Rumors for June, 2011
30-year-old RHP Doug Waechter retires
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Although he hasn’t filed his official retirement papers with Major League Baseball, the 30-year-old right-handed pitcher Doug Waechter has decided to retire, Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports.
“I know how lucky I am,” Waechter said. “I got to do a lot of things a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to do. It was a great ride, and I had a blast doing it.”
Waechter said he plans to work with his brother selling orthopedic devices or he may do TV work with Bright House Sports Network.
“The arm is held together now with duct tape,” he said. “Or at least that’s what the scouts are saying.”
In six big league seasons, Waechter is 18-27 with a 5.34 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins and the Kansas City Royals.
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Giants showing interest in Yorvit Torrealba
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Texas Rangers’ backup catcher Yorvit Torrealba is drawing attention from his former employer, the San Francisco Giants, Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports reports.
The Giants lost last year’s Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, and have been using a platoon of Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart, but both have performed poorly as of late. However, if they are to acquire Torrealba they will be responsible for his $3.25 million contract for next season in addition to the remainder of his $3 million that he’s owed for the 2011 season.
Morosi’s source adds that the Rangers would want a bullpen arm in return, but the Giants would be reluctant to part with any late inning relievers. Right-hander Guillermo Mota could be available if the deal is right.
Other candidates the Giants could go after include Ivan Rodriguez, Ronny Paulino and Ramon Hernandez, but it’s not known if the Giants have made progress on any of the deals.
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Dodgers Steve Soboroff resigns from team
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Vice chairman, Steve Soboroff, of the Los Angeles Dodgers resigned on Saturday, Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports. Jackson said that MLB oversight was the cause of Soboroff’s departure.
In Soboroff’s resignation letter to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, he said, “an unanticipated action by the commissioner of Major League Baseball resulted (understandably) in elevating the resolution of ‘control and ownership’ issues to top priority, as it remains to this day. As a consequence, it is not possible for me to effectively work on the very initiatives and contributions that you had hired me to implement.”
Soboroff was hired in the wake of the beating of San Francisco Giants’ fan Bryan Stow to “(lead) efforts to improve the fan experience at the stadium.”
On the day that Soboroff was hired he said “there is no question in my mind (that) Frank McCourt is financially fine.” McCourt is rumored to be in danger of not being able to make next week’s payroll.
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Rosenthal on: White Sox, Giants, Padres and Marlins
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Here is the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports via his full count video:
– Rosenthal believes that the White Sox should dump Juan Pierre and promote Dayan Viciedo if they want to compete in the AL Central. Pierre is just hitting .248/.310/.289 with 1 HR and 16 RBI’s in 298 AB’s for the White Sox this season. Viciedo is hitting .324/.363/.517 with 11 HR’s and 50 RBI’s in 290 AB’s for the White Sox’s Triple-A team in 2011.
– The Giants are still looking to add a catcher to replace Buster Posey, but in a perfect world they would also love to add a short stop. Jose Reyes was among the players the Giants could be interested in, but Rosenthal says he’s to expensive for them. A player that could be a fit for them is Orlando Cabrera, who is expendable for the Indians.
– The Padres are not sellers yet, but they might need to hurry to determine if they will sell or buy or they will probably lose value from players like Heath Bell and Ryan Ludwick.
– The Marlins have been struggling lately and they appear to be sellers. Rosenthal believes that veterans like Greg Dobbs and Wes Helms could be among the ones to leave Florida, but another player could be their closer Leo Nunez, who could be a setup man for several teams.
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Astros sign Kevin Gonzalez and Steven Martin
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The Houston Astros have signed their 36th round pick catcher Kevin Gonzalez and 37th round pick right handed pitcher Steven Martin according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
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Pitchers notes: Peavy, Sabathia, Hughes and Shields
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Here are a few notes regarding some Major League pitchers:
– Jake Peavy made his first MLB relief appearance today against the Nationals. White Sox’s starter, John Danks, left the game with a strained left oblique in the second inning and Peavy came on to pitch from the fourth inning on, with just two days rest. He ended up going four innings with seven strikeouts.
– C.C. Sabathia became today the first Major League pitcher to reach ten wins. He pitched eight innings allowing just one run over seven hits, walking one and striking out nine.
– Yankees GM, Brian Cashman, believes that right handed pitcher Phil Hughes still needs more rehab outings before joining the Yankees’ rotation according to Fred Kerber of the New York Post. “He needs to command his fastball better and get his consistency going,” said Cashman. “He probably needs a few more starts.”
– James Shields is on a roll and today he threw his third consecutive complete game and the sixth of the 2011 season (Major League high). Shields allowed only three hits and struck out nine Astros.
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Cardinals sign first rounder Kolten Wong
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The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to terms with their first round pick Kolten Wong according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. Wong’s signing bonus was $1.3 million.
Wong has very good hand-eye coordination. He produces a lot of line-drive hits. He’s a below-average runner who can stay at second base but isn’t likely to be more than average there.
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Kevin Millwood will not opt-out with Red Sox
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According to a Major League source close to Rob Bradford of WEEI, Kevin Millwood will not exercise his opt-out clause with the Red Sox’s Triple-A Pawtucket. He had the option to opt-out of his Minor League deal on June 20, but he’ll remain with the club with an understanding that he could could explore other opportunities with other clubs as the season progresses.
Millwood signed a $500,000 Mnior League deal with the Red Sox on May 20 after opting-out of a deal with the New York Yankees.
In five starts in Triple-A, the 36-year-old is 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA. He hasn’t surrendered more than two runs in any of his previous four starts.
Millwood in 2010, made 31 starts went 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA while throwing 190 2/3 innings.
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Pittsburgh Pirates designate Dusty Brown for assignment
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According to a team press release, the Pittsburgh Pirates have designated catcher Dusty Brown for assignment. In Brown’s place on the 25-man and 40-man roster, the Pirates selected the contract of catcher Eric Fryer from Triple-A Indianapolis.
In 11 games with the Pirates this season, Brown hit .107/.138/.107 (3-for-28).
Frank McCourt may be willing to sell part of the Dodgers
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ owner Frank McCourt has had conversations with Major League Baseball about salvaging his ownership in his team, sources tell Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. The talks have focused in on McCourt’s willingness to sell a stake in the Dodgers to keep his team afloat especially with the rumors swirling about the team’s inability to meet next week’s payroll obligations.
The source adds that McCourt has received numerous inquiries from parties willing to buy in.
Earlier this week, the Dallas Maverick’s owner, Mark Cuban, said that he’s open-minded about the Dodgers, but reiterated that the investment may not be the right fit. Cuban cited that the organization is “such a mess” that is wouldn’t be worth an investment.
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