Yankees Designate McDonald For Assignment
The Yankees designated outfielder Darnell McDonald for assignment, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports (on Twitter). The move creates roster space for C.C. Sabathia, who starts tonight against the Blue Jays.
The Yankees claimed McDonald off of waivers from the Red Sox 13 days ago. He has a .205/.297/.352 batting line in 103 total plate appearances this year and owns a .246/.312/.394 line in six MLB seasons.
Justin Upton Rumors: Monday
Justin Upton is available for the right offer, but his no-trade protection enables him to block trades to four teams. The Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Indians are the teams on Upton's list, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report. As the FOX reporters note, players often include high-revenue teams like the Yankees on no-trade lists to maximize their leverage. Here are today’s latest Upton-related rumors:
- Marc Carig of the Star Ledger tweets that there is "nothing going on" with the Yankees and Upton.
- Larry Reynolds, the outfielder's agent, says Upton is a good person and a hard worker, Nightengale reports. "What I don't like are the comments and innuendos made about Justin's work ethic and character, especially from those gutless people that don't want to put their name by a quote," Reynolds said.
- The Yankees have checked in on Upton.
- Arizona GM Kevin Towers told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he’s getting more calls than ever as the trade deadline approaches. The volume of calls could be related to Upton’s availability and to the increase in potential buyers.
- Towers told Nightengale he’ll let Upton know if he’s nearing a deal with another club and suggested he might even give the right fielder some input if two teams offer similar packages. "I told Justin that if we're at the 1-yard line, I'll tell you the teams that are interested," Towers said.
AL Central Notes: Castillo, Tigers, Willingham
The White Sox lead the AL Central with a 49-39 record, and they are considering at least one high-profile midseason reinforcement. The White Sox have Zack Greinke on their radar, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported earlier today. Here are the latest AL Central rumors, starting in Chicago…
- The White Sox agreed to sign Dominican prospect Luis Castillo for $450K, the Dominican Prospect League announced. The league release describes Castillo as a "man child" who hits the ball hard and runs well for his size.
- The Tigers and White Sox are both prioritizing starting pitching in trade talks, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports.
- The Twins haven't made Josh Willingham off-limits to other teams, but they aren't shopping him, Phil Mackey and Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com report. Willingham, who's in the first year of a three-year, $21MM contract, is "definitely" Minnesota's most valuable trade chip, 1500ESPN.com reports. However, the Twins are enjoying Willingham's production and would prefer not to trade a player so early in a multiyear contract.
- The Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays and Braves are believed to have some interest in Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano, Heyman reports.
Yankees Monitoring Outfield Market
The Yankees always seem to be pursuing pitching, but their front office officials aren’t overly concerned about the rotation, since C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte are expected to return this summer. Instead, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports, the Yankees are looking at the outfield market and have checked in on both Shane Victorino and Justin Upton.
Upton, who can block trades to the Yankees, would be a “major long shot,” Heyman writes. The Yankees believe the asking price for Upton and Victorino is too high, but Victorino may be slightly more realistic than Upton. At least one executive believes Victorino could be traded before any other big-name players.
Brett Gardner is scheduled attempt to return from an elbow injury later this month. In the meantime, Raul Ibanez, and Andruw Jones are playing well in complementary roles. Yet Yankees left fielders have combined for a .233/.303/.426 batting line, so it's no surprise GM Brian Cashman is considering alternatives.
Yankees Will Monitor Hamels, Pass On Greinke
The Yankees will stay informed about Cole Hamels’ availability between now and the July 31st trade deadline, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports. But even if the left-hander's possible extension doesn't materialize and the Phillies decide to weigh trade offers, Yankees GM Brian Cashman probably won’t pursue Hamels as aggressively as he went after Cliff Lee two years ago.
