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Archives for July 2011

Angels Interested In Aramis Ramirez, Wilson Betemit

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The Angels are interested in Aramis Ramirez and Wilson Betemit, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). However, Ramirez remains adamant that he will not accept a trade to any team, according to Rosenthal.

Ramirez's agent, Paul Kinzer, told Rosenthal that his client remains unwilling to accept any trade (Ramirez has ten and five rights). There's a chance that Ramirez would accept a deal in August, but the third baseman currently intends to finish his career in Chicago.

If traded, Ramirez would likely want his new club to drop his $16MM option for 2012 so that he can hit the open market after this season, Rosenthal reports. Ramirez's '12 option technically becomes guaranteed if he gets traded. 

Acquiring Betemit won't necessarily be much easier. The Brewers, who are looking for help on the left side of the infield, have discussed the 29-year-old with the Royals.

Angels third basemen – mainly Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis – have combined for a .285/.356/.364 line this year. Their .356 on-base average ranks fourth in baseball, but their .364 slugging percentage is 18th in MLB. Ramirez and Betemit would offer more power and less on-base percentage than Los Angeles' current options.

Teams Called On Rasmus; Deal “Highly Unlikely”

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The Rays, Nationals and Red Sox are among the teams that called the Cardinals about Colby Rasmus, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. However, GM John Mozeliak says he's "not shopping" his center fielder and insists that a deal remains "highly unlikely" (Twitter link).

Rasmus has requested a trade in the past and the Cardinals had serious talks about sending him to Tampa Bay last year. 

Rasmus, who is arbitration eligible for the first time after the season, has a .241/.326/.404 line with nine home runs in 369 plate appearances this year. His 2012 salary will reach seven figures through arbitration and he's under team control through 2014.

Cashman: Yanks Can Make Playoffs, Won’t Be Stupid

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman is monitoring the trade market, but prices are steep, so he won't necessarily make a move. Cashman told Jack Curry of the YES Network that he won't do anything "stupid," partly because it appears that the 55-37 Yankees are October-bound once again (all Twitter links).

"I think we definitely have enough to get in the playoffs," Cashman said.

Cashman mentioned Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Austin Romine and Jesus Montero as prospects he has "no inclination to move," Curry reports. The Yankees have at least some interest in Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies, who would cost significant prospects.

Yankees starters rank 6th in the American League with a 3.67 ERA and 6.7 K/9, though they're ninth in the league with 3.0 BB/9. Bartolo Colon, who dazzled opponents early in the year, struggled in his last outing before the All-Star break and his first outing after the break.

Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Monday

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We've read estimates ranging from a 10 to 25% chance that Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez is traded this month.  Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd said yesterday "it would have to be a Herschel Walker deal."  Given Jimenez's extremely team-friendly contract, and the fact that he has more value to the Rockies than any other team due to the nature of his 2014 club option, I can't see him being traded.  What young pre-arbitration pitcher would be the centerpiece?  My reservations aside, here are today's Jimenez rumors…

  • The Rockies and Yankees have not started exchanging names regarding Jimenez, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Olney suggests there's only a "very slim" chance the Yankees and Rockies work out a deal.
  • No less than 12 teams, including some non-contenders, have checked in on Jimenez, reports SI's Jon Heyman.
  • Yankees catcher Jesus Montero will not be the centerpiece of a Jimenez deal, a person with ties to the Rockies tells Heyman.  That makes sense, especially if the Rockies view Montero as a future first baseman.  Perhaps 20-year-old southpaw Manny Banuelos could be the key player, but Heyman says someone with ties to the Yankees insists they won't part with Banuelos, Dellin Betances, or Ivan Nova.  The Rockies asked for all four.

Knobler On Tigers, Vargas, Fister, Marlins

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Danny Knobler of CBS Sports has the latest on the market for starters, from Miami to Detroit to Seattle. Here’s the latest:

Rays Designate Adam Russell For Assignment

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The Rays designated right-handed reliever Adam Russell for assignment, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  In a series of moves, the Rays designated Russell, placed Juan Cruz and Jose Lobaton on the DL, and promoted Alex Cobb, Alex Torres, and Robinson Chirinos.  The removal of Russell from the 40-man roster drops the team's count to 38.

Russell, 28, posted a 3.03 ERA, 3.6 K/9, 5.5 BB/9, 0.55 HR/9, and 53.2% groundball rate in 32 2/3 innings for the Rays this year.  Armed with a 94 mile per hour fastball, Russell failed to tally strikeouts in his Rays stint.  Drafted by the White Sox in 2004, Russell was dealt to the Padres in the Jake Peavy deal and later headed to Tampa Bay in the Jason Bartlett trade.

