Odds & Ends: Rangers, Pirates, Dye, Schoeneweis
A few Thursday evening links….
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that, with all their spring acquisitions, the Rangers have potentially turned their bench from a weakness into a strength.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter) hears that the Pirates are engaged in "very minor" trade talks with the Rays. Kovacevic says that right-hander Virgil Vasquez could be involved.
- Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel speaks to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who does not deny that the team has or had interest in Jermaine Dye.
- Scott Schoeneweis has earned the final spot in the Red Sox bullpen, reports Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Schoeneweis signed with Boston on a minor league deal, and will earn $500K for making the big league roster.
- Despite not spending a single dollar on a major league free agent this year, the Marlins' use of revenue sharing money has satisfied league officials, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.
Giants Acquire Edwin Escobar From Rangers
The Rangers have completed a trade for Ben Snyder by sending Edwin Escobar to the Giants, according to a team press release.
Snyder was selected from San Francisco by the Orioles in last year's Rule 5 draft, then immediately dealt to the Rangers as part of the Kevin Millwood–Chris Ray trade. Snyder did not make Texas' opening day roster and was offered back to the Giants, but the Rangers had hoped to work out a deal that would allow them to retain the left-hander. The two sides completed the transaction by sending Escobar, another lefty, from Texas to San Francisco.
The 24-year-old Snyder posted a 2.88 ERA in 97 innings for the Giants' Double A affiliate in 2009, and has been assigned outright to the Rangers' Double A affiliate.
Escobar, meanwhile, turns 18 this month, and has yet to pitch above rookie ball. The Venezuelan left-hander, a relative of Alcides Escobar and Kelvim Escobar, was signed by the Rangers in 2008.
Offseason Questions For The AL West
With all the offseason reviews completed, we're asking a few questions of every team. The AL West is on the hot seat this time.
- Did the Angels overpay Bobby Abreu and Fernando Rodney? Can Joel Pineiro adequately replace John Lackey?
- The A's guaranteed $17.5MM to three players who barely played last year in Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer, and Coco Crisp. Were these signings too risky? Will left-side infield Plan Bs Kevin Kouzmanoff and Cliff Pennington provide sufficient production, after Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro chose to sign elsewhere?
- Could the $5.8MM the Mariners spent on Ken Griffey Jr. and Casey Kotchman have gone toward a more productive bat or two? Did the Ms sell high on Brandon Morrow, and should they have added another veteran starter?
- Similar to the A's, the Rangers committed $19MM to three high-variance players in Rich Harden, Vladimir Guerrero, and Colby Lewis. Will at least two of the three play to their upside?
Rangers Claim Ryan Garko
The Rangers claimed first baseman Ryan Garko off waivers from the Mariners, according to a team press release.
The Giants non-tendered Garko in December, and the Mariners signed him in February for $550K with plans for a platoon with Casey Kotchman. Instead Garko will be paired with Chris Davis in Texas, given the former's ability to crush lefties. The move ends the Mike Lowell trade talk for now, which was never too serious during the spring anyway.
Not Much Trade Activity For Mike Lowell
THURSDAY, 12:14pm: Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, "There hasn't been much trade activity, if at all," for Lowell this spring.
WEDNESDAY, 5:03pm: Bradford reports the two sides "aren’t close" to a deal and it's unlikely that Lowell is dealt before the start of the season. Meanwhile, WEEI's Alex Speier says the Mets are not interested in Lowell despite Daniel Murphy's knee injury.
4:17pm: Talks between the Rangers and Red Sox for Mike Lowell have accelerated, reports ESPN's Gordon Edes. Perhaps the Rangers' interest picked up after Lowell hit two doubles today. Just two days ago Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that the Rangers' interest in Lowell was "light," and the Sox didn't expect a suitable offer from any team.
Via WEEI's Rob Bradford, it was known that the Rangers would scout Lowell again today. However, Bradford said the Rangers' interest is "tempered by their reluctance to allocate any substantial amount of money to a player who would be filling a reserve role." Bradford says that for the Rangers to take Lowell on as a backup, the Red Sox would have to assume almost all of his $12.5MM salary. Potentially, a bigger market for Lowell could develop once teams get a better look at him.
Odds & Ends: Offenses, Ben Snyder, Kelly Johnson
Action-packed links for Wednesday…
- NL offense rankings are up at RotoAuthority, courtesy of CHONE projections and the Baseball Musings lineup analysis tool. The Rockies are on top and the Padres bring up the rear, but plenty will change as the season unfolds.
- Two closers were named in recent days, and our Twitter account @CloserNews passed along the info instantly to allow you to make the winning fantasy pickups.
- The Rangers are attempting to work out a trade with the Giants that will allow them to retain Rule 5 lefty Ben Snyder, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Snyder already cleared waivers, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sullivan also notes that Matt Treanor chose not to exercise his out clause; he's headed to Triple A.
- WEEI's Rob Bradford writes that although the Rangers are scouting Mike Lowell today and they're more interested in him than any other club, a deal is unlikely now and the Rangers would want the Red Sox to pay almost all of his salary. Bradford also notes that earlier this offseason, the Rangers expressed interest in Jed Lowrie.
