Cliff Lee Rumors: Wednesday
The Cliff Lee trade talk started intensifying yesterday, as the Twins, Mets, Yankees, Rangers, Phillies and Tigers now have a new suitor to out-bid: the Rays. Not only are the Rays on the periphery of the Lee sweepstakes, they are ready to add payroll and appear willing to part with B.J. Upton. The Yankees are confident that they can jump in and pry Lee away from their divisional foes, but let's not rule out the Yanks' crosstown rivals. Here is the latest on Cliff Lee, with more rumors to come throughout the day:
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says that the Rangers are working hard to acquire Lee, but nothing is imminent. Texas has plenty of minor league talent to offer, but they don't appear to be willing to move Tanner Scheppers or Martin Perez according to Sullivan. Derek Holland, Blake Beavan, Chris Davis, Justin Smoak, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia could all be fair game. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Mariners "inquired about the availability" of Davis and Saltalamacchia. Righty Alexi Ogando is said to be on the Mariners radar, though "there is some resistance to include him in a deal" on the Rangers' side.
- Morosi expands on his earlier tweet, saying that the Reds and Mariners have exchanged names "in preliminary fashion," though the two sides have yet to exchange firm proposals. One GM called Cincinnati a "sleeper" in the Lee sweepstakes.
- CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam checked on the status of Boston's interest in Lee earlier today, and heard that the asking price was too high (Twitter links). Seattle wants a "stud catcher" close to the bigs, which the Red Sox simply don't have.
- Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune gets the impression that the Mariners aren't close to moving Lee, at least not to the Twins. He was also told that the two sides haven't exchanged official proposals, and that the Ramos-Hicks talk is "pure speculation."
- The Mariners are seeking a “mammoth return” for Lee, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. One executive interested in the left-hander said the Mariners made a “crazy ask,” demanding an even better package than Wilson Ramos and Aaron Hicks.
- FOX reports that the Twins offered Ramos and Kevin Slowey for Lee. At the moment, the Twins, Mets, Yankees and Rangers are most actively engaged with the Mariners in trade talks.
- The Mariners are calling teams back and telling them that it will take two blue-chip prospects plus a third young player to acquire Lee, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
- Two scouts tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that third base prospect Juan Francisco would be the Reds' best trade chip, not Yonder Alonso (Twitter link).
- ESPN.com’s Buster Olney hears that the Yankees are not engaged in trade talks for Lee now. They are confident they could acquire the left-hander, but do not intend to deal for him. Olney says the Twins are the favorites to acquire Lee, followed by the Reds, the Rays, the Mets, the Rangers and the field.
- The Mets officials who have spoken to Joel Sherman of the New York Post don’t seem concerned that the Twins are the perceived frontrunners for Lee. The perception within the game is that the Mariners are leaning more toward scouting than number crunching, and the Mets believe that will work in their favor.
Elias Rankings Update
After the season the Elias Sports Bureau will take all players over the 2009-10 period, divide them into five groups for each league, and rank them based on various statistics. Then each player will be labeled a Type A, B, or none. Those designations and the possible accompanying arbitration offers determine draft pick compensation (click here for a refresher).
Eddie Bajek has reverse-engineered the Elias rankings, and he's providing that information exclusively at MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a look at how the players rank for the period beginning with the 2009 season running through July 6th, 2010. The Google spreadsheet below has separate tabs for each position group. The players have about three more months to change these rankings. You can also go directly to the Google spreadsheet here and download the rankings in Excel here.
Odds & Ends: Padres, Young, Diamondbacks, Yankees
Some links on the night Atlanta became the NL's first 50-win team…
- Dan Hayes of The North County Times says (via Twitter) the international market has been slow for the Padres, and he doesn't expect any "major splashes." San Diego did sign Duanel Jones for $900K back in January.
