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Archives for July 2012

Rosenthal On Orioles, Liriano, Soriano, Diamondbacks

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Let's take a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link)..

  • The Orioles figure to make at least one trade before the non-waiver deadline and one source says they are the most aggressive team on Francisco Liriano of the Twins.  Multiple sources also say they're also aggressive on the Padres' Chase Headley.  Unfortunately for the O's, they lack chips beyond Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy, and aren't moving either player.  As a result, they could be open to discussing major league pieces like Jake Arrieta or even Zach Britton.
  • Alfonso Soriano's name has surfaced in the Cubs' discussions with the Dodgers, but the Cubs might prefer to wait until the offseason and make a better deal.  The veteran is on pace to hit 31 homers and post a .831 OPS.  After this season, he'll have two years and $36MM remaining and the Cubs could find him a home in the AL if they pay that down to about $12MM per year.
  • The D'Backs don't plan to trade Justin Upton now but they will likely move an outfielder this offseason between Upton, Chris Young, and Gerardo Parra.  Arizona has two young outfielders that they like in Triple-A in Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock.

Astros Claim Steve Pearce Off Waivers

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The Astros have claimed first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce off of waivers from the Orioles, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  Pearce was designated for assignment last Saturday by the O’s to create room for Omar Quintanilla on the 25-man roster.

The O’s traded for Pearce in early June and posted a .254/.321/.437 slash line in 83 plate appearances for them this year.  In parts of six big league seasons, Pearce has hit .235/.304/.375 for the Orioles and Pirates.

Brewers Sign Humberto Quintero

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The Brewers have signed catcher Humberto Quintero to a minor league deal, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  This comes on the heels of the Brewers reportedly closing in on a deal to send recently DFA'd catcher George Kottaras to Oakland.

Quintero, 32, was cut loose by the Royals after being designated for assignment earlier this month.  Kansas City acquired Quintero in March along with Jason Bourgeois from the Astros for Kevin Chapman and minor league outfielder D'Andre Toney.  Quintero hit .232/.257/.341 line in 144 plate appearances for the Royals in 2012.

Giants Designate Emmanuel Burriss For Assignment

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The Giants have designated infielder Emmanuel Burriss for assignment, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.  In related moves, Aubrey Huff and the newly acquired Marco Scutaro have been activated.

Burriss, 27, hit just .214/.273/.221 in 144 plate appearances this season.  The light-hitting second baseman was ranked as the club's tenth-best prospect in 2008 but has not played more than 61 games in the majors since '09.

Stark On Rangers, Johnson, Headley, Dempster

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Here's a look at the today's Daily Rumble from ESPN.com's Jayson Stark..

  • According to clubs that have talked to the Rangers, the club is balking at including shortstop Jurickson Profar and third baseman Mike Olt in any deal.  That stance meant losing out on Zack Greinke and could take them out of the mix for Josh Johnson or James Shields.
  • Clubs identify the Dodgers, Orioles and Blue Jays as other aggressive suitors for Johnson while the White Sox, Red Sox, Braves, and Royals have checked in.
  • Teams that have spoken with the Pirates say they seem to be losing their enthusiasm for Chase Headley.  If they dealt for Headley, they would have to move either him or Pedro Alvarez to first base, and neither player has started a professional game there.
  • One source told Stark that while the Braves and Ryan Dempster could potentially reverse course and get a deal done that would send the hurler to Atlanta, he "seriously" doubts it will happen.
  • While the Rays seem to be listening on offers for several quality players, other teams remain skeptical of how willing they are to move anyone right now.  One exec believes that they are simply listening on players in order to gather information for possible deals during the offseason.

