Yankees Designate Jim Miller For Assignment
The Yankees announced that they have designated right-hander Jim Miller for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for the recently acquired Brendan Ryan.
The 31-year-old Miller pitched in one game for the Yankees this season, yielding three runs in just 1 1/3 innings of work. He was much better for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, pitching to a 3.55 ERA with 13.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 63 1/3 innings of work.
Originally an eighth-round pick by the Rockies in 2004, Miller has spent time in the Orioles and Athletics organizations as well. The bulk of his Major League experience came last year with the A's, when he posted a 2.59 ERA in 48 2/3 innings for the AL West champions.
As always, you can track the status of Miller and other players who have been designated for assignment using MLBTR's DFA Tracker.
Rockies Acquire Yoely Bello To Complete Nelson Trade
The Rockies have acquired left-hander Yoely Bello from the Yankees to complete the trade that sent Chris Nelson to the Bronx earlier this season, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
Bello, 22, pitched 24 1/3 innings for the Yankees' Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate this season and posted a 6.29 ERA with 29 strikeouts (10.7 K/9) and 16 walks (5.9 BB/9). Bello will turn 23 this winter and has yet to pitch at a higher level than the GCL. In parts of four seasons between the GCL and the Dominican Summer League, the Dominican native has posted a 3.98 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9.
That the Rockies didn't receive much of a prospect isn't a surprise, considering the trade occured after Nelson had already been designated for assignment. Nelson spent just two weeks with the Yankees, batting .222/.243/.278 with 11 strikeouts and one walk in 37 plate appearances. They would soon DFA him as well, and Nelson would go on to be claimed by the Angels.
Yankees Acquire Brendan Ryan
The Yankees have acquired shortstop Brendan Ryan from the Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later, according to a press release from Seattle. Of course, Ryan will not be eligible for postseason play as he was dealt after the August 31st deadline.
Ryan, 31, appeared in 87 games for the Mariners this season and hit just .192/.254/.265 with three homers. However, the veteran offers solid defense at shortstop, as evidenced by his career 11.7 UZR/150 at the positon. Ryan can help the Yankees fill the gap while Derek Jeter remains sidelined by offering a better defensive alternative to Eduardo Nunez.
Ryan cleared waivers in mid-August, clearing the way for Jack Zduriencik & Co. to trade him to any club, but nothing materialized over the next couple of weeks. The light-hitting infielder wasn't moved last month, but the M's did make a trade when they moved Mike Morse to the Orioles for outfield prospect Xavier Avery.
East Notes: Ellsbury, Red Sox, Tejada, Mets, Yankees
Earlier today, Tim Dierkes released his list of the top 34 free agent starting pitchers for this offseason. Yankees hurler Hiroki Kuroda comes in at No. 4 on the list, despite his age (39 in February) and a small streak of bad starts in August. In total, it has been another strong year for the veteran, who owns a 2.99 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9. Here's more out of the AL and NL East..
- Red Sox outfielder and free-agent-to-be Jacoby Ellsbury didn't exacerbate his foot fracture by playing last week, a baseball source told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Ellsbury will be in a walking boot for another few days and will rejoin the Red Sox on Friday at Fenway Park. He'll also be reexamined by doctors before he resumes physical activity.
- It seems likely that the Mets will explore external shortstop options as an alternative to Ruben Tejada and he could even be traded this winter, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Tejeada will be first-time arbitration eligible with a salary less than $1MM, so he won't be cost prohibitive as a backup middle infielder if a more accomplished shortstop is brought in.
- The Yankees' addition of Mike Zagurski signals concern over Boone Logan's continued elbow troubles, writes Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger.
Yankees Rumors: Hughes, Jeter, Cano, Sabathia
There was talk earlier this year of the Yankees giving Phil Hughes a qualifying offer at the end of the season in order to either retain him or secure a draft pick in the event that he signed elsewhere. However, that ship has pretty much sailed at this point. "They may make a qualifying offer. And I may run for president," a rival GM told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com last week. Here's more out of the Bronx..