- Meanwhile, AOL FanHouse's Tom Krasovic sheds some light on the insurance on Chris Young's contract. The Padres' righty will earn $6.25MM this year, though he made just one start before a shoulder issue forced him to the disabled list.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck and Alex DiFilippo report that the Tigers have signed their sixth through eight round draft picks.
- The Diamondbacks have signed 16-year-old Venezuelan center fielder Yorman Garcia to a six-figure bonus, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler.
- ESPN's Buster Olney says that the Yankees are currently focusing on adding a veteran player who can play third base and provide some power (Twitter links). Alex Rodriguez has been dealing with an on-and-off hip issue all season.
- Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com tweets that it is possible the Red Sox will pursue Chris Snyder after the season, though he doesn't think they'll go after him before the deadline.
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons tells us what to watch out for in the second half of the season, specifically with regards to the trade deadline and August 16th draft signing deadline.
- MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling reports that the Nationals have adjusted their plan to manage Stephen Strasburg's innings this season. The phenom will now remain on a regular schedule and be shut down when the time comes in September.
- The Athletics have called up righthander Ross Wolf according to a team press release. Oakland acquired Ross from the Orioles in exchange for Jake Fox late last month.
Could The Marlins Shop Leo Nunez?
The Marlins have been looking for relief help all season, going so far as to sign Armando Benitez to a minor league deal, but MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says to keep an eye for Leo Nunez in future trade talk.
There's no denying that Nunez has been outstanding this season (3.12 ERA, 9.1 K/9, 18-for-23 in save opportunities), but a team may be willing to overpay for the Marlins' closer in a trade given the dearth of quality relievers on the market. As Frisaro notes, the goal isn't just to improve this year, but in 2011 and beyond.
Money, unsurprisingly, would be a driving force behind any Nunez deal. The 26-year-old will earn a total of $2MM this season, his first time eligible for arbitration. He might be able to double that salary the second time through next year, and the Marlins traditionally don't pay their bullpen workers more than $2.5MM per season.
Considering the number of contenders looking for relief help – the Red Sox, Phillies, and Tigers, just to name a few – the Marlins would have no trouble finding a suitor for the hard throwing, high strikeout Nunez. It's just a question of whether or not Florida will make their closer available in a trade.
Cubs Are Getting More Serious About Trades
The Cubs have yet to declare themselves buyers or sellers despite a 37-47 record, but Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets that the team is starting to get "more serious" about making deals. Davidoff also mentions that the Mets "like the idea" of adding Ted Lilly to their rotation while assuming the $6MM left on his contract in order to give up fewer prospects in a trade.
Lilly is just one of several pieces the Cubs could shop, along with Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, Jeff Baker, Derrek Lee, Kosuke Fukudome, and Xavier Nady. The Giants could have interest in Theriot and Chicago tried to push Fukudome on the Red Sox, but nothing has materialized just yet.
The Mets have expressed interest in adding a quality starter, and Lilly would certainly fit the bill. There is some uncertainty about the team's ability to add payroll however, so whether or not they can actually take on Lilly's salary remains to be seen.
Red Sox Designate Niuman Romero
The Red Sox designated Niuman Romero for assignment to make room for Ryan Shealy, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). The 25-year-old Romero appeared in one game at first and another at second, but did not reach base in four plate appearances this year.
Shealy, 30, has posted an overall .240/.361/.489 line with the Triple A affiliates for the Rays and Red Sox this year. The right-handed hitting first baseman has a .764 OPS in parts of four big league seasons, though he hasn't played in the majors since 2008.
Kevin Youkilis is in tonight's lineup, but he gave Red Sox fans a scare when he appeared to hurt his right ankle last night. Shealy will provide depth off the bench and could play first if Youkilis needs a break.
Astros Sign Outfielder Ovando For Over $2MM
The Astros signed top Dominican outfield prospect Ariel Ovando, according to the team. Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that the Astros will pay Ovando a franchise-record bonus worth between $2.6-2.8MM. The 16-year-old bats left-handed and plays right field, and the Astros see him as an impact player.
