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Archives for July 2011

Orioles Acquire Zach Phillips

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The Orioles acquired lefty reliever Zach Phillips from the Rangers for Nick Green and cash, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Green will not go on the Rangers' 40-man roster, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Phillips, 24, posted a 4.43 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 4.2 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 44 2/3 innings for the Rangers' Triple-A club before being designated for assignment to clear a 40-man spot for Scott Feldman on Thursday.

Green, 32, has a .208/.276/.357 line in 348 plate appearances for the Orioles' Triple-A club this year.  He's mainly played shortstop, second base, and left field.

Andy MacPhail and Jon Daniels matched up on a trade once before, when the Orioles acquired Kevin Millwood and cash for Chris Ray and Ben Snyder during the 2009 Winter Meetings.

Possible Reds Relief Targets

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The Reds have had internal discussions about acquiring Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara, Jason Isringhausen, Jason Frasor, and Todd Coffey, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Isringhausen and Coffey have previous ties to the organization.  GM Walt Jocketty might have to go toe-to-toe with the divison rival Cardinals and Pirates on certain players, as those teams also seek bullpen help.

Morosi adds that the Reds are also focused on high-end starters, maintaining their interest in Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez.  The Reds are not looking for shortstop help, as they're pleased with the play of Zack Cozart in his first seven games.

Pirates Interested In Koji Uehara

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12:39pm: The Pirates are looking at the Orioles' Koji Uehara, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Statistically, Uehara is one of the best relievers available.  Uehara earns $3MM this year, and a $4MM option for next year vests with 15 more appearances.

11:06am: We've seen hints that the Pirates are seeking relief help, as noted in our Contender Wish List post this morning.  But the bullpen is actually the front office's focus, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.

The Pirates' bullpen ranks fourth in the NL with a 3.15 ERA, though the group is third from the bottom in strikeout rate.  Evan Meek has missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, leaving righties Joel Hanrahan, Jose Veras, Chris Resop, and Daniel McCutchen to pile up relief innings.

It's a buyer's market for relievers, though the supply of quality lefties is a little weak.

Mariners Rumors: Felix, League

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The Mariners are sellers, and they might be willing to part with decent pitching.  Here's the latest…

Phillies, Marlins Discussed Leo Nunez

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The Phillies have talked to the Marlins about closer Leo Nunez, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  The Marlins seek young pitching in return, Crasnick adds.

Nunez fits with the Phillies' goal of acquiring players they can control beyond this year, though his salary will get a healthy bump from this year's $3.65MM.  Over at CloserNews, we're speculating on Mike Dunn for saves in Florida if Nunez is dealt.

Crasnick tweets that the Marlins are not ready to pull the plug yet, even if the team's recent strong play still doesn't make them a mathematical contender.  MLB.com's Joe Frisaro believes the Marlins will stay the course, and maybe even consider adding a third baseman or pitcher.  Keep in mind that even if the Marlins don't want to pay Nunez $6-7MM next year, they can always trade him in August or the offseason.

Kuroda Unsure About Waiving No-Trade Clause

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Dodgers GM Ned Colletti met with starter Hiroki Kuroda yesterday, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.  The GM told Kuroda he doesn't want to trade him and would like to have him back next year, but also wants to offer him a chance to win and will keep him apprised of inquiries. 

Kuroda's contract includes a full no-trade clause, and it's been rumored that he'd block trades to the East Coast.  Asked about the waiving the clause, Kuroda said, "At this point, I don't know yet."  In June, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that Kuroda would require some form of compensation to waive his no-trade.

Kuroda is one of the best starters available this summer.  He's on a one-year, $12MM deal, but has an $8MM salary and a $4MM signing bonus to be paid out in 2012 and '13.  So in theory the Dodgers could unload 55% of the contract ($6.6MM) for one-third of a season of Kuroda's services.

Interest in Kuroda appears strong, with the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, and Tigers reportedly interested.  Of course, none of those clubs play on the West Coast.

Injured Trade Candidates

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Players can be traded while on the DL, but in general teams strongly prefer their acquisitions to be healthy.  Here's a look at trade candidates who are currently on the DL.

