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Archives for May 2012

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Oswalt, Chapman, Trout

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One year ago today, Mariano Rivera became the first pitcher in baseball history to appear in 1,000 games with one team. He is currently eighth on the all-time games pitched list with 1,051 appearances, but he won't be making any more this season after tearing his right ACL. Here's the latest from around the web…

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Latest On Lance Berkman

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FRIDAY: The Cardinals announced that Berkman will likely miss eight to ten weeks after undergoing surgery for meniscus and cartilage tears today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Berkman could return this season if all goes well despite talk of an earlier-than-expected retirement.

MONDAY: It appears that Lance Berkman suffered a torn ACL in his right knee Saturday, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. An MRI will take place today to confirm the early diagnosis. The injury could end Berkman's season and has the veteran switch-hitter considering retirement.

Matt Adams and Matt Carpenter provide the Cardinals with a pair of internal options at first base. Adams had a .340/.375/.603 batting line at Triple-A before getting called up this weekend and Carpenter has a .280/.345/.500 through 113 plate appearances as a corner infielder and outfielder with the Cardinals this year. Allen Craig could also play first base once he returns from the disabled list, ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes.

Berkman, 36, will earn $12MM in 2012 before hitting free agency this offseason. He is a client of Moye Sports Associates.

Minor Moves: Maine, Hernandez, Lindsay

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The latest minor moves…

  • The Yankees will sign right-hander John Maine to a minor league deal, Evan Drellich of MLB.com tweets. The Red Sox recently released the 31-year-old, who has missed considerable time with shoulder injuries. He posted a 7.43 ERA in 46 innings with the Rockies' top affiliate in 2011 before signing with the Red Sox this January.
  • The Cubs signed infielder Diory Hernandez, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. The Astros had released Hernandez earlier in the week.
  • The Diamondbacks signed right-hander Gaby Hernandez from the independent Frontier League, Eddy tweets. The 26-year-old pitched at Triple-A for the Diamondbacks and White Sox last year.
  • The Dodgers released right-hander Shane Lindsay, Eddy tweets. The reliever had walked more than one batter per inning at Triple-A this year.

2013 Contract Issues: Toronto Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (7)

  • Omar Vizquel - The 45-year-old has said he expects this will be his final season.
  • Jason Frasor – Fortunately for Frasor, he won't be tied to draft pick compensation when he hits free agency in the offseason.
  • Edwin Encarnacion – Here's a question for GM Alex Anthopoulos: does Encarnacion warrant a qualifying offer in the $12-13MM range? It seems a bit rich for a player with limited defensive value, but Encarnacion's production would be hard to replace. Perhaps the sides could work out a multiyear deal at a lower average annual value. I think a qualifying offer is unlikely.
  • Carlos Villanueva – Villanueva seems to be headed for a one-year, Major League contract next offseason.
  • Jeff Mathis – Mathis could be deemed expendable given the presence of J.P. Arencibia, Travis d'Arnaud and Yan Gomes.
  • Francisco Cordero - Cordero has struggled to limit hits, walks and home runs in the early going, which could limit his leverage as a free agent.
  • Kelly Johnson - The Blue Jays figure to be looking for second base help next offseason, when Johnson will be among the best options available. They could make him a qualifying offer, but doing so would mean offering Dan Uggla/Brandon Phillips money. The industry doesn't appear to value Johnson as a $12-13MM player, so perhaps the Blue Jays will look to retain him more affordably.

Contract Options (2)

  • Darren Oliver: $3MM club option with a $500K buyout. The 41-year-old Oliver continues pitching effectively. If the season ended today, the Blue Jays would probably exercise this option.
  • Rajai Davis: $3MM club option with a $500K buyout. Though $3MM is on the pricey side for an extra outfielder, Davis adds value as a right-handed hitter with speed.

Arbitration Eligible (6)

The Blue Jays have a relatively small group of projected arbitration eligible players and it could diminish even more in the coming months. Cecil and Snider won't necessarily pick up enough service time to go to arbitration this coming offseason. Laffey could be non-tendered, and depending on the severity of Litsch's shoulder injury, he could be cut loose as well. Francisco may also find himself on the non-tender bubble if his slow start at the plate continues. That leaves Rasmus, who's on track for a raise from $2.7MM.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Blue Jays have committed nearly $52MM to next year's payroll, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. The team's payroll has been approximately $80MM three of the past four seasons, but attendance is up, so perhaps payroll will also rise. The Blue Jays maintain that they'll be able to spend more aggressively when the time is right.

