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Archives for July 2010

Angels Could Become Sellers

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Though they've acquired Dan Haren and Alberto Callaspo this month and reached an agreement for Derrek Lee eight days ago, the Angels may become sellers in the wake of Joel Pineiro's rib-cage strain yesterday.  The injury will knock the righty out for six to eight weeks, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, and GM Tony Reagins is now open to trading veterans for prospects.

DiGiovanna speculates that Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Hideki Matsui, and Maicer Izturis might interest contenders.  Abreu, Fuentes, and Matsui would be tough to move, and could be August trade candidates.  Abreu is signed at $9MM for next year and may have another $9MM salary vest for 2012.  The 36-year-old is hitting just .253/.347/.416.  Fuentes' strikeout rate is back up, but he's been homer-prone and has over $3MM left on his contract.  Matsui's market is limited by his DH profile, though he has tallied 122 innings in left field this year.  He's been streaky this year, with his best work coming in April and June. 

Despite an offensive downturn this year, Izturis should generate interest given his ability to play all around the infield.  He's signed through 2012. 

Quiet Deadline Possible?

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One "very-plugged-in GM" told the New York Post's Joel Sherman yesterday that this could be a very quiet trade deadline, with big names like Jayson Werth, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, Adam Dunn, and Roy Oswalt possibly staying put.  Oswalt, of course, appears headed to Philadelphia if he'll approve the trade.  Sherman notes that prospects are being overvalued, money is tight, certain teams are reassessing their playoff chances, and many players will still be available in August. 

Despite such talk the days leading up to the trade deadline are always exciting in terms of rumored discussions.  We hope you'll keep reading MLBTR religiously – we've extended our coverage until 3am central time the next two nights, all leading up to the first Saturday deadline day in the site's history.  Back to Sherman's article…

  • Dunn is viewed as the most likely to be moved from the aforementioned group.  The White Sox and Giants are pushing harder than the Yankees.
  • The Rays, Twins, and Phillies are the most motivated buyers.  The Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays are the most motivated sellers.
  • The Red Sox appear likely to make only a minor move.  WEEI's Alex Speier says the Sox are focused on relief help, perhaps hoping to buy low on someone with good stuff.  They're also monitoring the catcher and outfield markets. 

No Traction On Miguel Tejada-Cardinals Deal

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THURSDAY: The Cardinals contacted the Orioles about Tejada, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but there was "no traction" for a trade.

WEDNESDAY: The Cardinals are interested in Miguel Tejada, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Regular third baseman David Freese is on the disabled list with ankle and toe injuries, so Tejada could see time at the hot corner. The Cards have had below-average offensive production from the left side of the infield this year, which presumably contributes to their interest.

Tejada is drawing lukewarm interest from the Yanks, according to George A. King III of the New York Post. The former AL MVP is Philadelphia’s top infield target, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark and the Padres are interested in the longtime shortstop, too.

The 36-year-old makes $6MM this season (about $2.3MM remains) and he projects as a Type B free agent, though he's close to Type A status. That likely won't matter, since Tejada is hitting .271/.309/.364 and an arbitration offer seems unlikely.

Phillies Interested In Jose Bautista

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The defending NL Champs would like to add the AL home run leader. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun adds the Phillies to the list of teams interested in Jose Bautista (via Twitter) and explains that Philadelphia has scouted eight of the last nine Blue Jays games. 

The Blue Jays are demanding a lot for Scott Downs and others this summer, so their asking price for Bautista is likely massive. The 29-year-old has 30 homers (1st in the AL), 57 walks (4th in the AL) and nine outfield assists (1st in the AL). He earns $2.4MM this year, could earn $6-7MM in 2011 and will hit free agency after that.

With Chase Utley out, the Phillies could move Placido Polanco to second base and play Bautista at third. Like the Blue Jays, the Phils are extremely active, pursuing Roy Oswalt and others. The Tigers, White Sox, Braves and Giants have also been connected to Bautista this month, so the Phillies will have to out-bid a number of teams to obtain the former Rule 5 pick.

Bautista told the FAN 590 tonight that he enjoys Toronto and would consider signing a multi-year deal with the Blue Jays. The team is not discussing a deal with the slugger now, agent Bean Stringfellow confirmed to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

Rockies Likely To Sell

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The Rockies are likely to become sellers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 51-49 Rockies have lost seven consecutive games and now sit in fourth place in the NL West, 8.0 games behind the division-leading Padres and six games behind the Wild Card-leading Giants.

