Athletics
Draft Notes: Astros, Appel, Gray, Cubs, Harvey
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo was asked on Twitter where high school outfielder Clint Frazier, whom many expect to go in the Top 10 of the MLB Draft, ranks in comparison to high school talents from previous drafts. Mayo notes that it’s hard to ignore hindsight and view players in the same light as he did when they were amateurs, but he ranked Frazier as the eighth-best talent among 36 high school hitters selected in the first round dating back to 2009. Here’s more on the draft… The Astros have six players on their draft board but Frazier looks to be edging out Austin Meadows, leaving them with Frazier, Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray, Kris Bryant and Colin Moran, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. Bryant and Frazier are seen as dark horses if the team decides Appel and Gray aren’t worth the money they’re asking. Should Scott Boras and Appel highball the Astros, money will become an issue. Smith notes that it’s very close between Appel and Gray, adding that Gray has ties to the Astros and is open to negotiating (All links to Smith’s Twitter account)
Minor Moves: Dustin Martin, Josh Horton
Here’s your rundown of today’s minor moves… Sugar Land Skeeters outfielder Dustin Martin has signed a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks according to a press release from the Skeeters (via MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez on Twitter). Martin, 29, has spent time in the Mets and Twins organizations. He was part of the return the Twins received when they traded Luis Castillo to the Mets in 2007. The lefty swinger is a career .259/.328/.397 hitter in 420 games at the Triple-A level. The Orioles have acquired minor league infielder Josh Horton from the Athletics in exchange for cash or a player to be named later, assistant GM David Forst told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The 27-year-old Horton is hitting .224/.246/.373 this season at Triple-A. He has experience at second base, shortstop and third base. Horton was a second-round pick by the A’s in 2007 and ranked as their No
Orioles Acquire Josh Horton From A’s
Here’s your rundown of today’s minor moves… The Orioles have acquired minor league infielder Josh Horton from the Athletics in exchange for cash or a player to be named later, assistant GM David Forst told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The 27-year-old Horton is hitting .224/.246/.373 this season at Triple-A. He has experience at second base, shortstop and third base. Horton was a second-round pick by the A’s in 2007 and ranked as their No. 26 prospect prior to the 2008 season, according to Baseball America
Dealing Straily pitches A’s to fifth straight win
Yoenis Cespedes went deep, which was enough for a dealing Dan Straily, who tossed seven shutout innings as the A’s topped the Rangers, 1-0, on Tuesday night in Arlington.
Minor Moves: Cotts, Boyer, Barton
The latest minor moves… The Rangers plan to purchase the contract of lefty reliever Neal Cotts if tonight’s game is played, tweets Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest. The 33-year-old hasn’t seen big league action since 2009, but he’s been dominant in 23 Triple-A innings this year. The Rangers already have an open spot on their 40-man roster for him. The Hanshin Tigers have a basic agreement with righty reliever Blaine Boyer, according to Sanspo (via Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker). Boyer, 31, pitched 15 relief innings for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate before exercising his out clause to pursue the opportunity in Japan. The Mariners signed 17-year-old Brazilian righty Daniel Missaki, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. Badler notes that he was the youngest player in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The Athletics announced that first baseman Daric Barton cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, after he was designated for assignment Saturday to open a spot for Chris Young
Minor Moves: Barton, Cousins, Alberto Gonzalez
The latest minor moves… The Athletics announced that first baseman Daric Barton cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, after he was designated for assignment Saturday to open a spot for Chris Young. He’s earning $1.1MM this year, which may have limited interest. Barton led the American League in walks as a 24-year-old in 2010, but has battled injuries since. He’s still a walk machine at Triple-A, though, with a .422 OBP through 128 plate appearances. The Angels outrighted outfielder Scott Cousins to Triple-A yesterday, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. Cousins had been designated for assignment on Saturday to make room for Chris Nelson. The Yankees outrighted infielder Alberto Gonzalez to Triple-A yesterday, according to the International League transactions page
A’s offense backs ageless Colon in win over Rangers
Seth Smith homered and had two RBIs and Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie each had three hits to help the A’s grab a 9-2 victory over the Rangers on Monday night in Arlington. Bartolo Colon allowed two runs over seven innings.
Minor Moves: Resop, Teahen
Today’s minor moves… Athletics reliever Chris Resop cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The A’s had designated Resop for assignment on Friday to open a 40-man roster spot for Hideki Okajima. Resop, 30, had a 6.00 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 5.0 BB/9, 1.50 HR/9, and 41.9% groundball rate in 18 innings this year. Having been outrighted once before, Resop had the ability to reject this assignment, but it made sense to accept and keep his $1.35MM salary. That salary also may explain why he went unclaimed. The A’s acquired Resop from the Pirates in November last year for 25-year-old minor league reliever Zach Thornton. Mark Teahen has asked for and been granted his release from the Diamondbacks and is a free agent, MLBTR has learned
Week In Review: 5/12/13 – 5/18/13
Here’s a look back at the week that was at MLBTR. The Cubs signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo to a $41MM extension. Reid Ryan became president of the Astros after George Postolos stepped down. The Mets signed outfielder Rick Ankiel to a big-league deal. The Yankees acquired infielder Reid Brignac from the Rockies for cash, and designated Alberto Gonzalez for assignment
Athletics Designate Daric Barton
The Athletics have designated first baseman Daric Barton for assignment, the team reports (on Twitter). The move clears roster space for outfielder Chris Young, who had been on the disabled list. Young’s return allows the Athletics to move Brandon Moss from the outfield back to first base. The A’s had previously designated Barton for assignment in late March, but he cleared waivers and stayed in the organization, then made his way back to the 40-man roster when the A’s purchased his contract March 8. He has received 21 at bats with the A’s since then, hitting .143/.217/.286. Barton has hit .248/.359/.370 in his career.
