Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for March 2011

Wood’s Time With Angels Running Out?

By | at

Eight years ago, Brandon Wood was a first-round pick (23rd overall) by the Angels. Five years ago, Baseball America dubbed him the third-best prospect in the game. He ranked 8th and 16th on that same list the following two seasons. Now, the 26-year-old Wood may be an organizational afterthought. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Wood's chances of making the Angels' roster are dim, barring a trade or release of fellow infielder Alberto Callaspo.

Wood hit just .146/.174/.208 last season through 243 plate appearances. He managed just six walks while striking out 71 times — more than 29% of his plate appearances.

Wood is now out of options, meaning he'd have to pass through waivers unclaimed for the Angels to re-assign him to the minor leagues. Despite his struggles, it's unlikely this would happen, as a rebuilding team (DiGiovanna speculates on Toronto, specifically) would give him a chance based on his track record as an elite prospect.

Despite a strong push over the past week in Spring Training (7-19 with 2 HR, a double, and a triple), Wood remains buried on the team's depth chart. Maicer Izturis and Callaspo are ahead of him at third base, Erick Aybar and Izturis are ahead at short, while the combination Kendrys Morales (who will open the year on the DL), Mark Trumbo, and Howie Kendrick are in front of him on the first base depth chart.

DiGiovanna speculates that a trade of Callaspo to a team in need of infield help, such as the Phillies, would create room for Wood to make the club. We heard last week though that the Phillies payroll is tapped out, and Callaspo is set to earn $2MM this season. A release of Callaspo's non-guaranteed contract would also create room. The Angels, however, would still be responsible for part of his salary and would be risking a somewhat known commodity for Wood's upside, which may never surface.

It seems likely that Wood's time as an Angel may be coming to a close, with either a trade or DFA coming in the near future, giving him a chance at a fresh start in a new organization.

Non-Roster Notes: Chavez, Stairs, Atkins

By | at

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…

Padres Claim Pat Neshek Off Of Waivers

By | at

The Padres announced that they have claimed right-hander Pat Neshek off of waivers from the Twins.  The news was first broken by the reliever himself on his Twitter feed.

Neshek first broke into the Majors with Minnesota in 2006. Over his first two seasons, the side-armer posted a 2.68 ERA through 107 1/3 innings of work with fantastic marks of 10.6 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9. He struggled out of the gates in 2008 and was diagnosed with a partially torn UCL in his throwing elbow. After months of attempting to rehab without surgery, Neshek underwent Tommy John in November of that year.

He returned in 2010 but struggled with an inflamed tendon in his pitching hand leading to a decrease in strikeouts and some command issues. The 30-year-old Neshek has made 132 career relief appearances over parts of four seasons with the Twins. He owns a career 3.05 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9, but his minor league numbers since his injuries (4.35 ERA, 5.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9) aren't as encouraging.

MLBTR's Steve Adams also contributed to this post.

Phillies, Marlins Not Serious About Castillo

By | at

The Phillies and Marlins have both been linked to free agent second baseman Luis Castillo, but neither team appears to be serious about signing the veteran.  Castillo was scheduled to officially clear waivers at 1pm EST today.

The Phillies are not high on the idea of signing Castillo to fill-in for Chase Utley at second base, writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.  Murphy gets the sense that the Phillies would be willing to take a look at him on a non-guaranteed deal, but there should be other suitors willing to give the veteran more playing time.

Meanwhile, the Marlins haven't completely closed the door on the idea of signing Castillo but they're also not in hot pursuit of him, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.  The club was considering Castillo to play second base if they decide that Matt Dominguez's bat isn't up to snuff for the big league roster. 

The Marlins would have shifted Omar Infante to third base and put someone else – possibly Emilio Bonifacio – at second.  Dominguez still may not make the cut out of Spring Training, but the Marlins are not presently searching for a third baseman on the trade market.

Cafardo On Angels, Red Sox, Reyes

By | at

In his Sunday column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that scouting and development people in baseball are extremely underpaid.  While the Pirates, White Sox, Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees are known for taking good care of development people, other clubs are less-than-generous when it comes to salaries and benefits.  Cafardo asked Athletics GM Billy Beane why development and scouting people don’t get paid well.  Beane's response: “The good ones do.’’  Here are some of Cafardo's other Sunday notes:

  • The Angels have a surplus of catchers and prospect Hank Conger is being groomed for the job.  The Red Sox are looking for a veteran catcher they might be able to keep at Triple-A in case someone gets hurt.  It's possible that Jeff Mathis or Bobby Wilson could be a fit for the BoSox.
  • Scouts are watching Boston's bullpen situation closely because Dennys Reyes is becoming a hot commodity.  It would be a tough call for the club as they also have Hideki Okajima signed through this season.  The club has also received interest in Rich Hill.
  • Infielder Drew Sutton seems to be destined for Boston's Pawtucket affiliate, but Cafardo wouldn't be surprised if the club gets some trade interest on the 27-year-old.

