Rumors for April, 2011
Nick Cafardo on Ortiz, Lowrie, Youkilis, and Scutaro
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Here’s the latest from the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo:
– David Ortiz believes that “April is April” and the first month of the season “doesn’t matter.” He adds that it’s “July, August, September when things get tough.”
– The Red Sox will have a tough decision if Ortiz has a good 2011 season. He’s a free agent after the year.
– Cafardo wonders if Jed Lowrie proves that he can play a full season, would the Red Sox consider trading Kevin Youkilis. One NL GM doesn’t think the Sox will trade Youkilis.
– Marco Scutaro will be valuable to a team looking for a shortstop or second baseman. The Phillies have mentioned him internally.
– The Angels have been exploring deals for catcher Jeff Mathis now that they have committed to Hank Conger.
Injury Updates: Sandoval, Zimmerman, Meek
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Here’s a running list of injury updates around the Major Leagues:
– San Francisco Giants’ third baseman Pablo Sandoval will have to undergo surgery to remove a portion of the bone fractured in his right hand. He is expected to miss four to six weeks. The procedure is expected to happen as soon as Tuesday. (Andrew Baggarly, San Jose Mercury News)
–Ryan Zimmerman is expected to miss about six weeks after he undergoes surgery to repair a torn rectus muscle in his abdomen. He is expected to return around mid-June. (Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com)
– The Pirates will place Evan Meek on the 15-day disabled list to allow him to regain strength in his right shoulder. He lost velocity while fighting a virus over the past month. (Dejan Kevacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Greinke to make debut for Brewers on Wednesday
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It’s official – Zack Greinke will make his long awaited debut with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in Atlanta versus the Braves, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Greinke has been sidelined with a hairline fracture in one of his ribs since Spring Training. He cracked the rib while playing basketball early in March.
Greinke was traded from the Royals to the Brewers back in December, 2010. The 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner will make $13.5 million each season for 2011 and 2012. He was 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA in 2010 with the Royals.
Baltimore Orioles acquire catcher John Hester
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According to a team press release, the Baltimore Orioles have acquired catcher John Hester from the Arizona Diamondbacks to complete the Mark Reynolds trade.
The Orioles acquired Reynolds from Arizona in December for David Hernandez, Kam Mickolio and a PTBNL which ended up being Hester.
Hester, 27, played in 53 for Arizona’s big league club in 2009 and 2010, hitting .220 with three home runs. Hester has spent the bulk of the last three seasons in Triple-A being more of a organizational depth guy.
Rosenthal on Reyes, K-Rod, Riggleman and the Orioles
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Here is the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports via his Full Count video.
–The Mets are not likely to sign Jose Reyes to a long term deal similar to Carl Crawford (seven-years, $142mm). If Reyes is willing to take less years and money, say three-years $45-$50mm then the Mets may look into keeping him. Though if healthy, Reyes could receive close to double that on the open market. It’s also not a slam dunk that the Mets will trade him this season. They will have to consider their position in the standings, the negative impact Reyes’ departure would have on attendance and what the return in a trade would be versus the high draft picks they would get if Reyes left via free agency (Reyes likely to be a Type-A free agent).
–The Mets may look to trade Francisco Rodriguez to a team looking for non-closer help. If they explore this option, his 2012 $17.5mm option which triggers when he finishes 55 games could become a non issue. One possibility that has been mentioned is Rodriguez going to the Rangers where he would set up Neftali Feliz (when healthy). The Mets would be happy to rid themselves of Rodrgiuez and his contract that they would gladly pay his $3.5mm buyout.
– Nationals manager Jim Riggleman is one of a handful of managers whose future is uncertain beyond this season. The club has not picked up Riggleman’s option for ‘12, but most scouts and coaches in around the league feel that the Nats are on the right track with him in control. Riggleman’s agent is hopeful that the club will either exercise the ‘12 option or sign him to a multi-year deal.
– The Orioles signed a number of veterans to one-year deals, thinking that if they were not in contention, they would have numerous trade chips at the trade deadline. Rosenthal points out that Derek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero have done very little on the offensive side thus making their trade value next to nothing.
Indians designate RHP Jess Todd for assignment
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The Cleveland Indians have designated right-handed pitcher Jess Todd for assignment, according to a team press release.
The 25-year-old Todd, has a career 0-1 record with the Indians and St. Louis Cardinals with a 7.62 ERA in 25 relief appearances.
Todd was originally acquired by the Indians along with Chris Perez in the Mark DeRosa trade.
Injury Updates: Blake, Kuo, Matsuzaka and Greinke
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Here’s a few injury updates for several Major League players from around the league:
– Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake is currently hospitalized after undergoing surgery on his left elbow for a staph infection and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Blake underwent a one-hour procedure to remove the infected bursa sac in his left elbow.
– Hong-Chih Kuo is eligible to come off the DL today but will remain on his current rehab assignment, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Kuo is out with a sore back has been wild and inconsistent in his two rehab appearances. Tonight in Rancho Cucamonga single-A, Kuo had 2 stikeouts, a single and a line out.
– Daisuke Matsuzaka left Friday’s game with right elbow tightness. “When the game started, I started to feel stiffness in my elbow and I could have continued throwing,” Matsuzaka said through interpreter Kenta Yamada. “I didn’t really feel I needed to pull off from the mound, but I left the judgment up to Tito. That was his decision to come off from the mound.” Before he was removed in the fifth, Matsuzaka was throwing his fastball between 85-87 MPH.
–Zack Greinke who is recovering from a cracked rib sustained while playing basketball, allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings while walking one and striking out seven tonight against the Dodgers Triple-A team.
Rangers sign Justin Miller
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The Rangers have signed right-handed relief pitcher Justin Miller to a minor league deal, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Miller will report to Triple-A Round Rock on Monday. The signing will provide depth for a team that has seen their closer Neftali Feliz land on the DL and another key piece last year Alexi Ogando to the rotation.
Miller was recently granted his release by the Mariners after being told he would not be called up to the big leagues anytime soon. Miller had an out clause date of May 1st but the Mariners granted his release early.
Miller had a 1.04 ERA in six games in relief at Triple A Tacoma.
He had a 4.44 ERA in 24.1 innings throughout 19 games with the Dodgers in 2010.
Reds’ Mike Leake sentenced, offers explanation
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Reds starter Mike Leake was sentenced today to counseling and 30 hours of community service after pleading guilty to a charge reduced from theft to unauthorized use of property, reports CBS news.
Leake was arrested two weeks ago as he was accused of stealing $59.88 worth of T-shirts (6 total) from a Macy’s department store. According to police reports Leake was caught on security cameras at the Downtown Macy’s removing the security tags from six American Rag shirts. Leake attempted to conceal the items and leave the store where he was ultimately caught.
Of course someone who is making $425,000 for the season wouldn’t just straight out steal the shirts. Or would they? Before the Reds game today, Leake said the entire incident was a mistake as he was trying to exchange T-shirts he’d purchased on April 2 that were too small. Instead of doing what normal people do and return the items at a counter with an employee, he simply left the already-purchased T-shirts, picked up new ones and tried to leave the store. Leake added that he did have a credit-card statement that confirmed the original purchase, but he didn’t have the sales receipt.
“It was a serious lapse in judgment. I can’t tell you what was going on in my head. It was a bad mistake.”
Houston Astros Release Cesar Carrillo
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The Houston Astros have released right-handed pitcher Cesar Carrillo, according to Greg Rajan of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
The Astros claimed the Carrillo in late September of 2010 from the San Diego Padres.
Carillo, 27 today, pitched one season with the Padres in 2009 and went 1-2 witha 13.06 ERA in three starts.
