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Rangers Release Justin Miller

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The Rangers have released right-handed reliever Justin Miller, the team announced in a press release. The 26-year-old had spent his entire career in the Texas system.

Miller had been good enough to be added to the team's 40-man roster after a strong 2011, but missed all of 2012 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He has not been the same since his return, as he currently sports a 7.67 ERA over 27 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A. Though Miller has managed to strike out batters at a nice 11.0 K/9 rate during 2013, he has also posted a 5.3 BB/9 walk rate and allowed ten base hits per nine.

Rangers Designate Joe Benson For Assignment

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Completing a series of roster moves, the Rangers have designated outfielder Joe Benson for assignment, the team announced via press release. The 25-year-old was a second round pick by the Twins in the 2006 draft.

Texas claimed Benson on waivers from Minnesota earlier this year and then optioned him to the minors. Benson's cumulative line in 2013 stands at .215/.294/.362, with seven home runs and nine stolen bases. He had steadily moved through the Twins system and showed promise over a nice minor league run in 2010 (.881 OPS) and 2011 (.879 OPS), but Benson's career stalled after a meager big league showing late in 2011.

Rosenthal On Nationals, Cruz, Peralta

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Here's the latest from FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal:

  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo says he did not make a mistake in claiming David DeJesus, as some speculated at the time. "I wasn’t concerned about being stuck with David, as I like him a lot," says Rizzo. "The player from Tampa Bay is not nearly a sexy prospect, but we had solid reports on him and he will be, at worst, added depth. I would have liked (DeJesus) to go unclaimed — I think I could have made a better deal with several interested teams." After claiming DeJesus, the Nationals quickly sent him to the Rays for a player to be named.
  • One reason the Nationals might not be in any hurry to trade Dan Haren, Rosenthal suggests, is that they're still nominally in the playoff hunt. The Nats are currently eight games back of the last playoff spot, but they have a weak schedule down the stretch. Besides, Rosenthal notes, there hasn't been much interest in Haren in the first place.
  • Nelson Cruz has been working out at the Rangers' facility in the Dominican Republic. Cruz isn't forbidden to do that, even though he's currently serving a suspension for his involvement with the Biogenesis scandal. The Rangers want to have the option of turning to Cruz in the postseason.
  • The Tigers, meanwhile, have "not even discussed" using Jhonny Peralta in the playoffs, according to Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski.

AL West Notes: Rangers, Reddick, Kendrys Morales

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On this date 17 years ago, A's outfielder Brian Lesher became the first Belgian to play in a MLB game contributing a RBI single off Andy Pettitte (who went on to win a career-high 21 games and finished second to Toronto's Pat Hentgen in the AL Cy Young voting that year) as Oakland beat the Yankees 6-4. Lesher would go on to play parts of five seasons with the A's, Mariners, and Blue Jays posting a slash line of .224/.275/.380 with nine home runs and 38 RBI's in 288 plate appearances (108 games). To this day, Lesher is the only Belgian ever to appear in a MLB contest. In other news and notes from the AL West: 

  • Rangers Assistant GM Thad Levine told Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio (via Bowden on Twitter), if the club is going to make a trade before August 31st (players acquired after this date are ineligible for the post-season), it will be for a starting pitcher.
  • Levine adds (again from a Bowden tweet) the Rangers have been searching the waiver wire actively, but most of the quality players are being claimed before them.
  • A's outfielder Josh Reddick left today's game against the Orioles with discomfort in his right wrist and he thinks it's 50-50 as to whether he lands on the disabled list, reports the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser. John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group tweets Daric Barton was pulled from Triple-A Sacramento's game after one at-bat and may join the A's to replace Reddick. Slusser isn't surprised Barton would get the call over outfielders Michael Taylor and Michael Choice because Barton was slated to join the team when rosters expand September 1st and he plays first base very well allowing Brandon Moss to move to the outfield (all Twitter links). The A's 40-man roster currently sits at 39, so Barton could be added without a corresponding move.  
  • A reunion between Kendrys Morales and the Angels would not be shocking, if the pending free agent doesn't re-sign with the Mariners, tweets the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. The Mariners acquired Morales, hitting .283/.339/.450 with 17 home runs in 522 plate appearances this year, from the Angels last December for left-hander Jason Vargas. 
  • Earlier today, Angels manager Mike Scioscia denied reports he has philosophical differences with GM Jerry Dipoto.

AL West Notes: Angels, Rangers, Matsuzaka

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The Angels' apparent dysfunction seems to stretch back years, judging from a report by Scott Miller of CBS Sports. Miller reports that, in 2011, owner Arte Moreno threatened to fire then-GM Tony Reagins if he couldn't trade for outfielder Vernon Wells within 24 hours, effectively backing Reagins into a corner. That might partially explain the remarkable, and disastrous, result, which had the Angels taking on $81MM of the $86MM remaining on Wells' contract, while also giving up Mike Napoli in the process. The Jays, meanwhile, traded Napoli to the Rangers for Frank Francisco and cash.

