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Nationals Sign Mike Gonzalez

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The Nationals announced that they have signed left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez (Twitter link). Gonzalez, a client of the Boras Corporation, will report to Viera, the team announced. He signed a minor league deal, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post tweets.

Gonzalez posted a 4.39 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings for the Orioles and Rangers in 2011. The Indians, White Sox and Athletics had some interest in the 33-year-old, who turned down a minor league offer from the Rangers this spring. Scott Boras has said Gonzalez is returning to health following offseason knee surgery.

The Nationals' bullpen currently includes left-handers Sean Burnett and Tom Gorzelanny. As MLBTR's Agency Database shows, the Boras Corporation represents a considerable number of players on Washington's roster.

NL East Notes: Harper, Hamels, Rizzo, Brown

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Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels created a stir last night by admitting he hit Nationals rookie Bryce Harper intentionally. Though Harper didn’t publicly express frustration at being hit, GM Mike Rizzo fired back at Hamels this morning. The details and other NL East-related notes…

  • Rizzo called Hamels' act the most "classless, gutless" thing he's seen in his career, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. “Cole Hamels says he’s old school? He’s the polar opposite of old school,” Rizzo said. “He’s fake tough." I’d recommend reading Kilgore’s entire piece for the details.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports points out that Hamels won't be signing with the Nationals next offseason and writes that Rizzo will be lucky if he is not reprimanded for his comments.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com notes that there's "nothing doing" with respect to an extension for Hamels (Twitter link).
  • Morosi expects Harper to stay in the Major Leagues for good, since he's played too well to be sent down to the minor leagues (video link).
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Rizzo's comments were an overreaction to legitimate old school play from Hamels (video link).
  • Bill Ladson of MLB.com suggests the Nationals may make a trade instead of relying on Xavier Nady and Roger Bernadina in left field (Twitter link).
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America hasn't given up on Phillies prospect Domonic Brown despite his struggles. Brown could still hit for a high average with 20 homers per season to go along with plus speed and arm strength, Callis writes.

Quick Hits: Hamels, Buchholz, Red Sox, Nationals

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Earlier tonight, the Nationals' Bryce Harper became the first teenager to steal home since Ed Kirkpatrick did it for the Angels in 1964.  Meanwhile, tonight's injury sustained by Jayson Werth could shift the youngster over to right field for the time being.  Here are some links on this Sunday night..

Cafardo On Broxton, Phillies, Span, Orioles, White Sox

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that Mariano Rivera is arguably the most important player in the American League East.  The Yankees will look to in-house solutions in the back of their bullpen for now, but other teams in need of relievers will start combing the market for answers.  The Cubs would obviously part with Carlos Marmol.  The Pirates could move Joel Hanrahan, but the price would be steep. The White Sox might trade left-hander Matt Thornton and the Astros could be willing to deal Brett Myers. 

Teams are looking to see whether the Mets would deal Bobby Parnell and whether the Royals move Jonathan Broxton.  Kansas City, however, would need to receive his permission since he was signed as a free agent and otherwise couldn’t be moved until after June 15th.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Phillies people insist that they are not on the lookout for a third baseman/left fielder with Placido Polanco struggling.  "We’re just trying to hold our heads above water until we get our guys back," a Phillies official told Cafardo.
  • Twins center fielder Denard Span remains on the Nationals' radar, but with closer Drew Storen sidelined, a deal is on hold for a while.
  • According to an Orioles source, they have received calls on Kevin Gregg and Matt Lindstrom.  The O's would love to move part of Gregg's $5.8MM deal for 2012.  Lindstrom, meanwhile, will earn $3.6MM with a $4MM option for 2013.
  • The Astros will hang on to Wandy Rodriguez until late July when they can get the best possible deal for him.
  • Even though White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski is reaching the end of his contract and is 35, don’t be surprised if the club talks about keeping him for another year or two.  Many in Chicago feel the mantle will be passed to Tyler Flowers, but Jerry Reinsdorf is very loyal to his veteran players.
  • First baseman Derrek Lee is definitely on the Brewers’ radar with Mat Gamel out for the season.  They’re thinking about moving Corey Hart from right field to first, but there may be outside options.  The Red Sox’s Lars Anderson and the Orioles’ Mark Reynolds could be two names to consider.
  • The Red Sox expect to have Andrew Bailey, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, Kevin Youkilis, and Daisuke Matsuzaka back at some point this summer.  General Manager Ben Cherington believes, "that would be better than anything we could do in a trade deadline deal."

