Archive for June, 2007

Padres taking chance on Bradley

Saturday, June 30th, 2007

The Padres’ acquisition of A’s outfielder Milton Bradley stems from the team’s realization that it will be unable to trade for a slugger such as the Reds’ Adam Dunn or White Sox’s Jermaine Dye.

Bradley’s arrival, combined with the return of right fielder Brian Giles from the disabled list on Thursday night, could give the Padres a lift in their tight NL West race with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

The Padres sent the A’s minor-league pitcher Andrew Brown, according to the Associated Press, which first reported the trade. The A’s are giving San Diego $1,360,929 to cover part of the approximately $2.05 million Bradley is owed for the remainder of the season.

Bradley, 29, has been on the disabled list three times this season with leg injuries. Some scouts believe that his ability is declining due to his continued physical problems.

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Detroit deals Maroth to St. Louis

Friday, June 22nd, 2007

Seeking to bolster their rotation, the Cardinals have acquired left-handed pitcher Mike Maroth from the Tigers. The Cardinals’ beat-up rotation, which boasts an NL-worst 5.63 ERA, features three former relievers starting for the first time in the big leagues

The Cardinals have been actively dealing this week. Maroth becomes the second pitcher St. Louis has added, after they signed right-hander Tomo Ohka to a minor-league contract on Tuesday.

Maroth is 5-2 with a 5.06 ERA this season.

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Braves acquire Ledezma from Tigers

Thursday, June 21st, 2007

Before Wednesday night’s series finale against the Red Sox, the Braves announced that they had acquired Ledezma from the Tigers in exchange for Macay McBride. Both left-handed relievers are expected to be active with their new teams on Friday, when the Braves and Tigers begin a three-game series at Turner Field.

Ledezma, whose potential to be a starter made him even more desirable to the Braves, went 3-1 with a 4.79 ERA in 23 appearances with the Tigers this year. Since going 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in eight April appearances, he has gone 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA in 15 appearances. Ledezma has made 106 career appearances (33 starts) in the Majors. During the 25 starts he made from 2004-06, he went 7-8 with a 5.26 ERA.

McBride’s greatest strength was his ability to retire some of the top left-handed hitters in the game. He saw lefties bat just .160 against him this year. Left-handers hit .340 against Ledezma and reached base at .400 clip.

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Fed up Cubs trade Barrett to Padres

Wednesday, June 20th, 2007

The Cubs, frustrated by Michael Barrett’s erratic, inattentive play, have traded the catcher to the Padres for catcher Rob Bowen and Class A outfielder Kyler Burke.

Bowen and Henry Blanco figure to be the Cubs’ new catching tandem, giving the team the stronger defensive presence that manager Lou Piniella prefers at the position.

Barrett, 30, is batting .256 with nine homers and 29 RBIs. Bowen, 26, is batting .268 with two homers and 11 RBIs.

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Mesa signs with Phils

Friday, June 8th, 2007

Veteran Jose Mesa has been signed by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Mesa, who has been in the majors since 1987, was released by the Tigers on Sunday.

Mesa, who is 107-95 with 320 saves and a 4.33 ERA, was the Phillies’ closer from 2001-03.
Philadelphia was one of the teams most interested in Troy Pervical, who inked a minor-league deal with the Cardinals on Friday.

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Cardinals close to signing Percival

Friday, June 8th, 2007

The St. Louis Cardinals are closing in on a deal with free agent reliever Troy Percival.

The bullpen has been one of the Cardinals’ strengths this season, and the team apparently wants to strengthen it further as it attempts to climb back into the NL Central race.

Percival threw 88 to 90 mph in a workout on Tuesday, according to two scouts in attendance, and showed no signs of the right-forearm injury that has kept him out of the majors since July 2005.

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Six teams represented at Percival workout

Tuesday, June 5th, 2007

Add the Braves and A’s to the list of teams interested in free-agent reliever Troy Percival. The Tigers, Phillies, Devil Rays and Giants also were present, according to major-league sources, and the Indians remain in the mix.

Percival, 37, is expected to take the next step in his comeback and sign with a major-league team by the end of this week.

With several contenders trying to replace injured late-inning relievers, the demand for Percival has only increased since he launched his comeback less than three weeks ago.

The Braves recently lost left-hander Mike Gonzalez, who underwent elbow-ligament transplant surgery and is out for the season.

The A’s currently are without both closer Huston Street, who has an irritated nerve in his throwing elbow, and setup man Justin Duchscherer, who has a right hip strain.

The Tigers, Percival’s most recent club, recently released right-hander Jose Mesa and are awaiting the return of right-hander Joel Zumaya, who is out until August after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger.

The Giants recently traded their closer, Armando Benitez. The Phillies also need bullpen help — they’ve got two closers, right-handers Tom Gordon and Brett Myers, on the disabled list.
Percival saved Games 2, 6 and 7 of the 2002 World Series to help the Angels win their only Series title. His competitiveness and toughness made him a favorite of teammates.

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Jermaine Dye Trade Rumors

Monday, June 4th, 2007

A rumor that surfaced less than two weeks ago, which had the Sox exploring a deal that would send Dye to the Yankees for struggling outfielder Bobby Abreu, has started to take on some life, according to one Sox source close to the situation. Not only because Abreu is a good friend of Guillen’s — which worked out well when right-hander Freddy Garcia came over — but also because the Sox believe Abreu is a slow starter and his best baseball this season is ahead of him.
If the Abreu talk wasn’t enough, there’s always the trade rumor that never dies. The Sox were close to making a deal with the Phillies at the winter meetings and again in spring training that would’ve brought back South Side cult figure Aaron Rowand and sent bullpen help to the middle-relief-starved Phillies. The snag in the spring was that Philadelphia reportedly wanted left-handed reliever Matt Thornton, rather than Boone Logan and a package of minor-leaguers. The Sox have a new card to play with, however, and could offer a disappointing Mike MacDougal along with a minor-leaguer for Rowand.

Both trades would leave the starting pitching — the Sox’ only consistent strength — intact, while giving a new look to the outfield with Abreu, Rowand and Jerry Owens holding down the fort until Darin Erstad and Scott Podsednik come off the disabled list.

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Giants trade Benitez to Marlins

Friday, June 1st, 2007

The Giants have traded closer Armando Benitez and cash to the Marlins for right-hander Randy Messenger. Benitez, 34, saved 47 games in 51 chances for the Marlins in 2004 before signing a three-year, $21.5 million free-agent contract with the Giants. His tenure with the Giants was marked by injuries and questions about his attitude.

For the season, Benitez is 0-3 with a 4.67 ERA, with nine saves in 11 opportunities. He has struck out 18 and walked nine in 171/3 innings.

Messenger, 26, is 1-1 with a 2.66 ERA in 23 relief appearances with the Marlins.

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