Minor Moves: Vazquez, Diamond
Let's keep track of all the day's minor moves here…
- The Blue Jays have released infielder Ramon Vazquez according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. The 34-year-old hit .288/.367/.363 in 90 Triple-A plate appearances after signing a minor league deal in mid-June.
- The Twins released right-hander Thomas Diamond according to the International League transactions page. Diamond, 28, pitched to a 8.25 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9 in 24 innings for Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate after landing a minor league contract last month.
Quick Hits: Nationals, Upton, Webb, Inge, Mariners
With nine days remaining before the trade deadline, the biggest trade chips in baseball are arguably Carlos Beltran (latest rumors) and Hunter Pence (latest rumors). Here are some other relevant links from around MLB…
- The Nationals are in greater need of outfield depth than infield help or a catcher, a baseball source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- The Rays pulled B.J. Upton and prospect Desmond Jennings from their respective games, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter). However, Upton says that he has not been traded, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- Rangers pitcher Brandon Webb will undergo surgery on his right shoulder with the intent to pitch again in 2012, according to his agent Jonathan Maurer. This will not be a full surgery of the rotator cuff but it will prevent him from throwing for four months.
- The Tigers would need to eat some salary to move Brandon Inge but teams still believe that the veteran has value, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- The Reds scouted Jason Vargas and Doug Fister when the Mariners visited Toronto this week, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Indians team president Mark Shapiro said that he expects the club will make a move in the next ten days, tweets Nick Camino of WTAM 1100.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he’s looking for a bat to insert at the top of the order or in the middle of the lineup. However, the Reds are also open to acquiring pitching, either for the rotation or the bullpen. The Reds have lots of depth, but Jocketty says he “hates” trading prospects.
- Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago hears that Hall of Fame executive Pat Gillick is open to a role with the Cubs. Gillick said last week that he's open to taking on a full-time role as a team president at some point in the future.
- MLB talent evaluators tell Alex Speier of WEEI.com that the Red Sox have a number of players whose prospect status is starting to rise and who could become elite prospects within a year. Though the Adrian Gonzalez deal made a major dent in Boston’s farm system, Speier’s sources say the Red Sox still have secondary prospects who could be valuable trade bait this summer. Third baseman Will Middlebrooks and right-hander Anthony Ranaudo are among the organization’s top prospects.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports confirms that the Red Sox have had exploratory conversations with the Royals about Jeff Francoeur.
Carlos Beltran Rumors: Friday
The Carlos Beltran rumors kept streaming in yesterday. Here's a quick recap: the Giants are having some trouble matching up with the Mets; the Indians' interest is cooling; the Mets aren't worried about obtaining Beltran's permission for a deal; The Tigers are focused on pitching; the Rangers have some interest in Beltran; the Brewers would like to scrape together a package and it's too early to rule out the Phillies, Red Sox, Braves or Yankees. Here are today's rumors with the most recent updates up top:
- Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal (via Twitter) notes that if the Mets deal Beltran, he cannot officially approve the trade until 24 hours later. This means that the deadline to trade him is effectively 3:59pm EST Saturday.
- It is highly doubtful that the Giants would part with Zack Wheeler or that the Phillies would move Domonic Brown in a deal for Beltran, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
- The Mets contacted Scott Boras, Beltran's agent, if his client would be open to the idea of returning to the Mets in the offseason if traded, two sources tell David Waldstein of the New York Times. They were informed that Beltran would consider the idea of re-signing with the Mets.
- Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) thinks its highly doubtful that the Braves would part with Mike Minor in a deal for Beltran.
- The Mets are interested in Zack Wheeler, Brandon Belt, and Gary Brown of the Giants and Domonic Brown of the Phillies, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. The Braves, he adds, also have prospects of interest.
- The Reds have discussed Beltran, according to John Fay on the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Some baseball people expect Beltran to use his no-trade clause to ensure that he remains in the National League, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Beltran's full no-trade clause will likely force the Mets to have a few deals lined up days prior to July 31 so that they can move on from one proposal to another should Beltran veto one, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.
