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Indians Acquire Jim Thome

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Jim Thome once helped the Indians reach six playoff berths in seven years. Now, after a nine-year absence from Cleveland, Thome is back and the Indians are hoping their all-time home run leader can help them pass the Tigers in the standings and reach the playoffs once again. 

Jim Thome

“Jim Thome is a Hall of Fame-caliber player and person. He has meant so much to this organization – both on and off the field – and it is an honor to bring him back in an Indians uniform where he created so many great memories," GM Chris Antonetti said in a statement. "Having his bat and presence in the middle of the lineup certainly improves our team"

Thome, the newest member of MLB's 600 homer club, accepted a deal to the Indians last night. The Indians announced that they'll send a player to be named later to the Twins on or before October 15th.

The veteran, who turns 41 in two days, had the right to reject any deal as he holds a no-trade clause. Reportedly, Thome's preference was to return to Philadelphia where he played from 2003 through 2005.

Thome's homecoming is much more than a feel good story for the Tribe. He's sure to see a lot of time at the DH spot with Travis Hafner on the disabled list and possibly out for the year.

Thome (pictured) is the Indians' all-time leader in home runs (334) and walks (997) and he is among the franchise's all-time leaders in RBI (2nd, 927), extra base hits (3rd, 613), on-base percentage (3rd, .414) and slugging percentage (3rd, .567).

Nick Camino of WTAM 110, Buster Olney of ESPN.com, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com and Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported on the move last night. Photo courtesy Icon SMI. Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Phillies Sign Carlos Tocci

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WEDNESDAY: The Phillies signed Tocci for $759K, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler.

MONDAY: The Phillies are close to signing Venezuelan outfield prospect Carlos Tocci for a $750K bonus, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The deal could be finalized this week, when Tocci turns 16 years old.

Tocci is an athletic player who has speed and a promising bat, according to Salisbury. He stands 6'2" and throws and bats right-handed. Baseball America's Ben Badler rated Tocci 25th among Latin American prospects earlier this summer, praising his running ability and line-drive swing. Tocci has the bat speed to play center field and also drew interest from the Rockies, according to Badler.

Twins Place Jim Thome On Waivers

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WEDNESDAY, 9:14am: The White Sox were one of several teams putting in a claim for Thome, reports Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.  ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that "there is a high expectation among executives that the White Sox will be awarded the claim."  For that to happen, Thome would have to get past the Orioles, Royals, Mariners, and Athletics.  That seems feasible, though it's possible one of the four would put in a claim with an eye on a potential draft pick.     

MONDAY, 2:15pm: The Twins placed designated hitter Jim Thome on trade waivers today, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal says the Phillies want Thome back in their organization, but there's almost no chance the slugger gets to them.  Since the Phillies have the best record in the National League, the 28 other teams would have to pass on Thome first.

Thome, 40, is hitting .256/.365/.503 with 12 home runs in 230 plate appearances this year.  He cranked his 600th home run a week ago.  Now that Thome has reached the milestone, the Twins might be more inclined to trade him if he would like to join a playoff race.  Rosenthal notes that Thome has a full no-trade clause.  

Thome's salary should not pose a problem, as he has about $610K remaining plus incentives.  As of a week ago Thome wasn't too far from Type B status, so if he continues producing there could be a shot at a draft pick.  So there is the possibility that American League non-contenders could place claims.  If the Twins want to give Thome freedom to play for any team but don't mind getting nothing in return, they could release him, notes Rosenthal.

Top Starters Eschew Free Agency

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Boras Corporation client Carlos Gonzalez bucked the agency's trend in January, signing a seven-year, $80MM deal instead of going to free agency as soon as possible.  Publicly, Scott Boras said, "I was very much on board with this decision," though the agent made sure to show CarGo what he was missing.  Since the deal was a record contract for a two-plus player, Boras at least had that feather in his cap.

Angels righty Jered Weaver is not a two-plus player; he has five-plus years of service time and had to get past only the 2012 season before a likely $100MM+ free agent deal.  Instead he signed for five years and $85MM.  One way to look at that is since Weaver could have gotten $13MM in arbitration for '12, he gave up four free agent years for $18MM apiece, without negotiating on the open market.  That is decidedly not the Boras Way.

