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Cardinals Shopping Colby Rasmus

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9:51pm: Manager Tony La Russa told KSDK TV-5 in St. Louis that Rasmus "doesn't listen" to Cardinals coaches, as Austin Laymance and Matthew Leach explain at MLB.com. "That's why he gets in these funks, in my opinion," La Russa said.

1:41pm: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio today that nothing has changed since he told Bowden at the All-Star game that he was not shopping Rasmus (Twitter link).   

12:04pm: An AL official told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Cardinals "are definitely shopping" center fielder Colby Rasmus, despite public denials.  The official says the Cards "are asking for a ton."  Danny Knobler of CBS Sports agrees, tweeting that the Cards are shopping Rasmus widely.  Knobler notes that the Nationals had a scout in St. Louis last night.

The White Sox and Rays have also been linked to Rasmus, but earlier this month GM John Mozeliak said a trade is "highly unlikely."  The Mariners have also inquired, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and Knobler notes that the Giants have watched Rasmus as a possible Carlos Beltran backup plan.

Even in a down year, the 24-year-old Rasmus is hitting .245/.332/.421 on the season.  He's under team control through 2014.

My apologies for an earlier error in which I erroneously attributed the "asking for a ton" quote to the Rays and B.J. Upton.

Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Tuesday

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Yesterday, a Major League source close to the Ubaldo Jimenez trade talks told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the chances of a deal are "around 50/50."  Here's the latest on the Rockies' ace, with the newest info up top…

  • The Yankees and Red Sox called the Rockies about Jimenez today, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. Talks with the Reds appear to be further along, though the Rockies appear to be asking for Travis Wood, Bailey and either Chapman or Mesoraco. The Rockies won’t lower their asking price, Harding reports. The Reds haven't said no yet, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Until they do, there's a slim chance a deal will occur.
  • Sources tell Dan Knobler of CBSSports.com that the team with the best chance to trade for Jimenez is the Yankees (Twitter link). The Blue Jays are considered a "real longshot at best."
  • About seven teams are interested in Jimenez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com who names the Reds, Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Indians and Blue Jays (on Twitter).
  • The Blue Jays "legitimately want" Jimenez, according an executive who spoke to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter).
  • The Rockies have asked the Reds about Homer Bailey, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  Earlier,  Renck wrote that "chances remain slim" of a Jimenez trade.  He said the Rockies "continue to listen and negotiate with multiple teams regarding Jimenez, with the Reds receiving the most attention," but in general Colorado's demands are so high that no team is expected to bite.  Renck said the Rockies have asked the Reds for Devin Mesoraco, Aroldis Chapman, and Chris Heisey, among others.  In an email exchange with MLBTR, Renck clarified that the Rockies asked for Mesoraco and Chapman together while Heisey is simply another name that has come up in talks.  Both Mesoraco and Chapman appear to be untouchable.
  • The feeling from executives is that the Rockies want to find a trade for Jimenez, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  The Yankees, Red Sox, and Reds are calling, and the Blue Jays kicked the tires.
  • The price on Jimenez hasn't dropped at all, writes ESPN's Jayson Stark.  He says the Rockies require "three sure-thing young players, including one pitcher who goes into their rotation immediately."  One executive who spoke with the Rockies pegs the chances of a deal at no more than 25 percent.
  • The Rockies "recently held a two-hour internal conference call to go over the trade alternatives" for Jimenez, writes SI's Jon Heyman.

Mariners Notes: Fister, Bedard, Felix, League

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Brendan Ryan singled in the seventh to break up C.C. Sabathia's perfect game bid, but that didn't stop the Yankees from extending Seattle's losing streak to 17 games. The latest on the struggling Mariners…

  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that teams may value Doug Fister more than Hiroki Kuroda because Fister pitches in the American League and is under team control well beyond 2011, unlike Kuroda (Twitter link).
  • The Mariners would deal Erik Bedard, who will pitch in front of a full scout section on Friday, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Fister, however, would "take a lot" to acquire. 
  • Bedard  won't be easy to obtain, either. Sean McAdam of CSNNE hears that the Mariners are asking for a "ton" in exchange for the lefty (Twitter link).
  • How many times does Jack Zduriencik have to repeat that Felix Hernandez isn’t going anywhere? The Mariners' GM told Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com that Hernandez is staying put this summer.
  • Brandon League told Greg Johns of MLB.com that he hopes to stay in Seattle. League appears to be in luck; Zduriencik said earlier today that he’s not trading his closer.

Elias Rankings Update

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After the season the Elias Sports Bureau will take all players over the 2010-11 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 2010 season running through July 25th, 2011.

Red Sox Notes: Jackson, Spilborghs, Iannetta

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The Red Sox are unlikely to have to pay much luxury tax this year, so they're willing to add payroll in the right trade, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Here's the latest on some players the Red Sox could consider acquiring…

  • The Red Sox aren't one of the teams pursuing Edwin Jackson, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox are strongly considering Ryan Spilborghs, who earns a base salary of just $1.95MM this year, as a fourth outfielder, according to Heyman. They're impressed by Josh Reddick's performance this year and seem "off" on Carlos Beltran at the moment, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
  • Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com confirms that the Red Sox are interested in Spilborghs (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox "passively inquired" on Ubaldo Jimenez (latest rumors here) and Chris Iannetta, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Lauber adds that the Red Sox haven't yet expressed interest in Spilborghs.
  • The Rockies are among the teams bearing down on Boston's farm system, according to Morosi (on Twitter).

