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Quick Hits: Soria, Bourn, Transactions, Wilson

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Sunday linkage..

  • A look at Royals closer Joakim Soria's contract situation shows that his $6MM option vested on July 30, when he pitched his 110th game between the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Soria's option vesting merely locks in his salary for 2012; he'd have been arbitration-eligible at any rate.
  • David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if the Braves should extend Michael Bourn, and what the cost of it would be. As O'Brien points out, it's hard to come by comparables for Bourn, and the best may be Juan Pierre, whose contract is widely regarded as a tremendous mistake.
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy runs down the week's minor league transactions.
  • Recently, impending free agent C.J. Wilson said that now is not the time to look ahead to the offseason and his next contract.  In an interview on 103.3 FM ESPN (audio link), Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine seemed to agree and said that the club isn't looking to negotiate mid-season, writes Bryan Dolgin of ESPNDallas.com.
  • Infielder Felipe Lopez will report to the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate on Monday after being outrighted on Wednesday.  The veteran didn't impress on Milwaukee's big league roster this year, batting .182/.245/.182 in 51 trips to the plate.
  • It's time for Athletics GM Billy Beane to move on to a different challenge, writes Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle.  While he's been linked extensively to the Cubs job, Jenkins wonders if Beane could be a fit for the Dodgers if GM Ned Colletti winds up being hired by Chicago.
  • The Marlins have begun the process of looking at managerial candidates and there is still interest in some corners of the Florida organization in Ozzie Guillen, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. The White Sox skipper has another year on his current deal but it remains to be seen whether Guillen will be invited back.

MLBTR's Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the contract information used in this post.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Beane, Bourn, Beltran

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The Cardinals acquired Woody Williams from San Diego on this date ten years ago. The right-hander pitched 75 innings of 2.28 ERA ball and helped the Cardinals reach the postseason, where they lost to the eventual World Champion Diamondbacks. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • As Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun points out, Buck Showalter took over the Orioles one year ago today. In 162 games under Showalter, the Orioles are 76-86. The honeymoon is over, but Showalter is "the most prepared and observant person [Connolly has] been around in this game."
  • The Phillies may tinker with their roster in August by calling up a reliever or acquiring a bat in a minor trade, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
  • Yahoo's Steve Henson looks back at the 13 most lopsided trades in baseball history. If you guessed that Jeff Bagwell, Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek would appear on the list, you're right.
  • Moneyball has become a "period piece," Tom Verducci writes at SI.com. The advantages Billy Beane once had in Oakland have been neutralized by stadium revenue for other clubs and savvy front offices around baseball. "The biggest problem we have is that until we get a stadium it's going to be treading water for us," Beane said. "There cannot be any long-term planning. It's likely to get worse before it gets any better. It's going to be more than challenging."
  • GM Jon Daniels says the Rangers checked in on Michael Bourn without pursuing him seriously, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick examines the Giants' feeble offense and the impact that Carlos Beltran will have on it. 
  • As Scott Miller of CBSSports.com shows, the Diamondbacks have once again become relevant in the NL West thanks, in large part, to an improved pitching staff.

Braves Acquire Michael Bourn

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After seeing top outfield trade candidates Carlos Beltran and Hunter Pence land with National League rivals, Braves GM made a splash today by acquiring center fielder Michael Bourn and cash from the Astros for center fielder Jordan Schafer, southpaw Double-A starter Brett Oberholtzer, righty Double-A starter Paul Clemens, and righty Triple-A reliever Juan Abreu.  The Astros announced the deal via press release.

Bourn

Bourn (pictured) is hitting .303/.363/.403 in 473 plate appearances, and he leads MLB with 39 steals.  He fills the Braves' need for a center fielder and leadoff man through next year.  The 28-year-old Scott Boras client has $1.45MM remaining on his contract this year and is arbitration eligible for 2012 before hitting free agency.  The Astros' outfield purge continues, as they sent Pence to the Phillies on Friday.  The Reds, Giants, Indians, and Nationals had also shown interest in Bourn.

Schafer, 24, figures to replace Bourn as the Astros' regular center fielder once he returns from the disabled list for a finger injury.  He owns a .223/.310/.303 line in 414 big league plate appearances, coming in '09 and this year.  Before the 2008 and '09 seasons, he was considered one of the best 50 prospects in the game, but an HGH suspension and wrist surgery dropped his stock.

