Rumors for April, 2011
Pirates sign Blaine Boyer and Brett Sinkbeil to Minor League deals
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The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to Minor League deals with right handed pitchers Blaine Boyer and Brett Sinkbeil according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
Sinkbeil was released by the Marlins late in March. He was the Marlins’ first round pick (19th overall) in the 2006 draft. He made his Major League debut in 2010 with the Marlins when he pitched 2.0 innings and put up a 13.50 ERA with 5 walks and 1 SO.
Boyer elected free agency after clearing waivers with the Mets earlier this month. The first week of the season with the team Boyer was 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA.
Nationals not interested in acquiring B.J Upton right now
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A couple of days ago, we learned that the Washington Nationals were looking for a center fielder as an upgrade to Rick Ankiel. At the moment, we suggested that Rays’ B.J. Upton was the perfect fit for the Nationals.
Upton is a free agent after the 2012 season and is currently earning $4.825 million. A baseball source close to William Ladson of MLB.com said yesterday that the team has been scouting Upton, but the club doesn’t have interest in acquiring him right now.
The source said it was routine scouting that is normally done during the season. The Nationals have not had any talks with the Rays about Upton.
The team is currently satisfied with his performance, though they feel an upgrade in center field is necessary as they strive to make it to the next level. The team says Ankiel is the best defensive players they have had in center field since Brad Wilkerson back in 2005.
Ankiel is hitting .211 with 1 HR and 4 RBI’s in 57 AB’s this season with the Nationals.
Rick Ankiel takes out a half-page ad in today’s Post-Dispatch to thank St. Louis fans
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Outfielder Rick Ankiel is visiting St. Louis this week for the first time since he left the Cardinals in 2010. The former pitcher is taking out a half-page ad in today’s Post-Dispatch sports section to thank the fans for their support reports Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Hummel says that St. Louis fans are likely to respond positively when the Nationals center fielder comes to the plate for the first time. Even manager Tony La Russa said he is likely to applaud politely.
“I couldn’t be more complimentary,” said La Russa. “He’s one of those All-American guys. When you have a special guy, he’s a special guy, no matter where he plays.”
Ankiel arrived in St. Louis on Monday night with his family and said he and his family all were greeted warmly at the team hotel and at dinner.
“To come back and play in front of the St. Louis fans is awesome,” said Ankiel. “There’s tons of memories and tons of support throughout the years.”
In seven seasons with the Cardinals, Ankiel hit .251/311/.452 with 49 HR’s and 157 RBI’s. He was a pitcher for the Cardinals organization, but he decided to change positions in the spring of 2005 after encountering several problems with his control.
LA Angels designate Brandon Wood for assignment
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According to Victor Rojas of the Angels’ television network, the team designated Brandon Wood to create roster space for Erick Aybar. Wood took over for Aybar when the infielder suffered a slight strain on his side at the beginning of April.
Wood hit .154/.154/.231 (2-for-13) in five games for the Angels this year.
Injury updates: Greinke, Martinez, Schumaker, Romero
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Here’s a running list of injury updates for several Major League players:
– According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, right handed pitcher Zack Greinke was sharp in his first Minor League rehabilitation start. He threw three scoreless innings for the Brewers’ Class-A team Tuesday night.
– The Detroit Tigers have placed catcher Victor Martinez on the 15-day Disabled List with a strained right groin reports Jason Beck of MLB.com.
– Second baseman Skip Schumaker has been placed on the 15-day Disabled List with a strained right bicep according to Aaron Gleeman of NBCSports.com. Infielder Nick Punto was activated from the Disabled List to take Schumaker’s spot on the roster.
– The Philadelphia Phillies placed J.C. Romero on the Disabled List with a strained right calf reports Gleeman.
– Jeff Blair of the Canada’s National Newspaper tweets that Blue Jays’ Aaron Hill is day to day due to right hamstring tightness, but he adds that given his history this is not good.
– Logan Morrison left today’s game with a strained arch in his left foot reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.
Woman sues the Yankees for stealing team logo from her deceased uncle
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Tanit Buday, 63, filed a suit yesterday in Manhattan federal court reports Bruce Golding of the New York Post. Buday is suing the New York Yankees because she claims the team copied their famed top-hat logo from a design dreamed up by her late uncle in 1936 at the request of then Yankees’ owner, Jacob Ruppert.
