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East Notes: Marlins, Anderson, Encarnacion, Phillies

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Here's the latest from the eastern side of the baseball map…

  • Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that the team wants to "concentrate on the season right now" and wouldn't comment on whether the Fish would offer Edwin Rodriguez a contract extension before the year is up.  Rodriguez, who took over as Florida's manager last June, is only on a one-year deal.
  • The Yankees released Trenton Thunder reliever Brian Anderson, according to Thunder reporter Mike Ashmore (on Twitter). The former outfielder was on the DL with a biceps issue.
  • The Yankees also released southpaw Andrew Sisco, according to the International League's transactions page.  Sisco posted a 5.18 ERA in 151 relief appearances for the Royals and White Sox between 2005-07 and hasn't been back to the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2008.  Sisco, 28, had a 1.88 ERA and a 9.4 K/9 rate in 16 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, though he'd also allowed 12 walks in 14 1/3 innings pitched.
  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs calls for the Blue Jays to release Edwin Encarnacion or at least permanently relegate him to the bench.  "[Encarnacion is] an absolute disaster in the field, and his bat simply doesn’t even come close to making up for it," Cameron writes.
  • J.C. Ramirez, one of the prospects the Phillies received in the Cliff Lee trade, has pitched well at Double-A this season, writes Jim Salisbury for Baseball America.
  • It looks as if Domonic Brown will remain with the Phillies when Shane Victorino returns from the DL, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  This could mean the Phils send John Mayberry Jr. down to the minors, or perhaps Rule 5 draft pick Michael Martinez, who would of course have to be offered back to the Nationals. 
  • The Orioles are expected to release right-hander Ryan Drese, reports Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com.  Drese, 35, last pitched in the majors in 2006 and currently has a 6.55 ERA in nine games (six of them starts) for Triple-A Norfolk.
  • Overpaying for a designated hitter is "a new market inefficiency," writes Jason Collette of the DRaysBay blog.  Collette suggests the Rays (and other teams) should look to fill the DH spot with the same low-cost approach that the Rays used to rebuild their bullpen this winter.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post

Yankees Claim Kanekoa Texeira

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The Yankees claimed right-handed reliever Kanekoa Texeira off of waivers, the Royals announced. Kansas City had designated the former Yankees farmhand for assignment last Wednesday.

Texeira joined the Yankees organization in the 2008 Nick Swisher trade, but he has never donned pinstripes at the Major League level. The Mariners selected him in the 2009 Rule 5 draft and kept him on their roster for two months before exposing him to waivers. The Royals then claimed the Hawaiian and kept him on their roster for the remainder of the 2010 season to earn his rights.

In total, Texeira posted a 4.84 ERA with 4.8 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 52.2% ground ball rate in 61 1/3 innings of relief last year. He has struggled in 2011, allowing 13 hits and 3 walks in 6 1/3 innings without a strikeout. Earlier in the year, Yankees GM Brian Cashman claimed reliever Jess Todd, only to lose him to the Cardinals, soon afterward.

Yankees Notes: Soriano, Colon

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After a rousing come-from-behind win last night, the Yankees are atop the AL East by a half game.  The latest on the club:

  • A third MRI on Rafael Soriano's elbow has prompted the Yankees to send the pricey reliever to see Dr. James Andrews, report Mark Feinsand and Sean Brennan of the New York Daily News.  The writers note that this marks Soriano's sixth elbow-related DL stint; he's a survivor of Tommy John surgery and ulnar nerve transposition surgery.  I'm not sure what surgeries are left, but the decision by Hal and Hank Steinbrenner and Randy Levine to overrule GM Brian Cashman on this signing is looking bad.  If the team's bullpen depth is compromised due to the Soriano injury, Cashman might be forced to throw more money and/or prospects at the situation.
  • A baseball official reviewed video of the procedures done on Bartolo Colon's elbow and shoulder, physician Leonel Liriano told Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger.  "I feel that they know that everything is good," remarked Liriano.  MLB has been concerned that Colon's stem cell therapy could have involved the use of HGH.
  • Our 2012 contract issues entry for the Yankees was published a week ago, check it out.  Many key players have unresolved contract situations.
  • Our post on each team's draft picks reveals that the Yankees are one of 14 teams with two picks within the first 90.  The Yankees will sit out until pick #51 overall, the longest wait for any team aside from the Tigers.  The draft is less than two weeks away.