“Ariel profiles as a middle of the order power hitter with excellent defensive skills,” GM Ed Wade said. “He profiles as a front line major league right fielder and should move quickly through the minor league system.”
Executives in the Astros' system compared Ovando to players such as Darryl Strawberry, Domonic Brown Jason Heyward, Fred McGriff, Carlos Delgado and Cliff Floyd. That's an impressive group of players, and it's not just the Astros building hype. Two scouts who chatted to MLBTR contributor Blake Bentley compared Ovando to Strawberry earlier in the season.
Odds & Ends: Peavy, Tigers, DeJesus, D’Backs
Links for Wednesday, as the Red Sox keep getting banged up…
- The White Sox announced that Jake Peavy is going on the DL with a detached muscle in his right shoulder. ESPN.com's Buster Olney says it looks like Peavy's season could be over (Twitter link).
- Tigers manager Jim Leyland told MLB.com's Jason Beck that he wouldn't mind if Santa delivered a reliever to the Tiger 'pen. GM Dave Dombrowski may bring Leyland the present he's hoping for; the Tigers are interested in relievers.
- Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs argues that the Royals should be looking to trade David DeJesus, even though he projects to be a Type A free agent.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun hears that Dodgers assistant GM Logan White and former Padres GM Kevin Towers are in the running for the D’Backs GM job. However, Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer, tops the D’Backs' wish list (Twitter links).
- The Orioles have scouted the Padres' system recently, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com takes a year-by-year look at the in-season bullpen moves the Red Sox have made under GM Theo Epstein.
- Paul Konerko tells Ben Bolch of the LA Times that he doesn't want to be traded. Now that the White Sox are in contention, a trade seems unlikely.
- Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News says Rangers GM Jon Daniels should be creative and trade for starting pitching this summer.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Matt LaPorta is hitting better because his toe has healed and he has less pressure than he did earlier in his Indians career.
Pirates Acquire Sean Gallagher From Padres
The Pirates have acquired Sean Gallagher from San Diego for cash considerations, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The Padres designated the right-hander for assignment nearly a week ago to make room on their roster for Tim Stauffer. There were at least a "handful" of teams interested in Gallagher, who had come to San Diego from the Athletics as the player to be named later in last year's Scott Hairston trade.
Gallagher has yet to make a real impact at the major league level, compiling a 5.57 ERA in 60 career appearances. However, he is still just 24 years old, is under team control through 2014, and was ranked as the 82nd-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America heading into the 2008 season.
Rosenthal On D’Backs, Dunn, Blue Jays, Morgan
In his latest column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that it's unlikely the Diamondbacks make a huge splash before the trade deadline. With interim GM Jerry DiPoto not expected to hold the position past this season, Rosenthal is skeptical that the D'Backs would give him the reins to blow up the roster. Although Arizona could trade potential free agents like Adam LaRoche, Chad Qualls, and Aaron Heilman, Rosenthal thinks the team probably won't move Dan Haren, Kelly Johnson, or Stephen Drew. Here are a few other notes from the piece:
- According to a rival club offical, the Nationals were asking the White Sox for either Gordon Beckham or Carlos Quentin in exchange for Adam Dunn.
- If the Blue Jays don't receive satisfactory offers for their free-agents-to-be, the club may take the same approach they did last year, when the departures of Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas earned them draft picks. Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, and John Buck all project to be Type As or Bs, and could potentially net the Jays multiple 2011 compensation picks.
- When teams call the Jays to talk trades, Toronto's young starting rotation is the most frequent topic of conversation.
- Some members of the Nationals organization wouldn't mind trading Nyjer Morgan to open up center field for Roger Bernadina.
- Within seven to ten days, the Marlins should make a decision on whether or not to be sellers.
- If Buck Showalter lands the Baltimore managerial job, former Orioles such as Bill Ripken and B.J. Surhoff would be candidates to join his staff.