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Archives for June 2012

Padres Sign Travis Jankowski

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3:15pm: Jankowski's deal is for $975K, less than the $1.16MM recommendation, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter).

3:00pm: The Padres have signed compensation pick Travis Jankowski, according to Clark Goble of MLB.com.  The Stony Brook University standout wasn't able to sign until now due to his team's surprising run to the College World Series.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the recommended bonus for the 44th overall pick is $1.16MM.  The centerfielder is said to have a quick bat and better-than-average speed.

Indians Claim Rottino Off Waivers, DFA Schwinden

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The Indians‬ claimed infielder Vinny Rottino off outright waivers from the Mets, the team announced.  To create space, right-hander Chris Schwinden has been designated for assignment.

Rottino owns a career .188/.282/.319 slash line in 44 big league games.   The 32-year-old hit .307/.361/.479 in 36 games for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate before being DFA'd on Monday.

Schwinden, 25, has bounced around quite a bit so far in June.  The right-hander was DFA'd by the Mets on June 1st and was claimed the next day by Toronto.  His time north of the border would last less than a week, however, as he was soon DFA'd by the Blue Jays and picked up by Cleveland.  In 13 starts for the three Triple-A affiliates this year, Schwinden turned in a 4.16 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.

Pirates Claim Oscar Tejeda, DFA Slaten

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The Pirates have claimed infielder/outfielder Oscar Tejeda off waivers from the Red Sox, the team announced.  To make room for Tejeda, Pittsburgh has also designated left-hander Doug Slaten for assignment.

Tejeda, 22, was designated for assignment by Boston following their acquisition of Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge earlier this week.  Tejeda split time between designated hitter and left field this season, hitting .262/.294/.396 in 51 Double-A games.

Slaten, 32, appeared in ten games for the Pirates this season.  The left-hander also pitched 25 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis and allowed just one run with 15 strikeouts and six walks.  Slaten owns a 3.52 ERA in the big leagues with 6.6 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in parts of seven big league seasons.

Central Notes: Greinke, Brewers, Liriano, Byrd

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A Rangers scout is in town for Zack Greinke's start against the Reds this afternoon, and that's no accident, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  Morosi speculated yesterday that Texas could be in on the right-hander as they were also interested in him before Kansas City traded him to the Brewers.  As we know, Milwaukee is prepared to move Greinke before the deadline if they can't sign him to a new deal.  More news out of the Central divisions..

  • Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano could draw serious interest as the deadline approaches, but he scares a lot of evaluators around baseball, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider sub. req'd).  Three evaluators that Olney spoke with were skittish about the 28-year-old and two said that they preferred Matt Garza even though he's the more expensive option.
  • The Yankees also have a scout on hand for Greinke's start today, but that appears to be just be regular coverage and Morosi (via Twitter) would be surprised if they make a play for him.
  • The Cubs won't recoup any of the $6.5MM released outfielder Marlon Byrd is being paid this year despite his unpaid 50-game suspension, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Cubs Designate Randy Wells For Assignment

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The Cubs have designated pitcher Randy Wells for assignment, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The club also announced that fellow right-hander Rafael Dolis has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa.

Wells allowed four walks in just three innings against the Mets on Tuesday, leading manager Dale Sveum to hint that he could be bumped from the rotation.  In four starts and eight relief appearances this season, Wells has a 5.34 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 7.5 BB/9.  The 29-year-old also made six Triple-A starts, posting a 7.71 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.

Royals Designate Humberto Quintero For Assignment

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The Royals announced that they have designated Humberto Quintero for assignment.   In a related move, the team is set to recall outfielder Jason Bourgeois from Triple-A Omaha.

Kansas City acquired the catcher from Houston in March along with Bourgeois for left-hander Kevin Chapman and a player to be named later.  The trade was completed just over two weeks ago when the PTBNL turned out to be minor league outfielder D'Andre Toney.

Quintero, 32, hit .232/.257/.341 in 144 plate appearances for the Royals this season.