- The trade talks are down to five serious teams, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The Red Sox, Giants, Phillies, Braves and Rangers are involved. The Pirates and Indians are basically out of the conversation, according to Olney. The Mets thought the Giants were the frontrunner two days ago, but other teams have since caught up.
- The Giants, Phillies and Braves appear to be the leaders in the Beltran sweepstakes, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Brewers are also a possibility.
- Beltran told Newsday's David Lennon that he would prefer to stay in the National League. The outfielder prefers not to DH more than once per week and will consider a team's pitching staff before accepting a deal.
- A Mets official told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that there are six or seven active suitors for Beltran. The Mets were watching Braves Triple-A lefty Mike Minor closely yesterday, according to Sherman.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Hall, Beltran, Barmes, Cubs
The trade deadline is just over a week away, so let's round up the latest from the baseball corner of the internet…
- MLB Reports interviewed Derrick Hall, President and CEO of the Diamondbacks.
- NatsGM interviewed Seth Bernstein and Zach Warren, announcers for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League.
- The Todd Van Poppel Rookie Card Retirement Plan explains how Jerry Blevins was designated for assignment but remained on the Athletics' 40-man roster.
- Redleg Nation says the Reds should get serious about pursuing James Shields.
- Tomahawk Talk says the Braves should trade Derek Lowe if the opportunity presents itself.
- Brotherly Glove explains what J.J. Hardy's contract extension means for Jimmy Rollins.
- D'Backs Central tells us what the Stephen Drew injury means for the Diamondbacks going forward.
- Blogging Mets says the Mets shouldn't pay any part of Carlos Beltran's contract to trade him.
- CitiField Nine wonders if the Mets could improve their pitching staff by moving Beltran.
- Mets Paradise wonders why re-signing Beltran isn't an option for the Mets.
- Splice Today thinks the Red Sox should consider adding offense before the deadline.
- FanSpeak breaks down the players the Nationals could trade within the next week or so.
- Clutch City Nine wonders if Clint Barmes will be the next Astro to go.
- Orioles Nation breaks down Koji Uehara as a trade candidate.
- COSFBA thinks Adrian Beltre is poised for a big second half.
- Cubs Billy Goat Blog looks back at the deals the Cubs made at least year's deadline.
- Tomahawk Take lists some under-the-radar observations about the Braves.
- Wahoo Blues projected how Jason Kipnis will perform for the Indians.
- 85% Sports lists some bad Yankees trades from the 1980's.
- Through The Fence Baseball looks at the favorites for the Rookie of the Year awards.
- The Hardball Times explains why Danny Duffy should improve his performance down the stretch.
- The McAuliffe Report compares Josh Reddick's 2011 to Jacoby Ellsbury's 2007.
- Infield Chatter wrote about the Twins' recent surge in the AL Central standings.
- Lookout Landing explains the problem with sabermetrics.
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Tigers, Dodgers Talking Kuroda
The Tigers and Dodgers have had dialogue about a deal that would send Hiroki Kuroda to Detroit, sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, other teams remain involved and a trade is not yet close.
The Rangers and Indians are among the other teams with interest in Kuroda, according to major-league sources. We also heard this week that the Red Sox also inquired on the veteran hurler.
The 36-year-old's no-trade clause could potentially be a stumbling block in any deal. It has been rumored that Kuroda would decline trades to the East Coast.
Kuroda signed a one-year, $12MM deal with the Dodgers before this season.
Hunter Pence Rumors: Friday
The Astros are asking for multiple impact players in any deal involving Hunter Pence, according to Jon Heyman, Jayson Stark and Buster Olney. Pence earns $6.9MM this year and is due for a raise this offseason, when he could see his salary jump to the $10MM range. He'll earn another raise for the 2013 campaign before hitting free agency that offseason. Here's the latest on Pence, who is one of few impact hitters available:
- The Phillies are targeting Pence, but the price for him is rather high, writes CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. Houston would probably want a package that begins with Domonic Brown. The Phillies might also have to include another top talent along with him.
