BALTIMORE ORIOLES Acquired RHP Pete Smith from San Diego for RHP Eric Estes; designated RHP Richie Lewis for assignment. [6/9] When he’s going good, Pete Smith has a lot in common with Scott Kamieniecki: adequacy. He’ll enter to Orioles rotation, moving Sid Ponson back to the bullpen. That still won’t be enough to really shore…
Top Ten Teams 1. NY Yankees: they’re strong enough to survive injuries almost anywhere in the lineup or on the pitching staff and still not suffer a noticeable dropoff. 2. Atlanta: the key hitters are all young and can get better (I don’t consider the Big Cat key, whatever the last two months say), while…
BALTIMORE ORIOLES Purchased the contract of LHP Radhames Dykhoff from Bowie (AA); sent RHP Bobby Munoz outright to Rochester. [6/5] Activated RHP Mike Mussina from the DL; placed RHP Terry Mathews on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 6/2 (shoulder stiffness); placed OF Jeffrey Hammonds on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 6/3 (back spasms); purchased the…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed RHP Jack McDowell on the 15-day DL (elbow); recalled LHP Jarrod Washburn from Vancouver. [6/1] Recalled CF Orlando Palmeiro from Vancouver; optioned INF Frank Bolick to Vancouver. [6/4] Losing Black Jack (again) isn’t the problem, and adding Washburn to the rotation isn’t a bad turn for the Angels either. The bad break…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Placed C Jorge Fabregas on the 15-day DL (sprained ankle); recalled RF Karim Garcia from Tucson. [5/31] With Kelly Stinnett and Damian Miller around, the D-backs have two better catchers than Fabregas, healthy or not, so they’re not in bad shape. In turn, they’re taking the roster spot and making a silk purse…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed LHP Allen Watson on the 15-day DL (strained elbow); recalled 3B/1B Frank Bolick from Vancouver. [5/24] Thanks to a few handy off-days this week, the Angels aren’t really going to be hurt much in the short term by placing the combustible Watson (7.69 ERA) on the DL. Jack McDowell will continue to…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Activated RHP Jack McDowell from the 15-day DL; optioned 3B/1B Frank Bolick to Vancouver. [5/21] Black Jack’s return has bumped Jason Dickson from the rotation, which will hopefully let Dickson work on his assortment while giving him a lighter workload so that he can get back to where he was last season. With…
Just shortly before the Witching Hour on Saturday morning, the Dodgers and Marlins consummated their historic deal: Florida dispatched RF Gary Sheffield, C Charles Johnson, 3B/OF Bobby Bonilla, OF Jim Eisenreich, and RH reliever Manuel Barrios to the Dodgers for C Mike Piazza and 3B Todd Zeile. The almost universal gnashing of teeth over what…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed UT Randy Velarde on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 5/15 (elbow); recalled SS/2B Justin Baughman from Vancouver. [5/16] It looks like Velarde’s elbow woes are of the career-ending variety, which means the Angels have to get away from the ugly temporary solutions at second (Carlos Garcia, Paco Martin, or Craig Shipley), and…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Activated UT Randy Velarde from the 15-day DL; placed INF Carlos Garcia on the 15-day DL (broken bat, er… strained hamstring). [5/13] Velarde’s return has apparently lasted all of two days, since he’s already complaining about soreness in his bum elbow. Garcia’s bat will take a lifetime to heal up, which leaves Paco…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed RHP Mike James on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 5/5 (torn muscle – forearm); recalled LHP Jarrod Washburn from Vancouver; announced that RHP William Vanlandingham cleared waivers and his contract was optioned to Vancouver. [5/8] Activated RF Tim Salmon from the DL; optioned LHP Jarrod Washburn to Vancouver. [5/9] Salmon’s return is…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Recalled C Damian Miller from Tucson; optioned LHP Ricky Pickett to Tucson. [5/6] An interesting development. To add a third catcher (who isn’t decisively better than Fabregas or Stinnett), they dump their lone lefty reliever after barely using him. It might mean that they’ll be trading for a new fifth starter after Daal’s…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed RF Tim Salmon on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 4/23 (foot); purchased the contract of LHP Greg Cadaret from Vancouver. [5/1] Recalled RHP Pep Harris from Vancouver; optioned LHP Rich Robertson to Vancouver. [5/4] As long as Omar Olivares in the rotation, and as long as Terry Collins is pretending that nothing…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Sold 1B Troy Neel‘s contract to the Orix Blue Wave (Japanese Leagues). [4/28] Placed RHP Jack McDowell on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 4/27 (inflamed right elbow); activated INF Craig Shipley from the DL. [4/30] In Black Jack’s absence, Omar Olivares will step into the rotation, and Shigetoshi Hasegawa may finally get some…
BALTIMORE ORIOLES Placed RHP Scott Kamieniecki on the 15-day DL, retroactive to April 25 (groin strain & inflamed elbow); recalled RHP Nerio Rodriguez from Rochester. [4/26] It’s easy to take potshots at the Orioles and say that Billy Gardner is no Davey Johnson or that Doug Johns is a waste of time, but matters aren’t…
ATLANTA BRAVES Optioned RHP Paul Byrd to Richmond, and recalled OF Damon Hollins from Richmond. [4/23] When you’re the Braves, I guess you feel you can afford to waste a roster spot for five days to get two mopup innings of relief, because that’s all they got out of Byrd; considering that their bullpen had…