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Stark On Rays, Giants, Phillies, Ethier, Nationals

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In today's column, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com put together his "All-Most-Immovable team" with help from front office executives from around the league.  Predictable names such as Carl Crawford, Alfonso Soriano, and Barry Zito are on the list, but Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder also made the cut.  Pujols wouldn't be a tough sell because of his slow start, according to one AL exec, but rather because of the money due to the slugger on the back end of the deal.  Here's more from Stark..

  • If the Rays and Giants shop for third basemen to replace Evan Longoria and Pablo Sandoval, they might not find many viable options. The only potentially available names Stark has heard are the Orioles' Mark Reynolds and the Twins' Danny Valencia.  One exec said that the Rays are more likely to go after someone with versatility that they can slide into a different spot upon Longoria's return.
  • The Phillies are also looking for a young third baseman and the club is working to put together a list of potential replacements for impending free agent Placido Polanco.
  • While some execs say that they would be wary of giving Andre Ethier a sizable deal for fear that he is in salary-drive mode, others think that the Dodgers have no other choice.  The cost of finding another right field, middle of the order bat will likely be just as high and alternatives such as Josh Hamilton, Nick Swisher or Torii Hunter don't appear to be more trustworthy.
  • A number of clubs are bearing down on the Astros, but reviews are mixed on Wandy Rodriguez thanks in large part to his contract.  The pitcher will earn $10MM this year, $13MM in 2013, and can be bought out of his $13MM club option for 2014 with a $2.5MM payment.
  • If Bryce Harper and Tyler Moore continue to look sharp, the Nationals might not be in the market for a center fielder.
  • Stark asked a few executives if they'd roll the dice on Delmon Young as a relative free agent bargain next winter and the typical response was that they would not.  Young avoided arbitration with the Tigers this winter by agreeing to a one-year, $6.75MM deal.

Twins Claim Komatsu, DFA Thomas

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The Twins claimed outfielder Erik Komatsu off of waivers from the Cardinals and designated Clete Thomas for assignment to make room on the 25-man roster, according to a team press release. 

Komatsu, selected from the Nationals in last winter's Rule 5 draft, was designated for assignment on Tuesday by St. Louis.  The 24-year-old appeared in 15 games for the Cardinals and saw time at all three outfield positions. 

The Twins picked up Thomas off of waivers from Detroit less than a month ago.  The 28-year-old saw time in twelve games for Minnesota and played mostly in right field.  In parts of four Triple-A seasons with the Tigers, Thomas has a slash line of .252/.336/.409.

The club also announced that third baseman Sean Burroughs cleared waivers and accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A.  Burroughs, 31, was DFA'd on Tuesday to make room for Drew Butera.

Quick Hits: Vlad, Lee, Hunter, Crawford

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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.

Twins Designate Sean Burroughs For Assignment

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The Twins have designated Sean Burroughs for assignment, the team announced. The move creates room on the roster for Drew Butera.

Burroughs, 31, had just two hits and one walk in 18 plate appearances for Minnesota this season while playing both corner infield spots. The former top Padres' prospect resurfaced with the Diamondbacks last season after spending four years away from the game.

Cafardo On Balfour, Hanrahan, Angels, Twins, Myers

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Older ballplayers are showing a lot of life so far this season, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Veterans Paul Konerko, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Jamie Moyer have all looked sharp in the month of April.  Ortiz lost 25 pounds to get himself into shape for this season and plans to keep up the hard work as he hopes to play for another two seasons.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • The Angels have inquired on A’s pitcher Grant Balfour and he is becoming one of the more sought-after bullpen pieces.  The Halos have also shown interest in Joel Hanrahan of the Pirates and the Mariners' Brandon League, but Balfour seems the most logical.
  • If the Twins don’t turn things around by the trade deadline, Carl Pavano will be a highly sought-after pitcher.  The right-hander is earning $8.5MM in the final year of his contract and has limited no-trade protection. Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, and Francisco Liriano could also be used as chips to land prospects.
  • Teams probably have their eye on Astros right-hander Brett Myers.  Many teams, such as the Angels and Red Sox, could use the 31-year-old’s arm right now.  He has also shown that he can pitch in a big market with his time in Philadelphia.
  • If Tigers outfielder Delmon Young is convicted of a hate crime, it will be interesting to see whether the the club void his contract. They would be within their rights to do so under the collective bargaining agreement.  The 26-year-old earns $6.75MM this year and can become a free agent after the season.
  • The A's are a good bet to land Brandon Inge.
  • Most baseball people feel there’s no way the Red Sox let Aaron Cook hit the open market by not calling him up May 1.  The 33-year-old will earn the prorated portion of $1.5MM if he is called up to the majors.

Twins, Athletics, Orioles May Have Interest In Inge

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6:05pm: The Athletics have legitimate interest in Inge, according to Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group.  General Manager Billy Beane would not comment on Inge specifically, saying only that he is looking to "upgrade at third base, as well as all other positions." 

10:23am: Brandon Inge might not be on the free agent market for long despite his struggles at the plate. The Twins, Athletics, Orioles and Diamondbacks are among the teams that may have interest in the recently-released ACES client.

There are indications that the Twins will at least have a discussion about Inge, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Minnesota could demote Danny Valencia to Triple-A and rely on Inge and Sean Burroughs at the hot corner.

The Athletics are expected to have some interest in Inge, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. However, the 34-year-old must clear release waivers before becoming eligible to sign with a new team. Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group noted yesterday that he expects the Athletics to consider Inge.

