Rumors for May, 2011
Kendrys Morales is out for the year
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Los Angeles Angels’ Kendrys Morales is out for the season, Scott Miller of CBSSports reports. Miller adds that Morales will undergo a second surgery on his ankle.
Morales had been trying to rehab his injury throughout Spring Training and the early part of the season. He recently was given clearance to start running on the field with spikes.
Morales had broken his left ankle after celebrating a walk-off home run in May 2010. He missed the entire season after the fluke injury. He recently was experiencing problems in the ball of his left foot, and it wasn’t directly related to his broken ankle of.
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Mets agree to terms with RHP Luis Mateo
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In an article by Ben Badler of Baseball America, he reports that the New York Mets have signed right-handed pitcher Luis Mateo for $150,000.
The 21-year-old originally agreed to terms with the San Francisco Giants on July 2, 2008 for $625,000, but his contract was voided when a physical revealed bone chips in his right elbow. In September, Dr. Lewis Yocum recommended that Mateo have aggressive rehab instead of surgery.
Mateo also agreed to terms with the San Diego Padres for $300,000 that November, but the contract never became official when the accuracy of the player’s age and identity came into question.
The pitcher was eventually suspended in March 2010 for one year when MLB found out that he had his date of birth on his birth certificate changed from March 17, 1992 to March 22, 1990.
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Yankees Kevin Russo clears waivers – outrighted to Triple-A
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According to the New York Yankees’ Twitter page, infielder Kevin Russo has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The team designated Russo for assignment on May 6.
The 26-year-old played in 31 career games with the Yankees – all in 2010. He has a career .184/.245/.224 average.
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Could Albert Pujols end up with the rival Cubs after a hug?
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The conspiracy theorists are buzzing with the possibility of Albert Pujols joining the Chicago Cubs after Cubs’ GM Jim Hendry and the first baseman were caught pictured in a hug before Tuesday’s game, as reported by ESPN news services. Pujols will be a free agent this winter and many believe that the hug could signal the Cubs’ desire to land the nine-time All Star.
You can see the welcome by clicking here.
Buster Olney of ESPN adds that the St. Louis Cardinals are not overly concerned with the embrace, but adds that the Cards probably wish that it didn’t happen.
“Albert and I had always had a good relationship,” Hendry said. “I think the world of him, and that has nothing to do with what type of baseball player he is. I have all the respect in the world for him, way beyond him being a great player, and he knows that.”
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Toronto Blue Jays release Scott Podsednik
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According to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, the Toronto Blue Jays have released Scott Podsednik from Triple-A Las Vegas. Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com adds that the release came at the request of Podsednik.
The Jays signed Podsednik to a Minor League contract in mid-February of this season. Had he made the big league roster, he would have made $1 million. There was talk that either the Los Angles Angels or the Los Angeles Dodgers would sign the the speedy outfielder. The Angels were looking for a leadoff hitter and depth for their outfield especially in the wake of not signing Carl Crawford this winter.
In 17 games for the Blue Jay’s A+ and Triple-A teams, he hit .254/.365/.352 with 0 home runs and 7 RBIs.
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Yankees do not plan to talk to Sabathia before end of season
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General manager Brian Cashman confirmed on Wednesday that the New York Yankees have no plans to talk to CC Sabathia before the end of the season about his opt-out clause in his contract, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.
“We haven’t had any discussions about having any discussions about a contract extension,” Cashman said, in response to a question from a reporter. “We’re not focusing on that. … We fully expect him to be here.
Sabathia can opt-out of his seven-year, $161 million deal after the 2011 season, and the Yankees traditionally do not talk to players regarding their contract until they become free agents.
The left-hander could become a free agent and try to secure a larger deal than the $150+ million that Cliff Lee was offered last winter before he ultimately signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Teams in need of a LHP should consider Randy Flores
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FOXSports’ Ken Rosenthal suggests that teams interested in left handed pitchers should look at veteran lefty Randy Flores. The 35-year old leads the Pacific Coast League with seven holds and 18 appearances adds Rosenthal. He has held lefties to a .205 BA. And his ERA in 12.1 innings since April 16 is 0.73.
Flores also has an out-clause in his contract with the Padres. He can opt out on May 15th, if the team does not promote him to the Majors.
The left hander agreed to terms with the Padres back in February. He was 2-0 with a 3.19 ERA and 20 SO in 31 innings throughout 58 games with the Rockies and Twins combined in 2010.
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White Sox designate Jeff Gray for assignment
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The Chicago White Sox have designated right hander Jeff Gray for assignment according to the Charlotte Knights official Twitter account. This move will open a roster spot for Jake Peavy who’s returning from the Disabled List.
Gray posted a 2.79 ERA and 7 SO in 13.1 innings with the White Sox this season.
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Tim Wakefield open to playing for another team
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Right handed pitcher Tim Wakefield is about to become the oldest player in Red Sox history to play in a game. According to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, Wakefield is also open to the idea of pitching for another team if his time in Boston comes to an end.
“It depends on the situation. I wouldn’t rule it out,” Wakefield said. “I want to retire a Red Sox, but I’m not going to rule that out.”
The knukelballer, currently has 193 wins and said that achieving 200 wins is not the motivation for why he would be open to pitch for another team. “No, I wouldn’t play for personal reasons,” he said. “The situation’s got to be right. I wouldn’t like to go to Seattle and move my family out West or something crazy like that. It would have to be the right situation.”
The 44-year old pitcher was asked about the possibility of playing in his home state of Florida. “You never know. There or Tampa, in the dome.”
Wakefield has been with the Sox since 1995. In 16 seasons with them, he has a 179-161 record with a 4.40 ERA in 2,873.1 innings throughout 567 games, 409 starts.
A’s looking to upgrade roster, but young starters are untouchable
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The Oakland A’s entered the season with high aspirations with many people expecting them to compete for the Division crown. They currently sit at 19-18, 2 games back of the first place LA Angels. The teams’ success so far is because of the legit pitching staff they have and the deep and reliable bullpen they can turn to.
The A’s pitching staff currently boasts a team ERA of 2.59 with the starters posting 24 quality starts. The staff is led by Trevor Cahill who is tied in wins (6) and boasts the lowest ERA in the league at 1.72.
Buster Olney of ESPN says that the A’s are always looking to upgrade their roster, but Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez and Tyson Ross are next to untouchable. The rotation also includes Brandon McCarthy and Dallas Braden (who is on the DL) but both could be used as trade chips to upgrade other parts of their roster.
McCarthy who is signed for $1mm this season has posted a 3.26 ERA in 49.2 innings with 30 strikeouts. Braden who is suffering from shoulder discomfort and on the DL, posted a 3.00 ERA in 18 innings with 15 strikeouts prior to his shoulder issues.
The A’s offense could use a jolt as they have scored 127 runs over the season which is 24th overall. They also have a team batting average of .235 which is also 24th overall. Yes the overall team numbers are bad, but Coco Crisp is the team leader in batting average and he sports a .256 avg which is next to embarrassing that your team leader is sporting that (Yes Ryan Sweeney .364 avg and Conor Jackson .281 have higher averages, but Sweeney has only 44 at-bats and Jackson has only 81 at-bats).
