Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune reports that the Rays lost two pitchers on waivers. The Indians claimed R.J. Swindle and the Pirates claimed John Meloan.
Pirates Rumors
Odds And Ends: Milledge, Tate, Royals
Links for the morning…
- As much as Nyjer Morgan has helped the Nationals, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Lastings Milledge has been a complete pro so far with the Pirates.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock hears that the Padres are "making progress" towards signing first rounder Donavan Tate.
- MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports that the D'Backs are making progress with first rounder Bobby Borchering.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star wonders how much the Royals would improve with a cast of strong fielders.
- We heard on Sunday that Troy Percival was leaning towards retirement. Now, as MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports, Percival says he's done unless something "miraculous" happens.
Rosenthal On Bell, Mets, Padilla, Braves
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Dodgers were on the brink of acquiring Heath Bell before the July 31st trade deadline. The Padres will listen to offers for Bell and Adrian Gonzalez again after the season, but they're under less pressure to deal those players with Jake Peavy's contract off the books. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- The Mets are not considering replacing Omar Minaya with assistant GM John Ricco right now, but we could see Ricco deal with the media more.
- A pair of NL teams, possibly the Dodgers and Brewers, are "kicking the tires" on Vicente Padilla. Teams are more likely to wait for him to clear waivers than strike a deal now, however.
- The Braves offered Casey Kotchman to the Pirates for Adam LaRoche before acquiring LaRoche from the Red Sox.
- The Rays and Rangers have been claiming players off of waivers aggressively.
- Rosenthal notes that the Rockies' revamped 'pen has pitched well so far.
Odds And Ends: Rios, Mets, Pirates, V-Mart
A variety of links to look at this morning…
- The Blue Jays have until 12:30 CST tomorrow to deal Alex Rios, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com.
- Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog considers possible replacements for current Mets GM Omar Minaya.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates will have to be something more than an "unmitigated disaster" for Neal Huntington's moves to start looking good, since the GM obtained half the team's roster in recent trades.
- Victor Martinez tells Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald that he's looking forward to his first home game as a member of the Red Sox.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer shows that the Reds' moves impacted players personally and professionally.
- Baseball America's Conor Glassey reports that the Phillies signed third rounder Kyrell Hudson to an over-slot bonus worth about $475k.
Odds & Ends: Chapman, Pirates, Westbrook
Some more links to go along with what's been a slow Sunday thus far:
- If you haven't already, take a look at Jorge Arangure Jr.'s article on Aroldis Chapman. Arangure covers Chapman's journey and the decisions and sacrifices that he made when he defected from the Cuban national team. There are also two videos (one Insider only) to go along with the story. It's lengthy, but a great read. Peter Abraham offers a cautionary note regarding Chapman: "…keep in mind that the same things were being said about Jose Contreras and he’s just another guy at this point. There’s a lot more to being a great pitcher in the majors than having a good arm."
- Dejan Kovacevic has some of Pirates general manager Neal Huntington's thoughts on several issues, including the club's recent losses and the need for a left-handed reliever. Jen Langosch has some of Huntington's thoughts as well, on topics including the farm system and newly-acquired Ronny Cedeno. Huntington would rather have a quality arm who can retire both left- and right-handed hitters than just a left-handed specialist.
- Bad new for Indians fans: Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Jake Westbrook experienced another setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and will see Dr. Lewis Yocum this week. Westbrook isn't sure if the pain is something he should expect and work through, or if there are new issues in his arm. General manager Mark Shapiro has said that if Westbrook is healthy, he'll be Cleveland's opening day starter in 2010.
- Buster Olney has a new article up, and talks about the Dodgers' shrinking lead on the NL West. Olney wonders if, with a growing need for starting pitching, the Dodgers will call on John Smoltz to try his hand back in the National League. Olney stresses that the Smoltz idea is just his own personal speculation.
- Joel Sherman's Sunday Hardball column looks at how to fix the Mets for 2010. His solution begins with Mark DeRosa and Chone Figgins.
Odds & Ends: A’s, Yankees, Brewers
Some links to peruse with your Sunday brunch:
- The A's are apparently in the process of finalizing a five-year naming rights contract with Verizon for Oakland Alameda County Coliseum, say Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross at the San Francisco Chronicle. Ownership could come into a lot of cash that way.
