Talkin’ Giants Baseball
As we cruise closer to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Giants still boast one of baseball's most intriguing situations. The club is 52-46 — 10 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West, but just two games back in the Wild Card. Most experts agree they need a bat to continue contending, and they've been linked recently to sluggers like Victor Martinez, Ryan Garko and Nick Johnson.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle recently heard "word from [Giants] general manager Brian Sabean that chances for a deal are 50-50."
"We're talking," manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday as his club prepared to head home after a long road trip. "I'll talk to Brian. I'll discuss it with the staff on the plane on the way back and see what we can do to get this thing going again."
Schulman believes the Giants might also have interest in Toronto's Marco Scutaro or Baltimore's Aubrey Huff. Either way, it's pretty clear what San Francisco is seeking as Friday's deadline nears: offense.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Acta, Pedro, Zumaya
A fresh batch of links on a busy Sunday evening…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch answered various fan-submitted questions about the Pirates. A couple of minor hot stove items were touched on.
- According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, former manager Manny Acta stopped by Nationals Park early Sunday afternoon. It's not clear why, and Acta said via e-mail that he will not make a comment on the matter.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes the Twins had scouts in Arizona Sunday afternoon to watch the Pirates. It's not clear who they were scouting, but Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez are known to be on the trading block and the Twins are looking for infield help.
- Fred Goodall of the Associated Press reports that the Single-A Clearwater Threshers had to cut Pedro Martinez's first rehab start short because of rain.
- According to the Larry Lage of the AP, via the Detroit Free Press, Joel Zumaya is "hoping" to pitch again this year. Could the uncertainty surrounding the right-hander's balky shoulder prompt the Tigers to make a deal for another bullpen arm?
Clubs Will Have To Overpay for Gonzalez, Bell
5:58pm: As ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes, the Red Sox have contacted the Padres about the availability of Gonzalez, but two major obstacles stand in their way.
"No. 1, the Padres would require an extraordinary package of prospects in any deal for Gonzalez, who is young, relatively cheap and a star," Olney writes.
"The second hurdle would be whether the San Diego ownership would approve the deal and risk angering the team's fan base even more." Keep in mind the Padres came close to dealing staff ace Jake Peavy this season and cut ties with all-time saves leader (and fan favorite) Trevor Hoffman this winter.
1:18pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock adds to this, stating that the Padres are getting more calls about Bell than Gonzalez, according to Towers. Brock echoes that it's unlikely we'll see Gonzalez or Bell dealt, but says that Towers feels the conversations he's had regarding Gonzalez and Bell could prove to be very valuable if the club considers trading them in the offseason. He also quotes Towers, saying:
"I could see a couple of smaller deals," Towers said.
Brock names Kevin Correia and Kevin Kouzmanoff as people who could attract some attention, but so far, neither has drawn much interest.
12:11pm: The Padres "were getting a lot of play" on first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and closer Heath Bell as of yesterday according to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, but "club sources were adamant that interested clubs would have to overpay to acquire either." On Friday we learned that the Red Sox had expressed interest in Gonzalez, who is under contract next season for just $4.75MM with a 2011 club option worth just $5.5MM.
Brown says that the "asking price has been so high that Bell might as well be unavailable," and quotes a baseball personnel man as saying "There are about eight good arms available out there and 20 teams looking.”
Slow Deadline For The ‘Stros?
As reported by MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Astros general manager Ed Wade reiterated Sunday that his club isn't likely to make a move before the July 31 trade deadline.
"We're having conversations with clubs, but I don't expect us to be doing much of anything," Wade said. "The key components aren't going to change, and that's the economics and the talent in the system. Those things aren't going to change overnight. If something makes sense we'll pursue it, but there's nothing going on now."
The Astros stand 50-48, two games behind the Cubs in the National League Central. But, as the GM himself noted, Houston already has a fairly high payroll and doesn't want to ship off any major prospects.
Indians Acquire Jess Todd To Complete DeRosa Deal
Derrick Goold reports, via Twitter, that the Indians have acquired Jess Todd as the player to be named later from the Mark DeRosa trade.
According to an official press release, Todd will be added to the 40-man roster and report to Triple-A Columbus.
