Roster Moves (6/14): Mark Mulder Retires, Jeff Suppan Signs With STL

Another day with only a few moves on June 14th. What little there was, after the jump.

AL East

One of the key prospects in the Erik Bedard trade, LHP-Tony Butler (22) was released by the Orioles. A 6’7″ lefty with mid-90’s heat and a nasty breaking ball, Butler was hindered by a deluge of injuries in the Orioles organization, which derailed his already-shaky command. He issued 35 walks in 44 2/3 innings for Low-A Delmarva this year, posting a 7.66 ERA. Still young, big, and lefthanded, Butler may wind up somewhere else. The Orioles also released LHP-Jake Smith (24), who had a 4.54 ERA in Delmarva, and activated RHP-Alfredo Simon (29) from the 15-day DL. Simon will reclaim the closer’s role in Baltimore from David Hernandez.

AL Central

No moves to report.

AL West

No moves to report.

NL East

No moves to report.

NL Central

The St. Louis Cardinals signed RHP-Jeff Suppan (35) a week after he was released by the division rival Brewers. Suppan had a 7.84 ERA as a swingman in Milwaukee, with none of his four pitches being anywhere near effective. We’ll see if pitching coach Dave Duncan can work his magic on the veteran. The Cardinals optioned RHP-Adam Ottavino (24) to AAA Memphis to make room for Suppan. The hard-throwing Ottavino, a former first-round pick, struggled with his offspeed stuff and command in his three big league starts, posting a 7.53 ERA and 7.17 FIP.

In other news, LHP-Mark Mulder (32), who last pitched with the Cardinals in 2008, retired from baseball. Mulder went 103-60 with a 4.18 ERA in his nine year career with Oakland and St. Louis

NL West

No moves to report.

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