Minor Moves: Alex Sogard, Pedro Ciriaco
Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball.
- The Astros have traded pitcher Alex Sogard to the Diamondbacks, MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweets. The Astros will receive minor-league infielder Cesar Carrasco in return. Sogard, 26, has pitched 43 1/3 innings for Double-A Corpus Christi this season, with 5.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
- Utilityman Pedro Ciriaco has accepted his outright assignment from the Royals, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star tweets. The Royals designated Ciriaco for assignment last week. He has a career .270/.299/.372 line in 498 plate appearances over five seasons with the Pirates, Red Sox, Padres and Royals.
Quick Hits: Samardzija, Viciedo, D-Backs, Byrd
Jeff Samardzija couldn’t be happier to be joining the A’s, writes MLB.com’s Jane Lee. “Billy asked me how I felt,” said Samardzija. “I was supposed to pitch today, so I’m a day past my due date to pitch. I’m chomping at the bit. I don’t think there’s any better way to get acclimated than to do it on the mound. It was a no-brainer for me, and I look forward to it.” Here’s more from around baseball.
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) looks at what it would take for the Marlins, Giants, and Cardinals to land Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist.
- David Golebiewski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review looks at the advanced stats and says that the Pirates came away as the winners in the Ernesto Frieri–Jason Grilli swap.
- White Sox slugger Dayan Viciedo says that he’s not fazed by the trade rumors surrounding him, writes Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. In last night’s MLBTR poll asking which position player will be dealt first, Viciedo finished third behind Martin Prado and Chase Headley.
- Mariners skipper Lloyd McClendon would like to see his club get an offensive upgrade, but he also doesn’t want to see them sell off top prospects for rental players, writes Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
- The Padres are seeing immediate returns on Cuban pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne, writes Jeff Sanders of U-T San Diego.
- The Diamondbacks probably aren’t done trading after sending Joe Thatcher and Tony Campana to the Angels, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. “We plan on being active,” Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers said. “This is the start.“
- Troy Tulowitzki‘s trade value may never be higher for the Rockies, argues Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Tulo is saying the right things and hasn’t asked for a trade but a change makes sense for both sides at this time.
- Tulowitzki deserves better that what he’s getting with the Rockies, writes Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post. “I want to be somewhere there’s a chance to be in the playoffs every single year,” Tulowitzki said.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the club sees the cost of trading as high.
- Phillies right fielder Marlon Byrd was dealt Aug. 27 last year from the Mets to the Pirates and he could be traded again this summer. However, the veteran says he’s not thinking about that, as Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
- Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com looks at how the Cubs-A’s blockbuster deal helps the Phillies.
- The Indians talked to the Cubs about Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel and it would have cost them Francisco Lindor, Tyler Naquin, and Danny Salazar to make the same kind of deal that the A’s did, writes Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.
AL Notes: Soriano, Mariners, Reimold
Alfonso Soriano will consider retirement after being designated for assignment by the Yankees, Marly Rivera of ESPN Deportes tweets. Soriano will take a week to talk with his family and think about what to do next. “This was to be expected. I talked to my lawyer about what I was going through, how I was being used, and I didn’t feel comfortable,” says Soriano. If this is it for the 38-year-old Soriano, he’ll finish his career with a .270/.319/.500 line and 412 home runs. Here are more notes from the American League.
- One team that might make sense for Soriano is the Mariners, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. The Mariners have struggled against lefties, and Soriano has still hit for power against them, with a split of .247/.269/.416, even as he has struggled this season.
- The Blue Jays plan to give new outfielder Nolan Reimold plenty of playing time, SportsNet.ca’s Shi Davidi writes. The Jays claimed Reimold from the Orioles earlier this weekend. “His big thing is staying healthy, he’s had trouble doing that over his career. This is his opportunity, there wasn’t a spot for him over in Baltimore,” says manager John Gibbons. “He’ll come here and help us out.” Adding Reimold could help the Jays use Jose Bautista more frequently in the infield.
