Minor Moves: Buckner, Harden, Cedeno
Today's minor moves..
- Right-hander Billy Buckner cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment by the Angels to Triple-A Salt Lake, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Buckner was designated for assignment by the Angels last Thursday.
- Rich Harden asked for and was granted his release from the Twins organization, tweets Dustin Morse, Director of Baseball Communications and Player Relations for the club. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets Harden's contract contained an opt-out date of July 31, if he wasn't placed on the 25-man roster by then.
- The Astros announced that they have released shortstop Ronny Cedeno. He will be free to sign with another club once he clears unconditional release waivers tomorrow. Cedeno, who was designated for assignment last week, was hitting .220/.260/.298 in 155 plate appearances for Houston.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
AL Notes: Blue Jays, Astros, Loe
Former Expos and Orioles GM Jim Beattie, who's now a pro scout for the Blue Jays, says the Jays are looking for help at second base and in their bullpen, Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network notes. "We’re always looking for pitching depth in the bullpen and our situation at second place is a little unsettled," Beattie says. "We have two guys (Emilio Bonifacio and Maicer Izturis) there but they’re not everyday guys." Here are more notes from the American League.
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow explains the rationale that led the team to replace Jed Lowrie with Tyler Greene, and then to replace Greene with Ronny Cedeno, Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle reports. "When the Cardinals released Ronny Cedeno, he was a player that we had targeted during the offseason. But we had Lowrie most of the offseason, so we weren't aggressive," says Luhnow. "When (Cedeno) became available, we went back to our original plan, which was to try and get him in here." The Cardinals signed Cedeno in late January, while the Astros did not trade Lowrie (to the Athletics) until early February.
- Reliever Kameron Loe is hoping to stay with the Mariners, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes. The Mariners need to decide by Tuesday whether to open a roster spot for Loe, or the non-roster pitcher could exercise an out clause in his contract. "I hope we can work something out," Loe says. "I really like it here." Loe posted a 4.61 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 68 1/3 innings for the Brewers in 2012.
Astros Sign Ronny Cedeno
The Astros have officially signed Ronny Cedeno to a one-year Major League contract, the team announced via press release Sunday morning. The Praver/Shapiro client was released by the Cardinals last week.
After the Astros' February trade of Jed Lowrie to the Athletics, Tyler Greene and Marwin Gonzalez top the organization's depth chart at shortstop, but neither has been impressive this spring. Cedeno also plays second base, although Jose Altuve is entrenched there.
Cedeno hit .259/.332/.410 in 78 games for the Mets last season. He has also played for the Pirates, Mariners and Cubs. After losing Nate Freiman to the Athletics, the Astros have space for Cedeno on their 40-man roster.
MLB.com's Brian McTaggart first reported that the two sides were nearing a deal and also was the first to report the deal was completed.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
NL Central Notes: Figgins, Cedeno, Wainwright, Bucs
Some news from around the NL Central…
- The Cubs haven't been in contact with Chone Figgins, ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers reports. Figgins was released by the Marlins earlier this week and, as Rogers notes, is one of the few veteran options available if the Cubs want to bring in a third baseman.
- Ronny Cedeno has cleared waivers after being released by the Cardinals three days ago, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter).
- Chris Cwik of CBSSports.com analyzes the cost of an Adam Wainwright extension with the Cardinals and figures Wainwright will end up being paid between $21-$23.5MM per season. Talks are ongoing between Wainwright and the Cards and the ace right-hander feels positive that an extension will be settled before Opening Day. Wainwright is eligible for free agency after this season.
- Jonathan Sanchez can opt out of his minor league deal with the Pirates on Sunday if he hasn't been added to the club's Major League roster, but the Bucs have until Tuesday to respond, MLB.com's Tom Singer reports. Sanchez's one-year contract will guarantee him $1.375MM if he makes the roster.
- Also from Singer, he opines that the Pirates' trade for John McDonald is the kind of veteran acquisition a team makes when it believes it will contend. Otherwise, Singer wonders why Pittsburgh would add McDonald to an already-deep middle infield mix.
Cardinals Release Ronny Cedeno
The Cardinals released shortstop Ronny Cedeno, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Twitter links). Cedeno signed a non-guaranteed deal worth $1.2MM before Spring Training.
Cedeno played for the Mets last year, appearing in 78 games, mostly as a middle infielder. The 30-year-old posted a .259/.332/.410 batting line in 186 plate appearances with New York. He earned $1.2MM in 2012 and drew interest from multiple teams this past offseason.
Matt Adams has an excellent chance of making the Cardinals' bench now, as Goold notes. Daniel Descalso figures to back up Pete Kozma at shortstop and Ty Wigginton will provide depth at the corner positions.
