Rays Seek Impact Bats
The Rays are looking for impact bats and have inquired on Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. The Rays, who can spend this summer, aren’t looking for offense at a particular position, since the versatile Ben Zobrist can play just about anywhere.
Dunn is drawing interest from the White Sox, but would fit well on the Rays, who don’t have a traditional DH now that they have cut Pat Burrell and Hank Blalock. I suggested yesterday that Dunn would be a fit for the Rays, perhaps in a trade for center fielder B.J. Upton.
The Rays would listen to offers for Upton, but are telling rival clubs that they have no interest in “selling low” on the 25-year-old. The Mariners and Braves are believed by Stark to have checked in on Upton.
White Sox “All Over” Adam Dunn
One MLB executive told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the White Sox are "all over Adam Dunn" (Twitter links). Late last month, reports indicated that the White Sox and Angels were interested in Dunn, who earns $12MM this year and now has 17 homers and a .904 OPS. The Angels are without a prototypical first baseman and center fielder Torii Hunter would like to see the Angels acquire a big-time bat like Dunn. The White Sox, who have relied on Mark Kotsay to DH, could also use a power bat.
GM Mike Rizzo told ESPN Radio that it would be "very painful" for the Nationals to give up their slugging first baseman and said it would be "very painful" for the acquiring team, too. Presumably that means the Nationals will be looking for top prospects in any trade. If the Nationals hold onto Dunn and he maintains his status as a Type A free agent, they will have the chance to obtain top prospects in next year's draft.
Kennedy, Guzman Drawing Interest
The Nationals are drawing interest in Adam Kennedy and Cristian Guzman, but are not progressing towards a deal for either infielder, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Yankees, Angels, Rockies, Red Sox and Phillies are among the contenders who could look to acquire infield help, though none of those teams have necessarily called the Nationals.
Kennedy, 34, makes just $1.25MM this year ($2MM option or $500K buyout for 2011) so virtually any contender could afford his salary. His .240/.316/.327 line won't dazzle suitors, but he has postseason experience from his days in Anaheim and enough versatility to play first, second and third.
Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues says the Yankees shouldn't offer much for Kennedy, though he would fit the Yankees' needs better than Jeff Keppinger or Ty Wigginton.
Guzman earns $8MM this year, before hitting free agency after the season. The 32-year-old has a .299/.340/.377 line in 2010 and has spent time at second, short and in right field this year. That presumably appeals to rival teams, but Guzman can veto any trade because he has ten and five rights.
Dodgers Sign Trent Oeltjen, Release Timo Perez
The Dodgers signed one former big league outfielder and released another. John Traub, the GM of the Dodgers' Triple A affiliate, confirmed to MLBTR via e-mail that the Albuquerque Isotopes added Trent Oeltjen and cut Timo Perez.
The Brewers signed Oeltjen over the winter after he posted a .707 OPS in 73 plate appearances for the D'Backs last year. The Brewers stashed the 27-year-old Australian at Triple A, where he posted a strong .301/.355/.498 line in nearly 300 trips to the plate. Oeltjen opted out of his Brewers deal last week, since the team had yet to call him to the majors.
Longtime baseball fans will remember Perez for his breakout 2000 season on the NL Champion Mets. Now 35, Perez hasn't appeared in the majors since 2007. He had a respectable .296/.336/.426 line in 123 Triple A plate appearances.
This Date In Transactions History: C.C. Sabathia
This year's trade deadline is all about Cliff Lee and last year's deadline was all about Lee and Roy Halladay, but the star pitcher of the 2008 trade deadline was dealt long before July 31st. Two years ago today, the Indians sent C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers for Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, Matt LaPorta and a player to be named (eventually Michael Brantley).
C.C. pitched well – probably even better than the Brewers could have imagined. He made 17 starts, finishing seven of them, and ended up with an 11-2 mark and a 1.65 ERA. Remarkably, Sabathia led both leagues in shutouts in 2008 and pitched the Brewers to their first postseason appearance since 1982. The eventual World Series champion Phillies ousted the Brewers in four games and Sabathia didn't pitch well in his lone playoff start, but the Brewers would not have made the postseason without their ace.
The Brewers also received two compensation picks for losing Sabathia to free agency after offering arbitration. Last year they used those picks to select Kentrail Davis (ranked 6th among Brewers prospects by Baseball America preseason) and Maxwell Walla (ranked 28th).
The Brewers weren't the only ones to add young talent, though. LaPorta, the centerpiece of the deal, hasn't had a great deal of major league success until recently. His overall season line (.242/.315/.376) is pedestrian, but the 25-year-old has homered four times in his last seven games. Bryson, 22, has posted 17.0 K/9 in high A ball this year and Brantley, who entered the season as the Indians' 6th best prospect, has a .391 OBP at Triple A.