MLBTR Originals
A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:
- Zach Links participated in the conference call with Cubs President Theo Epstein announcing the Jeff Samardzija/Jason Hammel trade and reported Epstein’s desire never to be a Trade Deadline seller again. “We thought a lot internally as we went through this process that we hope that this is the last year that we’ll be obvious sellers at the deadline. And, nothing would make us happier than aggressively adding to the big league team and enhancing chances for a World Series.“
- Tim Dierkes was the first to report the Rays claimed right-hander Cory Burns off waivers from the Rangers.
- Tim analyzed the trade market for catchers.
- Steve Adams provided a primer on the 2014-15 international free agent signing period, which began July 2 and runs through June 15, 2015.
- Brad Johnson asked MLBTR readers who will be the first position player traded. Martin Prado was the top pick followed by Chase Headley, Luis Valbuena, Dayan Viciedo, and Ben Zobrist.
- Steve hosted the MLBTR live chat this week.
- Zach put together the best of the baseball blogosphere in a double dose of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
Red Sox Reluctant To Move Will Middlebrooks
The Red Sox have been receiving decent trade interest in recent days in third baseman Will Middlebrooks, but Red Sox people are said to seem quite reluctant to deal him, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Middlebrooks is on injury rehab following his slow start in Boston but the Sox seem intent on keeping him past July.
Still only 25, Middlebrooks has power, and it isn’t easy to come by power bats in baseball these days. On top of that, if Middlebrooks can show something in the second half, he could be a piece if the Sox try and make a run at Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton. It would obviously take much more than Middlebrooks to get a deal done, but Miami did have some interest in Middlebrooks last winter. Stanton would provide a huge boost for the Red Sox and Boston can build a package with some of the best prospects in baseball to entice Miami if they make Stanton available over the winter. In 21 games this season, Middlebrooks has hit just .197/.305/.324 with two homers.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Orioles, Thatcher, Melvin
On this date in 2003, Tampa Bay skipper Lou Piniella was a man of his word. The manager promised his club that if they won three in a row he’d dye his hair and after the Devil Rays beat the White Sox the night before, Lou become a blonde. Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere.
- Camden Depot says the O’s starting rotation still needs improvement.
- Inside The Zona breaks down the Joe Thatcher deal from the D’Backs’ perspective.
- National League Theory breaks down Brewers GM Doug Melvin.
- Orioles Nation doesn’t think the O’s have the pieces needed to land a top-tier talent.
- MLB Reports gives us a roster tree of how all the Angels’ hitters were acquired.
- Infield Chatter proposes a trade that sends David Price to the Cardinals.
- Baseball Hot Corner says the Blue Jays need another righty bat.
- FanDuel looks at who’s hot and who’s not in fantasy.
- Steel City Buzzin‘ looks at the buyers and sellers in the National League.
- Baseball Hot Corner says Derek Jeter shouldn’t be starting in the All-Star game.
Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Week In Review: 6/28/14 – 7/5/14
Here’s a look back at this week at MLBTR.
Key Moves
- The Cubs traded pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel for pitcher Dan Straily, prospects Addison Russell and Billy McKinney and a player to be named.
- The Padres signed outfielder Seth Smith to a two-year extension with a team option for 2017.
- The Yankees acquired pitcher Brandon McCarthy from the Diamondbacks for pitcher Vidal Nuno.
- The Angels acquired pitcher Joe Thatcher and outfielder Tony Campana from the Diamondbacks for outfielder Zach Borenstein and pitcher Joey Krehbiel.