- The Reds have discussed Pence, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Indians, Pirates Interested In Iannetta
A number of teams, including the Indians and Pirates, have inquired on Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, major-league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. It was reported on Wednesday that the Rockies are not actively shopping the veteran.
Iannetta, 28, is under contract through next season with a club option for 2013. He's set to earn $2.55MM this season, $3.55MM in 2012, and his option is worth $5MM with an affordable $250K buyout.
Morosi writes that the BoSox have had off-and-on interest with the backstop but they appear to be content with their catching situation at the moment.
NL West Notes: Bell, Stewart, Padres, Giants
On this date three years ago, the Diamondbacks acquired Jon Rauch from the Nationals for Emilio Bonifacio. Neither player remains in the NL West, but that won't stop us from passing along the latest from their former division…
- There's no frontrunner yet in the Heath Bell trade talks, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- The Rockies are playing Ian Stewart in part because they want the rival scouts on hand to watch him, according to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. Stewart's struggles continued last night; he struck out three times.
- Jason Bartlett is staying put in San Diego, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
- The Padres have focused their trade talks around Heath Bell, Chad Qualls, Ryan Ludwick and Aaron Harang, according to Crasnick, who hears that they're going at a "slow pace" (Twitter link).
- The A's are open to trading within the AL West or with the Giants, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Wood Unlikely To Approve Trade
Cubs veteran Kerry Wood will not approve any trade proposed to him by the Cubs, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. It's more likely that the right-hander signs a new deal with the club.
In late June, Wood said that it would take a "great" offer for himself and the Cubs organization for him to sign off on a trade. Several teams would like to acquire Wood and his affordable $1.5MM salary, including the Diamondbacks. The 34-year-old would likely find himself with a number of attractive options but it seems as though he'd prefer to stay put given his ties to the Chicago area.
In 33 appearances for the Cubs this season, Wood has a 3.45 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9.
Stark On Shields, Melky, Soria, Marlins
Astros GM Ed Wade has been determining the market for his players, including Hunter Pence, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. Incoming owner Jim Crane urged Wade to do so in case appealing offers emerge. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors:
- Given Wade’s uncertain future in Houston, at least one executive suggests the GM needs to make a "job-saving deal" if he trades Pence.
- The Rays are more likely to trade B.J. Upton than James Shields, though they realize Shields’ value has never been higher (the right-hander won't be going to the Bronx).
- The Phillies remain in contact with the Royals about Melky Cabrera, but the Royals have told teams they’re more likely to deal Jeff Francoeur. Kansas City is asking for a number three starter who’s nearly Major League ready in return for Cabrera.
- Clubs that have inquired on Vance Worley have heard that he’s off of the market.
- The Braves have shown some interest in Heath Bell, whose most aggressive suitors have been the Rangers, Cardinals, Phillies and Angels. The Padres are telling teams that they’ll need to “clearly surpass” the value of two compensatory draft picks in any deal for Bell, though they’re flexible in terms of the type of player they’d accept in return.
- The Padres continue to field calls on Mike Adams, who will be tougher to obtain than Bell.
- The Yankees, Phillies and Diamondbacks appear to have checked in on Joakim Soria.
- The Red Sox are looking at everything, but aren’t approaching the deadline with much urgency, one AL executive told Stark.
- Rival teams expect that the Dodgers will trade Jamey Carroll and there are indications that Rafael Furcal is drawing interest as well.
- The Marlins, who hope to build momentum before opening their new stadium in 2012, are in a “holding pattern,” Stark reports. They’ve shown interest in third basemen.
- Rival teams report that the Phillies say they won’t move Domonic Brown or top pitching prospect Jarred Cosart. Jonathan Singleton is available in the right deal, but the Phillies don’t expect to trade him for a rental player.
- Stark reminds us that commissioner Bud Selig ruled out contraction at the All-Star Game.