Odds & Ends: Lilly, Braves, Reds, Berkman
Links for Friday night….
- Ned Colletti says the Dodgers could use another outfielder, but not as much as they need pitching, according to Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.
- We heard recently from ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that Ted Lilly will likely be traded before the deadline. Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times says it could even happen by the end of the weekend.
- Frank Wren tells David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he often has to turn away teams inquiring about the Braves' young pitchers.
- The Reds could still be looking for bullpen arms, says Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
- GM Dave Dombrowski tells FOX's Jon Paul Morosi (Twitter link) that the Tigers aren't close to completing any trades.
- The Braves aren't showing much interest for now in Cody Ross, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
- Lance Berkman is prepared to face free agency if his option isn't picked up, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
- Corey Hart will have an MRI on his injured wrist tomorrow, according to the Brewers' Twitter feed. Teams in the market for an outfielder, having already seen David DeJesus go down this week, will be closely monitoring the results.
Phillies, Dodgers Expressed Interest In Cody Ross
The Phillies and Dodgers expressed interest in Cody Ross, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Those two teams discussed Ross with the Marlins, as did the Braves, Red Sox and Yankees. Ross tells Rodriguez that seeing his name in trade rumors is "not a good feeling," but until July 31st comes along, the rumors probably won't stop.
The 29-year-old has split his time between center and right, posting a solid .274/.326/.400 line with seven homers. He makes $4.45MM and won't qualify for free agency until after 2011, so he's more than a rental. Ross has $1.8MM remaining on his salary, but that's less than what many available outfielders will make.
Odds & Ends: Guthrie, Ross, Ranaudo
A year ago today, the Brewers acquired Felipe Lopez from the Diamondbacks for prospects Roque Mercedes and Cole Gillespie. Lopez raked after the trade, but was not offered arbitration by the Brewers. Gillespie and Mercedes ranked among Arizona's top 30 prospects heading into the season according to Baseball America, with the former now playing for the big league club. On to today's links…
- The Mets scouted Jeremy Guthrie's last start, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Guthrie could make for an interesting project, as one scout told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, "He should be better than he is."
- The relief trade market is "absolutely terrible," one talent evaluator told ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
- The Padres are not a fit for Marlins outfielder Cody Ross, according to Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse. The Padres prefer David DeJesus instead, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.
- Astros owner Drayton McLane "seems paralyzed by indecision," writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
- SI's Jon Heyman ranks the 24 best available position players, starting with Prince Fielder.
- Red Sox draft pick Anthony Ranaudo is done pitching in the Cape Cod League, reported Brian Foley of The College Baseball Blog yesterday. The consensus among prospect gurus is that Ranaudo had nothing left to prove. An elbow injury and representation by Scott Boras caused Ranaudo to drop to the Sox at #39 in the June draft.
- The Mariners should aim to be competitive in 2012, writes Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner.
- Former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi offered a few stories of near-deals on WEEI's The Big Show on Friday.
Rosenthal On Iannetta, Athletics, Bautista
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports kicks off his latest column with a look at Alex Rodriguez's $30MM worth of home run incentives. The chase isn't generating the buzz the Yankees anticipated when they re-signed A-Rod. On to Rosenthal's rumors…
- Talks are on again between the Red Sox and Rockies regarding catcher Chris Iannetta. The Rockies would want to improve their big league club with an in-season deal, so perhaps we'll hear heightened Iannetta buzz during the offseason if Miguel Olivo is retained.
- The Nationals do not seem to have chosen a course with Adam Dunn in terms of trading or extending him now.
- The Athletics have no intention of trading Coco Crisp or Mark Ellis, as both players have club options for 2011.
- Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli is "a frequent trade target of rival clubs," but the team likes having depth at the catcher position.
- As part of the Yunel Escobar–Alex Gonzalez talks, the Braves and Blue Jays discussed Jose Bautista. For now, the Braves still have time to evaluate Nate McLouth's recovery from a concussion. MLB.com's Mark Bowman wrote today that the Braves have considered David DeJesus, Cody Ross, Corey Hart, and Josh Willingham as potential trade targets.
Red Sox Inquired On Leo Nunez, Cody Ross
The Red Sox inquired about Marlins players Leo Nunez and Cody Ross, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Spencer adds that the Rangers asked about Jorge Cantu.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported Saturday that the Yankees are talking to the Marlins as well. Rosenthal speculated that Nunez and Ross would make sense for the Yanks. Brian Cashman's actual level of interest in the pair is unknown, but perhaps the AL East foes are targeting the same players. Nunez is in the midst of his best season, with a 2.87 ERA, 9.3 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 50.5% groundball rate. About $837K remains on his contract, and he's under team control through 2012 as an arbitration-eligible player.
