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Odds & Ends: Hawpe, Kuroda, Angels, Antonetti

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Some more links for Tuesday night, including the latest waiver wire news…

  • Brad Hawpe is one step closer to signing with another team now that he has cleared waivers, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
  • The Dodgers put Hiroki Kuroda on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Kuroda hits free agency after the season, but the Dodgers don't necessarily want to move him. A rival executive guaranteed Rosenthal that the Yankees will be "all over" Kuroda if he reaches them on waivers.
  • Rosenthal reports that the Angels placed Brian Fuentes, Juan Rivera, Mike Napoli and Bobby Abreu on waivers (Twitter link). The Angels are presumably curious about the interest their players draw, even if they don't intend on making a trade.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters including Paul M. Banks of TheSportsBank that he has to "speak in generalities” about waiver claims. Rosenthal reported earlier today that the White Sox will claim Manny Ramirez if he reaches them on waivers.
  • Indians assistant GM Chris Antonetti is taking on more responsibility as he prepares to replace current GM Mark Shapiro after the season, as MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince explains.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck that the Tigers and Red Sox never agreed on a deal involving Johnny Damon (Twitter link). Damon, who has the final say, said today that he intends to stay in Detroit, even though the Red Sox claimed him on waivers.
  • Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he expects the club to agree to an extension with manager Dusty Baker (Twitter link). The Reds offered Baker a deal last week.

Angels Sign Kaleb Cowart

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The Angels signed first-round pick Kaleb Cowart, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports by way of a team press release.  BA's Jim Callis reports that he'll get $2.3MM, about $900K over slot.  Cowart, a pitcher and third baseman drafted out of high school, was chosen 18th overall by the Angels.  The Angels received the pick from the Mariners as compensation for the Chone Figgins signing.

With the Cowart agreement, 16 first-round picks remain unsigned.

Odds & Ends: Holt, Lee, Klein, Valentine, Villone

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Links for Thursday, exactly 23 years after the Braves and Tigers swapped Doyle Alexander and John Smoltz…

  • The Indians signed tenth round pick Tyler Holt according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Holt's $500K bonus is the largest we've seen for a player drafted in a double-digit round this year. 
  • Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News wonders how much the Texas heat will play into Cliff Lee's decision about whether or not to re-sign with the Rangers after the season.
  • MLB.com' Brittany Ghiroli tweets that Orioles' third rounder Dan Klein is expected to report to one of the team's minor league affiliates once he passes his physical, indicating that the two sides have a deal in place.
  • Someone familiar with Bobby Valentine’s thinking tells Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that Valentine considers the Mariners managerial opening one of "the most appealing jobs in baseball.”
  • The Nationals released Ron Villone, according to Syracuse Chiefs broadcasters Jason Benetti and Mike Couzens (on Twitter). The veteran left-hander, who last pitched in the majors in 2009, posted a 6.59 ERA in Triple A this year.
  • The sale of the Rangers is now final, as MLB.com’s Barry Bloom writes.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker previews some of the players who could soon make the jump from Japan to MLB. Wei-Yin Chen, a 25-year-old lefty represented by Alan Nero may be posted this offseason.
  • Veracruz, the Mexican team that holds the rights to pitching prospect Luis Heredia, will not entertain offers from MLB clubs until next Wednesday, August 18th, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Tim Chambers, Bryce Harper's college coach, told Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com that Harper, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, is “begging to play.” Chambers expects the Nationals to work out a deal by Monday night’s deadline.
  • Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are "fairly close" to an agreement with first rounder Kaleb Cowart, though he expects negotiations to last until Monday, the deadline for signing draft picks.
  • Jamey Newberg counts down the ten biggest August trades in recent Rangers history for MLB.com. Rick Helling and Ryan Dempster have prominent roles on the list, which is worth checking out.

Odds & Ends: Rockies, Haren, Cowart, Cubs

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Links for Tuesday, after a night of drama in Cincinnati…

Scot Shields May Be Designated Soon

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Angels reliever Scot Shields "could be designated for assignment soon," in the opinion of Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.  Relievers Jason Bulger and Brian Stokes, both dealing with shoulder injuries, may return from the disabled list soon. Shields could be a roster casualty.

Shields, a 35-year-old righty, is a lifelong Angel.  As DiGiovanna notes, he's the last remaining link to the '02 World Series champion team.  Shields' control has never been great, but it's been terrible the last two years.  Since 2009 he has a 6.23 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 7.3 BB/9, with seven home runs allowed in 56.3 innings.  He had knee surgery last summer. 

Shields signed a three-year, $14.6MM extension in March of '07, a contract that began with the '08 season.  Angels GM Bill Stoneman committed to four years of Shields at top dollar.  He was 31 at the time and had compiled a staggering 284.6 relief innings over 2004-06.

Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox, Rangers, Angels, Viciedo

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Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe breaks down the 2010 Red Sox and what members of the team may not be around for 2011. He says Jayson Werth will be a free agent target and wonders if they're willing to commit three or four years to Adrian Beltre, who is having a monster season. Jacoby Ellsbury and Daisuke Matsuzaka could be trade bait, and then there's the issue of David Ortiz's $12.5MM option.

