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Blue Jays Designate Brian Tallet For Assignment

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Brian Tallet's return to Toronto couldn't have gone much worse. The left-hander, who suited up for the Blue Jays from 2006-10, returned to Toronto's roster this summer, only to spend time on the disabled list then give up the game tying and winning runs in his only appearance for the Jays.

Less than 24 hours after serving up a walk-off win for the Orioles, Tallet is off of the roster. The Blue Jays announced that they have designated him for assignment to create roster space for Carlos Villanueva, who is returning to the active roster from a stint on the disabled list with a right forearm strain.

In 13 1/3 innings for the Cardinals and Blue Jays this year, Tallet has a 9.45 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9. He was effective against left-handed hitters in 2010, but missed time this year with a broken left hand and then a right intercostal strain. Trever Miller, another former Blue Jay who returned to Toronto in the Colby Rasmus deal, suffered the same fate as Tallet, getting designated earlier in the month.

Arbitration Eligibles: Toronto Blue Jays

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We've covered the Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays in our arbitration eligibles series.  Let's finish off the AL East by discussing the Blue Jays players who will be eligible for arbitration after the season.

Carlson and McGowan are non-tender candidates, though on the other hand neither would cost much more than the league minimum.  Carlson's season ended with a torn rotator cuff, while McGowan is expected to pitch for Toronto next month for the first time since 2008.

Overall it's an affordable arbitration group.  We've got Morrow at $4.1MM, Rasmus at $2.8MM, Villanueva at $2MM, Janssen at $1.5MM, and Litsch at $1.3MM.  Rasmus switched agencies partially because of this upcoming arbitration case.

Blue Jays Sign Osuna, Becerra

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The Blue Jays announced the signings of seven international free agents: Roberto Osuna, Wuilmer Becerra, Jesus Gonzalez, Manuel Cordova, Alberto Tirado, Jairo Labourt, and Yeyfry Del Rosario.

Osuna, the 16-year-old nephew of Antonio, tossed 19 2/3 innings in the Mexican League this year.  The Mexican righty was one of the top July 2nd pitching prospects this year, wrote Baseball America's Ben Badler.

Becerra is a "speedy shortstop who projects as an outfielder," wrote Badler.  The 17-year-old comes out of Venezuela.

The bonuses on these seven are not yet known, but the Jays signed Domincan Dawel Lugo for $1.3MM in July.  Based on BA's estimates, it's likely Osuna and Becerra received more.  The Blue Jays continue to be aggressive in the international market, having signed Adeiny Hechavarria, Adonis Cardona, and others last year.

Be sure to tell your Spanish-speaking friends about MLBTR's sister site, Rumores de Béisbol, where we have human translations of key MLBTR posts as well as the original Hits Latinos series.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Upton, Snider

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Adrian Gonzalez won the AL Player of the Week Award for last week after homering five times in seven days. Here's the latest from a division that includes a number of prominent MVP candidates, including Gonzalez… 

  • Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com argues that Red Sox manager Terry Francona deserves more credit. The skipper has never won AL Manager of the Year, but Edes says he deserves it this year for the work he has done leading the Red Sox to an AL-best 82-51 record.
  • B.J. Upton told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he's happy the Rays chose to hold onto him instead of trading him. The outfielder, who will be arbitration eligible for the final time this offseason, says he'd "love" to be back in Tampa Bay in 2012.
  • Travis Snider acknowledged to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that his position in the Blue Jays organization has changed in recent years. The Jays demoted the former first rounder twice this season and he has lost ground on the depth chart to Eric Thames and others. Snider's resting his right wrist now and looking forward to the 2012 campaign.

Ricky Romero’s Extension One Year Later

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When the Blue Jays committed $30.1MM to Ricky Romero last August, he had just 52 MLB starts to his name. But the Toronto front office was less concerned about his relative inexperience than the reality that pitchers’ throwing arms are often fragile.

Ricky Romero

“I think the risks are pretty obvious with health,” GM Alex Anthopoulos said last August 14th. “You’re always concerned with respect to health.”