- Many in baseball speculated that Derek Jeter would decline his $9.5MM option for 2014 and force the Yankees to give him a new deal, but a friend of the shortstop told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that he thinks he'll exercise the option and return with a sense of purpose. Feinsand notes that Jeter probably wouldn't have the public on his side as he did three years ago and, more importantly, no one is clamoring to give a 39-year-old shortstop more than $9.5MM.
- The Yankees want Robinson Cano back in pinstripes next season, but team president Randy Levine made it clear there's a limit as to how far they'll go. “[Cano] is a great player,” Levine told Bloomberg Television, according to Feinsand. “We will sit down and talk to him. Hopefully he’s a Yankee. Nobody is a re-sign at all costs, but we want him back and we feel good about negotiating something with him. But nobody is a re-sign at any cost.”
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees can ill-afford to see CC Sabathia's regression to No. 4 starter come when he has at least three years and $76MM on his contract. The Yankees anticipated such an occurence might happen toward the end of his New York tenure but thought they'd have capable replacements in Michael Pineda, Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos, but none have panned out. Their dearth of pitching talent clouds their goal of staying under the $189MM luxury tax threshhold, Sherman adds.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Yankees To Sign Mike Zagurski
The Yankees are set to add Mike Zagurski, according to Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger (on Twitter). The lefty reliever opted out of his deal with the Athletics last week.
Zagurski, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Bombers in June but opted out of his deal in mid-August and subsequently signed with Oakland. In his brief stint with Triple-A Sacramento, Zagurski gave up four earned and struck out eight batters over six innings. In 53 1/3 total Triple-A innings on the season, Zagurski has a 3.04 ERA with an impressive 14.0 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9.
Quick Hits: Walker, Mets, Padres
Monday's game between the Astros and the Mariners will feature Jarred Cosart and Taijuan Walker, two top 100 prospects who made their debuts this year, MLB.com's Jason Mastrodonato reports. Before the season, Cosart was ranked the No. 73 prospect in baseball by MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and No. 86 by ESPN's Keith Law. Mayo ranked Walker baseball's No. 4 prospect, and Law had Walker at No. 9. The game will also be Walker's first at Safeco Field, and his last of 2013. Here are more notes from around the Majors.
- The Mets could pursue a free agent shortstop in the coming offseason, Andy Martino of New York Daily News writes. Stephen Drew might be a possibility, and Yunel Escobar could be as well if the Rays decline his option, Martino reports. It seems doubtful that Escobar will be on the free agent market, but Drew, who is making $9.5MM this season, might make sense. (Other free agent options include Jhonny Peralta and Clint Barmes; you can find the full list of free agents here.) Martino quotes a team official calling Ruben Tejada a "very disappointing kid," but it's still possible that Tejada could be the Mets' starting shortstop next year as well.
- Padres manager Bud Black says had at least some interest in veteran pitcher Roy Oswalt before Oswalt signed with the Rockies, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter). Oswalt has struggled through four starts for Colorado this season.
- The difference between Xander Bogaerts and Derek Jeter mirrors the differences between the Red Sox and Yankees franchises in general, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Bogaerts, a dynamic young player, allowed the Sox to ship off Jose Iglesias (and three young players) in order to get Jake Peavy. Meanwhile, Jeter is declining and injury-prone. And more broadly, Sherman says, the Sox appear to have a well-stocked roster in place not only for 2013, but also for next year, whereas the Yankees' will feature a number of albatross contracts.
AL East Notes: Tazawa, Huff, Francisco, Napoli
Red Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa has struggled with consistency despite good numbers overall, and Tim Britton of the Providence Journal says he is a growing concern. Britton cites coaches and players (including Tazawa himself) that peg the issue as Tazawa's usually excellent splitter. He has left the pitch up at times and failed to separate it from his fastball in terms of velocity, which could be the cause of his reduced ground-ball rate (34.1%) and increasing propensity for allowing the long ball (1.2 HR/9). Some argued that the club should have acted before the end of August to add another righty to the bullpen mix, but the club stood pat. Of course, Brandon Workman has been stingy of late after struggling early on, giving the club another right-handed arm down the stretch. Here's more out of the AL East..
