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Red Sox Acquire Eric Hull

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The Red Sox and Dodgers made a deal last night.  The Sox acquired 28 year-old righty pitcher Eric Hull for 23 year-old shortstop Christian Lara.

Lara was once Boston’s top shortstop prospect, but he’s been passed by Jed Lowrie and several others.  A couple years ago Baseball America wrote that Lara had "a chance to be a plus defender."  They weren’t impressed with his bat.  The Sox challenged him by putting him at Double A in 2005-06, but he was demoted to High A for ’07.

Hull seems like an organizational arm, though he did intrigue last year with an 11.1 K/9 in Triple A as a reliever.  Doesn’t help that he’s just 5’11" though.  The Dodgers needed roster space and designated him for assignment on March 31st.

Dodgers Almost Sign Marcus Giles

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THURSDAY, 1:45pm: Not so fast.  Miller has an update to his initial report below, which came from Marcus’ brother Brian.  Marcus’ agent is now saying that Brian was misinformed – they never finalized anything with the Dodgers and he’s not playing for them, after all.

THURSDAY, 8:14am: Scott Miller says Giles will report to Triple A for the Dodgers, after all.  The Dodgers still seem to have some interest in Wes Helms though.

TUESDAY: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News chronicles the odd tale of the Dodgers’ near-signing of infielder Marcus Giles.  Apparently an agreement was reached but Giles changed his mind on the drive over to Cashman Field in Las Vegas.  He was to re-acquaint himself with third base at Triple A before joining the Dodgers.

Jackson notes that this Giles debacle caused Ned Colletti to miss out on two available role players, one of which was Alex Cintron.  A commenter on Jackson’s blog suggested Scott Spiezio was the other; not a bad guess.  Seems possible that Giles might retire; he turns 30 in May.

Helms Designated For Assignment

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3:07pm: According to David Murphy, Helms has been DFA’d.  Any suitors will probably try to wait it out so as not to pay his salary.

8:53am: Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says it’s likely that Wes Helms will be moved by Saturday, when closer Brad Lidge is set to come off the DL.  Hagen suggests the Dodgers as a good fit.  Ned Colletti could offer up a player to be named later, or just wait and see if the Phils release Helms.  He has $2.9MM left on his contract.

The Dodgers had been eyeing Alex Cintron and almost signed Marcus Giles.  Helms doesn’t quite fit their profile, as he’s never played second base.  And Dylan Hernandez believes Helms might prefer opportunities with Florida or Atlanta, if possible.  The Braves just signed Scott Spiezio though.  Hernandez adds that the Astros told the Dodgers Mark Loretta isn’t available, at least not until Kaz Matsui comes back.

Odds And Ends: Quintero, Rios, Pierre

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A few random notes from around the MLBiverse…

  • Henry Schulman says the Giants are in need of a backup catcher and a logical choice may be Astros backup Humberto Quintero, whom Bruce Bochy is familiar with from his days with the Padres. He also notes that the Rays have two experienced catchers that were just reassigned to the minor leagues in Josh Paul and Mike DiFelice.
  • The Jays and Alex Rios are closer today to an agreement on a long-term extension than they were yesterday. That according to Rios’ agent, Paul Kinzer. Yesterday it was reported that the Jays had offered a six-year, $65MM deal. No word yet on what any new offers might look like. Kinzer reasserted that a deal needs to be done by tonight or negotiations will be put off until after the season.
  • Bobby Kielty initially accepted his demotion to Pawtucket, but he is now having second-thoughts and will wait a few days to see if any other teams are interested in a switch-hitting outfielder. With all the rumors swirling recently about teams in need of outfield help, I have to believe that Kielty will land a major league gig. PECOTA projects a line of .253/.331/.418 based on 159 plate appearances and Kielty can play all three outfield spots.
  • The Dodgers made it official today, giving Andre Ethier the left field job.   This puts one more nail in the coffin of one of the worst free agent signings in recent memory. The move means that Juan Pierre will be a reserve, one year after signing a five-year, $44MM deal. The Dodgers will certainly look to trade Pierre, but will have to swallow a good portion of the $36.5MM remaining on the deal.
  • A couple of big names have made major league rosters after only earning non-roster spring training invites prior to spring training. The Rockies have given a job to Scott Podsednik, while the Rays did the same with former Rookie-of-the-Year Eric Hinske. In fact, Hinske will start on Opening Day and will be the Rays’ right fielder against right handers to begin the season.
  • Phil Sheriden notes that Adam Eaton was named the Phillies’ fifth starter, but that may not last long as Pat Gillick will certainly be looking for a better option. Sheriden feels that Gillick is much better at making moves in-season than during the offseason.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Rosenthal’s Latest: DeWitt, Murton, Vargas, Hatteberg, Pena, Baek, Piazza

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Ken Rosenthal has his latest column up at FoxSports.com. As usual he is not shy about stirring up rumors. Let’s take a look at what the rumor-guru has to say:

  • Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers will go with Blake DeWitt at third base who has never played a game above AA. This comes after the Dodgers failed to acquire either the Astros’ Mark Loretta, who was unavailable and the Royals’ Esteban German, who was too expensive. The Royals were asking for the Dodgers’ third best prospect, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu.
  • He indicates that the Padres and the Rays are pursuing Matt Murton but the Cubs are holding out for a top pitching prospect in return, knowing Murton will be a starter on another club. Rosenthal quotes one GM as saying that the price "is way too high as of now". As many as five teams have shown interest in Murton.
  • The Mets are among a dozen teams that have inquired about Brewers pitcher Claudio Vargas, who will not be in the rotation to begin the season. [Update: Sorry about this one. I had forgotten that the Brewers released Vargas earlier this week]
  • The Reds have put Ryan Freel on the market, but more teams appear to be interested in Scott Hatteberg. However, Rosenthal indicates that it is unlikely for the Red to trade Hatteberg even if Joey Votto is named the starter.
  • The Tigers, Reds and Orioles all tried to acquire backup catcher Brayan Pena from the Braves, but the Braves do not appear interested in letting him go
  • Rosenthal says that Pat Gillick’s history in Seattle may have played a part in the Phillies inability to land M’s reliever Cha Seung Baek, who is out of options but made the roster as a reliever.
  • Finally, Rosenthal notes that Mike Piazza is still working out with hopes of landing a gig at some point in ’08. Rosenthal thinks that Piazza may have to come to the realization soon that his career may be over.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Dodgers Release Rudy Seanez

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THURSDAY: Seanez might not retire if he finds the right fit.  A few clubs have already contacted his agent.

WEDNESDAY: According to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News, the Dodgers released reliever Rudy Seanez last night.  The move should save the Dodgers about $400K and could open up a bullpen spot unless the Dodgers begin with an 11-man staff.

Jackson believes the 39 year-old Seanez will now retire.  If so, he leaves on a high note – he posted a 3.79 ERA and 8.6 K/9 in 76 innings last year.  Seanez played in 11 different organizations in his career.

Odds and Ends: Giles, Crisp, A-Rod

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Nothing huge cooking this morning, so here are some odds and ends.

  • Doesn’t look like the Dodgers will acquire Marcus Giles.
  • Rany Jazayerli writes about how Kansas City is home to many of the country’s best baseball journalists.  On a related note, the Star’s Sam Mellinger has a chat with Brian Bannister on his blog.
  • Coco Crisp rattles off the trade rumors he’s heard: Cubs, Sox, A’s, Padres.  No deal appears imminent, though Crisp was healthy enough to pinch-run this morning.
  • John Harper snags an exclusive with Alex Rodriguez.  A-Rod admitted he chose the Rangers over the Mets for money and feared he was going down that road again this past winter.
  • Roch Kubatko writes that Brian Roberts was pulled from the lineup today for back pain, hoping to nip trade speculation in the bud.
  • The Phillies have to make a decision on Kris Benson today.
  • Aaron Gleeman weighs in on the Joe Nathan extension.  Buster Olney talked to baseball execs who felt the Twins should’ve added Nathan’s money to their Johan offer.

Rockies Notes: Giles Fails To Make Team

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The Rocky Mountain News is reporting Marcus Giles was informed he won’t make the club despite his solid spring. Giles wasn’t on the list of players being sent to the minors (a list which included Victor Zambrano), but the speculation is that he will be released and given a chance to hook on with another team. The Dodgers would seem like an obvious fit, but it’s likely several teams will be in the running.

Giles hit .321/.457/.536 over 13 games, with four doubles and nine runs scored. He was also 3 for 3 in steal attempts. However, the likely starter at second Jayson Nix was equal to the task, hitting .286/.459/.643 with three HRs.

The team also announced it plans to use Kip Wells out of the bullpen to start 2008. That seemingly leaves Franklin Morales (6.48 ERA in 16.2 innings), Mark Redman (7.23 ERA in 18.2 innings) and Josh Towers (7.20 ERA in 15 innings) in competition for the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation.  

Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle.

Dodgers Scrambling for Infield Help

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With veteran infielders Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent both likely to miss opening day, the Dodgers are scrambling to find themselves some backups. Ken Rosenthal says that since the Astros are unlikely to trade Mark Loretta while Kaz Matsui is out,  L.A. is considering Ron Belliard of the Nationals and Esteban German of the Royals. Another possibility, Morgan Ensberg, seems unlikely, as the Yankees added him to their 40-man roster yesterday. Joe Crede of the White Sox and Brandon Inge of the Tigers are both probably too expensive.

This could impact roster decisions Los Angeles will make on Monday, when they decide whether they can afford to carry twelve pitchers with so much uncertainty around their infield.

Ned Colletti, meanwhile, says he expects Monday to mark an uptick in trade chatter—but also that he’s content, for now, to fill his third base hole from within. It’s worth noting that  Ensberg’s spot on the opening day roster is still not guaranteed, and that Matsui is expected to return in two to three weeks, perhaps freeing up Loretta. 

Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and UmpBump.com. She can be reached here.

Astros Rumors: Patterson, Loretta

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If 30-year old righty John Patterson clears waivers today, Ed Wade will give him a call. Patterson hails from Orange, Texas and was released by the Nationals on Thursday.  You can read about Patterson’s injury-packed history here.

In other Astros news, Wade is not likely to deal infielder Mark Loretta, despite alleged interest from the Dodgers. The Dodgers want Loretta to sub for perennially injured 3B Nomar Garciaparra, who will not be ready to go by opening day. However, there may be wishful thinking going on in Los Angeles, as the Astros are also coping with an unpleasant injury to their new second baseman, Kaz Matsui.

Wade doesn’t like to discuss trade rumors, but told the Houston Chronicle that he "expects" Loretta to be with the Astros on opening day.

Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and UmpBump.com. She can be reached here.

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