NL Central Notes: Pujols, Valdes, Pirates
On this date in 1984, Ryne Sandberg hit game-tying home runs off Cardinals reliever Bruce Sutter in the 9th and 10th innings as the Cubs beat the Cardinals 12-11. Willie McGee hit for the cycle in the memorable contest between the rival clubs. Here's the latest from their division…
- Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols doesn't want to discuss the impact his fractured arm will have on his free agent value, Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.
- The Cardinals promoted Raul Valdes to the Majors, optioned Maikel Cleto to Double-A and replaced minor leaguer David Kopp on the 40-man roster with Bryan Augenstein, according to the Post-Dispatch (the Cards still have one open spot on their 40-man roster). The bullpen changes started yesterday when the Cardinals released Miguel Batista after Tuesday's bullpen implosion.
- The Pirates announced that they expect to add Chase d'Arnaud to the 25-man roster tomorrow. They optioned Josh Harrison to Triple-A to create room on the active roster and will make a 40-man move tomorrow. D'Arnaud, 24, has a .280/.347/.418 line at Triple-A this year.
Quick Hits: Twins, Ellis, Cole, Hultzen
The Mets released Wily Mo Pena on this date two years ago. The slugger resurfaced with the D'Backs yesterday, when he homered in his first MLB game since 2008. Here are some links for Wednesday night as Pena attempts to hit another homer or two…
- A scout tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Twins seem less likely to become sellers than they were a few weeks ago (Twitter link). Minnesota has re-entered the playoff race thanks to a 14-3 tear.
- Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group hears that the Giants are not one of the six teams on Mark Ellis’ no-trade list (Twitter link). Ellis has lost his starting second base job in Oakland and the Giants have had internal talks about obtaining him.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that top draft choices Gerrit Cole (Pirates) and Danny Hultzen (Mariners) will sign for roughly $10MM or so. Two high school arms, Archie Bradley (D’Backs) and Dylan Bundy (Orioles), will likely obtain $6-7MM and some executives see high school outfielder Bubba Starling (Royals) signing for more than Cole or Hultzen.
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick examines the case for expanding active rosters to 26 players. Teams now have sprawling bullpens and demanding travel schedules, so there's support for bigger rosters from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd, Marlins infielder Wes Helms and others.
Pirates Acquire Josh Rodriguez
The Pirates have acquired Josh Rodriguez from the Indians for cash, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter). The infielder had been returned to Cleveland from Pittsburgh as a Rule 5 Draft pick back in April.
Baseball America ranked Rodriguez 24th among Pirates prospects before the season and suggested that he could become a big league utility player. In 364 plate appearances at Triple-A last year, he hit .293/.372/.486 and played shortstop. In 14 plate appearances for the Pirates this year, Rodriguez collected a single and a walk while playing second and short. His brief return to the Tribe resulted in a .193/.270/.316 batting line in 65 Triple-A plate appearances.
NL Central Notes: Pujols, Bell, Brewers
Albert Pujols will miss four to six weeks with a fracture in his left arm, further confirmation that no NL Central club appears ready to run away with the division. The 40-33 Brewers would deal a catcher, the defending champion Reds are eyeing arms and the Pirates are lurking around the .500 mark. Here's the rest of tonight's NL Central-related news…
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Matthew Leach of MLB.com that he isn't ready to determine how aggressive the Cardinals will be in trade talks leading up to the July 31st deadline. The GM acknowledged that Pujols' injury opens "some potential opportunities out there that maybe [the team] wouldn't have explored 48 hours ago."
- Here's more reaction to Pujols' injury from earlier tonight.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America hears that Pirates draft pick Josh Bell is set on going to the University of Texas, where he has committed to playing. Despite that, Callis likes the pick for Pittsburgh, which should have plenty of money to dangle in the prospect's direction.
- Adam McCalvy and Audrey Snyder of MLB.com explain how one lucky Brewers fan signed a one-day contract with his favorite team.
