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Giants Notes: Trades, Molina, Sabean

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With the Bengie Molina trade just finalized today, there are still a lot of eyes focused on what the Giants are up to next.  Here are some notes from the Bay Area….

  • Chris Haft of MLB.com says the Molina deal could be a precursor to another move to acquire a hitter.  With Buster Posey now installed behind the plate, San Francisco are now free to pursue a corner infielder (with Pablo Sandoval playing either first or third as the situation may warrant) or an outfielder.  Names like David DeJesus and Jose Guillen have been mentioned as possible acquisitions, and we also know the Giants will shy away from rent-a-players.
  • Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com says the Molina trade was "the most significant move made by Brian Sabean in the past several years." Urban also reports that Molina had "become a subtle but significant source of clubhouse contention."
  • Molina tells Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News that being traded was "a shock" since there was still a full month before the trade deadline and because he felt he had developed a rapport with the Giants' pitching staff.  When he signed with the team, however, Molina knew a deal was possible given that Posey was waiting in the wings.
  • In another Baggarly piece, Sabean disagreed with Buster Olney's informal GM survey that cited Sabean as the toughest general manager to make deals with, or just to reach on the phone.  Sabean felt Olney's piece "lacked context."

Chad Tracy Opts For Release From Cubs

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JULY 1: According to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com, Tracy has cleared waivers and opted to be released rather than go to the minors.

JUNE 25: The Cubs designated Chad Tracy for assignment, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). The Cubs had to create roster space for Aramis Ramirez, who is coming off the DL.

Tracy, 30, hit .250/.327/.295 for the Cubs in 49 plate appearances this year. He did not come close to matching the success he had with the D'Backs earlier in his career. From 2005-06, Tracy posted an .848 OPS and averaged 24 homers and 38 doubles as a corner infielder and outfielder. He signed a minor league deal worth $900K with the Cubs over the winter.

Orioles Notes: Dempsey, Wedge, Izturis, Wigginton

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Some news from the city of Omar, McNulty and Stringer Bell…

  • Former Oriole and current MASN broadcaster Rick Dempsey interviewed today for the club's managerial job, and Dempsey talked about the experience with Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Connolly notes that this is the fourth time Dempsey has been interviewed in regards to a managerial opening with the club.
  • Connolly also reported that former Indians manager Eric Wedge had his second interview today.
  • Earlier today, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli reported that Josh Bell's promotion doesn't mean that a Ty Wigginton or Miguel Tejada deal is imminent.  In a more detailed blog entry, Ghiroli added this quote from Baltimore president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail: "I might have [a trade] on the horizon…We've had conversations, and the more you get close to the end of the month the more conversations you are going to have. But there's nothing right around the corner that I'm aware of."
  • Ghiroli adds that MacPhail also denied that Cesar Izturis could be made available for a trade if Tejada was switched back to the shortstop position.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Wigginton "would be a great target" for the Phillies as a replacement for Chase Utley.

Rosenthal On Phillies’ Infield Options

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7:30pm: According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, the Phillies haven't talked to the Nationals about Kennedy.

1:31pm: The Phillies learned today that Chase Utley will be out for several weeks due to thumb surgery, and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com chimes in with some possible replacement options. He notes that the replacement doesn't necessary have to be a second baseman (Twitter link), because the team can use Placido Polanco at that position once he's healthy. That opens up the possibility of a trade for a third baseman.

Rosenthal says that former Phillie Pedro Feliz is an unlikely target, citing a scout who says his bat speed is "gone." Feliz has hit just .229/.255/.317 in 255 plate appearances this year, and his trademark defense has declined back to a -4.3 UZR this season. The Fox Sports scribe throws the names of Miguel Tejada, Ty Wigginton, Jhonny Peralta, Adam Kennedy, and Jose Lopez into the mix (Twitter links). The Mariners are actively trying to move Lopez, according to Rosenthal. 

For the now, Philadelphia will try to tread water with the combination of Wilson Valdez and Greg Dobbs at second and third, respectively. They've combined to hit just .222/.252/.338 in 222 plate appearances this season, and Jack Moore at FanGraphs chronicled just how big of a downgrade this is for the Phillies.

Kevin Cash Traded From Astros To Red Sox

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Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports (via Twitter) that the Astros have sent catcher Kevin Cash to Boston in exchange for minor league infielder Angel Sanchez.

This is Cash's second stint with the Red Sox, as he served as the team's backup catcher in 2007 and 2008.  Cash was designated for assignment by Houston last week and ended up in the minors, though it was rumored that Boston could be interested in bringing him back to add depth in the wake of Victor Martinez's thumb injury.  Cash has a .541 OPS in 646 major league plate appearances, but any big hits he provides while backing up Jason Varitek would be considered a bonus for the Sox.

