Blue Jays News from MLB Trade Rumors

The latest outright assignments from around MLB...

• The Indians announced that they outrighted Dan Wheeler to Triple-A Columbus. The right-hander, who was designated for assignment over the weekend, must accept the minor league assignment.
• The Blue Jays announced that they outrighted right-hander Trystan Magnuson off of the 40-man roster to the Dunedin Blue Jays (via Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi on Twitter). The Blue Jays sent the 26-year-old native of British Columbia to Oakland in the Rajai Davis trade then purchased him back from the A's last offseason. Magnuson has been pitching at Class A Dunedin, where he has a 4.05 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 so far in 2012.

One scout told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the work of the Braves’ hitting instructors and the performance of Kris Medlen has made the difference for the team so far in 2012. Atlanta GM Frank Wren agrees with that assessment, according to Rosenthal, who offers notes and rumors from around the league in his latest column:

• The Cubs are more likely to trade Ryan Dempster if they sign Matt Garza to an extension. However, Dempster’s ten and five rights allow him to veto any trade, so he’ll have leverage if the Cubs look to make a move. It doesn’t seem likely that Dempster will sign a below-market extension to stay in Chicago, Rosenthal writes.
• The Cubs don’t have immediate plans to call up Anthony Rizzo, who figures to stay in the minor leagues until an opening emerges.
• Releasing Alfonso Soriano doesn’t appear to be an option; the outfielder has approximately $50MM remaining on his contract with the Cubs.
• General managers criticize the collective bargaining agreement, Rosenthal reports. Some low-revenue teams dislike spending restrictions on the draft, since they feel the limitations will drive up the price of MLB talent.
• Chien-Ming Wang, who is now rehabbing at Triple-A, could be valuable insurance for the Nationals, since they’ve decided to cap Stephen Strasburg’s innings.
• Brett Myers’ 2013 option likely vests with approximately 55 games finished, Rosenthal suggests. The right-hander will obtain a $500K bonus if the Astros trade him.
• One scout says Blue Jays catching prospect Travis D’Arnaud looks like Russell Martin did with the Dodgers.

A look at today's column from Buster Olney of ESPN.com..

• The Phillies could have an ulterior motive in exploring trade possibilities for left-hander Cole Hamels and center fielder Shane Victorino.  The club could be suggesting that they are willing to trade the two veterans in order to pressure them to come to the negotiating table.  However, it both cases, there appears to be a significant gap to overcome.
• Olney speculates that the Dodgers could be a good landing spot this summer for Kevin Youkilis if James Loney doesn't turn things around and the club is in search of an upgrade at first.  Youkilis, of course, would have to appear healthy enough to take on for the rest of the season.
• The Blue Jays don't have a master plan for Vladimir Guerrero as they basically signed him for organizational depth, similar to what the Rays did by signing Hideki Matsui.  If Guerrero shows in Triple-A that he can be a productive player, and a need arises for the Jays, then he could be promoted.  If a need doesn't develop, then the club will allow Guerrero to pursue better opportunities elsewhere. 

4:10pm: A few weeks ago the Phillies called around to suggest they might be open to discussing trades involving Hamels and Victorino, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). One executive says teams wouldn't have wanted to approach the Phillies about their star players at this time because it could be perceived as an insult.

8:04am: In anticipation of possible midseason trades, the Blue Jays have asked the Phillies about left-hander Cole Hamels and center fielder Shane Victorino, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Though GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has said the Phillies could become sellers and Hamels and Victorino are on track for free agency this offseason, no deal is close or likely. 

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos asks about other teams’ star players regularly, but there’s a difference between due diligence and serious trade talks. The Blue Jays have reportedly inquired on Felix Hernandez, Michael Pineda, Gio Gonzalez, Jose Reyes, Alex Gordon and others under Anthopoulos without acquiring any of those players. Meanwhile, Amaro told Rosenthal that he needs to be mindful of the Phillies’ short and long-term goals.

“I can’t shut any doors down,” he said, without addressing specific trade scenarios. “You try to be creative. And there are a lot of creative GMs out there who have different goals.”