In the year and two weeks since Romero signed his five-year extension, he has logged 238 innings, including 181 this year. When the left-hander looks back at the first year of the deal, he evaluates himself on his ability to stay on the field.

“Oh yeah, I think it’s health,” he said, crediting Toronto’s training staff. “That’s the big thing for anyone – to stay healthy. That’s the biggest concern – if you’re going to be able to last the whole season and not break down.”

If Romero (pictured) looked at the stat sheet, he’d find himself in the top ten in the American League in ERA (4th, 2.78), but he doesn’t evaluate himself on ERA, wins, xFIP or any statistic other than innings pitched.

“No, not at all,” he said. “For me I take pride in just going out there and giving my team a chance to win and racking up innings. If I do that and have quality outings? I’m good with that. I feel like I’ve done that this year.”

The numbers confirm that Romero has been effective. He has a 3.13 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 238 innings since finalizing the deal, which set a record for pitchers with less than two full years of MLB service. At the time of the extension, the Jays were willing to enter unchartered territory with the 2005 first rounder since they looked forward to seeing him develop into their ace.

“We see a guy like Ricky continuing to improve,” Anthopoulos said last year. “We think he’s going to be an innings eater, we think he’s going to be a horse. We think he’s going to continue to evolve.”

Jon Lester and Yovani Gallardo, whose extensions figured prominently into the Blue Jays’ deal with Romero, have both taken steps forward since signing their respective contracts. Like the Blue Jays, the Red Sox and Brewers are getting what they paid for – and then some. Despite the similarities between his career and theirs, Romero doesn’t watch Lester and Gallardo any more attentively than he watches others.

“Whenever they’re on TV or there are highlights of them, yeah I’ll watch,” Romero said. “But I like watching baseball highlights period. It doesn’t matter who it is. I don’t pay any extra attention to them. They’re both great pitchers and having good years too.”

Romero’s extension won’t expire before 2015 (the Blue Jays have a club option for 2016), so they have reason to look well beyond 2011. Though there are no guarantees in baseball, especially for pitchers, Romero says his arm feels as good as ever.

“I’m feeling great,” he said. “I think as the season goes on I continue to get stronger and that’s what you’re looking for.”

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Blue Jays Designate Ledezma For Assignment

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The Blue Jays designated Wil Ledezma for assignment following a six-run meltdown in today's 12-0 loss, according to this tweet from MLB.com's Gregor Chisolm.

Ledezma, 30, allowed 10 earned runs in just six innings with the Jays this year, six of which came today. He also allowed 11 hits and walked seven while striking out just six. All told, he's got a 15.00 ERA on the season.

The Blue Jays are the seventh team for which Ledezma has played over parts of nine MLB seasons. The southpaw has posted a 5.40 ERA, 6.4 K/9, and 4.5 BB/9 in 396 1/3 Major League innings. A corresponding roster move will be announced later tonight.

Blue Jays Claim Dewayne Wise

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Dewayne Wise is heading to Toronto for a third stint with the Blue Jays. The team announced that they have claimed the outfielder off of waivers from the Marlins. He is scheduled to report to Toronto tomorrow, at which point the club will make a corresponding move.

Starting center fielder Colby Rasmus has been dealing with a sore wrist, so the Blue Jays could create 25-man roster space for Wise by placing Rasmus on the 15-day disabled list. They have two open 40-man roster spots, so no one is in danger of losing his spot when Wise arrives.

Wise signed with the Marlins twice this year, first in January, then in June, before they designated him for assignment earlier this week. In 72 plate appearances, he posted a .239/.278/.269 line for Florida, appearing in left and center field. The 33-year-old has a .223/.261/.373 line in a nine-year MLB career that includes one stint with Toronto from 2000-02 and another in 2010.

