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Archives for July 2010

Tigers Will Pass On Matthews, Others

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The Tigers aren’t interested in Gary Matthews Jr., according to MLB.com’s Jason Beck. The team recently lost Carlos Guillen, Brandon Inge and Magglio Ordonez to the disabled list, but GM Dave Dombrowski won't pursue Matthews, who opted out of his deal with the Reds after hitting .313/.359/.490 at Triple A Louisville. 

Free agents like Jermaine Dye are available, in theory, but Dombrowski told reporters that he doesn’t have interest in waiting for an idle hitter to prepare to face MLB pitching. Dombrowksi could attempt to acquire a player via trade, but ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick hears that the team will not trade for an impact bat, since the lineup has so many holes (Twitter link).

The Tigers are just three games out of the AL Central lead, but their lineup is unquestionably thin. Will Rhymes, Don Kelly and Danny Worth all started last night, but that trio and the rest of the Tigers went hitless against Matt Garza.

Cardinals Rumors: Pitching, Blair, Lohse

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The Cardinals lead the Reds by a game, but they are looking to make moves between now and Saturday’s trade deadline. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch spoke to Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and turned up these rumors:

  • Mozeliak says the Cards don’t want a “short-term band-aid” for the infield.
  • The Cards still have interest in adding a “depth starting pitcher,” Mozeliak said. Jake Westbrook, Livan Hernandez and Dave Bush fit that description.
  • The possibility that Kyle Lohse might return to the rotation won’t affect the Cards’ approach at the deadline.
  • The Cardinals are close to a deal with supplemental rounder Seth Blair and expect to sign the pitcher soon.
  • Intra-divisional deals aren’t impossible, but do seem “trickier” in Mozeliak’s estimation.

Giants Not Making Progress With Brewers

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The Giants are still actively looking for an impact bat, but discussions about Brewers sluggers Corey Hart and Prince Fielder are "dead in the water," according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  That's not a surprise, since Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on Twitter that the Brewers plan to hold off on trades until tomorrow at the earliest. Hart has an injured right wrist, so the Brewers aren't likely to deal him until he proves his ability to hit.

Injuries to Hart and David DeJesus have not derailed the Giants' search for a bat. They have been connected to Jose Guillen, Josh Willingham, Scott Podsednik and Adam Dunn in the last 24 hours.  The asking price for Dunn?  Madison Bumgarner, says Schulman. 

GM Brian Sabean is also interested in adding relief help, though the market is tough at this point.  Schulman says the Giants are "investigating" Seattle's Brandon League.

Brewers To Wait And See For Now

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The Brewers still appear to be sellers, but they're going to take a little extra time to determine their plan for this week's trade deadline. The team will not make any decisions – or, presumably, any trades – until they complete their series with the Reds, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). 

GM Doug Melvin and the rest of the club's front office have many trade chips, but appear ready to wait until the club wraps up its series with Cincinnati tomorrow afternoon. The Brewers are 8.0 games out of a playoff spot, though they have won five straight.

The team's biggest trade chip, Prince Fielder, tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he's prepared for a trade. Prince knows he has little control over the Brewers' decision, but he says he enjoys playing defense and wants to play first base when he signs as a free agent after 2011. The sides are not currently discussing an extension, according to Fielder.

Corey Hart is not in tonight's lineup, but he has caught the attention of several teams and will presumably draw heavy interest if he proves that his right wrist won't be a serious problem. Dave Bush, on the other hand, has drawn little interest, even though he has more quality starts than Ted Lilly or Dan Haren.

The lack of interest in Bush amuses Melvin, who told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he gets "a kick out of teams talking about all of these other pitchers" when Bush has been serviceable as well.

Adam Dunn Rumors: Tuesday

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New teams inquired about Nationals slugger Adam Dunn within the past day, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.  FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi tweets that the Nats are more likely to trade Dunn than Josh Willingham, while ESPN's Jayson Stark hears that Washington might trade one but not both. 

Check back throughout the day for updates, as the Nationals discuss possible deals with other teams and consider keeping their first baseman in Washington long-term:

