Arizona Diamondbacks Wiretap

Sources: Montero, D-Backs Agree To $60M Extension

The Diamondbacks have agreed to a five-year, $60 million extension with Miguel Montero, according to sources.

The extension is not believed to include a no-trade provision.

Montero, 28, has thrown out a National League-leading 47.6 percent of runners trying to steal (28 of 60) this season.

He is hitting .252 with two home runs and 21 RBIs in 38 games.

Via ESPN.com

Arizona Diamondbacks, Terms Agreement

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Brewers Acquire Ransom Off Waivers

The Brewers have claimed utility infielder Cody Ransom off waivers from the Diamondbacks.

In a related move, Milwaukee optioned infielder Edwin Maysonet back to Class AAA Nashville.

Ron Roenicke said the move was made to provide more offense at short in the absence of injured shortstop Alex Gonzalez.

Ransom, 36, a right-handed hitter, was batting .269 with four home runs and 14 RBI in 17 games with Arizona.

Via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Waiver

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30-Team MLB Scoop, May 21st Edition

The National League

The Kevin Towers AZ Snake Pit: "The problem with expectations is that they have a tendency of not working out. 2012 was supposed to be the glory year for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and although anything could still happen, there are definitely fans in full meltdown mode. It's easy to see their perspective, what with so many D-backs players struggling to reach the lofty expectations placed upon them."

The Frank Wren David O-Brien of Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Mike Minor enters his start tonight in Cincinnati with a 7.09 ERA that's soared in the past couple of weeks, and a lot of folks are asking how long the Braves can wait before they ship him to the minor leagues."

The Jed Hoyer Steve Rosenbloom of Chicago Tribune: "[Tom] Ricketts seems to have problems dealing with the public in an honest manner. Specifically, he has trouble treating Cubs fans as adults. Maybe a Cubs fans shouldn't be the owner of the Cubs, after all. Or at least, maybe a Cubs fan shouldn't be the talking hood ornament for the riches of the Ricketts empire."

The Walt Jocketty Mike Bauman of MLB.com: "Sunday, the inevitable occurred. [Aroldis] Chapman's talent and the needs of the Cincinnati Reds intersected and the 24-year-old left-hander got the ball and the save opportunity in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees."

The Dan O-Dowd Patrick Saunders of Denver Post: "With the Rockies trailing the Mariners 6-4 on Sunday at Coors Field, Helton was at the plate with two on, two outs and facing a full count. Brandon League threw a fastball right down the middle and Helton swung and missed. Game over."

The Michael Hill Juan C. Rodriguez of South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Three times this season [Heath] Bell had a hand in costing [Carlos] Zambrano wins. His first two blown saves came in Zambrano starts. In another Zambrano outing, Steve Cishek was charged with the blown save, but it was Bell who created the mess. Throughout it all, Zambrano has been nothing if not even-tempered and supportive."

The Jeff Luhnow Chip Bailey of Houston Chronicle: "One of my biggest struggles this year in my own mind is how to judge the quiet enigma who is managing the Astros in his third season, Brad Mills. Some might say this runs deep into my earliest religious roots "Judge not, lest ye be judged," But c'mon this is baseball blogology."

The Ned Colletti Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.: "Clayton Kershaw took the mound twice last week, starting Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. He pitched 16 innings and didn't allow a single run, including his fourth career shutout against St. Louis."

The Doug Melvin Todd Rosiak of Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "On the heels of his second four-strikeout game in three days, second baseman Rickie Weeks was out of the lineup Sunday in the Milwaukee Brewers' 16-4 walkover of the Minnesota Twins at Miller Park."

The Sandy Alderson Mets Blog: "Jason Bay and Josh Thole are heading to Port St. Lucie to begin baseball activities, according to the team's beat reporters on Twitter. Bay will begin taking batting practice on Wednesday and will initially appear as a designated hitter during minor league rehabilitation games."

The Ruben Amaro Jr. Jonathan Nisula of Phillies Nation: "The Phillies will host the Nationals tonight in the first of a three-game set, and the series is sure to be one of the more intense ones this year. This is because the Phillies and the Nationals have developed a new found rivalry this that has never been present before, because the Mets were the Phils biggest rival."