Quick Hits: Herrera, Bautista, Blevins

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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…

Heyman On Sabathia, Swisher, Red Sox

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C.C. Sabathia told Jon Heyman of SI.com that he hopes the Yankees will add guaranteed years to his contract after the season. The left-hander has an opt-out clause that enables him to walk away from the four years and $92MM remaining on his contract and become a free agent, so he has leverage. Here's the latest on Sabathia, the Yankees and the Red Sox:

  • Executives around the league tell Heyman that they're sure Sabathia will use the opt out to leave or obtain an extension.
  • However, people around the Yankees like what Sabathia delivers and say he is "pretty well entrenched" as a Yankee.
  • Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter in the league, according to Sabathia, who gave Jose Bautista an honorable mention.
  • It's possible that the Yankees will allow Nick Swisher to hit free agency instead of exercising his $10.25MM option after the season. Here's a list of all 2012 free agents.
  • Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who has homered in three of his past four games, is rewarding the Red Sox people who believed in his ability.
  • Carl Crawford has been a "real professional" despite his struggles, a Red Sox person told Heyman.

New York Notes: Montero, Colon, Alderson

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Here are today's Yankees- and Mets-related links, as Ivan Nova and Mike Pelfrey prepare to square off in the rubber match of this weekend's Subway Series….

Cafardo On Reyes, Soriano, Braves, Myers

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In his Baseball Notes column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo says baseball stadiums should dial back the between-innings entertainment, arguing that the on-field action is engaging enough. He also has a few hot stove notes to share:

  • An American League scout says if the Mets hear an offer they like for Jose Reyes, they'll take it: "They can’t afford not to and let him leave as a free agent and not get value for him."
  • Cafardo points out that Rafael Soriano seems unhappy in a setup role and does have an opt-out clause at season's end. However, as Cafardo suggests, it seems extremely unlikely the right-hander would leave $25MM on the table when no other team would match that.
  • The Braves would like to add some offensive insurance in case Chipper Jones' knee doesn't hold up all season.
  • Brett Myers "seems to have Yankees written all over him," Cafardo says. Once Jim Crane's ownership group officially takes over, the Astros' trade deadline intentions will become clearer. At this point though, it's hard to imagine the team, whose 16-30 record is the National League's worst, not being sellers.

Quick Hits: Branyan, Bedard, Vazquez, Turner

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On this date in 1999, the Twins traded Scott Downs and Rick Aguilera to the Cubs for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan. Aguilera and Ryan ended their careers years ago, but Downs has a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings for the Angels this year while Lohse owns a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.

Here are Saturday's links, as Cliff Lee prepares to pitch against his former Rangers' teammates…

  • Since joining the Red Sox, the club has learned that Adrian Gonzalez is a great mentor for their young Latin players, writes Peter Gammons of MLB.com.
  • As Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter) points out, the Diamondbacks' release of Russell Branyan marks the end of his time with his tenth different club.  He's had multiple stops in the same place as well as the Indians had and traded him four different times while the Brewers and the Mariners each had him twice.
  • In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that any team interested in trading for Erik Bedard would have to convince themselves that he could find the same comfort zone on their team that he has with the Mariners.
  • Seattle is "almost certainly in position to ask for a top prospect" for Bedard according to Olney, who has a 3.94 ERA in eight starts this year but remains an injury risk given all his shoulder trouble.
  • Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez indicated that Javier Vazquez is not pitching for his job today, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Vazquez has a 7.55 ERA with more walks (24) than strikeouts (20) in 39 1/3 innings across eight starts this year, in part because his fastball velocity has disappeared.
  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post points out that the Yankees once drafted Mets' infielder Justin Turner, but he turned down a $200K offer as 29th round pick in 2005 and returned to school for his senior season. Turner signed with the Reds for $50K as a seventh round pick in 2006, then was traded to the Orioles in the Ryan Freel–Ramon Hernandez swap and was later claimed off waivers by the Mets. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI against the Yanks last night.

Stark On Posada, Cubs, Madson

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The nuances of this year’s interleague schedule could impact the playoff picture, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark explains. In the AL West, for example, the Rangers play the Astros (owners of the worst record in baseball) six times, while the A’s play the first-place Giants six times. Stark also delivers a number of rumblings from around the league. Here they are:

  • There are no signs that the Yankees have really considered releasing Jorge Posada, but at least one scout thinks the switch-hitter could easily find another job if the Yankees cut him loose.
  • Cubs GM Jim Hendry says he hasn’t discussed next year’s spending plans with owner Tom Ricketts, since he’s focused on turning the 2011 team around.
  • Don’t count on seeing Aramis Ramirez’s name on MLBTR much this summer. Not only can the third baseman veto any trade, a deal would guarantee him $16MM in 2012 (though he could still opt out).
  • Ryan Madson seems ready to test the open market after the season. Since taking over for Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge, Madson seems like a possible long-term closer, but he figures to generate interest as a free agent after the season.

AL East Notes: Orioles, Martinez, Lowe, Posada

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Hector Noesi got his first MLB win in unconventional fashion yesterday, pitching in and out of trouble through four innings of scoreless relief against the Orioles. Here’s the latest on the Yankees, the O’s and their division rivals after a bizarre game in Baltimore…

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