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Quick Hits: Inge, Brewers, Dodgers, Red Sox, Angels

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • Brandon Inge clears waivers at 1pm CST and the A's are the frontrunner to sign him, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • The Brewers are tenth in payroll this season, but that won't be the case for the club every year, owner Mark Attanasio told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal also spoke to GM Doug Melvin, who sounded skittish about doling out five- and six-year deals as a small-market club.
  • Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times wonders if the Red Sox's Carl Crawford could be a fit with the Dodgers.  If Boston were willing to pay off part of his $142MM contract and accepted some decent pitching in return, he believes there could be a match between the two teams.
  • More from Shaikin, who writes that the Angels could opt-out of their stadium deal in 2016 and potentially move right down the street from the Dodgers.  The Dodgers could not challenge such a move on the grounds of traditional territorial rights like the Giants are blocking the A's from moving to San Jose.
  • For Japanese imports such as Hiroki Kuroda and Yu Darvish, the major leagues represent a significant change, writes Jeff Bradley of the Star-Ledger.

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.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Rich Thompson

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We'll keep track of today's outright assignments here…

  • Rich Thompson has cleared waivers and will go to Sacramento, the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The A's claimed the right-hander off of waivers one week ago, but have since designated him for assignment. Thompson, 27, posted a 3.00 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 54 innings for the Angels a year ago.

Athletics Notes: Balfour, Colon, Hughes, Inge

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A few items on the A's..

  • Jane Lee of MLB.com doesn't expect the A's record to dictate their level of activity in the trade market.  Grant Balfour is already a popular name for clubs looking for relief help and Bartolo Colon should draw heavy interest from contenders looking for help at the Trade Deadline.  Earlier this week, Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Balfour as a trade candidate.
  • Lee also writes that she was surprised by the club's decision to pick up Luke Hughes rather than use Adam Rosales at third base.  The A's claimed Hughes off of waivers from the Twins on Sunday.
  • Speaking of the club's third base situation, Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter) expects the A's to consider pursuing Brandon Inge.

Athletics Designate Rich Thompson For Assignment

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The Athletics have designated Rich Thompson for assignment, the team announced. The move creates room on the 40-man roster for Jim Miller, who was recalled from Triple-A.

Thompson, 27, was claimed off waivers from the Angels last week. He faced three batters during his brief time with Oakland, allowing a single in between two outs. The Angels designated the Australian-born right-hander for assignment after he allowed four runs in his first 2 1/3 innings of the season. Thompson pitched to a 3.00 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 54 innings last season and is out of options, meaning he can't be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers.

Trade Candidate: Grant Balfour

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The Athletics are playing respectably right now, but if the season unfolds as expected and the Rangers and Angels distance themselves from the A's and Mariners by midsummer, Billy Beane will be fielding many calls from rival GMs interested in acquiring his players. Kurt Suzuki, Coco Crisp and Bartolo Colon should prepare themselves for a summer in the rumor mill, but right-hander Grant Balfour may draw the most interest of all.

Some teams are already short on relief pitching and their need will only intensify by the time the July 31st trade deadline approaches. Balfour will be an appealing commodity since he’s affordable, effective and durable. Affordable, because he'll earn just $4MM in 2012 (his contract includes a $4.5MM club option for 2013 with a $350K buyout). Effective, as demonstrated by his 2.77 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 since 2008. And durable, since he's made at least 50 appearances per season during that same span.

Teams inquired on Balfour this past offseason, and the 34-year-old native of Australia has done nothing to discourage their interest in the early going of the 2012 season (he has a 0.90 ERA in a league-leading nine appearances). Bullpen issues have already surfaced in places such as Boston, Tampa Bay and Anaheim. Even if those pitching staffs recover, other clubs will have interest in Balfour-like pitchers.

It’s unusual for teams to complete significant trades before the amateur draft takes place in June, but the A’s might part with Balfour relatively early if another team offers enough in return. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney called Balfour “the best reliever you could trade for today,” implying he’s available (Twitter link).

If the A’s listen to offers for Balfour now, expect them to demand a significant return — perhaps a controllable player capable of making an impact at the Major League level plus supplementary pieces. If teams balk at the asking price, Beane can simply wait until July when he'll have the chance to obtain value from a team in serious need of relief help.

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.

Quick Hits: Rays, Inge, Red Sox, Indians

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On this day in 1997, the Yankees traded Ruben Rivera, Rafael Medina, and $3MM to the Padres for players to be named later, Homer Bush, and minor leaguer Gordon Amerson.  A little more than a month later, the Padres later sent Hideki Irabu to the Yankees as one of the PTBNLs to complete the deal.  Here's a look at today's links..

Olney On Phillies, Hamels, Athletics, Colon

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The latest from Buster Olney of ESPN.com..

  • There's still no conversation between the Phillies and left-hander Cole Hamels on a new contract, Olney tweets.  A high profile agent who doesn't know Hamels told Olney (Twitter link) that between the Cubs, Dodgers, and other major players, the lefty will get a six-year offer as free agent.  Other agents presume that at some point this season Hamels will be so close to free agency that he'll test the market rather than sign with the Phillies, tweets Olney.
  • In today's column (Insider sub. req'd), Olney suggests that A's pitcher Bartolo Colon could be traded sooner rather than later.  With the A's building the team for 2015-16, they could be motivated to move Colon when they perceive his value is at its highest, rather than waiting until later in the year.  Colon's base salary for this season is just $2MM, making him more affordable than the alternatives that will pop up on the market. 
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