Under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement, it’d be impossible for the Yankees to obtain draft pick compensation for Hamels if he were to depart as a free agent when his contract expires following the 2012 season. And signing Hamels long-term doesn’t seem realistic for a Yankees team that aims to avoid luxury tax penalties by 2014. Not only would Hamels command an annual salary of $20MM plus, the Yankees would have to surrender inexperienced (and affordable) players to pry the left-hander away from the Phillies.
The Yankees aren’t interested in Zack Greinke and don’t believe his personality would thrive in New York, Davidoff notes. Like Hamels, Greinke could sign an extension before the trade deadline. Cubs right-handers Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza are among the other possibilities for the Yankees. However, Cashman has said he’s skeptical about the chances of finding a deal that makes sense.
Quick Hits: Sheets, Athletics, Twins
After missing two years due to elbow injuries, righty Ben Sheets made a triumphant comeback start today as a member of the Braves, tossing six scoreless innings against the Mets for the win. Should Sheets manage a dozen decent starts for the Braves, the minor league signing will stand as a shrewd under-the-radar move by GM Frank Wren. Today's shrewd, under-the-radar links:
- "I feel like myself. That's one thing I can say I never felt like in Oakland," Sheets told reporters today including Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sheets signed a one-year, $10MM contract with the A's prior to the 2010 season despite missing all of '09.
- "It's just as necessary for the Yankees to have young players with a few years of control as it is for the Twins or the A's," GM Billy Beane explained to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times yesterday. The A's GM has been trading away players further from free agency lately, but this year Beane's club is surprisingly in the mix for a wild card spot.
- Scouts from the Yankees, Blue Jays, Braves, Mets, Reds, Padres and Nationals have attended recent Francisco Liriano starts, report Phil Mackey and Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com, though some of those clubs may have had other interests. Slugger Josh Willingham would require a lopsided offer and seems likely to stay put, as we've heard before. Willingham is signed through 2014 and is interested in staying with the Twins beyond his current contract.
- Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer had Mike Trout second on his board for the 2009 draft, after only Stephen Strasburg, writes John Harper of the New York Daily News. The Angels had two consecutive picks at 24 and 25, with the Yankees at 29, and Oppenheimer thought he might get Trout once the Halos took another high school outfielder in Randal Grichuk at 24. Of course, Angels scouting director Eddie Bane took Trout at 25. Trout told Harper he's motivated by all the teams that passed on him.
- The Diamondbacks signed Dominican shortstop Sergio Alcantara, according to Baseball America's Ben Badler. BA says Alcantara draws praise for his defense, and the D'Backs had been favored to sign him. BA ranked Alcantara 18th overall in the July 2nd class.
Cubs Rumors: Garza, Barney, Wood, Stewart
Pitching amid trade rumors yet again, 28-year-old Cubs righty Matt Garza blanked the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field this afternoon, lowering his ERA to 4.02 while being scouted by the Yankees, Blue Jays, Rangers, Tigers, Dodgers, and Pirates, according to ESPN Chicago's Doug Padilla. With just over two weeks remaining until the trade deadline, Garza may have only a handful of starts remaining as a Cub. The latest on the club:
- "The rumor mill can wait," Garza told reporters, because his wife is due in less than a month. Garza knows he can't control the trade rumors, but noted that he is open to an extension.
- According to Padilla, the Tigers have asked about Garza, second baseman Darwin Barney, and starter Ryan Dempster. Padilla says the Tigers' interest in Barney began over a month ago. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported on that situation on July 6th, adding that "talks didn't progress."
- "It's nice to know people are interested but I want to be here," Barney told reporters including Padilla after powering the Cubs' victory today with his fourth home run.
- Fan favorite Kerry Wood visited the Cubs' clubhouse today, telling MLB.com's Rowan Kavner and other reporters he's enjoying his first summer off in 25-plus years. Wood says his kids are still too young for him to ponder a coaching career. The former strikeout artist hung up his cleats in May this year.
