Rumors for July, 2011
INF Juan Castro announces his retirement
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Infielder Juan Castro has announced his retirement, according to a Los Angeles Dodgers press release. Castro has been named to the position of Special Assistant, Baseball Operations and Player Development for the Dodgers where he will evaluate players at both the Minor and Major League levels.
“Juan was a consummate pro as a player,” said GM Ned Colletti. “The opportunity to add him to our staff as someone who can both recognize and teach those traits is a true plus for this organization.”
17-year veteran hit .229 in 1,103 career games that started with the Dodgers on September 2, 1995.
“It was time for me to make the decision to end my playing career,” said Castro. “I’m honored that Ned thought of bringing me back to the organization where I first signed as a young kid more than 20 years ago. I’m very excited to once again work for the Dodgers in a new and challenging role.”
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Ken Rosenthal on Rivera, K-Rod, Jimenez, Nolasco
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Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count Video:
– Mariano Rivera is available to pitch, but the Yankees are supposedly concerned about the closer’s tricep injury. This could lead to an acquisition of a setup man. The Mets reportedly have called the Yankees about Francisco Rodriguez, but the Yankees would only be interested if the Mets called the Yankees and offered K-Rod at a minimal price.
– The Colorado Rockies are receiving calls on starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez and several other players. The Rockies are not shopping Jimenez and they will listen to offers on anybody other than Troy Tulowitzky and Carlos Gonzalez. If the Rockies get a serious offer on Jimenez, they will take it under serious consideration.
– Don’t be surprised if the Florida Marlins listen in on offers for Ricky Nolasco or Anibal Sanchez.
– The Toronto Blue Jays could offer Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel or Jon Rauch and could be better off in a division other than the AL East.
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Meet the man who caught and returned Jeter’s 3,000th hit ball
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Derek Jeter hit his 3,000th hit today in fashion as he made it count by hitting a home run. By doing so, he joined Wade Boggs as the only other player to have a home run be his 3,000th hit. With Jeter’s 3,000th hit being a home run, it meant that one lucky fan could potentially grab a piece of Yankee history and hold it ransom for alot of money.
Fortunately,23-year-old cellphone salesman and good-guy, Christian Lopez attended today’s game with his dad and girlfriend and caught Jeter’s 3000th hit. “I was taking a picture, and next thing you know I look in the air,” Lopez said. “My dad dove and missed it, because he has awful hands. I saw it roll in front of me, so I jumped on it. It was just instinct. I thought ‘Wow! This is it! This is my chance!” Lopez and the piece of history, were quickly taken away by security to the negotiating table. But to the surprise of many, Lopez wanted nothing in return for the ball.
The most amazing thing was that Lopez wanted nothing in return for the piece of history. “He deserved this,” said Lopez on an interview with ESPNNewYork.com. ”He worked so hard for this. He’s been in the league for so long. I’m not really the kind to take something away from him. He earned it.”
Although Lopez insisted he wanted nothing in return for the ball, the Yankees provided him with four seats in a Yankee Stadium suite for the rest of the season which includes the playoffs and World Series.
Christian Lopez may not have received millions for the ball, but his name will forever be connected with one of the greatest moments in Yankees’ history.
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Riggleman headed to San Francisco for a job interview
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Former Nationals manager, Jim Riggleman, will be going to San Francisco for a job interview after the All Star break according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.
Giants manager, Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean called Riggleman last night about the job opportunity. Riggleman resigned as the Nationals manager late in June.
He became upset as Nationals’ General Manager, Mike Rizzo,recently received a five-year extension and felt that the team should of at least picked up his option.
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Alex Rodriguez might undergo knee surgery
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Unfortunately, not every piece of news is good news for the Yankees today. Even though their captain Derek Jeter reached the 3,000 hit mark today, his teammate Alex Rodriguez, was diagnosed with a slight meniscus tear in his right knee according to Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog.
Rodriguez, has said he has been playing through the injury, but the team will decide later today whether Rodriguez will keep playing or have surgery. If the team decides he will undergo surgery it would likely cost Rodriguez a month.
Jennings adds that Rodriguez will likely have surgery at some point, and could do it immediately or after the season. The third baseman is hitting .295/.366/.485 with 13 HR’s and 52 RBI’s in 305 AB’s for the Yankees this season.
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Cubs release Augie Ojeda
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The Chicago Cubs have released Augie Ojeda from Triple-A Iowa according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The infielder was hitting .200/.281/.220 with 3 RBI’s in 50 AB’s for the Cubs’ Triple-A team this season.
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Video: Derek Jeter hits 3000 with home run
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Congratulations to New York Yankees’ captain Derek Jeter for getting his 3,000th hit by a home run. Jeter joins not only the exclusive 3,000 hit club, but he also becomes only the second player (with Wade Boggs) to achieve the milestone hit with a home run.
Here’s a link to the video.
