Quick Hits: Goldschmidt, Johnson, Rockies
Ubaldo Jimenez struck out nine Braves in 6 2/3 innings tonight, allowing seven hits, two walks and two earned runs. The asking price on Jimenez was already sky-high and there's no reason to think it's going anywhere but up after tonight's performance. Here are the latest links from around MLB…
- Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks and Brad Boxberger of the Reds are two of the minor leaguers who could make an impact in the Major Leagues down the stretch, as Keith Law writes at ESPN.com.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America breaks down 12 pro scouting success stories in baseball this year, from Reed Johnson's solid play for the Cubs, to Jason Giambi's power displays in Denver.
- Carlos Gonzalez told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he hopes the Rockies can regain the confidence of their front office by playing better baseball for the remainder of the season.
- Third round pick C.J. McElroy signed with the Cardinals for $510K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. That's the highest bonus any third rounder has obtained so far, $226K over slot.
D’Backs Eye Starters, Intend To Acquire Reliever
The Diamondbacks will add at least one reliever and could add a starter, too, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Giants, who lead Arizona by 3.5 games in the NL West, acquired Jeff Keppinger tonight and D'Backs GM Kevin Towers is expected to respond before long.
The D'Backs "would love" to acquire Kerry Wood, who can block any trade the Cubs propose. Arizona also has interest in Todd Coffey, Jason Isringhausen and Jason Frasor. John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR reported last week that the D'Backs would consider Isringhausen, Wood and possibly Frasor.
Though the D'Backs are looking for starting pitching, Ubaldo Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda and Aaron Harang are unlikely to be traded within the NL West. For more on what the D'Backs, Giants and other contenders are looking for, check out Tim Dierkes' analysis from earlier today.
Carlos Beltran Rumors: Tuesday
The trade deadline is just 12 days away, and the Mets possess the best available bat in Carlos Beltran. The Mets are willing to assume a chunk of his $18.5MM salary to improve the return. Beltran will have to approve the trade, and the Phillies, Giants, Tigers, and Braves might be the most likely suitors. The latest:
- The Pirates, who won again tonight, have called on Beltran, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The Pirates rate Beltran as the top available bat, but aren't going after him full-speed, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter).
- The Phillies and Red Sox are among the most aggressive suitors for Beltran, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Other clubs remain "strongly in the mix" for Beltran, Rosenthal reports. Both the Phillies and Red Sox are up against the luxury tax and want the Mets to pick up substantial salary in any deal. The Mets may trade the switch-hitter several days before the deadline and may have to include less money than they originally expected to send. Though Beltran can block any trade, the Mets don't expect that to become a problem.
- The Giants, who acquired Jeff Keppinger earlier today, remain interested in Beltran, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- The Yankees aren't in the market for Beltran, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). They won't be interested in him unless somone on their roster gets injured, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
- Rival executives tell ESPN's Buster Olney that Beltran's trade value would be much higher if not for a contractual clause that prevents his team from offering arbitration after the season, therefore eliminating draft pick compensation. My take: Beltran is not a lock for Type A status, and most teams would have been reluctant to offer arbitration to him given his health history and $18.5MM salary. The impact of Beltran's "no arbitration offer" clause on his trade value seems overstated.
- The Yankees discussed Beltran with the Mets, reports Olney, but he cannot see a deal happening unless it's a pure salary dump. Bob Klapisch goes a step further, saying the Yankees briefly entertained the idea but decided it's not a fit.
Check Out CloserNews.com
Many of you play fantasy baseball, so here's a reminder to check out our newly launched CloserNews website. The site is bursting with new content from Dan Mennella, helping fantasy players make sense of each team's bullpen and ninth inning situation.
For instant updates on possible closer changes, especially with the trade deadline approaching, follow @closernews on Twitter.
Reds Eyeing Wandy, Figgins, Crisp
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports has three new names on the Reds' radar: Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez, Mariners third baseman Chone Figgins, and Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp.
