Mariners Rumors

AL West Notes: Ackley, Braden, Weaver

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 17, 2011 at 7:20pm CDT

It's still a little early to be thinking about trades, but the Mariners are contemplating a big mid-season addition nonetheless. Here's the latest…

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times hears that the Mariners aren't in a rush to promote Dustin Ackley, though they like what they've seen from him at the plate. Baker says the Mariners don't want to risk paying Ackley for four years of arbitration when his glove isn't ready. Despite Ackley's hitting, they don't feel he's ready defensively.
Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner hears that the Mariners could call on Ackley as soon as tomorrow. The hot-hitting prospect homered today and the Mariners aren't worried about the possibility that Ackley will qualify for super two status, according to Cameron. Ackley would have a good chance at qualifying for arbitration four times if he gets the call tomorrow and stays in the Majors.
Dallas Braden underwent successful surgery to repair a torn capsule in his left shoulder, the A’s announced. The left-hander is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
As Tom Verducci of SI.com explains, Angels ace Jered Weaver has become a strikeout pitcher in spite of his "pipe cleaner legs" and 90 mph fastball. Weaver could double his $7.365MM salary in 2012 thanks to those strikeout numbers, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes explained in detail earlier this month.

Mariners Release Milton Bradley

By Tim Dierkes | May 16, 2011 at 12:45pm CDT

MAY 16th: The Mariners released Bradley, tweets Ryan Divish of The News Tribune. He's now a free agent, to no one's surprise.

MAY 9th: The Mariners designated left fielder Milton Bradley for assignment and recalled outfielder Carlos Peguero, reports MLB.com's Greg Johns. In the likely event the Ms eventually release Bradley, they'll have to eat over $9MM in salary. Johns tweets GM Jack Zduriencik's explanation: "We felt Milton was not part of our future and not part of our present. Therefore, the move was made."

The Mariners shook up the roster a bit today, designating veterans Bradley and Ryan Langerhans to make room for youngsters Peguero and Mike Wilson. Bradley, 33, hit .209/.298/.351 in 393 plate appearances for the Mariners since he was acquired from the Cubs for Carlos Silva and $9MM in December of '09. Essentially the Mariners took on Bradley for two years and $5MM in that bad contract swap.

Bradley's time with Seattle was tumultuous, with a benching, multiple ejections, time on the restricted list for counseling, arthroscopic knee surgery, and an arrest for making a criminal threat.

Mariners Claim Jeff Gray

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 13, 2011 at 1:18pm CDT

The Mariners claimed Jeff Gray off of waivers from the White Sox, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). The White Sox designated the right-hander for assignment earlier in the week. Seattle has yet to announce a corresponding move.

Gray, 29, had pitched 13 1/3 innings for the White Sox this year, with 4.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. He has a 4.36 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 53 2/3 career innings with the Athletics, Cubs and White Sox.

AL West Notes: Langerhans, Bedard, Rangers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 11, 2011 at 5:20pm CDT

The versatile Howie Kendrick has kept the Angels' offense afloat despite injuries and poor performance from key players. The Angels rank 10th in MLB in runs scored and, more importantly, are atop their division with a 21-16 record. Here's the latest on their AL West rivals…

Ryan Langerhans cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Tacoma, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). Seattle designated him for assignment Monday.
Stone reflects on the trade that sent Erik Bedard to Seattle for Chris Tillman, Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Kam Mickolio and others. Stone's conclusion three years later: a bad Mariners trade isn't quite as bad as it once seemed.
Earlier tonight, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark noted that Bedard could be a trade chip again this summer (though the return would be considerably less impressive this time).
Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that though Texas is "not playing real well," he doesn't want to make an irrational knee-jerk move. The Rangers believe in their team, but are considering ways of making it better, including possible call ups, according to Daniels.

Stark On Pirates, Royals, Bedard, K-Rod

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 11, 2011 at 4:15pm CDT

Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that he wants “to fight that mentality of, 'We're .500, so we're really on our way.'" Huntington points out that it takes years to develop an elite team and an elite farm system and says one season of .500 ball isn't going to satisfy the Pittsburgh front office. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors from around the league:

People in the game suggest the Royals' decision to call Eric Hosmer up early may mean they intend to compete in the AL Central this year. Stark hears that the Royals will have money to spend in July if necessary (remember that Gil Meche retired instead of collecting the $12MM he was scheduled to earn).
The Royals believe Triple-A pitchers Danny Duffy and Mike Montgomery are nearly MLB-ready, so GM Dayton Moore may talk about moving Kyle Davies and Jeff Francis within a few weeks. The Royals probably wouldn't get much for Davies, but Francis could draw interest.
Erik Bedard could be an attractive trade chip this summer, but one NL executive says the left-hander needs to “prove he can log innings.” Tim Dierkes suggested a month ago that Bedard could have lots of appeal at the deadline.
Left-hander Randy Flores can opt out of his minor league deal on Sunday if the Padres don't call him up from Triple-A. Cory Luebke is the lone left-hander in the Padres' 'pen at the moment, so they could consider calling on Flores instead of cutting him loose.
Teams are still skeptical of Francisco Rodriguez, despite his 10 saves and 1.10 ERA. K-Rod has walked 10 of the 73 batters he has faced (16 1/3 innings).
Stark points out that it's been a while since Giants GM Brian Sabean made win-now midseason trades that cost him top prospects.