Nationals Notes: Desmond, Johnson, Marquis

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The Nationals acquired Jonny Gomes today and Washington is also eyeing center field help. The Nationals are scouting Peter Bourjos, Michael Bourn, Denard Span, Colby Rasmus and B.J. Upton as they look to upgrade. Here are some other notes from D.C., where the Nationals host the Marlins tonight…

  • As Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post explains, trading Ian Desmond now "would be the epitome of selling low." The shortstop would be available in the right deal, but there's still a chance he can become a long-term contributor in Washington.
  • Bill Ladson of MLB.com hears that the Nationals consider Desmond part of their future and aren't planning to move him (Twitter link).
  • Before the Gomes deal, Nationals manager Davey Johnson told Kilgore that he was "not really anticipating a big trade" (Twitter link).
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears mixed opinions on whether the Nationals will trade Jason Marquis (Twitter link).

Giambi Injury Could Prevent July Trade

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7:24pm: The Rockies have placed Giambi on the disabled list, reports Renck (Twitter links). He's unlikely to be traded before the deadline (players can be traded while injured, though it's rare), but Renck mentions that Giambi could be a waiver trade candidate in August.

TUESDAY, 10:16am: Giambi injured his left quad last night, and Renck says it's a potential disabled list situation.  That could end the chances of a July trade.  In another article, Renck explains that the Phillies "called about Giambi before this road trip and are expected to circle back soon," while the Pirates "are considered long shots."

MONDAY, 3:57pm: The Phillies are interested in Rockies first baseman Jason Giambi, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The Pirates have interest as well, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  Giambi isn't looking to leave, but if he asks to go to a contender, the Rockies will help that happen, Renck reports (on Twitter).

Giambi, 40, has made the transition to useful bench player since joining the Rockies.  This year he's hitting .263/.360/.632 with ten home runs in 111 plate appearances.

White Sox Want To Trim Payroll

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The White Sox are just 3.5 games out of the AL Central lead, so don’t expect another ‘white flag’ trade this summer. But team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf wants to trim payroll, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The White Sox went “all-in” last winter and opened the season with a club record $128MM payroll. However, Adam Dunn and others have fallen well short of expectations and GM Kenny Williams said yesterday that he’s considering turning over the roster.

Rosenthal suggests the White Sox could deal Carlos Quentin and Edwin Jackson without compromising the on-field product by calling up Dayan Viciedo and returning to a five-man rotation.

Nationals Acquire Jonny Gomes

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The Nationals announced that they have acquired Jonny Gomes and cash considerations from the Reds for outfielder Bill Rhinehart and left-hander Chris Manno (Twitter links). The Reds have confirmed the move and announced that they're calling up Yonder Alonso in a corresponding move.

Gomes, 30, has a .211/.336/.399 line with 11 homers in 265 plate appearances this season. He entered the season with a reputation for hitting southpaws (.281/.376/.510 career line against lefties) and has continued hitting them in 2011 (.333/.439/.537 line). However, the left fielder has seen his playing time decrease this month – he has only batted 31 times in July.

Gomes earns $1.75MM this year and will hit free agency after the season. Since he currently projects as a Type B free agent, the Nationals could obtain a supplementary draft pick for him by offering arbitration. However, there's no guarantee that Gomes, a two-time non-tender, will receive an arbitration offer.

Manno was a 26th round pick for Washington in last year's draft. He has a 1.47 ERA with 14.4 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 61 1/3 innings as a professional. The 22-year-old, who has yet to pitch above Class A, has worked exclusively in relief.

Rhinehart, 26, is in his fifth season as a professional.  He has a .283/.376/.587 line with 21 homers at Double-A, a level he first appeared at in 2008. Rhinehart, who reached Triple-A last year, has a .261/.331/.458 line in his pro career.

Indians Willing To Deal Good Players, Take On Salary

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5:32pm: The Indians offered to pick up Carlos Beltran’s salary and give up a good player in return, according to Peter Gammons in a piece at MLB.com. Cleveland “did not fit,” for Beltran, who will accept and turn down trades based on which teams he expects to win, Gammons writes.

5:18pm: Indians GM Chris Antonetti told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian that the Indians are prepared to trade quality players or add payroll if it means improving the team’s playoff chances (all Twitter links). Now one game behind the Tigers in the AL Central, Cleveland isn’t limited to minor moves this summer.

"We are willing to trade good players and we're willing to take on salary to improve the team," Antonetti said. 

The GM finds it difficult to imagine parting with one of the organization’s best young players for a rental player, but he’ll consider trading top prospects if he’s presented with a “compelling deal.”

The Indians have interest in outfielders, including B.J. Upton, infielders, including Jamey Carroll, and starters, including Hiroki Kuroda.

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