June 2015 - Baseball Wiretap

Will Smith's Suspension Reduced To Six Games
Major League Baseball has reduced Will Smith's suspension for having an illegal substance on his arm to six games.

ESPN

Yankees Interested In Ben Zobrist
The Yankees have had issues at second base and have interest in acquiring Ben Zobrist from the Athletics.

Jon Heyman/CBS Sports

Mets Could Trade Gee, Niese To Make Room For Matz
The Mets would like to add prospect Steven Matz to the rotation, which currently features six starters.

Jon Heyman/CBS Sports

Athletics Call-Up Switch-Pitcher Pat Venditte
Pat Venditte, 29, has been an effective reliever in the Minor Leagues amid the novelty of him pitching with both arms.

Aaron Gleeman/NBC Sports

Reds To Try Devin Mesoraco In Left Field
Devin Mesoraco has been suffering from a hip impingement, which has kept him from working behind the plate.

C. Trent Rosecrans/Cincinnati Enquirer

Yankees Seeking Right-Handed Reliever
David Carpenter was supposed to fill that hole, but he didn't pan out.

Jim Bowden/MLB Network Radio

Rafael Soriano To Throw For Teams Next Thursday
The reliever recently switched representation from Scott Boras to Octagon.

Steve Adams/MLB Trade Rumors

Joe Maddon's Propensity To Bat Pitcher Eighth Began With Rays
Joe Maddon has batted his pitcher in the eighth hole in every game this season, his first at the helm of the Cubs.

Jayson Stark/ESPN

Dombrowski: Brad Ausmus Isn't To Blame For Detroit's Skid
The Tigers have lost seven straight games, but Dave Dombrowski doesn't believe it's fair to blame Brad Ausmus for the skid.

ESPN

Piazza Interested In Buying Italian Soccer Club
Mike Piazza is reportedly eyeing the purchase of the Italian soccer club Parma.

Adam Rubin/ESPN

Astros To Get Rid Of Tal's Hill After Season
The Astros plan to get rid of Tal's Hill at Minute Maid Park after the season.

ESPN

Braves Seeking Bullpen Upgrades
The Braves are looking to trade for bullpen upgrades, but they are reluctant to part with young talent or pay significant money in order to make it happen.

David O'Brien/Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kris Bryant: HR Derby 'Would Be Pretty Cool'
Kris Bryant would be a willing participant in next month's Home Run Derby.

Jesse Rogers/ESPN

MLB Apologizes To Royals For Costly Replay Error
Major League Baseball has apologized to the Royals for a breakdown in its replay process during a crucial moment in a 2-1 loss to the Indians on Tuesday night.

Associated Press

Mariners Acquire Mark Trumbo From Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks will receive catcher Welington Castillo, right-handed reliever Dominic Leone and minor leaguers Gabby Guerrero and Jack Reinheimer while also sending left-handed pitcher Vidal Nuno to

ESPN

Mariano Rivera III Eligible For First-Year Player Draft
Some familiar names may be called during the First-Year Player Draft next week in New Jersey.

Ben Cosman/MLB

Red Sox Acquire Alejandro De Aza From Orioles
Boston will send cash considerations to Baltimore to complete the deal.

Ken Rosenthal/FOX Sports

Mets Begin Employing Six-Man Rotation
With Dillon Gee coming off the disabled list, the Mets have officially begun using a six-man starting rotation.

Adam Rubin/ESPN

Tulowitzki Grooming Nolan Arenado To Become 'Face Of The Franchise'
Troy Tulowitzki has become a mentor to teammate Nolan Arenado as the Rockies embark on the 2015 season.

Jerry Crasnick/ESPN

Johan Santana Has No Regrets Over Costly No-Hitter
Johan Santana tossed the first and only no-hitter in Mets history on June 1, 2012, but the outing came at a cost.

Phil Taylor/SI

Blue Jays Targeted Zach Duke This Past Offseason
The Blue Jays tried to sign Zach Duke this past offseason, but the reliever ended up reaching a deal with the White Sox.

Shi Davidi/Sportsnet

Joey Gallo's Debut Puts Him In Rare Company
Joey Gallo had a successful debut for the Rangers on Tuesday night, recording three hits, a home run and four RBIs.

ESPN Stats & Info

Manfred: DH In NL Would 'Deprive Us' Of Colon's At-Bats
Bartolo Colon has become famous for his wild swings and occasional helmet flying.

Adam Rubin/ESPN

Lincecum Locating Fastballs, Throwing Secondary Pitches For Strikes
Tim Lincecum has been working hard to remain effective as he loses speed on his fastball.

Christina Kahrl/ESPN

Nick Castellanos Has Become Average Defensively
The Tigers have improved defensively this season thanks in large part to the individual strides made by Nick Castellanos.

Ben Lindbergh/Grantland

Ownership Backs John Farrell, Ben Cherington In Boston
Red Sox owner John W. Henry fully endorsed manager John Farrell on Tuesday and said that Ben Cherington will be "general manager of this team for a very long time."

Gordon Edes/ESPN

White Sox Optimistic They'll Rebound From 'Embarrassing' Start
The White Sox are in last place after a number of offseason additions, but Kenny Williams is optimistic the club will recover.

ESPN

Hitting Coach: Cano Is Pressing At The Plate
Robinson Cano has just two home runs and is hitting .246 this season.

ESPN

Denard Span Has Been Key For Nationals
The Nationals took off when Denard Span returned from injury in mid-April, going 20-13 with the center fielder in the lineup.

Ken Rosenthal/FOX Sports

Pirates Keeping Jeff Locke In Rotation
Jeff Locke has a 5.34 ERA after another rough outing, but the Pirates will remain patient with the 27-year-old left-hander.

Tom Singer/MLB