Ross' power has taken a dip, as his line stands at .279/.331/.409. ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that the Marlins' asking price is "very, very high, despite the fact that some teams view him as a non-tender candidate." Ross is earning $4.45MM this year after beating the Marlins in arbitration in February. He's under team control for next year, but as Olney suggests, the Marlins might be unwilling to give him that final arbitration raise. The Braves are known to have interest in Ross, while Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse reports today that the Padres are not a fit.
Cantu would be a two-month rental, as he's a free agent after the season. Surely the Marlins would like to clear some of his remaining $2.5MM. Despite a .258/.309/.416 line, Cantu has 52 RBIs. Aside from the Rangers, the Rockies are known to have an eye on him. Both teams might prefer a cheaper player like Ty Wigginton, however.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Lilly, Haren, Marlins, Kotsay
Sunday night linkage..
- Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com wonders if the reason Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo has made players like Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham available is because the team's offense is struggling with them as it is, so he'll try to improve other areas of the team.
- ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine says the Yankees could join the mix for Ted Lilly following Andy Pettitte's injury today. Meanwhile, Yanks' GM Brian Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com that he is "not inclined" to make a move to replace Pettitte yet, saying that he prefers to give internal options a try first. Levine has the Tigers, Twins, Mets, and Dodgers also in the hunt for Lilly.
- Scott Miller of CSBSports.com wonders if this weekend's poor play (three losses to the Padres) makes a Dan Haren trade more likely.
- David Villavicencio of Fox Sports Florida tells us that players like Cody Ross and Ricky Nolasco want to stay with the Marlins, and know they need a strong run to make that a reality.
- Mark Kotsay knows what it's like to be the player who's desired in a trade, but also to be the player who would lose playing time as a result of one, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
- Jose Bautista was honored that Alex Anthopoulos called him to help get Yunel Escobar settled into his new environment, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Bautista says that he loves Toronto and would like to stay there long-term.
- The Yankees, who have been interested bystanders through most of the process, are now getting more interested in Mexican amateur pitcher Luis Heredia, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, the Pirates and the Blue Jays remain the frontrunners for the 15-year-old, who is sure to get a bonus of more than $2MM.
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweets that Tampa Bay expressed interest in Yunel Escobar before he was dealt to Toronto. He also tweets that Reid Brignac was part of the talks.
- Hayden Penn, a pitcher for the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate who was reportedly nearing a deal with the Chiba Lotte Marines, is on his way to Japan, according to Indianapolis Indians Triple-A announcer Scott McCauley (via Twitter). McCauley also says that another Indianapolis hurler is "close to a deal".
- The White Sox, who have been linked to Nationals slugger Adam Dunn, have had a scout present for Washington's series against the Marlins, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
- Reliever David Aardsma is a possible fit for the Tigers, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.
- R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs attempted to peg Fausto Carmona's trade value.
- Roy Oswalt wants to claim the Astros win record before leaving, writes Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle.
- Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News praised the moves made by Rangers GM Jon Daniels.
- Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun senses deja vu all over again as the deadline approaches.
Padres Still Eyeing Hart, May Need Arms Too
Much has been made of the surprising first-place Padres' needs as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches. It's a known fact that they've relied on tremendous pitching to win in spite of an offense that ranks 27th in the Majors with a .701 team OPS and 21st with 396 runs scored.
The San Diego Union Tribune's Tim Sullivan says that manager Bud Black made a subtle pitch to Corey Hart, a known Padres target, at the Home Run Derby, opining to the Milwaukee right fielder that a lot of his home runs would also have gone out in Petco Park to gauge a reaction. While Hart kept an even keel and simply replied, "Yeah, they would have," Black says he wanted Hart to know that the Padres were interested.
Padres closer Heath Bell also spoke with Hart, and relayed that Hart isn't happy to be on the trading block. If he does get moved, he would like to train in Arizona near his newly-purchased house.
While Hart's 22 home runs would look nice in the middle of the Padres lineup and add some much needed support for Adrian Gonzalez, it's worth noting that the offense may no longer be the club's main focus.
Both Mike Adams and Mat Latos have landed on the disabled list in the past week. While Latos is expected to recover quickly, the Padres will likely be limiting his second half innings.
Padres general manager Jed Hoyer did acknowledge that they have the resources to improve both the offense and the defense, but said that the odds of a significant improvement to both seemed "remote." Any trades that send away cost-controlled young players will require a return that's controlled beyond 2010 for the Padres as well, according to Hoyer, who stressed that financial limitations make cost-control important to San Diego.
Sullivan asked Bell about his personal wish list for acquisitions, and Bell named Hart, Cody Ross, Miguel Tejada, and Milton Bradley before floating a unique idea: acquire Lance Berkman and put him back in the outfield. It's unlikely that Berkman would play a respectable outfield at this point, but the scenario suggests that Bell clearly would like to see a proven, veteran bat added to the lineup.
Rosenthal On Yankees, Hart, Haren, Werth
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new installment of Full Count up. Let's dive in and see what he has for us..
