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Juan Castro Retires

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Veteran utility infielder Juan Castro has announced his retirement, according to a Dodgers press release. The Dodgers, who designated Castro for assignment last month, have hired the 39-year-old as a Special Assistant.

"It was time for me to make the decision to end my playing career," said Castro. "I'm honored that Ned [Colletti] thought of bringing me back to the organization where I first signed as a young kid more than 20 years ago."

While Castro also spent time with the Reds, Twins, Rockies, Orioles, and Phillies, he returned to Los Angeles frequently toward the end of his career. When he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last winter, it was the fourth time he'd signed with the organization as a free agent.

In parts of 17 seasons, Castro hit .229/.268/.327 in over 2800 plate appearances, logging significant playing time at second base, shortstop, and third base. According to Baseball-Reference, he retires having earned about $8MM over the course of his career.

Heyman On Ethier, Lowe, Astros, Twins, Mets

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Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier is the main topic of Jon Heyman's latest piece at SI.com. Ethier, a free agent after the 2012 season, is deeply unhappy with the Dodgers on account of their on and off-field troubles, a source tells Heyman.

While no specific trade or signing rumors pertaining to Ethier are cited, the outfielder is apparently a good friend of Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (both players attended Arizona State University) and is said to have "Boston in his mind."

Here are some other items of note from Heyman's piece:

  • The Braves aren't openly shopping Derek Lowe, but with good pitching depth in the minors, Atlanta would probably listen to offers on the right-hander.
  • The Astros will be hard trade partners, one GM told Heyman, because of the impending change of ownership.
  • The Twins do not yet consider themselves sellers, a rival exec told Heyman.
  • Even if the Mets wanted to negotiate secretly with Jose Reyes, as was recently reported, Heyman thinks it's unlikely Reyes and his agents would entertain those talks at this juncture.
  • The Mets would love to find a trade partner to offload Francisco Rodriguez but, the closer's $17.5MM 2012 option deters logical suitors. One GM called it "scary."
  • The Tigers will consider an offensive upgrade at one of third base, second base or outfield.

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Colletti, Stewart, Padres

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On this date last year, the Rockies scored nine runs in the ninth inning to overcome a six-run deficit and beat the Cardinals 12-9. Seth Smith's walk-off homer against Ryan Franklin sealed the win for Colorado. Here’s the latest from the NL West, one year after the Rockies’ amazing comeback…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from a source that the Dodgers might not trade Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll despite plenty of interest in both.
  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times passes along a note from Bill Plaschke (on Twitter), who reports that next season is the final guaranteed year on Dodgers GM Ned Colletti's contract.
  • A few teams are having internal discussions about Ian Stewart of the Rockies, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
  • The Padres are on a 10-3 run and have just defeated Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, so they can’t justify selling now, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out (on Twitter).
  • A rival executive tells ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that the Dodgers waited too long to sign Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to extensions. The outfielders hit free agency after 2012, so Los Angeles may have to overpay to keep the duo in place long-term.

2012 Vesting Options Update

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The season is offically more than halfway complete now, so let's update the status of the various vesting options from around the league…

  • Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu is just 82 plate appearances short of that total, so this one will vest later this month, barring injury.
  • Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Injuries have limited Furcal to just 82 plate appearances this year, so this one won't be vesting.
  • Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. A few days ago we heard that Garland is unlikely to pitch the rest of the season due to a shoulder issue. He's at 54 innings, so the Dodgers won't have to worry about this one vesting either.
  • Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the year. K-Rod has finished 32 games already, putting him on pace for 60. A trade to a team that would use him as a setup man would change things, though we recently heard that some GMs beleieve Rodriguez's trade value is reaching a "tipping point" as he racks up the games finished.
  • Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 35 games and finished 16, putting him on pace for 68 and 29, respectively.
  • Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. Rhodes has appeared in 28 games so far, and he's on pace for 52. Texas will need to use him a little more liberally down the stretch for this one to kick in.
  • Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. With 35 appearances already to his credit, Soria is on pace to pitch in 69 games this year.
  • Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 26 games this year with a disabled list stint mixed in. He'd have to appear in 39 of the team's final 77 games for the option to vest, which seems unlikely.

Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.

Heyman On Cubs, Reyes, Street, Dodgers

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Jon Heyman of SI.com hands out his midseason awards and Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Verlander, Jose Reyes and Roy Halladay are among those who take home some virtual hardware. Here’s Heyman’s latest from around the Major Leagues…

  • Though Cubs manager Mike Quade appears to be safe, GM Jim Hendry doesn’t have assurances that he’ll keep his job, according to Heyman.
  • The Mets will make Reyes an offer, but one GM believes it will cost more than the $142MM Carl Crawford obtained to sign the shortstop when he hits free agency after the season.
  • I compared Reyes to Crawford on Monday and suggested that Reyes appears headed for a Crawford-like deal.
  • The Phillies would like to re-sign Ryan Madson after the season, when the currently injured closer hits free agency.
  • Huston Street could hit the trade market if the Rockies keep losing.
  • The Dodgers are saying they don’t expect to consider trading players away for two weeks or more.
  • Former Mets GM Omar Minaya is expected to join a different team in 2012.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Canseco, Dodgers, Gutierrez

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The Yankees obtained Jeff Weaver from the Tigers in a three team deal that sent Ted Lilly to Oakland and Carlos Pena to Detroit on this date in 2002. We've only seen minor moves so far today, so here are some links to check out…

  • Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun runs through some possible trade candidates on the Orioles, including J.J. Hardy, the hot hitting Mark Reynolds and Jeremy Guthrie.
  • Jim Caple of ESPN.com catches up with Jose Canseco, who is now managing and playing for the independent Yuma Scorpions with his brother Ozzie. Not surprisingly, the Scorpions are having a memorable season under Canseco, who has lots to say as usual.
  • Bud Selig has argued that the Dodgers would have been in financial trouble again by 2013 had MLB accepted the club's proposed deal with Fox, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (on Twitter).
  • The attorneys for Frank McCourt wrote that others teams with financial questions enjoy "the velvet-glove treatment" from MLB, according to Shaikin. McCourt's lawyers are asking for documents relating to the Mets' financial issues to prove their point: that the Commissioner's office is biased against McCourt and the Dodgers.
  • Nicaraguan right-hander Osman Gutierrez obtained a $210K bonus from Toronto, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). The Blue Jays announced yesterday that they had signed the prospect.

Minor Moves: Simons, Miller, Corcoran, Hernandez

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A few transactions from the minor leagues…

  • The Marlins have signed right-hander Zach Simons, MLBTR has learned.  Simons, 26, was released by the Tigers last week.  Simons was drafted by the Rockies in the second round of the 2005 draft and has a 4.06 ERA and a 7.1 K/9 rate in seven minor league seasons in the Colorado and Detroit systems.
  • The Dodgers have signed Justin Miller to a minor league deal, MLBTR has learned.  This is Miller's second stint with L.A. after posting a 4.44 ERA in 19 appearances with the club in 2010 before being designated for assignment.  Miller has pitched for the Mariners' and Rangers' Triple-A teams this season, with a combined 5.31 ERA in 17 appearances.
  • The Dodgers signed right-hander Roy Corcoran to a minor league deal and assigned him to Double-A Chattanooga, according to the Southern League's transactions page.  Corcoran last piched in the Majors in 2009 and has a career 4.17 ERA in 82 appearances with the Expos, Nationals and Mariners between 2003 and 2009.  Corcoran pitched for the Astros' Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock last season.
  • The Yankees released Fernando Hernandez, according to the International League's transactions page.  Hernandez had posted a 5.91 ERA in 33 appearances for Double-A Trenton this season and made just one appearance for Triple-A Scranton before being released.  The right-hander, who turns 27 later this month, has three Major League innings to his name, all with Oakland in 2008.    

Jon Garland’s Season Could Be Over

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Dodgers right-hander Jon Garland's shoulder injury may sideline him for the remainder of the season, a source tells Tony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles.  Garland has been on the DL for the last month with inflammation in his throwing shoulder and was looking for a second opinion on his injury, but the source tells Jackson that Garland won't pitch again in 2011 even if he opts to avoid surgery.

