It was on this day in 1990 that the Athletics acquired Willie McGee in a trade with the Cardinals. McGee hit .274/.333/.336 in 123 plate appearances for the eventual AL champions but McGee still remained a presence in the National League. His .335 average in St. Louis stood up throughout September to win McGee the NL batting crown, making him the only player in history to win a batting title despite being traded to the other league partway through a season.
Here are some items from the AL West…
- The Angels are unlikely to add a reliever before the waiver deadline, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez, and GM Jerry Dipoto discusses how the new collective bargaining agreement has limited the trade market for relief pitching.
- Despite Dan Haren's struggles and injury issues this season, Fangraphs' J.P. Breen still thinks the Angels should pick up Haren's $15.5MM option for 2013, as Haren provides a better value at $12MM (factoring in his $3.5MM buyout) than possible free agent options.
- Athletics right-hander Graham Godfrey cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The A's designated Godfrey for assignment last week.
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan seemed to dismiss the idea of his team having interest in Roger Clemens. In an interview on the Galloway & Company show on ESPN 103.3 radio, Ryan said "I might call [Clemens], but I donāt think Iāll be calling him about a job.ā Clemens has signed a contract with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters and is rumored to be considering a Major League comeback, though Clemens has said he is "nowhere near" Major League shape yet.