Sunday Crown Gems (8/9)

I’ll start this edition off with some random news, notes, and player movement around MLB. Then I’ll share a couple of my favorite links from other Royals blogs over the last several days, and close with a TPJ update.

After reading this, I have a lot more respect for David Eckstein.
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed their 6th round pick, RHP-Zack Von Rosenberg, for $1.2 million. Hopefully good news regarding Crow, Myers, and Dwyer is coming soon as the common thought around baseball is that at least two of the three have already agreed to above slot contracts which are being held up by the commissioner’s office. The August 17th deadline to sign is rapidly approaching, but on the bright side the Royals have already signed their 5th through 23rd round picks. Jim Callis wrote the following on Thursday, but regardless of deadlines, the Royals need Crow pitching as soon as possible so the 2009 season isn’t a complete loss for their 1st round pick.
Today the Boston Red Sox DFA’d RHP-Enrique Gonzalez and also put in a claim on SS-Cristian Guzman who the Washington Nationals put out on waivers. Gonzalez has struggled for 4 seasons in AAA while playing in 3 different organizations and is not an appealing option for the Royals. Guzman is in the first year of a 2-year, $16 million contract, so he’d probably be out of the Royals price range if they were still looking to upgrade the position. The fact that Cristian Guzman was placed on waivers lends credence that Dayton Moore erred when he made the trade for Betancourt. It was both safe and reasonable to assume that other SS would be available before or shortly after the non-waiver deadline. Not only was Guzman available to the Royals, but it is entirely possible that the Mariners would have DFA’d Betancourt once they acquired Jack Wilson from the Pirates.
Speaking of the deal for Yunie, I wanted to give an update on how Dan Cortes and Derrick Saito have been faring since leaving the Royals. Cortes was assigned to the White Sox Mariners Double-A team and has since thrown 24.2 innings with a 7.66 ERA and 1.905 WHIP. He has walked 19 and struck out 25. I have never been a big believer in his chances to reach the majors as a starter, but I assumed he would stick in the majors as a middle reliever. If he doesn’t regain some semblance of control, even that may be a long shot. At just 22 years old, he has time to straighten things out but he is definitely trending in the wrong direction. If Cortes flames out, the Betancourt trade ends up looking a lot better for the Royals and Dayton Moore. Derrick Saito has gone the opposite direction from Cortes since being assigned to the White Sox Mariners Low-A team. In 13.1 innings, he has a 2.70 ERA, 1.250 WHIP, and 3.53 SO/BB. Double-A will be the big test for Saito, since he has lesser “stuff” compared to Cortes.
Tampa Bay is keeping very busy. Yesterday they claimed Russ Springer off waivers and also DFA’d Joe Dillon, Michael Hernandez, and R.J. Swindle. Designating Swindle is a curious case since they just picked him up on Friday after he was designated by the Brewers. Tampa Bay also DFA’d Jonathan Meloan on Friday.
Click here to see a list of players known to have cleared waivers courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors.com. There are only 7 names on the list right now, but it is worth bookmarking and revisiting every few days.
Also just posted on MLB Trade Rumors.com is a recap of the moves made in the last week. Click here and enjoy, though I covered a few of the items in the above.