Josh Johnson Rumors: Saturday

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Cole Hamels signed an extension, Zack Greinke was traded to the Angels, and Matt Garza won't pitch until after the trade deadline. Right-hander Josh Johnson is arguably the best starting pitcher left on the market, and the Marlins reportedly seek a Mark Teixeira-like package in return. Here are today's Johnson rumors, with the latest up top…

  • The Rangers and Angels have backed away from Johnson because they view his $13.75MM price tag as high considering his health history, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets.
  • Some officials are telling Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) that the Marlins want more for Johnson than the Brewers got for Greinke.  
  • The Marlins are open-minded about dealing Johnson and plan to weigh the offers as they come in, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
  • The Rangers do not appear to be high on Johnson according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. They value his makeup and character, but are concerned about his health and sizable home/road split. Texas is still in talks, however.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Details On The Pursuit Of Zack Greinke

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The Angels won the Zack Greinke sweepstakes last night, acquiring the former Cy Young Award winner in exchange for prospects Jean Segura, John Hellweg, and Ariel Pena. We've already seen some reactions to the trade as well as a breakdown of its impact on the Rangers, but here are some more details on the pursuit of the right-hander…

  • Righties Justin Grimm and Cody Buckel were the top pieces in the Rangers offer, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Brewers valued a young shortstop and wanted Martin Perez to compensate.
  • Rosenthal also hears that the Angels' late inclusion of Pena in their offer swung things in their favor (Twitter link).
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams "worked his tail off" to land Greinke according to Rosenthal (on Twitter), even trying to include a third team before failing to find a match.
  • MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports (on Twitter) that the Nationals expressed interest in Greinke, perhaps in preparation for Stephen Strasburg's eventual shutdown. The Braves were also in the mix.

Olney’s Latest: Shields, Greinke, Reds, Headley, Drew

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says the Rays have a tough decision to make about trading James Shields. Clubs interested in acquiring him have to figure out how to value him – as an ace who finished third in the Cy Young voting last year, or as an innings-eater with a 4.52 ERA like this year. Similar questions are being asked about Josh Johnson of the Marlins. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • Rival executives don't believe the Angels gave up any blue-chippers for Zack Greinke and that they have a good chance to retain him beyond this season.
  • Olney believes the Reds and Phillies could match up well in a trade. Cincinnati is seeking a leadoff-type hitter type and Philadelphia has Shane Victorino or Juan Pierre to offer.
  • The Orioles and Phillies are two teams to watch in the race for Chase Headley. Both clubs are seeking long-term third base solutions.
  • Other clubs have called the Diamondbacks about Stephen Drew, but those teams now sense that Arizona will keep its shortstop according to Olney (on Twitter).

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Hanley, Anibal, Hamels

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With three days to go before the trade deadline, here's the latest from the baseball blogosphere…

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Quick Hits: Headley, Fire Sales, Draft Picks

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With such notable names as Zack Greinke, Wandy Rodriguez and Hanley Ramirez already dealt, what other big moves could see as we head into the last weekend before the trade deadline?  Here are a few items to kick off Saturday…

  • The Padres have sent three officials to watch the Orioles over the last two weeks, with senior VP Omar Minaya in attendance at Camden Yards for Friday's Athletics/Orioles game at Camden Yards, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Of course, Minaya could have also been watching the visitors, given that both Oakland and Baltimore are two of the top suitors for Chase Headley.
  • Would-be contenders aren't shying away from dealing away major pieces in an effort to start fresh, opines MLB.com's Terence Moore.  "Trades also are now more about trading contracts than trading players, which is part of the bottom line: People in baseball are looking for ways to control those payrolls and budgets," says SiriusXM Radio's Steve Phillips.
  • The new CBA rules prohibiting draft pick compensation for teams who acquire "rental players" is having an impact on the deadline movement, writes MLB.com's Paul Hagen.
  • The Chiba Lotte Marines announced the acquisitions of left-hander Wil Ledezma and right-hander Doug Mathis, according to a Sponichi news report (passed on by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker).  Ledezma, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last winter but posted a 6.99 ERA in 38 relief appearances at Triple-A Albuquerque.  The nine-year Major League veteran pitched five games for the Blue Jays in 2011.  Mathis, 29, last appeared in the Majors with the Rangers in 2010 and had previously signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in January.

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