Outrighted: Brazoban, Hottovy, Blevins
The latest players to clear waivers and be outrighted…
- The Diamondbacks announced that they have outrighted Yhency Brazoban to Triple-A in a press release. The 31-year-old right-hander struck out eight and walked four in six relief innings for Arizona over the last few weeks. He allowed eight hits and four runs.
- Southpaw reliever Tommy Hottovy, designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Saturday, cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A, tweets ESPN's Gordon Edes.
- Athletics lefty Jerry Blevins cleared waivers and is headed to Triple-A as well, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Braves Have Interest In Jonny Gomes
The Braves have interest in Jonny Gomes, report Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Earlier this afternoon we heard that Atlanta may be nearing a deal for a right-handed bat, which Gomes is.
Fred Lewis has been getting more and more playing time in left field for the Reds, which is why Gomes is available. He's hitting just .213/.339/.408 this year overall, but he's crushing left-handed pitchers: .340/.446/.547 in 65 plate appearances.
Tigers Acquire Wilson Betemit
The Tigers have acquired Wilson Betemit from the Royals for prospects Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star first reported that a trade involving Betemit was imminent (on Twitter). The Royals have confirmed the move in a press release.
The 29-year old Betemit was a sought after man this summer; the Brewers, Angels, and Marlins all expressed interest in acquiring him at various times. He has hit .281/.341/.409 with three homers in 226 plate appearances this year, though he lost playing time to Mike Moustakas in recent weeks. The Tigers have been focused on pitching in recent weeks, but this move gives them an upgrade over Brandon Inge at the hot corner. Inge is hitting just .177/.242/.242 this season.
Neither Cruz or Rodriguez ranked among Detroit's top 30 prospects in Baseball America's 2011 Prospect Handbook. Cruz, a 19-year-old left-handed pitcher, has a 3.11 ERA in 75 1/3 innings with the Tigers' Low Class-A affiliate this season. He's struck out 58 and walked 28 in ten starts and a dozen relief appearances. Rodriguez, a 20-year-old catcher, has hit .283/.325/.354 with one homer in 246 plate appearances for Detroit's High Class-A affiliate this season.
Braves May Be Nearing Deal For Bat
The Braves may be nearing a deal for a right-handed hitter, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). Though it's not clear which hitter may be headed to Atlanta, Josh Willingham, Ryan Ludwick, Hunter Pence, Jeff Francoeur, Reed Johnson, Jeff Baker, Ryan Spilborghs and Michael Cuddyer are among the potentially available players who hit from the right side.
The Braves could use an offensive boost in right field or center field. With Chipper Jones currently on the disabled list, Martin Prado is back at third base, so Atlanta could also acquire a left fielder and shift Eric Hinske back into a reserve role.
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Brewers Expressed Interest In Jamey Carroll
2:42pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel hears that there's "nothing hot" between the Dodgers and Brewers regarding Carroll.
1:54pm: The Brewers reached out to the Dodgers about infielder Jamey Carroll, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. For quite a while now, Carroll has been regarded as a natural fit for the Brewers on the left side of their infield.
Carroll, 37, is hitting .290/.360/.360 this year in 321 plate appearances for the Dodgers. He's capable of playing all around the infield and handling the outfield corners as well. With under $600K owed to Carroll after the trade deadline, he's affordable too.
I spoke to Carroll last month; check that out here.
Pirates Mulling Breslow, Willingham
2:29pm: The Pirates and A's aren't discussing a package deal involving Willingham at this point, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The two clubs have discussed relief pitching.
12:18pm: The Pirates are mulling a possible trade with the Athletics for lefty Craig Breslow and outfielder Josh Willingham, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Biertempfel believes Garrett Jones would probably be part of the package going to Oakland in such a deal.
The Pirates have a need for left-handed relief, while Willingham would serve as a useful right-handed bat in right field. The 32-year-old is hitting .244/.321/.434 on the season, but must prove he's past an Achilles injury.
The Pirates are enjoying increased financial flexiblity due to improved attendance, president Frank Coonelly told ESPN's Buster Olney. Coonelly also mentioned that he envisions GM Neal Huntington remaining at the helm "for a long time."
Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Wednesday
Yesterday the Red Sox joined the list of teams that have reportedly checked in on Rockies' ace Ubaldo Jimenez, while the Reds' interest was said to be strong. The latest:
- One MLB official says the Rockies never seriously intended to deal Jimenez, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It still sounds like he's staying put.
- The return in a Jimenez trade "would have to blow everybody away," GM Dan O'Dowd told Woody Paige of the Denver Post.
- The Rockies have yet to receive a single official offer for Jimenez, report Yahoo's Tim Brown and Jeff Passan. The Tigers, Reds, and Yankees are said to be the "most smitten" clubs. The writers add that a Tigers package would have to include pitching prospect Jacob Turner, the Reds would have to part with catcher Devin Mesoraco, and the Rockies inquired on Jesus Montero and Manny Banuelos of the Yankees.
Dodgers ‘Open For Business’
The Dodgers are "open for business," according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Los Angeles front office will consider trading potentially useful veterans including Hiroki Kuroda, Jamey Carroll, Ted Lilly, Juan Uribe, Matt Guerrier and others.
Peter Gammons reported over the weekend that the Dodgers, now 42-55, are looking to shed salary. Kuroda is drawing interest and may require compensation to accept a deal, though he the Dodgers may decide to keep him. The Brewers, who are looking to acquire help on the left side of the infield, have checked in on Carroll.
Carlos Beltran Rumors: Wednesday
Though he's well-compensated and has full no-trade protection, Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran is the best available hitter. The latest:
- The Red Sox aren't willing to part with the prospects the Mets want, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. The Mets are interested in Josh Reddick, Ryan Kalish, Jose Iglesias, Anthony Ranaudo, Felix Doubront and Will Middlebrooks, according to Edes. Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald hears that the Red Sox are focusing on internal solutions, particularly Reddick.
- SI's Jon Heyman runs through ten Beltran suitors, naming the Phillies the "clear favorite." The Mets' first target would be Domonic Brown, a concession Matt Gelb can't see happening.
- Boston's talks with the Mets about Beltran have not advanced beyond preliminary discussions, reports WEEI's Alex Speier. Eight to ten teams are said to be in the mix, with the Red Sox among the top six.
- Some Mets officials feel a deal could get done well before the July 31st deadline, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman agrees with a previous Ken Rosenthal report that the Phillies and Red Sox are the most aggressive suitors. Sherman says they're followed by the Braves, Giants, Indians, and Pirates. He notes that the Mets "have been somewhat surprised by Detroit's disinterest."
- Yesterday the Mets provided Beltran with a short list of teams to consider, and the Phillies are believed to be on it, report Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo. The writers add that the Mets have indicated a willingness to pay much or all of the $6MM owed to Beltran depending on the return. They list the Red Sox, Giants, and Yankees as other suitors, and wonder if the East Coast teams have an edge since Beltran lives in New York. Brown and Passan named the Brewers as a dark horse, but they don't have much in the way of top prospects.