Quick Hits: Wright, Oviedo, Broxton, Catchers

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Here's the latest from around the league as Thursday turns into Friday…

Minor Moves: Gathright, Dodgers, Phillips, Benitez

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The latest minor moves from around MLB…

  • The Reds have signed Joey Gathright to a minor league deal according to the CBSSports.com transactions page. The 31-year-old outfielder was hitting .240/.348/.365 in an independent league. He appeared in seven games for the Red Sox last season.
  • The Dodgers announced that they have signed or are in the process of signing more than 20 Latin American players. The group includes at least 10 position players and 10 pitchers and reflects a new approach to the international market from the one adopted under the ownership of Frank McCourt. “With our renewed resources in that area and the upcoming first-year player draft next month, we look forward to adding many talented young players to the Dodger family,” GM Ned Colletti said.
  • The Blue Jays acquired catcher Paul Phillips from the Brewers for cash, according to Mike Vassallo of the Brewers (on Twitter). Phillips had been playing at Triple-A Nashville and owns a .269/.317/.369 batting line in 13 minor league seasons.
  • The Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League signed former MLB closer Armando Benitez, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The 39-year-old has 289 career saves in 15 MLB seasons. He last appeared in the Major Leagues with the 2008 Blue Jays.

AL East Links: Orioles, Oswalt, Jones, Nova

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On this date in 2006, the Yankees acquired infielder Nick Green from the Devil Rays for cash. As our Transaction Tracker shows, it's the only trade ever made between the two division rivals. Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • "We're always interested in the pitching market and any developments in the market," said Orioles GM Dan Duquette to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com when asked about the team's reported interest in Roy Oswalt. He wouldn't confirm if the club has watched Oswalt throw recently.
  • Duquette also told Kubatko that a contract extension with Adam Jones is not imminent, and he wouldn't confirm if the Orioles and their star center fielder have spoken recently.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Orioles put a waiver claim in on John Gaub, but lost it to the Rangers because they have a better record (Twitter links). Baltimore came into the day 28-17 while Texas is 27-18.
  • “My impression is not only do [the Steinbrenners] all love being part of [owning the Yankees], I think they are interested in handing it to their kids,” said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Joel Sherman of The New York Post when asked about rumors of the team potentially going up for sale.
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. wrote about Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova and his path to the big leagues. He worked out for the Red Sox in the Dominican Republic but said "I really didn't want to sign with Boston … My father and I were both Yankee fans."

The Latest On Roy Oswalt

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Free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt hasn't discussed a contract with the Red Sox or Rangers, according to the latest rumors. The Phillies have also been linked to Oswalt, who is expected to sign a new contract midseason. Here are the latest rumors:

  • Oswalt's preference is to play for the Rangers, Cardinals, or Braves according to ESPN's Jayson Stark, but there's no indication either St. Louis or Atlanta has interest. Stark hears that money is the most important factor, but Oswalt also doesn't not want to be a major media storyline wherever he goes.
  • Oswalt is on the Orioles' radar, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes. Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette said this week that he's looking for ways of adding pitching depth, so it's not surprising they're eyeing Oswalt. Teams other than the Orioles, Red Sox, Phillies and Rangers may be involved, according to Heyman.

Cutting Figgins “Not A Consideration” For Mariners

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Chone Figgins has been a colossal bust with the Mariners, but manager Eric Wedge told reporters (including Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times) that parting ways with the infielder is "not even a consideration" right now. Seattle optioned Casper Wells to Triple-A rather than cut ties with Figgins when Miguel Olivo came off the disabled list today.

"Not right now,'' said the manager. "Right now, that's not even an option for us. With Chone, as you all know — we were very open with you (media) guys about that — we wanted to give him every opportunity to get back on track. We feel like we did that, leading him off, switching his role a little bit, and it didn't work out."

Figgins, 34, has hit just .230/.303/.286 in over 1,100 plate appearances with the Mariners since signing his four-year, $36MM contract prior to 2010. Seattle has indicated a willingness to eat part of that contract to facilitate a trade, but so far they've found no takers. Figgins still offers a lot of versatility but is owed approximately $15MM through next season.

Marlins Looking For Help Following Bonifacio Injury

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The Marlins announced today that Emilio Bonifacio will miss 4-6 weeks due to left thumb surgery, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that the team is looking at "possible outside fits" to replace him. Bryan Petersen has been playing center field in the meantime.

Bonifacio, 27, was hitting .268/.351/.315 in 170 plate appearances before getting hurt. He still leads the league with 20 steals (in 21 chances) despite not playing for nearly a week. As the Red Sox have shown during their rash of injuries, the market for outfield help isn't great the moment. Boston acquired Marlon Byrd and Scott Podsednik in separate trades in recent weeks to cover for injuries.

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