AL West Notes: Ross, Lee, Faulkner
Craig Breslow has a 3.02 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 through 146 innings with the Athletics. It was on this date two years ago that the A's claimed the left-hander off of waivers from the Twins. Here's the latest on the A's and their division…
- Tyson Ross is injured and Dallas Braden is out for most or all of the season, so the A’s could use rotation help. Assistant GM David Forst told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that the A’s are likely to fill the void in their rotation internally. "I don't know a lot of teams that'll give away starting pitchers this time of year," Forst said.
- As much as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports likes Cliff Lee, he thinks the Rangers are better off long-term without the left-hander. GM Jon Daniels tells Rosenthal that the Rangers still have depth, though they weren't happy to miss out on Lee last winter.
- The Rangers are interested in high school left-hander Andrew Faulkner for the MLB draft, MLBTR has learned. The 6’4” southpaw has an 88-92 mph fastball and a commitment to the University of South Carolina.
Quick Hits: D’Backs, Young, Astros
Links for Wednesday night after a pair of vintage performances from two former Cy Young Award winners who are on the way back from injuries: Bartolo Colon and Jake Peavy…
- D'Backs manager Kirk Gibson told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the organization is considering internal and external candidates to start Saturday (Twitter link). Piecoro suggests the D'Backs could cut Josh Wilson to create roster space.
- As Piecoro notes, former Padres GM Kevin Towers has infused the D'Backs' bench with lots of San Diego flavor. Wilson, Sean Burroughs, Xavier Nady, Henry Blanco and Russell Branyan have all played for the Padres (Twitter link).
- Michael Young told Jim Rome that he was pleased to pick up ten and five rights because the rights reflect extended MLB service (video at ESPNDallas.com). Young, the subject of many an offseason trade rumor, says he isn't worried about deals. That makes sense, since he now has the power to veto any move the Rangers propose.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner that he's encouraged by the organization's minor league prospects, though some are "still on the far horizon." Wade says he doesn't anticipate that the team’s upcoming ownership transfer will affect his staff’s approach to the upcoming draft.
Texas Notes: Figueroa, Inglett, Ryan
The latest on the Astros, as they shuffle their roster, plus an update on Nolan Ryan's responsibilities…
- The Astros announced that Nelson Figueroa and Joe Inglett cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A. Inglett accepted his minor league assignment last week, according to MLB.com, while Figueroa accepted his assignment today, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
- The Astros are scheduled to activate Jason Michaels from the 15-day DL before tonight's game in Houston.
- MLB appointed team president Nolan Ryan as the 'control' person of Rangers, according to Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Baseball’s owners approved the move, which makes Ryan accountable to MLB for operating the Rangers and following rules.
AL West Notes: Langerhans, Bedard, Rangers
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.
Heyman On Wheeler, Reyes, Martin, Reds
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.
Quick Hits: Barnes, Chavez, Kasten, Simon, Berkman
Congrats to Justin Verlander. The Tigers' ace threw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays this afternoon, the second of his career. He's now one of only 28 men to throw multiple no-hitters in the big leagues. Here are Saturday's links…
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein was personally scouting UConn RHP Matt Barnes tonight, reports Dom Amore of The Hartford Courant (on Twitter). Barnes is expected to go in the first round this year, in which the Red Sox have two picks.
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers called up Craig Gentry to replace Nelson Cruz, who was placed on the disabled list (Twitter links). He notes that one possible reason why they didn't call up Endy Chavez is because they'd have to place him on waivers once Cruz was healthy.
- In a guest post for Through The Fence Baseball, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith took stock of the winter's biggest offseason deals.
- Bill Madden of The New York Daily News wrote about the numerous big-money players that are struggling this year, including Derek Jeter and Hanley Ramirez.
- Stan Kasten confirmed to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post that he sold his ownership stake in the Nationals this March. Kasten stepped down as team president late last year, but it's unclear what he'll do next. He was mentioned as possibly trustee when MLB took over the Dodgers' financial operations.
- Alfredo Simon was in the Orioles' clubhouse today, and will continue working his way back with a minor league appearance next week according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. Connolly says the team will have to recall, waive, or release Simon by "roughy May 22" after he spent two months in a Dominican Republic prison and being placed on the restricted list.
- Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch spoke to Cardinals GM John Mozeliak about the resurgent Lance Berkman. "We did a lot of due diligence," said the GM. "We truly believed he could have a bounce-back year. When we looked at it, we knew he was working extremely hard on his conditioning, was getting the knee healthy, was getting himself in tremendous shape, and that he'd be a lot stronger. That was a big thing. We knew that he still had an eye for hitting, and he would work the count and take walks. The question was, how would he be physically. And once we knew how much he was putting into his training, it gave us confidence."
