Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Werner Talks Blockbuster, Ross, Ellsbury, Ortiz

By Mike Axisa | September 1, 2012 at 12:12pm CDT

The Red Sox are 62-71 after getting creamed by the Athletics last night, and they've dropped five of seven since making the big nine-player blockbuster with the Dodgers a week ago. Chairman Tom Werner spoke to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe about a number of topics, so let's recap…

“All I can say from our point of view, we were very pleased with the result," said Werner about the trade. "It was something we’ve been talking to the Dodgers about even in July. I feel like this gives us a real opportunity now."
Werner made it clear that the savings from the trade will be reinvested in the team, but it is unlikely to happen all at once. They hope to sign Cody Ross to an extension and will at least attempt to sign Jacoby Ellsbury long-term. Retaining David Ortiz is another priority.
“We give him high marks in how he’s dealt with the challenges this season, and he’s going to be with us for a long time," said Werner regarding GM Ben Cherington. “We just have to be more disciplined. One of the things we’ve talked to Ben about is supplementing his staff with a few more evaluators. I’m confident that we’ll get back because now we have the resources and the talent with Ben, and under Ben, to do so.”
Werner reiterated that the team is happy with Bobby Valentine, but he declined to talk about the manager's future with the club beyond 2012.
Werner discussed several other topics as well, including potential distractions from owning the Liverpool soccer club as well as when he thinks the Red Sox can contend again.

Rays Designate Will Rhymes For Assignment

By Mike Axisa | September 1, 2012 at 11:00am CDT

The Rays have designated Will Rhymes for assignment, reports Marc Topkin of The Tampa Times. The move clears room on the 40-man roster for Jeff Niemann, who was activated off the 60-day DL.

Rhymes, 29, hit .228/.299/.285 in 137 plate appearances for the Rays this season while playing second and third bases. He hit .256/.326/.390 in 194 plate appearances with their Triple-A affiliate as well.

Yankees Designate Ramiro Pena For Assignment

By Mike Axisa | September 1, 2012 at 10:02am CDT

The Yankees have designated Ramiro Pena for assignment, reports Peter Botte of The New York Daily News (on Twitter). The move clears room on the 40-man roster for Chris Dickerson, who was recalled from Triple-A as rosters expand today.

Pena, 27, hit .258/.325/.328 in Triple-A this summer while playing second, third, and shortstop. He had one single in four plate appearances with the Yankees earlier this season and is a .233/.266/.288 career hitter in 338 big league plate appearances.

Rangers Designate De Los Santos For Assignment

By Mike Axisa | September 1, 2012 at 8:27am CDT

The Rangers have designated left-hander Miguel De Los Santos for assignment, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The move clears room on the 40-man roster as the team prepares to expand their big league roster today.

De Los Santos, 24, has pitched to a 5.22 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 58 2/3 innings for the club's Double-A affiliate this season. Baseball America ranked the southpaw as the Rangers' 29th best prospect before the season in their Prospect Handbook, saying he "projects as a late-inning reliever because of command issues and funky mechanics."

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees

By Mike Axisa | August 31, 2012 at 1:15pm CDT

Two years ago today, left-hander Aroldis Chapman made his Major League debut with the Reds. The $30.25MM man topped 100 mph four times in his perfect inning of work. These days Chapman is arguably the most dominant closer in baseball, with 113 strikeouts in just 64 innings this season. Here's the latest from around the web, with a large helping of Red Sox-Dodgers blockbuster reactions…

Both MLB Reports and Row 12 say the big trade makes sense for everyone.
The Barnstormer and Lasorda's Lair wrote about the return of Dodger blue.
Chad Moriyama says the trade carries significant risk for the Dodgers.
True Blue LA wrote about the Dodgers and the luxury tax following the trade.
Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness looked at what Josh Beckett could bring to the Dodgers.
Talkin' Sox with Dan says the Red Sox can thank Adrian Gonzalez for the trade.
MLB Injury News looked at Carl Crawford and trades involving injured players.
Over The Monster wrote about the Red Sox and discipline following the trade.
BoSox Injection thinks Cody Ross and David Ortiz could benefit most from the deal.
The Giants Cove looked at the trade from the Giants' point of view.
Yanks Go Yard says the Yankees' deadline moves have failed to make an impact.
Wahoo's on First lists some last-minute trade destinations for Casey Kotchman.
Rising Apple wonders if Collin McHugh or Jenrry Mejia could be trade bait this winter.
Call to the Pen says J.J. Hardy's future is a question with Manny Machado called up.
I-70 Baseball says the Royals shouldn't be having this much trouble contending.
Cleveland Indians Perspective looked at some potential Indians' September call-ups.
Seedlings to Stars wrote about Yasel Puig's hot start in the minors.
MLB on Deck wonders why players are still getting caught for using PEDs.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Indians Designate Shelley Duncan For Assignment

By Mike Axisa | August 29, 2012 at 2:04pm CDT

The Indians have designated Shelley Duncan for assignment, the team announced. The move creates room on the roster for Jeanmar Gomez, who was recalled from Triple-A.