- Third baseman Ian Stewart also made an appearance, expressing relief to reporters that a surgeon finally found the cause of his persistent wrist problems. The solution involved removing a bone from Stewart's wrist, and he currently has no timetable for his return. The 27-year-old's salary would likely remain in the $2.2MM range if the Cubs decide to tender him this winter and try again in 2013. Including Stewart, Cubs third basemen have tallied a dismal .223/.297/.374 so far in the post-Aramis era.
- It "wouldn't be cool" to see rotation-mate and mentor Dempster traded, Jeff Samardzija told Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday. The Cubs are best-served trading Dempster now to clear a path for a Garza deal later this month, opined ESPN's Buster Olney earlier today.
Justin Upton Rumors: Sunday
Yesterday, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told reporters that he spoke with Justin Upton about the trade rumors surrounding him and said that he would let him know if a deal is near. Could a trade for the outfielder be around the corner? Here's today's news on Upton with the latest up top..
- There's "nothing serious" with Upton, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman also hears the Pirates are "probably not a fit" because they will not include Cole or Taillon.
- The Yankees are scouting the Diamondbacks and Cubs this weekend, tweets Jon Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Pirates have a scout watching Upton in Chicago this weekend, tweets Morosi.
- The Pirates are serious about Upton and are sending signals they could include Starling Marte in an Upton deal, but not Gerrit Cole or Jameson Taillon, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
- The Athletics were on Upton's no-trade list at one point but are no longer one of those four teams, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Yankees are now on his list but the other three clubs are not yet known. Oakland may not be a perfect fit for Upton but Rosenthal expects GM Billy Beane to inquire on him.
Cashman On Cano, Granderson, Trades, Outfield
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman spoke with reporters prior to today's game against the Angels and Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger has the goods..
- Cashman implied that the Yankees might break policy and explore contract extensions early this winter with both Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. The Yankees hold club options in 2013 for both Cano ($15MM) and Granderson ($13MM) but may be motivated to extend both before they hit the open market. The Yanks want to get their payroll below $189MM in 2014 to avoid stiff penalties and could make the numbers work if they lock in both players early.
- Cashman doesn't want to overpay to make improvements at the deadline that will only be "marginal." He wouldn't rule out some activity before the July 31 but he's "very skeptical" about the chances of finding something worthwhile on the market.
- The GM said that he wanted to avoid wearing Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones thin by playing them in the outfield but he seems content to wait on Brett Gardner's return rather than overspend for an outfielder via trade.
Cafardo On Betancourt, Lester, Vargas, Liriano
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe spoke about Florida baseball with Bud Selig and he had mixed emotions on how successful it is, as he's frustrated with the Rays' attendance figures but noted that the Marlins' numbers are up significantly after the opening of their park. "They’ve run a great operation," the commissioner said. "They’re a very competitive organization, a very competitive team. As I study the attendance every day and looking at where they are, to see they’re No. 29 [in attendance] is inexcusable. Nobody can defend that." Here's more from today's column..
- The Red Sox have shown interest in Rockies right-hander Rafael Betancourt and have scouted him a few times. Boston likely wouldn't want to give up prospects for him but could offer an outfielder. Recently, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reported that Colorado would have to be overwhelmed to part with the reliever.
- Jon Lester has been on Pirates' radar along with Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, Ryan Dempster, and Matt Garza but it doesn’t appear the Sox would move him unless they got an outstanding deal. Pittsburgh probably won't part with pitching prospect Gerrit Cole which makes a trade unlikely.
- The Mariners' Jason Vargas has emerged as a hot name for contending teams and one American League GM told Cafardo that teams were hoping to "slip in and take him for less than full value." Now, however, the M's know that he's in demand and won't just give him away. The Orioles, Blue Jays, Pirates, Cardinals, and Tigers are among teams that may have interest.
- The Blue Jays, Yankees, and Braves have all scouted Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano, who Cafardo suggests should be traded before he falters again.
- Twins GM Terry Ryan will have to be blown away to part with outfielder Josh Willingham.