Quick Hits: Martin, Bulger, Hudson, Draft
A few items of note on Friday night as Derek Lowe's bid for the Majors' second no-hitter of the week falls by the wayside …
- Rangers prospect Leonys Martin can opt out of his five-year contract and choose to go through the arbitration process if he has enough service time to qualify for arbitration before the contract expires, MLBTR has learned. Martin, 23, is a Cuban defector whose deal with Texas became official on Tuesday.
- Angels reliever Jason Bulger, who was designated for assignment on April 27, cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
- Diamondbacks right-hander Daniel Hudson was part of the ill-fated trade between the Padres and White Sox in May 2009 that was vetoed by Jake Peavy, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter). Peavy later accepted a trade to the South Siders at that season's deadline, but that package did not include Hudson. Instead, Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter and Adam Russell went to the Friars. Hudson was later dealt to Arizona at the 2010 trade deadline in exchange for Edwin Jackson.
- The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire at season's end, and hard-slotting for draft picks could be implemented in the new CBA, writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Hard-slotting would affix a set price to each draft pick and preclude drafted prep players from using the threat of going to college as bargaining leverage. One scouting director told Mayo he expects to see more players sign this year since it could be their last chance to negotiate a hefty signing bonus.
West Notes: Giants, Smoak, Trumbo, D’Backs
There are two intra-divisional matchups between NL and AL West rivals slated for tonight. The Rockies face the Diamondbacks at Chase Field while the Mariners host the Rangers. Here are some tidbits from the western divisions…
- "There is discussion in the [Giants'] executive offices as to how long they can stay with [Miguel] Tejada and Pat Burrell," reports Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle. Jose Reyes has been mentioned as a trade target for the Giants, though Brian Sabean denied his club's interest yesterday.
- Thanks to Justin Smoak's emergence, the Mariners seem to have gotten the best of the three recent Cliff Lee trade packages, writes Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.
- If Mark Trumbo keeps hitting and Kendrys Morales is out of action for most of the season, Eric Denton of the LA Angels Insider blog notes that the Angels could face a tough choice this offseason. Denton suggests the Halos could even non-tender Morales, but if they do choose to move the first baseman, surely you'd think the team could find a trade partner.
- We know the Diamondbacks have an interest in UCLA prospect Gerrit Cole with the third pick of the upcoming amateur draft, but Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic adds a couple of other interesting nuggets about the right-hander. Arizona also has the seventh overall pick, but Piecoro notes that since that pick is unprotected, the D'Backs "almost certainly couldn’t risk drafting him" at that spot if they pass on him at #3. Cole is represented by Scott Boras and could be a difficult signing.
- Cole was drafted 28th overall by the Yankees in the 2008 draft but he didn't sign. Piecoro "got the sense from talking with other scouts and executives that there are still some people in the game harboring a grudge toward Cole" since Cole didn't let it be known that he wasn't interested in signing back in 2008.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock profiles A.J. Hinch, the former D'Backs manager who is now the Padres' vice president of professional scouting.
- Julio Borbon welcomes the center field competition of newly-signed Rangers prospect Leonys Martin, reports Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com.
Ramon Aguero Clears Waivers
THURSDAY: Aguero has cleared waivers and been assigned back to Double-A, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
WEDNESDAY: The Rangers designated righty Ramon Aguero for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for Leonys Martin, tweets Jamey Newberg.
Aguero, 26, spent the 2010 season with the Pirates' High-A and Double-A affiliates, posting a 6.14 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, and 0.3 HR/9 in 29 1/3 relief innings. He was designated for assignment by the Bucs in March to open a spot for Jose Veras, and later claimed off waivers by the Rangers. Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked Aguero 19th among Pirates prospects, noting that his fastball can reach the high 90s but there are concerns about his health and toughness.
Rangers Notes: Martin, Lowe, Webb
Who knew first place could be this uncomfortable? The Rangers lead the AL West, but they're tied with the Angels, just a game ahead of the A's and just two games ahead of the Mariners. Here's the latest on the defending American League champions…
- Some rival scouts told Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that if recently-signed Rangers outfield prospect Leonys Martin were available in the upcoming draft, he'd be one of the most highly-coveted players around.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News hears from Rangers officials that Martin is a "plus defender with a good arm," who is "instinctive" and "has a chance to have an impact on the bases."
- The Rangers called up Mark Lowe and optioned Pedro Strop to the minors in an effort to improve their bullpen, according to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. I'm guessing we'll hear lots about the Rangers' 'pen at MLBTR this summer unless it gets healthy in a hurry.
- Brandon Webb, who is trying to pitch in the majors for the first time in over two years, will throw out of the bullpen and work on his mechanics instead of pitching in a game at extended Spring Training tomorrow, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.