Ross, Not Cantu Impacted By Coghlan Injury
3:17pm: Coghlan's injury won't prevent the Marlins from dealing Jorge Cantu, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Capozzi reports that the Marlins continue discussing Cantu with other teams and suggests there's a "good chance" that the club trades Cantu. The Marlins appear to be asking for a "big prospect" from the Rangers for Cantu, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter).
10:56am: With the news that Chris Coghlan tore the meniscus in his left knee in Sunday's pie-related incident, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says the Marlins are leaning toward keeping outfielder Cody Ross. The loss of Coghlan depletes the team's outfield depth, and the Marlins are still within spitting distance of the playoffs.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports actually tweeted two days ago, before the Coghlan injury, that a Ross deal was unlikely. Now, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says on Twitter that trading Ross is a "definite no-go" for the Marlins.
Frisaro says Ross has drawn attention from the Braves, Dodgers, and Red Sox. He doesn't rule out a deal, but says it'd "have to completely make sense." The Phillies and Yankees have also been linked to the 29-year-old outfielder.
Rockies Considering Selling, Shopping Cook
2:54pm: The Rockies had feelers out a week ago on names ranging from Adam Dunn to Dan Haren, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman says the Rockies are now "quietly shopping" Aaron Cook and are willing to help make the financial aspect work. Cook is still owed $3.75MM this year if traded, plus $10.25MM for 2011, a $500K buyout for '12, and $125K per year if he reaches 200 innings.
7:51am: The Rockies are preparing for the possibility of becoming sellers, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. They've not yet committed to that course, but they're eight games back in the NL West. But at 4.5 games out of the wild card, the Rockies still appear to have a legitimate playoff shot. Baseball Prospectus' postseason odds report puts their chances at a healthy 23.4% despite a recent losing streak.
Rosenthal says the Rockies are still eyeing Jorge Cantu and could move Melvin Mora, Ryan Spilborghs, and/or Brad Hawpe regardless of their direction. If the team's rough week continues and they start thinking about 2011, Jorge de la Rosa would be an interesting addition to the trade block. Rosenthal names Aaron Cook, Rafael Betancourt, and Joe Beimel as other possibilities.
De La Rosa has made three starts since returning from the DL for a finger injury. His last effort was solid, and he takes on the Pirates tonight. He'll be a free agent after the season and currently profiles as a Type B.
Angels Prefer To Avoid First Base Rental?
The Angels are still looking for offensive help, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, but one team he spoke to says they're not going to rent a first baseman for two months. This runs counter to Ken Rosenthal's July 10th report that the Halos are "looking only at rentals" at first base since Kendry Morales will be back in 2011. Rosenthal wrote eleven days later that the Angels had discussed Jorge Cantu and Adam LaRoche.
Could both reporters be correct? Perhaps, if the Angels are quietly seeking to upgrade over an incumbent such as Howie Kendrick or Bobby Abreu. But we haven't heard anything like that.
Dodgers Sign Juan Castro
The Dodgers signed infielder Juan Castro to a minor league deal, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Castro was released by the Phillies on July 17th.
Castro, 38, came up through the Dodgers' system and also spent the '09 season with the club. He tallied a .198/.237/.238 big league line before the Phillies released him this year.
Rangers, Phillies Have Some Interest In Guzman
The Rangers and Phillies have some interest in Nationals infielder Cristian Guzman, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Guzman is able to play multiple positions, and he's hitting .287/.331/.366 on the season.
The problem with Guzman is that he has a cool $3MM left on his contract. And regarding the Phillies, ESPN's Jayson Stark says Miguel Tejada is their primary infield target. Tejada has $2.25MM in base salary remaining, with another $250K in bonuses coming if he's traded and reaches 630 plate appearances.
Stark On Werth, Willingham, Cantu, Theriot
Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth told ESPN's Jayson Stark he's "not up late reading the blog sites" regarding trade rumors, but he doesn't expect to be dealt. Stark agrees, though he notes that the Phillies did toss Werth's name out there to many teams. On to Stark's other rumors…
- The Dodgers are looking at Ted Lilly, but they haven't completely abandoned the idea of acquiring Roy Oswalt. Still, the impediments to an Oswalt deal remain significant. Lilly appears certain to be traded.
