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Olney On Angels, Penny

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The Cardinals’ bullpen struggled early on in the 2011 season but recovered to help St. Louis win the World Series. This provides hope for teams with early-season bullpen issues such as the Angels, as Buster Olney explained at ESPN.com this morning. Here are some more notes from Olney:

  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto says the club needs to restore Jordan Walden’s confidence. "We need for Jordan to be good,” he said. “He's going to be an important part of things here."
  • The Angels are struggling for many reasons in Dipoto’s view, but the bullpen remains a clear area of concern, especially with recent injuries to Scott Downs and LaTroy Hawkins. Dipoto acquired Ernesto Frieri from the Padres over the weekend.
  • Brad Penny has offers from MLB teams to start or pitch out of the bullpen, Olney reports. Penny, who recently became a free agent, expects to choose a team soon. He had been dealing with shoulder issues while under contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Quick Hits: Rays, Wright, Mets, Oswalt, Weaver

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • The Rays could look out-of-house for an answer at third base, but Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes that they could get by with what they already have.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opines that the Mets should consider trading third baseman David Wright this offseason.  If the Mets were to trade Wright mid-season, the third baseman would have the ability to void his $16MM option for 2013, weakening his trade value.  Instead, Rosenthal suggests that they wait to exercise his option and then shop him.
  • Jake Peavy said of friend Roy Oswalt, "I can promise you: He's getting ready to play," tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • Angels pitcher Jered Weaver has no regrets about signing a five-year, $85MM extension with the club last summer, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  As a free agent, Weaver could have gotten a deal similar to what Cole Hamels is expected to earn, in the neighborhood of $20MM per season.

Rosenthal On Montero, Pirates, Rays, Lee

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Here's a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero could be the next to end up in a tug of war between the Angels and Rangers.  Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, of course, used to be with Arizona and the Rangers could lose Mike Napoli on the open market.  Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are looking for a young catcher as insurance if they lose Montero.
  • The Pirates should be in position to trade Alex Presley or Jose Tabata once Starling Marte refines his strike zone judgement in Triple-A.  Presley will increase his value if he can prove that he is a solid leadoff option.  As for Tabata, he is under a club-friendly deal through 2016 with club options through 2019.
  • The addition of a second wild card in each league could reduce the number of sellers at the deadline which could put the Rays in position to extract maximum value for one of their starters such as Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, or Alex Cobb.  The Rays will be more willing to part with rotation depth when they're looking at the final few months of the season.
  • Derrek Lee has continued working out and is said to be in excellent shape.  Rosenthal wonders if he would want to play for the Brewers after they lost Mat Gamel to injury as he turned down offers from the Pirates and several other teams last offseason.  Lee would probably need to be convinced that Milwaukee is ready to win and will likely seek a contract similar to what Johnny Damon got from the Indians – $1.25MM plus $1.4MM in incentives.

Quick Hits: Angels, Marlins, Bell, Padres

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A look around the league as the Rays look to extend their winning streak to seven games as they take on the A’s at home..

  • A 10-17 start isn’t what Angels owner Arte Moreno had in mind when he committed $317.5MM to Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this winter, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  As for Pujols’ slow start, DiGiovanna argues that one month and 26 games is more than a small sample size.
  • The Marlins were well aware of Heath Bell’s declining numbers when they gave him a three-year, $27MM deal but have been caught off-guard by his command issues, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. 
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America weighs in on the trade the Padres’ acquisition infielder Alexi Amarista in the Ernesto Frieri trade with the Angels.  Amarista, Eddy writes, doesn’t have the tools to last as a regular on a good team but can carve out a career as a reserve and see time at multiple positions.

Angels Acquire Ernesto Frieri From Padres

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The Angels were known to be looking for bullpen help and they have addressed that need in the form of Ernesto Frieri.  The Angels acquired the right-handed reliever from the Padres in exchange for right-hander Donn Roach and infielder Alexi Amarista.  The Padres first announced the move on their official Twitter feed.

Frieri has been one of the game's more underrated relievers during his four Major League seasons.  Frieri has a 2.33 ERA, a 2.45 K/BB ratio, an 11.4 K/9 rate and 0.6 HR/9 over 105 career appearances, with 137 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings.  As Padres broadcaster Andy Masur points out (Twitter link), Frieri had been the longest-tenured player in the San Diego organization, originally signing with the team in January 2003 at age 17.  Frieri turns 27 in July and has virtually identical home/away splits for his career, indicating he isn't a creation of Petco Park's pitcher-friendly dimensions.  Frieri is represented by Matt Colleran and is under team control through 2016.

Though the Angels' closing situation is currently in flux with Scott Downs stepping in for Jordan Walden, it's probably unlikely that Frieri would immediately be thrust into the closing mix or even necessarily a setup role in Los Angeles.  Frieri pitched in relatively few high-leverage situations in San Diego, though the Padres' deep bullpens of recent years didn't necessarily require Frieri to be used in a larger role.

In Amarista and Roach, the Padres pick up two young players ranked by MLB.com as the 12th and 16th-best prospects, respectively, in the Angels' system.  Amarista has a .313/.370/.441 career slash line in six minor league seasons, including a .776 OPS at the Triple-A level.  The 23-year-old second baseman helps fill the Padres' big organizational need for middle infielders, though Amarista also has experience at third, shortstop and the corner outfield positions.  Amarista was probably expendable in Anaheim given the long-term deals recently given to Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick, not to mention highly-touted prospect Jean Segura, who MLB.com ranked as the Angels' second-best prospect (behind only Mike Trout).

