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D’Backs May Have Trade Partner For Joe Saunders

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SUNDAY, 8:34am: The Orioles have shown the most steady interest in Saunders and have been in the mix for him in recent days, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, the O's have not been confirmed as the landing spot for the pitcher.

SATURDAY, 10:46pm: The Diamondbacks appear to have found a trade partner for Joe Saunders, reports Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The left-hander may be scratched from Sunday's start. Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic mentions (on Twitter) that the Orioles have been speculated as a possible fit for a while.

Saunders, 31, cleared trade waivers earlier this week and can be dealt to any team. He'll earn $6MM this year — approximately $1.5MM between now and the end of the season — and he will hit free agency this fall. He has posted a 4.22 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 130 innings over the course of 21 starts with Arizona in 2012.

With Wade Miley, Ian Kennedy, and Trevor Cahill fronting the rotation plus youngsters like Tyler Skaggs, Patrick Corbin, and Trevor Bauer breaking into the big leagues this summer, the D'Backs appear to have enough starting pitching to move Saunders without hurting their chances of contending.

Quick Hits: Giants, Ross, Rangers, Morneau, Royals

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One of the largest trades in baseball history was made official on Saturday, but here's a look at what else is going on in baseball…

  • The Giants' search for an outfielder is going "nowhere fast," reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The Dodgers and Diamondbacks have waiver priority and can block deals, though San Francisco likes having Gregor Blanco's defense in left for their fly ball pitching staff.
  • Following their recent major move, the Red Sox want to keep Cody Ross according to Rosenthal (on Twitter). Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston says that Ross knows this and an extension could happen before the end of the season (Twitter links). Talks have not yet begun, however.
  • The Rangers have claimed a number of players this month, including Justin Upton according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The club is looking for a number of ways to improve prior to August 31st.
  • Before moving on to Adrian Gonzalez, the Dodgers made another attempt to acquire Justin Morneau last week according to Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times. They tried to land the Twins' slugger prior to the trade deadline as well.
  • There is mutual interest between the Marlins and Carlos Lee about a return next season, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Earlier this month we heard that Lee wanted to return to Miami, but the club's intentions were unclear.
  • Royals GM Dayton Moore told Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star that the team's focus this offseason will be the pitching staff, including an attempt to re-sign Jeremy Guthrie.
  • Jonny Gomes told Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle that he would like to return to the Athletics next season. The 31-year-old is hitting .248/.360/.478 with 15 homers in 267 plate appearances this year.

The Dodgers’ Future Payroll Obligations

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Considering the contracts changing hands, the Dodgers and Red Sox completed the largest player transaction in baseball history earlier today. Los Angeles absorbed approximately a quarter-billion dollars while acquiring Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto from Boston, an amount that seemed unthinkable even 48 hours ago.

The Dodgers have been the most aggressive team in baseball when it comes to pursuing upgrades this year, thanks in large part to the deep pockets of the new Magic Johnson & Stan Kasten led ownership group. A number of trades, free agent signings, and contract extensions have locked the club into hundreds of millions of dollars of future payroll obligation that it didn't have even ten months ago. Take a look at our Transaction Tracker for a recap of all their moves over the last calendar season.

With a big assist from Cot's Baseball Contracts, here's an unofficial list of the Dodgers' future payroll commitments. This is guaranteed money (salaries and buyouts) only, so it does not include arbitration-eligible or pre-arbitration players. Those add up as well, especially when the reigning Cy Young Award winner is among them…