In nine pro seasons, Sanchez has amassed just 31 major league plate appearances, three of which came this year in Boston.  The 26-year-old has a .279/.334/.351 career line in 3575 minor league PAs in the Boston, Toronto and Kansas City systems.  Sanchez gives Houston a bit of infield depth since he has experience playing shortstop, second base and third base. 

Footer tweets that Sanchez will take the place of Yordany Ramirez on the Astros' 40-man roster, as Houston has designated Ramirez for assignment.  The 25-year-old outfielder has a career .642 OPS in 2615 minor league plate appearances.

Padres Designate Sean Gallagher For Assignment

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Reliever Sean Gallagher has been designated for assignment by the Padres, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.  Gallagher's roster spot is being taken by Tim Stauffer, who was activated from the disabled list.

Gallagher has a 5.40 ERA in 15 appearances with San Diego this season and a career ERA of 5.57 in 60 appearances (23 of them starts) with the Padres, Athletics and Cubs since 2007.  He joined the Padres last season as the player to be named later in the Scott Hairston trade and lost a spring training bid to be part of San Diego's rotation. 

The right-hander has battled a number of injuries over the last few seasons so the jury is still out on whether or not he can effectively contribute to a major league staff.  MLB.com's Corey Brock (who was the first to note that Gallagher wasn't on the Padres' roster today) predicts that Gallagher will be claimed by another team before the 10-day waiver period is up.

White Sox Willing To Move Top Prospects In A Trade

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According to MLB.com's Scott Merkin, notable Chicago minor leaguers such as Jordan Danks, Tyler Flowers, Dan Hudson or Dayan Viciedo could possibly be dealt if the right acquisition becomes available.  White Sox GM Kenny Williams spoke to the media on Wednesday and hinted that now that the Sox have played themselves back into contention, he wouldn't hesitate to trade part of the team's future for further success this season.

"Well, if there's an opportunity to win a World Series, you got to do what you got to do sometimes — within reason," Williams said. "But it's got to be, you have to have a real opportunity. I think we have an opportunity."

Chicago's apparent trading strategy, if they do indeed make a deal, would be to move largely unproven talents rather than players who have already had an impact in the majors.  Merkin notes that the likes of Gordon Beckham, John Danks and Gavin Floyd are all but untouchable for the near future.

Of those prospects, a Flowers trade would probably have the most impact on Chicago's major league roster.  It had been widely assumed that A.J. Pierzynski would be allowed to leave after his contract expires this winter, since Flowers would then step in behind the plate for the Sox in 2011.  (Indeed, there were even rumors that Pierzynski would be traded before his ten-and-five rights kicked in on June 14.)  If Flowers was dealt, however, the White Sox might well look to re-sign their veteran catcher over other soon-to-be free agents like John Buck or Bengie Molina.

In a separate piece, Merkin highlights how surprising it is that the Sox are now considered to be buyers at the trade deadline given that the club looked to be out of the race just a few weeks ago.  Chicago has been linked to Adam Dunn and other left-handed bats, though Williams told Merkin that the team might also stand pat.  Such a decision wouldn't sit well with the Chicago media and fanbase, but it's prudent of Williams to wait and see if his team really is as good as they've seemed of late before dealing a key prospect.

Elijah Dukes Signs With Newark Bears

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According to the Atlantic League website's transactions page, the Newark Bears have signed former Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes. 

When last we heard of Dukes, he was rumored to be taking a year off from playing after he didn't show up to a tryout with Mexican League franchise Tabasco Olmecas.  Dukes was surprisingly released by Washington on March 17 after being given the Nationals' starting right-field job over the winter, and it was generally believed that the move was made to "improve clubhouse chemistry." 

Dukes joins a number of former major leaguers on the Newark roster, most notably Carl Everett, Daryle Ward and Brian Barton.  Dukes has a career slash line of .242/.349/.421 in 970 plate appearances with the Nationals and Rays.  Given his history of problems off the field, any major league teams who may be scouting Dukes will be paying just as much attention to his behavior as they will his on-field performance with the Bears.

Odds & Ends: Prior, Votto, Gaudin, Hendry, Rangers

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Links for Thursday, as we wait to see how much more damage Vladimir Guerrero will inflict upon the Angels tonight…

Three Teams Interested In Jermaine Dye

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After an offseason that featured little attention from clubs and a few rejected offers, three teams are now expressing interest in free agent slugger Jermaine Dye according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com. Those clubs: the Rangers, Rockies, and Padres.

We know the Padres are looking to add offense and the Rangers have been searching for a righty bat after Ryan Garko didn't work out, but the Rockies has been linked to infielders more than anything in the wake of Troy Tulowitzki's injury. If signed, Dye would require some time to get into game shape, but could be contributing as an outfielder, first baseman, and/or DH in the second half. He'd also have a few months to prove himself before heading back out on the free agent market.

The 36-year-old Dye hit .250/.340/.453 with 27 homers for the White Sox last year, but his outfield defense was among the worst in the game and he hit just .176/.287/.278 in his final 237 plate appearances.  

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