edcreech | MLB Trade Rumors

White Sox Acquire Kevin Youkilis

By edcreech | June 24, 2012 at 4:39pm CDT

The White Sox have acquired Kevin Youkilis and cash from the Red Sox in exchange for pitcher Zach Stewart and utility player Brent Lillibridge, both teams announced. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweets the cash being exchanged is slightly more than $5.5MM.

Youkilis is hitting .225/.311/.359 in 41 games this season while appearing in 32 games at third base and 13 at first base. He will be an immediate updgrade at third base for the White Sox, who entered the day with a .466 OPS from the position, worst in baseball. Orlando Hudson has been manning third for the White Sox since Brent Morel landed on the disabled list. Hudson has produced a line of just .167/.247/.286 in his 27 games on the South Side.

Youkilis made his final appearance as a member of the Red Sox today going 2-for-4 with one run batted in. Youkilis was removed in the bottom of the 7th inning to a standing ovation from the Fenway Park faithful. This will not be his last game at Fenway, however, as the White Sox will play a series there on July 16-19.

Stewart, a right-hander, has appeared in 18 games, including one start, for the White Sox this year. Stewart has a 6.00 ERA, 4.8 K/9, and 1.2 BB/9 this season. The 25-year-old was acquired last year by the White Sox in the Edwin Jackson trade with the Blue Jays. Stewart will report to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Lillibridge has appeared in left field, center field, first base, third base, and designated hitter for the White Sox this year with a batting line of .175/.232/.190 in 48 games. Lillibridge is a .215/.283/.358 hitter during his five-year career with the White Sox and Braves. To make room on the 40-man roster for Lillibridge, the Red Sox designated left fielder Oscar Tejada for assignment.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and ESPN's Jim Bowden first tweeted news of the trade. David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com was the first to report Stewart was going to Boston while Heyman broke Lillibridge's inclusion.

Quick Hits: Braves, Pirates, Rockies, Nationals

By edcreech | June 24, 2012 at 3:00pm CDT

The Marlins ended their franchise record offensive draught of scoring five runs or less for 25 consecutive games in their 9-0 win over the Blue Jays. And, for good measure, the nine runs were a season-high for the Marlins, who ended their six-game losing streak. Here's the latest news from around baseball.

The Braves could make starting pitching a priority at the trade deadline because of the growing pains of Mike Minor and Randall Delgado and the uncertainty surrounding Jair Jurrjens, tweets Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
The Pirates need to create an opening in their starting rotation when Jeff Karstens returns from the disabled list this week and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review thinks a trade could create that opening (via Sulia). Biertempfel reported yesterday the Pirates are shopping Kevin Correia.
With the Pirates looking for offensive help, the Denver Post's Troy Renck notes the Rockies have players available, including Marco Scutaro. In the same piece, Renck offers his suggestions on who the Rockies should play the rest of the way in 2012, so as to best prepare for 2013.
The Nationals are not willing to pay a fine in order to exceed their draft bonus pool, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. This is a corection to a story Kilgore wrote yesterday. Kilgore writes this stance will lower the amount the Nationals will be able to offer their first round draft pick Lucas Giolito.
Condolences to the friends of family of Padres' bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer today. He was 50.

Minors Moves: Brewers

By edcreech | June 24, 2012 at 1:29pm CDT

We'll keep track of today's minor league moves here, with the latest up top.

Edwin Maysonet and Juan Perez have both cleared waivers and the Brewers have sent the pair to Triple-A Nashville, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Maysonet and Perez were each designated for assignment on Friday.

Astros Sign McCullers

By edcreech | June 18, 2012 at 3:37pm CDT

MONDAY: The Astros announced that they signed McCullers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).

SUNDAY, 4:44 pm: McCullers will receive a $2.5MM bonus, the most over slot so far this year, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle tweets McCullers' bonus is between the slot values of the 12th and 13th overall picks and was made possible by the savings on the signing of Carlos Correa.

4:05 pm: The Astros will sign their supplementary first round draft choice right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers pending the successful completion of a physical Monday morning, reports Laura Keeley of the Tampa Bay Times. The recommended slot value for the 41st selection is $1,258,700. The Astros received the pick as compensation for losing Clint Barmes.

According to Baseball America, McCullers has a strong, athletic body and pitches with power and aggression. The majority of scouts believe he projects as a reliever. McCullers will forego his scholarship to the University of Florida.