Amaro said he doesn’t expect to be a seller this summer. Yet he’s realistic and acknowledges he may have to take on a new role at the upcoming trade deadline. The Phillies have traded for Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence leading up to recent trade deadlines.

It's not surprising that Anthopoulos would inquire on Hamels and Victorino in my view. We know the Blue Jays check in on players routinely and there's no harm in starting dialogue early. This is a juicy rumor that tells us something about the respective styles of the GMs involved, but it doesn't mean a trade is brewing. 

FRIDAY: MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez hears there's no more truth to the Bourjos-Nationals rumor now than there was this offseason (Twitter link).

THURSDAY: The Angels and Nationals have had preliminary discussions about a trade involving Peter Bourjos, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Royals, Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays also checked in on the outfielder's availability.

It's unclear how far along the talks are, but Bourjos would give Washington the long-term center field solution they've been seeking. Anaheim could use their outfield surplus to shore up the bullpen, a priority according to Morosi. The Nationals are currently without Drew Storen (elbow) and Brad Lidge (hernia) but could be more open to a trade involving a reliever once one or both guys get healthy.

The Angels could also be in the market for a catcher following Chris Iannetta's injury, mentions Morosi. Iannetta will miss up to eight weeks following wrist surgery, the team announced today.

The Blue Jays have signed 37-year-old designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero to a minor league contract, the team announced. The Proformance client would earn a pro-rated portion of $1.3MM in the Major Leagues, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, who first reported the deal (Twitter links).

If Guerrero's bat looks good at extended Spring Training (his next stop) the Blue Jays could make some changes to their lineup. Assuming the Blue Jays don't consider Guerrero an option in the outfield, he'll pinch hit and DH. They could have Guerrero DH against left-handed pitching and shift Adam Lind to the bench against southpaws, with Edwin Encarnacion playing first base. Encarnacion, the team's best hitter so far in 2012, will continue to play every day, but it seems Lind could eventually lose playing time as a result of the signing.

Guerrero has 2,590 hits, 449 homers and a .318/.379/.553 line in 16 big league seasons. In 590 plate appearances with the Orioles last year, the nine-time All-Star posted a .290/.317/.416 line with 13 homers.  He drew interest from the Diamondbacks, Indians and Marlins earlier this year.

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, a former Montreal Expos employee, has expressed admiration for Guerrero in the past. Anthopoulos has said throughout the spring that he'd be open to adding players on low-risk minor league deals.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Here's the latest from the AL East...

• The Rays' success with low-budget acquisitions stands out in contrast to other teams' lack of return on expensive free agents, writes Gary Shelton of the Tampa Bay Times.  The Rays had a modest offseason and have baseball's second-best record, while Shelton notes the Marlins have only a .500 record after spending big last winter.
• Rays ownership's patience with the Andrew Friedman/Matt Silverman/Joe Maddon management team is a big reason why Tampa Bay has become a consistent contender, writes MLB.com's Bill Chastain.
• The Blue Jays offered David Pauley a minor league contract in March, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.  Pauley decided to sign with the Angels instead since "there was an opportunity to come and play" in Los Angeles.
• Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos "deserves a lot of credit" for Edwin Encarnacion's success in 2012, manager John Farrell tells MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.  "[Anthopoulos] is the one that has talked about him repeatedly, and consistently, with the belief that there is an above-average offensive player in there," Farrell said.
• Tsuyoshi Wada has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list, the Orioles announced today.  The move creates space on the 40-man roster for right-hander Stu Pomeranz (brother of Rockies' hurler Drew Pomeranz), who had his contract selected from Triple-A.  Wada is set to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the 2012 season.
• Fangraphs' Matt Klaassen looks at J.J. Hardy as "an excellent trade chip," though the Orioles' decision to move Hardy or any other veterans has been impacted by the club's surprising rise to the top of the standings.
• The Yankees might be wise to retain impending free agent Nick Swisher, opines Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog, though signing him could be difficult given the Yankees' plan to fit their payroll under the luxury tax threshold by 2014. 
• For more on the Bronx Bombers, check out this collection of Yankees notes compiled earlier today by MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith.