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Archives for June 2012

Astros Designate Travis Buck For Assignment

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The Astros have designated outfielder Travis Buck for assignment, the club announced via press release.

Buck, 28, was a reserve player and occasional starter this season, his first in the Astros' organization, although he had been on the disabled list since late May due to a heel injury. The left-handed hitter owns a .216/.284/.311 line in 81 plate appearances in 2012 and .243/.316/.399 line for his career.

Formerly a well-regarded prospect with the Athletics, Buck's best performance to date came as a rookie with Oakland in 2007, when he hit .288/.377/.474 in 334 plate appearances, though he's battled injuries and ineffectiveness since then. Buck spent 2011 in the Indians organization.

Buck was DFA'd to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Scott Moore, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

AL West Notes: Angels, Rangers, Greinke

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A few items of note out of the AL West, where the Rangers held a 4.5-game lead over the second-place Halos entering Tuesday night's action …

  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto doesn't expect his club to be busy at the trade deadline, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The lineup and bullpen, in particular, seem to be pretty set, and though Dipoto hinted that he'd like to improve the rotation, he said it won't be easy to do so. Owner Arte Moreno isn't inclined to increase the team's $151MM payroll, according to Saxon, especially after last offseason's spending spree.
  • Despite a rash of injuries to the starting rotation, Rangers GM Jon Daniels doesn't plan to be any more aggressive in seeking starting pitchers at the trade deadline, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as Texas' disabled hurlers are all expected back shortly after the All-Star break. Said Daniels: "The group we're going to get back is probably more impactful than anybody we can go get out there," according to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (via Twitter).
  • However, the Rangers could be in the mix for Brewers starter Zack Greinke, speculates Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (Twitter link), as they were a finalist for the right-hander when the Royals traded him to Milwaukee following the 2010 season. It remains to be seen whether the Brewers will re-sign Greinke or deal him before the deadline.

Minor Moves: LaRoche, Meloan, Williamson

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here…

  • The Indians announced that infielder Andy LaRoche has been released from Triple-A Columbus (via Twitter). LaRoche, 28, was once a modest prospect with the Dodgers but hasn't been able to make the most of big league playing time with Los Angeles, the Pirates and Athletics.
  • The Yankees have signed Jonathan Meloan and assigned him to Double-A, reports Mike Ashmore of The Trentonian. The 27-year-old right-hander had been pitching in an independent league and turned down offers from Mexico and Asia to sign with New York. Meloan owns a 4.58 ERA in 17 2/3 big league innings with the Dodgers, Indians, and Athletics.
  • The Braves have signed Fabian Williamson according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 23-year-old left-hander had been pitching in an independent league and has previously been involved in trades for David Aardsma and Eric Patterson. Williamson owns a 4.00 ERA in 472 minor league innings and has never appeared in the show.

Pirates Designate Daniel Moskos For Assignment

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The Pirates have designated Daniel Moskos for assignment, the team announced. The move clears a roster spot for Eric Fryer.

Moskos, 26, was the fourth overall pick of the 2007 draft. He pitched to a 2.96 ERA with nearly as many walks (nine) as strikeouts (11) in 24 1/3 innings for Pittsburgh last season. Moskos had pitched to a 3.86 ERA in 14 Triple-A innings this season while battling elbow problems.

Draft Signings: Fontana, Benincasa, Amaral, Foody

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Let's keep track of the day's non-first and supplemental first round signings here…

  • The Astros have signed second rounder Nolan Fontana, the team announced. Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter) that he signed for $875K, slightly above the $844K slot for the 61st overall pick.
  • The Nationals have signed seventh rounder Robert Benincasa, the team announced (on Twitter). The right-hander from Florida State was slotted for approximately $145K.
  • The Reds have signed seventh rounder Beau Amaral according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Slot money for the pick is $146K.
  • The Cardinals have agreed to terms with 12th rounder Max Foody on an above slot $385K bonus according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The high school left-hander hails from Florida.
  • The Orioles have signed 26th rounder Lucas Herbst, reports Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Baltimore has signed 23 draft picks all together.

Red Sox Sign Brian Johnson

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June 26: The Red Sox have signed Johnson for a straight slot $1.575MM, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America.

June 21: The Red Sox are expected to sign first rounder Brian Johnson by the weekend, Evan Drellich and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com report. The University of Florida left-hander is expected to obtain a bonus of $1.575MM, which is precisely what MLB recommends for the 31st overall selection.

Johnson's college team has been knocked out of the College World Series, so he should be coming to Boston for a physical soon. The Red Sox obtained the 31st overall selection from the Phillies as compensation for losing closer Jonathan Papelbon via free agency. They obtained a second selection for losing Papelbon — the 37th overall pick — and used it to sign right-hander Pat Light.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Stroman, Gausman

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Derek Jeter turns 38 years old today, and the Yankees shortstop is hitting .304/.353/.412 with seven homers and six steals this season, his 18th in the big leagues. The game's active career hits leader with 3,181, he could move into the all-time top-ten with a strong second half. Here's the latest from the only division Jeter has known, the AL East…

  • “I’d rather not do anything, if possible,” said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Anthony McCarron of The New York Daily News, referring to the upcoming trade deadline. “I’d rather keep our prospects, keep our payroll down. That’s what I’d always like to do. But at the same time, I want to get better.”
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says (on Twitter) that the Yankees expect Brett Gardner back from his elbow injury in late-July, but will pursue a speedy center field type if he takes longer than expected.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington told Casey Stern and Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that starting pitching remains his team's top target between now and the trade deadline.
  • With Kevin Youkilis traded, the Red Sox are likely to remain quiet for the next few weeks according to Sean McAdam and Maureen Mullen of CSNNE.com. If Boston decides to sell at the deadline, Kelly Shoppach, Ryan Sweeney, Scott Atchison, and Matt Albers could be trade candidates.
  • The Blue Jays are offering 22nd overall pick Marcus Stroman the $1.8MM slot bonus, reports Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star (Twitter links). He notes that even though that pick is compensation for failing to sign last year's first rounder, the Jays will get another compensation pick next year if they fail to sign Stroman thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.
  • Agreements between the Orioles and first rounder Kevin Gausman and second rounder Branden Kline are not imminent according to MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli, but the two sides are negotiating. “Nothing unusual about the way it’s progressing,” said scouting director Gary Rajisch.

Brewers Prepared To Move Greinke If No Extension

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The Brewers are prepared to trade right-hander Zack Greinke if they're unable to sign him to a contract extension before the trade deadline, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The team is said to be "very realistic" about their position with the former AL Cy Young Award winner. 

"I haven't sat down with ownership," said GM Doug Melvin. "I haven't talked to any club yet to say, 'Give names.' I haven’t had that conversation … We've got to make a decision on what we're doing overall. We’re hoping we can put a good week together. If we don't, we've got to be prepared to go both ways. A lot more clubs are starting to call now. Clubs are calling on different players."

The two sides were discussing a long-term contract extension earlier this year, but talks were suspended in April. The 28-year-old Greinke has pitched to a 2.81 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 96 innings across 15 starts this season. He'll become a free agent after the season and Matt Cain's five-year, $112.5MM deal with the Giants is a likely comparison during extension talks.

Yankees Claim Danny Farquhar Off Waivers

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The Yankees have claimed Danny Farquhar off waivers from the Athletics, the team announced. Oakland designated the right-hander for assignment over the weekend.

Farquhar, 25, was claimed off of waivers by the Athletics on June 9th after he was let go by the Blue Jays. The pitcher posted a 2.97 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 20 Double-A appearances for Toronto's affiliate and pitched eight innings for the A's Triple-A squad this year.

Phillies Have Yet To Make Hamels, Victorino Available

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The Phillies won last night but are still in fourth place in the NL East, eight games out of first and 4.5 back of the wild card spots. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he could be a seller if his team doesn't improve back in May, but in today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says Philadelphia has yet to put Cole Hamels or Shane Victorino on the market.

Olney says contending teams are monitoring the Phillies — as well as the Brewers — to see if they become sellers in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. The Blue Jays have already inquired on both Hamels and Victorino, and you have to think almost every team in the league will check-in on those two at some point. Amaro could also market Juan Pierre, Ty Wigginton, and Joe Blanton at the deadline, though that is just my speculation.

Milwaukee could offer Shaun Marcum, though his recent elbow injury is throwing a wrench into those plans. He tried to play catch yesterday but things did not go well according to Todd Rosiak of The Journal Sentinel. The Brewers also have trade candidates in Zack Greinke, Randy Wolf, and Francisco Rodriguez.

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