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Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Jackson, Blue Jays

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Links for Wednesday, as Seattle's Michael Pineda prepares to continue his Rookie of the Year bid against the Orioles…

  • Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan noted his daily readership of MLBTR in an interview at the MLB Fan Cave yesterday.  Said Hanrahan, "[MLBTR] provides updates for all the transactions in one quick place. I go on there on my phone all the time, because you find out about any deals and transactions. I’m definitely an active reader of that site, but other than that, I don’t really read too many other baseball websites."  We're honored to have Joel among the many players who read MLBTR; give him a follow on Twitter here.
  • Tip of the cap to White Sox righty Edwin Jackson, who explained to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that he'll accept bullpen duty if the team decides to remove him from the rotation.  The Scott Boras client has a team-first attitude despite his impending free agency.
  • Blue Jays righty Dustin McGowan has endured two shoulder surgeries since he last appeared in the Majors in July of '08, but Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports his rehab went well in May and the Jays are now considering using him as a starter again.  In other good news for the Jays, top prospect Brett Lawrie tweeted late last night that his hand is only bruised after being hit by a pitch.  Prior to that pitch, Lawrie had been slated to make his big league debut Friday.
  • Jack Zduriencik's smaller acquisitions are looking good for the Mariners, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  For a look back at our Mariners offseason in review, click here.

AL East Notes: Papelbon, Bautista, Lawrie, Fox

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It's early, but baseball's toughest division doesn't appear to be getting any easier. The Red Sox, Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays are all within two games of the AL East lead. Here are the latest links from the division…

  • Jonathan Papelbon told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he’d like to stay in Boston after the season and break records and win championships with the Red Sox. The prospective free agent says he’ll do what’s best for his family, though there’s more to that than the bottom line. "It's not about the money, it's about going somewhere day in and day out and wanting to be there."
  • Jose Bautista reflects on his ascension from hard-throwing college closer to utility player to MLB home run king with MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. 
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that top prospect Brett Lawrie has made the adjustments the Jays asked him to make and is close to Major League-ready (Twitter link). Earlier today, ESPN.com’s Keith Law ranked Lawrie 11th among MLB prospects.
  • Orioles utility player Jake Fox told Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com that his role is unclear and that he has had trouble timing and recognizing pitches without regular at bats. 

East Notes: Marlins, Anderson, Encarnacion, Phillies

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Here's the latest from the eastern side of the baseball map…

  • Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest tells MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that the team wants to "concentrate on the season right now" and wouldn't comment on whether the Fish would offer Edwin Rodriguez a contract extension before the year is up.  Rodriguez, who took over as Florida's manager last June, is only on a one-year deal.
  • The Yankees released Trenton Thunder reliever Brian Anderson, according to Thunder reporter Mike Ashmore (on Twitter). The former outfielder was on the DL with a biceps issue.
  • The Yankees also released southpaw Andrew Sisco, according to the International League's transactions page.  Sisco posted a 5.18 ERA in 151 relief appearances for the Royals and White Sox between 2005-07 and hasn't been back to the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2008.  Sisco, 28, had a 1.88 ERA and a 9.4 K/9 rate in 16 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, though he'd also allowed 12 walks in 14 1/3 innings pitched.
  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs calls for the Blue Jays to release Edwin Encarnacion or at least permanently relegate him to the bench.  "[Encarnacion is] an absolute disaster in the field, and his bat simply doesn’t even come close to making up for it," Cameron writes.
  • J.C. Ramirez, one of the prospects the Phillies received in the Cliff Lee trade, has pitched well at Double-A this season, writes Jim Salisbury for Baseball America.
  • It looks as if Domonic Brown will remain with the Phillies when Shane Victorino returns from the DL, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  This could mean the Phils send John Mayberry Jr. down to the minors, or perhaps Rule 5 draft pick Michael Martinez, who would of course have to be offered back to the Nationals. 
  • The Orioles are expected to release right-hander Ryan Drese, reports Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com.  Drese, 35, last pitched in the majors in 2006 and currently has a 6.55 ERA in nine games (six of them starts) for Triple-A Norfolk.
  • Overpaying for a designated hitter is "a new market inefficiency," writes Jason Collette of the DRaysBay blog.  Collette suggests the Rays (and other teams) should look to fill the DH spot with the same low-cost approach that the Rays used to rebuild their bullpen this winter.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post

Blue Jays Notes: Lawrie, Super Two, Escobar

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Shaun Marcum has been Milwaukee's best starter this year, but Brett Lawrie is doing his best to make Blue Jays fans forget about the pitcher he was traded for. The 21-year-old infield prospect has a .343/.403/.632 line at Triple-A with 12 home runs. GM Alex Anthopoulos and Jeff Blair of Sportsnet Radio FAN 590 discussed Lawrie's hot start and a number of other issues pertaining to the Blue Jays this morning. Here are the details:

  • Lawrie has improved his strikeout to walk ratio in Triple-A this month, a development that’s encouraging for the Jays’ front office.
  • Super two status is a moving target at the best of times and Anthopoulos points out that over 80% of players who become eligible for arbitration are optioned to the minor leagues at some point. Players like Travis Snider and Brett Cecil don’t have continuous Major League service, which means projecting whether minor leaguers are on track for super two status is mostly futile.
  • The Blue Jays have a record of not manipulating service according to Anthopoulos. He points to J.P. Arencibia and Kyle Drabek, both of whom got the call late last year.
  • Anthopoulos has been on the phone with a few GMs, but he doesn’t expect trades to kick into high gear until after the draft, which starts June 6th.
  • Anthopoulos saw the rumor linking Jose Reyes to the Blue Jays and though the GM declined to comment on another team’s player, he praised the Jays’ current shortstop, Yunel Escobar. “He’s young, he’s everything we want,” Anthopoulos said of Escobar, who is under team control through 2013. “Shortstop is not an area we need to improve. We think it’s a strength.”