Rizzo: No Urgency To Trade For Help Despite Injuries

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The Nationals are dealing with a rash of injuries these days, but they still sit atop the NL East with a 14-8 record. Despite all the missing players, GM Mike Rizzo told a group of reporters this afternoon that he doesn't feel any urgency to look outside the organization for help.

"We're not making a push to look outside for offense or bullpen," said Rizzo according to ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter links). "We like the club we have. We just need to get healthy."

Drew Storen (elbow), Ryan Zimmerman (shoulder), Mike Morse (lat), Brad Lidge (hernia), and Chien-Ming Wang (hamstring) highlight the crop of Nationals currently on the DL. Storen and Lidge aren't expected back anytime soon, creating two big holes in the bullpen. The absence of Zimmerman and Morse take a bite out of an offense that has already scored the fourth fewest runs in the NL, though Bryce Harper's arrival should help.

Quick Hits: Young, Cook, Dodgers, Cashman, Beltran

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It was on this day in 1956 that Frank Robinson hit his first Major League home run, en route to 586 career homers and a legacy as one of baseball's all-time greats.  Today, the Orioles are honoring Robinson with a statue at Camden Yards that will be unveiled before tonight's game with the A's.

Some notes from around the Majors…

  • The Reds have made it a priority to establish a strong bond with their fans — and hopefully increase attendance — by retaining popular players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips, explains Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
  • Former Expos/Nationals closer Chad Cordero told reporters, including Bill Ladson of MLB.com, that he'd like to make a comeback next season (Twitter link).
  • Delmon Young could be activated from the Tigers' restricted list by Tuesday or possibly even Monday night depending on the outcome of his evaluation by a counselor on Monday, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Chris Iott of MLive.com.  If Young is judged to require treatment for anger management and/or alcohol abuse, however, he would be sidelined for an indeterminate amount of time.
  • Bobby Valentine told reporters (including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford) that the Red Sox are considering using Aaron Cook as a reliever.  Cook can opt out of his contract if he is not called up to Boston's Major League roster by May 1 and the Sox have no clear spot for Cook in the rotation.  Cook has made just one relief appearance in the last eight seasons but recently said he's open to the idea.
  • There's no language in Cook's contract that would preclude a trade, notes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal, although he adds there's no reason to think the Red Sox would want to do that (via Twitter).
  • The sale of the Dodgers to the Magic Johnson/Stan Kasten/Mark Walter ownership group is expected to be closed by Monday, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
  • "This is a massive decision gone wrong right now," Yankees GM Brian Cashman told ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews in regards to the Michael Pineda/Jesus Montero deal and Pineda's subsequent season-ending shoulder injury.  "So all scrutiny is fair….Our fans are right to be upset about this. I'm devastated by it," Cashman said.
  • Besides the Cardinals, Carlos Beltran said the Indians pursued him the hardest in the offseason, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter).  Beltran said he ultimately chose to sign with St. Louis because he wanted to play for the World Series champions and remain in the National League.
  • The Brewers have transferred Chris Narveson to the 60-day DL and called up reliever Vinnie Chulk to take Narveson's spot on the 40-man roster, the team announced via Twitter.  Mike McClendon was optioned to Triple-A in another corresponding move.  Narveson will undergo shoulder surgery on Tuesday that will sideline him for the rest of the 2012 season.