The Orioles have some interest in Inge, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported yesterday. Meanwhile, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com wouldn’t be surprised if the Diamondbacks take a look at the veteran third baseman (Twitter link).

Inge has just two hits in 20 trips to the plate so far this season and he posted a .548 OPS last year. The Tigers are responsible for his $5.5MM salary, so any team that signs him would only owe him a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum for the remainder of the season.

Minor Moves: Thurston, Vazquez, Edell, Cantrell

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The latest minor moves via Matt Eddy of Baseball America…

  • The Twins have signed Joe Thurston according to their manager of baseball communications Dustin Morse (on Twitter). The 32-year-old infielder was released by the Phillies earlier this week and has a .226/.305/.323 line in 384 MLB plate appearances with the Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Cardinals and Marlins.
  • Ramon Vazquez signed with the Birdgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The 35-year-old hasn’t played in the Major Leagues since 2009, but has experience in nine MLB seasons.
  • The Orioles released Ryan Edell, Eddy tweets. Edell, 28, pitched for the Phillies' top affiliate last year, posting a 3.27 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 in 77 innings.
  • The Royals released right-hander Eric Cantrell, Eddy tweets. The Royals selected Cantrell in the seventh round of the 2010 draft. The 22-year-old has a 5.43 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in parts of three seasons as a professional.

Quick Hits: Willis, Pudge, Lopez, Alvarez

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As if the Phillies didn't already have enough stars on the disabled list, Hunter Pence missed Monday's game due to a shoulder injury suffered diving for a ball Sunday against the Padres.  The extent of the injury is yet unknown and Pence is considered day-to-day for the time being.

Some news from Monday in the Major Leagues…

  • Dontrelle Willis talks to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko about the situation that resulted in Willis being placed on the Orioles' restricted list.  Willis is "almost dumbfounded" by how things unfolded, as he thought he and the O's had agreed to part ways since he was injured and not adjusting well to relief pitching.  "I don't understand what's really going on. I don't know if there's been a miscommunication there," Willis said. "Not with me. I talked to my agent and we talked about it, I talked to the proper representation, I talked to Dan [Duquette] personally….It was face-to-face. I don't know what's going on. And now if I want to sign with another team, I can't."
  • Kubatko hears that Willis has drawn interest from a team in South Korea and a team in Japan, but Matt Sosnick, Willis' agent, denies that his client has received any offers.
  • The Marlins' signing of Ivan Rodriguez in 2003 was "money well spent," team president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.  Beinfest doesn't regret any of the moves the club made that season (even trading then-prospect Adrian Gonzalez for Ugueth Urbina) because it led to a championship. "You always hate to trade away a talent like Adrian Gonzalez. But you make it every day if you're going to win the World Series," Beinfest said.
    Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/fish_bytes/2012/04/quick-reflection-on-pudge.html#storylink=cpy
  • Cubs manager Dale Sveum hopes Rodrigo Lopez will clear waivers and remain with the organization, reports ESPN Chicago's Doug Padilla.  The right-hander was designated for assignment earlier today as the Cubs added Michael Bowden to the roster.
  • Pedro Alvarez's struggles inspired a discussion of the greatest draft busts in history in this mailbag piece from Baseball America's Jim Callis.  Alvarez, taken by the Pirates with the second overall pick of the 2008 draft, could be "the biggest waste of hitting talent in draft history" unless he turns himself around, Callis writes.
  • Twins President Dave St. Peter told Jim Memolo and Jeff Nelson on MLB Network Radio that his team needs to pitch better to recover from its 5-11 start. St. Peter suggested the Twins could move Francisco Liriano to the bullpen temporarily. “He’s an asset for this franchise and we need to get him back into a situation where he can go deep into ballgames,” St Peter said. The 28-year-old lefty faces a make or break year and it was announced today that Liriano would skip his next start and not pitch until May 1.

Athletics Claim Luke Hughes

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The Athletics have claimed infielder Luke Hughes off waivers from the Twins, according to the A's official Twitter account. Dallas Braden was transferred to the 60-day disabled list in a corresponding move.

Hughes, a native of Australia, signed with the Twins as a free agent back in 2002. Because he was out of options, Minnesota designated the 27-year-old for assignment last week after just 11 plate appearances this season in an attempt to send him to Triple-A Rochester.

Hughes has appearead in parts of three seasons for the Twins, seeing time at third base, second base, and first base. Over his brief Major League career (335 plate appearances), the righty is a .224/.285/.342 hitter. He's fared better in the minor leagues, hitting .257/.319/.440 over parts of four Triple-A seasons. Perhaps Hughes' best asset in the minors was his ability to hit left-handed pitching, but that has yet to show in his Major League career.

The Athletics recently claimed fellow Australian Rich Thompson off waivers from the Angels, and have another Australian, Grant Balfour, currently installed as their closer.

Twins Designate Luke Hughes For Assignment

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The Twins have designated infielder Luke Hughes for assignment, the team announced. The move creates room on the roster for Jason Marquis, who was recalled after opening the season in the minors.

Hughes, 27, has hit .224/.285/.342 in 335 career plate appearances. He's spent time at every infield spot other than shortstop and is a .268/.330/.419 career hitter in the minors. Hughes is out of options and could not be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers.

Marquis will be making his first start for the Twins tonight. He made a pair of tune-up starts at Double-A after spending time away from the team because his daughter was in a bicycle accident near the end of Spring Training.

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