Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

D’Backs, Tigers Have Talked Drew & Peralta

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2012 at 9:04pm CDT

The Diamondbacks and Tigers have discussed a trade involving Stephen Drew and Jhonny Peralta according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. The deal was characterized as a "long shot," however.

Detroit is one of several teams who have expressed interest in Drew. The 29-year-old has hit just .214/.274/.286 in 62 plate appearances after coming back from his ankle injury and will become a free agent after the season. Peralta, 30, owns a .271/.337/.415 batting line in 333 plate appearances this year. His contract includes a $6MM club option ($500K buyout) for 2013.

Braves Inquired About Jon Lester

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2012 at 8:20pm CDT

The Braves are seeking pitching help prior to the trade deadline, and MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports that they recently called the Red Sox about Jon Lester. Boston is not yet looking to sell, something we heard earlier this month.

"Pitching is at a premium," said GM Frank Wren. "It's so hard to get pitching because there are a limited amount of guys. There are a lot of guys being bantered around out there, and they're not really available because teams have not determined whether they're in or out. In some cases, they haven't determined whether they can sign them or not. It's really a tough market."

Lester, 28, is in the middle of the worst full season of his career. His 4.80 ERA is more than a full run higher than his 3.67 career mark, and his strikeout rate (7.6 K/9) is his lowest since 2008. The good news is that his 2.6 BB/9 is a career-best. Lester is owed $11.625MM next season with a $13MM club option for 2014.

Bowman says the Braves appear to be much more interested in Zack Greinke than Ryan Dempster, but they will not mortgage the future for a rental player. Atlanta is also in the market for bullpen help and Bowman opines that they may check in former Brave Omar Infante.

Dodgers Shift Focus To Matt Garza

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2012 at 7:27pm CDT

The Dodgers don't want to surrender prospects for a rental and are "very unlikely" to acquire Ryan Dempster, but Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago reports that they have shifted their focus to Matt Garza. Los Angeles had a deal on the table to acquire Dempster yesterday but it was not consummated.

Garza, 28, left tonight's game after three scoreless innings with tightness in his triceps. The team announced that x-rays were negative. Garza has pitched to a 4.02 ERA in 17 starts this year and unlike Dempster, he is under team control as an arbitration-eligible player next season.

Tigers & Angels Have Interest In James Shields

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2012 at 6:43pm CDT

Both the Tigers and Angels have interest in Rays right-hander James Shields according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The two teams scouted his start yesterday and are known to be seeking pitching upgrades. Heyman reiterates that Tampa is looking for a young catcher and pitching help in any deal.

Shields, 30, has seen his ERA rise to 4.39 this year, more than a run and a half higher than last season. He leads the league in hits allowed but remains a dependable innings-eater with strong strikeout (8.5 K/9) and walk (2.7 BB/9) rates. Shields is owed $7MM this year with a $9MM club option for 2013 and an $11MM club option for 2014, so he's very affordable.

Heyman notes (on Twitter) that the Tigers appear to be prioritizing second base help at the moment. Detroit's win this afternoon moved them into first place in the AL Central, but their non-Justin Verlander starters have a 4.82 ERA on the season. The Angels have received excellent work from Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, but Dan Haren has dealt with a back issue and Ervin Santana has struggled.

Texas Links: Scutaro, Lee, Wandy, Astros

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2012 at 5:34pm CDT

The Rangers have the second best record in baseball (55-37) while the Astros have the worst record in baseball (34-60). Here's the latest from Texas…

The Rangers would have interest in Marco Scutaro as a utility man if the Rockies were to put him on the market, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
Cliff Lee does not have the Rangers on his 21-team no-trade list according to Heyman. There is still no indication that the Phillies will move their veteran left-hander, even to free up payroll to sign Cole Hamels long-term.
Carlos Lee, Brandon Lyon, J.A. Happ, and Brett Myers have all been traded already, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that it "will be a while" before the Astros deal Wandy Rodriguez (Twitter link).
In an Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Keith Law says the two pitchers the Astros received in exchange for Myers – Matt Heidenreich and Blair Walters – "barely qualify as prospects." He says Walters has a chance as a lefty specialist.
ESPN's Buster Olney hears from rival executives that the Astros seem to be following the old Devil Rays strategy, meaning they'll accumulate top draft picks for several years because their big league team will be so bad (Twitter link).

Yankees Have Some Interest In Rick Ankiel

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2012 at 12:32pm CDT

The Yankees have some interest in picking up Rick Ankiel according to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post (on Twitter). Earlier this week we heard that they didn't have any interest in the outfielder, but Brett Gardner is out for the year with an elbow issue and Nick Swisher left last night's game with a leg problem.