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Cardinals in Market For Pitching
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According to Derrick Goold of St. Louis Today, the Cardinals are in the market to upgrade their pitching staff. Possible locations to look for pitching include San Diego and Minnesota. They declined to state any potential targets but said it could be a starter or a reliever. Heath Bell has been a reported target but the asking price for him is very steep. The GM said he thinks their payroll is flexible enough depending on who they are obtaining and who they are trading. The Cardinals are currently tied atop the NL Central so by adding some new arms, they will look to make a long playoff run. Here is a running list of Starting Pitchers that may be available and could be good fits come the trade deadline:
Francisco Liriano: 5-7 with a 5.06 ERA Though stats don’t show it Liriano has shown many bright spots this year including a no-hitter and a change of scenery could be good for this young pitcher.
Carl Pavano: 6-6 with a 4.10 ERA The addition of a veteran pitcher could be beneficial for the Cardinals because for most situations that a pitcher goes through, Pavano has been there and could lend his wisdom to the younger staff.
Aaron Harang: 7-2 with a 3.71 ERA Harang has really been pitching well for a rather unexciting, Adrian Gonzalez-less Padres team. His pitching could really benefit the Cardinals pitching staff.
Hiroki Kuroda: 6-10 with a 3.06 ERA Kuroda has been pitching really well this season, the only problem is he is getting no offensive support. Playing for a good hitting Cardinals team would definitely benefit Kuroda
Paul Maholm: 5-9 with a 3.08 ERA Maholm is sporting one of the lowest ERAs of his career and like Kuroda his overall record would definitely benefit from having offensive support like the Cardinals have.
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International Signings: Raymel Flores
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Here’s an running list of international signings:
– The Boston Red Sox have signed Dominican shortstop Raymel Flores. The signing bonus is worth $900,000. (Enrique Rojas, ESPNDeportes)
– The Cleveland Indians have signed left-handed pitcher Edgar Pineda and outfielder Omar Sanchez. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The Toronto Blue Jays have signed Wilmer Becerra and Jesus Gonzalez from Venezuela. Terms were not disclosed. (Ben Badler, Baseball America).
– The Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms with Venezuelan catcher Mark Malave and third baseman Ricardo Marcano. The terms were not disclosed. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The Kansas City Royals have agreed to sign shortstop Angelo Castellano and catcher Luis Lara. Terms were not available. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The Pirates have agreed to terms with Colombian outfielder Harold Ramirez for $1.05 million (Ben Badler, Baseball America).
– Elier Hernandez signed with the Kansas City Royals for a $3.05 million signing bonus. (International Prospects League).
– Helsin Martinez signed a deal with a $2 million bonus with the Seattle Mariners. (International Prospects League)
– Adelin Santa signed with the Detroit Tigers for $750,000. (International Prospects League)
– Enrique Acosta signed with the Chicago Cubs for a $1.1 million signing bonus. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The San Diego Padres signed Venezuelan catcher Jose Ruiz for $1.1 million. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The Texas Rangers sign outfielder Ronald Guzman to a $3.5 million signing bonus. (Melissa Segura, Sports Illustrated)
– The St. Louis Cardinals signed Dewin Perez for $450,000. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The St. Louis Cardinals have signed Venezuelan catcher Jose Godoy for $200,000. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The Cleveland Indians have signed Dominican shortstop Dorssys Paulino for $1.1 million. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The New York Mets have signed Venezuelan catcher Jose Garcia. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed Venezuelan center fielder Elvis Escobar for $570,000. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The Cleveland Indians have signed Venezuelan outfielder Anthony Santader for $385,000. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The Toronto Blue Jays have signed Dominican shortstop Dawell Lugo for $1.3 million. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The New York Yankees have signed Dominican third baseman Miguel Andujar for $700,000. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
– The Boston Red Sox have signed Dominican center fielder Manuel Marcos for $800,000. (Ben Badler, Baseball America)
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Pitchers notes: Willis, Buchholz and Wang
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Here are a few notes regarding some Major League pitchers:
– The Cincinnati Reds will call up left handed pitcher Dontrelle Willis to start Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. Willis was 5-2 with a 2.63 ERA for Triple-A Louisville.
– Right handed pitcher Clay Buchholz revealed he received a cortisone shot Wednesday when he saw back specialist Dr. Craig Brigham Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports. Buccholz said he hopes to resume a throwing program Sunday.
“I got the injection and it’s going to take some time to heal,” Buchholz said. “Then you’ve got to work on some core exercises to get that healthy and strong again. As soon as I can’t feel it, he said I can go from there. He said there was no case of me hurting myself long term if I had to pitch through it. … It was definitely good news. Structurally, no damage. That was my thoughts going in. I thought they were going to say something bad. I came out of there in a lot better spirits than I went in, so that was good.”
– Chien-Ming Wang threw five scoreless innings Thursday at Double-A. According to Drew Silva of NBCSports.com, the right hander still has to prove himself at the Triple-A level. Since the beginning of his Minor League assignment in late June, Wang has allowed only seven hits and two earned runs in 12 total innings.
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