Miller reports that Moreno's motivation for the Wells ultimatum was that he was upset that Texas had acquired Adrian Beltre weeks earlier. As a result, not only did the Angels take on $81MM in salary, they also set in motion a chain of events in which their division rivals also ended up with Napoli, who was one of the best hitters in baseball that season. Here are more notes from the AL West.

  • The Rangers were interested in Daisuke Matsuzaka, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. Matsuzaka, who had previously been released by the Indians, recently signed with the Mets, with whom, Heyman notes, he could receive more playing time.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik still won't confirm recent reports that he has received an extension for 2014, MLB.com's Greg Johns tweets. Zduriencik does, however, say he's "raring to go" for 2014. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, meanwhile, tweets that there's "some debate" about whether team president Chuck Armstrong ever confirmed the extension.

Red Sox Notes: Crawford, Ramirez, Beckett, Ellsbury

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One year ago, the Red Sox shocked the baseball world when they hit the reset button with their massive blockbuster deal with the Dodgers.  Today, Boston finds themselves atop of the AL East, something that very few could have predicted after they shed roughly $270MM in payroll.  Alex Speier of WEEI.com has a fascinating article today on the trade that altered the direction of the club and the possible alternatives that could have also taken place.  Here's a look at some of the highlights..

  • One rumor prior to last year's non-waiver deadline had the Red Sox considering a swap of Carl Crawford and Hanley Ramirez with the Marlins.  However, such a deal never came close.  One source familiar with the talks said that Boston would done the deal straight up, but the problem was the difference in salary.  Such a move would have required the Marlins to break out the checkbook as there was $37MM+ owed to Ramirez through 2014 and a whopping $110.5MM owed to Crawford through 2017.
  • However, there were other proposed deals that had legs, particularly ones involving Josh Beckett.  According to multiple industry sources, the Rangers and Red Sox explored a number of possible deals including one that had a framework of Beckett and Jacoby Ellsbury going to Texas with the Red Sox getting left-hander Derek Holland.  However, Beckett told WEEI's Rob Bradford that the talks never gained enough traction for the team to discuss the possibility of him waiving his no-trade rights.
  • The Dodgers were among the clubs with interest in Beckett prior to the July 31st deadline and that was information that the Red Sox stored for later.
  • The club's previous free-spending ways handcuffed them from even considering a run at Yu Darvish after the 2011 season.  Of course, the blockbuster with L.A. gave them much more flexibility going forward.  GM Ben Cherington acknowledged that a trade deadline deal like the Jake Peavy trade this year simply wasn't possible given the payroll constraints that the team previously faced.
  • Boston considered using their prospects to help get out from under bad contracts, but they ultimately decided against that.  "We'd made the decision long term, we were just going to need to start holding on to [top prospects] and figuring out what they could do," said one team official. "Instead of picking the right guy, keep them all in the tub and let them decide for us. Back when we were good, that's what we did."  
  • Up until the Dodgers deal happened, Cherington says that he wasn't planning on making any significant moves in August.  There was some thought given to turning the Dodgers down and waiting until the offseason when they could revisit talks with L.A. and other clubs.  However, Boston didn't want to let the opportunity to start fresh pass them by. 

Cubs Acquire Neil Ramirez To Complete Garza Deal

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The Rangers announced that they have sent right-handed pitcher Neil Ramirez to the Cubs, completing the July 22nd trade that sent Matt Garza to Chicago.  

The Garza deal called for a player to be named later to be sent to Chicago, but with one interesting wrinkle.  Theo Epstein & Co. had the choice of either acquiring Ramirez or two other hurlers from an agreed upon list of names.  After giving it some thought, the Cubs opted for the former.

Ramirez, 24, was ranked as the 23rd best prospect in the Rangers' system heading into this season by Baseball America, but the publication had him as high as No. 5 at one point thanks to his strong 2011 minor league season.  In 2012, his stock fell a bit as he dealt with shoulder fatigue and was demoted to Double-A to finish out the season.  Ramirez was a starter during his time in the Texas system, but BA writes that the club saw his big league future in the bullpen as he had a tendency to overthink things when in the rotation.

The right-hander has spent all of 2013 with the Rangers' Double-A affiliate, posting a 3.84 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 21 starts.  He'll stay at the Double-A level as he will report to the Cubs' affiliate in Tennessee, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).

