Odds & Ends: Van Mil, Werth, Millwood
A few more Saturday night links….
- Acknowledging the pun, Mike Scioscia tells Lyle Spencer of MLB.com that the Angels see "tremendous upside" in the recently acquired Loek Van Mil.
- MLB.com's Mike Radano doesn't blame Jayson Werth for leaving the Beverly Hills Sports Council in preparation for his "one big chance on the open market."
- Tony La Russa recognizes Walt Jocketty's knack for building a roster, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
- When MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli writes that Kevin Millwood has "done what [Baltimore] envisioned when it traded for him this offseason," she's referring to his clubhouse presence rather than his 3-15 record.
Odds & Ends: Wakamatsu, Lilly, Delcarmen, Rays
Links for Thursday night..
- It will take time for Don Wakamatsu to rejoin the "hot list" of managerial candidates, opines T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
- The Cubs were wise to deal Ted Lilly and Derrek Lee rather than let them walk in free agency, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
- Manny Delcarmen was shocked to learn that he was dealt to the Rockies, according to the Associated Press.
- The Royals will keep their Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, Nebraska through 2014, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
- Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times tweets that the Rays have extended their agreement with Double-A Montgomery through 2014.
Twins Send Van Mil To L.A.; Fuentes Trade Complete
The Twins will send right-hander Loek Van Mil to the Angels to complete the Brian Fuentes trade, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (on Twitter). The Twins designated Van Mil for assignment over the weekend, when they had to create roster space for Fuentes.
Van Mil, a native of the Netherlands, stands 7'1". The reliever spent most of the 2010 season at AA and posted an overall ERA of 6.15 in 26 appearances with 7.2 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9. Van Mil turns 26 this month, but he was still considered a "potential impact reliever" by Baseball America before the season. BA explained that Van Mil has a sound delivery that's hard to repeat and explained that he must throw more strikes to reach the majors.
Odds & Ends: Manny, Garland, Fredi Gonzalez
Links for Wednesday, as Manny Ramirez finishes a 1-for-3 White Sox debut with a hit-by-pitch…
- ESPN's Buster Olney feels that a team interested in Manny this winter should dangle an incentive-based contract with a base salary of $1MM or less. But keep in mind that last offseason Scott Boras got $3.3MM and $2MM guarantees for Xavier Nady and Alex Cora, respectively.
- The Nationals and Padres were the only teams to pursue Jon Garland during the offseason, the righty told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Garland chose the Padres because he liked the ballpark and felt they were closer to competing.
- Fredi Gonzalez tops Cubs GM Jim Hendry's managerial wish list currently, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Taiwanese news reports indicate that the Yankees determined their deal with Tzu-Wei Lin is invalid, reports the Taiwan Baseball blog. The 16-year-old shortstop might be able to get more money from another team after he finishes high school.
- Mike Napoli puts his chances of being an Angel next season at 50-50, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.
Odds & Ends: Angels, Edmonds, Chapman
More links for Monday, as Ryan Zimmerman does some damage to the Sun Life Stadiu(m) scoreboard…
- Angels GM Tony Reagins told MLB.com's Lyle Spencer that "just about every" Angel has been placed on waivers this month. Naturally, that doesn't mean the team has interest in making more trades.
- Jeremy Bonderman told MLB.com’s Jason Beck that he would like to return to the Tigers in 2011. The Tigers have room for him, as this piece explains.
- Jim Edmonds told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he's likely to retire after the season. The center fielder, who is now on the DL with a strained oblique, may return to the Reds late in the season.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the Reds will call up top pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman tomorrow so that the lefty will be eligible for the team's postseason roster.
- Orlando Hernandez decided not to finish his AA season when he heard that the Nationals didn’t intend to call him up, according to Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters that he didn't claim Brian Fuentes because his team doesn't need another left-handed reliever at this point.
Red Sox Claim Mike Napoli, No Deal Reached
MONDAY, 4:06pm: The Red Sox will not trade for Napoli, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. A source familiar with the situation told Speier that the Angels were "not really looking to move" the catcher.
SUNDAY, 6:29pm: The Angels will likely pull Napoli back as they can create more of a trade market for him over the winter, a league source told John Tomase of the Boston Herald.