- John Harper at the New York Daily News believes the Yanks' handling of the Red Sox this weekend means Yankees GM Brian Cashman has outmaneuvered Theo Epstein.
- The Brewers have signed their fifth-round pick, D'Vontrey Richardson, but terms haven't been disclosed just yet, says Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Phil Rogers at the Baltimore Sun believes that the Indians' and Pirates' firesales "raise competitiveness issues."
- Dan Novick at the Hardball Times asks the $64,000 question: "Why should I care about Alex Rios?"
Pirates Sign Sixth-Rounder For $1.2MM
The Pirates continue to pony up quite a bit of cash into the draft in their efforts to rebuild: According to John Perrotto at Pirates Report, they signed their sixth-round pick, Zach Von Rosenberg, for a bonus of $1.2MM. Rosenberg, a 6-5 high-school righty, had a scholarship to Louisiana State.
It's another move in which the Pirates paid significantly more than the recommended slot bonus for their draft choice, as they gave $1.125MM to their eighth-round pick Colton Cain and $600k to their fourth-rounder Zack Dodson. They're a team on a mission. Dejan Kovacevic at the Pittsburth Post-Gazette projects that Von Rosenberg would immediately jump to the top 10 of the Pirates' farm system.
Odds & Ends: Tate, Phillies, Pirates, Indians
Links? You can't handle the links!
- ESPN's Jason Churchill notes that third overall pick Donovan Tate was expected to report to UNC's football camp today, and that the Padres are "mum on the negotiations between Tate's adviser, Scott Boras, and the club." If he doesn't sign, Tate will play both football and baseball for the Tar Heels.
- Peter Gammons of ESPN writes about the Phillies and the rotation depth they've build this year. It seems like whenever we hear a team has pitching depth, it disappears. It's like the Madden cover curse, but crueler.
- Pirates skipper John Russell admits that his club will "have to look to find a left-hander to solidify [the bullpen], either this season or in time for next season," reports John Perrotto of PiratesReport.com. The Bucs haven't had a southpaw in the pen since trading John Grabow to the Cubs at the deadline.
- Terry Pluto of The Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that even though the Indians recent moves were driven by money, they still made sense for the organization.
Odds & Ends: Berroa, Yankees, Scheppers, Pirates
More odds, more ends, more links…
- Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog reports that the Mets have designated Angel Berroa for assignment. Berroa's tenure in Flushing lasted 31 plate appearances, in which he fashioned a .148-.233-.185 batting line.
- George A. King III of The NY Post reports that the Yankees placed second baseman Robinson Cano, as well as relievers Brian Bruney, David Robertson, and Mark Melancon on waivers this past Wednesday. King says it's "highly unlikely the Yankees will deal Cano."
- MLB.com's Daniel Paulling spoke to Greg Genske, agent for Rangers' supplemental first round pick Tanner Scheppers, and reports that Genske is "setting up an audition for Scheppers for about a half dozen Japanese teams within a couple of weeks." Genske hasn't decided whether or not to invite the Rangers to workout, and also mentions that Scheppers has been given a clean bill of health.
- In addition to eighth rounder Colton Cain, the Pirates have also signed fourth round pick Zackry Dodson according to MLB.com's Jen Langosch. Team president Frank Coonelly denied a report that the team reached an agreement with Dodson last month.
- Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report that Chris Resop has left the Hanshin Tigers and returned home to the States to recover from pain in his throwing elbow. Resop doesn't have any immediate plans to return to Japan, and Patrick says he's unlikely to get another shot with Hanshin.
Pirates Sign Eighth Rounder For Over $1MM
6:04pm: Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that Cain received a $1.125MM bonus.
1:23pm: Via Twitter, Mayo reports that Cain's bonus is worth more than $1.1MM and less than $1.2MM.
12:45pm: The Pirates are set to sign eighth round pick Colton Cain for at least $1MM, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. We heard the sides were close to a deal this morning, but there was no indication that it would reach seven figures. After shedding over $7MM in salary at the deadline, the Pirates appear to be re-investing in their system. It's safe to say the commissioner's office won't be pleased to hear of a late-round bonus this high.