None of the three pitchers are top 50 prospects, but they did rank ninth, 26th, and 27th respectively for the Braves on Baseball America's preseason rankings, and the team has a highly-regarded farm system.  Oberholtzer, 22, ranked ninth and is seen as a potential third or fourth starter in the big leagues.  Clemens and Abreu both have big upside and impressive fastballs.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports broke the story, with Jayson Stark adding the prospects and Ken Davidoff adding the financial detail.  Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Michael Bourn Rumors: Saturday

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Astros GM Ed Wade is keeping an open mind on trades, so it's possible outfielder Michael Bourn and others could still go.  The latest on Bourn:

  • The Braves refuse to include both Randall Delgado and Arodys Vizcaino in a deal for Bourn, according to ESPN.com's Jim Bowden (on Twitter).
  • The Giants do have interest in Bourn, Morosi tweets.
  • The Reds aren't likely to acquire Bourn, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com; Houston's asking price is too high.
  • The Giants may have interest in Bourn, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • The Braves are getting more involved on Bourn, tweets Rosenthal.  ESPN's Buster Olney hears the Braves are working hard on getting the center fielder.
  • The Astros' efforts to trade Bourn are picking up steam, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, and it appears more likely he'll be dealt by tomorrow's deadline.
  • The Astros want Major-League ready prospects for Bourn, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  It makes sense that Wade would seek certainty here, with his Hunter Pence haul being of the high-risk, high-reward variety.
  • The Indians and Reds are the main suitors for Bourn right now, tweets Stephen Goff of Examiner.com, but he'd be surprised if the center fielder is traded.
  • The Braves are not one of the main teams in on Bourn yet, tweets Rosenthal.
  • "The Nationals, Braves, Indians and Reds are among the clubs with varying levels of interest in Bourn," report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The Indians are the new suitor here.

Latest On Braves’ Outfield Targets

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The Braves are expected to add an outfielder today; here's the latest…

Braves Acquire Michael Bourn

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8:59am: The Astros will receive center fielder Jordan Schafer, southpaw Double-A starter Brett Oberholtzer, righty Double-A starter Paul Clemens, and righty Triple-A reliever Juan Abreu, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.  None of the three pitchers are top 50 prospects, but they did rank ninth, 26th, and 27th respectively for the Braves on Baseball America's preseason rankings.

8:46am: The Braves acquired center fielder Michael Bourn from the Astros for four minor leaguers, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He says the deal is done and will be announced shortly.  Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets that the Braves will receive money in the deal as well.

Bourn, 28, is hitting .303/.363/.403 in 473 plate appearances, and he leads MLB with 39 steals.  The Scott Boras client has $1.45MM remaining on his contract this year and is arbitration eligible for 2012 before hitting free agency.  The Astros' outfield purge continues, as they sent Hunter Pence to the Phillies on Friday.

Reds In On Michael Bourn

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7:26pm: The Reds are focused on Bourn, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  However, SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Astros' asking price for the Reds is wildly high.

9:52am: The Reds aren’t letting a losing record stop them from pursuing some of the top available players. They're in on Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence of the Astros, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Astros recently stepped up their efforts to trade Bourn, who has also drawn interest from the Nationals.

Bourn, 28, has a .306/.367/.409 line in 465 plate appearances. The Houston native leads the National League in stolen bases (39) for the third consecutive season and UZR/150 suggests he's an above-average defensive center fielder. The Scott Boras client earns $4.4MM this year and is eligible for free agency after 2012.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggested this morning that Bourn might be a good fit for the Reds, who could put the speedster at the top of their order.

Quick Hits: Blue Jays, Beltran, Astros, Zambrano

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Congratulations to Ervin Santana, who threw the third no-hitter of the season this afternoon. Santana joins Francisco Liriano and Justin Verlander on this year’s list of pitchers to author a no-no. Here are the latest links from around MLB… 

  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says he's likely done making trades, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (on Twitter). The GM will continue monitoring the trade market in case something comes up, but his work might be done. 
  • The Rangers offered a group of "OK" prospects for Carlos Beltran and Philadelphia's offer was even weaker, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). San Francisco eventually acquired Beltran.
  • The Astros are stepping up their efforts to trade Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Michael Bourn, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • Carlos Zambrano told reporters, including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, that he wants to stay in Chicago as long as there is "change" (Twitter link). The right-hander, who is available in trades, did not specify what kind of change he's looking for.
  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears that the Reds have serious misgivings about making an all-in move to save their season (Twitter link). After tonight's loss, Cincinnati is 50-54.

NL Central Rumors: Volquez, Iannetta, Bourn

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The NL Central has four buyers and two sellers.  The latest:

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