Rosenthal On Tigers, Castillo, Astros

By | at

Blue Jays' rookie third baseman Brett Lawrie has been raking this spring but the 21-year-old might not start the year in the majors, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The club might send him to the minors to work on his defense – and to prevent him from becoming eligible for a fourth year of arbitration.  Here's more from Rosenthal..

  • One scout following the Tigers says the team is deep enough in young outfielders to possibly move one for a starting pitcher.  Right now, Brennan Boesch, Clete Thomas, Casper Wells, and Andy Dirks are all vying for reserve spots.  Wells appears to be a lock to make the big league roster as he is the only right-handed hitter of the bunch and plays all three outfield positions.
  • The Marlins are talking about signing second baseman Luis Castillo once he clears waivers, but they also have in-house options.  The club could decide to go with Emilio Bonifacio at second and Omar Infante at third if they choose to demote rookie third baseman Matt Dominguez.
  • If the Astros go with Carlos Lee over Brett Wallace at first base they would like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder to platoon with Jason Michaels.  However, the club is at the payroll limit and the team's greater need is a replacement for catcher Jason Castro.

Brian Wilson, Kurt Suzuki Now With Dan Lozano

By | at

Giants closer Brian Wilson, Athletics catcher Kurt Suzuki, Astros first baseman Brett Wallace, and Twins outfielder Jason Repko are represented by agent Dan Lozano, MLBTR has learned.  Lozano left Beverly Hills Sports Council to form his own agency in June, and these four players are among many who went with him.  Here's a look at Lozano's client list; click here for BHSC.

Wondering about a player's representation or an agency's client list?  MLBTR's newly-launched, constantly-updated Agency Database puts all of the information at your fingertips.  A link to the database can always be found in the Tools menu on the navigation bar.  If you have any corrections or omissions, please email mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Quick Hits: Putz, Castillo, Varitek, Pirates, Ortiz

By | at

Links for Saturday evening..

Mets Notes: Perez, Collins, Warthen

By | at

After cutting ties with Luis Castillo, many are wondering if Oliver Perez is next on the Mets' chopping block.  Here's a batch of Mets news with a heavy focus on the beleaguered left-hander..

  • After a rough outing today against the Nationals in which he gave up a pair of homers to career minor leaguers, this is probably the end of the line for Perez, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  Even before this afternoon's performance, Martino says that he couldn't find anyone in organization who truly believed that the Perez experiment would work.
  • Martino (via Twitter) has been told that Perez won't be released tonight but he wouldn't be surprised to see the Mets cut Perez tomorrow or shortly thereafter.
  • A person with direct knowledge of the team’s thinking told Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger that no decision on Perez would be made before today.
  • McCullough (via Twitter) agrees that the end of the left-hander's time in New York is near though, pointing out that even supportive pitching coach Dan Warthen, says Perez's pitches are not good enough.
  • After the team's 7-4 win over the Nationals today, manager Terry Collins said he wants to have compassion for the hurler, but the reality is that he needs to pitch better, writes Rich Coutinho of MetsBlog.
  • Collins realizes now that his intensity has worked against him in the past and he's determined not to let it happen again, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

Luis Castillo Close To Joining Phillies

By | at

Former Mets second baseman Luis Castillo is close to joining the Phillies, a source told ESPN New York's Adam Rubin. Castillo was scheduled to clear waivers at 1pm ET today, and Philadelphia will only have to pay him the league minimum.

The Phillies have a bit of a question mark at second base right now given Chase Utley's knee injury, and Castillo would give them a veteran stopgap. Although he hit just .235/.337/.267 in 299 plate appearances last season, Castillo is only a year removed from a .387 OBP. The Mets are on the hook for the 35-year-old's $6MM salary, less whatever Philadelphia pays him.

More than 2,500 MLBTR readers predicted that Castillo would join the Phillies.

This post was originally published on March 20th, 2011.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top