Top Prospect Promotions
- Red Sox — 2B/OF Mookie Betts (link)
Signed / Agreed To Terms
- Royals — OF Raul Ibanez (link), P Scott Downs (link)
Trades
- Braves — acquired P Andrew Robinson from Astros for cash considerations or a PTBNL
- Rockies — acquired P Jair Jurrjens from Reds for 1B Harold Riggins
- Dodgers — acquired 1B Brock Peterson from Nationals for cash considerations
- Angels — acquired P Rich Hill from Red Sox for cash considerations
- Marlins — acquired P Donnie Joseph from Royals for cash considerations
- Diamondbacks — acquired INF Ronny Cedeno from Phillies for C Raywilly Gomez
Claimed
- White Sox — P Angel Sanchez (from Rays — link)
- Rays — P Cory Burns (from Rangers — link)
- Blue Jays — OF Nolan Reimold (from Orioles — link), OF Cole Gillespie (from Mariners — link)
- Pirates — INF Dean Anna (from Yankees — link)
Designated For Assignment
- Yankees — OF Alfonso Soriano (link)
- Athletics — P Jeff Francis (link), OF Nick Buss (link)
- Astros — P Jerome Williams (link)
- Royals — OF Justin Maxwell (link)
- Orioles — P Ramon Ramirez (link)
- Angels — P Rich Hill (link)
- Blue Jays — OF Kenny Wilson (link), OF Brad Glenn (link)
- Rockies — P Raul Fernandez (link)
Outrighted
- Nationals — UT Greg Dobbs (link)
- Marlins — OF Brent Keys (link)
- Phillies — P Sean O’Sullivan (link), OF Zach Collier (link)
- Giants — P Jake Dunning (link)
- Royals — OF Pedro Ciriaco (link)
Returned
- Orioles — Rule 5 pick Michael Almanzar to Red Sox (link)
Released
- Rangers — P Joe Saunders (link)
- Nationals — P Mike Gonzalez (link)
Key Draft Signings
- Blue Jays — P Jeff Hoffman, C Max Pentecost (link)
- Royals — P Brandon Finnegan (link)
- Reds — P Nick Howard (link)
- Astros — OF Derek Fisher (link)
- Indians — 1B/OF Mike Papi (link)
- Cubs — P Dylan Cease (link)
Key Minor-League Signings
- Rockies — P Chris Capuano (link)
- Yankees — P Edgmer Escalona (link)
Blue Jays Designate Brad Glenn For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated outfielder Brad Glenn for assignment, SportsNet.ca’s Shi Davidi tweets. The move clears space on the Jays’ active roster for Cole Gillespie, and on their 40-man for Nolan Reimold. Davidi tweets that the Jays will have to make another move to make space for Reimold on their active roster.
Glenn, 27, had appeared in six games for the Blue Jays this season. His .377/.418/.570 line in 122 plate appearances for Triple-A Buffalo this year was almost certainly somewhat fluky, but he showed reasonable offensive ability in his previous minor league stops.
Rockies Designate Raul Fernandez For Assignment
The Rockies have designated pitcher Raul Fernandez for assignment, Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweets. The Rockies also placed pitcher Nick Masset on the disabled list and replaced him on the active roster with Brooks Brown, for whom the Fernandez DFA clears a spot on the 40-man.
Fernandez, 24, had posted a 7.00 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 27 innings for Class A+ Modesto. Fernandez throws hard but has struggled in both the last two seasons.
Blue Jays Claim Nolan Reimold Off Waivers
The Blue Jays have claimed Nolan Reimold off waivers from the Orioles, according to Reimold’s cousin Seamus Doyle (on Twitter). The O’s placed Reimold on waivers last week.
Baltimore was looking at trade options for the outfielder but were unable to find any. Reimold has been hampered by multiple neck surgeries over the last few seasons but has posted a .902 OPS over 17 games on a Double-A rehab assignment.
The 30-year-old was once considered a top 100 prospect but has never been able to realize his potential due to health problems. In parts of five big league campaigns, Reimold owns a .252/.327/.439 slash line.
There are now six players in DFA limbo, as shown in MLBTR’s DFA Tracker.