NL Central Links: Brewers, Counsell, DeWitt
Some links pertaining to the game's largest division…
- Despite a slew of injuries, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio told reporters (including MLB.com's Adam McCalvy) he won't give up on the 2012 season. The Brew Crew will be without Chris Narveson and Mat Gamel for the remainder of the season, while Alex Gonzalez's season is in doubt after a knee injury, and Carlos Gomez was placed on the DL. Ryan Braun is also not 100 percent, as he's dealing with an ailing Achilles Tendon in his right foot.
- Longtime Brewers infielder Craig Counsell has contemplated returning in the last 24 hours, tweets McCalvy, but for the time being he isn't anticipating a comeback.
- The Cubs hope the recently-DFAed Blake DeWitt will clear waivers, as they'd like to keep him in their organization, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (Twitter link).
- Earlier today, the Cubs released Triple-A right-hander Dan Berlind.
Brewers Near Extensions With Melvin, Roenicke
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has indicated that he's nearing extensions with general manager Doug Melvin and and manager Ron Roenicke, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter).
Melvin has been general manager of the Brewers since 2002. As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows, he's made notable trades for C.C. Sabathia, Zack Greinke, and Shaun Marcum while also drafting the likes of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and J.J. Hardy. Recently, Melvin has signed Aramis Ramirez and Randy Wolf to big-money free agent contracts.
Roenicke has been the Crew's manager since the beginning of the 2011 season. He led the Brewers to an NL Central Division title and an impressive 96-66 record in his first season at the helm. He now sports a 108-81 mark in his managerial career.
Rosenthal On Montero, Pirates, Rays, Lee
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.
West Links: Abreu, Ishikawa, Trumbo
Here's the latest out of baseball's two West divisions…
- Bobby Abreu had other offers before choosing to sign with the Dodgers, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). He liked the idea of returning to the NL and knows manager Don Mattingly from his time with the Yankees.
- The Giants offered Travis Ishikawa a minor league contract to return during the offseason, but he signed with the Brewers because they offered a better opportunity to Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle. Mat Gamel's injury opened the door for Ishikawa to play everyday.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports speculates (on Twitter) that Mark Trumbo of the Angels would be a good fit for the Blue Jays. He says it's hard to see Toronto trading a reliever while Sergio Santos is still on the DL, however.
Brewers Release Zach Braddock
The Brewers have released left-hander Zach Braddock in order to make room for utility man Brooks Conrad on the 40-man roster, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Braddock has not pitched since Spring Training because of personal issues which Brewers officials say they cannot disclose.
The 24-year-old was placed on the temporary inactive list at Triple-A Nashville roughly a month ago. In 2011, Braddock spent time on the disabled list to get treatment for a sleep disorder then missed more time due to other undisclosed matters.
At one point in time, Braddock was looked at as a potentially major bullpen piece for Milwaukee. Braddock turned in a 2.94 ERA with 11.0 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 2010.
Conrad will provide Milwaukee with support in the absence of first baseman Mat Gamel who suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.
Quick Hits: Vlad, Lee, Hunter, Crawford
Here's the latest from around the majors…
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers thought Vladimir Guerrero performed well in his tryout with the team but will have to consult with team management before deciding whether to offer Guerrero a contract, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Towers speculated that Guerrero's only possible role with the club could be as a DH during interleague games, a role that Wily Mo Pena filled for the Snakes last season.
- The Brewers may check in with Derrek Lee in regards to their hole at first base, GM Doug Melvin told reporters (including Scott Miller of CBS Sports) earlier this week. Lee said he didn't plan to officially retire despite a lack of interest this offseason, though he seemed to be holding out for "a perfect situation." The Pirates, Lee's last team, would receive a compensatory draft pick if Lee were to sign a Major League deal, though it's likely that Lee would only be offered a minor league contract, if anything, by the Brewers or another club.
- Torii Hunter tells Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he would consider returning to the Twins next season if he doesn't re-sign with the Angels. Given that Hunter's stated goal is to play for a contender in 2013, it's hard to see him returning to Minnesota unless he gets no other offers (and, of course, presuming that the Twins would be interested).
- Carl Crawford has been moved to the 60-day DL to create a 40-man roster spot for the called-up Aaron Cook, the Red Sox announced tonight. In a corresponding move, Jose Iglesias was sent down to create space for Cook on the 25-man roster.
