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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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Indians Designate Aaron Cunningham For Assignment

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The Indians have designated Aaron Cunningham for assignment, reports Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer (on Twitter). The move creates room on the roster for the recently acquired Brent Lillibridge.

Cunningham, 26, hit .175/.245/.247 with one homer in 109 plate appearances for the Tribe, including .179/.304/.308v against lefties. The Indians originally acquired him from the Padres back in December.

Stark On Marlins, Phillies, Dodgers, Garza, Twins

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Here's the latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • One official who spoke with the Marlins brass estimates that the odds Josh Johnson remains with Miami are "95 percent." The Red Sox, Angels, Rangers, White Sox, Blue Jays, and Royals have all checked in.
  • Carlos Lee, Ricky Nolasco, Heath Bell, and Gaby Sanchez are all very available. Other than Johnson, Giancarlo Stanton will be the toughest player to pry away from the Fish.
  • The Phillies have talked about trading Cliff Lee following the Cole Hamels extension and they haven't discouraged other teams from inquiring, but their game plan right now is to keep their trio of aces intact.
  • Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton are good bets to be dealt and the Phillies will listen on Hunter Pence. They want multiple young big leaguers to plug holes at third base, in the outfield, and in the bullpen in return.
  • The Dodgers are in on a number of starting pitchers, including Nolasco, Blanton, Kevin Millwood, and Jason Vargas in addition to Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza. They've also checked in on outfield and first base help, including Victorino and Justin Morneau.
  • Clubs have not been assured by the Cubs that Garza will make another start before the trade deadline due to his triceps issue. He's more likely to be dealt in the offseason.
  • In the wake of acquiring Wandy Rodriguez, the Pirates are sending signals that they could trade away a starter like Jeff Karstens or Kevin Correia.
  • The Twins' asking prices for Morneau ("pricey"), Denard Span ("more pricey"), and Josh Willingham ("it made me laugh") are high. Minnesota insists they will listen on anyone and Stark says Morneau is the bat they're most likely to move. Francisco Liriano is "nearly 100 percent" likely to be traded.
  • The Orioles continue to look for pitching, someone they consider a number three starter or better. Garza and Vargas have their eye but Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado are off the table. They've gotten hits on Jake Arrieta but won't move him unless they get a similar young arm with several years of team control remaining in return.
  • The Brewers will trade Randy Wolf "for nothing if you take the money," according to one official. 
  • The Rays have "got a big market" for Wade Davis. 

Cardinals Designate Chuckie Fick For Assignment

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The Cardinals have designated Chuckie Fick for assignment, the team announced (on Twitter). The move creates room on the 40-man roster for Brian Fuentes, who was added to the big league roster. Victor Marte was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Fick, 26, made his Major League debut with St. Louis earlier this season, allowing one run in 1 2/3 innings across two appearances. The right-hander pitched to a 4.68 ERA with 4.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 42 1/3 relief innings for the team's Triple-A affiliate this season.

Dodgers Acquire Hanley Ramirez & Randy Choate

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The Dodgers announced that they have acquired Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate from the Marlins for Nathan Eovaldi and minor league right-hander Scott McGough. Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports that Miami is not sending any money to the Dodgers to cover the salaries of Ramirez and Choate (Twitter links). But GM Ned Colletti couldn't pass up the chance to add Ramirez to his team's struggling lineup.

“The addition of a hitter the caliber of Hanley Ramirez improves our lineup from top to bottom, inserting a proven run producer to go along with Matt and Andre,” Colletti said. “We’re excited for Hanley to begin a new chapter in Los Angeles.”

The Athletics, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Orioles all had some interest in Ramirez, and the Red Sox might have been interested as well. However, the infielder has 37.3MM remaining on his contract with Miami ($15MM in 2012, $15.5MM in 2013 and $16MM in 2014) and owns a pedestrian .246/.322/.430 batting line. His trade value isn’t what it once was.

"We had to do something," Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). "The machine was sputtering. It's too good a baseball team and for some reason it didn't seem to be operating on all cylinders from the beginning of the season."

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly will determine whether to play Ramirez at shortstop or third base, Rosenthal reports (on Twitter). Ramirez has volunteered to play either position, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). He's likely to play shortstop until Dee Gordon returns from the disabled list, then move to third base.

Choate, 36, has a 2.49 ERA with 9.6 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 60.3% ground ball rate in 25 1/3 innings with the Marlins this year. The lefty specialist earns $1.5MM in the final season of a two-year, $2.5MM contract and will hit free agency after the season. The Dodgers had been looking for a left-handed reliever.

Eovaldi has started ten games for the Dodgers this year, posting a 4.15 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 56 1/3 innings. The 22-year-old entered the season as the 96th-best prospect in MLB, according to Baseball America. In five minor league seasons he has a 3.28 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.7 BB /9.

McGough, a 22-year-old right-hander, has a 3.88 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 34 relief outings at Class A. The 2011 fifth rounder has averaged more than one strikeout per inning since being drafted.

Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports first reported the trade and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported McGough's inclusion in the deal. Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Phillies Close To Extension With Cole Hamels

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7:22am: The sides are expected to announce an agreement Wednesday, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Phillies have had a six-year offer worth $135MM-plus on the table since the weekend, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter).

12:25am: The Phillies and Cole Hamels are close to completing a six-year contract extension worth more than $137.5MM according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It will be the second largest contract ever given to a pitcher behind C.C.  Sabathia's seven-year, $161MM pact with the Yankees.

This post was first published on Wednesday, July 25th.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Span, Giants, Cardinals, Mets

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Some links from around the league as Saturday turns into Sunday…

  • With Brett Gardner out for the year, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says the Yankees have called the Phillies about Shane Victorino, the Diamondbacks about Justin Upton, and the Twins about Denard Span. "The Twins are asking for a ton (for Span)," he hears.
  • The Giants are in the market for bullpen help according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). He says Jonathan Broxton of the Royals could be a possible fit.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said his team has both short and long-term payroll flexibility and will likely seek bullpen help at the deadline according to the AP (via ESPN). He indicated that he is open to trading within the division as long as a top prospect isn't involved.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson told reporters (including Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger) that the presumption is his team will be buyer before the deadline (Twitter link). The next 7-10 days will dictate their moves, however.

Minor Moves: Hurley, Russell, Hughes, Broderick

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Here are the day's minor moves…

  • Right-hander Eric Hurley has elected free agency according to the MLB.com's transactions page. The Angels called him up earlier this month but he did not appear in a game. The 26-year-old Hurley signed a minor league deal with the Halos this offseason and pitched to a 5.81 ERA in 18 starts for their Triple-A affiliate this summer.
  • The Braves have released Adam Russell according to the International League transactions page. Atlanta signed the 29-year-old righty to a minor league pact this winter but he posted a 7.28 ERA in 38 1/3 innings for their Triple-A affiliate. Russell owns a 3.95 ERA in 86 2/3 big league innings with the White Sox, Padres, and Rays.
  • The Athletics have released Luke Hughes according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. Oakland designated the infielder for assignment back in April. Hughes, 27, had one single in 13 plate appearances for the A's this year while hitting .223/.316/.338 in 152 minor league plate appearances.
  • The Cardinals have released Brian Broderick according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Sulia). The 25-year-old right-hander posted a 7.32 ERA in 78 2/3 innings for the team's Triple-A affiliate. Broderick appeared in eleven games for the Nationals last year as a Rule 5 Draft pick.

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