The Price For Mike Adams

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32 year-old reliever Mike Adams has a microscopic 1.70 ERA in 212 innings in his Padres career, spanning four seasons.  He's under team control through next year, causing some to suggest the Padres' asking price will exceed that of closer Heath Bell.

Adams does have an injury history, including surgery to repair a torn labrum and damage to his rotator cuff in October of '08.  He missed a little time with a shoulder strain in August of '09, after his return.  Last year's injury was only an oblique strain, so on the bright side his arm and shoulder have been pretty healthy since the surgery.

The Rangers, Yankees, and Phillies are known to be in on Adams, and SI's Jon Heyman says Padres GM Jed Hoyer wants "a very big prospect" in return.  Heyman explains that Rangers shortstop Jurickson Profar, generally considered among the ten or so best prospects in the game, would be too much. 

On the other hand, Tom Krasovic reports that the Phillies are willing to trade first base/left field prospect Jonathan Singleton for Adams, but that might not be enough for San Diego.  Singleton was ranked #24 on Keith Law's top 50 prospects list, but #41 on Baseball America's list.  He failed to crack Kevin Goldstein's top 50 at Baseball Prospectus.

The prospect gurus are pretty far apart on Singleton, making it tough to identify the lower bound on the expected return for Adams.  Still, if the two prospect-related Adams rumors are accurate, an appropriate return might be pitching prospects Robbie Erlin (Rangers) or Dellin Betances (Yankees).

Orioles Extend J.J. Hardy

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The Orioles now have a strong bridge in place to top prospect Manny Machado.  They officially signed shortstop J.J. Hardy to a three-year, $22.5MM contract extension today, in a deal that includes an eight-team no-trade clause.  Hardy is represented by LSW Baseball, as our Agency Database shows.

Hardy

Hardy, 28, is hitting .278/.335/.490 in 282 plate appearances for the Orioles this season.  His defense is generally regarded as above-average.  The biggest concern with this deal is health, as Hardy played 104 games last year and may fall short of 130 this year.  Still, it won't take 160 games a year for Hardy to be worth a $7.5MM salary.  The 2012 free agent market is now down to two big-name shortstops: Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins.

The Orioles acquired Hardy and Mark Reynolds in separate deals in December, revamping the left side of their infield.  The Twins found Hardy expendable after signing Tsuyoshi Nishioka as a free agent.

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun first reported the agreement on Saturday, with Ken Rosenthal tweeting the contract details.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.  Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Heyman On Beltran, Giants, Padres

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Rumors from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • The Mets don't believe Carlos Beltran would pass through waivers in August.  Beltran is well-compensated at $18.5MM, but he's also the best hitter available this summer.  Heyman says the Mets may try to make a deal a few days before the deadline to avoid any hitches with Beltran's no-trade rights.
  • The Giants "do not want to part with any decent prospects for a hitter," perhaps taking them out of the Beltran mix.
  • The Phillies and Reds match up well with the Padres, who can offer Ryan Ludwick plus a number of different veteran right-handed relievers.  Padres GM Jed Hoyer has yet to match up with Ruben Amaro Jr. or Walt Jocketty in his two years at the helm.
  • The Padres would want a "very big prospect" for setup man Mike Adams, but Heyman says Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar isn't going anywhere.

Indians Seeking Starter, Outfielder

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The Indians are clinging to first place, and now they've lost center fielder Grady Sizemore to the 15-day DL.  Sizemore suffered a right knee contusion in yesterday's game.  Michael Brantley is the last man standing in the Indians' outfield, with Shin-Soo Choo out until mid-August for a broken thumb.

The Tribe has been linked to Carlos Beltran, the top outfielder on the market.  However, the $6MM remaining on Beltran's contract could be an obstacle.  If the Indians are otherwise looking for right-handed hitters, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests, they may be limited to Hunter Pence, Marlon Byrd, Jeff Francoeur, Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham, Reed Johnson, and Scott Hairston in my opinion.  And Pence is considered a long shot to be dealt.

Rosenthal, as well as Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, feel the Indians will also go after a starting pitcher.  Here's a look at what's out there, with the Marlins' top starters probably off the board.  SI's Jon Heyman reports that the Indians inquired on the Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda, as have the Tigers, Red Sox, Rangers, and Yankees.

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