  • 2013 ($188.68MM) — Gonzalez ($21MM), Crawford ($20MM), Matt Kemp ($20MM), Beckett ($15.75MM), Hanley Ramirez ($15.5MM), Andre Ethier ($13.5MM), Ted Lilly ($12MM), Chad Billingsley ($11MM), Clayton Kershaw ($11MM), Manny Ramirez ($8.33MM), Juan Uribe ($7MM), Aaron Harang ($7MM), Chris Capuano ($6MM), Mark Ellis ($5.25MM), Matt Guerrier ($3.75MM), Jerry Hairston Jr. ($3.75MM), Andruw Jones ($3.2MM), Yasel Puig ($2MM), Punto ($1.5MM), Juan Rivera ($500K buyout), Mike MacDougal ($350K buyout), Todd Coffey ($300K buyout)
  • 2014 ($130.7MM) — Gonzalez ($21MM), Kemp ($21MM), Crawford ($20.25MM), Ramirez ($16MM), Beckett ($15.75MM), Ethier ($15.5M), Billingsley ($11MM), Jones ($3.2MM), Puig ($2MM), Harang ($2MM buyout), Uribe ($1MM deferred), Capuano ($1MM buyout), Ellis ($1MM buyout)
  • 2015 ($88MM) — Gonzalez ($21MM), Kemp ($21MM), Crawford ($20.5MM), Ethier ($18MM), Puig ($4.5MM), Billingsley ($3MM buyout)
  • 2016 ($84.75MM) — Kemp ($21.5MM), Gonzalez ($21MM), Crawford ($20.75MM), Ethier ($16MM), Puig ($5.5MM)
  • 2017 ($88.5MM) — Gonzalez ($21.5MM), Kemp ($21.5MM), Crawford ($21MM), Ethier ($18MM), Puig ($6.5MM)
  • 2018 ($53MM) — Gonzalez ($21.5MM), Kemp ($21.5MM), Puig ($7.5MM), Ethier ($2.5MM buyout)
  • 2019 ($21.5MM) — Kemp ($21.5MM)

Kershaw will be arbitration-eligible in 2014, his final season prior to free agency. Whether he receives a contract extension or goes through arbitration, his salary that season has the potential to be historic given his performance. Otherwise, the Dodgers seem all but guaranteed to exceed the $178MM luxury tax threshold next season, and there's a decent chance they'll be unable to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold in 2014 as well. Getting under that same $189MM threshold from 2015-2017 will take some creativity. Dustin Parkes of Getting Blanked also looked at the financial fallout of the trade in-depth.

A Look At The Prospects Headed To The Red Sox

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The Red Sox and Dodgers completed what is arguably the biggest trade of the MLB Trade Rumors era today, a nine-player swap featuring Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, and Carl Crawford moving to Los Angeles. The Dodgers clearly made the move with the intention of improving their chances to win both now and during the next several seasons, but for the Red Sox it was all about a fresh start.

As reported earlier, the Dodgers will assume all but $12MM of the approximately $271.5MM in contracts coming their way. Boston is getting what amounts to a financial fresh start, as their three highest paid players coming into the season (in terms of average annual value) are now off the books. After a disastrous end to last season and a disappointing 2012 season overall, most clubs would have been happy just clearing that much future payroll. Red Sox GM Ben Cherington did one better and acquired some quality prospects as well.

Uspw_5380708The four-player prospect haul is highlighted by two right-handers: Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa (pictured). The Cubs asked for the 22-year-old Webster in exchange for right-hander Ryan Dempster prior to the trade deadline but were rebuffed. Baseball America ranked him as the number two prospect in Los Angeles' system before the season, behind only Zach Lee. Webster was also ranked as the 95th best prospect in baseball before the season by the publication. He's pitched to a 3.55 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 22 starts and five relief appearances at the Double-A level this season, and Baseball America spoke to one team official who described him as a future number two starter in the Derek Lowe mold.

De La Rosa, 23, just returned from Tommy John surgery. He threw a dozen minor league rehab innings before making one relief appearance with the Dodgers earlier this week, but was sent down to Triple-A last night so he could be included in the trade as a player to be named later. Reports indicated that the Blue Jays may have claimed him off waivers, so pulling him back and waiting until the offseason to officially include him gets around that obstacle. De La Rosa made ten starts and three relief appearances for the Dodgers last year, pitching to a 3.71 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 60 2/3 innings. PitchFX confirms that he can run his fastball into the upper-90s and triple digits. Although Rubby was not eligible for this year's prospect lists, Baseball America considered him the third best prospect in the organization and 90th best prospect in the game prior to 2011. Like Webster, they called him a potential number two starter down the road.

