Pirates Designate Daniel Moskos For Assignment
The Pirates have designated Daniel Moskos for assignment, the team announced. The move clears a roster spot for Eric Fryer.
Moskos, 26, was the fourth overall pick of the 2007 draft. He pitched to a 2.96 ERA with nearly as many walks (nine) as strikeouts (11) in 24 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh last season. Moskos had pitched to a 3.86 ERA in 14 Triple-A innings this season while battling elbow problems.
Minor Moves: Fox, Royals
Some of today's minor transactions from around the league…
- The Pirates released Jake Fox from Triple-A Indianapolis in order to make room for infielder Jordy Mercer, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Fox, 30 in July, hit .236/.309/.366 in 139 PAs at Triple-A this season. He's seen Major League time with the Cubs, A's, and Orioles. His big league experience has come at catcher and all four corner positions.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets that the Royals released three minor leaguers (Twitter link): right-hander Parker Bangs, outfielder Runey Davis, and third baseman Jake Kuebler. Bangs was selected in the 31st round in 2010 and has just 27 2/3 innings of minor league action. Davis was selected by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 2009 draft, and Kuebler was a 17th round pick of the Royals in 2008.
Kevin Youkilis Rumors: Sunday
The trade chatter surrounding Kevin Youkilis picked up a ton of steam yesterday as the White Sox, Pirates, Indians, and Dodgers all seem to have interest in the third baseman. As of late last night, it appeared that the White Sox were the frontrunner for the veteran with Pittsburgh in second. Here's the latest on Youkilis with the most recent news up top..
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets that a clubhouse source says Youkilis has been traded to the White Sox and his nameplate has been removed from his locker.
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets the White Sox appear to be the most likely destination for Youkilis and, as of yesterday, the two teams were haggling over money. Knobler adds in a separate tweet that Youkilis is not headed to the Dodgers.
- A deal for Youkilis is in the works, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman adds late talks involved the White Sox, but new team is not yet confirmed. In a separate tweet, Heyman says the Indians are out of the running.
- Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com tweets a source has confirmed that a deal for Youkilis is in the works, but "not complete." Youkilis was removed, to a standing ovation, in the 7th inning as a precaution.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers confirmed that he is not in on Youkilis, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- McAdam hears from a major league source that the Dodgers, White Sox, Indians, Braves, and a fifth team are in on Youkilis. A second source says that the Pirates and Diamondbacks are no longer involved. A source with knowledge of the talks indicated that Boston is focused on getting the best return available, whether its in the form of prospects or current major leaguers.
- Youkilis is in today's lineup and a team source tells Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) that it's not indicative of one thing or another and a trade remains still in play.
- The White Sox, Dodgers, and Indians are likely going to be amongst the final five teams for Youkilis, tweets Heyman.
- The White Sox’s pursuit of Youkilis is more advanced than any other club’s and could be approaching the final stages, a major league source tells Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Sources say Boston is willing to include about $5MM of the nearly $8MM remaining on Youkilis’ contract in the trade. As of late last night, the Indians appeared to be a “longshot,” the Dodgers’ talks were minimal, and the Pirates pulled out of the discussions, according to sources.
Quick Hits: Braves, Pirates, Rockies, Nationals
The Marlins ended their franchise record offensive draught of scoring five runs or less for 25 consecutive games in their 9-0 win over the Blue Jays. And, for good measure, the nine runs were a season-high for the Marlins, who ended their six-game losing streak. Here's the latest news from around baseball.
- The Braves could make starting pitching a priority at the trade deadline because of the growing pains of Mike Minor and Randall Delgado and the uncertainty surrounding Jair Jurrjens, tweets Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
- The Pirates need to create an opening in their starting rotation when Jeff Karstens returns from the disabled list this week and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review thinks a trade could create that opening (via Sulia). Biertempfel reported yesterday the Pirates are shopping Kevin Correia.