- Working his way from the waiver wire to the Yankees' starting rotation, lefty David Huff has been solid for the Bombers, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. McCullough has the story of Huff's up-and-down career, and his emergence for New York late this season as the team tries to claw back into the post-season picture. After 16 innings of 1.13 ERA pitching out of the pen, Huff got the starting nod today for a critical matchup against the Red Sox. He was hit hard in the early going, however, surrendering nine earned runs in three innings and change.
- The Yankees should put together a trade for Mets right-hander Frank Francisco, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com suggests in a tweet. Though Francisco wouldn't be eligible for the Yanks' postseason roster, he could help them in the season's final month, Rubin says. The 33-year-old was activated by the Mets from the disabled list today and hasn't appeared in a game this season. Fransico had a 5.53 ERA and an ugly 4.5 BB/9 in 42 1/3 innings for the Mets last year, but struck out 10 batters per nine innings.
- Mike Napoli's agent Brian Grieper responded, "He has stuck to his routine all season … we'll see," when asked if his client will ever appear behind the plate again, according to a tweet by Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. After appearing in at least 61 games at catcher every year since making the majors in 2006, Napoli hasn't caught in a game in 2013, spending the majority of his time at first base. Though the ability to catch would allow Napoli to provide more value to a club as he re-enters the free agent market, his diagnosis of avascular necrosis in the hips last offseason has likely been a factor in deciding where he plays.
Jeff Todd and Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
New York Notes: Backman, Hughes, Rodriguez
As we ease into the evening's slate of ballgames, here are a few quick notes on the two ballclubs that call New York home:
- If the Mets retain manager Terry Collins next season, as is widely expected, the team could stand to lose Triple-A manager Wally Backman, writes the New York Post's Mike Puma. Backman, who was a finalist for Collins's job, could look elsewhere to advance his career if he isn't given a seat in the New York dugout.
- The notion of the Yankees giving struggling starter Phil Hughes a qualifying offer at year end has gone from plausible to laughable, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. While GM Brian Cashman was reportedly telling other clubs at the trade deadline that a QO was a serious consideration, a competing GM now tells Heyman: "They may make a qualifying offer. And I may run for president."
- A schedule has been set for hearing Alex Rodriguez's appeal of his 211-game suspension, reports Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. If the Yankees fail to qualify for the postseason, the proceedings will begin on September 30th, the day after the regular season ends. If the Yanks sneak back in, a delay would be likely since Rodriguez is entitled to be personally present. At least 45 more days are expected to be needed for a decision. Of course, the longer it takes to resolve the situation, the longer the New York front office will remain in the dark on how much money it will save on the rest of A-Rod's deal.
Mets Notes: Kazmir, Prospects, Duda, Yankees
Scott Kazmir will take the mound for the Indians on Friday night in his first career start against the Mets, the team that originally drafted him 15th overall in 2002 and infamously traded him for Victor Zambrano in July 2004. ESPN New York's Adam Rubin talks to Kazmir about the trade, his brief tenure with the Mets and his comeback with Cleveland. Here are some items about the Amazins…
- The Mets heavily scouted other organizations for power-hitting prospects earlier this season, a rival executive tells Newsday's Marc Carig. The Mets will put a priority on obtaining some big bats this winter, as manager Terry Collins admitted the team is lacking in power.
- Some of that power could come from internal options like Lucas Duda, who has hit well since taking over the first base job from the injured Ike Davis. Metsblog.com's Maggie Wiggin thinks Duda could be a cheap and potentially very productive first base option for New York next season. Duda has hit better over his career when playing first, possibly due to being freed from the pressure of playing the outfield, where Duda is a major defensive liability. If nothing else, Wiggin thinks Duda's September audition could make him a trade chip for an AL team looking for first base or DH help.
- The Mets could look across New York for help on the free agent market this winter, as ESPN New York's Mark Simon lists Curtis Granderson, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain as possible fits for the Mets in 2014.