Olney On Nationals, Mariners, Brewers, A’s
Rival executives have wondered whether the Nationals will eventually shift top pick Anthony Rendon to second base, so ESPN.com’s Buster Olney constructs an impressive-looking 2013 Nationals lineup with Rendon at second and prospective free agent Prince Fielder at first base. Here are the rest of Olney’s rumors:
- The Mariners wondered whether Safeco Field would limit Rendon’s offense, but they’re confident that their second overall selection, left-hander Danny Hultzen, will be a good fit in their home ballpark.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin confirmed to Olney that it’s possible (though not likely) that top pick Taylor Jungmann could help them this year.
- Some executives tell Olney that top Orioles pick Dylan Bundy is the greatest pure talent in the draft. He's certainly looking to get paid like an elite talent.
- Olney wonders if Grant Balfour could be dealt to the Rangers, who could use relief help.
- Teams like the Braves and Phillies are looking for offense, so Josh Willingham could become a target if the 27-34 Athletics do become sellers.
Rosenthal On Rangers, Upton, Marlins, Indians
With only five teams more than seven games out of first place, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks this year's trade market could play out differently than your usual scenario of struggling teams selling to contenders. An unnamed general manager tells Rosenthal “It might be more of a reallocation of pieces than classic buying or selling…Parity also means that teams that aren’t close are saying, ‘Next year, it can be us.’ Maybe they buy a two- to three-year asset that they wouldn’t otherwise.”
Here's the latest from Rosenthal on a number of teams looking to fill needs as the pennant races begin to heat up…
- The Rangers are looking for right-handed relievers and have a number of trade chips to offer other teams. Rosenthal speculates Texas could offer Taylor Teagarden to the Giants for a righty arm, or possibly Chris Davis to the Padres or another team that is looking for offensive help.
- Todd Coffey is drawing interest from the Rangers, and Rosenthal thinks Coffey could be part of a package for Julio Borbon since the Nationals need a center fielder/leadoff hitter type.
- Of course, Washington is also looking at B.J. Upton to fill that hole in center. Rosenthal thinks it's unlikely the Rays move Upton, though they could change their minds if the Nats offer Tyler Clippard and a young positional prospect.
- The Marlins are interested in acquiring veteran bullpen help in exchange for one of their minor league relievers. Right-handers Jose Ceda, Jhan Marinez and Sandy Rosario have all attracted some attention from other clubs.
- While "the Indians’ most obvious need remains a quality starting pitcher," Rosenthal also thinks the Tribe could be in the market for right-handed hitting help. One of Rosenthal's Twitter followers asked if Cleveland could make a move for Hunter Pence, but Rosenthal doesn't think Houston will move Pence and the Indians already have Shin-Soo Choo in right field.
- The Brewers "would love to add another power arm to their 'pen," as Milwaukee relievers rank 13th in the league in K/9.
- The Diamondbacks had an interest in David Purcey before the A's dealt the left-hander to the Tigers on May 27.
- Bruce Bochy thinks rookie shortstop Brandon Crawford can be a productive Major League hitter, which would seem to lessen the Giants' chances of acquiring Jose Reyes before the deadline or trying to sign Reyes this winter in free agency.
- Rosenthal "can't see" Jim Hendry returning as the Cubs' general manager given the team's current state. "Forget about signing a free agent such as the Cardinals' Albert Pujols or the Brewers' Prince Fielder," Rosenthal writes. "The Cubs are so far gone, they are much more than one player away." Carlos Pena, John Grabow, Kosuke Fukudome, Kerry Wood and Jeff Baker are all trade candidates this summer; MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently looked at the values of these players and others on the struggling Cubbies.
Keith Law’s Final Mock Draft
Keith Law of ESPN.com has written up his final projections for tonight's draft. Here are some of the latest highlights (Insider subscription needed):
- The D'Backs select UCLA righty Trevor Bauer with the No. 3 pick, meaning two of the first three picks will be Bruins after the Pirates take Gerrit Cole at No. 1 overall.
- The Orioles, turned off by Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen's hefty contract demands, take prep righty Archie Bradley out of Oklahoma at No. 4. Dylan Bundy then falls to the Royals at No. 5, which Law says would be a steal, and Hultzen slides back to the D'Backs at No. 7, a "dream scenario" for Arizona. That could lead to tricky negotiations considering Hultzen's demands and the fact that the pick is unprotected after Barret Loux didn't sign last year, but Bauer and Hultzen would represent quite a boon to the D'Backs' rotation in the near future.
- The Mets meet their organizational mandate to take a pitcher at No. 13, selecting UConn righty Matt Barnes.
- The Brewers, with an unprotected pick at No. 15, need to take a signable player, and may be looking at Vanderbilt righty Sonny Gray or Oregon lefty Tyler Anderson.
- The Red Sox probably won't spend too wildly at No. 19 and could focus on a high-probability player like Alex Meyer of Kentucky as they did a year ago with Kolbrin Vitek.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Almonte
Here's the list of players to be outrighted to the minors today:
- The Brewers outrighted Erick Almonte to Triple-A and he has accepted the assignment, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). The 33-year-old had been on the 15-day DL and the move opens up a spot on Milwaukee's 40-man roster, which now stands at 37.
