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Marlins Notes: De Aza Claimed, St. Claire Could Return

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Lots going on with the Marlins, who certainly aren't waiting for the end of the playoffs to start their retooling.

  • Alejandro De Aza was claimed off of waivers by the Chicago White Sox, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The Marlins may miss De Aza, still only 25, and who posted an .876 OPS in Triple-A this season. Rodriguez reports that the move leaves Florida with 37 men on their 40-man roster.
  • Randy St. Claire, who was fired by Washington in June, is in the mix to be Florida's next pitching coach.
  • MLB.com's Marlins beat reporter Joe Frisaro answers a number of reader questions, from whether Jorge Cantu will be back in 2010 (Frisaro thinks so) to whether Dan Uggla will be traded (Frisaro also thinks so).

Odds & Ends: Saito, Jaramillo, Marlins

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More Monday linkage…

  • Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies want catcher Yorvit Torrealba back, but not at his $4MM option price.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier explains that outrighting Takashi Saito makes a Boston re-signing more feasible.
  • Rudy Jaramillo will likely reach an agreement soon with the Cubs for their hitting coach position, according to SI's Jon Heyman.  Heyman says Jaramillo will be near the top of the coach pay scale, at $800K a year for multiple years.  The Cubs are hoping Jaramillo can help Alfonso Soriano. Milton Bradley hit well in Texas, though he's a trade candidate.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro talked to first baseman Nick Johnson, who is approaching free agency for the first time in his career.  Johnson seems unlikely to stay with the Marlins.  (Check out our discussion post on him here).  Frisaro says the Fish could further shake up the infield corners by trading Jorge Cantu.
  • Newsday's David Lennon reminds us the Mets chose Oliver Perez over Randy Wolf last winter.  Wolf supplied 214.3 innings of 3.23 ball for the Dodgers for $8MM.
  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian talked to Blue Jays defensive whiz/impending free agent John McDonald about the future and his popularity in Toronto.
  • MLB.com's Bill Chastain feels the Rays will at least talk to free agent reliever Billy Wagner.  Nice fit, though VP Andrew Friedman found it unlikely they'd sign a closer when asked a few weeks ago.  It won't help if Wagner turns down an arbitration offer from the Red Sox, which would attach a draft pick cost.

Stark On Braves, Hardy, Uggla

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Let's check out the hot stove highlights from Jayson Stark's latest Rumblings and Grumblings column at ESPN.

  • The free agent market for super-utility men is strong, with Chone Figgins, Mark DeRosa, and Jerry Hairston Jr.  Stark says the Cards will let DeRosa test the market, despite the recent extension chatter.  Stark talked to an NL exec who prefers Figgins to DeRosa, which seems logical.
  • Stark finds it "all but certain" that the Braves bring Tim Hudson back for 2010, but they won't be shopping Javier Vazquez.  He considers the Braves unlikely to re-sign free agent relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez.  If that's the case, Frank Wren will need to bring in some kind of late-inning arm.
  • Expect a strong market for Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy, despite his disappointing '09 season.  Which teams do you see in the mix?
  • Stark sees the Marlins keeping only one of Dan Uggla, Cody Ross, and Jorge Cantu, who are all due raises through arbitration. 
  • Stark says the Astros don't have a shopping list yet for their next manager, but count on GM Ed Wade to be meticulous.  The 'Stros prefer someone with experience, leading Stark to join in on the Jim Fregosi speculation.

Trade Candidates: Corner Infielders

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We’ve heard about Garrett Atkins and Aubrey Huff all year, but plenty of other corner infielders could be trade bait, too. Here’s the list of corner infield trade candidates, ranked from highest 2009 salary to lowest:

  • Troy Glaus – The priciest trade candidate on this list has yet to play in 2009. There have been suggestions that the Cards could move Glaus if he can't play third upon his return.
  • Melvin Mora – With a $9MM salary and a no-trade clause, Mora will be tough to move. 
  • Aubrey Huff – He's not hitting as well as he did last year, but has hit well enough. He makes $8MM this year.
  • Adam Dunn – He makes the same amount as Huff, and has $12MM more coming his way in 2010. With 22 homers already, Dunn would be a nice addition a team like the Giants.
  • Adam LaRoche – He earns $7.05MM this year before becoming a free agent.  
  • Garrett Atkins – He'll earn $7.05MM as well, a sum that looks more affordable every day, since Atkins is hitting .306/.386/.468 since the beginning of June.
  • Nick Johnson – An affordable option at $5.5MM, this free agent-to-be has an injury history to go along with his .800 OPS.
  • Chad Tracy – The combination of his $4.75MM salary and .354 slugging percentage won't make him appealing to many teams, if any.
  • Jason Giambi – He earns $4MM this year and his team will have to pay him $1.25MM after the season or take on his $6.5MM salary next year. Giambi's been a disappointment at the plate.
  • Jorge Cantu – The Marlins remain just one game behind the Phillies for the division lead, but there have been hints that they would move Cantu if they fall out of it. He makes $3.5MM this year.  
  • Russell Branyan – The Mariners are just 3.5 games back of the division lead, but Branyan would be an appealing candidate if he hits the market, especially since he makes just $1.4MM this year.  
  • Kevin Kouzmanoff – He makes under $500k this year, but he's hitting poorly and you can't even blame Petco Park, as his OPS is 40 points lower on the road. The Mariners recently had interest.

