Cafardo On Peavy, White Sox, Twins, Liriano, Rays
The Red Sox are struggling early on in the season, but no one in the American League East seems to be off to a hot start, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. However, as one American League GM said, "I will never comment on any team or even my own based on April. You just don’t get a fair assessment. You may get a snapshot of what you may be short on, or what you may have overevaluated. But even then, you have to be careful about making hasty decisions in April because there’s a long way to go." Here's more from Cafardo..
- White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy is back on some teams’ radars as a midseason acquisition after a strong start to the year. Scouts have been impressed with Peavy’s overall stuff and the fact that he is notching strikeouts and throwing 92-93 m.p.h. Peavy, 30, earns $17MM this season and the White Sox would likely have to take on a portion of what’s remaining if he’s dealt. However, he has a partial no-trade to eight teams and the White Sox may not part with him if they're still relevant in July.
- The Twins had some bites on Francisco Liriano this winter but didn’t pull the trigger. Because Minnesota probably won’t re-sign him, they're hoping to land a prospect or two for him at the trade deadline. He'll have to pitch better for that to happen, however.
- If the Rays pitching is clicking as expected, Wade Davis will be trade bait at some point this season. So far though, in his current role as long man, scouts love what they see.
A longtime National League scout who has been keeping an eye on the Rays this season says that the club could use another bullpen piece. - There has been some questioning of Blue Jays manager John Farrell’s pitching moves at times, according to a major league source.
- Cafardo asked Pedro Martinez whether he could pitch right now and he responded, "Not right now. I would need about 20 days."
- Cafardo is surprised that Ivan Rodriguez is retiring and one National League GM said that the veteran, "is probably better defensively right now than 75 percent of the catchers in the league."
Rosenthal On Oswalt, Cardinals, White Sox, Rays
Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- Teams are again reaching out to Roy Oswalt, including the Red Sox and Cardinals. The Red Sox's needs are obvious and the Cardinals' needs can grow depending on whether Chris Carpenter returns and if they decide to move Lance Lynn back to the bullpen. Oswalt, according to a source, is throwing bullpen sessions every other day.
- The White Sox might look at the trade deadline differently than they have in the past. The extra wild card could dissuade them from moving veterans but the new CBA could make them more inclined to trade potential free agents such as A.J. Pierzynski. It's extremely doubtful that they would extend the qualifying offer to the catcher in order to receive draft pick compensation as it could cost them $12MM. The Rays and Dodgers could both be potential landing spots for the veteran.
- The Rays spent the entire winter trying to upgrade their catching situation and it remains a work in progress. However, Tampa Bay was able to win 91 games without major production from the position last year and the club believes that they are better all-around than in 2011.
Quick Hits: Marlins, Galarraga, Rays, Rodriguez
Here's the latest from around the majors as the Rangers and Tigers start a four-game set in Detroit..
- The agent of right-hander Armando Galarraga recently reached out to Marlins skipper Ozzie Guillen to see if the club might have interest in signing him, writes Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald. "I've passed [the request] up the ladder," Guillen said. "We'll see what happens." Galarraga, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Orioles this spring, but was released after just four appearances.
- Rays skipper Joe Maddon is excited about the club's additon of outfielder/first baseman Brandon Allen, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Allen, 26, was claimed off of waivers from the A's earlier today.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo doesn't have any openings for Ivan Rodriguez to join the club as a coach but gave the retired catcher a ringing endorsement, tweets Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter) that a roster move may be necessary due to Jon Jay's shoulder injury.
Rays Claim Brandon Allen
The Rays claimed first baseman Brandon Allen off of waivers from the Athletics, his agency announced on Twitter. Both teams have confirmed that Allen has been claimed. The SFX client had been designated for assignment by the A's last week.
Allen, 26, has a .205/.291/.375 line in 274 career plate appearances with the Diamondbacks and Athletics. The left-handed hitting 2004 draft pick posted a .200/.277/.377 line in 195 MLB plate appearances last year, but has a .268/.355/.489 line in eight minor league seasons.
Minor Moves: Pendleton, Stange, Main, Canham
Here are the most recent minor moves, via Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus and Matt Eddy of Baseball America…
- The Rays have signed right-hander Lance Pendleton, reports Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). The 28-year-old posted a 6.75 ERA in 18 2/3 innings split between the Yankees and Astros last season.
- The Diamondbacks released right-hander Daniel Stange, Goldstein tweets. Stange, who pitched in the Majors in 2010, owns a 4.36 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in seven minor league seasons. Goldstein considered the 2006 seventh rounder a sleeper early on in his minor league career.
- The Marlins signed Michael Main, Goldstein tweets. Miami has listed the 2007 first rounder as an outfielder, though the Rangers drafted him as a right-handed pitcher. Main posted a 4.95 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 305 innings in the minor league systems of the Rangers and Giants.
- The Cardinals signed catcher Mitch Canham, Goldstein tweets. The Padres selected Canham in the supplemental first round back in 2007.
- The Orioles released former minor league closer Winston Abreu, Eddy tweets. The right-hander signed with the Mexico City Red Devils.