As I suggested one year after this trade was completed, some deals benefit both teams. The Brewers ended up making the playoffs and obtaining draft choices, but the Indians added more talent than they would have obtained with a pair of top picks.
Poll: Best Free Agent Pitcher Signed Last Winter
Andy Pettitte, Jose Valverde and Joaquin Benoit are some of the pitchers who have turned in fantastic first halves after signing free agent deals over the winter. Yesterday we determined that our readers believe Vladimir Guerrero was the best hitter signed last winter. Today, let's turn our focus to the mound:
Which of the free agent pitchers signed last winter has performed best in 2010?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results
Blue Jays To Sign Adonis Cardona
JULY 7th: Alexander Mendoza of El Nacional reports that the Blue Jays signed Cardona over the weekend (link in Spanish). Ignacio Serrano of El Nacional reports (via Twitter) that Cardona's agent, Carlos Gavidia, says the bonus is for $2.8MM. The Blue Jays have not confirmed the signing.
MAY 12th: Frankie Piliere of AOL FanHouse believes Cardona's deal with the Blue Jays will be for $2.8MM (Twitter link).
MAY 10th: The Blue Jays are close to signing Venezuelan righty Adonis Cardona, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law. The prospect can't officially sign with the Blue Jays until the July 2nd signing period opens. The terms of the deal aren't clear, but some July 2 free agents do sign seven-figure deals. As Law points out, such early agreements do not always hold up.
The Blue Jays have pursued international free agents aggressively under GM Alex Anthopoulos, bidding on Aroldis Chapman and signing shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria.
Dodgers Speaking To Clubs; Looking For Pitching
The Dodgers are looking for pitching and have had conversations with several teams about trades, according to Evan Drellich of MLB.com. The Mariners, Astros, Blue Jays, Indians and D’Backs are among the teams the Dodgers have spoken to. And at this point, the Dodgers are looking for one thing.
"I think pitching is the area probably – starting and relieving," manager Joe Torre said. "Whatever will tighten up what we have now."
No deals are imminent for the Dodgers, who are expected to have limited ability to add payroll. That means Dan Haren of the D’Backs ($33MM remaining on his contract) and Roy Oswalt of the Astros ($25.5MM remaining on his contract) may be too expensive for the Dodgers. Cliff Lee has a more affordable salary ($4.5 remaining), but numerous other clubs are pursuing him.
David Aardsma, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg and Kerry Wood are among the relievers now pitching for teams the Dodgers have talked with. Starters like Brett Myers, Shaun Marcum, Fausto Carmona and Edwin Jackson could all interest the Dodgers.
Cubs Rumors: Theriot, Trades, Piniella
Jim Hendry's peers recently told ESPN that the Cubs GM is an easy person to make trades with. If the 36-47 Cubs decide to sell, Hendry's phone could be ringing non-stop, but the Cubs aren't there quite yet. Here's the latest on the North Siders:
- A few weeks ago Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News heard that the Giants could have interest in Ryan Theriot, but the Giants now say Theriot's name hasn't come up in trade talks.
- Hendry may not have committed to selling, but manager Lou Piniella thinks the Cubs will get younger this month. ''We probably will be sellers,'' Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Piniella told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he will finish managing this season, but won't take another managerial job afterwards. "I know that this will be my last managing job," Piniella said. "I do know that for a fact."
Odds & Ends: Marcum, Reds, Marlins, Munson
A few more links, on the night of Johnny Damon's 2,500th career hit….
- Shaun Marcum would like to remain a Blue Jay, but says if he gets traded, "hopefully it's [to] someone that's obviously going to be in the playoffs." MLB.com's James Hall has the full story.
- With Edinson Volquez set to rejoin Cincinnati soon, Brandon Phillips tells CBS Sports' Danny Knobler that he doesn't think the Reds need to trade for a pitcher.
- Marlins' players are battling to stay in the playoff hunt, in hopes of convincing the front office not to break up the team, writes the Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi. Florida's brass should decide soon whether or not they'll become sellers.
- The Indians signed a pitcher whose pre-draft arm surgery dropped him from a potential top-50 pick to the seventh round, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- The Padres released former third overall pick Eric Munson, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- Frank Wren is biding his time when it comes to making trades, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Wren reiterated what we heard a couple weeks ago: the Braves likely won't need to acquire any pitching.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link) hears that the White Sox aren't currently "heavily involved" in trade talk, but concedes that with Chicago, that could change at any moment.
- The Orioles are scouting the Phillies tonight, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). Gelb notes that Ty Wigginton, Miguel Tejada, and Jeremy Guthrie could all be potential targets for the Phils.
- AOL FanHouse's Frankie Piliere lists ten baseball people that ought to be considered for future general manager openings.