- The Yankees are talking to the Marlins and the two teams could match up in a few different ways. Cody Ross, a right-handed hitting outfielder, would be a perfect fit for the Pinstripes. Trouble is, Ross is a regular for Florida and the Yanks may not want to pay that price for a player they'd only use part-time. Leo Nunez would also make sense for the Yankees in a set-up role but they'll want a lot for him as well. The closer is under team control for two seasons after this one.
- The Braves like Ross as well but their opinions on Corey Hart are mixed. Some Atlanta officials are rather fond of Hart, but others see him as a slightly better version of Jeff Francoeur. If Matt Diaz hits well and Nate McLouth comes back strong, they may not even need the Brewers outfielder. If their guy ultimately is Hart though, it'll be at their price.
- Two of the top starters on the trading block hold no-trade clauses, though they may not be much of a factor. Ted Lilly can reject trades to ten teams, though the only contenders on his list are the Twins and Phillies, who may not even be interested in him. Arizona's Dan Haren can reject deals to twelve clubs, including the Reds. However, a source says that his list is not a factor as he has not been pitching well.
- The Phillies, at the moment, are not playing well enough to make a run at Roy Oswalt. However, they don't expect to fall far enough out of contention to sell. Jayson Werth, Rosenthal says, could be moved in order to improve the team in the short-term and long-term. A Werth-for-Javier Vazquez swap could make sense if the Yankees could acquire another starting pitcher. Cliff Lee, in theory, would have been that guy.
Odds & Ends: Marlins, Wigginton, Rockies, Wood
It was on this day in 1905 that Shirley Povich, one of the great sportswriters of all time, was born in Bar Harbor, Maine. Povich, who passed away in 1998, would've been 105 today and no doubt still would've been keeping an eye on Stephen Strasburg for the Washington Post.
Some news items….
- The Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi wonders if Edwin Rodriguez's planned lineup changes in Florida are a hint towards a possible trade of Cody Ross or Jorge Cantu.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun adds the Padres and Rangers to the list of "potential fits" for Ty Wigginton.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweeted a few follow-up points to his story about Colorado's interest in Dan Uggla. Renck mentions right-hander Esmil Rogers and outfielder Matt Miller as possibilities for a trade package with Florida, but "there's no way" that Jhoulys Chacin would be dealt. Renck also thinks the Rockies "will listen" to offers for Franklin Morales, though those offers might not be related to any Uggla deal.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince shares some Cleveland hot stove talk in a reader mailbag. Castrovince says that Kerry Wood has drawn "minimal, at best" trade interest, but he notes that Wood could be dealt in late August to a team that didn't want to pay an extra month of Wood's contract.
- In another MLB.com mailbag, Bill Ladson "would be shocked" by a Matt Capps trade. The Nationals still have Capps under control for 2011, and with Drew Storen still a rookie and Tyler Clippard not pitching well lately, Ladson doesn't think Washington will want to risk dealing their closer.
- It's "all quiet on [the] Ben Sheets trade front," tweets FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, though Sheets' recent success "should change" that.
- Aroldis Chapman's inconsistent control means that Chapman probably won't be promoted to the majors until September, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- We already know that the Giants have shown some interest in acquiring David DeJesus, and now Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that a "top Royals talent evaluator" was on hand for the Mets/Giants game at AT & T Park tonight.
- Steve Kornacki of Mlive.com looks at what the Tigers need to do in the second half and weighs in on some trade options. Kornacki says that trading for Jack Wilson wouldn't cost much for Detroit, whereas acquiring Dan Haren isn't worth the cost since he doesn't think "the Tigers are good enough to get past the first round of the playoffs. And that’s the only reason to gamble that much for somebody like Haren."
- Rice's Anthony Rendon, thought to be a potential first overall pick in the 2011 Amateur Draft, is undergoing ankle surgery on Friday, reports MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
- Fangraphs' Dave Cameron has the latest installment of his ranking of the players with the most trade value. As he goes from #20 to #16, Cameron cites a defending Cy Young Award winner and two potential Cy winners for this season.
Braves Interested In Cody Ross
Add Cody Ross to the list of right-handed hitting outfielders the Braves are eyeing. ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the Braves are interested in Ross as they look to improve upon their NL-best record in the second half of the season (Twitter link).
The Braves also have interest in Corey Hart, Josh Willingham and Jose Bautista, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Like those outfielders, Ross is under team control through 2011, but unlike them he is not having a career year and he can play center field.
Ross, who earns $4.45MM in 2010, is hitting .282/.332/.415 this year with seven homers. That's respectable production, but the 29-year-old usually shows more power. He has split time between right and center field and appears to be an average defender (according to UZR).
The Padres, Giants and Red Sox may look to add outfielders before the trade deadline. San Diego and San Francisco prefer players who aren't about to hit free agency, so the Braves will have competition for Ross's services if they are intent on getting more production than Nate McLouth, Melky Cabrera and Matt Diaz can provide.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that Ross and Jorge Cantu are available and Olney adds Nate Robertson's name to the list of players the Marlins would deal.