AL West Links: Angels, Trout, Int’l Signings, Gomes

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The Rangers' lead in the AL West has been built on taking care of business within the division, as Texas has a 41-16 record against division opponents and a 33-37 record against the rest of baseball.  Other AL teams may complain that the Rangers and A's gained an extra advantage when the rebuilding Astros were moved into the division, but Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram points out that it's really the Angels' surprising decline that has made the AL West so lopsided.  The Halos expected to contend this season but instead have the seventh-worst record in baseball and only a 19-35 record against inside their division.

Here are a few items from around the AL West…

  • Also from Galloway's piece, he notes that the Rangers rate four Astros starting pitchers as "double-plus prospects" but a Rangers source wonders if the young starters' development is being harmed by Houston's league-worst bullpen.  “The owner down there [Jim Crane] needs to get off his wallet and spend some money for some veteran bullpen guys next season,” the Rangers source said. “Those kid starters have a future, but they are being beaten up mentally by pitching well and never getting a win out of it.”  Houston manager Bo Porter recently said that the Astros will look to add relief pitching help this winter.
  • The Angels will try to reload after their disappointing 2012 but they'll have little payroll space to maneuver, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez notes.  The Halos already have $126.5MM committed to the 2014 payroll and $111.725MM committed for 2015, and that's not counting raises for notable players who will become eligible for arbitration.
  • How much would (or should) a team pay for Mike Trout's 2014 season?  Fangraphs' Dave Cameron tries to calculate what Trout's single-season value would be worth if the Angels outfielder was suddenly a free agent and could only pursue a one-year deal for next season.
    Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/08/22/5101957/blame-the-angels-for-the-state.html#storylink=cpy
  • The Rangers and Cubs both far exceeded their international bonus pool limits this summer and will face only limited penalties for it, a move that Baseball America's Jim Callis suspects could be copied by others.  "More teams may try to exploit that loophole until an international draft closes it," Callis writes.
  • If MLB.com's Jane Lee could undo any move from the Athletics' offseason, it would be the decision to let Jonny Gomes leave in free agency, Lee writes as part of a reader mailbag.  Keeping Gomes would've allowed the A's to keep Cliff Pennington (rather than deal him in the trade that brought Chris Young to Oakland) and thus improve the club's infield depth and save some payroll space at the same time.

Rangers Sign Brendan Harris

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The Rangers announced that they have signed Brendan Harris to a minor league contract.  The veteran infielder had a cup of coffee in the Yankees' system before signing with Texas today.  Harris will help provide extra infield depth for the Rangers who have been thin since Leury Garcia was traded to the White Sox in the Alex Rios trade.

Harris, who celebrates his 33rd birthday on Monday, signed with the Yankees on July 26th and hit just .233/.356/.315 with one homer in 22 games.  Prior to that, Harris was batting .206/.252/.355 in 117 plate appearances this year for the Angels.  The veteran has big league experience at all four infield positions with the bulk of it at shortstop.  Harris, who last saw regular action in 2009 with the Twins, is a career .256/.314/.381 hitter. 

Badler On Posting System, Tanaka, Maeda

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This offseason could see revisions of the posting system that allows players in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league to jump to MLB, Baseball America's Ben Badler reports. A memo from the commissioner's office earlier this year informed MLB clubs the two leagues were discussing possible changes to the system. Sources tell Badler that one potential new provision could be a cap to the posting fee, which could see more money funneled to players rather than the Japanese team and would also allow MLB to count more dollars against the luxury tax. Overall, however, it's not really clear what direction the posting system is headed in. “We’re just operating under the idea that everything’s going to be the same way it was last year," an international director told Badler. “That’s the same as everyone else I talked to.”

Several clubs expect that pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will look to join an MLB team this offseason, according to Badler, which confirms what we've heard in recent months. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has put together a sterling season this year for the Rakuten Golden Eagles, compiling a 1.20 ERA across 158 innings with 130 strikeouts and just 22 walks. With an arsenal that includes a low-90s fastball and two plus secondary offerings – including a splitter that grades out at a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale – some scouts project him as a potential No. 2 starter that could help a team immediately, Badler reports.

Badler's article reveals that both the Rangers and Yankees have sent top scouts to Japan to watch the 24-year-old pitch, and could be the favorites to sign him.  However, they're not the only teams keeping tabs on the righty as the Red Sox and Twins have also been connected.

Some scouts believe Kenta Maeda, another Japanese righty, could attempt to migrate to the majors this offseason, though the majority believe there's less than a 50 percent chance of that happening, Badler adds. Maeda has a 2.26 ERA in 123 2/3 innings this year, but at just 6 feet and 160 pounds, he probably doesn't have the frame that projects to consistently hold up for 200 innings a season. Maeda might best be served by waiting a year to avoid being posted at the same time as Tanaka. However, several scouts tell Badler they see the 25-year-old as a back-end starter in the majors, and given his smaller size, that isn't likely to change.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

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