Talking to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Boras explained, "He knows his value. He had close to 30 illustrations given to him to understand his value.  He knows not becoming a free agent would cost him millions and millions of dollars.  But the necessity to stay home was compelling."  Nightengale estimates a potential $60MM loss for Weaver.  For a 30-year-old ace, $23MM per year over six free agent seasons would have been possible, and $24-25MM over seven may have been within reach depending on various factors.  

Boras acknowledged that with so many top starting pitchers locked up, the free agent demand will be greater and teams will be aggressive.  For the upcoming offseason, that means huge deals for C.C. Sabathia and C.J. Wilson; I think Wilson can reach $100MM.  Guys like Edwin Jackson and Hisashi Iwakuma may be lifted up as well.

Following the 2012 season, Matt Cain, John Danks, Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, Shaun Marcum, Colby Lewis, and Anibal Sanchez project to be among the top starters available.  But how many of them will be locked up in the next 15 months?  Hamels appears open to a new extension, telling Nightengale, "Teams are being a lot smarter now,  When they have somebody they want to keep, they make sure to get it done. They don't want to let it get to an iffy situation.  The Phillies ought to know me pretty well by now, too, so we'll see what happens."

NL East Notes: Nationals, Hamels, Pelfrey, Braves

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Jimmy Rollins announced on Twitter that he has a mild grade 2 groin strain and will be on the disabled list until September. Here's the latest on the 81-44 Phillies and the rest of their division…

  • Ryan Zimmerman repeated to MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he'd like to spend his entire career in Washington. The third baseman is set to hit free agency after the 2013 season.
  • Scouts tell Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the Nationals will be powerful in a couple of years and would compete in the NL West right now (Twitter link).
  • The Phillies and Cole Hamels want to work out a long-term deal this offseason, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gelb shows that Jered Weaver is about as statistically similar to Hamels as possible and suggests that the Phillies and Hamels could agree to a contract that mimics Weaver's recent five-year, $85MM extension. Hamels should earn more than Weaver, given his higher 2011 salary and proximity to free agency. 
  • Mets manager Terry Collins asked starter Mike Pelfrey if he'd be up for becoming the team's closer in 2012 and Pelfrey said he "absolutely" would, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. However, it's unlikely that Pelfrey will become the Mets' closer, since GM Sandy Alderson is opposed to the idea, Martino writes. Check out CloserNews.com for more on each team’s bullpen. 
  • Braves GM Frank Wren told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he has focused on adding speed in recent years, bringing in players such as Jose Constanza and Michael Bourn.
  • Braves reliever Eric O'Flaherty switched agents and is now a client of Dan Lozano's Icon Sports Group, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter). Steve Canter formerly represented the left-hander, who will be arbitration eligible for the second time after the season. Keep track of each player's representation with MLBTR's Agency Database.

NL East Links: Phillies, Thome, Mets, Pelfrey

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There's not much drama left in the NL East race, where the Phillies hold a seven and a half game lead over the Braves, not to mention a lead of at least 21 games over everyone else. But that doesn't mean there's not still a little hot stove chatter going on in the division. Let's check out Sunday's NL East links, with a focus on the Phils and Mets….

Quick Hits: Anthopoulos, Marlins, Harden, Bogusevic

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Todd Helton celebrated his 38th birthday with a 3-for-6 performance (that included a homer) against the Dodgers today.  Best of all for Helton, the Rockies picked up a 7-6 win in a 13-inning affair against their NL West rivals.

Some news from around the majors….