- Free agent Kevin Millar hopes to continue his playing career, he explained on ESPN's Waddle & Silvy show.
- Diamondbacks second baseman Kelly Johnson strongly considered offers from the Blue Jays, Pirates, and Indians, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
- The A's feel that out of options players Eric Patterson and Jake Fox would not clear waivers, so they're likely to send Landon Powell and Adam Rosales down (Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reporting).
- Baseball America's Matt Eddy offers analysis and predictions for seven out of options pitchers.
- The Orioles are looking for a suitor for catcher Chad Moeller, who is "shocked and disappointed" about not making the team according to Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltmore Sun. Peter Schmuck feels that Moeller was a better choice than Craig Tatum.
- Jeff Suppan explained to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he's not dealing with a phantom neck injury, despite the convenient timing.
- Though they could've saved $750K, the Nationals chose not to cut Scott Olsen according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs knows the Mariners, and he analyzes the organization's health in this article.
Mariners Waive Ryan Garko, Will Keep Sweeney
7:19pm: Mike Sweeney has made the Mariners' Opening Day roster, writes Morosi. The 36-year-old was set to retire if he didn't make a team's Opening Day squad. Sweeney will be in a designated hitter platoon with Ken Griffey Jr.
Meanwhile, a source tells Morosi that the Rangers' current interest level in Garko isn't high.
5:10pm: The Mariners have put Ryan Garko on waivers, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Seattle signed the first baseman to a one-year, $550K deal roughly two months ago. The 29-year-old still has options remaining.
Morosi points out that the Rangers are in search of a right-handed bat, though he is unsure if they are interested in Garko. Texas is in search of a backup corner infielder and although manager Ron Washington seems willing to give middle infielder Andres Blanco a chance at third, it is unlikely that Garko is up to the task. Before he landed with the M's, the Rangers were said to be interested in Garko's services.
In 40 games (127 plate appearances) for the Giants last season, Garko hit .235/.307/.330 with 2 HRs.
Odds & Ends: Gaudin, Stairs, Lowell, Darvish
Links for Monday…
- FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi spoke to one executive who thinks the lack of open 40-man roster spots is inhibiting trades. There are only 28 open spots across the league, and more than half of the teams are maxed out.
- Chad Gaudin said he considered "a couple" of other teams before deciding to rejoin the A's, reports MLB.com's Jane Lee.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock reminds us that the Padres will have to remove someone from their 40-man roster before Opening Day to make room for Matt Stairs.
- The Rangers have a scout on hand to watch Mike Lowell play third base tonight, tweets ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. This deal has to get done eventually, right?
- The Braves were concerned the Marlins would take Jason Heyward at #12 in the 2007 draft, writes Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
- Yu Darvish hinted for the first time that he might be willing to come to MLB, says Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Newman passes along a Sponichi report in which Darvish said, "Well, I’m planning on climbing the ladder, step by step," when asked about moving to MLB one day. Newman notes that Darvish isn't close to free agency, so the Nippon Ham Fighters would have to post him.
- SI's Jon Heyman writes that the Mariners and Jarrod Washburn "are believed to remain apart on the dollars for a new deal."
- Brian Cashman and Johnny Damon met in person for the first time since Damon left the Yankees, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons names six clubs that might be better than you think.
Rosenthal On Lowell, Cain, Cristian Guzman
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports supplies his latest hot stove buzz…
- Rosenthal's source says the Rangers' interest in Mike Lowell is "light," and the Red Sox don't expect any team to make a suitable offer. Yesterday, ESPN's Jim Reeves said the Rangers keep coming back to Lowell in their search for a right-handed hitting role player. Rosenthal notes that the Red Sox will not release Lowell, who is owed $12MM.
- With Matt Cain locked up, Rosenthal sees a weak 2012 free agent class for starting pitching. Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson, and Wandy Rodriguez appear to head the group, though C.C. Sabathia has the option of electing free agency and voiding the remaining four years and $92MM on his Yankees contract. Of course, a lot can change in two seasons. The larger point: there's a better selection of free agent starters after the 2010 season than after 2011.
- The Rangers looked into trading for Washington's Cristian Guzman before acquiring Andres Blanco from the Cubs. Guzman is currently projected to serve as an $8MM utility man for the Nationals.
Rangers Searching For Backup Corner Infielder
The Rangers are looking to acquire a backup corner infielder before Opening Day, writes Jim Reeves of ESPN.com. Manager Ron Washington had hoped that one of the club's young players – such as Matt Brown or Max Ramirez – would step up to fill the role, but that has not happened.
One Rangers source said that the team keeps coming back to Boston's Mike Lowell. The same source indicated that Texas believes that they can basically get Lowell for the same player they agreed to deal over the winter, Max Ramirez.
Kevin Millar is also on the Rangers' watch list, though he may earn himself a bench spot with the Cubs. Wes Helms of the Marlins and Fernando Tatis of the Mets could also fit the bill as corner infielders off of the bench. Meanwhile, "super-utility" players like Houston's Geoff Blum and Kansas City's Willie Bloomquist are likely too rich for Texas' blood.