She’s seeking unspecified damages for copyright infringement, unjust enrichment and breach of contract with her uncle, Kenneth Timur. The 63-year old woman is also trying to rewrite the history of the Yankees’ signature emblem, long credited to the late sports artist Henry Alonzo “Lon” Keller.
Yankee spokeswoman Alice McGillion said “there’s no proof” of Buday’s claim. “This is a wonderful country,” said McGillion, “where anybody can sue for anything, even when the allegations are over 70 years old.”
Will the Seattle Mariners trade Felix Hernandez?
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The Seattle Mariners are off to a rough start this season going 5-12 in their first 17 games. Things don’t look like they will get much better as they are forced to use Adam Kennedy in the powers spots of their line-up.
Even though Felix Hernandez could be used as a trading chip to get MLB proven players and prospects, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times believes that they won’t trade him at least this season.
Baker points out that trading Hernandez could risk losing the remaining portion of the loyal Mariners fan base.
Hernandez is under team control until the 2014 season, and the chances he’ll stay with the team beyond that year are appear to be getting slimmer. Baker says that the team can’t wait until midway through 2014 to deal him, because they won’t be getting full value on the return, so he says that the best time to trade him will be July 2013.
The 2011 Cy Young award winner is off to a slow start in 2011 going 1-2 with a 4.33 ERA in 27 innings throughout his first four starts. Some scouts have said that Hernandez is showing early signs of frustration that it could be attached to the team’s performance, so a change of scenery could maybe help him reach his 2010 form again.
New York Mets designate Brad Emaus for assignment
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According to David Lennon of Newsday, the New York Mets have designated Brad Emaus for assignment.
Last week, Emaus was given the vote of confidence from manager Terry Collins when he said that he had a “legitimate chance” to develop into the team’s everyday second baseman.
“When Brad Emaus made this club, there were some things discussed, and one of them is to give him a legitimate chance,” said Collins. “Putting him in and out of the lineup — we’re not going to get answers out of that, so I got him back in there.”
The 25-year-old Emaus was hitting .162/.262/.162 in 14 games for the Mets this year.
Ronald Belisario won’t receive a visa
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According to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com, right handed pitcher Ronald Belisario won’t receive a visa to come to the US and pitch for the Dodgers.
Back in March, we learned that the team wasn’t optimistic about Belisario getting a visa. The Dodgers renewed Belisario’s contract and placed him on the restricted list.
This is not the first time Belisario has had problems securing a visa. In 2009, Belisario reported a few weeks late to Spring Training but was still able to make the team as a non-roster invitee. In 2010 though, he missed most of Spring Training and started the season at extended Spring Training and in the minors before joining the club.
With Belisario on the restricted list, the Dodgers retain his rights and it will not cost them a roster spot.
Cardinals will look inside the organization if they need a new closer
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Right handed pitcher Ryan Franklin has been struggling this season as he has four blown saves in five saves opportunities. According to Jose Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Franklin’s recent struggles have led manager Tony LaRussa to meet with pitching coach Tony Duncan to talk about a possible role adjustment.
“Everybody struggles. But when the closer struggles, it’s magnified. It’s at the end of the game; everybody knows about it,” Lance Berkman said. “If you play this game you’re going to experience difficulties. The only option is to keep going out there executing pitches or having good at-bats. That’s all you can do.”
Strauss says that Franklin sources for this rough time could be either inconsistent movement or merely bad luck. “Frankie will be fine,” starter Chris Carpenter said.
After Sunday’s game, LaRussa didn’t endorse Franklin as his closer for the first time this season. If the team decides to look for a new closer relievers Mitchell Boggs and Jason Motte appear among the internal possibilities.
Miguel Batista was mentioned by LaRussa as an alternative too. Eduardo Sanchez, the rookie who has strike eight outs (out of 10 batters) could be another possibility.
“From a front-office standpoint, you have to provide the manager and the coaching staff tools,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “Right now, (Franklin) is going through some tough times and we’ve got to figure out a way to work through it. There’s not a whole lot you can do. Either he has more success, or somebody else gets the opportunity.” Mozeliak allowed that “all the options are internal.”