MLBTR's Dan Mennella contributed to this post.

Rosenthal On Dodgers, O’Malley, Cook, Angels

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Here's the latest pair of video news updates from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Even once their new ownership group takes over, the Dodgers "might not be as active at the trade deadline as a lot of people think."  While the team will now have the financial resources to absorb a big contract, the Dodgers' minor league system isn't very deep and they want to keep their few quality prospects. 
  • Peter O'Malley is "making a strong push" to buy the Padres and wants to have a deal arranged by the All-Star break.
  • The Nationals would've preferred to give Bryce Harper more minor league seasoning but their hand was forced due to their lack of production in left field, plus Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse going on the DL.
  • The Red Sox "aren't optimistic" they can convince Aaron Cook to stay put, as Cook is eager to pitch in the majors again.  The veteran right-hander can opt out of his contract on May 1 if he isn't called up to the Red Sox Major League roster before that date.  With Daniel Bard and Felix Doubront pitching well, Boston doesn't have a spot in the rotation for Cook unless, as Rosenthal notes, the club "does something" with Clay Buchholz.
  • Bobby Abreu is only the latest high-priced member of the Angels to have his contract eaten by the team under Arte Moreno's ownership.  The Halos have also let go of Kevin Appier, Scott Kazmir, Gary Matthews Jr. and Justin Speier in recent years, and those four plus Abreu amounted to around $60MM in dead money.  This doesn't mean that the Angels will release Vernon Wells, however, as Wells' contract alone would cost the team more than those five players combined; counting this year, Wells is set to earn $63MM through the 2014 season.

Quick Hits: Abreu, Dodgers, Padres, Harper

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Friday Night Links..

  • There doesn't seem to be any natural fit for Bobby Abreu now that the Indians have Johnny Damon, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  Scouts don't think that the veteran can play in the outfield anymore and might have to start out in Triple-A.
  • Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) says that Abreu would not fit with the Dodgers or any other National League team except as a pinch hitter and he can't play defense regularly.
  • The O’Malley group has signed documents to gain access to the Padres' financial information and apparently has raised sufficient equity to buy the club, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  It appears that the group values the club at less than half of the Dodgers’ $2.15 billion sale price, and perhaps significantly less.
  • The Nationals' promotion of Bryce Harper looks like a panic move to Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) rather than a well thought-out developmental plan.

Quick Hits: Cardinals, Seager, Harper

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Hank Aaron joined Babe Ruth and Willie Mays in the 600 home run club with a round tripper against the Giants on this date in 1971. Here are today's links…

Nationals To Recall Bryce Harper

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The Nationals have announced that they're promoting outfielder Bryce Harper to the Major Leagues tomorrow (Twitter link). Harper will take Ryan Zimmerman's place on the active roster and the third baseman will be placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Bryce Harper - Nationals (PW)

Harper's service clock begins now, but the Nationals delayed his debut long enough to postpone his free agency by a full year. Even if Harper sticks in the Major Leagues — a big 'if' for any 19-year-old — the Nationals will control his rights through 2018.

As I explained earlier this week, teams can now call up players, even those on 40-man rosters, without losing their rights for the 2018 season. Harper's service clock could stop and start many times over the course of the next few years, but at the moment he projects to become arbitration eligible as a super two following the 2014 season. He projects to go to arbitration four times and hit free agency following the 2018 campaign.

The Nationals selected Harper first overall in the 2010 draft, but he signed late and his pro career didn't begin in earnest until 2011. Harper posted a .297/.392/.501 line with 17 home runs and 26 stolen bases across three levels last year and has a .250/.333/.375 line at Triple-A Syracuse this year.

Harper joins Jayson Werth, Rick Ankiel, Roger Bernadina and Xavier Nady in the Nationals' outfield. Washington's offense currently ranks 23rd in MLB, but the team is off to an impressive 14-5 start.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

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