The Reds have strong interest in Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez, says Knobler, and have looked into Rodriguez. Wandy would be much easier to acquire in general, though there is the wrinkle of trading with a division rival and a GM who might fear losing his job in Ed Wade.
Figgins and Crisp would fit the Reds as leadoff types, though neither is getting on base much this year. The Mariners would likely pick up much of the $19.9MM that will be owed to Figgins through 2013. Figgins or Crisp would presumably play left field for the Reds.
Elias Rankings Update
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 19th, 2011. Note: an error in an earlier version of this post has been corrected.
NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Soriano, Betemit, Pence
Four teams are within striking distance of the NL Central lead: the Brewers, the Cardinals and the Reds and Pirates, who are currently playing at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The latest links from the division…
- Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that he can take on payroll and would prefer not to trade players currently on the Major League roster (Twitter link).
- Alfonso Soriano told Carrie Muskat of MLB.com that he isn't worried about trade rumors, since he doesn't control what happens leading up to the trade deadline. The 35-year-old has 14 homers and a .255/.298/.456 line for the Cubs, who owe him $18MM annually through 2014. Soriano told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he would consider waiving his no-trade clause to join a contender.
- Dave Gershman of Beyond the Boxscore suggests the Cubs should consider trading Sean Marshall if they can get a top prospect like Jonathan Singleton.
- The Brewers and Royals are still in contact about Wilson Betemit, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The Brewers have had interest in the infielder since earlier in the month, but haven’t made substantial progress so far. Morosi reports that the Brewers would like any acquisition to be capable of playing the outfield.
- Rival teams get the impression that it will take a "major, major overpay" to obtain Hunter Pence from the Astros now, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
NL East Notes: Braves, Nationals, Hairston, Byrdak
The Phillies and Braves will be buyers this month, the Mets appear to be sellers, the Nationals will be 'buyers and sellers' and the Marlins are fielding inquiries on their players. Here's the latest on the NL East…
- The Braves are happy with Jordan Schafer, so even though they're among the teams with interest in Carlos Beltran, they wouldn't necessarily put Beltran in center field if they were to acquire him, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
- If the Braves trade Derek Lowe it will be to create payroll flexibility for the rest of 2011 and in 2012, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). Such a deal would also show that the Braves have lots of confidence in Brandon Beachy, as Olney explains.
- Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com explains that Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is willing to listen on just about all of his players, including relievers Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard. Goessling says it's more likely that the Nationals trade a starter than Clippard or Storen, however.
- The Phillies are scouting Scott Hairston and Tim Byrdak of the Mets, not just Beltran, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
AL Central Notes: Indians, Francis, Chen, Buehrle
Jeff Keppinger was traded today as well as five years ago today. That's when the Royals acquired him from the Mets for Ruben Gotay. Here's the latest from the AL Central…
- Grady Sizemore was placed on the disabled list with a knee issue, and SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) the Indians have their eyes on Ryan Ludwick and Josh Willingham. They also called about Carlos Beltran, but his no-trade clause may be an obstacle.
- Meanwhile, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian notes (on Twitter) that while the Indians prefer a right-handed bat, they haven't ruled out lefties with Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo out.
- Royals GM Dayton Moore told MLB Network Radio's Jim Bowden that it's possible they'll move lefty starters Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen before the deadline (Twitter link).
- South Side Sox notes that it's much quieter this year than the last time White Sox ace Mark Buehrle was scheduled to become a free agent.
Dodgers Release Marcus Thames
The Dodgers have released Marcus Thames, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter). Los Angeles designated the outfielder for assignment a week ago to create roster space for new acquisition Juan Rivera.
Thames hit .197/.243/.333 in 70 plate appearances this year. Though the Dodgers acquired the 34-year-old for his ability to hit left-handed pitching (.824 career OPS), he struggled against southpaws, posting just a .167/.231/.306 line. In ten big league seasons, he has a .246/.309/.485 line with 115 homers.