The Red Sox, Mets, Giants, Reds and Mariners could all look for a boost at one of the corner infield positions.

Olney On Mets, Holliday, Snell

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Mets have begun discussing which hitters they want to target. Here's what Olney has heard about the Mets, along with the rest of his rumors:

  • It's fair to assume the Mets would like to acquire a "big-time bat."
  • Omar Minaya could pursue Nick Johnson. He already traded for him once as the GM of the Expos.
  • Other players that could play first and hit: Aubrey Huff, Jorge Cantu, Mark DeRosa and Dan Uggla.
  • Uggla's an outside-the-box solution, but the Mets could use his power.  
  • Don't assume the A's will be able to collect compensation picks for offering arbitration to Matt Holliday if they don't trade him at the deadline. Holliday's numbers have fallen off, making him more likely to accept arbitration if the A's offer it. He could make upwards of $16MM, meaning the surest way for the A's to get something back would be to deal him now.
  • Olney says the Rockies don't have interest in Ian Snell. Yesterday John Perrotto suggested they could trade for him.
  • Colorado will likely wait another month before deciding whether to deal Huston Street.  
  • The Mariners don't have to rush their deal-making either, especially since their division looks winnable.  

Braves Discussed Ross; Hermida Available Too?

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Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Braves were in serious discussions to trade for Marlins outfielder Cody Ross before pulling off the Nate McLouth deal yesterday. The Marlins made Ross available, but ultimately decided not to deal him. Some within the Atlanta organization would have preferred to trade for Ross because he wouldn't have commanded as much of a return as McLouth did.

Knobler reports that rival officials believe the Marlins are now "open to" trading Ross and Jeremy Hermida, not just Jorge Cantu and Dan Uggla.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Wilson, Marlins, Acta

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Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has a few evening tidbits…

  • The Royals are reportedly "kicking around the idea of adding a shortstop."  Rosenthal believes the Pirates' Jack Wilson is the best fit, "but only if the Red Sox don't grab [him] first."
  • The Marlins "figure to trade [Dan] Uggla and first baseman Jorge Cantu if they fall out of contention," but, as Rosenthal notes, that hasn't happened yet. 
  • Nationals manager Manny Acta might hang on to his job for a while longer because his "players have not quit on him, nor are they sniping at him."  Sure, but a .265 winning percentage won't sit well with upper management all season. 

Stark On Peavy, Oswalt, Phillies, DeRosa, Giants

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Let's take a look at the latest Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark.

  • The Padres' recent winning streak has not changed their intention of trading Jake Peavy.  The Dodgers and Cubs are in Peavy's first tier of choices, follwed by the Giants, Cardinals, and Astros.  The Angels would be the one AL team he'd consider.  The East Coast is a long shot.  Also, Peavy will want his 2011-13 partial no-trade clause to become a full no-trade.  Peavy's friend Roy Oswalt has been unsuccessful in lobbying Astros owner Drayton McLane, as the 'Stros can't take on Peavy's contract.  As for the Dodgers, GM Ned Colletti told the L.A. Times he hasn't talked to the Padres about Peavy since the pitcher vetoed the White Sox deal.
  • Stark talked to scouts who believe Oswalt has "lost his edge" and needs a change of scenery.  The Phillies have inquired on him, but they've asked about everyone: Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young and Jason Marquis.  Popular Phillies trade targets include Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, Travis D'Arnaud, Freddy Galvis, Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, and Antonio Bastardo.
  • The Braves are interested in bringing Mark DeRosa back to Atlanta.  He came up with them and was non-tendered in '04 after tearing his ACL.  But to deal young arms, the Braves would want an impact bat.  Stark says they're "mostly listening" rather than shopping Jeff Francoeur.  His trade value is difficult to gauge.
  • The Mets seem content to wait out the first base trade market.
  • The Giants seek a middle-of-the-order bat, and Jonathan Sanchez is being dangled.  Three targets they haven't had success on are Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, and possibly Carlos Lee.  Lee, according to one Stark source, doesn't intend to waive his no-trade for anyone.

Knobler On Braves, Peavy, Holliday

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CBS Sports' Danny Knobler thinks the Jake Peavy drama this past week helped kick-start some discussion on team needs. He's got a couple interesting bullets:

  • The Braves are shopping hard for a right-handed hitter and are said to be dangling Jeff Francoeur, though Mark Bowman speculated last week that they might release him. His value can't be too high now. We discussed the Braves' woes last week.
  • Though they might have interest in Mark DeRosa and Peavy, the Brewers want to prove they can be a contending team before they make any big moves.
  • Knobler reiterates the Marlins' willingness to hear offers on Dan Uggla and Jorge Cantu.
  • With Matt Holliday's woes at the plate, scouts say the A's can't expect to get as much as they might've hoped. "He's so easy to pitch to right now it's unbelievable," one of Knobler's sources said.

Mets Considering Trading For A First Baseman

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As Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports, Carlos Delgado's hip problems have put his career in jeopardy. For now he's on the DL, but there's no immediate timeline for his return. This leaves the Mets without a first baseman. Here are some of Minaya's options:

  • Fernando Tatis could play first, perhaps with help from Daniel Murphy. Gary Sheffield's probably not an option anywhere but the outfield.
  • The Mets could sign Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro or another free agent   
  • He could make a trade. Jerry Manuel said Minaya's looking at trade possibilities. Could a player like Aubrey Huff or Jorge Cantu be a fit?
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