Arias, Zawadzki Clear Waivers
The Royals announced that they outrighted Joaquin Arias and Lance Zawadzki to Triple-A Omaha after the two infielders cleared waivers. Kansas City recently designated Arias and Zawadzki for assignment to create roster space. The Royals’ 40-man roster remains full.
The Rangers acquired Arias in the 2004 Alfonso Soriano–Alex Rodriguez trade. The Royals claimed him from the Mets after New York obtained him from the Rangers in the Jeff Francoeur deal. Arias did have a solid 2008 campaign as a reserve for the Rangers, but this year he hit just .258/.280/.320 between the Rangers and Mets. The 26-year-old is not yet arbitration eligible.
The Royals had claimed Zawadzki from the Padres in November. The 25-year-old appeared in 20 games for San Diego in May and June. He spent most of the season in the upper minors, where he played second, third and short and batted .225/.291/.316.
Royals Designate Joaquin Arias For Assignment
The Royals designated Joaquin Arias for assignment on Sunday, according to MLB.com's transactions page.
The 26-year-old utility infielder has been well-traveled of late, having been traded from the Rangers to the Mets in the August deal that sent Jeff Francoeur to Texas. The Royals then selected him off waivers in November before designating him for assignment.
Arias was once a touted prospect, going from the Yankees to the Rangers in the Alex Rodriguez swap. He has struggled with the bat, however, in limited action in the bigs (.276/.314/.362 in 275 plate appearances).
Royals Claim Joaquin Arias
The Royals claimed Joaquin Arias off of waivers from the Mets. New York acquired Arias from the Rangers in the Jeff Francoeur trade after the Rangers designated the infielder for assignment in August.
The Rangers acquired Arias in the 2004 Alfonso Soriano–Alex Rodriguez trade. He did have a solid 2008 campaign as a reserve for the Rangers, but this year he hit just .258/.280/.320 between the Rangers and Mets. The 26-year-old is not yet arbitration eligible.
Rangers Designate Joaquin Arias For Assignment
The Rangers designated Joaquin Arias for assignment to make room for Alex Cora, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Rangers acquired Arias after they obtained Alfonso Soriano for Alex Rodriguez in 2004. According to this report from Jim Callis of Baseball America, the Rangers could have selected Robinson Cano instead of Arias as the player to be named in the trade.
Arias has a .276/.290/.347 line in 101 plate appearances this season. The 25-year-old had a solid 2008 campaign as a reserve for the Rangers, but hasn't hit much in Texas. The Rangers replace him with Cora, who signed with the team last week after a disappointing start to the season with the Mets.
Odds & Ends: Davis, Cano, Athletics, Pirates
As today's games try to top Ubaldo Jimenez's no-hitter and the Mets' marathon victory, let's browse a few links….
- The Astros will likely make a roster room to clear the way for Lance Berkman's return, tweets Alyson Footer of MLB.com.
- A Mets official told Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated that the club has to "win now" (link goes to Twitter). Earlier today, Mike Jacobs was DFA'd in a move that could clear space for Ike Davis.
- Benjamin Kabak at River Ave. Blues looks back at the Alfonso Soriano–for-Alex Rodriguez trade, and how the Rangers had the opportunity to select Robinson Cano as a second player in the deal. Instead, they chose Joaquin Arias. Think they regret that one?
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post lists ten players and managers who are on the hot seat two weeks into the 2010 season, with Jerry Manuel and Dave Trembley earning the top two spots. Mike Puma of the New York Post writes that Mets' players have jumped to Manuel's defense, while Bill Madden of the New York Daily News thinks that Orioles' players have given up on Trembley.
- With Michael Wuertz nearly ready to come off the DL, the Athletics will have to clear a roster spot for him. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle runs down a few of the players whose status could be in jeopary, including the recently acquired Edwar Ramirez and the out-of-options Chad Gaudin.
- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic examines the Pirates' organization in search of pitchers with ace potential.
- In a mailbag, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer defends the Indians' signings of supposed "marginal, aging players." He also notes that if the Indians end up losing the Cliff Lee deal, they have no one to blame but themselves, since they scouted many of the same Phillies prospects when they discussed a potential CC Sabathia trade in 2008.
- Fantasy baseball season is in full swing, and saves are at a premium as always. Don't forget to follow @closernews to keep up with the ever-changing late-inning scenarios in Major League Baseball!
Khalil Greene Will Not Report To Rangers’ Camp
5:15pm: Club officials say there is a one-hundred percent probability that Greene's replacement will be internal, according to Sullivan (via Twitter).
4:58pm: Rangers officials say they have no interest in Lopez, tweets MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
10:58am: Infielder Khalil Greene "will not be joining the team and will not report to spring training camp," according to a statement from the Rangers. They'll leave the door open for Greene, who signed for $750K as a free agent in January after missing much of '09 with social anxiety disorder. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that "options on Greene could include the restricted list and voiding his contract."
According to another Grant tweet, the Rangers will give Joaquin Arias a longer look for a utility role. The 25-year-old, who came to the Rangers in '04 as part of the Alex Rodriguez deal, didn't hit much in his second Triple A stint. Though he had shoulder surgery a few years back, Arias could still be a plus defender. Also, he's out of options.
Grant also tweets that the Rangers reached out to Felipe Lopez and are surveying the thin free agent market. They've got Esteban German around as a non-roster invite, but lost Joe Inglett to a Brewers waiver claim in January.
Royals Slightly Reducing Payroll
Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star writes that the Royals would like to leave themselves some wiggle room for in-season financial flexibility. As such, they're likely to enter the 2010 season with a payroll in the $66MM-$67MM range, as opposed to last season's $70.5MM payroll. Dutton quotes general manager Dayton Moore:
“I think we can be better positioned to improve our team for 2010 and into the future if we have more flexibility… That may be as simple as being more aggressive in the draft or being more aggressive internationally to build our farm system. And, certainly, it allows us the flexibility to make a deal to take on some money when necessary. I just think it makes more sense right now.”
