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.
Aramis Ramirez Leaning Toward Exercising Option
Aramis Ramirez is leaning toward exercising his $14.6MM player option for 2011, based on comments made to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times:
"I want to stay here, but I've still got two months. I haven't talked to my agent about it. But everybody knows I want to stay here. I guess I'm staying here [in 2011].''
Heading into the season, I thought a typical Ramirez campaign might prompt him to decline the option and seek a multiyear guarantee. The 2010 season has not been typical, however, as Ramirez has limped to a .230/.286/.438 line in 311 plate appearances. His poor play was limited to the season's first two months, and he's got nine home runs in July. If Ramirez does exercise his player option, Adrian Beltre will be the only big name free agent at the hot corner.
Ramirez's 2012 mutual option is a large factor. That has a $2MM buyout attached if the Cubs decline, meaning Ramirez stands to earn either $16.6MM for one year or $30.6MM for two, depending on what the team does.
Roy Oswalt Rumors: Tuesday
Yesterday we learned that location doesn't matter for Roy Oswalt, but he will require his $16MM option for 2012 to be picked up upon a trade. The Astros' asking price remains high even as the number of suitors dwindles. Today's rumors, with the latest bullets added up top throughout the day…
- The Rangers looked into acquiring Oswalt even after completing the Cliff Lee deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. There is no match in terms of players, and the money would've been extremely challenging. Still, the inquiry shows that the Rangers are not messing around.
Marlins To Explore Long-Term Deals With Players
TUESDAY, 7:00am: Uggla said a contract extension "would make me a very happy man," reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
MONDAY, 10:09pm: The Marlins will explore multi-year deals with “more than one” of their current players, president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest told Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. A source close to the Marlins told Rodriguez that the team hopes to sign Dan Uggla and Ricky Nolasco long-term this winter.
Both players have been in their share of trade rumors, but the club appears to have interest in keeping them around long-term. Nolasco will hit free agency after 2012 if the Marlins don't extend him. The 27-year-old makes $3.8MM this season and will receive pay raises after 2010 and 2011. Like Dan Haren, Nolasco has a relatively high ERA (4.50) but strong strikeout (8.0 K/9) and walk (1.8 BB/9) rates.
Uggla would hit free agency after 2011 if he doesn't sign an extension. This year, the Marlins are paying him $7.8MM and he will get a raise through arbitration next season. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Uggla, who is on pace for a fourth consecutive 30-homer season, earn eight figures through arbitration in 2011.
Odds & Ends: Donnelly, Guillen, Mets, Red Sox
Links for Monday, as we congratulate Matt Garza for throwing the first no-hitter in Rays history…
- Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post hears (via Twitter) that the Marlins have zero interest in Brendan Donnelly. The recently-DFA'd righty pitched well for the Marlins last year.
- The Giants have been scouting Jose Guillen aggressively, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). The Royals have been willing to move the 34-year-old for a while.
- MLBTR's Tim Dierkes answered questions about the upcoming trade deadline for SD Sports Net.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch that "money seems to be really tight within the industry" right now.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic offers his interpretation of interim GM Jerry Dipoto's comments about Joe Saunders' winning percentage.
- The Mets are in wait-and-see mode at this point, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
- GM Omar Minaya confirmed to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that the Mets aren't going to fire any coaches today (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox are pursuing bullpen help, but would consider trading relievers Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston (Twitter link).
- The Marlins aren't going to hire Bobby Valentine to manage the team, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Valentine told 790 the Ticket that his candidacy for the Marlins gig was "not a dead issue."
Competition For Scott Downs Heating Up
MONDAY, 11:13pm: Talks between Blue Jays and Red Sox about a potential Downs deal aren’t currently progressing, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. However, things can change quickly in the week leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, so the Blue Jays are still scouting Red Sox single A pitcher Roman Mendez, according to Alex Speier.
SUNDAY, 12:28pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Blue Jays' discussions involving Downs are drawing "fascination" from rival executives who are curious to see what Toronto can acquire. The Jays have been asking for a significant return in part because of Downs' Type A status, but some execs don't believe that should be a factor, and feel the Jays are demanding too much for a non-closer (all Twitter links).
9:14am: The competition in the Scott Downs sweepstakes is "fierce," tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi suggests that the Yankees and the Red Sox are the current front-runners, but that the Mets, Reds, and Twins are also involved.
In a year where the bullpen options are scarce, Downs stands out as not only the top left-handed arm available among an underwhelming group of southpaws, but also as one of the best overall relievers on the market. As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith pointed out when he examined Downs' trade value, the lefty seems headed for Type A designation, meaning he could potentially be worth a pair of draft picks for whichever team he finishes the year with.
Besides the clubs Morosi names, the Dodgers, Rockies, and Phillies are among others that have been linked to Downs this month.
Red Sox Offered Ramirez For Barajas; Deal Unlikely
The Red Sox offered reliever Ramon Ramirez to the Mets for Rod Barajas before the catcher went on the disabled list, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). A source confirmed to Alex Speier of WEEI.com that the Red Sox and Mets discussed several trade possibilities involving Ramirez, including one that involved Barajas. However, Speier's source says the Red Sox aren't likely to trade Ramirez to the Mets.
The failed trade tells us two things about Boston's intentions for the coming week. First, it tells us that the Red Sox are willing to part with Ramirez, as Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston reported on Twitter earlier today. It's not a surprise, since Ramirez, who makes $1.55MM this year, will get raises in 2011 and 2012 before hitting free agency. He's not super-cheap, and he's effective (4.69 ERA, 6.2 K/9, 3.3 BB/9), but far from dominant.
Secondly, we are reminded that the Red Sox want to add a catcher, even though Victor Martinez is returning from the DL tonight. They have been connected to Chris Snyder and Chris Iannetta for months, and could pursue John Buck if they're interested in a short-term fix behind the plate. The list of potentially available catchers isn't a long one, so the Red Sox have limited ways of upgrading over Dusty Brown or Kevin Cash.
D’Backs Likely To Continue Trading
The D’Backs have already traded Conor Jackson and Dan Haren, but MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports that they aren’t done dealing yet. Interim GM Jerry Dipoto would still like to trade Chris Snyder and Chad Qualls, according to Gilbert. Team officials are also open to dealing Adam LaRoche and Edwin Jackson.
Gilbert reports that the D'Backs have not discussed a three-team deal that involving Jackson, the White Sox and the Nationals, though Washington does appear to have interest in the right-hander. The Red Sox, who offered Ramon Ramirez to the Mets for Rod Barajas, have had interest in Snyder, so it would not be a surprise to see the catcher traded to Boston. The White Sox and Angels are among the teams that have some interest in LaRoche and the Rays have interest in Qualls despite his lofty 8.49 ERA.
All of the players Gilbert names have attracted some interest, so Dipoto will have the chance to make many deals. Other than Justin Upton and possibly Ian Kennedy, contenders will be able to obtain just about anyone on the D'Backs.