the Major League level since June 4.

Lilly's role with the team has been in question all season, following last season's August acquisition of Josh Beckett and the offseason signings of Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Much was made of the Dodgers' surplus of starting pitchers prior to the season, as Lilly, Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano all appeared to have lost their rotation spots due to the aforementioned acquisitions. Now, only Capuano is left with the big league club, while Beckett and Chad Billingsley have been lost to season-ending injuries.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Angels Request Release Waivers On Brad Hawpe

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AUGUST 4: The Angels tweeted they have requested unconditional release waivers on Hawpe for the purpose of granting him his unconditional release.

JULY 29: The Angels designated DH/right fielder/first baseman Brad Hawpe for assignment to make room for reliever Daniel Stange, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

Hawpe signed a minor league deal with the Angels in April, and returned to the Majors in parts of June and July for the first time in two years.  In 153 Triple-A plate appearances this year, the 34-year-old hit .305/.405/.504.  Hawpe was an 11th round pick of the Rockies in 2000, and hit 99 home runs for them from 2006-09, made an All-Star team, and even received a few MVP votes.

Stange, 27, has four big league appearances to his name, coming in 2010 with Arizona.

July Trade Recap: AL West

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The trade deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn't as active as deadlines in recent years, plenty of action still took place in each division. Here's a recap of the trades involving AL West teams…

Astros

Angels

Athletics

  • Acquired second baseman/third baseman Alberto Callaspo from the Angels in exchange for second baseman Grant Green.

Mariners

  • Did not make a trade.

Rangers

Synopsis

Predictably, the Astros were the most active team on the trade front, dealing veterans in exchange for prospects to continue to bolster their farm system. The trade of Maxwell was a surprise, as he hadn't been involved and any rumors and was marketed as a building block prior to the season.

The A's and Angels pulled off a rare intra-division trade, with Oakland giving up on a former first-round pick in exchange for an immediate (and needed) upgrade at second base. The Angels also landed a high-strikeout arm with questionable command for Downs, who is a free agent at season's end.

The Rangers made perhaps the biggest trade of July, landing Garza from the Cubs. However, they neglected to add a bat, which could prove costly down the stretch, especially if Lance Berkman is lost for the year and Nelson Cruz ultimately serves a suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis investigation.

The Mariners stood pat entirely, which is questionable considering the reported interest in players like Mike Morse, Oliver Perez, Kendrys Morales, Joe Saunders and Raul Ibanez — all of whom are free agents at season's end. At 12.5 games out of first place and 8.5 games back from a Wild Card spot, this seemed to be a prime opportunity to improve for the future. However, many have speculated that GM Jack Zduriencik feels the need to finish with as strong a record as possible, given that he's not under contract for 2014 at this time.

Pirates Attempted To Land Mark Trumbo

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The Pirates tried to make a play for Angels first baseman/outfielder Mark Trumbo, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).  Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links) heard rumblings of interest from the Pirates earlier today and noted that they might have been open to parting with a young starter.

Meanwhile, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter) hears that the Angels had no interest in a Trumbo deal with the Bucs.

Even though Trumbo's name has come up at times in recent years due to a surplus, the Halos are high on the 27-year-old and didn't want to part with him this summer.  In 448 plate appearances this season, the 2012 All-Star has a .249/.313/.473 slash line with 23 homers.

Blue Jays Interested In Howie Kendrick

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1:30pm: The Angels are likely to keep Kendrick, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  The Halos couldn't find the right match for a starting pitcher but could revisit things this offseason.

10:43am: In recent days, the Blue Jays have expressed geniune interest in Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.  While the Blue Jays aren't buyers in the traditional sense, they are looking at ways of addressing needs for 2013 and beyond.

Kendrick, 30, will earn the prorated portion of $8.75MM in 2013, $9.35MM in 2014, and $9.5MM in 2015 before hitting free agency.  This season, Kendrick is hitting .301/.344/.446 with eleven homers and is looking stronger than he did in 2012.

The Angels have also discussed Kendrick with the Royals as Kansas City combs the market for a second baseman. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, the Halos would require a front-line, Major League or MLB-ready starting pitcher for Kendrick or Erick Aybar. This morning, DiGiovanna noted that the club is fielding numerous inquiries on Kendrick, who has a no-trade list of a dozen teams.

Padres Closing In On Trade For Ian Kennedy

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28-year-old Diamondbacks righty Ian Kennedy is having an off year, but he is under team control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player.  The latest:

Earlier Updates

  • There are legs to the Kennedy to San Diego rumors, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan, who says Thatcher would be one of the players going to Arizona.  The Padres are in active discussions to acquire Kennedy, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Speaking on 620 KTAR today, D'Backs GM Kevin Towers said, "I'm fairly confident that there will be some trade news involving the Diamondbacks probably by the end of the day."
  • Kennedy to the Padres "could happen," hears Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
  • The D'Backs could move Kennedy as a way to improve the back end of their bullpen, writes Scott Miller of CBS Sports.  They've inquired with the Padres on Luke Gregerson and Joe Thatcher.
  • The D'Backs are still considering offers for Kennedy even with potential replacement Jake Peavy landing in Boston, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  The Angels would love Kennedy and the Padres are also in.

Quick Hits: Lee, A’s, Rays, Yankees

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In reality, the Red Sox were a "non factor" for Cliff Lee before they landed Jake Peavy, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Will he get moved today to another club?  Baseball people are highly doubtful anyone would meet the supposed Phillies' asking price of three top prospects for a pitcher who has $70MM left on his deal through 2015.  "I don't know of a team in baseball that would [do] that. Taking on that much money and giving up three legit prospects seems like a stretch for anyone," one exec said.  Here's more from around baseball as we approach the 3pm central deadline..

  • The A's are still pursuing bullpen depth, tweets Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.
  • Teams that have spoken with the Phillies say they're not upbeat about making any deals today, tweets ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.  Michael Young is still in play, but there's no clear destination for the third baseman.
  • The Cardinals are leaning towards standing pat at the deadline unless there is a last minute drastic change, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes that the Rays have been looking into at least one more potential deal, presumably to add a bat.  Tampa Bay made a splash earlier this week when they landed Jesse Crain in a swap with the White Sox.
  • The Yankees were mainly working on smaller acquisitions like Alberto Callaspo this week and didn't have any interest in Alex Rios once they landed Alfonso Soriano, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Callaspo wound up going from the Halos to the A's.
  • The Marlins don't expect to do much today and plan to keep Chad Qualls, Justin Ruggiano, and other trade chips if they can't get good value in return, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • Meanwhile, the Marlins are gauging interest in Juan Pierre and Placido Polanco, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. 
  • The Royals' search for a second baseman continues, but they don't appear to be close on anything at the moment, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  “Anything’s possible,” one club official said. “We looking at a lot of things, but I doubt anything get done unless things change in the last few hours.”
  • The Indians got the left-handed reliever they needed yesterday in Marc Rzepczynski and would still be open to a rotation upgrade, but they don't like the price so far, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).  For now, the Tribe is prepared to stand pat.
  • There are a lot of present and veteran Braves who think the club is making a serious mistake by allowing Brian McCann hit the open market at the end of the season, writes Peter Gammons at GammonsDaily.com. "Only the people around the team understand what he means to that pitching staff. He’s a star player in the team concept,” said David Ross of McCann, who also leads the team with a .884 OPS.
  • Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com spoke with Nationals players to get their take on the trade deadline.  Scott Hairston and Adam LaRoche have both been involved in multiple deadline deals.
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