Contenders In Need Of A Shortstop Upgrade
As many as six contenders are lacking at shortstop. Let's take a look.
- Rays: The Rays have been employing Reid Brignac at shortstop lately, though Elliot Johnson and Sean Rodriguez are also capable. None of them are hitting, though Brignac's defense is a plus and Rodriguez has some pop.
- Brewers: The Brewers have used Yuniesky Betancourt at short, with Craig Counsell pitching in. The numbers say Betancourt has been terrible both offensively and defensively.
- Cardinals: Ryan Theriot has been manning shortstop for the Cards, and his bat has been more than acceptable. However, he's probably better-suited defensively for second base.
- Reds: They've used the Paul Janish/Edgar Renteria tandem, with the 28-year-old Janish getting more playing time. Janish is strong defensively, and since the Reds have the best offense in the league they might be able to tolerate his struggles with the bat. Prospect Zack Cozart is hitting .317/.361/.498 at Triple-A, but the Reds are not at the point of making a move yet.
- Pirates: The Bucs have been searching for a long-term answer at short for a while now, but right now they have Ronny Cedeno. Brandon Wood is showing some signs of life this month, and he could be an option at shortstop. The Pirates also have Chase d'Arnaud playing well at Triple-A.
- Giants: Miguel Tejada was signed as the team's shortstop, but it's rookie Brandon Crawford at present. He's strong with the glove but doesn't provide much offense and skipped Triple-A upon his call-up.
All four NL Central contenders are weak at shortstop, so if one of the clubs acquires a prize like J.J. Hardy it also takes an option away from direct rivals. The Orioles aim to talk extension with Hardy before the All-Star break. If that possibility falls through with time to spare before the July 31st deadline, Hardy will be a hot commodity.
A couple of top options in Jose Reyes and Stephen Drew appear to be off the board, since the Mets and Diamondbacks are in contention. Jamey Carroll, Clint Barmes, and Rafael Furcal (if healthy) may be available.
Central Notes: Zambrano, Francoeur, Astros, Pirates
A few items of note coming out of the Central divisions as Carlos Carrasco loses his no-hit bid in the sixth in Cleveland:
- Cubs righty Carlos Zambrano is trending in trade rumors recently, as he has already said that he would waive his no-trade clause. We've also learned that the Yankees have no interest in acquiring the hurler. However, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reminds us that no team has actually checked in with the North Siders on the hurler's availability (via Twitter).
- Royals outfielder Jeff Francoeur could draw interest at the trade deadline as a fourth outfielder for a contending team, writes Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. However, Francoeur has a strong relationship with GM Dayton Moore and isn't blocking the imminent arrival of any corner-outfield prospects, so the Royals probably aren't feeling any urgency to deal him, according to Dodd.
- The Astros have signed Arizona State lefty Mitchell Lambson, their 19th-round pick, according to Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner (via Twitter). Houston has now signed 28 of its 50 selections, per Goff.
- The Pirates have signed Louisiana Tech lefty Mike Jefferson, their 22nd-round pick, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter).
Pirates Release Blaine Boyer
The Pirates have released Blaine Boyer according to the Triple-A International League transactions page. He signed a minor league deal with Pittsburgh back in April after electing free agency when the Mets designated him for assignment.
Boyer, 29, threw eight innings across 11 relief appearances with the Pirates' Triple-A team, though he allowed 14 hits and 14 runs (12 earned) in that time. He also walked more batters (nine) than he struck out (eight) and surrendered three homers. Boyer gave up eight runs in 6 2/3 innings for the Mets earlier this season, though he did post a respectable 4.26 ERA in 57 innings with the Diamondbacks last year.
Central Notes: Ricketts, McClellan, Draft Signings
Here are some links from the Central divisions….
- Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts gave votes of confidence to GM Jim Hendry and manager Mike Quade during a state-of-the-franchise address on Wednesday, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. "I have 100 percent confidence in Jim," Ricketts said. "He's working very hard to do everything he can to get this season back to where we want it to be. And I think Mike's done a great job. You know Mike has got those guys playing hard. You know they're not giving up. You know there's good spirit in the clubhouse. Yeah, those guys are fine." Hendry's future in Chicago has been a hot topic given the Cubs' struggles, with ESPNChicago.com's Jon Greenberg just one of several pundits who think Hendry will be fired.
- Ricketts also said the Cubs' debt problems wouldn't factor into any baseball-related spending. "The fact is this year we've spent more on Baseball Operations than any year in the past, and we continue to invest in the team," Ricketts said. "[The debt is] no way a limitation on our ability to sign free agents or our flexibility to build a better organization. It's just irrelevant for that."
- Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks back at the Cardinals' decision to pass on Joba Chamberlain in the 2006 draft and wonders if the Cards have "developed their own" version of Chamberlain in Kyle McClellan.
- Jim Leyland feels the Tigers have "too many" left-handers in their bullpen, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. With a number of teams short on southpaw relievers, the Tigers could look to a fellow contender in a trade for a right-hander.
- The Twins have signed 15 picks from the 2011 amateur draft, according to La Velle Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Fifth-round shortstop Tyler Grimes is the highest-drafted player to sign.
- The Pirates announced the signings of six draft picks. Auburn third baseman Daniel Gamache, a sixth-rounder, is the highest-selected of the signed players.
- The Astros' pending sale, Hunter Pence's big season and strong play from younger players has the club's future looking bright, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Outrighted: Toregas, Hughes, Pucetas, Nieves
Players who cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A:
- The Cubs announced that Brad Snyder has been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. The outfielder was designated for assignment on the weekend.
- Catcher Wyatt Toregas was outrighted to Indianapolis by the Pirates, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He'd been designated for assignment on Sunday to open a spot for Mike McKenry.
- Lefty reliever Dusty Hughes was outrighted to Rochester to open a 40-man spot with the Twins for infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, according to the team's transactions page. They'd claimed Hughes off waivers from the Royals in January. The Twins will need another spot for Joe Mauer soon.
- Righty Kevin Pucetas, designated for assignment by the Royals on Friday to open a 40-man spot for Mike Moustakas, was assigned outright to Omaha today according to the Royals' Twitter page.
- The Brewers outrighted catcher Wil Nieves to Nashville, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. George Kottaras' contract was selected. The Brewers' 40-man roster count remains at 37. The White Sox are the only other team under 38.
Draft Notes: Lamb, Bichette, Josh Bell, Beede
Two months away from the signing deadline, we won't be seeing over-slot signings anytime soon. Still, here's the latest.
- Clemson lefty Will Lamb, chosen 83rd overall in the second round by the Rangers, signed at slot for $430,200, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
- Dante Bichette Jr., drafted 51st overall by the Yankees in the supplemental round, tweeted that he'll "officially a Yankee very very soon." The Yanks received that pick as compensation for the loss of Javier Vazquez. Slot for that pick is around $695K. You can learn more about Bichette over at River Ave. Blues, where Mike Axisa profiled the slugger.
- ESPN's Keith Law tweets that he's told there is no dollar figure that would change Josh Bell's mind about going to college. Bell, drafted 61st overall by the Pirates, was one of the top draft talents but has made it clear he will honor his commitment to the University of Texas. Of course, he also hired Scott Boras as his advisor, so clearly the Pirates think there's a chance he can be signed.
- The Blue Jays' first pick (21st overall) was high school righty Tyler Beede; Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein tweets of rumors that the Jays had a pre-draft deal done with him. Law tweeted a few days ago that Beede is going to sign for about $3MM, which would be about $1.7MM over slot.
- The Rays exceeded slot on second round pick Granden Goetzman, signing the prep outfielder for $490K according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. The Rays went over slot by less than five grand, though, and Callis says teams can exceed slot by up to five percent without going through the commissioner's office. Goetzman went 75th overall but was actually the Rays' 11th pick.
- If you have ESPN Insider, Law has a post up with names to watch for the 2012 draft.