Jays Contacted Mets About Reyes, Others This Spring

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In Spring Training, the Blue Jays contacted the Mets to find out their plans about several players, including Jose Reyes, according to David Waldstein of the New York Times. GM Alex Anthopoulos did not make any firm proposals in the discussions, but the Blue Jays are monitoring Reyes’ progress. Yunel Escobar is playing well and under team control through 2013, so the Blue Jays don't have a pressing need for a shortstop.

Giants GM Brian Sabean does not appear to have contacted the Mets about Reyes and other teams haven’t yet expressed substantial interest in the shortstop – hardly a surprise given that the trade deadline is over two months away. It’s equally unsurprising to hear that the Blue Jays are monitoring Reyes’ progress, since most mid and large market teams are presumably eyeing him to some degree. 

Minor Deals: Zumaya, Red Sox, Reds, Blue Jays

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Troy Patton, who was designated for assignment by the Orioles last week, cleared waivers and has been optioned to Triple-A, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Here are the rest of today’s minor moves:

  • The Tigers released Richard Zumaya, the younger brother of  Major Leaguer Joel Zumaya, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 21-year-old right-hander struggled in the lower minors in 2010 and 2011.
  • The Red Sox signed right-hander Chris Huseby, who once signed a seven-figure deal with the Cubs, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The 23-year-old hasn't pitched this year but he has a 3.58 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 158 1/3 innings of pro ball.
  • The Reds acquired righty Brandon Hynick from the White Sox and the Phillies acquired Niuman Romero from the Blue Jays, according to Eddy (on Twitter). The White Sox and Blue Jays obtained cash considerations in return for their respective prospects.
  • The Reds also signed righty reliever Steven Jackson after the Dodgers released him, according to Eddy (on Twitter).
  • The Braves signed right-hander Steven Shell to provide depth at Triple-A, according to Eddy (on Twitter).

Quick Hits: Herrera, Bautista, Blevins

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Today the Brewers claimed Danny Herrera from Cincinnati, the Reds optioned Edinson Volquez to the minors and Josh Hamilton homered in his return from the disabled list. The connection? Back in December of 2007, the Rangers sent Herrera and Volquez to Cincinnati for Hamilton. Here are the latest links from around the league…

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Bautista, Orioles

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On this date two years ago, right-hander Andy Sonnanstine hit third against the Indians after Joe Maddon made an error in filling out his lineup card. Sonnanstine had an RBI double and the Rays won. Here's a round of links from the AL East… 

  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com tells the story of 2006 draft pick Kris Johnson, whom the Red Sox released recently. Boston selected Johnson before Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill and others, though Speier points out that the draft is an imperfect science and notes that the Red Sox had their reasons for selecting the left-hander at the time.
  • Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he doesn't put himself in the same category as Albert Pujols because the Cardinals first baseman has succeeded for a decade. It's becoming clear that Bautista is the best hitter in the game – at least in 2011.
  • As ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes, the AL East will be a summer-long grind, as the Yankees deal with age, the Red Sox deal with issues at the back of their rotation and the Rays try to keep winning without financial flexibility (Twitter link).
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com previews some Orioles roster moves: Brandon Snyder and Troy Patton will likely take the places of the injured Derrek Lee and Cesar Izturis.

Blue Jays Release Chad Cordero

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The Blue Jays released reliever Chad Cordero from their Triple-A club, reports Todd Dewey of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 

Cordero, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Jays in January.  Cordero had 128 career saves under his belt as a 25-year-old with the Nationals, but he had surgery to repair a labrum tear in his shoulder in July of '08.  Since then he has been a part of the Mariners, Mets, and Jays organizations.  This year at Triple-A he posted an 8.66 ERA, 3.6 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, and 2.5 HR/9 in 17 2/3 innings, a departure from his Triple-A work of 2010.

Blue Jays Designate Robert Ray For Assignment

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The Blue Jays designated right-hander Robert Ray for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Eric Thames, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm (on Twitter). The Blue Jays placed Adam Lind on the 15-day disabled list and called on Thames to take Lind's 25-man roster spot.

Ray, 27, appeared in a handful of games for the Blue Jays in 2009 and 2010. He is currently on the 7-day DL in Triple-A and has not yet appeared in a game this year. In parts of six minor league seasons, he has a 4.19 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.

Thames, 24, has a .342/.419/.610 line in 167 plate appearances at Triple-A with 17 doubles and six homers as an outfielder. He hit 27 homers at Double-A last year and has a .303/.381/.529 line over the course of three minor league seasons.

According to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star, the Blue Jays called on Thames rather than Brett Lawrie, since they wanted a left-handed bench bat in Lind's absence (Twitter link). When Lawrie gets the call, he'll join the team as an everyday player. 

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