Omar Vizquel To Retire After Season

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After stating last month that he is "51 percent" sure that he will retire, Blue Jays shortstop Omar Vizquel now seems certain that he will call it a career after the 2012 season.  The 45-year-old told Didier Morais of NESN.com that he hopes to stay connected to the game after his playing days are through.

"This will be my last year," Vizquel said in Spanish. "I've enjoyed this game a lot, but I think it's time to pursue a new career as a coach or manager, and hopefully I'll get that opportunity in the future."

This season will be the finale of Vizquel's 24-year career, during which he earned eleven Gold Gloves and three All-Star nods.  The shortstop spent time with the Mariners, Indians, Giants, Rangers, and White Sox throughout his career, including two World Series appearances with Cleveland.  Baseball-Reference estimates that he has earned roughly $62.5MM dating back to his 1989 rookie season.

Quick Hits: Moyer, Blue Jays, Sellers

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Here's a hodgepodge of links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday …

  • Jamie Moyer's minor league contract with the Blue Jays is for two Triple-A starts, at which point the club must decide whether to promote the left-hander, tweets Shi Davidi of sportsnet.ca.
  • Despite the recent rash of injuries among the Jays' starters, GM Alex Anthopoulos won't rush to acquire pitching help, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. Anthopoulos said the soonest a big move might happen would be mid-July, if at all.
  • There are four teams that will obviously be in sell mode as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post: the Mariners, Padres, Cubs and Astros. San Diego and Chicago, in particular, figure to be the most active.
  • The Braves and Nationals were recently scouting at a Twins game, tweets Phil Mackey of ESPN's 1500 Twin Cities radio. Atlanta was there to see Francisco Liriano, while Washington was likely keeping tabs on center fielder Denard Span.
  • Hall of Famer Frank Robinson has been named MLB's Executive Vice President of Baseball Development, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.
  • Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca asked to be reassigned and has been made a special assistant to GM Dan O'Down, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Apodaca has been with the Rox since 2002.
  • The Dodgers have hired Mickey Hatcher as a special assistant to GM Ned Colletti, the club announced. Hatcher began the season as hitting coach for the Angels but was let go when the Halos were struggling offensively.

Yasiel Puig Declared Free Agent

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Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig has officially been declared a free agent, sources tell Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, and could have a deal finalized with a Major League team by Friday.

Puig can now meet with teams to discuss parameters of deals but cannot finalize a contract until he is unblocked by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, Sanchez reports. That is not expected to be an issue, though, "in accordance with the new guidelines that create a general license authorizing Major League teams to do business" with a Cuban prospect who has established residency somewhere else.

The 20-year-old has been working to establish free agency so as to beat the new collective bargaining agreement's July 2 deadline, which stipulates that teams may only sign international prospects for up to $2.9MM without penalty after that date. Puig is thought to be seeking a contract similar to the ones signed by Yoenis Cespedes with the A's and Jorge Soler with the Cubs.

Central Links: Liriano, Carpenter, Hernandez

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On this date in 1999, the Royals tore off a 10-run eighth inning en route to an 11-7 win over the Indians, according to Baseball-Reference. Kansas City's only homer in the barrage was a two-out solo shot by Johnny Damon, now of the Indians. On with the Central Links:

  • The Twins will see "robust interest" in left-hander Francisco Liriano as the trade deadline nears, a club official tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (Twitter link). Liriano has pitched better of late after a terrible start to the season, though his ERA sits at 5.30 and his SIERA at 4.10.
  • The Cardinals' pursuits leading up to the trade deadline will largely be shaped by Chris Carpenter's attempt to return from a shoulder injury, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. GM John Mozeliak is targeting July 1 as a yardstick for Carpenter's progress, although the right-hander recently suffered a setback. The Redbirds plan to seek a starting pitcher.
  • Indians pitcher Roberto Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, likely won't have to serve an eight-week suspension similar to the one being served by the Marlins' Juan Carlos Oviedo for playing under a false identity, GM Chris Antonetti told reporters, including Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Hernandez will probably be excused from the suspension because he restructured his contract this offseason.

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