- With the Pirates looking for offensive help, the Denver Post's Troy Renck notes the Rockies have players available, including Marco Scutaro. In the same piece, Renck offers his suggestions on who the Rockies should play the rest of the way in 2012, so as to best prepare for 2013.
- The Nationals are not willing to pay a fine in order to exceed their draft bonus pool, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. This is a corection to a story Kilgore wrote yesterday. Kilgore writes this stance will lower the amount the Nationals will be able to offer their first round draft pick Lucas Giolito.
- Condolences to the friends of family of Padres' bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer today. He was 50.
Pirates Claim Sutton Off Waivers From Rays
The Pirates announced that they have claimed infielder Drew Sutton off of waivers from the Rays. This marks a return of sorts for Sutton, who spent less than 24 hours as a member of the Pirates last month.
On May 20th, Atlanta sent Sutton to the Bucs for cash considerations and the infielder was flipped to Tampa Bay the next afternoon for a player to be named later. The 28-year-old was designated for assignment by the Rays on Friday. Sutton posted a .271/.314/.354 batting line in 51 plate appearances for the Rays in 2012.
Kevin Youkilis Rumors: Saturday
Yesterday we learned that the White Sox may be best positioned to swing a trade for Kevin Youkilis, who is losing playing time to rookie Will Middlebrooks. The Braves have scouted him in recent weeks though the Pirates are said to have little interest. Here are today's Youkilis rumors, with the latest up top…
- The Pirates are still interested in Youkilis, but the team is not confident in its chances of landing him, sources told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Sources indicate that the Indians are a longshot for Youkilis while the Dodgers have had minimal contact with the Red Sox today, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Signs point to the White Sox, Pirates, or another club as the veteran's destination.
- Angels GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters, including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) that he is "not involved with [Youkilis]."
- The Indians have been the most serious bidder for Youkilis but the White Sox jumped into the mix yesterday, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have maintained consistent interest.
- A new source tells Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter) that the Pirates are likely "out" on the veteran at this point.
- The Braves are not in on the Youkilis discussions, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Dodgers are on the "fringe" of talks for Youkilis, reports Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). The Pirates continue to be in the mix according to Rosenthal and Morosi (on Twitter).
- Talks are described as "intense" according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. He says the Red Sox will pay a significant portion of the $7.5MM or so left on Youkilis' contract in any trade scenario.
- The Rangers checked in on Youkilis at one point according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, but they are "not involved anymore." Texas was concerned that he would be unhappy in a part-time role.
- The Pirates will not surrender a top prospect for Youkilis but they might offer a second tier guy if Boston eats most of his salary, reports Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter).
- Red Sox team officials discussed potential roster moves in the wake of an impending Youkilis trade last night, reports Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. That could be an indication that a deal is close.
- Boston will trade Youkilis "sooner rather than later" according to Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald. ESPN's Buster Olney says a deal could come down as soon as today.
- The Red Sox are speaking with multiple clubs and continue to move closer to a deal, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The ChiSox have engaged in "heavy dialogue" with Boston but the Dodgers remain in the mix as well. The Sox prefer to trade Youkilis to an NL club.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Pirates Shopping Kevin Correia
The Pirates have let teams know that pitcher Kevin Correia is available, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The right-hander is making $3MM this season on the backend of a two-year, $8MM pact.
Correia, 31, has a 4.12 ERA with 3.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 through 13 starts this season. It seems likely that Pittsburgh will look to use their pitching surplus, which includes Correia, to net some offense via trade. The Bucs' pitching has been banged up recently but will be replenished with the returns of Jeff Karstens and Chris Leroux.
Pirates Looking To Deal For Offense
The 35-32 Pirates have the third-best ERA in the National League but are dead last in runs scored. Unsurprisingly, manager Clint Hurdle says that the club will be on the lookout for offense as the deadline approaches, write MLB.com's Tom Singer and Mark Emery.
"We'd like to first look for ways to impact the offense," said Hurdle. "We do feel like we're in a competitive position on the mound. We do have a couple of areas where we've got some surplus, some depth that might be attractive to somebody else."