National League Notes: Cedeno, Diamondbacks, Mets
Three years ago this time a memorable rumor made its way onto the pages of MLBTR, as ESPN reported the possibility of a Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols swap. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. quickly dismissed the report that the Phillies had talked internally about the idea, saying "I don't know who you're talking to, but that's a lie." It’s rare for such an exciting rumor to circulate during Spring Training, so it generated lots of discussion. Ultimately the rumors quieted down and the deal never materialized. Here are some National League notes for Friday morning…
- It's possible the Cardinals will release Ronny Cedeno and keep Matt Adams on the Opening Day roster, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com writes. Keeping Cedeno would give the Cardinals a backup shortstop, but they could instead choose to rely on Daniel Descalso.
- GM Kevin Towers is optimistic that the Diamondbacks' young starters will pitch better in 2013 after obtaining some MLB experience in 2012, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes. Towers also expects the addition of Brandon McCarthy and the strength of the team's bullpen will help the rotation.
- Some MLB evaluators aren’t fully convinced that Mets catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud warrants the attention he’s getting, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports. “He’s 24 and hasn’t played in the big leagues yet,” one executive said. “Where was Yadi at 24? Where was Buster Posey at 24?” The Mets acquired d’Arnaud for R.A. Dickey in December.
Cardinals Notes: Kozma, Cedeno, Wainwright
Earlier today the Cardinals announced a five-year, $31MM extension for Allen Craig that buys out up to two of the 28-year-old’s free agent seasons. Here are some more notes related to the Cardinals, who learned this week that shortstop Rafael Furcal will have to undergo Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow…
- Furcal’s injury isn’t disastrous, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. As long as Pete Kozma can provide acceptable defense until the trade market develops, the Cardinals should be fine. The team’s internal projections didn’t expect more than 100 starts from Furcal in 2013, according to Strauss.
- The early returns on Ronny Cedeno are “less than glowing,” according to Strauss, who notes that Cedeno’s $1.2MM contract is not guaranteed.
- The Cardinals remain apart on years and dollars in extension talks with Adam Wainwright, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Mozeliak expressed optimism about the discussions, telling Stark "I feel good about where we're headed but we'll see."
Cardinals To Sign Ronny Cedeno
3:53pm: The deal guarantees Cedeno $1.15MM and includes $850K in performance bonuses, Rosenthal reports (on Twitter).
2:55pm: The Cardinals have agreed to sign Ronny Cedeno to a one-year, Major League contract, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
Cedeno played for the Mets last year, appearing in 78 games, mostly as a middle infielder. The 29-year-old posted a .259/.332/.410 batting line in 186 plate appearances with New York. He earned $1.2MM, and has earned between $1-2MM in each of the last three seasons. Multiple teams expressed interest in Cedeno, but the identity of other interested teams remains unknown.
Rafael Furcal projects as St. Louis' starting shortstop, but he could miss the start of the season due to an elbow injury. Pete Kozma provides St. Louis with an internal alternative at the position.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com first reported the Cardinals' interest and that the sides were nearing a deal.
Cardinals Interested In Ronny Cedeno
MONDAY: It appears that Cedeno is headed to the Cardinals, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
FRIDAY: The Cardinals are one of many teams interested in shortstop Ronny Cedeno, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. It's been a quiet offseason for Cedeno, at least based on recent reports.
Cedeno played for the Mets last year, appearing in 78 games, mostly as a middle infielder. The 29-year-old posted a .259/.332/.410 batting line in 186 plate appearances with New York. He earned $1.2MM, and has earned between $1-2MM in each of the last three seasons.
Rafael Furcal projects as St. Louis' starting shortstop, but he could miss the start of the season due to an elbow injury. Pete Kozma provides St. Louis with an internal alternative at the position.
Mets Sign Ronny Cedeno
The Mets have announced the signing of free agent shortstop Ronny Cedeno. The one-year deal is worth $1.2MM and includes several incentives. Peter E. Greenberg & Associates represents Cedeno, who figures to provide depth behind Ruben Tejada in New York.
The Pirates declined Cedeno's option earlier this offseason, after he posted a .249/.297/.339 line in 454 plate appearances. The 28-year-old posted a strong 6.8 UZR/150 at shortstop this past season, though his career mark of -1.6 UZR/150 is slightly below average. The Red Sox and Pirates were linked to Cedeno earlier this offseason, while the Mets had interest in free agents such as Jack Wilson and Ryan Theriot.
ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reported last week that the two sides were close to a deal, with Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com adding the contract details (both Twitter links).