Rangers Cut Grilli, Richardson
3:46pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports the Rangers have also taken catcher Kevin Richardson off the 40-man roster, and are trying to sign him to a minor-league contract.
2:39pm: Per Jason Grilli's Twitter page, the Texas Rangers have removed the 32-year-old pitcher from their roster.
Grilli wrote, "My day just got more interesting-as said earlier tweet-A leader can't lead until he knows where he is going-Texas took me off the roster".
Grilli is an interesting buy-low candidate for a number of teams. While his ERA jumped from 3.00 in 2008 to 5.32 in 2009, that is highly deceiving. He posted a Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) ERA of just 3.93 in 2009, and has been under 4 each of the past three seasons.
Grilli has also been roughly as effective against lefties and righties throughout his career, allowing a .271 batting average to righties, .265 to lefties.
If Grilli is to be believed, he'll be in terrific shape for someone in 2010. He wrote on a follow-up tweet, "Gonna be some Rocky Balboa training commence".
Odds And Ends: Fields, Grilli, Boras, D’Backs
Some links for Thursday evening…
- Josh Fields told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he had a "blunt and straightforward" meeting with Ken Williams about his place on the White Sox.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports the White Sox drafted their GM's son, Tyler Williams, and Harold Baines Jr..
- Jason Grilli was recently dealt to the Rangers and now he's working on a deal of his own. According to his Twitter, Grilli plans to exchange "cash or an item to be named later" for number 49.
- Gavin McCourt, the son of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, was drafted by the Red Sox. The 39th round pick says Scott Boras wouldn't fit into his "family dynamics," so his dad will represent him, according to the LA Times .
- Scott Bordow of the East Valley Tribune believes it's time for the Diamondbacks to sell, beginning with Felipe Lopez and Doug Davis.
- And I'll be talking baseball on 590 KFNS in St. Louis tonight at 11pm CST, so tune in if you're in the area. If not, you can always listen online.
Rangers Acquire Jason Grilli
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan the Rangers acquired pitcher Jason Grilli from the Rockies. He was designated for assignment on Friday after allowing more than two baserunners per frame over the course of 19.1 innings with the Rockies. Grilli, who did strike out 22 batters, was obtained for cash considerations.
The Rangers have been looking for relievers, and while they're likely not finished, this move gives them depth. Yet another reason to follow MLBTR on Twitter: we reported speculation about this move on Twitter yesterday.
Bullpen Roundup: Who Should Rays Get; Is Rauch Out In Arizona?
While Tampa Bay is still reeling from another loss due to a faulty bullpen, R.J. Anderson of DRaysBay.com has some suggested additions to the beleaguered group.
- Winston Abreu, currently dominating at Triple-A Durham, could simply be called up.
- Jason Grilli, recently designated for assignment by the Rockies, could be had for nothing.
- Joel Hanrahan, recently taken out of the closer's role by Washington, would require a trade.
Considering that Grant Balfour, Joe Nelson and Dan Wheeler all have ERAs of 5.50 or higher, some fresh arms in the Tampa Bay bullpen would certainly be welcome.
Meanwhile, a less-treasured member of a major-league bullpen is Jon Rauch, who had a closed-door meeting with manager A.J. Hinch after Saturday night's game.
Rauch is still only utilized in low-leverage situations, and it seems he's worn out his welcome in Arizona. But his ERA dropped from 9.31 in April to 3.46 in May, and he's pitched two scoreless innings so far in June.
Whether the Rays, desperately seeking saves, and Rauch, America's tallest reliever, get together remains to be seen. No smoke here yet, let alone fire, but this seems like a natural connection to make.
Rockies DFA Grilli
According to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post the Rockies designated pitcher Jason Grilli for assignment to make room for reliever Matt Daley. Grilli has an unusual line so far this year. In 19.1 innings he has 22 strikeouts, but he's allowing over two baserunners per inning.
Rockies Avoid Arb With Buchholz, Grilli, Barmes
According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies avoided arbitration with Taylor Buchholz ($1.055MM plus $40K in incentives), Jason Grilli ($800K), and Clint Barmes ($1.625MM). The case of Garrett Atkins remains unresolved.
Rockies Acquire Jason Grilli, Jorge de la Rosa
The Rockies and Tigers made a swap today. The Rockies get 31 year-old pitcher Jason Grilli, while the Tigers receive 22 year-old pitcher Zach Simons.
Grilli has served as a mop-up man for the Tigers the past two years, eating bullpen innings at a mediocre ERA. The Rox may have been drawn to his typically decent groundball rates.
Simons appears to be a long shot to reach the bigs; he wasn’t among the Rockies’ top 30 prospects.
The Rox also completed their long-rumored deal for lefty Jorge de la Rosa. He’ll jump right into the rotation. The 27 year-old is an interesting arm when healthy.