3:38pm: ESPN's Joe McDonald tweets that the Red Sox have claimed Napoli on waivers, but in a separate tweet says it's unlikely the two teams work out a deal for the slugging catcher.
Sitting 5.5 games back of the Wild Card and first place in their division, the Red Sox are a logical fit to claim Napoli. His right-handed power would fit well in Fenway, and his presence would also serve as an insurance policy to Jarrod Saltalamacchia beyond the 2010 season. The claim also blocks Tampa Bay from getting their hands on Napoli.
Ken Rosenthal points out (via Twitter), that if the Angels are intent on trading him, they could likely get more for Napoli in an offseason deal when they can incorporate more teams into the bidding.
9:23am: Mike Napoli has been claimed on waivers by an unknown team, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Angels have until Monday afternoon to work out a trade with the claiming team, which Morosi speculates is an American League club.
Napoli, 28, has been a consistent source of power for the Angels, hitting 61 homers in his last three seasons, including a career-high 21 this year. However, Mike Scioscia seems to prefer Jeff Mathis, a superior defensive backstop, behind the plate. Since Mathis came off the disabled list in June, Napoli has seen far more playing time at first base, replacing the injured Kendry Morales, than at catcher.
As Morosi notes, most American League contenders could use some help at catcher, first base, or designated hitter, and Napoli may also appeal to non-contenders like the Tigers, since he's under team control through 2012. As they exhibited on Friday by dealing Brian Fuentes, the Angels aren't averse to making August trades, but the bet here is that Napoli remains in Anaheim.
Twins Acquire Brian Fuentes
The Twins have acquired Brian Fuentes from the Angels according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com (via Twitter). LaVelle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune tweets that the Angels will receive a player to be named later in the deal.
Fuentes, 35, has a 3.52 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 38.1 innings this season. There's approximately $1.89MM left on his contract this season, and he's unlikely to reach the 55 games finished that will trigger his $9MM vesting option for next season (he's at 33 GF right now). He's saved 23 games in 27 opportunities.
Manager Ron Gardenhire said that Matt Capps will retain closer duties, pushing Fuentes to set-up work according to another Neal tweet. The former Rockie has held lefthanded batters to a .132/.209/.158 batting line against with 15 strikeouts in 44 at-bats, so he'll also be a valuable weapon against lefties.
The Angels In The Outfield
Carl Crawford will have suitors lining up for him after the season and we've been assuming for a while that the Angels will be one of them. Owner Arte Moreno doesn't seem to mind spending on his team and Crawford told Mark Saxon of ESPNLos Angeles that he likes Anaheim.
"The weather's great. The grass is really soft. It's one of the best places in the big leagues," Crawford said.
It's not the first time he has said the right thing about a potential free agent destination. Over the weekend, Crawford told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he likes Oakland's young pitching. Both teams could use Crawford, but let's see how he'd fit onto the 2011 Angels. The team has five viable outfielders under team control for 2011:
- Bobby Abreu – He is showing his typical mixture of speed (17 SB), power (15 HR) and patience (68 BB) this season. He'll be back in 2011 for $9MM.
- Torii Hunter – Hunter is having another strong season. He'll be back in 2011 for $18MM.
- Peter Bourjos – The fleet-footed 23-year-old hasn't hit much in 71 major league plate appearances, but his minor league track record (.861 OPS at Triple A this year) suggests he should.
- Juan Rivera – Rivera has been playing a little first base, but Kendry Morales should bump Rivera back to the outfield in 2011. The Angels will pay Rivera $5.25MM next year, but his production has dropped off (.256/.309/.415 line).
- Reggie Willits – Willits goes to arbitration for the second time this winter, but he isn't guaranteed a contract offer or a roster spot on the 2011 Angels.
- Hideki Matsui hits free agency after the season and seems likely to depart. It's not too early to get excited about Mike Trout, but it is too early to pencil him onto the team's 2011 roster. The top prospect has yet to play in the upper minors.
The Angels do have room for Crawford if they let Matsui walk and move Abreu to the DH spot. That would give the Angels a strong defensive outfield of Crawford, Bourjos and Hunter and could mean the Angels part ways with either Willits or Rivera.
Odds & Ends: Hawpe, Kuroda, Angels, Antonetti
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
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.