The Neal Huntington Charlie Wilmoth of SB Nation: "Think about what your expectations for the 2012 Pirates were before the season started. Personally, I expected a big season from Andrew McCutchen, and a team that would, overall, be vaguely watchable, if not exactly competitive."

The John Mozeliak Viva El Birdos: "I decided to take a look at the Cardinals' getaway days this season, the amount of distance traveled on the flight to the next game, and the amount of time between games in order to get an idea of the most grueling two-game combinations on the schedule. The results are after the jump."

The Josh Byrnes Gaslamp Ball: "[Josh] Byrnes made the decision to release Orlando Hudson a week or two ago. With the acquisition of Alexi Amarista and the transition of Jedd Gyorko to AAA it felt like it was time to do it."

The Brian Sabean Scott Ostler of San Francisco Chronicle: "Sunday might have been the low point of the season for the Giants, even though they left town with a 2-1 series win over the A's. The house was packed with fired-up fans, the Giants had been playing well with their new semi-stable kiddie lineup, and they gave Lincecum a 2-0 lead. He whiffed five A's in the first three innings. Hope was in the air. Then Lincecum blew up in the fourth inning, gave up four runs on four hits and two walks, and failed to back up third base on a throw from right field."

The Mike Rizzo James Wagner of Washington Post: "The last time the Nationals and Phillies met, the series produced, in no particular order: two hit batters, one intentionally, warned dugouts, a fuming and fined general manager, a suspended pitcher, a broken wrist and plenty of boos."

The American League

The Dan Duquette Dan Connolly of Baltimore Sun: "In an early season of surprises, no one has been a more pleasant revelation or a bigger key to the Orioles' success than Jason Hammel. The big right-hander allowed two runs or fewer in his first seven starts. He didn't lose a game until April 30. Not bad for a guy that entered the season with a career 34-45 record and a 4.99 ERA."

The Ben Cherington Alex Speier of WEEI.com: "Jarrod Saltalamacchia embraces the demands of his position. He is that special species of baseball player known as catcher, a position that has evolved over the generations to reflect a different set of priorities than any other on the field. Success is defined more as a reflection of the performance of others than through one's own statistics, a point that the switch-hitting catcher makes clear when discussing his offense."

The Kenny Williams David Haugh of Chicago Tribune: "A wind blowing out at 12 mph made it anything but shutout weather. Yet after Peavy overcame unforgiving elements to give up three measly singles in 61/3 innings in a 6-0 win over the Cubs, the Sox appear capable of making waves in the American League Central."

The Chris Antonetti Mike Brandyberry of Cleveland Plain-Dealer: "[Chris] Perez spoke out about being booed by the home fans and low attendance at the ballpark. After reading the transcript of his comments on Sunday, I came to a realization; Chris Perez is just like a lot of Clevelanders."

The Dave Dombrowski Tom Gage of Detroit News: "Alex Avila, how about a little roller past the mound, beyond the glove of a diving shortstop and into center field for a two-run single? What's that? Whatever works? Well, such a seventh-inning single turned out to be the winning hit for the Tigers in their 4-3 victory Sunday over the Pirates."

The Dayton Moore Royals Review: "For the purposes of discussion, let's consider the 2006 season to be fully Allard Baird's team. The Royals hired [Dayton] Moore on May 31st and he didn't take over until a few weeks later. From 2002-06, Baird's last five seasons, the Royals averaged 64.2 wins. In my mind, the Royals have just been an unrelenting train of bad the last decade, but those years were rough. That's averaging 64-98, even with a random 83 win season mixed in."

The Jerry DiPoto Bill Shaikin of Los Angeles Times: "With the Angels scrapping for the run that might have won Sunday's game, Manager Mike Scioscia essentially took the bat out of the hands of his hottest hitter, Mike Trout. Trout had singled twice and homered as he waited on deck in the 11th inning. The Angels had one out, Bobby Wilson on first and Ryan Langerhans at bat. Scioscia called for a sacrifice."