  • "There is a strong belief" that the Blue Jays have discussed a contract extension with general manager Alex Anthopoulos, writes Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star.  The catch is, the terms of Anthopoulos' original deal in 2009 were never made public, so the end date of the GM's current contract is unknown to all but himself and the club.  Anthopoulos' quotes to Griffin would seem to indicate that he is staying in Toronto for years to come. 
  • The Marlins have denied several requests from teams to interview GM Michael Hill and VP of player personnel Dan Jennings for open front office positions over the last few years, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  Rodriguez feels the two men have earned the right to run their own team since Larry Beinfest calls the shots in Florida, though in Hill's case, he would have to be offered a president position to leave since he's already a general manager.
  • If Rich Harden is traded this month or just reaches the end of his one-year contract, he's still a candidate to return to the Athletics in the offseason, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Harden has family in the Bay Area, enjoys pitching in Oakland and has "a great relationship with pitching coach Ron Romanick."
  • Slusser also notes that the A's were looking for a first baseman for Harden at the deadline (like Lars Anderson from Boston), but since they've acquired Brandon Allen in the interim, the A's could ask for an outfielder or third baseman in a potential Harden trade package.
  • Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle looks at how Brian Bogusevic went from a failing minor league pitcher to a productive member of the Astros' outfield.
  • "It's important to have talented players in uniform in Pittsburgh," Pirates owner Robert Nutting told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  "That's exactly what we're trying to do, whether it's through a long-term assurance in a contract or whether it's bringing in great talent (through the draft)."  The Bucs have had an expensive week, spending $17MM on draft picks, signing Jose Tabata to a contract extension and closing in on another multiyear deal with Neil Walker.
  • The Rockies have dealt some notable right-handed prospects in recent years, but as Rich M of Inside The Rockies details, the club hasn't lost any significant arms.
  • Scott Van Slyke's impressive minor league campaign should earn him a chance at the Dodgers' first base job in Spring Training, argues Jon Weisman of ESPN Los Angeles.  Van Slyke, 25, has a .343/.424/.576 line in 474 plate appearances for Double-A Chattanooga this season.  Incumbent first baseman James Loney is expected to be non-tendered by L.A. this winter.
  • Ryan Madson's meltdown against the Nationals on Friday night is a sign that the Phillies need to stop using him on three consecutive days, opines Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  You can catch up on all the latest info about the Phillies' bullpen and every other late-game situation in baseball on MLBTR's sister site, Closer News.

Phillies Release Cust, Heilman

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The Phillies have released minor leaguers Jack Cust and Aaron Heilman, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadephia Inquirer.

Cust was signed just last week and had a .250/348/.500 line in 23 Triple-A plate appearances.  The Phillies are known to be looking for a left-handed bench bat, though Cust's lack of pinch-hitting success made him a less-than-ideal fit for the role.  This is the veteran slugger's second release in the month after being cut loose by the Mariners on August 4.   

Heilman, 32, signed with the Phils last month after being released by the D'Backs.  Heilman posted a 6.88 ERA in 32 appearances coming out of the Arizona bullpen this season and his struggles continued in Philadelphia's minor league system — an 8.38 ERA in 9 1/3 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Stark On Draft, Astros, Phillies

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There’s a disconnect between ownership groups and baseball operations departments for some small market teams, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Owners want hard slotting for draft picks, but their front office employees like having the freedom to accumulate talent by spending aggressively in the draft. Here are the details and the rest of Stark’s notes from around MLB…

  • Some small-market teams would like to see stiffer luxury tax rates and thresholds imposed, the implementation of an international draft and penalties for teams whose payrolls dip below a certain level.
  • The idea of supplying small-market teams with extra draft picks has also been “tossed around,” Stark reports.
  • Unless the perfect player falls into the Phillies’ laps, they are going to rely on Jack Cust for left-handed pop. In other words, they aren’t prepared to overpay for someone like Jason Giambi, Jim Thome, Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon.
  • MLB doesn’t expect that anything will prevent Jim Crane from completing his purchase of the Astros, according to Stark.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Morrison, Thome

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Top Nationals prospect Bryce Harper had to leave last night's Double-A contest with a hamstring injury and Washington's medical staff will re-evaluate the 18-year-old outfielder today. In the meantime, here are some links from the Nationals' division…

  • Former Nationals president Stan Kasten told Bill Ladson of MLB.com that the Nationals had an "awesome, fantastic" draft this year. Kasten found out that Nats pick Matt Purke looks up to Tom Glavine and was able to set up a talk between the two left-handers.
  • Scott Miller of CBSSports.com understands why the Marlins' decision to demote Logan Morrison has drawn so much criticism, but he isn't ready to criticize Florida's move himself. One Marlin told Miller that Morrison was behaving like a superstar before he had even become a star.
  • Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News wonders if Jim Thome could end up returning to Philadelphia this season and says there's probably a way to make it happen. "Now it's up to the Phillies to decide whether it makes sense from a competitive standpoint," Hagen writes.
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