The Red Sox have developed two above-average starting pitchers in Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz in recent years, but they whiffed on free agent contracts to John Lackey and (to a lesser extent) Daisuke Matsuzaka. Only two of their top ten prospects coming into the season were pitchers, and number four prospect Anthony Ranaudo has only thrown 37 2/3 innings due to injury this summer. They surrendered Casey Kelly to acquire Gonzalez last offseason, however 2011 first rounder Matt Barnes has since emerged as one of the best pitching prospects in the game. Boston's starting rotation has pitched to a 4.88 ERA this season, fourth worst in the AL and fifth worst in all of baseball. Not all prospects work out, but adding Webster and De La Rosa to Barnes gives the Red Sox some much-needing top-shelf pitching depth in the upper minors.

The two other pieces of the trade – Jerry Sands and Ivan De Jesus – project to be role players. The 24-year-old Sands is a right-handed hitting corner outfielder/first baseman who has hit .244/.325/.376 with four homers in 251 plate appearances with the Dodgers over the last two seasons. His big Triple-A numbers (.291/.363/.557 since last year) are somewhat inflated due to a hitter-friendly park in Albuquerque. Like De La Rosa, Sands was not prospect-eligible this year but Baseball America did consider him the team's sixth best prospect prior to 2011. There is some concern about his ability to hit right-handed pitching long-term – .589 OPS vs. RHP and .904 OPS vs. LHP in his limited big league time – but Fenway Park should boost his offensive output. He'll give the Red Sox some flexibility at three of the four corner spots.

De Jesus, 25, missed the start of this season with an oblique injury and has been up and down the last two years. He's hit .231/.282/.277 in 72 big league plate appearances and .301/.354/.416 in over 1,200 Triple-A plate appearances since the start of 2010. Again, those minor league numbers are inflated a bit by the offensive environment in Albuquerque. Baseball America ranked him as the team's 26th best prospect before the season in their Prospect Handbook, where they noted his ability to play three infield positions. With Nick Punto on his way to Los Angeles and Will Middlebrooks injured, De Jesus will provide some infield depth for the time being.

The big prize for the Red Sox is all the freed-up payroll, but the trade was not just a pure salary dump. Webster and De La Rosa have the potential to be impact big leaguers and both Sands and De Jesus should be able to carve out a niche at the Major League level. Three of four prospects figure to see time with Boston next month, and Webster should be in consideration for a job at some point next season. The Dodgers were able to swing all of their midseason trades without surrendering Lee and 2011 first rounder Chris Reed, a benefit to their willingness to absorb money. Boston essentially hit the reset button financially, all while adding some quality prospects in the process.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Red Sox, Dodgers Complete Nine-Player Blockbuster

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If there was any doubt remaining that the Dodgers' new ownership group would drastically alter the franchise, it has now been completely eliminated. The Dodgers and Red Sox have officially completed a massive nine-player blockbuster trade that sends Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto to Los Angeles for James Loney and four prospects.

The four prospects are right-hander Allen Webster, infielder Ivan De Jesus, outfielder/first baseman Jerry Sands, and right-hander Rubby De La Rosa. The Red Sox will pay just $12MM of the over $270MM owed to Beckett, Crawford, Gonzalez, and Punto, so their savings are considerable. Adding the four new players represents a substantial financial commitment by the Dodgers:

  • Gonzalez will earn $21MM per season through 2016 and obtain a raise to $21.5MM for 2017-18. The total exceeds $130MM when accounting for the remainder his 2012 salary.
  • Crawford will earn $20MM in 2013, $20.25MM in 2014, $20.5MM in 2015, $20.75MM in 2016 and $21MM in 2017.
  • Beckett will earn $15.75MM per season through 2014.
  • Punto earns $1.5MM per season through 2013.

With this trade as well as the previous acquisitions of Hanley Ramirez, Randy Choate, Brandon League, Shane Victorino, and Joe Blanton, the Dodgers have absorbed more than $300MM in future payroll obligations in the last month or so. As Jeff Euston of Cot's Baseball Contracts notes (on Twitter), the club now has a $193.75MM in contract obligations for next season, $133.6MM for 2014, $90MM for 2015, $88.65MM for 2015, and another $90MM for 2016. The Red Sox, on the other hand, are now on the hook for just $45.6MM in 2013, $34.4MM in 2014, $12.75MM in 2015, and $2.45MM in 2016 (Twitter link).