The Terry Ryan Star Tribune: "A list of position players that have pitched for the Twins."

The Brian Cashman Roderick Boone of Newsday: "The crowd rose in unison, thinking this was finally it. Alex Rodriguez had gotten a hold of one, based on the unmistakable sound that emanates from a bat when a player puts good wood on the ball. He followed its flight before moving toward first base, only to see leftfielder Chris Heisey line it up a couple of steps on to the warning track after the ball had been knocked down some by the wind."

The Billy Beane Eric Branch of San Francisco Chronicle: "A day after Manny Ramirez didn't hit very well, he didn't play at all. Ramirez followed Saturday's 0-for-4, three-strikeout debut for Triple-A Sacramento by sitting out Sunday's game with a sore left wrist."

The Jack Zduriencik Geoff Baker of Seattle Times: "Last week at Fenway Park, I was asked if I'd participate in a podcast for the FanGraphs website and after agreeing to, was asked on-air by writer David Laurila about why the Mariners don't draw many walks. I had no idea what questions were going to be asked, so my quick response was to mention that the team as a whole had to stop chasing pitches out of the strike zone and also learn to better punish pitchers once they came inside the zone."

The Andrew Friedman Martin Fennelly of Tampa Tribune: "The way it is going right now, the ball is hitting Carlos Pena more than he is hitting the ball. That was Sunday afternoon all over. Pena went 0-for-3, but in the space of about one minute in the eighth inning, he was hit by a pitch and then struck by Luke Scott's rocket grounder, ending the inning and killing off a possible bases-loaded game-tying hit."

The Jon Daniels Evan Grant of Dallas Morning News: "Per a press release: "Pitcher Michael Kirkman was diagnosed in January with a form of skin cancer during an examination that took place in Gainesville, FL, which is near his off-season home in Lake City, FL. He is currently undergoing regular treatment in Round Rock and is being continually monitored by his doctors in both Florida and Texas. He is allowed to participate in full baseball activity while undergoing the treatment, and the prognosis is for a full recovery.'"

The Alex Anthopoulos Grant Brisbee of SB Nation: "Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Litsch was supposed to miss a week after an injection this spring, but now he's worried about his career."

Via Andrew Perna/RealGM

Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Game Recap, Misc Rumor, Personal Award, Team Achievement

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Phillies, Indians Scouting Kevin Youkilis

The Phillies and Indians are keeping an eye on Kevin Youkilis as he rehabs from injury, according to a report.

Cleveland needs a right-handed bat, but they have yet to actually call Boston about the third baseman.

The Boston Globe also mentioned the Diamondbacks as potential suitors in Sunday's edition.

Will Middlebrooks, who was called up to help fill the void left behind by Youkilis, has been off to a hot start.

Via MLB Trade Rumors

Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Trade Rumor

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30-Team MLB Scoop, May 15th Edition

The National League

The Kevin Towers Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com: "Second-year first baseman Paul Goldschmidt returned to the starting lineup Sunday after a day off and remains a work in progress at the plate. Goldschmidt, who entered the game hitting .237 with two home runs and 15 RBIs, has been fine-tuning his mechanics with hitting drills on a tee this week. He said his confidence is not one of the problems."

The Frank Wren David O'Brien of Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The good news is that no player has been more durable this season than Michael Bourn, no NL leadoff hitter has had more of an overall impact on his team, and arguably no center fielder has played better defense."

The Jed Hoyer Gordon Wittenmyer of Chicago Sun-Times: "Pretty impressive how the Cubs' new front office and field staff took a long first look at Jeff Samardzija and turned him into one of the best starting pitchers in the National League."

The Walt Jocketty Meggie Zahneis of MLB.com: "The 25,000 fans who walked away from Saturday's Nationals vs. Reds matchup did so with a one-of-a-kind souvenir tucked under their arms. It's a Joey Votto bobblehead commemorating the first baseman's 2011 Gold Glove Award. Those same fans may wonder where their collectible came from."