Todd, 23, entered the season as the Cardinals' #4 prospect. He's pitched very well, posting a 2.20 ERA through 49 innings, allowing just 39 hits and 13 walks while striking out 59 and collecting 24 saves. Opponents are hitting just .214 against Todd this season.
The Indians also acquired Chris Perez in the original trade, back on June 27th.
Dodgers, Indians Deny Reports About Lee, Martinez Talks
4:31pm: Kevin Baxter of the LA Times quotes a Dodgers executive saying there is "less than zero truth" to the rumors regarding the trade.
4:26pm: Rosenthal now says that both clubs have "strongly denied" the previous reports that the teams were in serious talks about Martinez and Lee.
Rosenthal says the clubs are talking, but the question now, becomes: about what? The Dodgers have had interest in Lee, but including Martinez is a new development, if it's true.
The names in previous reports have surfaced in talks, but club officials say that trade is not currently in the works.
3:50pm: Rosenthal now suggests that the young starter could indeed be one of Billingsley or Kershaw:
"Lee would replace either left-hander Clayton Kershaw or right-hander Chad Billingsley — it is not known which the Dodgers would part with in the package — giving manager Joe Torre the more experienced starter that he covets."
3:21pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers and Indians are in serious discussions about a trade that would send both Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez to Los Angeles in exchange for James Loney, a young starting pitcher, and prospects.
The deal still faces significant obstacles due to the caliber of players involved, but the Dodgers clearly want to strengthen themselves for a strong postseason showing.
Rosenthal names Class AA third baseman Josh Bell, Class AA outfielder Andrew Lambo, Class AAA starter Scott Elbert and Class AAA right-hander Josh Lindblom as prospects who are being discussed. All of the prospects are in the Dodgers' Top 10, according to Baseball America, with Lambo coming into the season as the Dodgers' top prospect.
It's unknown if the Dodgers would part with Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw in a deal to acquire the Indians' superstars.
Phillies Also Looking At Lee
While we know the Dodgers are in serious discussions to acquire Cliff Lee, Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Phillies are also looking at Lee and may like his price tag better than Roy Halladay's.
Some baseball sources believe that Lee could be had for a package surrounding second-tier prospects such as Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald, preventing the Phillies from parting with standouts like Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown. The Phillies would prefer not to part with Drabek and J.A. Happ in a trade for Halladay.
You have to imagine the Indians would love to see a bidding war for their ace start up between the Dodgers and Phillies.
Fay: “Doesn’t See” A Pierre For Rhodes Trade
John Fay of the Cincinnati Inquirer offers up his take on a rumor he heard recently, which would have the Reds sending Arthur Rhodes to Los Angeles in exchange for Juan Pierre:
It's safe to say that this one doesn't make a ton of sense, but where should the Reds turn in their quest for outfield help? Offer up some suggestions!
Yankees Scouting Ian Snell
According to Jenifer Langosch at MLB.com, the Yankees have scouts in attendance to watch Ian Snell throw today at Triple-A Indianapolis.
The Yankees are known to be looking for a replacement for Chien-Ming Wang, and Snell has absolutely dominated since asking to be demoted to Indianapolis to straighten himself out. Snell has allowed just two earned runs through 32.1 innings, while striking out 43 and walking just 12.
Despite Snell's big league struggles and $4.25MM guaranteed salary next season, general manager Neal Huntington says he won't sell low on the right-hander:
Club Officials Worried Bedard May Be Injured
Sunday: The Mariners placed Bedard on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation today, according to Baker. Needless to say, he won't be traded before Friday's deadline.
Saturday: Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times reports that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu "caught up" with pitcher Erik Bedard after today's game, saying that they feel he may be hurting after seeing how many pitches it took him to put batters away.
"You watch little signs on the mound," Wakamatsu said. "Really, the result tells you a lot with a guy that has that good a stuff,'' Wakamatsu said. "It was necessary to have that discussion afterwards. I know he doesn't want to say that anything's bothering him. But we'll find out tomorrow in more detail.''
There is no MRI planned as of now, but Wakamatsu says the team will check back in with Bedard tomorrow to see how he feels. If he is in fact hurt and the injury is serious enough, it couldn't come at more inopportune time for Seattle. With the trade deadline just under six full days away and the team struggling, Bedard figured to be the club's best trading chip.
You can find the latest Bedard rumors here.