  • Dunn wants a four-year deal, but would consider a three-year offer if the Nationals make him one, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Dunn explained to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he does his best to ignore trade rumors and understands the business side of the game.
  • The Nationals want Daniel Hudson plus one of Jordan Danks, Tyler Flowers or Brent Morel for Dunn, a source told Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago. The Nationals offered Dunn for Gordon Beckham, but the White Sox turned the proposal down.
  • Another source told Levine that six teams are bidding for Dunn: The White Sox, Angels, Tigers, Rangers and two NL clubs. As you can see below, the Rockies and Giants have been linked to Dunn, but it’s not certain that those two teams are pursuing him now.
  • The Rays like Dunn, but don't want to push him into a DH role, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. As much as the Rays likes Dunn's bat, they don't want to risk conflict with the slugger. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Nationals asked the Rays for Matt Garza last week. Despite those demands, the Rays will keep an eye on Dunn and Jayson Werth this week, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).
  • The Giants also expressed interest in Dunn, according to Knobler.
  • Sherman says the Rockies talked about Dunn, but don't like his poor defense.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Nationals have yet to offer Dunn an extension in any form, so the trade market is likely to heat up.  Rosenthal and colleague Jon Paul Morosi name the White Sox as the most serious suitor, and add that the Tigers, Rangers, and Yankees maintain interest. 

Rockies Designate Brad Eldred For Assignment

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The Rockies designated Brad Eldred for assignment to make room for Troy Tulowitzki, according to Steve Foster of Inside the Rockies. Five weeks after breaking his wrist, Tulowitzki returns to the Rockies lineup, so Eldred no longer has a place on the major league roster.

The 30-year-old first baseman batted just 27 times with Colorado, hitting one homer and posting a .750 OPS. Eldred has 196 minor league home runs and posted a .267/.323/.575 line at Triple A this year before getting the call to the majors.

Cubs Make Carlos Zambrano Available

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The Cubs have made it clear to other teams that Carlos Zambrano is available, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter). If you thought Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren had a lot remaining on their contracts, take a look at what the Cubs owe Big Z: he'll earn $6.8MM this year, $17.9MM next year, $18MM in 2012 and, possibly, a $19.25MM vesting option in 2013.

Zambrano will make at least $42.7MM more before his contract expires, and he hasn't been pitching like an ace. As usual, the big right-hander is getting lots of strikeouts (8.6 K/9) and allowing lots of walks (4.0 BB/9), but his ERA is 5.66 in 2010. Zambrano is now working his way through anger issues and back to the majors. He recently apologized for the dugout tirade that landed him on the restricted list.

Given teams' reluctance to take on payroll, the Cubs would have to absorb part of the contract in any deal. It seems far more likely that the team will hold onto Zambrano for now, since he makes so much money and has not impressed at the major league level this season.

Marlins Release Nate Robertson

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The Marlins released Nate Robertson, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link). Robertson struggled as a starter this season and the Marlins designated him for assignment last week. Today, the Marlins designated minor league right-hander Kris Harvey for assignment, according to Capozzi (Twitter link).

Robertson’s stats (5.47 ERA, 5.5 K/9 and 3.6BB/9) aren’t pretty and the outing against the Rockies that preceded his DFA was ugly (7 ER in 5.0 innings). However, his splits suggest he could be more effective out of the bullpen against lefties. The Tigers, Robertson’s former team, don’t appear to have interest. Any club can now sign Robertson for a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum.

Giants Discussing Guillen, Interested In Willingham

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The San Francisco offense is heating up, but the Giants are still looking for outfield bats. The Royals are discussing Jose Guillen with San Francisco, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The potential deal would send the 34-year-old to San Francisco along with cash to cover some of the $4.5MM or so remaining on Guillen’s contract. 

But Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears (via Twitter) from a rival official who believes the Royals have “no real options” to move Guillen, even if they ask for a modest return and take on salary. Stark’s source says (via Twitter) there’s very little action on some of Guillen’s teammates: Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies and Kyle Farnsworth.

Another one of Guillen’s teammates, Scott Podsednik, is drawing strong interest from NL West teams, including the Giants. For what it’s worth, the Giants have been scouting Guillen aggressively, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). For the season, Guillen has 16 homers and a .271/.333/.457 line.

The Giants are pursuing outfielders other than Guillen and Podsednik, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Like the Braves, Rays and Red Sox, the Giants have interest in Josh Willingham.

Braves, David Ross Agree On Two-Year Extension

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3:28pm: Ross will make $1.625MM in 2011 and the same amount in 2012, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (via Twitter). That's a total of $3.25MM for the two seasons. Rosenthal reports (via Twitter) that Ross can earn $300K more through incentives. The catcher makes $50K for starting 50 games behind the plate and earns an additional $50K when he reaches 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 starts. 

12:05pm: The Braves agreed to a two-year extension with catcher David Ross worth more than $3MM, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Ross would've been eligible for free agency after this season, as he's finishing up a two-year, $3MM deal signed in December of '08.

Ross has done a fine job as Brian McCann's backup in Atlanta, hitting .272/.378/.447 over 244 plate appearances.  The 33-year-old has also gunned down almost half of attempted base-stealers.

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