Rumors for June, 2011
Giants sign Bill Hall
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The Giants have signed Bill Hall reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports. The Giants became interested yesterday in Hall, after second baseman Freddy Sanchez dislocated his right shoulder diving for a ball.
One option for the Giants would have been Mike Fontenot, but he left Friday night game in Triple-A with a groin injury.
Hall hit .224 in 158 plate appearances this season. In 2006, Hall ate his Wheaties as he had a career year with 35 home runs, 85 RBI all while hitting .270 for the Brewers.
The Astros will have to pay Hall the remaining money left of his $3mm deal (little over $1.5mm) as well as his $250,000 buyout for his $4mm mutual option for next season which leaves the Giants on the hook for the league minimum (under $300k).
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Oakland outrights Kevin Kouzmanoff to Triple-A
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In an post on the Oakland Athletic’s Twitter Account, they announced that they have outrighted Kevin Kouzmanoff to Triple-A Sacramento. In parallel moves, the team also selected Graham Godfrey and optioned Bobby Cramer to Triple-A.
In 46 games for the Athletics this season, the 29-year-old Kouzmanoff hit .221/.262/.353 with four home runs and 17 RBIs.
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Royals designate RHP Kevin Pucetas for assignment
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The Kansas City Royals have designated right-handed pitcher Kevin Pucetas to make room on the 40-man roster for Mike Moustakas, according to the team’s official Twitter account.
Pucetas was acquired by the Royals from the San Francisco Giants in October 2010 as a player to be named later in the Jose Guillen trade.
The 26-year-old Pucetas was originally a 17th round pick in the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft. He has a 51-22 record with a 3.85 ERA in six Minor League seasons.
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Padres sign first-round pick Cory Spangenberg
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According to MLB.com’s Corey Brock, the San Diego Padres have signed their first-round pick Cory Spangenberg. His signing bonus is around the $1.8 million slot price.
Spangenberg was the tenth overall pick of the 2011 June Amateur Draft. The scouting report at the time said that while he’s an infielder now, he could play center field for the Padres. He’s at least a 70 runner with a simple swing and excellent bat speed.
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Jake Fox clears waivers – outrighted to Triple-A
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In a Tweet by Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, he reports that Jake Fox has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A. The team unsuccessfully tried to trade him after he was designated for assignment.
Fox was hitting .188/.250/.396 with 2 HR’s and 4 RBI’s in 48 AB’s for the Orioles this season.
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Phillies unlikely to make significant moves in July
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Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said yesterday that he believes his team will not make a significant move before the July 31 trade deadline, as reported by David Murphy of phillynews.com.
“I wouldn’t expect it,” Amaro said.
The GM thinks his team has enough balance of hitters on both sides of the plate, however, Murphy mentions that no team since the 2000 Yankees have won a League Championship Series without a right-handed hitter that hit more than 21 home runs.
One target that Amaro could go after should he change his mind is Oakland Athletic’s outfielder Josh Willingham, but his $2.5 million that he’s owed for the rest of the season would be difficult for Philadelphia to support.
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New York Mets designate Nick Evans for assignment
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In a Tweet by Adam Rubin of ESPN, he reports that the New York Mets have designated outfielder Nick Evans for assignment.
The 25-year-old Evans is a lifetime .243/.298/.387 hitter but did not have any hits in 12 at-bats over eight games for the Mets this season.
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Yankees, Orioles and Nationals interested in Bill Hall
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In an article by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, he reports that the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals are interested in Bill Hall, and the New York Yankees may consider him as well. The Houston Astros released Hall last weekend.
Hall hit .224 in 158 plate appearances this season. In 2006, Hall ate his Wheaties as he had a career year with 35 home runs, 85 RBI all while hitting .270 for the Brewers.
The Astros will have to pay Hall the remaining money left of his $3 million deal (little over $1.5 million left) as well as his $250,000 buyout for his $4 million mutual option for next season. Any team that picks up Hall will only have to pay him the prorated amount of the Major League minium.
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Padres designate Eric Patterson for assignment
Posted by: | CommentsThe San Diego Padres have designated Eric Patterson for assignment, according to Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio. Will Venable will return to the big league club and will likely be more of a utility outfielder for the Padres.
The 28-year-old Patterson was hitting .180/.272/.292 in 47 games for the Padres this season. He was acquired by the Padres from the Boston Red Sox in mid-December as the player to be named later in the Adrian Gonzalez deal.
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Florida Marlins sign Jose Lopez
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In a Tweet by Greg Johns of MLB.com, the Florida Marlins have signed Jose Lopez, he will play with the team’s Triple-A New Orleans team. Lopez was released by the Colorado Rockies on June 6 after he was designated for assignment on May 26.
Lopez was acquired by the Rockies this past offseason for his bat and versatility. He had played second and third but was hitting only .210 with two-home runs while striking out 14 times.
Lopez is a career .264 hitter, who in 2009 had a career year with 25 home runs with 96 RBIs while hitting .272.
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