Quick Hits: Indians, Mariners, Orioles

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 10, 2011 at 9:28pm CDT

Another round of links after a memorable duel between Cy Young candidates Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson in Miami…

Indians manager Manny Acta told Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com that he doesn’t hold anything against the people who predicted that the Indians would finish at the bottom of the AL Central standings (Twitter link). "The people who picked against us are the same people who picked us to win in 2008,” he said. “It's understandable."
In honor of Milton Bradley, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times looks at some noteworthy contracts the Mariners have had to swallow in the past.
The Orioles signed outfielder/first baseman Darryl Crosier to a minor league deal, according to Steve Gould of the Baltimore Sun. Director of player development Tripp Norton and scout Dean Albany watched Crosier play earlier in the month.

Milton Bradley DFA Reaction

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 9, 2011 at 5:20pm CDT

The Mariners designated Milton Bradley for assignment today, putting the future of the 33-year-old former All-Star in doubt. He's talented, but he's not hitting, as his .218/.313/.356 line shows. And though he says the right things at times, he causes trouble, as you might expect for a player who has been with eight organizations this decade. Here's the latest reaction to the move:

"We felt Milton was not part of our future and not part of our present. Therefore, the move was made," GM Jack Zduriencik explained, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns.
Yahoo's Tim Brown suggests Bradley might finally get peace and quiet – but lose the opportunity to play Major League baseball.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times points out that for all of Bradley's shortcomings and frustrating behavior, he's human.
Let's hear your reaction to the move in the comments section.

Heyman On Wheeler, Reyes, Martin, Reds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 9, 2011 at 4:30pm CDT

Now that top prospects Eric Hosmer and Jose Iglesias are in the majors, Jon Heyman of SI.com examines the minors’ top prospects. Mariners infield prospect Dustin Ackley, the second overall pick behind Stephen Strasburg two years ago, is "over-rated'' and without a clear defensive position in the opinion on one NL executive. Here’s Heyman’s latest from around the league:

The Giants and Mets don’t appear to be talking about Jose Reyes at the moment, but the rumors won’t stop until the calendar flips to August or another team acquires the shortstop. Heyman hears from one person who believes the Mets would “have to” send Reyes to San Francisco if they could get pitching prospect Zack Wheeler in return.
MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes suggested Wheeler as a possible target for the Mets last week.
In off-field news, Heyman reports that the Mets are getting more interest than expected from buyers interested in a minority stake in the team.
The Rangers hope Cuban outfield prospect Leonys Martin, who signed last week, can help them in 2011.
The Reds were among the teams that bid on Martin, according to Heyman.

Mariners Designate Ryan Langerhans For Assignment

By Tim Dierkes | May 9, 2011 at 11:41am CDT

The Mariners announced they've designated Ryan Langerhans for assignment to make room for outfielder Mike Wilson, tweets ESPN 710's Shannon Drayer.

Langerhans, 31, hit .173/.317/.346 in 64 plate appearances for the Mariners this year after re-signing on a minor league deal in December. Langerhans is no stranger to the DFA, as this is the third time in his career. Other candidates to be removed from the roster, such as Milton Bradley and Chris Ray, live to see another day.

Mariners Must Clear 40-Man Roster Spot

By Tim Dierkes | May 9, 2011 at 7:45am CDT

27-year-old outfielder Mike Wilson is off to a blazing start for the Tacoma Raniers, with a .381/.429/.683 line in 70 plate appearances. He'll be called up to the Mariners before Tuesday's game in Baltimore, reports Ryan Divish of The News Tribune. Since he's not on the 40-man roster, the Mariners will need to clear a spot.

Divish ran through players who could be removed from the 40-man, and came up with minor leaguers Edward Paredes and Yoervis Medina as well as Mariners Chris Ray, Milton Bradley, and Ryan Langerhans. It's time to end the Bradley experiment, writes Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner. In the opinion of Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, it will down to Ray or Langerhans.

Releasing Bradley would require eating the remainder of his contract. He has just under $9.5MM remaining on the deal he signed with the Cubs in January of '09. Bradley has a .209/.298/.351 line in 393 plate appearances for the Mariners since the beginning of the 2010 season.

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