Padres Designate Mark Hamburger For Assignment
The Padres have designated right-hander Mark Hamburger for assignment, according to a team press release. In a corresponding move, Jeremy Hermida was activated from the 60-day DL and sent to Triple-A Tucson.
Hamburger was picked up off waivers last month after being DFA'ed by the Rangers and had a 7.50 ERA in 12 innings for Triple-A Tucson. The righty has a career 3.99 ERA and 8.1 K/9 rate in 198 minor league games, and had a five-game cup of coffee with the Rangers last season.
West Links: Angels, Schierholtz, Rangers, Quentin
Here is the latest from baseball's two West divisions…
- "We have nothing significant or imminent at this time. We're just doing our due diligence," said Angels GM Jerry Dipoto to reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times) today (Twitter link). Check out today's Angels rumors right here.
- Although he has not officially requested a trade, Nate Schierholtz indicated to Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle that he is ready to move on to a team with that can offer a greater opportunity. "There's not one thing I can't say I love about this place, but I think I've come to the realization that maybe I'm not their guy. I'm not in the cards having a future here," said the Giants outfielder.
- The Rangers are focused on Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke, but Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com hears that the team's long-shot backup plan involves trading for Cliff Lee again. Lee's contract is an obstacle, plus the Phillies indicated that they're not looking to move their veteran lefty ace.
- Scott Miller of CBSSports.com hears that the Padres may keep Carlos Quentin and try to re-sign him after the season. The Reds, Indians, Pirates, and Marlins have all inquired about his availability.
Bowden On Padres, Tigers, Indians, Royals, Pirates
Here's the latest from around the league, courtesy of ESPN's Jim Bowden…
- The Padres have fielded offers for both Huston Street and Carlos Quentin, but they've yet to seriously debate any of them internally.
- The Tigers are seeking a second base upgrade and would like to acquire Darwin Barney from the Cubs for a mid-level prospect.
- The Indians are looking all over to acquire an outfield bat, but they are unable to take back a significant contract and are unwilling to move their best prospects.
- Meanwhile, the Royals are trying to convince the Indians or Reds to take Jeff Francoeur so they can promote Wil Myers from Triple-A.
- The Pirates are aggressively trying to land a middle of the order bat while the Orioles are seeking starting pitching and a third base upgrade.
- There have been rumors of a Mike Morse for B.J. Upton trade, according to Bowden. The Nationals are also looking to add a starter with Stephen Strasburg's innings limit approaching.
- The Giants have no plans of making a deal similar to the one they made last year, when they traded Zack Wheeler for a rental (Carlos Beltran). They are looking for a bat or two, however.
Competitive Balance Lottery Results
Baseball’s first Competitive Balance Lottery took place in New York City today. The lottery, which allocates additional draft picks to small-market and low-revenue teams, provides teams with draft choices they can choose to use or trade. The Diamondbacks, Orioles, Indians, Royals, Athletics, Pirates, Padres, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers and Cardinals were eligible to obtain draft picks. The Tigers were also eligible, though only for the group of selections that takes place after the second round. Here are the results, via MLB.com:
Selections Between First & Second Rounds (Round A)
- Royals
- Pirates
- Diamondbacks
- Orioles
- Reds
- Marlins
Selections After Second Round (Round B)
- Padres
- Indians
- Rockies
- Athletics
- Brewers
- Tigers
The Rays and Cardinals did not receive a pick in either of the Competitive Balance Lottery Rounds.
Tigers, White Sox, Orioles Asked About Richard
The Tigers, White Sox and Orioles checked in on Padres left-hander Clayton Richard, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). All three American League teams are known to be seeking starting pitching depth.
Richard, 28, has a 3.83 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in an NL-best 127 innings this year. He earns $2.7MM in 2012 and will remain under team control as an arbitration eligible player through 2014. He has a career ERA of 4.12 with 6.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in five seasons with the White Sox and Padres.
Padres GM Josh Byrnes figures to get calls on players such as Richard, Edinson Volquez and Chase Headley, but all three players are under team control past 2012. One team said the Padres' asking price for Headley is the highest market price, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported on Twitter today.
Competitive Balance Lottery Takes Place Today
Baseball’s first Competitive Balance Lottery takes place today, when small-market and low-revenue teams will have the chance to win extra selections in next year’s amateur draft. The ten smallest-market teams and ten lowest-revenue teams will have the chance to win extra selections in 2013, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
There’s overlap between small-market teams and low-revenue teams, so there are 13 clubs involved in the first-round lottery: the Diamondbacks, Orioles, Indians, Royals, Athletics, Pirates, Padres, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers and Cardinals. The first six selections will be made between the first and second rounds of next year’s draft. A second group of six picks will be available to the teams from the first group that didn’t get an early pick, plus the Tigers. The second group of selections will be made after the second round of the draft.
