Tigers acquire reliever Veras from Astros

DETROIT (AP) ? The Detroit Tigers added some help for their shaky bullpen Monday, acquiring reliever Jose Veras from the Houston Astros for minor league outfielder Danry Vasquez and a player to be named.

Veras is 0-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 19 saves this season, and the 32-year-old right-hander has struck out 44 in 43 innings with only 14 walks.

"We are pleased to add an experienced arm to our bullpen," Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "Jose can pitch in a variety of roles, provides depth in the bullpen, and complements the roles of Joaquin Benoit and Drew Smyly."

Detroit entered the season with a lot of uncertainty at the closer spot, and although Benoit has pitched well in that role of late, the AL Central-leading Tigers still needed bullpen depth. Aside from Benoit and Smyly, none of their other relievers have been all that effective on a consistent basis.

Veras has been a steady contributor while bouncing from team to team in recent years. He posted a 3.75 ERA with Florida in 2010, a 3.80 ERA with Pittsburgh in 2011 and a 3.63 ERA with Milwaukee last season.

Houston signed him to a one-year deal last offseason, and the last-place Astros could certainly afford to trade their closer if the opportunity to acquire a solid prospect presented itself. Vasquez is only 19, but he was ranked by Baseball America as the sixth-best prospect in Detroit's system before this season.

Vasquez hit .281 with five home runs and 39 RBIs in 96 games for Class A West Michigan this year.

"We are excited to get an outfield prospect of Danry's caliber. He adds to an already formidable group of prospects at the A ball level," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "Jose will be missed as a team leader both on and off the field."

Benoit has converted all 10 of his save chances for the Tigers this season, and the left-handed Smyly is 4-0 with a 1.77 ERA in 61 innings. In Veras, Detroit now adds a right-hander who can pitch in the late innings.

Before this trade, the Tigers' top right-handed options in the late innings ? aside from Benoit ? were probably Al Alburquerque and Bruce Rondon. Alburquerque has struggled with his control, and although the hard-throwing Rondon has looked better lately, he's still fairly unproven.

Detroit's deadline deals have worked out well the last couple years. The Tigers acquired starter Doug Fister from Seattle in 2011 and added starter Anibal Sanchez and second baseman Omar Infante in a deal with the Marlins in 2012. Not only did those three players provide help when they arrived, but they're also all still with the team.

This trade probably won't generate as much buzz as those deals, but it helps fill a need for a Detroit team that's hoping to return to the World Series after being swept by San Francisco a year ago.

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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed to this report from Houston.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tigers-acquire-reliever-veras-astros-163527211.html

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ObamaCare Taking A Bite Out Of Businesses In Florida

Employers In The Gainesville, Florida Area Are Taking Steps To Comply With ObamaCare. ?Even with the employer mandate delayed until 2015, local employers are trying to plan ahead and in some cases have already taken action to account for the costs, insurance coverage and other requirements to comply with the Affordable Care Act.? (Anthony Clark, ?Local Companies Adjust To Costs Of Affordable Care Act,? Gainesville Sun , 7/27/13)

?Gator Domino?s Might Raise Prices On Pizza To Pay For The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act.? (Anthony Clark, ?Local Companies Adjust To Costs Of Affordable Care Act,? Gainesville Sun , 7/27/13)

• ObamaCare Will Cost Gator Domino?s $70,000 To $100,000 In Extra Costs. ?The extra year should clear up confusion about the employer mandate, said Freddie Wehbe, franchise owner of Gator Domino?s. After attending several local and corporate seminars and hearing from consultants, ?no one had the same answers,? he said. Wehbe said he spent about 40 hours trying to calculate his costs of paying for coverage or penalties, arriving at $70,000 to $100,000 a year, ?but there was no clear formula about exactly how it would work.? The company decided not to cut employee hours, but would have to raise prices, he said.? (Anthony Clark, ?Local Companies Adjust To Costs Of Affordable Care Act,? Gainesville Sun , 7/27/13)

?Santa Fe College Has Placed A Cap On The Hours Part-Time Employees Can Work And The Credit Hours Adjunct Faculty Can Teach To Limit Its Costs.? (Anthony Clark, ?Local Companies Adjust To Costs Of Affordable Care Act,? Gainesville Sun , 7/27/13)

• The College?s Most Recent Budget Capped Part-Time Employee Hours At 27.5 And Limited Teaching To 12 Credit Hours A Semester For Adjuncts. ?At Santa Fe College, the board of trustees approved a budget at its June 18 meeting that includes a cap of 27.5 hours on part-time employees and a maximum of teaching 12 credit hours per term for adjunct faculty for the fiscal year that started July 1.? (Anthony Clark, ?Local Companies Adjust To Costs Of Affordable Care Act,? Gainesville Sun , 7/27/13)

?Crime Prevention Security Systems Is Already Paying 20 Percent More For Employee Health Insurance This Year And Might Consider Shifting Some Employees To Part Time If The Costs Go Up Too Much More.? (Anthony Clark, ?Local Companies Adjust To Costs Of Affordable Care Act,? Gainesville Sun , 7/27/13)

• If Health Care Costs Continue To Rise For Crime Prevention Security Systems, The Company Plans To Shift Full-Time Employees To Part-Time. ?John Pastore is majority owner of both Crime Prevention Security Systems and Universal Security Monitoring, two companies that will count as one ? with about 60 total employees ? under a provision of the act designed to thwart attempts to avoid the employer mandate by splitting companies. The companies already provide health coverage to all employees. Insurance costs rose 20 percent this year and Pastore said if the costs go up too much more, they would look at moving some employees to part-time positions.? (Anthony Clark, ?Local Companies Adjust To Costs Of Affordable Care Act,? Gainesville Sun , 7/27/13)

?Axogen Inc. Will Have To Pay For An Additional Employee Just To Keep Up With The Act?s Reporting Requirements.? (Anthony Clark, ?Local Companies Adjust To Costs Of Affordable Care Act,? Gainesville Sun , 7/27/13)

• ObamaCare Will Cost Axogen $80,000 To $100,000 In Extra Expenses. ??We estimate this additional work out of pocket, even at our size, will cost $80,000 to $100,000 a year in extra expenses, plus an additional employee, because we sell in the health care field,? Zaderej said.? (Anthony Clark, ?Local Companies Adjust To Costs Of Affordable Care Act,? Gainesville Sun , 7/27/13)

Source: http://www.gop.com/news/research/obamacare-taking-a-bite-out-of-businesses-in-florida/

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