The skipper has met with GM Neal Huntington this week to discuss possible moves, both internal and external. However, Hurdle emphasized that it will take some more time for the trade market to develop. The Pirates' pitching depth has taken some hits as of late but it will be restored somewhat with the impending returns of Jeff Karstens and Chris Leroux.
International Notes: Blue Jays, Red Sox, Twins
A new set of rules and restrictions for the international prospect market will take effect less than two weeks from now, on July 2. Each team will be working with an annual budget of $2.9MM for international players starting next month. Here are the latest rumblings regarding the international prospect market, via Ben Badler of Baseball America:
- The Blue Jays had seemed to be in the lead for Venezuelan right-hander Jose Mujica, but may not be as closely linked to him as expected, Badler writes. The Red Sox and Diamondbacks have also been linked to the 15-year-old Mujica, who's considered by many scouts to be the top pitching prospect available in Latin America.
- The Blue Jays are still favored to sign 16-year-old Venezuelan Franklin Barreto, according to Badler. Some teams consider Barreto the top available prospect, but he will likely move from shortstop to another position.
- The Red Sox, Padres and Royals have been mentioned as possible teams of interest on Venezuelan left-hander Jose Castillo, Badler writes. Some view the Dodgers and Orioles as sleepers for Castillo, who’s expected to obtain a generous bonus.
- The Twins are showing heavy interest in Dominican shortstop Amaurys Minier, according to Badler. The 16-year-old switch-hitter is expected to become one of the highest-paid Dominican prospects.
- Some believe the Pirates are in on Dominican third baseman Julio de la Cruz.
Quick Hits: Galvis, ChiSox, Marlins, Soriano, Dodgers
Ichiro Suzuki recorded his 2500th career hit tonight, leading off the game with a single to center field. Only Al Simmons, Ty Cobb and George Sisler reached the 2500-hit milestone in fewer games than Ichiro's 1817 MLB games. Of course, Ichiro started his Major League career at a much later age than any of those Hall-of-Famers, as he had already racked up 1278 hits in Japan before joining the Mariners in 2001.
Here's the latest from around the majors….
- Phillies infielder Freddy Galvis has been suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball due to a positive PED test, according to a statement from the league. Galvis is currently injured and will able to serve his suspension while on the DL, which FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi describes as "a loophole that wasn't closed in the new [collective bargaining agreement]."
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters (including Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago) that his team's low attendance could make it more difficult for the Sox to make acquisitions at the trade deadline.
- The Marlins are actively looking for outfielders, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro as part of a reader mailbag. Frisaro speculates that Denard Span, Peter Bourjos or Carlos Lee could fit the Marlins' needs.
- ‘‘It goes both ways because I don’t want to be miserable,’’ Alfonso Soriano tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times about a possible trade from the Cubs. Soriano wants to remain in Chicago but, ‘‘I don’t want to have a long summer or a long season. I just want to win, no matter what. If it’s here, I’m more than happy. If it’s not here, if they think they want to take longer than two or three years, then my contract’s done….But it has to be a very good team to go to because I don’t want to go be miserable on the other team, too.’’
- With the Dodgers expected to big players at the trade deadline, Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times warns that the team shouldn't feel obligated to make a move just to answer the pressure.
- Ned Colletti tells Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times that the Dodgers are looking for a starting pitcher, a hitter and a left-handed reliever. Trades have been hard to come by, however, as Colletti says teams have so far only been willing to discuss moving pending free agents. The second wild card has also improved several teams' chances of contending, so there are fewer obvious sellers.
- The Pirates have been similarly stifled in their trade attempts, as they've been discussing moves for the last six weeks, writes Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We've been told by some clubs that they're going to hold on as long as they can to sell tickets and try to keep their fans engaged, so that may take an obvious seller off the market," said GM Neal Huntington.
- Diamondbacks rookie Wade Miley shut down the Mariners on Monday, but Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that in 2010, the two teams discussed a trade that would've sent Miley to Seattle in exchange for David Aardsma.