Twins Acquire Jeremy Reed
The Twins acquired outfielder Jeremy Reed from the Brewers for future considerations, tweets Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The Twins will send Reed to Triple-A Rochester.
Reed had signed a minor league deal with the Brewers in January. He made the Opening Day roster, but went hitless in seven plate appearances and was designated for assignment. He later cleared waivers and accepted a Triple-A assignment. The 29-year-old former top prospect was hitting .233/.310/.350 in 118 plate appearances for the Nashville Sounds, playing mostly at the outfield corners.
According to another Christensen tweet, there is "strong speculation" that Reed will take the place of infielder/outfielder Brian Dinkelman, who could have his contract purchased by the Twins tonight. Earlier, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire indicated to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that the Twins would call up a left-handed hitter, one who would have to be added to the 40-man roster (Twitter link). Smith notes that a spot could be opened by transferring catcher Joe Mauer to the 60-day DL. Jason Kubel, Jim Thome, and Tsuyoshi Nishioka are the other Twins bats currently on the disabled list.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Delaney, Tomko, Boggs, Rivera
A few minor moves…
- Rob Delaney has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rays on Wednesday and has been outrighted to Triple-A Durham, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter).
- The Rangers outrighted Brett Tomko to Triple-A Round Rock and Tomko has accepted the assignment, reports Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Andro also tweets that Tomko has an out clause in his contract for June 1, though Andro isn't sure if Tomko plans to exercise it. In the corresponding move, Texas called up Michael Kirkman.
- The Brewers have outrighted catcher Mike Rivera to Triple-A Nashville, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. It is expected that Rivera will accept the assignment.
- Also from McCalvy, Brandon Boggs has accepted his assignment to Nashville after being outrighted by the Brewers two days ago. This is the third time Boggs has been outrighted by Milwaukee in the last three months. Rivera and Boggs were outrighted to create roster space for Josh Wilson and Nyjer Morgan.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Boggs, Weinhardt, Nava
Here’s the latest on some minor moves:
- The Brewers outrighted Brandon Boggs to Triple-A to clear roster space, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The outfielder can decline the assignment and elect free agency istead of accepting his third outright of the year.
- Robbie Weinhardt, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo, according to the Tigers (on Twitter).
- Daniel Nava has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment, according to Red Sox reporter Maureen Mullen (on Twitter).
NL Central Notes: Pirates, Fielder, Cubs
On this date in 1997, Sammy Sosa of the Cubs and Tony Womack of the Pirates hit inside the park homers in the same inning of the same game. Here’s the latest on the NL Central…
- The Pirates announced that they signed five amateur free agents: Nicaraguan right-hander Adolfo Flores, Dominican right-hander Juan Mendoza, Panamanian position player Edgar Munoz and Venezuelan outfielders Anthony Claudio and Keybel Escobar. Claudio "resembles a young Magglio Ordonez," according to Pirates Latin America scouting director Rene Gayo.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today says Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder could get a $200MM deal in free agency if he keeps hitting like this (Twitter link). Fielder leads the NL with 41 RBI and has a .285/.380/.548 line 216 plate appearances into the season.
- There's only a slim chance that high school right-hander Dylan Bundy will be available when the Cubs select ninth overall in next month's draft, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). If Bundy and high school outfielder Bubba Starling have already been selected, Vanderbilt right-hander Sonny Gray could be an option for the Cubs.
Brewers Claim Josh Wilson
The Brewers announced that they claimed infielder Josh Wilson off of waivers from the Diamondbacks (on Twitter). In a corresponding move, the Brewers moved Takashi Saito to the 60-day DL; their 40-man roster is now full.
The D'Backs designated Wilson for assignment on Monday. The journeyman infielder has a .227/.280/.315 in parts of five seasons with the Marlins, Nationals, Rays, D'Backs, Padres and Mariners. Though he's primarily a shortstop, Wilson has appeared at every infield position and has pitched in three MLB games. GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel that the Brewers wanted Wilson's right-handed bat and versatility.
Note that the Brewers have have not claimed Josh Fields from Colorado.
Quick Hits: Herrera, Bautista, Blevins
Today the Brewers claimed Danny Herrera from Cincinnati, the Reds optioned Edinson Volquez to the minors and Josh Hamilton homered in his return from the disabled list. The connection? Back in December of 2007, the Rangers sent Herrera and Volquez to Cincinnati for Hamilton. Here are the latest links from around the league…
- The Brewers optioned Herrera to Triple-A Nashville and moved left-hander Manny Parra to the 60-day DL, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter).
- One Blue Jays person told Danny Knobler of CBSSports that Jose Bautista is “our Derek Jeter.” Bautista hit homer #19 today as the Blue Jays defeated Jeter’s Yankees.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues points out that recently-designated southpaw Jerry Blevins could be an appealing option for the Yankees if they're looking for more upside than Randy Flores offers.
- Earlier today, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested that the Yankees are one of many contenders that could look for lefty relief.