Nationals GM Mike Rizzo might make an intriguing free agent after the 2015 season, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal says in a recent video. Rizzo's friends tell Rosenthal that Rizzo is not afraid of leaving after 2015 if the team does not pay him well. The Nats exercised their 2014 option on Rizzo last month, and have another option for 2015. Earlier this week, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reported that the decision to exercise the 2014 option may have annoyed Rizzo, since the contract from which the option came was not especially lucrative. Under the 2014 option, Rizzo will be in the bottom third in GM pay, Kilgore noted. Here's more from Rosenthal.
While Alfonso Soriano shot down a trade that would have sent him to the Giants last year, he may be more open to a deal if it presents itself this season, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
"Yeah," Soriano said when asked if he's more likely to consider waiving his no-trade rights than he thought he might be a few months ago. "But it depends on them. It depends what the team wants. A chance to win, that's the most important thing. But it depends on the front office. It's not on me."
Soriano is hitting just .262/.291/.399 this season and will make $18MM this year and next, so he doesn't appear to be a particularly attractive trade target. Depending on how much salary the Cubs are willing to absorb, however, a team might be willing to trade for him, hoping for something more along the lines of last year's peformance, when he hit .262/.322/.499.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
The Yankees announced that they have claimed David Huff off of waivers. To make room on the roster, the club designated Francisco Rondon for assignment.
Huff, 28, has a 5.40 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 across 52 career big league starts and six relief appearances. Huff was designated for assignment by the Indians just two days ago in order to make room on the roster for fellow southpaw Scott Barnes. The hurler, who was drafted 39th overall in 2006, made just three relief appearances during his short stint with Cleveland's varsity squad.
Rondon, 25, has yet to reach the major leagues. He has been with the club's' Double-A affiliate in Trenton with less-than-stellar results, posting a 7.46 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 6.4 BB/9 across 35 innings this season.
The New York Yankees have three picks in the first round of the 2013 first-year player draft on June 6, as the departures of both Nick Swisher (Cleveland Indians) and Rafael Soriano (Washington Nationals) netted them picks 32 and 33 to go along with their initial selection at No. 26.
General manager Brian Cashman is notorious for taking pitchers in the first round. In recent memory, Phil Hughes (2004), Ian Kennedy (2006) and Joba Chamberlain (2006) have all been drafted by Cashman and groomed in the Yankees' system.
Expect Cashman to do more of the same in 2013. Yankees scouts love selecting quality arms, and there's no shortage of such arms in this year's draft. There are several talented pitchers (both from high school and college) who could find themselves as members of the Yankees by the end of the first round.
The Yankees have always had a shortage of talented pitching in their system. Even with Cashman's propensity to select pitchers, not all of them have always panned out. New York has strong positional talent in the lower minors in Mason Williams, Gary Sanchez, Tyler Austin and Slade Heathcott, though there isn't all that much pitching to be found.
Look for Cashman and Co. to solve that problem on draft day.
San Francisco Giants center fielder Angel Pagan raced around the bases for an inside-the-park, two-run homer to boost his team to a 6-5 home victory in 10 innings over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday.
With Brandon Crawford aboard on second base and one out, Pagan hammered an 0-1 offering from Rockies pitcher Rafael Betancourt off the wall in right-center field.
The carom caused the ball to kick toward the deepest part of San Francisco's AT&T Park. Michael Cuddyer couldn't corral it, and by the time it reached center fielder Dexter Fowler, Pagan was already screaming toward third base.
Fowler had an extremely long throw from the warning track, but he effectively hit the cutoff man. The throw to the plate by DJ LeMahieu was pretty strong, yet not quite good enough. Pagan was able to avert the slightly late tag by sliding safely head-first to clinch the win.
The home crowd predictably erupted to the unique walk-off occasion, and several of Pagan's teammates poured out of the dugout to help him celebrate.
Rockies star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki broke the tie in the top of the 10th with a leadoff home run off of Sergio Romo. The Giants' pitcher was bailed out by Pagan's heroics, though, and walked away with his third win of 2013.
Pagan allowed the Giants to pull even with their National League West division rivals at 27-22 on the season. Their series will wrap up on Sunday, as both teams sit half a game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks (27-21) for the NL West lead.
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