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Archives for July 2010

Padres Looking To Add Offense

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We already know that rookie GM Jed Hoyer is looking to add some starting pitching to his Padres' team, and now MLB.com's Corey Brock passes along a quote indicating that he's ready to add offense as well.

"I don't feel like you're ever all set," Hoyer said. "I think we're looking on both sides [pitching and offense]."

Brock says the team is reluctant to part with prospects just like everyone else, but the Padres could realistically shop closer Heath Bell for a package that includes a big league piece and prospects. Bell will be arbitration eligible next season after earning $4MM this year, and might get a little too rich for San Diego's tastes. Mike Adams and Luke Gregerson would then move up a peg in the bullpen pecking order, and the team likely wouldn't miss a beat.

The Padres survive with stellar pitching (MLB best 3.10 ERA) and defense (MLB best 31.5 UZR), though they have obvious offensive shortcomings. Their shortstops have hit just .234/.295/.338, their left fielders .196/.294/.288, and their center fielders .234/.328/.360, so they could have interest in someone like David DeJesus or Xavier Nady. Brock mentions that owner Jeff Moorad will consider adding payroll in order to make a move happen.

Odds & Ends: Utley, Valentine, Giants, Haren

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Links for Thursday, as Travis Wood prepares to make his first major league start….

Bengie Molina Trade Reactions

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As opposed to the Russell Branyan trade, which saw two non-contending teams work out a deal, last night's Bengie Molina–Chris Ray swap was pulled off by two clubs with playoff aspirations. Let's check out some early reactions to the move….

  • According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the trade is more of a gamble for the Giants than the Rangers, though clearing room behind the plate for Buster Posey should make up for that.
  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says that the Rangers' new catching tandem of Molina and Matt Treanor "sounds just awful" on the surface, but that it might just work.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer wonders exactly how much Molina will upgrade Texas' backstop production.
  • After speaking to a source in the Giants' clubhouse, Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas is optimistic about the Rangers' end of the deal, adding that Molina should only improve an already good clubhouse.
  • Fangraphs' Jack Moore is less positive, calling the trade a "headscratcher" for the Rangers.
  • El Lefty Malo is unsure whether there's even a spot for Chris Ray in the Giants' bullpen, but is happy that Posey is now an everyday player.
  • Establishing Posey as the number one catcher should have a "positive ripple effect" for the Giants, writes MLB.com's Chris Haft.

Krasovic On Washburn, Werth, Phillies

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In his latest piece for AOL Fanhouse, Tom Krasovic discusses Carlos Gonzalez's ascension, Matt Kemp's benching, and Madison Bumgarner's potential, among other topics. Here are his hot stove notes:

  • Agent Scott Boras says it's "up in the air" whether or not Jarrod Washburn still wants to pitch this season, adding that a pennant race could be appealing to the left-hander. I'm a little skeptical about Washburn's ability to contribute much to a contending team this season, given how long he's been away from the game.
  • A major league executive tells Krasovic that the Phillies are "evaluating the trade market" for Jayson Werth. With Werth in the final year of his contract, and top prospect Domonic Brown waiting in the wings, it makes sense for the Phils to explore their options. As Krasvoic points out though, Philadelphia's lineup suffered a hit with injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco, making a Werth trade especially unlikely.
  • The Phillies may find it hard to make an impact move this month, since they'll want to hang on to Brown and their farm system doesn't have the depth it did last year at this time.

Cliff Lee Rumors: Thursday

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10:43am: According to Jim Duquette of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link), Lee "told people around the club" that Tuesday's start may have been his last as a Mariner.

8:20am: The Rangers' acquisition of Bengie Molina might be a preview of how Texas could work out a deal for Cliff Lee, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The team's financial situation didn't prevent them from adding Molina because they didn't take on any salary in the process, which is a strategy they'll likely try to employ again in negotiations for Lee.

In a series of tweets, Olney explains how the Rangers avoided a payroll increase in the Molina deal, and speculates that the Mariners could be persuaded to provide the Rangers salary relief in a Lee trade for a stronger package of prospects. Rosenthal agrees, writing that Texas is "so loaded with prospects" that a cash-neutral deal is a possibility for them. He also cites major-league sources who say that the club is "pushing hard" for Lee.

It remains to be seen, of course, if the Rangers would be willing to part with multiple top prospects for what would likely be a two- or three-month rental of the left-hander. In yesterday's round of Lee rumors, we heard that a few rival GMs think the Rangers would be better off holding onto those prospects.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reiterates that if the Rangers do make a deal for pitching, they'll be aiming for a top-tier arm like Lee or Roy Oswalt rather than an "everyman starter." Grant notes that Fausto Carmona could be a possibility as well, with the Rangers scouting the right-hander's start against the Blue Jays earlier this week.

Mike MacDougal Opts Out Of Nationals Contract

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Mike MacDougal has opted out of his minor league contract with the Nationals, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The right-hander is now a free agent and will attempt to find a spot on another team's major league roster.

The Nationals signed MacDougal in March, shortly after he was released by the Marlins. At the time, MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported that the contract would include an out clause if the 33-year-old wasn't in the majors by a certain date. MacDougal didn't crack the Nationals' 25-man roster this season, instead spending time at the club's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He posted a 4.71 ERA in 18 appearances between the two levels.

Given his dwindling strikeout rate (5.6 K/9) and his continued control issues (4.7 BB/9), it's unlikely MacDougal lands more than another minor league deal from a team searching for bullpen help.

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Phillies Interested In Dan Haren

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The Phillies have Dan Haren "on their radar," according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Crasnick tweets that the Diamondbacks are scouting Phillies' prospects for a possible deal.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported (via Twitter) earlier in the week that the Phils would like to add an arm "higher in caliber" than Jeremy Guthrie, and Haren certainly qualifies. However, Philadelphia is far from the only team looking into acquiring the 29-year-old. We heard yesterday that the Nationals expressed interest in Haren, and that the Cardinals also covet the right-hander. Those two clubs, along with the Yankees, Tigers, and Twins, have scouted the Diamondbacks' ace recently.

The Phillies' fourth and fifth starters behind Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Jamie Moyer have had their struggles this year. Kyle Kendrick has posted a 4.88 ERA in 15 starts, and even after three straight quality starts, Joe Blanton's ERA still sits at 6.19. Given the question marks in their rotation, the Phillies have made starting pitching depth a priority as the trade deadline approaches.

Olney’s Latest: Sabean, Dunn, Red Sox

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney has a new Insider-only blog entry up, so let's dive in and take a look at the highlights….

  • One American League general manager says that many of the trades we see this July will look like the Bengie Molina deal, in which the Giants picked up the remaining cost of Molina's salary. "There's going to be a lot of salary relief," the GM predicted.
  • Expanding on a point from an earlier column, Olney writes that rival general managers consider Brian Sabean the most difficult GM to trade with simply because they can't get him on the phone. According to Olney, many GMs contact assistant Bobby Evans rather than Sabean, since the Giants GM doesn't return calls.
  • Sometime this month, the Nationals will have to decide whether to trade Adam Dunn or to fully commit to locking him up with an extension. Olney speculates that four years for about $48MM would get it done.
  • Replying to a Nick Cafardo piece for the Boston Globe in which Theo Epstein addresses how the Red Sox will replace Dustin Pedroia, Olney says Mike Aviles, Mike Fontenot, or Ty Wigginton might be good fits for the Sox. If Epstein makes a move, he'll be looking for a player who will have value elsewhere on the field when Pedroia returns to second base.

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