The Dan O'Dowd Patrick Saunders of Denver Post: "Considering left-hander Jorge De La Rosa is being counted on to stabilize the Rockies' reeling rotation, news that he was removed after just one inning during a rehab start Saturday night at Double-A Tulsa sounded ominous."

The Michael Hill John C. Rodriguez of South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Had he needed to sprint out of the box, unsure whether cavernous Marlins Park would hold it, Giancarlo Stanton still would have relished the walk-off grand slam. That wasn't the case though."

The Jeff Luhnow Zachary Levine of Houston Chronicle: "The Astros were irked about a couple of check-swing calls that didn't go their way in the late innings of Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Pirates. Brett Myers didn't get a third-strike swing call he wanted on ball four to Jose Tabata leading off the ninth, and Tabata would score the tying run for Myers' first blown save of the season."

The Ned Colletti Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.: "The Dodgers look to continue their home success Monday night as they open a quick two-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers have swept four of their six opponents at home this year, which has led to a 15-3 record at Dodger Stadium."

The Doug Melvin Todd Rosiak of Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "It was a crazy weekend to say the least for Milwaukee Brewers closer John Axford. To recap: Axford saw his streak of 49 consecutive games saved snapped in the Brewers' 13-inning win over the Chicago Cubs on Friday night; learned his wife, Nicole, was going into premature labor shortly thereafter; and then left the media a note on the chair in his locker explaining the situation, a move that became a story in itself on the Internet."

The Sandy Alderson Chris McShane of Amazin Mets: "As you may have heard, the Mets' bullpen did not have a good weekend. Frank Francisco, the highest paid pitcher of the bunch, has not only failed to live up to expectations but has been downright awful. As a group, the Mets' bullpen's 5.01 ERA is the third-worst rate in the National League after blowing late leads in two of three games against the rival Miami Marlins."

The Ruben Amaro Jr. Kieran Carobine of Phillies Nation: "Cole Hamels finished off the week with his fifth win in a row and leads the Phillies staff with those five wins. Hamels is the third guy in a rotation behind Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, but its the lefty thats been confusing hitters all season."

The Neal Huntington Al Yellon of SB Nation: "I'm about as traditional a baseball fan as there can be. I like old-fashioned stirrups on uniforms, don't care for weird-colored alternate jerseys, and love the history and tradition of the classic ballparks, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. In a perfect world, I'd love to still see 81 day games every year at Wrigley (yes, I know in real life that's not feasible), and pitchers not yanked automatically after 100 pitches. And until recently, having grown up a National League fan, I was pretty dead-set against the designated hitter coming to the NL."

The John Mozeliak Viva El Birdos: "Earlier today, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that they had unconditionally released veteran left-handed reliever J.C. Romero. Taking Romero's spot in the bullpen will be right-hander Eduardo Sanchez, who has apparently showed enough improvement with his mechanics and control in in the eyes of the front office to merit the promotion. The release of Romero and promotion of Sanchez means only one southpaw remains in the Cardinals bullpen. With only a single lefty remaining in the bullpen, who will fact opposing left-handed batters?"

The Josh Byrnes Gaslamp Ball: "This is the kind of story that could keep the Phillie Phanatic out of the #1 spot again next year on Forbes' America's Favorite Sports Mascots. It sure sounds like he drives his ATV like a number two. During the pre-game ceremony at Citizen's Bank Ballpark the Phanatic recklessly drove his ATV within a foot of hitting Yonder Alonso."

The Brian Sabean Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicle: "Well, Sergio Romo isn't a closer. But he did finish the game on Sunday by striking out the side. That counts toward the new McCovey Chronicles policy of .giffing a half-inning in which the closer strikes out the side. Also, the Sergio Romo Is Awesome Clause amended the new policy to include Romo. Maybe that isn't a clause titled "Sergio Romo Is Awesome", but rather something the kids are saying these days. "Oh, that new video game is awesome claus." Will investigate later."