Ankiel, 33, was designated for assignment by the Nationals a few days ago. He hit .228/.282/.411 with five homers in 171 plate appearances this season, including .237/.299/.437 in 148 plate appearances against righties. Ankiel signed a one-year deal worth $1.25MM with Washington this past offseason.

Dodgers “Very Unlikely” To Trade For Ryan Dempster

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2012 at 11:58am CDT

Ryan Dempster allowed four runs in six innings against the Cardinals last night, an outing that is not likely to hurt his trade value. Yesterday we heard that the Dodgers, Tigers, Nationals, and Cardinals all have some level of interest in the right-hander while the Red Sox are likely out. The Cubs want one or two young arms in exchange for their vetreran ace, but it's unclear if he'll waive his no-trade clause to switch leagues. Here are today's Dempster rumors with the latest up top…

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports that the Dempster sweepstakes is currently down to the Braves, Nationals, and Cardinals.
The Dodgers are "very unlikely" to trade for Dempster according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). They prefer not to trade prospects for a rental, making Matt Garza a more logical target.

Nationals Designate Xavier Nady For Assignment

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2012 at 9:24am CDT

The Nationals have activated Xavier Nady off the DL and designated him for assignment, the team announced. The move allows the club to add John Lannan to the roster so he can start one game of today's doubleheader.

Nady, 33, had been on the shelf since late-June with a wrist issue. He hit just .157/.211/.275 with three homers in 109 plate appearances for Washington this season, including a .176/.222/.353 line against left-handers. The Nats signed Nady to a minor league contract during Spring Training.

AL East Links: Orioles, Yankees, Victorino, Red Sox

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2012 at 8:44am CDT

The Blue Jays are the only team in the AL East with a losing record and they're only one game under .500. The Yankees have a healthy eight-game lead but the Orioles, Rays, Red Sox, and Jays are all within three games of a Wild Card spot. With ten days until the trade deadline, here's the latest from baseball's deepest division…

"We're still looking around … I'm not really interested in making a trade just to make a trade, but I'll try to do what I can to add to the ballclub," said Orioles GM Dan Duquette to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The O's acquired Omar Quintanilla yesterday to add depth following Brian Roberts' injury.
Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun expects the Orioles to make another trade or two prior to the deadline. He doubts they'll sell low on Jake Arrieta or Brian Matusz and says Duquette could target a hitter over a pitcher in a significant deal.
The Yankees remain in contact with teams dangling bullpen pieces according to George A. King III of The New York Post, though Joba Chamberlain could be activated off the DL before the end of the month.
Kevin Kernan of The New York Post makes a case for the Yankees to acquire Shane Victorino following the news of Brett Gardner's likely season-ending elbow surgery.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier looked at the Red Sox's rotation and Josh Beckett in particular leading up to the trade deadline.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Appel, Upton, Votto, Ichiro

By Mike Axisa | July 20, 2012 at 12:15pm CDT

One year ago today, Hideki Matsui hit a solo homer off Duane Below in a game between the Athletics and Tigers. It was the 168th dinger of his MLB career and the 500th of his career overall — Godzilla hit 332 homers in Japan. Here's the latest from the baseball blog world…

A's Farm interviewed Sean Doolittle, Grant Green, and Daniel Straily of the Athletics (part one, part two).
Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? wrote about the Pirates and Mark Appel.
North Side Notch says Appel's decision is risky but not unprecedented.
District on Deck broke down the Mike Morse–B.J. Upton rumor.
Meanwhile, Rising Apple thinks the Mets should trade for Upton.
Redleg Nation wrote about the Reds in the wake of Joey Votto's injury.
Yankees Fans Unite thinks Shane Victorino is a good fit for the Yankees.
South Side Sox wrote about Kevin Youkilis and the White Sox's greatest midseason acquisitions ever.
Disciples of Uecker says the Brewers need to overhaul their bullpen.
U.S.S. Mariner thinks the Mariners should part ways with Ichiro Suzuki after 2012.
Climbing Tal's Hill wonders if the Astros should trade Jose Altuve.
Pirates Prospects makes a case for the Pirates extending Neil Walker.
The Beanball says the Blue Jays don't need to acquire a closer for next season.
Tomahawk Take wrote about the Braves and the right move.
Chicken Friars wrote about the Padres and their television deal.
Seedlings to Stars thinks the Tigers rush their prospects a little too much.
NatsGM summarized the Nationals draft haul.
Wahoo's on First wrote about the Indians and the new draft pick compensation system.
Royals Review estimated the trade value of the first overall competitive balance lottery draft pick.

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

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