Nationals Sign Oliver Perez
The Nationals signed Oliver Perez to a minor league deal and assigned him to minor league camp, the team announced (on Twitter). This marks the second time this week that an NL East rival has picked up a discarded Mets veteran; the Phillies signed Luis Castillo Monday.
The Nationals will be responsible for the Major League minimum salary if Perez makes the team and the Mets will assume the rest of his $12MM salary. Southpaws Sean Burnett and Doug Slaten figure to pitch at the major league level, while Perez works in the minors. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter) that Perez will begin the season at Triple-A.
The Nationals signed Perez on the recommendation of Spin Williams, a pitching coordinator who knows Perez, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Perez will report to minor league camp and work with Williams, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter).
As MLBTR's Agency Database shows, the Nationals already have eight Scott Boras clients: Rick Ankiel, Alex Cora, Danny Espinosa, Alberto Gonzalez, Bryce Harper, Ivan Rodriguez, Stephen Strasburg and Jayson Werth. Boras appears to have a strong working relationship with Nationals GM Mike Rizzo.
Yahoo's Tim Brown first reported the deal.
Stark On Phillies, Marlins, Young, Morgan, Astros
As ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark points out, the Phillies’ decision to sign Luis Castillo suggests they aren’t overly optimistic about the timetable for Chase Utley’s return. According to Stark, the Phillies heard that there is no guarantee that surgery would make Utley healthy again, so they’re hoping rehab works. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors…
- The Marlins have decided that Matt Dominguez isn’t ready for the majors, so they’re “actively exploring” outside options. Earlier tonight, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports heard that the Marlins were “unlikely” to look outside of the organization for help at the hot corner.
- Though the Pirates are still shopping Ryan Doumit, teams that have spoken to Pittsburgh say the catcher/outfielder is not drawing much interest.
- Multiple teams, including the Phillies, Marlins and Cubs, appear to be eyeing Michael Young. None of those clubs can afford Young’s annual salary of $16MM and the Rangers expect a “massive” return if they’re going to eat a significant amount of Young’s salary.
- Scouts covering the Nationals say Nyjer Morgan is very much available. “They're trying to give him away," one scout said, before suggesting that the Nationals could release him.
- Scouts watching the Yankees expect the team to add a veteran catcher in the next week.
- The Phillies are looking for a veteran outfielder who’s capable of playing center field.
- Teams that have spoken with the Astros say they’d like to add a veteran catcher, but have very little money to spend.
Nationals Claim Lee Hyde
About an hour after agreeing to sign Oliver Perez, the Nationals added another left-hander from another division rival, claiming reliever Lee Hyde from the Braves (Twitter link). To create roster space for their new addition, the Nationals placed Stephen Strasburg on the 60-day DL.
The Braves selected Hyde in the fourth round of the 2006 draft and he underwent Tommy John surgery the following year. The 26-year-old Georgia native pitched 60 2/3 total innings at Double-A and Triple-A last year, posting a 3.41 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.
Baseball America did not rank Hyde among the top 30 Braves prospects before the 2010 or 2011 season.
Nationals In Talks With Oliver Perez
The Nationals are in talks with free agent left-hander Oliver Perez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). The Mets released Perez earlier in the week, so interested teams would only be responsible for paying the MLB minimum salary if they sign the 29-year-old. If the sides agree to terms, it will be a minor league deal, according to Heyman.
NL Central Notes: Greinke, Reds, Cardinals
Links for Tuesday night, as the Cubs decide on the back of their rotation…
- Zack Greinke told Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post that he chose to join the Brewers over the Nationals because he felt that Milwaukee was going to win sooner than Washington. The Nationals offered Greinke a $100MM extension at one point and Greinke didn’t accept it, though he says he expects the Nationals to be a good team within a few years since owner Ted Lerner wants to win badly. Greinke didn’t rule out the possibility of playing for the Nationals once he becomes a free agent, after the 2012 season.
- The Brewers are likely to start the season with four starters and eight relievers, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon examines the Reds' bullpen and explains that Dontrelle Willis appears to have a good chance of making the team.
- In a mailbag for MLB.com, Matthew Leach suggests it’s a make or break year of sorts for Cardinals Kyle Lohse, Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker. They’re not the only ones with lots riding on 2011, as the MLBTR team has outlined.