The Mike Rizzo Adam Kilgore of Washington Post: "The Nationals headed home Sunday night, leaving Great American Ball Park at a time when, had the weather cooperated, they already would have been lounging back in D.C. They will start their series against the Padres out of first place for the first time since April 11, and with another heap of adversity to face."

The American League

The Dan Duquette Dan Connolly of Baltimore Sun: "People keep asking me about if I'm surprised about the Orioles' quick start. The answer is simple: Yes. Completely surprised. I can give you plenty of reasons this team should not be winning. Yet it is."

The Ben Cherington Rob Bradford of WEEI.com: "It had been since Aug. 16-18, 2011, since the Red Sox strung together three straight starts of six innings or more and three earned runs or less before they accomplished the feat this past weekend."

The Kenny Williams South Side Sox: "It has become a long-running, annual joke that Alexei Ramirez will be terrible offensively at the start of the season and, when things warm up, the sunshine-loving Cuban will start hitting."

The Chris Antonetti Lets Go Tribe: "The Indians are going with Jeremy Accardo to replace Dan Wheeler in the bullpen."

The Dave Dombrowski Terry Foster of Detroit News: "The Tigers did not make a mistake in getting rid of Brandon Inge. The mistake they made at second base happened three years ago when they allowed Placido Polanco to walk because of money. By the way, the guy wanted to stay and he is continuing a fine career with the Philadelphia Phillies."

The Dayton Moore Royals Review: "With three walks yesterday, Jarrod Dyson nearly doubled his season total, and pushed his OBP up to .375. His season line, in 72 PAs, is .306/.375/.355. Two days ago, he had three walks total. So, progress."

The Jerry DiPoto Steve Hunt of Fox Sports Southwest: "Not only did [Vernon] Wells come to a new team with a new skipper in Mike Scioscia, but he also was learning how to play a new position, left field. He had previously played center for the Blue Jays, so learning the nuances of left was a bit of an adjustment."

The Terry Ryan Jim Souhan of Star Tribune: "During a day of many positives, Trevor Plouffe butchered another grounder at third base on Sunday. Brian Dozier (the subject of my Monday column) played extremely well at shortstop and seems to have locked up the starting job for the next six years, but what if the Twins can't stand to watch Plouffe, who has already failed as a shortstop, kick the ball at third base?"

The Brian Cashman Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave Blues: "Where would the Yankees be right now without Raul Ibanez? The guy so many people wanted gone after a painfully unproductive spring has pulled his weight and then some. His .273/.330/.568 line translates to a 136 OPS+, which ranks behind only Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson among Yankees with more than 50 PA. Yet Ibanez's overall production is only part of the story. It's when he puts up those numbers that has made the greatest impact."

The Billy Beane Susan Slusser of San Francisco Chronicle: "Grant Balfour was matter-of-fact about it, not swearing or slamming things, but he isn't pleased to be replaced as the A's closer, and he told manager Bob Melvin so."

The Jack Zduriencik Seattle Times: "In Seattle, it's leading to confusion about what the team has done with players on multiple levels, largely because of faux debates and controversies surrounding a "Veterans versus Young Guys" dynamic. Now, I don't think fans are totally to blame for this. The Mariners, after all, set themselves up for this phony controversy by proclaiming that it's all about the young guys now as they continue to cut payroll and wait for the bigger contracts of some veterans to run out."

The Andrew Friedman Roger Mooney of Tampa Tribune: "On the sixth day of this road trip, the Tampa Bay Rays offense finally showed up. Carlos Pena doubled twice, Ben Zobrist doubled and homered and Elliot Johnson homered as the Rays snapped a three-game losing streak with a 9-8 victory against the Orioles."

The Jon Daniels Dallas Morning News: "Texas Rangers bench coach Jackie Moore has been released from an Arlington hospital after treatment for dehydration. Moore became light-headed on the bench Sunday night during the team's 13-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels."

The Alex Anthopoulos Chris Toman of MLB.com: "A glowing example of the impact sports can have on the lives of others can be found in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where severely impoverished kids have learned the game of baseball with a little help from the outside world."

Via Andrew Perna/RealGM

Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Misc Rumor

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