The Royals currently have $50.4MM allocated to Jose Guillen, Gil Meche, Zack Greinke, David DeJesus, Kyle Farnsworth, Juan Cruz, Joakim Soria, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Willie Bloomquist. They have eight more players eligible for arbitration, although Mike Jacobs, John Buck, and John Bale are all non-tender candidates after disappointing 2009 campaigns. All of this projects to about $63MM before the Royals can even think about making moves.
They'd obviously love to be free of Guillen's $12MM owed in 2010, but much like Farnsworth ($4.5MM) and Cruz ($3.25MM), he'll be tough to move after a poor 2009. Meche could be moved as well – he's owed $24MM over the next two seasons – but his salary and injuries in 2009 will likely mean a poor return in any trade. They'll listen on DeJesus, but the Royals would miss his strong defense and solid bat and would like a replacement in any deal..
Alberto Callaspo may be the club's sole appealing trade chip. Kansas City hopes that Callaspo's strong offensive skills and the fact that he's not even eligible for arbitration will outweigh his defensive woes and yield a catcher or center fielder.
The Royals remain interested in Erik Bedard, Ivan Rodriguez, and Scott Podsednik, but it's tough to imagine them having the cash for those three without making some moves first. Any future GMs out there have some insight as to how Dayton Moore could free up the payroll to make it happen?
Rangers Rumors: Andruw Jones, Joaquin Arias
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has a few Rangers rumors tonight.
- Aside from Gary Sheffield, the Phillies have interest in Rangers outfielder Andruw Jones. Sullivan says the Phils "have been scouting Jones extensively this spring."
- Also, having unloaded Jeff Keppinger, the Reds are looking for utility infield help. One person of interest is Rangers shortstop Joaquin Arias. Arias, who came to Texas in the Alex Rodriguez trade, has strong defensive tools and may yet establish himself as a regular according to Baseball America.
- In another post, Sullivan says reliever Derrick Turnbow has decided to accept his assignment to Triple A Oklahoma.
Odds and Ends: Garcia, Greene, DeJesus
With so many rumors, there’s a need for a daily Odds and Ends post to catch ’em all.
- Buster Olney talked to Freddy Garcia‘s agent. He’s looking at a June return from shoulder surgery.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro made an offer on Brad Lidge. The Astros didn’t even reply. They did hear back from the Marlins on their Miguel Cabrera inquiry. The price is seemingly too high for talks to continue. Peter Gammons says that before the Astros got Michael Bourn, the White Sox pushed for a Chad Qualls for Ryan Sweeney swap.
- Evan Grant notes that the Rangers have discussed trading shortstop Joaquin Arias to the Royals for Joey Gathright. They’ve also talked to the Brewers about Tony Gwynn Jr. GM Jon Daniels needs to have options if he can’t afford Torii Hunter or the other free agents. Grant adds that the Rangers have already been in touch with Kerry Wood.
- Jose Guillen declined his $5MM option with the Mariners – that’s no surprise. So far the Royals have expressed interest.
- Khalil Greene is under the Padres’ control through 2009, but his salary is going to jump significantly in arbitration for the ’08 and ’09 seasons. The Padres want to sign him to a multiyear deal, perhaps buying out one year of free agency. GM Kevin Towers is also posturing that he might use Scott Hairston as the regular center fielder next year, which seems a stretch. Also, Geoff Jenkins is on Towers’ radar.
- Ed Wade and the Astros have asked the Marlins about Dontrelle Willis. However the ‘Stros probably do not have the goods.’
- One way or another, the Marlins will ditch Miguel Olivo. They hope to bring Yorvit Torrealba aboard, which would take an offer better than two years, $6MM. The Mets, Brewers, and Blue Jays also like Torrealba. The Marlins are serious about upgrading behind the plate and will spend some money to do so.
- Jorge Posada seems set on testing the market, which never bodes well for the incumbent team.
- David DeJesus is a hot commodity as an affordable center fielder, but Dayton Moore expects to hang onto him. Maybe he’ll change his mind once some big names are off the board.
Rangers Rumors: DeJesus, Lamb, Millar
Evan Grant writes for the Dallas Morning News, but he posted this column at night. Go figure. He’s got some new info regarding the Rangers.
- As you know, the Rangers have had difficulty finding a long-term center fielder. That’s the main focus of this offseason. The team has already shown interest in Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand, the top center fielders available. Other free agents such as Andruw Jones and Mike Cameron appear to be in play as well. Grant’s trade candidates: Coco Crisp, David DeJesus, Mark Kotsay, and Carlos Beltran. We’ve speculated on DeJesus to Atlanta in the past. With DeJesus signed cheaply through 2011 and the market at the position robust this winter, it might make sense for Dayton Moore to wait a year to shop him aggressively.
- Grant adds that Jon Daniels is considering some affordable options for first base. They’ve already talked to Mike Lamb‘s agent and like Kevin Millar as well. Lamb came up through the Rangers’ system but was traded to the Yankees in ’04. Millar is under contract for ’08 but it’s in the $3-4MM range and the Orioles should be open to a trade. Grant says Ben Broussard could pique the Rangers’ interest if he’s non-tendered.
- Grant concludes with five Rangers whose names will be bandied about in trade talks: Gerald Laird, Vicente Padilla, Joaquin Arias, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Nelson Cruz. Salty’s not being shopped but Grant expects teams to ask. He proposes some kind of bad contract swap for Padilla – Jason Giambi, Richie Sexson, or Adam Eaton are named. I still think it’s funny the way Padilla crawled away from the brawl he started this year.