The Phillies are showing interest in Aaron Cook, though their enthusiasm for him is "limited at best." The Rockies are "quietly shopping" Cook, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post and have stopped pursuing Jorge Cantu, according to Rosenthal. The Phillies are also one of the teams interested in Joe Beimel. 

The Rockies will likely keep free agent-to-be Jorge De La Rosa in hopes of signing him or obtaining draft pick compensation, Rosenthal says. The left-hander currently projects as a Type B free agent. The Rockies could deal Melvin Mora and Ryan Spilborghs if they wanted to, since other clubs are interested. However, the Rockies’ rivals are not willing to give up much for either player at this point. 

Odds & Ends: Lowell, Barmes, Red Sox, Hanson

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Links for Wednesday, as the Tigers get some infield depth from a division rival…

  • The Rangers haven't ruled out acquiring Mike Lowell, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
  • Agent Bean Stringfellow told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Blue Jays are not currently discussing an extension with Jose Bautista. It’s not at all surprising given how much else the Blue Jays have to sort out this week. Bautista said on the FAN 590 today that he would listen if the Blue Jays approached him with a multi-year deal after the season.
  • The Cardinals are not interested in Clint Barmes, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
  • Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino told WEEI.com’s Alex Speier that the Red Sox will “look aggressively” for ways to improve at the trade deadline.
  • Tommy Hanson explained to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he chose the Boras Corp. because of the support the agency offers.
  • Brett Myers is untouchable, a source tells Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). With respect to Justice and his source, it seems unfathomable that a 41-59 team wouldn't listen to offers on a player who can walk at the end of the season.
  • Casey Fien cleared waivers and the Tigers outrighted him to Triple A, according to the team (via Twitter). Detroit designated Fien for assignment last weekend.
  • Like Fien, Scott Moore cleared waivers and headed to Triple A, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The O's designated Moore for assignment last week.
  • And another recent DFA, Justin Miller, was outrighted to Triple A Albuquerque, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).
  • The Blue Jays have considered Kelly Johnson, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Aaron Hill recently told the Globe and Mail's Jeff Blair that he would play third if the Jays asked him to, so Johnson could theoretically play second in Toronto. Seems like a longshot to me.
  • Kyle Farnsworth is available to manager Ned Yost (and GMs around the league) after leaving yesterday's game with a hamstring cramp, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
  • Trevor Hoffman can veto deals to 25 MLB teams, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The all-time saves leader and his $7.5MM salary would likely clear waivers, so interested teams will probably be able to pursue him in August.
  • One player told Morosi that he'd be "shocked" if the Brewers trade Prince Fielder this week.
  • Mike Axisa counts down the Yankees' top five trade chips at River Ave. Blues.
  • The Dodgers won't discuss prospect Dee Gordon with other teams, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Oswalt Approves Phillies Deal; Option Won’t Be Exercised

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1:53pm: The deal is done, tweets Rosenthal.  Piecing this together, it appears the Astros send Oswalt and $11MM to the Phillies for Happ, Gose, and Villar, with the Phils potentially adding $1MM to Oswalt's buyout but not exercising his option.

A few tweets from Crasnick: the Cardinals and Padres made late runs at Oswalt today.

1:44pm:  Rosenthal tweets that Oswalt's option is actually a mutual one.  With the trade, his buyout will increase from $1MM to $2MM if the Phillies pick up the option and he declines, and remain at $2MM "if he simply opts out on his own."  Rosenthal adds that the third player in the deal will be shortstop prospect Jonathan Villar.  Some sources spell it "Villan," including the Baseball America Handbook.    

1:34pm: Oswalt has accepted the deal, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

12:51pm: Gose and Happ are definitely in the deal, tweets CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury.

12:12pm: Oswalt plans to OK the deal, but it's not official yet, reports Stark.  He adds that the Astros will be sending $11MM.  Rosenthal tweets that Oswalt's 2012 option will not be exercised; he'll be compensated some other way.  ESPN's Amy K. Nelson tweets that Oswalt will get $1MM added by the Phillies to the buyout of his '12 option.  She adds that the details are being worked out now regarding Oswalt retaining his no-trade clause. 

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets of a rumor that speedy outfield prospect Anthony Gose may be in the deal.  AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets that he's hearing Gose and Worley could be in the swap.

10:43am: Rosenthal tweets that he hears Singleton is not in the deal.

10:17am: The identities of the other two players going to Houston remain unknown, but ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Astros have pushed hard for minor league first baseman Jonathan Singleton. 

9:04am: The Astros will receive three players for Oswalt, tweets Rosenthal, while also paying a "very significant" part of his salary.  Happ will be one of the three.  Astros owner Drayton McLane has been negotiating directly with Phillies president David Montgomery, reports CBS' Danny Knobler.