Roach, 22, was taken by the Angels in the third round of the 2010 amateur draft.  The right-hander's numbers have gotten progressively better over his three minor league seasons, and Roach has a 2.16 ERA and a 9.67 K/BB ratio in six starts at high A-ball in 2012.

This is the first trade between Angels GM Jerry Dipoto and Padres GM Josh Byrnes.  Dipoto worked under Byrnes in Arizona and took over as the Diamondbacks' interim GM when Byrnes was fired as the Snakes' general manager in July 2010. 

Quick Hits: Weaver, Komatsu, Sandoval

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On this date last year, Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano no-hit the White Sox. Here are some links for Thursday afternoon, starting with a note on Jered Weaver, who no-hit Liriano's Twins last night…

  • Weaver pitched a no-hitter for his hometown team in front of his fans and family last night and as Scott Miller of CBSSports.com writes, it's for days like yesterday that the right-hander signed a long-term deal with the Angels. Weaver signed a five-year, $85MM contract last summer instead of testing the open market, where he likely would have obtained a larger guarantee. So far this deal seems to be working well for both sides.
  • Outfielder Erik Komatsu expects to learn if he has a new team by tomorrow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Cardinals designated the Rule 5 pick for assignment earlier in the week and other MLB teams now have the chance to claim him off of waivers.
  • Pablo Sandoval is expected to miss four to six weeks with a fractured hamate bone, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported (on Twitter). The Giants are calling up Conor Gillaspie for now, and it appears they'll rely on their internal options while Sandoval's out.

Quick Hits: Gonzalez, Pujols, Young, Royals

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Vladimir Guerrero looked pretty good in his workout for the Diamondbacks, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). Arizona has some interest in signing the veteran DH, but he's still considered a long shot according to Heyman. Here links for Monday…

  • The Rays are a "possible fit" for Mike Gonzalez, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Last week we heard that the left-handed reliever could sign within ten days.
  • Albert Pujols told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he’s comfortable in Anaheim even though he hasn’t hit like a $240MM player since signing with the Angels.“Why not? This is my family,” he said. “These guys are my family. I feel pretty comfortable.”
  • Ken Davidoff of the New York Post suggests the Tigers could release Delmon Young to make a statement about the conduct they expect from their players without hurting their team in the standings.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America will be very surprised if the Royals don't select a college pitcher with their top pick in the upcoming amateur draft. Callis suggests the Royals could take Louisiana State right-hander Kevin Gausman with the fifth overall selection.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Jorge Cantu Elects Free Agency

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Infielder Jorge Cantu has opted out of his minor league deal with the Angels and elected free agency, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports (Twitter link). The Wasserman Media Group client is now free to sign with any team.

The Angels, who signed Cantu to a minor league deal in January, assigned him to Triple-A, where he has a .291/.300/.488 line with four homers in 90 plate appearances. Cantu hit 28 homers in 2005 and 29 homers in 2008, but has struggled to produce at the plate since then. Cantu signed with the Padres last year, but they cut him after he posted a .194/.232/.285 line in 155 plate appearances. Cantu, a right-handed hitter, has hit lefties and righties at a nearly identical clip over the course of his eight-year career.

Quick Hits: Inge, Brewers, Dodgers, Red Sox, Angels

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • Brandon Inge clears waivers at 1pm CST and the A's are the frontrunner to sign him, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • The Brewers are tenth in payroll this season, but that won't be the case for the club every year, owner Mark Attanasio told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal also spoke to GM Doug Melvin, who sounded skittish about doling out five- and six-year deals as a small-market club.
  • Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times wonders if the Red Sox's Carl Crawford could be a fit with the Dodgers.  If Boston were willing to pay off part of his $142MM contract and accepted some decent pitching in return, he believes there could be a match between the two teams.
  • More from Shaikin, who writes that the Angels could opt-out of their stadium deal in 2016 and potentially move right down the street from the Dodgers.  The Dodgers could not challenge such a move on the grounds of traditional territorial rights like the Giants are blocking the A's from moving to San Jose.
  • For Japanese imports such as Hiroki Kuroda and Yu Darvish, the major leagues represent a significant change, writes Jeff Bradley of the Star-Ledger.

Cafardo On Balfour, Hanrahan, Angels, Twins, Myers

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Older ballplayers are showing a lot of life so far this season, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Veterans Paul Konerko, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Jamie Moyer have all looked sharp in the month of April.  Ortiz lost 25 pounds to get himself into shape for this season and plans to keep up the hard work as he hopes to play for another two seasons.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • The Angels have inquired on A’s pitcher Grant Balfour and he is becoming one of the more sought-after bullpen pieces.  The Halos have also shown interest in Joel Hanrahan of the Pirates and the Mariners' Brandon League, but Balfour seems the most logical.
  • If the Twins don’t turn things around by the trade deadline, Carl Pavano will be a highly sought-after pitcher.  The right-hander is earning $8.5MM in the final year of his contract and has limited no-trade protection. Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, and Francisco Liriano could also be used as chips to land prospects.
  • Teams probably have their eye on Astros right-hander Brett Myers.  Many teams, such as the Angels and Red Sox, could use the 31-year-old’s arm right now.  He has also shown that he can pitch in a big market with his time in Philadelphia.
  • If Tigers outfielder Delmon Young is convicted of a hate crime, it will be interesting to see whether the the club void his contract. They would be within their rights to do so under the collective bargaining agreement.  The 26-year-old earns $6.75MM this year and can become a free agent after the season.
  • The A's are a good bet to land Brandon Inge.
  • Most baseball people feel there’s no way the Red Sox let Aaron Cook hit the open market by not calling him up May 1.  The 33-year-old will earn the prorated portion of $1.5MM if he is called up to the majors.
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