Rumors for May, 2011
Rays designate Dan Johnson for assignment
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The Tampa Bay Rays have designated first baseman Dan Johnson for assignment according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
The team also optioned right handed pitcher Rob Delaney, called up outfielder Justin Ruggiano and activated left handed pitcher J.P. Howell from the Disabled List.
Johnson was hitting .115/.179/.167 with 1 HR and 3 RBI’s in 78 AB’s for the Rays this season.
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Padres close to announcing a new TV deal with FOX
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The San Diego Padres and FOX are close to announcing a new TV deal that could earn the team between $25-30 million a season according to John Maffei of the North County Times.
A source with knowledge of the situation said that the new deal would be a sizable increase over what the team is currently receiving from Channel 4 San Diego.
The deal will likely be for 20 years and it could be announced before the end of the month.
Earlier this month Padres’ CEO, Jeff Moorad said that negotiations toward a new local television deal will have a “direct impact” on the Padres’ 2012 payroll.
Moorad declined to estimate the extent his payroll could grow, but he has repeatedly pledged that the Padres would reinvest all revenue beyond expenses in the product on the field and Petco Park.
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Injury updates: Gonzalez, Padilla, Blanton, Lind and Roberts
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Here’s a running list of injury updates around the Major Leagues:
– Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez left yesterday’s game with left groin tightness according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Gonzalez injured himself while chasing down a fly ball at Citizens Bank Park.
– The Dodgers have placed Vicente Padilla on the Disabled List with a sore right forearm reports Matthew Pouliot of NBCSports.com. Padilla had to undergo elbow surgery late in February to free up a nerve that was entrapped in his forearm.
– David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets that Joe Blanton was scratched from yesterday’s start. Blanton apparently experienced elbow soreness while warming up prior to today’s game.
– Blue Jays manager, John Farrell, says that Adam Lind is at least ten days away from coming off the Disabled List reports John Lott of the National Post.
– According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, there is a “very legit possibility” that Brian Roberts goes to the Disabled List.
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Boston Red Sox looking at Armando Galarraga
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According to CSNNE.com, the Boston Red Sox are looking at right-handed pitcher Armando Galarraga. The pitcher was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks this week.
It’s unclear if the team still has a need for Galarraga given that they signed Kevin Millwood to a Minor League deal on Thursday.
The 29-year-old was 3-4 with a 5.91 ERA in 8 starts for the Diamondbacks this season.
Galarraga shot to fame in 2010 after he almost completed a perfect game while with the Detroit Tigers. A bad call by umpire Jim Joyce led to the flaw in an otherwise flawless game. Galarraga was admired by the world for his composure and sportsmanship in a situation that many likely would not have been able to calmly handle.
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Bryce Harper unlikely to be with Nationals big league club in 2011
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In an interview with ESPN 980’s The Sports Fix (via The Washington Post and CNNSI), Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo squashed any possibility of phenom Bryce Harper making his Major League debut in 2011.
When Rizzo was asked if he had ruled out the possibility of Harper’s debut this year, he said, “Yes, I have.”
“It’s not gonna happen, because he’s not ready for that to happen. He’s got to learn the nuances of the game of baseball. We certainly don’t want him to push him to a level where he’s overmatched and struggles even for a short period of time.”
It’s possible that the Nationals are not bringing up Harper so that he won’t accrue service time, and therefore keeping him ineligible for salary arbitration longer. The Nats are likely looking towards the future where they have Harper in addition to Stephen Strasburg.
Harper was selected as the overall number one pick in the June 2010 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Strasburg was the overall number one pick in the June 2009 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
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Boston Red Sox sign Kevin Millwood
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The Red Sox have signed Kevin Millwood to a minor league deal reports Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.
The deal makes sense from a depth standpoint for the Sox as they currently have John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL.
The right-handed starting pitcher opted out of his contract with the Yankees in early May. He originally signed a Minor League deal with the team for $1.5 million plus incentives but had a May 1 opt-out date in his contract should he not make the big league club.
He reported to extended Spring Training and then to Triple-A where he saw mixed results. In his first few starts, Millwood found success but his fastball was sitting in the mid-to-upper 80s. In his last start, Millwood lasted only 2 innings while giving up seven hits on six runs which probably impacted him not being called up.
Millwood in 2010, made 31 starts went 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA while throwing 190 2/3 innings.
Rockies trade Franklin Morales to the Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox have acquired Rockies left-handed relief pitcher Franklin Morales for a player to be named later or cash considerations reports Troy Renick of the Denver Post. Buster Olney of ESPN.com adds that the teams have until November to agree on a player or the Sox will “nominal” fee.
It was also reported that the Division rival Rays were also interested in Morales.
In order to make room for Morales, the Red Sox designated Hideki Okajima.
Yesterday we heard from Renck that at least one NL Central team had expressed interest in Morales.
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Mets sign Jason Botts, assign him to Triple-A Buffalo
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According to Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger, the New York Mets have signed outfielder Jason Botts and assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo.
Botts last played in the Majors in 2008 with the Rangers. In four Major League seasons, all of them with the Rangers, Botts is a .230/.325/.344 lifetime hitter with 5 HR’s and 28 RBI’s in 282 AB’s.
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Cleveland Indians designate RHP Justin Germano for assignment
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The Cleveland Indians have announced that they have designated right-handed pitcher Justin Germano for assignment to make room for infielder Luis Valbuena.
Germano was 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in 12.2 innings throughout nine games with the Indians in 2011. Valbuena hit .193/.273/.258 with 2 HR’s and 24 RBI’s in 275 AB’s for the Indians in 2010.
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Angels deny interest in Kevin Millwood
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In a Tweet by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, he reported that the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are interested in free agent pitcher Kevin Millwood.
Los Angeles Times’ Dylan Hernandez adds that according to Angels GM, Tony Reagins, the Angels are not interested in Millwood. “That tweet has no basis,” Reagins said.
On May 18, Peter Gammons reported that the Red Sox have called Millwood to gauge his interest in pitching for their Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket.
The right-handed starting pitcher opted out of his contract with the Yankees in early May. He originally signed a Minor League deal with the team for $1.5 million plus incentives but had a May 1 opt-out date in his contract should he not make the big league club.
He reported to extended Spring Training and then to Triple-A where he saw mixed results. In his first few starts, Millwood found success but his fastball was sitting in the mid-to-upper 80s. In his last start, Millwood lasted only 2 innings while giving up seven hits on six runs which probably impacted him not being called up.
Millwood in 2010, made 31 starts went 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA while throwing 190 2/3 innings.
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