  • Erik Bedard, Mariners.  Bedard is on the DL for a knee sprain.  He threw a successful bullpen session on Sunday and may be able to make a start or two before the deadline.  Injuries have killed Bedard's trade deadline value in years past, though they were more serious than this one.  To the extent that he's on the mound, Bedard might be the best available starter on the trade market.
  • Jose Reyes, Mets.  Reyes just finished recovering from a left hamstring strain; he's expected back in the Mets' lineup tonight.  I know he's not expected to be dealt, though I think it'd make sense for Sandy Alderson to listen.
  • Ivan Rodriguez, Nationals.  Pudge is coming back from an oblique strain and should return to action this month.
  • Luke Scott, Orioles.  Scott's shoulder has bothered him for much of the season, but he received a cortisone shot and could be activated today.  I think he's likely to stay put.
  • Brad Hawpe, Padres.  Hawpe strained a finger in late June, but an elbow problem may be the bigger concern.  It sounds like he won't make it back by the deadline, but an August deal could happen.
  • Kevin Slowey, Twins.  Battling an abdomen injury, Slowey made a third rehab start on Friday.  He's expected to be optioned to stay in Triple-A, so a trade would be best for everyone.
  • John Danks, White Sox.  Danks is expected to rejoin Chicago's rotation Thursday against the Royals after an oblique strain.  His teammate Edwin Jackson seems more likely to be dealt.
  • Casey Blake, Dodgers.  Blake received a cortisone shot for his neck injury, but no return is imminent.  This might have to be an August deal if at all.

Rosenthal On GM Job Security

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tells us which GMs are on the hot seat in his latest column.  A few details…

  • Ed Wade (Astros) and Jim Hendry (Cubs) are deemed to be on the hot seat.  New Astros owner Jim Crane is expected to try to lure Rays decision-maker Andrew Friedman with the chance to run his hometown team.  As for the Cubs, Rosenthal finds speculation of a Pat Gillick-Hendry pairing to be far-fetched.  Rosenthal notes that the Cubs job, which has been occupied by Hendry for more than nine years, "might draw interest from some of the game's top current GMs."
  • Jack Zduriencik (Mariners), Tony Reagins (Angels), and Dave Dombrowski (Tigers) are viewed as "less than secure."
  • Brian Cashman (Yankees) and Andy MacPhail (Orioles) are in the final year of their contracts.  Rosenthal says "even some of Cashman’s friends in the industry think he might be ready to bolt."  Rosenthal says it'd be an upset if MacPhail returns for Baltimore.
  • Ned Colletti (Dodgers) and Kenny Williams (White Sox) are in unusual positions.  Colletti has an out after 2012, and of course his club is a picture of uncertainty.  As for Williams, he could theoretically become club president to allow the team to retain Rick Hahn, but Rosenthal's sources believe "such an arrangement would be difficult on both men."
  • Rosenthal tosses a "you never know" tag on Doug Melvin (Brewers) and Bill Smith (Twins), but finds the Pirates' Neal Huntington secure.    
  • We'll have much more on the topic of GM candidates next month.  But in MLBTR's survey of dozens of team executives and agents, the following people were named as candidates at least five times: Hahn, Jerry Dipoto, Thad Levine, David Forst, Ben Cherington, Tony LaCava, Mike Chernoff, Bryan Minniti, A.J. Preller, and Billy Eppler.

Contender Wish Lists

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Here's what each contender appears to be looking for, as determined by reported rumors.

  • Red Sox: Right-handed hitting right fielder, lefty reliever, starting pitcher, shortstop
  • Yankees:  Starting pitcher, lefty and righty reliever, bench player capable of playing third base
  • Rays: Reliever
  • Indians: Starting pitcher, outfielder, infield help, general offense
  • Tigers: Starting pitcher, third baseman, outfielder, lefty reliever    
  • White Sox: Righty reliever
  • Twins: Middle reliever
  • Rangers: Reliever, starting pitcher
  • Angels: Reliever, third baseman, outfielder, first baseman (preference for left-handed hitter)
  • Phillies: Reliever, right-handed hitting outfielder (preference for non-rentals)
  • Braves: Right-handed hitting outfielder, leadoff hitter, bench player
  • Pirates: Right-handed hitter, reliever, starting pitcher
  • Cardinals: Starting pitcher, reliever
  • Brewers: Third baseman, shortstop
  • Reds: Reliever, starting pitcher, left fielder
  • Giants: Corner outfielder, catcher, second baseman, shortstop
  • Diamondbacks: Affordable reliever, starting pitcher

D’Backs To Release Aaron Heilman

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The D'Backs will release Aaron Heilman, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (on Twitter). The 32-year-old, who signed a $2MM deal with with Arizona this January, is about to become a free agent once again.

Heilman posted a 6.88 ERA with 8.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 38.5% ground ball rate in 35 1/3 innings of work this year. Bad luck may have contributed to an ugly ERA that was twice Heilman's xFIP of 3.44. He allowed a career-high .360 batting average on balls in play and a career-high 20% of fly balls against him left the yard. His average fastball velocity dipped from 92.3 mph in 2010 to 90.6 mph in 2011.

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