If Garland's season is indeed over, it will probably mark the end of his tenure with the Dodgers.  The 31-year-old signed a one-year, $5MM contract with Los Angeles last November that included a club option worth $8MM for 2012 that would have vested had Garland thrown 190 innings.  This looked like a safe bet at the time given that the durable Garland had reached the 190-inning plateau in each of previous nine seasons.  As it happened, the righty made his first two career trips to the DL this year.  Given Garland's health and the Dodgers' financial issues, there is little to no chance the club would pick up that $8MM option for next year.

Garland has a 4.33 ERA and a 1.4 K/BB ratio in nine starts for L.A. this season.  This was Garland's second stint with the Dodgers, as he pitched for the club in 2009 followng an August 31st trade from Arizona.  Garland's strong September (a 2.72 ERA in six starts) helped the Dodgers win the NL West, though Garland was left off the postseason roster.

Cafardo On Dodgers, Hardy, Wandy, Twins

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The latest from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe…

  • The Dodgers are not ready to become sellers quite yet, but Cafardo reports that the team's scouts are already compiling lists of other teams' better prospects.  Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll are among the players who would be made available — Kuroda is already attracting the attention of several teams and MLBTR's Tim Dierkes looked at Carroll's trade candidacy two weeks ago.
  • Cafardo reports that the Indians looked into Casey Blake as a depth option at third base before Lonnie Chisenhall was called up.  Blake, Jonathan Broxton and Jon Garland are all currently on the DL but would be shopped by L.A. if they can prove they're healthy.
  • The Dodgers don't appear to be interested in moving higher-profile players like Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier or James Loney since "the feeling is Dodgers fans would rebel if some of their star players were sold off."  I don't think Loney falls into this category at all — he has just a .678 OPS this season and could be a non-tender candidate after the season, so the Dodgers would love to get something back for him.
  • J.J. Hardy will be "a major trade chip" for the Orioles if the two sides can't work out a contract extension before the deadline.  Hardy would become the top option for shortstop-needy teams, particularly if the Mets don't shop Jose Reyes.
  • "It’s no secret that [Wandy Rodriguez] is being watched closely by the Yankees, who have sent a few people to watch some of his starts," Cafardo writes.  As FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal noted a few weeks ago, the Yankees would want Rodriguez at the back of their rotation while the Astros would want a trade package befitting an ace, so there may not be a fit between the two teams.  Cafardo notes that Brett Myers "also remains on the Yankees' radar."
  • The Twins are more likely to deal Carl Pavano or Francisco Liriano than they would Scott Baker, though "there are teams that would love to get their hands on Baker."
  • The White Sox recently sent assistant general manager Dave Yokum to scout some Braves games for pitching.  Cafardo specifically cites Brandon Beachy as a starter the Sox were watching and says that Beachy or Derek Lowe could be shopped by Atlanta in exchange for a hitter.  I think it's obvious the Braves would prefer to move the expensive Lowe rather than a young, controllable pitcher like Beachy, but if the Braves wanted to pick up a big bat like Carlos Quentin (as Cafardo speculates), Atlanta certainly has the pitching depth to spare.

Tigers Interested In Hiroki Kuroda

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The Tigers have some interest in Hiroki Kuroda, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). However, it's not clear whether the Dodgers would part with Kuroda or whether the right-hander would accept a trade to Detroit. The Dodgers aren't ready to sell and Kuroda, who is drawing lots of interest, will likely require compensation to accept a trade.

The 36-year-old has a 2.90 ERA with 6.7 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 43.9% ground ball rate in 108 2/3 innings for the Dodgers. He earns an $8MM salary, so he'll still be owed $2.7MM at the July 31st trade deadline. Kuroda, whose contract expires after the season, projects as a Type B free agent this offseason.

Improving the rotation is a priority for the Tigers. They just demoted Phil Coke from the rotation and Charlie Furbush will take his place tonight when he makes his first MLB start.

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