MLB teams can trade the draft picks they obtain in the Competitive Balance Lottery. The picks, which can only be traded once, cannot be sold or traded during the offseason. In theory, the draft picks could be involved in some of this summer’s deadline deals.
The lottery takes place today at 12:30pm CDT/1:30pm EDT in New York and the winners will be announced 75 minutes later. A team’s chances of winning depend on its winning percentage from the previous season.
Quick Hits: Dempster, Headley, Yankees, Greinke
Some interesting links of note as Roy Halladay, activated from the disabled list today, takes the mound for the first time since May 27 at Dodger Stadium …
- Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster is receptive to being traded and would prefer to go to a contender, with first the Dodgers and then the Braves topping his list of desired landing spots, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. There are are only a few teams to which he wouldn't accept a trade, adds Rosenthal.
- The Dodgers are considered the frontrunners to acquire Dempster, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, but the Cubs are doing their due diligence in exploring other suitors. Some officials are questioning whether Dempster would prefer to go to the NL West or the AL East, Olney adds (Twitter links).
- The Diamondbacks are interested in acquiring Padres third baseman Chase Headley, but strained relations between the organizations would make it difficult for them to strike a deal, tweets Olney.
- The Yankees could trade for a left fielder in the wake of Brett Gardner's most recent injury setback, tweets Olney, but they're not in a hurry to make a deal and would only do so if the right one presented itself.
- Some team executives are expressing concern over Zack Greinke's health after the Brewers' recent decision to skip his turn in the rotation, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- The Tigers, a team with a hefty payroll, have managed to qualify for MLB's new Competitive Balance Lottery, explains Jason Beck of MLB.com. It's an interesting read, especially if you're unfamiliar with this new wrinkle to the draft, which will begin next year.
NL West Notes: Headley, Quentin, Cuddyer
The Giants lead the NL West with a 49-40 record, but it doesn't sound as though they'll be particularly aggressive in trade talks this year (it won't be surprising if they trade for bullpen help). Still, there’s plenty of activity throughout the rest of the division with two weeks remaining in July. Here’s the latest…
- Six teams are discussing Chase Headley with the Padres, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter). The Dodgers, Pirates, Indians, Orioles and Diamondbacks are all believed to have some interest in Headley, who’s under team control through 2014.
- Though there’s lots of interest in Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin, nothing seems close yet, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- Michael Cuddyer has drawn trade interest from other teams, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. But the Rockies like Cuddyer and would have to eat a chunk of money to get the kind of players they'd want in return. A trade doesn't seem likely this summer.
- Here are the latest Justin Upton rumors.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Marlins, ChiSox, Headley, Orioles
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a bunch of new rumors for us today in a pair of videos. Let's round 'em up…
- Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria may soon be faced with the question about selling at the deadline, something he wanted to avoid in the first year of the club's new ballpark. The best thing they could do to improve their farm system likely involves trading guys like Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante, and the newly acquired Carlos Lee.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams always thinks big and it would not be surprising to see him get in on pitcher such as Zack Greinke. The problem is that his farm system doesn't have much to offer and they don't want to give up pieces off the big league roster while contending.
- The best guess right now has the Padres keeping Carlos Quentin and trading Chase Headley. Rosenthal says it's simple supply-and-demand; as many as ten teams have shown interest in the third baseman Headley. The team isn't sure they can get more for Quentin in a trade than they would by letting him walk as a free agent and recouping draft picks after the season.
- The Orioles are clearly buyers. They're willing to trade any prospect not named Dylan Bundy or Manny Machado, but they probably don't have enough to get Greinke. They do have interest in lesser arms like Joe Blanton and Jason Vargas, as well as leadoff man Juan Pierre.
- The Brewers could pit the Rangers and Angels against each other in the Greinke sweepstakes. Texas is unwilling to trade Mike Olt, Jurickson Profar, or Martin Perez for a rental, which could create an opening for the Halos if they're willing to deal Major League talent.
- The Phillies do not intend to trade Cliff Lee to create payroll room for Cole Hamels. If they do keep Hamels long-term, they could have $140MM tied up in just eight players going into next season.
Reds Interested In Mark Kotsay
Padres outfielder/first baseman Mark Kotsay is drawing interest from multiple clubs, including the Reds, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. However, the Padres value Kotsay's leadership and may keep him.
Kotsay, 36, has a .292/.370/.375 batting line in 81 plate appearances and a salary of just $1.25MM. The left-handed hitter could provide the Reds with late-game flexibility at a reasonable cost.
Cincinnati has also been linked to Juan Pierre, so the club appears to be eyeing low-cost outfielders who bat from the left side. I've speculated that Ryan Sweeney and Daniel Nava might also appeal to the Reds. For a detailed look at the trade market for outfielders click here.