Duncan, 32, hit .203/.288/.388 with 11 homers in 264 plate appearances for Cleveland this season. He's a .229/.306/.427 career hitter in 933 big league plate appearances, including a .243/.319/.428 line against left-handers. Duncan has experience in both corner outfield spots as well as first base.

The Red Sox’s Future Payroll Obligations

By Mike Axisa | August 28, 2012 at 8:41pm CDT

A few days ago the Red Sox freed up more than a quarter-billion dollars in the future payroll obligation with their blockbuster nine-player trade with the Dodgers. Nine-figure commitments to Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford are suddenly off the books, as is a short-term but still substantial commitment to Josh Beckett. GM Ben Cherington essentially hit the reset button on the club's payroll situation.

A few hours after the trade we broke down the Dodgers' future payroll obligations, which are up to $88.5MM in 2017. Now let's turn the tables and look at what the Red Sox still have on the books going forward, which is a pittance compared to their trade counterpart. With a big assist from Cot's Baseball Contracts, here is an unofficial recap of Boston's guaranteed commitments (salaries and buyouts only, not arbitration or pre-arbitration players)…

2013 ($42.938MM) — John Lackey ($15.25MM), Jon Lester ($11.625MM), Dustin Pedroia ($10MM), Clay Buchholz ($5.5MM), Jose Iglesias (approximately $563K)
2014 ($33.2MM) — Lackey ($15.25MM), Pedroia ($10MM), Buchholz ($7.7MM), Lester ($250K buyout)
2015 ($12.5MM) — Buchholz ($12MM), Pedroia ($500K buyout)
2016 ($245K) — Buchholz ($245K buyout)

The Red Sox will have a massive 11-player arbitration class next season, though not all will be tendered contracts. Jacoby Ellsbury, Andrew Bailey, Alfredo Aceves, Daniel Bard, and Franklin Morales highlight those 11 players. Other than that, Cherington will have plenty of room to work with going forward, especially if ownership is willing to maintain the same $160MM+ payroll they've had the last three seasons.

Cleared Waivers: Jeremy Hermida, Luis Hernandez

By Mike Axisa | August 28, 2012 at 7:34pm CDT

Here's an update on two players who were recently removed from their team's 40-man roster…

Outfielder Jeremy Hermida cleared waivers and has become a free agent, reports MLB.com's Chelsea Janes (on Twitter). The Padres designated the 28-year-old for assignment last week after he hit .250/.333/.375 in 27 plate appearances.
Infielder Luis Hernandez has cleared waivers been outrighted to Triple-A, reports Jeff Wilson of The Fort-Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). The 28-year-old was designated for assignment by the Rangers yesterday after hitting .262/.302/.372 for the club's Triple-A affiliate.

Brewers Place Shaun Marcum On Trade Waivers

By Mike Axisa | August 28, 2012 at 6:18pm CDT

The Brewers have placed right-hander Shaun Marcum on trade waivers, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The waiver period expires at 1pm ET on Thursday. A player being placed on trade waivers does not necessarily mean that he will be traded, but the veteran starter could potentially draw interest from other clubs.

Marcum, 30, missed more than two months with a right elbow issue. He returned over the weekend to allow four unearned runs in five innings against the Pirates. His next start is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, so clubs will not be able to get another look at him before the waiver period expires. Marcum is owed approximately $1.6MM through the end of the season and will become a free agent this winter.

Pirates Not Focused On Adding A Pitcher

By Mike Axisa | August 28, 2012 at 5:54pm CDT

The Pirates released Erik Bedard earlier today, and manager Clint Hurdle told Michael Sanserino of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the club is not looking to add a veteran pitcher through waivers (Twitter link). The team's primary focus right now is internal options.

After posting a solid 3.94 ERA before the All-Star break, the Pirates' rotation has pitched to a 4.72 ERA in the second half as A.J. Burnett (5.18 ERA) and James McDonald (5.91 ERA) have struggled in August. Deadline pickup Wandy Rodriguez owns a 4.86 ERA with Pittsburgh. The Pirates remain three games back of the two NL Wild Card spots but must only win 14 of their last 34 games to finish with the franchise's first winning season since 1992.

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