Nationals Notes: Elvin Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez
The latest on the Nationals, as John Lannan completes a strong spring start against the Astros…
- Rule 5 pick Elvin Ramirez, a reliever taken from the Mets, should start throwing light bullpens soon according to GM Mike Rizzo. The info comes from Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, who suggests Ramirez could start the season on the DL and buy the Nationals some time. For my post on the latest on all 19 Major League Rule 5 picks, click here.
- The Nationals contacted the Red Sox about a potential Ivan Rodriguez trade, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the Sox are only looking for veteran Triple-A depth at most. Previously, reports have indicated that the Nats are willing to move a catcher.
- The Nationals also have Roger Bernadina and Nyjer Morgan scrapping for a spot on the team, Rosenthal notes. Both players have minor league options remaining.
- Nationals fans, don't forget that you can follow the club's rumors via our Facebook and Twitter pages and RSS feed.
Padres Looking At Alberto Gonzalez, Robert Andino
Earlier this month we heard that the Padres were looking for a utility player for their bench, and it appears they've turned their attention to Alberto Gonzalez and Robert Andino. MASNsports.com's Phil Wood reports that San Diego has been "looking hard" at the Nationals' utility infielder, while MLB.com's Corey Brock says Andino is on the radar as well (Twitter link). Both players are out of options.
Gonzalez, 28 in April, has spent the last two full years and part of a third in the nation's capitol, hitting .266/.302/.350 overall. He has plenty of experience at second, third, and short, and has also dabbled at first base and in right field. The Padres currently have Jarrett Hoffpauir, Kevin Frandsen, and Jesus Guzman in camp competing for the utility infielder's job, and the Nats have depth at the position with Jerry Hairston Jr. and Alex Cora.
Andino, 27 in April, is a .226/.275/.318 career hitting in 440 plate appearances, most of which have come with the Orioles. The vast majority of his playing time has come at short, though he's also seen time at second, third, left, and center fields. Baltimore has Cesar Izturis, Nick Green, and Brendan Harris on their utility infielder depth chart as well.
Non-Roster Notes: Chavez, Stairs, Atkins
As we cruise through Spring Training and gear up for Opening Day, let's take a look at some news on some notable non-roster invitees around the league…
- Whether or not Yankees manager Joe Girardi wants to acknowledge it, there's "no way" Eric Chavez doesn't make the team out of camp, tweets ESPN's Wallace Matthews.
- Nationals manager Jim Riggleman told MLB.com's Bill Ladson there's a "good chance" that Matt Stairs breaks camp with the team.
- MLB.com's Jennifer Langosch writes that Garrett Atkins is hoping to re-kindle his career with the Pirates, but to this point has done nothing to distinguish himself from his competition (Steve Pearce, Andy Marte, and Josh Fields). Atkins was just 4-30 this spring entering play today.
Nationals Could Shop Ivan Rodriguez
The Nationals are thinking about making Wilson Ramos the Opening Day starter behind the plate, two baseball sources tell Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ladson writes that if Ramos wins the starting job, then Ivan Rodriguez would be relegated to the bench or dealt to another team. With Rodriguez out of the picture, Jesus Flores would presumably be the backup.
With the aforementioned catchers plus prospect Derek Norris in the fold, the Nationals have seemed willing to move a backstop this winter. Flores drew some interest from the Astros following Jason Castro's potentially season-ending knee injury, but the club quickly cooled on him due to concerns about his surgically repaired shoulder.
If Washington feels comfortable with Ramos as their top catcher, then Rodriguez would be expendable. The 39-year-old is in the final year of a two-year, $6MM deal.
Stark On Nationals, Red Sox, Jay, Phillies
Jayson Werth told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that he doesn’t hate the Phillies at all and hopes for a warm reception when he returns to Philadelphia for the first time since signing with the division rival Nationals as a free agent. Here’s the latest on Werth's new team plus other rumors from around the league…
- The Nationals would like to add a veteran to the back of their bullpen.
- When teams ask about Nationals backstop Wilson Ramos, they’re hearing that the Nats don’t want to deal him because they believe he’s nearly ready to be a regular catcher.
- The Red Sox have been “quietly poking around” to determine which catchers could become available.
- The Phillies are looking for an affordable backup outfielder who can play center field and they have targeted Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay.
- There are no indications that the Phillies plan to deal for a second baseman to replace the injured Chase Utley, however.
- Though the Mets don’t appear to want Luis Castillo to win the second base job, scouts say he’s their best option by far.
- The Twins are open to adding relief depth.