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Moriarty9 · 10-25-2009, 03:20 PM

Mueller to Twins for Lopez
Devil Rays make five-player deal with Twins
July 10, 2010

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Sitting at 44-43, just 4.5 games back in the division and 3.5 back in the Wild Card, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays today made a trade they hope will help this year and down the road.

Tampa Bay dealt third baseman Bill Mueller and two minor league pitchers to the Minnesota Twins for first baseman Jose Lopez, a minor league infielder, and cash.

Mueller, 39, hit .290 with no home runs and 33 RBI with 47 runs scored in 78 games for the Devil Rays. A career .278 hitter, the Twins will become the 10th big league team of his 14-year-career.

Lopez, the key player in return from Minnesota, is a 26-year-old right-handed hitter that has spent time at both first base and second base for the Twins this season. In 176 at bats in 2010, Lopez has hit .307 with six home runs and 26 RBI. A career .284 hitter, Lopez played with the New York Yankees from 2003-2009, and played in 77 games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009. He is primarily a first baseman, starting 26 games there and playing 233 2/3 innings at the position this season, as opposed to 12 starts and 113 1/3 innings at second base this year.

Lopez is expected to split time with Garrett Atkins in the lineup, though Tampa Bay manager Christian O'Neal has not indicated if Aubrey Huff will move back to third base on a regular basis with Atkins and Lopez splitting time at first base, or if some other arrangement will be made.

The Devil Rays also acquired 19-year-old third baseman Caleb Bauer. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 draft by the Twins and was an All Star with Minnesota's A-ball affiliate this year. In 85 games with Minnesota's A-ball team this year, Bauer hit .308 with six home runs and 33 RBI, scoring 41 times. He is hitting .438 (7-for-16) since being promoted to AA.

The minor league pitchers heading to the Twins are 33-year-old Juan Pena and 22-year-old Wendell Greer.

Pena is a five-time All Star in the minor leagues who has not pitched above the AA level. He was a sixth-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants in 1998, and has been with the Devil Rays organization since 2005. He is 82-89 with a 3.84 ERA in his minor league career. Pena is 6-6 with a 2.87 ERA in 15 minor league starts this season.

Greer was a fifth round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2008 draft and was named to an All Star team in the low A-ball league this summer. He has pitched in both A-ball divisions and in AA this year, combining for a 10-4 record with a 1.46 ERA in 17 starts.

10-25-2009, 03:20 PM	#655 (permalink)
Moriarty9 All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,858 Thanks: 10 Thanked 3x in 3 posts	Mueller to Twins for Lopez Devil Rays make five-player deal with Twins July 10, 2010 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Sitting at 44-43, just 4.5 games back in the division and 3.5 back in the Wild Card, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays today made a trade they hope will help this year and down the road. Tampa Bay dealt third baseman Bill Mueller and two minor league pitchers to the Minnesota Twins for first baseman Jose Lopez, a minor league infielder, and cash. Mueller, 39, hit .290 with no home runs and 33 RBI with 47 runs scored in 78 games for the Devil Rays. A career .278 hitter, the Twins will become the 10th big league team of his 14-year-career. Lopez, the key player in return from Minnesota, is a 26-year-old right-handed hitter that has spent time at both first base and second base for the Twins this season. In 176 at bats in 2010, Lopez has hit .307 with six home runs and 26 RBI. A career .284 hitter, Lopez played with the New York Yankees from 2003-2009, and played in 77 games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009. He is primarily a first baseman, starting 26 games there and playing 233 2/3 innings at the position this season, as opposed to 12 starts and 113 1/3 innings at second base this year. Lopez is expected to split time with Garrett Atkins in the lineup, though Tampa Bay manager Christian O'Neal has not indicated if Aubrey Huff will move back to third base on a regular basis with Atkins and Lopez splitting time at first base, or if some other arrangement will be made. The Devil Rays also acquired 19-year-old third baseman Caleb Bauer. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 draft by the Twins and was an All Star with Minnesota's A-ball affiliate this year. In 85 games with Minnesota's A-ball team this year, Bauer hit .308 with six home runs and 33 RBI, scoring 41 times. He is hitting .438 (7-for-16) since being promoted to AA. The minor league pitchers heading to the Twins are 33-year-old Juan Pena and 22-year-old Wendell Greer. Pena is a five-time All Star in the minor leagues who has not pitched above the AA level. He was a sixth-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants in 1998, and has been with the Devil Rays organization since 2005. He is 82-89 with a 3.84 ERA in his minor league career. Pena is 6-6 with a 2.87 ERA in 15 minor league starts this season. Greer was a fifth round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2008 draft and was named to an All Star team in the low A-ball league this summer. He has pitched in both A-ball divisions and in AA this year, combining for a 10-4 record with a 1.46 ERA in 17 starts.