Diamondbacks Put Carrasco on Waivers

The Arizona Diamondbacks named right-hander Felix Rodriguez as their closer Wednesday and released Hector Carrasco.

“If the situation arises, Felix will be given a chance to close for us,” Diamondback Manager Buck Showalter said. “But it won’t be a situation where the only time he pitches is when we have a lead. It would be nice to think we have that luxury, but we may not.”

By releasing Carrasco before the deadline, the Diamondbacks saved most of his salary. The right-hander was to make $685,000 this year, but Arizona now is obligated for only $170,304

Carrasco, obtained from Kansas City with Arizona’s 11th choice in the second round of the expansion draft, was 13-24 with 11 saves and a 3.76 earned-run average in parts of four seasons with Cincinnati and the Royals.

This spring, he was 3-0 with one save and a 3.86 ERA in 14 innings. But he failed to protect a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning of a 4-4, 12-inning tie with San Diego on Monday.

The next day, Rodriguez retired the first three batters on 11 pitches in the ninth inning to preserve a 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Rodriguez is 1-0 with two saves in 11 appearances in 12 innings.

Showalter also announced that Omar Daal, one of only three left-handers on the staff, would begin the season in the bullpen.

Showalter didn’t give the rotation, but resolving the battle to start between Daal and left-hander Joel Adamson apparently sets the starting order at Andy Benes, Willie Blair, Brian Anderson, Jeff Suppan and Adamson.

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Brad Clontz, 26, one of the Atlanta Braves’ top relievers as a rookie during their World Series championship season in 1995, was put on waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.

Clontz was 5-1 with one save and a 3.75 ERA last season. The side-arming right-hander went 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings this spring, but it wasn’t enough to earn one of two spots in the bullpen.

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Carlos Garcia, trying to prove he can bounce back from batting .220 with Toronto last season, was put on waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

Garcia, a distant second to Shawon Dunston in the contest for the second base job, hit .192 in 12 games after an offensive drop-off in 1997.

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San Diego Padre left-handed reliever Ed Vosberg was put on the 15-day disabled list because of shoulder tendinitis. He is continuing a rehabilitation program and isn’t expected back until about May 1.

Also Wednesday, the Padres optioned third baseman George Arias and right-handed reliever Donne Wall to triple-A Las Vegas and put right-hander Paul Menhart on waivers for the purpose of getting him to Las Vegas. That cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for left-hander Mark Langston, the former Angel pitcher who has won a spot as either the No. 4 or 5 starter.

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John Cangelosi and Jim Eisenreich will be Florida Marlins on opening day after efforts to further trim the team’s payroll by dealing the veteran reserves stalled.

The announcement ended weeks of anticipation for Eisenreich, 38, and Cangelosi, 35, who came to spring training fully expecting to be traded before the start of the season.

Eisenreich was an easy target for cost cutters because he’ll make $1.4 million this season, more than the Marlins wanted to pay for a backup outfielder-first baseman.

Atlanta and a couple of other teams had shown serious interest in Cangelosi, a switch-hitting outfielder with a salary of $550,000. But any deal in the works has fallen through and nothing is on the table, Marlin General Manager Dave Dombrowski said.

This spring, 22-year-old rookies Mark Kotsay and Todd Dunwoody have been battling for the starting job at center field. With both Cangelosi and Eisenreich staying, one or both of them may be sent down.

Dunwoody had no errors and was batting .208 in 20 games this spring, with two home runs and six runs batted in. Kotsay had made three errors but was hitting .308 in 19 games with eight RBIs.

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Danny Sheaffer was put on unconditional release waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals, leaving Tom Pagnozzi and Tom Lampkin as the only catchers on the roster.