Quick Hits: Nationals, Mets, Wandy, Blue Jays

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On this date 25 years ago, A's rookie Mark McGwire hit his first MLB home run. Another historic slugger, Jim Thome, could be on the move this week. Here are the latest links from around MLB…

  • Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post wants to see Davey Johnson return as the Nationals' skipper in 2012.  Earlier this week, GM Mike Rizzo raved about Johnson's ability to connect with his players.
  • The Mets haven't yet had internal discussions about picking up the 2013 option for manager Terry Collins, but they'll likely discuss the possibility within the next month, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. 
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from someone connected to baseball management who wonders why MLB players don't insist on slotting. Capping bonuses does have potential benefits, but as Rosenthal explains, it's far from an ideal system.
  • The Astros wanted Wilin Rosario or Drew Pomeranz for Wandy Rodriguez, but the Rockies were only offering Jason Hammel, Casey Weathers or Christian Friedrich, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Talks between the two teams reached a standstill yesterday, after the Rockies claimed Rodriguez earlier in the week.
  • The Blue Jays announced that they signed non-drafted free agent Luke Willson, a left-handed hitter who also plays tight end for the Rice University Owls.

D’Backs Wanted Defense, Infield Depth

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Talk of draft pick compensation, club options and future salaries is valid after any trade, including the one the Diamondbacks just made with the Blue Jays. But the D’Backs didn’t make this move with an eye on future seasons or drafts. 

Kelly Johnson

“This deal was really made with a focus on ‘how do we get better for the next five weeks and stay ahead of the Giants’,” GM Kevin Towers explained this evening on a conference call with reporters.

Ever since Stephen Drew’s season ended, the D’Backs have been short-handed up the middle. They wanted to rely on Willie Bloomquist less, so Towers and the Blue Jays discussed Aaron Hill, someone the D’Backs have been eyeing for a while. The second baseman isn’t having much of a season at the plate, but Towers says his power could return against National League pitching. 

“We’re hoping that a change of scenery can not only spark our club, but spark these two guys,” Towers said, referring to Hill and John McDonald. 

Even if Chase Field doesn’t coax extra base power out of Hill, who has a 36-homer season to his name, Towers won’t mind. The deal, which included the versatile McDonald, was about defense. Though Towers didn't express disappointment in Kelly Johnson’s defense, he did say he's looking forward to adding the pair of former Blue Jays to his infield.

Hill has two $8MM team options for 2012-13, yet they aren't a major consideration for the D'Backs at this point at this point. It was “doubtful” that Johnson (pictured) would have returned after 2012, according to Towers, so the D’Backs were willing to part with him for Hill, regardless of whether Hill returns to Arizona in 2012. 

That Hill and McDonald strike out less than Johnson (132 Ks this year) is a bonus for Towers, who has been looking to reduce Arizona’s strikeout totals since last year. Plus, they’re two “great guys” who drew personal praise from Diamondbacks people and others in baseball. 

For the two nice guys to finish first, the D’Backs will have to maintain their current one-game lead over the defending World Champion Giants. Arizona could even obtain more help this month, since Towers may not be done dealing yet. 

“We’ll keep working the phone lines until the end,” he said.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Red Sox, Darvish

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The Blue Jays completed a trade with the Diamondbacks today, sending Aaron Hill and John McDonald to Arizona for Kelly Johnson. Here's the latest news from the AL East, starting with a note on today's trade…

  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that Hill and McDonald cleared waivers earlier in the month (Twitter link). The deal started when Arizona GM Kevin Towers called about McDonald.
  • Anthopoulos says he acquired Johnson from the D'Backs to get an up-close look at him before deciding how aggressively to pursue him this offseason when he hits free agency, according to Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com takes us inside Boston's front office in a must-read look at how the Red Sox approached the signing deadline. “Between 11:50 and 12 it was straight chaos,” one person told Speier. “Five people were on the phone at the same time with five different agents negotiating five different deals.”
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains that MLB teams, even rich ones like the Yankees, have to develop their own starting pitching, since the few elite starters who do reach free agency are prohibitively expensive.
  • The Yankees have scouted Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish heavily, according to Sherman. Darvish, 25, "is coming" to the Major Leagues this offseason, according to one of Sherman's sources.
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