Minor Moves: Fossum, Johnson, Wells, Buschmann
We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here…
- The Orioles released left-hander Casey Fossum and catcher Josh Johnson, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. Both players were at Baltimore's extended Spring Training camp on minor league contracts.
- The White Sox have parted ways with Kip Wells, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The White Sox had signed the right-hander to a minor league deal ten days ago.
- The Rays acquired right-hander Matt Buschmann from the Nationals for cash and assigned their new acquisition to Double-A, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 28-year-old posted a 6.16 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 134 1/3 innings with the Padres' top affiliates last year. Buschmann has started 116 minor league games in six pro seasons.
Quick Hits: Twins, Thomas, Damon, Nationals, Rays
Saturday afternoon linkage..
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) notes that the Twins finally got Clete Thomas, years after they drafted him but were unable to sign him. Minnesota claimed Thomas off of waivers from the Tigers earlier today.
- Matt Klaassen of Fangraphs examines whether Johnny Damon is worth it for the Indians.
- Nationals manager Davey Johnson pushed for major changes to the bench this year and is happy with the outcome, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. This year's bench is clicking so far with the likes of Chad Tracy, Xavier Nady, and Mark DeRosa.
- The Rays signed Dominican shortstop Christian Toribio for $65K, according to a press release from the Dominican Prospect League. The DPL categorizes Toribio as an above average runner and a solid defender with enough arm strength and range to stick at the position.
Quick Hits: Royals, Teixeira, Wright, Rockies, Royals
On this day in 2000, the (Devil) Rays purchased Dwight Gooden from the Astros. Doc made eight starts with Tampa Bay before being released in May, allowing him to finish out his career in New York with the Yankees. Gooden obviously didn't replicate the numbers of his prime in this final season but did post a 4.71 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 for the three teams. Here's a look at tonight's links..
- The Royals have hope for the first time in a long time but they'll have to ramp up the spending to truly contend, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
- Teams continue to sign first basemen to long, expensive agreements despite mounting evidence that such deals are not very good ideas, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. It looks as though Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is in decline in the middle of his monster deal and even Todd Helton's team-friendly pact with the Rockies wound up looking like an overpay.
- In a piece for CapitalNewYork.com, Howard Megdal wonders if the Mets might be laying the PR groundwork to let David Wright walk at the end of this season. The Mets hold a $16MM option on the third baseman for 2013.
- Mike Fontenot could replace Pete Orr on the Phillies' bench as the utility man, but don't expect him to replace Freddy Galvis, writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News. The Phillies signed the 31-year-old infielder to a minor league deal earlier today.
- Mike Cameron signed a one-day deal with the Mariners today in order to retire with the club and though he may look to be a coach or instructor he vowed to never pursue a managerial career, tweets John Hickey of SportsPressNW.com.
Stark On Dodgers, Fielder, Rays, Braves
It’s tempting to assume the Dodgers will spend aggressively on free agents once new ownership is in place, but Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says it’s not that simple. Here are Stark’s latest rumors, starting in Los Angeles…
- Former Braves and Nationals president Stan Kasten, a key member of the Dodgers’ new leadership group, spent conservatively on outside free agents while in Atlanta, and the Nationals didn’t start spending aggressively until Kasten had moved on. Agents say spending lavishly on free agents is not Kasten’s style.
- Longtime Braves GM John Schuerholz "wouldn't be surprised" if the Dodgers spend big here and there, but he doesn’t expect splashy signings to become habitual.
- For the first time ever, no MLB team has a payroll below $50MM.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Stark that National League teams have trouble competing for free agent sluggers who may have to become designated hitters late in their careers. Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols joined American League teams on long-term deals this past offseason. “When the length of those deals got to nine and 10 years, we just couldn't compete," Melvin said.
- The Rays aren’t looking for a short-term solution behind the plate, but they’d like to add an everyday catcher who can contribute for years, according to Stark.
- Schuerholz, who’s now the Braves president, says the team hopes to retain Brian McCann long-term, even though there are “no guarantees” that’s possible.
Pat Burrell Retires
APRIL 12th: The Phillies have announced that Burrell will sign a one-day minor league contract and retire with the club that originally drafted him. The retirement ceremony will be held on May 19th.
JAN. 30th: Pat Burrell is retiring, MLBTR has learned. We last heard from Pat the Bat in November, when the 35-year-old told the AP, "I have not decided yet, but I don't think I can play anymore [due to a chronic foot injury]. It hurts me to say that."
Burrell was drafted first overall by the Phillies in 1998 as a third baseman out of the University of Miami, but spent the bulk of his career as a left fielder. In nine seasons with the Phillies, he hit .257/.367/.485 with 251 home runs. His home run total ranks fourth all-time for the Phillies, behind only Del Ennis, Ryan Howard, and Mike Schmidt. He finished fourth in the 2000 Rookie of the Year voting, and received MVP votes in '02 and '05. Burrell had stints with the Rays and Giants to finish his career, during which he earned approximately $71MM in big league salary and scored a pair of World Series rings.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.