- Right-hander Carlos Torres has been called up by the Rockies and filled the last spot on their 40-man roster, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Jhoulys Chacin has been sent down to Triple-A in a corresponding move that opens a spot for Torres on the 25-man roster. Torres last pitched in the majors in 2010 as a member of the White Sox.
- Major League Baseball and the NCAA are in talks regarding increased partnership between the two entities, such as MLB providing funding for scholarships, reports Bryan Fischer of CBS Sports.
- White Sox starter John Danks told reporters (including MLB.com's Scott Merkin) that he isn't feeling any additional pressure from his offseason contract extension. After allowing six earned runs in seven innings against Cleveland tonight, Danks' ERA stands at 6.51 through six starts.
Quick Hits: Gamel, Paniagua, Padres, Harper
Brewers GM Doug Melvin confirmed that Mat Gamel has a torn right ACL and is likely to miss the rest of the season, reports Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel. "For now, we'll fill from within," said the GM. "[Travis Ishikawa] will be out there. Making trades aren't as easy as people think."
Here's the latest from around the league…
- Dominican right-hander Juan Carlos Paniagua recently worked out for teams in Puerto Rico, reports Conor Glassey on Baseball America. The Yankees signed the 22-year-old for $1.1MM last year, though the deal was later voided. Paniagua will be free to sign with teams on July 19th, though he will be subject to the international spending restrictions implemented by the new collective bargaining agreement.
- ESPN's Jim Bowden put together a list of early trade candidates, including names like Brandon League, Erik Bedard, and Jeff Francoeur.
- "There are a lot of good things about [the San Diego] market," said Scott Boras to Tom Krasovic of Inside of the Padres. "Has to be an owner with lot of money and patience," he added. The Padres are expected to be sold in the near future, possibly by the All-Star break.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote about Bryce Harper and explained why the Nationals should not send him down. Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tries to temper expectations for the young phenom.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America has a full recap of last week's minor league transactions, including DL assignments and players signed as undrafted free agents.
Minor Moves: Larish, Brown, Bay
The latest minor moves from around MLB…
- The Red Sox signed first baseman Jeff Larish, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. Larish, 29, has a .224/.308/.380 line in 276 MLB plate appearances with the Tigers and A's to go along with 112 minor league home runs.
- The Brewers signed outfielder Jordan Brown, Eddy tweets. Brown, 28, appeared in the Major Leagues with the 2010 Indians. He has a .305/.364/.467 line in parts of eight minor league seasons.
- The Padres signed free agent right-hander Ronald Bay yesterday, according to the transactions page at MLB.com. Bay, 28, has nine seasons of minor league experience with the Cubs, Indians, Rangers and Angels organizations. He has a 4.00 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 1139 total innings, mostly as a starter.
Rosenthal On Hammel, Pirates, Tigers, Gomez
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that Jason Hammel has outperformed Jeremy Guthrie so far this season. The right-handers were traded for one another this offseason (with Matt Lindstrom also going to the Orioles) and Hammel has pitched well for Baltimore, while Guthrie is on Colorado’s disabled list. Here are more notes from Rosenthal:
- Some considered Hammel a “passive competitor,” but Dan Duquette and the Orioles viewed him as a dependable innings eater. Hammel, 29, has a 1.73 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 through 26 innings for his new team.
- Though Yankees GM Brian Cashman says his team did more background work than ever before acquiring Michael Pineda from Seattle, one rival executive says his club grew concerned. The right-hander showed diminished velocity in his final start of the 2011 season after struggling in the second half. Pineda will miss the 2012 season with a shoulder injury.
- The Pirates aren’t scoring many runs, but rival executives like the trio of Alex Presley, Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutchen at the top of Pittsburgh's order, Rosenthal writes.
- Tigers starters other than Justin Verlander and Drew Smyly have struggled so far this year, and rival executives expect Detroit to make a strong push for rotation help by the July trade deadline.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Rosenthal that Carlos Gomez would generate approximately as much interest as Yoenis Cespedes if you put him in a tryout camp. Gomez, who is two months younger than Cespedes, could be a late-bloomer, Melvin said.
Quick Hits: Inge, Brewers, Dodgers, Red Sox, Angels
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.