Let's round up the rest of Cafardo's rumors…

  • There have been "minimal, if any" talks between the Sox and Victor Martinez about a new contract. 
  • Expect Boston to revamp their bullpen, which could mean replacing Hideki Okajima.
  • Carfado believes that the Rangers settled ownership situation will help the team down the stretch as the players don't have to deal with any speculation.
  • Rafael Soriano and Joaquin Benoit, a pair of offseason pickups that are the Rays' two best relievers, will need to have their workloads monitored down the stretch, particularly Benoit who is coming off major shoulder surgery.
  • The Angels have close to $110MM tied up in 2011 payroll counting arbitration raises, which could hinder their pursuit of free agents this winter.
  • Kenny Williams says that teams never asked for Dayan Viciedo in a trade because they knew he was unavailable. We heard that Williams was willing to trade him before the deadline.
  • A split between the Mariners and manager Don Wakamatsu seems likely this offseason.

Arizona Acquires Skaggs From Angels

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According to a team press release, the Diamondbacks have acquired Tyler Skaggs from the Angels to complete the Dan Haren trade.  Skaggs has long been expected to be the player to be named later in the swap.

The left-hander was the Halos' supplemental first round selection (40th overall) in 2009.  Skaggs, 19, has posted a 3.61 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 for Class-A Cedar Rapids this season.  Baseball America believes that Skaggs projects as a solid mid-rotation starter.

Carlos Delgado Drawing Interest

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12:48pm: The White Sox have had extensive conversations with Delgado's agent, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. More than four teams are interested in the first baseman, including the Red Sox and Angels, according to Levine.

8:00am: The White Sox are showing interest in Carlos Delgado and are not the only potential fit for the first baseman, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Agent David Sloane told Rosenthal that his client has received two minor league offers and could be ready for the major leagues after a couple weeks in the minors.

The Rockies’ interest in Delgado depends on Todd Helton’s health, the Mariners want to see Delgado work out before deciding whether to pursue him and the Angels have checked in before. Those three teams and the Boston Red Sox could be fits, as the 38-year-old wants to play for a contending team that would have lots of at bats for him.

Delgado, who has 473 career home runs, hinted this summer that he would like to join the 500-homer club. He hasn’t played since last year and is recovering from arthroscopic hip surgery. 

Waiver Trade Candidates: AL West

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The current AL West picture: the Rangers hold a wide lead, the Angels and Athletics are on the fringe of contention, and the Mariners are out of it.  Waiver trade candidates:

The Rangers could consider moving Rich Harden, though the righty came off the DL on Saturday and had a fine start.  Even with Derek Holland lurking in Triple A, though, I think it makes sense to maintain the depth.  Scott Feldman, recently shifted to the bullpen, could clear waivers.

Angels veterans Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Hideki Matsui, Fernando Rodney, Scot Shields, and Juan Rivera could all clear waivers, in my estimation.  The relievers could generate interest, though.

Athletics assistant GM David Forst recently told ESPN's Jayson Stark they're seriously considering "bringing back the same 25 guys next year."  Forst may not have meant that literally, but it doesn't appear they'll dump contracts.

As for the Mariners, Milton Bradley figures to clear waivers if he returns from the DL this month.  Chone Figgins might clear too, but if he's claimed the Ms have to at least consider bailing on his contract.  Jack Wilson might get through, with $5MM owed next year.  Same goes for Casey Kotchman, a non-tender candidate after the season.  Jose Lopez isn't too expensive, so he might be claimed.  I imagine Russell Branyan would be claimed as well.  Various lightly-paid Mariners veterans could be moved in minor deals: Jamey Wright, Mike Sweeney, Josh Bard, and Ryan Langerhans come to mind.

For our primer on the waiver trade rules, click here.

Trade Deadline Reactions

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While we wait for August's rumor mill to pick up, the focus remains on the trades made over the last few days. Let's take a look at how a few writers are evaluating those deals….

  • USA Today's Bob Nightengale and the New York Post's Joel Sherman list their winners and losers, agreeing that the Rangers and Padres did very well, while the Mets and Red Sox needed to do more.
  • In Jeff Passan's assessment of July's deals for Yahoo! Sports, the Mets get a surprising thumbs-up.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports examines how the trades affect the playoff races. The Phillies and Cardinals are among his predicted division winners, after their respective deals for Roy Oswalt and Jake Westbrook.
  • The Cardinals paid too high a price for Westbrook, according to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times says that although the Dodgers' and Angels' moves were nice, they won't be enough to propel either team into the playoffs.
  • A pair of New York Daily News writers disagree about the merit of the Yankees' weekend acquisitions. According to Mike Lupica, all the additions make the Yanks seem slightly desperate, but John Harper sees nothing wrong with making baseball's best team better. I have to side with Harper here – Brian Cashman's goal is to field a championship team, not to worry about whether a division rival's inactivity makes his club look insecure.
  • The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice and Jerome Solomon have conflicting views on the post-deadline Astros. Solomon can't think of much to be happy about, while Justice writes that a younger, more energetic roster should be fun.
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