Archives for July 2009

Phillies Scouted Chad Qualls

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 3:04pm CDT

The Phillies sent a scout to watch D'Backs closer Chad Qualls this weekend, according to Ed Price of MLB Fanhouse. The 30-year-old righty makes $2.5MM this year and won't be a free agent until after next season, so he should command good prospects in any trade, especially considering how well he's pitched this year.

Qualls has 17 saves and has struck out 33, walking only five. He uses a fastball-slider combination to induce more grounders than fly balls, which would play well at homer-friendly Citizens Bank park.

Injuries Limit Padres Trades

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 2:36pm CDT

Most teams are sellers at the deadline if they're 18 games under .500 and 13.5 games out of a playoff spot. But as Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.com says, this year's San Diego Padres will struggle to unload payroll and add prospects in trades because they have so many injured players. With Jake Peavy, Brian Giles, Henry Blanco, David Eckstein, Chris Young, Nick Hundley, Cliff Floyd, Cha Seung Baek and Shawn Hill on the DL, the Padres have few pieces to consider moving.

Kevin Kouzmanoff has drawn some interest, but it doesn't look like the Padres will move Heath Bell or Adrian Gonzalez.

Indians Seek Pitching; Are “Extremely Busy”

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 1:55pm CDT

Indians GM Mark Shapiro has no idea if he'll make any trades this July, but he's "extremely busy and active," according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. Though he's not sure he'll make a deal, Shapiro knows he would want to acquire pitching in return for any of his players.

The Indians are expected to be open-minded about Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez in case a team wows them with an offer. Because fewer teams can spend money, more players are expected to clear waivers, which will likely lead to more trades than usual in August. Players like Kerry Wood and Jamey Carroll could clear waivers, which would allow the Indians to consider trades until the end of next month.

Marlins No Longer Buyers?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 1:39pm CDT

It looked like the Marlins might be buyers this July, but after losing three games to the NL East-leading Phillies, that may be about to change. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Marlins are neither buyers nor sellers at the moment. Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post believes they're buyers for now, but says that could change soon.

The Padres are out West, about to face the Padres and Dodgers. The results of the trip will likely determine the team's plan. Now 46-47, the Marlins trail the Phillies by 7.0 games and are 5.0 games behind the Giants, who lead the Wild Card race.

Brad Penny’s Future

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 1:03pm CDT

The Red Sox have a surplus of starting pitching, and ESPN.com's Buster Olney says it's possible they'll deal Brad Penny for a Grade B prospect in the next couple weeks. We've heard very little about Penny in the last month, but he could fit on a team like the Brewers, who are short on starters.

Olney says the Red Sox would almost certainly not offer Penny arbitration after the season, so they could deal him now to get something in return for their investment. Penny doesn't profile as a Type A or B free agent now, so trading him now would be the surest way of obtaining talent in return. However, the Red Sox could keep him to maintain their enviable rotation depth.

Odds And Ends: Reds, Tigers, Hernandez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 12:14pm CDT

Even more links for your perusal…

Larry Stone of the Seattle Times says the Mariners' combination of brilliant fielding, top starters, journeymen and injuries present a "true conundrum" to GM Jack Zduriencik: Buy or sell?
Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck that "scoring runs is a concern," but not an urgent one. Carlos Guillen is rehabbing, so he'll provide a boost, but Dombrowski says his hitters have to perform better as a group.
It's not getting any easier for the Reds. They face the Dodgers and Cubs this week and they'll have to play without Ramon Hernandez, who will miss 4-6 weeks to undergo knee surgery, according to the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald. The Reds will rely on Ryan Hanigan, who has out-hit Hernandez so far this year.
Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post says the Mets, for now, are the most expensive fourth-place team in history. Their $136MM payroll leads the NL.
Bradford Doolittle of the Kansas City Star says the Royals are in trouble because their relievers are "expensive and bad."
Follow MLBTR on Twitter for all of your trade deadline updates.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Salazar, Meredith, Royals

By | July 20, 2009 at 11:05am CDT

Some more links as we inch closer and closer to the July 31 trade deadline…

Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker suggests Major League Baseball should consider re-working its draft system. Here's the gist of his idea: "What I’d propose is a regulated amateur free agent system, in which the draft is discarded entirely. Every amateur player who meets the entry criteria (age, education, whatever) would be allowed to negotiate and sign with any team, regardless of national origin." Check it out.
The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck gives his take on the Oscar Salazar-for-Cla Meredith swap: "Oscar was the ultimate good soldier, waiting for his turn without complaint and performing very well as a spot player recently."
As Joe Posnanski points out, the Royals have won just 19 of their last 62 games. Just how bad is that mark? The Dodgers have never lost as many games in a 62-game stretch.
Baseball America's Ben Badler reports that the Indians signed Jairo Kelly, a switch-hitting Dominican shortstop.

Dodgers Eyeing Reds Relievers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 10:52am CDT

The Dodgers can help themselves in more ways than one if they play well against the Reds this week. As MLB.com's Ken Gurnick points out, the Dodgers can push the Reds further from contention and give themselves a better shot at obtaining one of the Cincinnati relievers they've been watching. The Dodgers are trying to improve their 'pen, so they've been eyeing Francisco Cordero, David Weathers and Arthur Rhodes along with O's closer George Sherrill.

Odds And Ends: Smoltz, Cards, Rangers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 10:33am CDT

Some links as we begin a week of non-stop rumors…

Joel Sherman of the New York Post says John Smoltz, Jonathan Sanchez and Jason Schmidt, who all start tonight, will have an impact on their teams' deadline decisions. Red Sox officials want to see how much they can count on Smoltz, Sanchez can quiet teams' concerns about his control with a good start and Schmidt can provide the Dodgers a back-of-the-rotation arm.
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Troy Glaus and Khalil Greene are both advancing to Triple A for the next stage of their respective rehab assignments.
Evan Brunell of the Hardball Times finds the Padres-Orioles trade baffling from the Padres' perspective.
Texas Rangers Trades interviews MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan and the chat is worth a read.
Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram lists 11 pitchers the Rangers could potentially trade for, including Roy Halladay.

Orioles Rumors: Huff, Scott, Meredith, Sano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 9:56am CDT

The Orioles could move a number of their players; here are the latest rumblings on the subject:

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the O's aren't enthused about dealing Luke Scott or Aubrey Huff.
Roch Kubatko of MASN.com notes that Oscar Salazar is out of options, so the Orioles did well to trade him for bullpen inventory and acquire Cla Meredith.
Steve Melewski of MASN.com hears that the Orioles remain "very interested" in Miguel Angel Sano, but it could be a month before the Dominican shortstop signs.

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