- Josh Willingham is drawing interest from the Braves, Rays, and Red Sox. Adam Dunn remains a trade candidate as well, but the Nationals would only deal one of the two.
- Money might be holding up a Jorge Cantu-Rangers deal, as the Rangers can't add any payroll and would want the Marlins to pick up the entire $2.25MM tab.
- The Padres have been linked to infielders Ryan Theriot and Jeff Keppinger, as outfield targets such as David DeJesus, Corey Hart, and Jayson Werth drop out of the picture for various reasons.
- Don't look for anything major from the Red Sox outside of some bullpen tweaking. They will prowl the waiver wire in August, though.
Indians Designate Wes Hodges For Assignment
The Indians designated infielder Wes Hodges for assignment to make room for pitcher Josh Tomlin, according to the team.
Hodges, a second-round pick of the Indians in 2006, was hitting .270/.316/.423 this year in his second Triple A stint. He came up as a third baseman, but has been playing first base and DH this year. Baseball America ranked him 27th among Indians prospects heading into the season, citing health issues and the move off third base.
Red Sox Like Michael Wuertz
Athletics reliever Michael Wuertz is on Boston's wish list, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The 31-year-old righty has had an off-year while dealing with a shoulder injury, but he appears to be back to normal based on this Athletics Nation post by Dan Lependorf.
Wuertz comes with cost certainty, as he's signed at $2.8MM for 2011 and has a $3.25MM club option for '12. He's known to be on the radar of the Tigers and Yankees as well. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the A's won't trade Wuertz barring a knockout offer.
The Red Sox seem likely to acquire a reliever this month. They've also been linked to Scott Downs, Craig Breslow, and Leo Nunez so far.
Price On Dunn, Garrett Jones, DeJesus
A look at the latest from Ed Price of AOL FanHouse…
- Price tweets that some new teams asked about Adam Dunn within the past day. He wonders if those clubs might include the Padres and Giants. Dunn is a nice fit for both teams, though they've been said to prefer avoiding rentals. Meanwhile Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the White Sox "remain focused on Dunn, but are laying the groundwork for a starting pitcher." If Dan Hudson pitches poorly Friday against the Athletics, the Sox could change gears.
- In his latest column, Price says the Angels checked in on Garrett Jones before acquiring Alberto Callaspo, but balked at the Pirates' asking price of Maicer Izturis. However, it's worth noting that Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that the Pirates say the Angels never contacted them about Jones.
- The Royals were eyeing Rays minor leaguer Jake McGee in a potential David DeJesus deal before the outfielder's injury. The southpaw McGee returned from Tommy John surgery last year and has 91 strikeouts in 76.6 Double A innings in 2010. Baseball America ranked McGee eighth among Rays prospects heading into the season, but he might be first or second on another team.
- Another trade that wasn't: SI's Tom Verducci says the Phillies discussed sending Jayson Werth to the Yankees as part of a deal for Dan Haren before the righty went to the Angels.
- Also of note in Price's column: a look at how the trade deadline has changed over the decades, including varying dates and rules for interleague deals.
Twins Interested In Matt Capps
The Twins have interest in Nationals closer Matt Capps, reports ESPN's Tim Kurkjian. Kurkjian finds a deal unlikely - he feels that the Nats would want catching prospect Wilson Ramos in return, and the Twins would be unwilling to make that deal. I wouldn't blame them - they may be aiming to replace Jon Rauch, but Capps is not a shutdown stopper either. In their search for another late-inning arm, the Twins have also been linked to Scott Downs of the Blue Jays.
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson recently that he is not looking to trade Capps, Josh Willingham, or Adam Dunn, but he does receive a lot of calls on them. Rizzo said he'd make a deal "if there was an opportunity to improve and impact the ballclub." Two days ago ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the sentiment of rival executives: Capps stands a good chance of being traded, even though he is under team control for 2011.
The Nationals have a quality catching prospect at High A ball in Derek Norris. 25-year-old Jesus Flores is promising as well, but he has yet to make his 2010 debut as he tries to recover from shoulder and elbow surgeries. Ramos would be a welcome addition, as a team can never have too much catching depth.