7:37am: SI's Jon Heyman hears the Astros and Phillies were discussing Happ, righty Vance Worley, and two younger pitchers (Twitter link).  Worley, a 22-year-old righty, spent most of 2010 at Double A, posting a 3.20 ERA, 6.6 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9.  Baseball America ranked him 18th among Phillies prospects heading into the season, predicting a future as a back-end starter or middle reliever.

1:08am: The Astros and Phillies have reached an agreement on a Roy Oswalt trade, reports Mark Berman of FOX 26 in Houston.  Berman says the Astros are now waiting for Oswalt's approval, having hammered out the players and money with the Phils.  Wednesday morning, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports had reported that the players were "pretty much agreed on."  Lefty J.A. Happ has been a rumored part of the deal for a while now.

Oswalt's contract has $5.46MM left from his $15MM salary this year, $16MM in 2011, and a 2012 option for $16MM with a $2MM buyout.  It remains to be seen how the Astros and Phillies settled the financials and whether the Phils will pick up Oswalt's option, though SI's Jon Heyman hears that the Astros are sending a lot of money to the Phillies (Twitter link).

Royals Open To Making More Deals

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Several clubs were ‘kicking the tires’ on Scott Podsednik this summer, but until 24 hours ago, the Dodgers weren’t one of them.

“Ned Colletti and I spoke for the first time last night,” Royals GM Dayton Moore told reporters this evening.

Just 24 hours later, the clubs finalized the deal that sent Podsednik to the Dodgers for minor leaguers Lucas May and Elisaul Pimentel. The negotiation process with the Dodgers was simple and Moore can imagine tinkering a little more before Saturday at 3pm CST.

“There may be a small deal or two that we could do going forward,” Moore said.

Some players – like Joakim Soria, Zack Greinke and Billy Butler – would be extremely difficult to pry away, but the Royals insist they’re “open-minded” about others.

“Guys in the final year of their contract, we’ll be more aggressive with potentially moving them,” Moore said.

Jose Guillen (who has drawn interest from the Giants), Bruce Chen and Willie Bloomquist are set to hit free agency after the 2010 season. The Royals have a $5.25MM option for Kyle Farnsworth in 2011, but he could attract interest before the deadline as well. The Royals lost a major trade chip last week when David DeJesus injured his thumb.

Adam Dunn Rumors: Wednesday

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The Angels, Tigers, Rangers, Giants, Rays and Rockies were all connected to Adam Dunn in yesterday's round of rumors, but the White Sox may be the best fit of all. Dunn's left-handed bat would fit well into Ozzie Guillen's lineup, but the Nats are asking for Daniel Hudson plus a prospect. Washington could still extend Dunn, who says he'd consider three or four-year deals. Here's the latest on the slugger; we'll add more bullets throughout the evening.

  • The Yankees are interested in Dunn, but the Yanks and Nationals haven't had serious talks yet, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter).
  • Dunn is a "bit of a longshot" for the Rockies, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
  • Lots of baseball people expect the Nationals to trade Dunn, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). The White Sox and Giants appear to be stronger players for Dunn than the Yankees, according to Sherman (Twitter link).
  • The Rays remain "in the mix" for Dunn, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).

Giants, Not Rockies Considering Jorge Cantu

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9:11pm: The Rockies are out on Cantu, according to Rosenthal (via Twitter).

3:49pm: The Giants are "not heavily considering" Cantu, a source told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The Rockies are still looking at Cantu, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).

8:25am: The Giants are making a strong run for Marlins corner infielder Jorge Cantu, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  They may hold an edge over the Rangers and Rockies, who remain involved.  He says the Fish are believed to be seeking a young lefthander.  The Giants have been using Travis Ishikawa at first base lately, while third baseman Pablo Sandoval is set to return from personal leave tonight. 

In terms of young lefties, the Giants have reliever Dan Runzler on the DL with a knee injury and starter Eric Surkamp at High A.  Clayton Tanner and Craig Clark also fit into their Baseball America top 30 prospect list heading into the season.  Joe Martinez cracked the list the prior year.  The Marlins asked about Tanner during the Winter Meetings, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

Yesterday ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote that the Rangers and Marlins' talks for Cantu appeared hung up over dollars.  The Rangers want the Marlins to assume all of the $2.22MM remaining on Cantu's contract.

Cantu, by the way, names the Marlins as his first choice when he hits the free agent market (ESPN's Amy K. Nelson via Twitter).

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