Here are some highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- Rival clubs continue to report that the Giants are looking hard for a catcher. In a perfect world, they'd pick up a shortstop too. Rookie Brandon Crawford appears to be over-matched at the plate, Miguel Tejada has the lowest OPS in the National League, and Mike Fontenot won't be able to play the position every day even when he returns from the DL. Jose Reyes has been mentioned as a fit but he'll probably cost a ton to land and quite a bit of cash to retain beyond this year. One veteran that could make sense for the club is the Indians' Orlando Cabrera. The Giants had interest in him last winter and he is now expendable.
- The White Sox are looking to improve and there's one obvious move they can make within: dumping Juan Pierre and promoting Dayan Viciedo. It would leave the club without a leadoff hitter, but Pierre has been struggling as of late anyway. Meanwhile, Viciedo has been hitting .324 with power in Triple-A.
- The Padres are taking one last stab at getting into contention, but one more losing stretch and they'll commence the selloff. It would behoove them to act sooner rather than later with players like Heath Bell and Ryan Ludwick so that they can get the jump on the market. Money is tight for many teams right now but the Padres might be willing to include some cash in deals to get better returns.
- The rapidly declining Marlins will definitely be sellers and will listen on offers for Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs. They could also shop Leo Nunez, even though the market for relievers is crowded. Nunez is making $3.65MM this season and has one more year of arbitration eligibility left.