MLBTR Originals

By edcreech | June 17, 2012 at 5:00pm CDT

Here's a look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

MLBTR was the first to learn that Ben Sheets threw for scouts from the Phillies, Braves, Yankees, and Angels on Wednesday.
MLBTR learned the Indians' second round selection Mitch Brown received an over-slot bonus of $800K.
Tim Dierkes was the first to report the White Sox signed their third round draft choice Joey DeMichele.
MLBTR was the first to break the news of the draft signings of Joey Curletta (sixth round) by the Dodgers and Elliott Waterman (13th round) by the Nationals.
Another MLBTR exclusive was Mark Teahen has an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Nationals.
Ben Nicholson-Smith examined the possibility of Ryan Dempster being traded this summer.
Ben hosted this week's live chat.
Mike Axisa has the best of the baseball blogosphere for you in Baseball Blogs Weigh In featuring posts on Andre Ethier, Josh Hamilton, and Carlos Quentin.
Ben updated the timeline for calling up prospects with the expectation the players will not be eligible for super two arbitration status.
There are many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a refresher on how to use MLBTR.

Koyie Hill Elects Free Agency

By edcreech | June 17, 2012 at 4:38pm CDT

Koyie Hill is a now a free agent after declining his outright assignment to Triple-A Iowa, tweets Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. The switch-hitting catcher was outrighted by the Cubs on Friday, a day after being designated for assignment.

Hill appeared in 11 games with the Cubs this year compiling a slash line of .179/.179/.205. Hill has a career line of .210/.271/.294 over 313 games in nine years. The 33-year-old will be looking to hook on with his fourth major league organization in 2012 after spending Spring Training with the Cardinals and playing for the Reds' Double-A affiliate.

Minor Moves: Hector Ambriz

By edcreech | June 17, 2012 at 3:31pm CDT

We'll keep track of today's minor league moves here, with the latest up top.

The Indians have released right-hander Hector Ambriz from Triple-A Columbus. Ambriz saw time with the Indians in 2010 appearing in 34 games, all in relief, pitching to a 5.59 ERA. He missed the entire 2011 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Quick Hits: Bay, Indians, Brewers

By edcreech | June 17, 2012 at 2:01pm CDT

Happy Father's Day to all dads! Jim Thome, a father of two, became just the fourth player in baseball history to hit 100 home runs for three different clubs with his solo shot in the Phillies' game against the Blue Jays. Thome joins Alex Rodriguez, Reggie Jackson, and Darrell Evans in that exclusive club.

Mets manager Terry Collins told reporters, including Adam Rosenbloom of MLB.com, he is concerned about the playing career of Jason Bay, who is on the disabled list with his second career concussion. "We've got to put ourselves in his shoes, and decide what we think is the best for the future," Collins said.
Indians GM Chris Antonetti will not show any apprehension approaching the trade deadline after the mixed results of the Ubaldo Jimenez deal last year, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I continue to trust our process and evaluators," said Antonetti. "If we feel the right guy is out there, and it's the right trade, we'll certainly be willing to make it. I don't think we'd operate any differently."
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes the Brewers recent sweep at the hands of the Royals may cause the team to be sellers at the trade deadline. Haudricourt points out the Brewers will have several question marks heading into 2013 including the starting rotation, first base, outfield, and shortstop.

MLBTR Originals

By edcreech | June 10, 2012 at 4:50pm CDT

Here's a look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote about the uncertainty surrounding the Red Sox amid the Kevin Youkilis trade rumors.
Tim Dierkes was the first to report outfielder Jason Pridie asked for and was granted his release from the A's.
MLBTR was the first to break the news of the Royals signing their third round draft choice Colin Rodgers.
Ben hosted the MLBTR draft chat and the regular weekly live chat.
Ben profiled the first overall draft selections who haven’t appeared in an MLB game.
Zach Links reviewed the 22-year career of Bill Buckner, which came to an end 22 years ago.
Ben checked in on the prominent starting pitchers scheduled to be first-time arbitration eligible this coming offseason.
Howard Megdal examined the value teams have received from free agent compensation draft picks.
Mike Axisa compiled the best of the baseball blogosphere in Baseball Blogs Weigh In. This week's edition featured posts on Mark Appel, Justin Morneau, and Bryan LaHair.
Here's a refresher on MLBTR's commenting policy and the schedule of our weekly features and exactly what to expect from them.

Dodgers Sign Jesmuel Valentin

By edcreech | June 10, 2012 at 3:50pm CDT

3:50 pm: The Dodgers have officially announced the signings of Valentin, Stripling, Rathjen, Hershiser, and seven other draft picks.

3:15 pm: Baseball America's Jim Callis says Valentin signed for the recommended slot value of $984,700.

1:20 pm: The Dodgers have signed their supplementary first round draft choice Jesmuel Valentin tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Valentin, a middle infielder and teammate of the top overall pick Carlos Correa out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, was chosen 51st overall, a pick obtained for the loss of Rod Barajas. The recommended slot for the selection is $984,700.

The Dodgers, according to Hernandez, also signed their fifth round pick right-handed pitcher Thomas Stripling and their 11th rounder outfielder Jeremy Rathjen. Hernandez tweets that Jordan Hershiser, son of Dodger great Orel Hershiser, also signed. The younger Hershiser was the team's 34th round selection.

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