Both Beckett (10-and-5 rights) and Crawford (limited no-trade clause) had to approve the deal, and Buster Olney of ESPN reports (on Twitter) that neither player asked for any kind of compensation to do so. The Dodgers were not included in Gonzalez's limited no-trade clause. Los Angeles claimed both Gonzalez and Beckett off trade waivers yesterday, plus Punto and Crawford both cleared earlier this month. Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times reports (on Twitter) that the Blue Jays are believed to have claimed De La Rosa off waivers, but he was pulled back and will technically be included in the deal as a player to be named later.

Uspw_6257872The Dodgers, who currently sit three games back of the Giants in the NL West race, are adding an impact left-handed bat to pair with the right-handed Matt Kemp in Gonzalez. The Southern California native spent the first five full seasons of his career a little further south with the Padres, so he's certainly familiar with the division. Gonzalez, 30, is hitting .300/.343/.469 with 15 homers in what is generally considered to be a down year compared to his career average of .294/.372/.509 and 30 or so homers annually. Dodgers' first basemen have hit just .244/.289/.357 this season, so even down year Gonzalez represents an enormous upgrade.

Beckett, 32, has pitched to a 5.23 ERA in 21 starts and 127 1/3 innings this season while battling thumb and back issues. His strikeout rate (6.6 K/9) is a career-low and PitchFX shows that his velocity has tapered off into the low-90s. Moving into the easier league and a more pitcher-friendly ballpark should help his numbers, and Beckett gives Los Angeles a pitcher with a proven playoff track record. Current Dodgers' starters have combined for just 11 career playoff starts, six by Blanton. Beckett alone has 13 playoff starts and a World Series MVP to his credit.

Crawford, 31, had Tommy John surgery two days ago and will miss the rest of the season. He hit just .260/.292/.419 with 14 homers and 23 steals in 161 disappointing games with the Red Sox after averaging .299/.340/.448 with 13 homers and 50 steals in eight full seasons with the Rays. Crawford is expected to be able to return to action early next season, meaning Victorino is likely to be allowed to leave as a free agent.

The Dodgers recently lost Jerry Hairston Jr. to a hip injury for the remainder of the season, so the 34-year-old Punto gives them some protection and added depth on the infield. He's hit just .200/.301/.272 with five steals in 148 plate appearances for Boston this year while playing all four infield positions. He's a year removed from a .278/.388/.421 line as a part-time player with the Cardinals.

Loney, 28, has hit just .254/.302/.344 with four homers in 359 plate appearances this season and will become a free agent this winter. He figures to serve as a stopgap first baseman for the Red Sox for the next six weeks or so.

Webster, 22, has pitched to a 3.55 ERA in 121 2/3 innings for the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate this season. The 25-year-old De Jesus has been up and down between Triple-A and the big leagues in recent years, hitting .301/.354/.416 in over 1,200 minor league plate appearances since 2010. Sands, 24, has been also been up and down these last two years. He owns a career .291/.363/.557 line nearly 900 Triple-A plate appearances. De La Rosa, 23, just returned from Tommy John surgery and pitched to a 3.71 ERA in ten starts and three relief appearances for Los Angeles last season. Click here for a more in-depth look at the prospects headed to Boston later today.

A trade of this magnitude had many helping hands along the way, though Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston first reported that the two sides were discussing this massive deal. Check out this post for all of the pre-completion rumors and reports. Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald and an Roche of WBZ (on Twitter) first reported completion of the trade while Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times added details (Twitter links). Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Lance Berkman Leaning Towards Retirement

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It has been an injury-plagued season for Lance Berkman, who re-signed with the Cardinals last winter after hitting .301/.412/.547 and drawing MVP votes while helping St. Louis to the World Series in 2011. The 36-year-old slugger told Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that right now he's leaning towards hanging up his spikes after the season… 

"I don't want to rule anything out," said Berkman. "But if you asked me right now I'm leaning toward not playing next year. I don't want to say for certain because I don't want to do like Brett Favre and say, 'I retired; I'm not retired; I'm retired; I'm not retired.' I don't want to make that call right now, but if you put a gun to my head and demand an answer today I would tell you I'm probably not going to play next year."

Berkman is currently on a minor league rehab assignment in advance of rejoining the big league team in September. He's rehabbing from a right knee injury that required surgery earlier this season and was then re-aggravated on a hit-by-pitch. In 90 plate appearances this year, Berkman has put together a .267/.389/.467 batting line with two homers. He's admitted to considering retirement at several times in the past.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Clemens, Felix, Melky, Wolf

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On this date in 2005, Mike Jacobs took Jose Valverde deep to become the only player in baseball history of hit four home runs in his first four big league games. He homered in his first at-bat with the Mets and twice in a blowout win over the Diamondbacks a few days later. Here are the latest links from around the web…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Bartolo Colon Fails MLB Drug Test

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Bartolo Colon has failed an MLB-issued drug test and has been suspended for 50 games, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Both the Athletics and MLB have confirmed the suspension. Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports says (on Twitter) that he tested positive for testosterone. 

Colon, 39, resurrected his career last season after undergoing an experimental stem cell treatment on his injured shoulder, a procedure MLB investigated last summer. Colon is scheduled to become a free agent after the season.

The veteran right-hander has pitched to a 3.43 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 24 starts and 152 1/3 innings for the Athletics this season after signing a one-year, $2MM contract. After missing all of 2010 and most of the 2006-2009 season, the 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner resurfaced with the Yankees last season and posted a 4.00 ERA in 164 1/3 innings.

Brett Anderson returned to the Athletics' rotation last night, pitching seven innings and allowing one earned run. He projects to join Brandon McCarthy, Tommy Milone and Jarrod Parker in the rotation for the remainder of the season. Dan Straily, Tyson Ross and Travis Blackley are also rotation options for the Athletics, who are deep enough in starting pitching to withstand the loss of Colon.

Athletics Acquire Stephen Drew

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10:56am: The Athletics are also responsible for the $1.35MM buyout on Drew's mutual option for 2013, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 7:30am: The Athletics will pay the rest of Drew's 2012 salary, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). Assistant GM David Forst says the A's haven't yet decided whether to pick up their side of Drew's 2013 mutual option. "Let's see how the next six weeks go," Forst told Casey Pratt of CSN Bay Area (on Twitter).

MONDAY: The Diamondbacks have traded Stephen Drew to the Athletics for minor league infielder Sean Jamieson, the team announced (on Twitter).

The Athletics were linked heavily to the 29-year-old Drew at this year's non-waiver trade deadline, but no deal was reached. Drew suffered a massive ankle injury last July that ended his season and cost him the first three months of this year's campaign. Batting just .193/.290/.311, Drew has yet to rediscover his stroke at the plate. That line is remarkably similar to the .191/.260/.304 batting line produced by Oakland shortstops as a whole this season, however. And, as a career .270/.330/.442 hitter entering this season, Drew presents considerably more upside.

It became apparent that Drew would be a trade candidate earlier this season when Diamondbacks managing partner Ken Kendrick openly expressed his disappointment with Drew's lengthy recovery time in the media. Drew has roughly $1.9MM of his $7.75MM salary remaining this season. His contract contains a $10MM mutual option for 2013, though Oakland will presumably opt for the $1.35MM buyout instead.

Jamieson, 23, was Oakland's 17th-round selection in the 2011 draft. The Ontario native is batting .234/.343/.379 in 540 plate appearances for Class-A Burlington this season, appearing almost exclusively at shortstop.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Astros Fire Brad Mills

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The Astros have fired manager Brad Mills, the team announced. Hitting coach Mike Barnett and first base coach Bobby Meacham have also been relieved of their duties. The club will announce interim replacements on Sunday.

Mills, 55, was hired by Houston prior to the 2010 season. They finished fourth in the NL Central that season (76-86) but finished with the worst record in baseball last year (56-106) and are on pace to do it again in 2012 (39-82). Mills was hired by owner Drayton McClane and GM Ed Wade, but Jim Crane has since purchased the team and Jeff Luhnow has replaced Wade. Overall, the team went 171-274 under Mills.

The Astros are in the middle of a drastic overhaul and the beginning of the rebuilding period under Luhnow, who will now bring in his own on-field management people. Last month we heard that Mills will likely to be replaced this coming offseason. He was under contract through the end of the season with a club option for next year.

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