Poll: Rays At The Deadline
Winning and building for the future represent a delicate balance for the Rays, who operate on a tight budget each year. They entered tonight's game vs. the Red Sox in third place in the AL East, six games behind Boston and five behind second-place New York. In its most recent Playoff Odds Report, Baseball Prospectus listed the Rays as having an 8.6 percent chance of reaching the postseason.
However, Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times wrote today that the Rays are more likely to be buyers than sellers this month, as they seem inclined to further build their core, rather than breaking it down (here's Topkin's list of players the Rays might consider selling). Executive vice president Andrew Friedman told Topkin that he hopes to add a player who can help the Rays in 2011 and beyond, and that the Rays' deep farm could allow him to make such a trade, though certain prospects are highly unlikely to be made available.
Tampa Bay is in a tough spot, being a solid team in a brutal division. Friedman's vision of adding a good, cost-controlled player sounds good, but it could be tough to pull off without dealing a high-end prospect. What would you do if you were the Rays?
What should the Rays do?
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Sell - trade the pricier veterans and stock the farm 49% (3,386)
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Buy - add a good player and compete for the playoffs 36% (2,462)
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Neither - stand pat 15% (1,014)
Total votes: 6,862
Rosenthal On Rangers, Relief Market
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has the latest on the Texas Rangers' pursuit of bullpen help and a few other items of note on the relief market.
- The Rangers are stocked with prospects and cash, and they are shopping for top-flight relievers.
- Texas' trade targets include San Diego's Heath Bell and Mike Adams, Oakland's Andrew Bailey and Washington's Tyler Clippard.
- The asking price for each of those relievers is high. The A's and Nats, in particular, will need to be overwhelmed to move Bailey and Clippard, respectively. Both right-handers will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason.
- For trade partners in need of offense, the Rangers have a useful trade chip in slugger Chris Davis, who is Major League-ready.
- The Padres are discussing their relievers with the Yankees, Phillies and other clubs.
Padres Notes: Bell, Adams, Ludwick
The Padres have been prominent in trade rumors all month, and a couple tidbits of note pertaining to San Diego's sought-after commodities came in this afternoon and evening, courtesy of Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
- The Friars have exchanged names with a couple teams on relievers Heath Bell and Mike Adams, among others, though they "haven't been inspired yet." The Rangers and Phillies are involved, according to Olney (via Twitter). The trade market is relatively flush with useful relievers, so it will be interesting to see how high a return the Padres can land for these righties, if they do in fact trade one or both. For the fantasy ramifications of relievers on the move this month, check out CloserNews.
- San Diego may hold onto Bell unless it can recoup what it considers to be a little more value than two drafts picks, which would be the compensation if Bell, a likely type A free agent, were to sign with another team this offseason. This is not a good year to be selling relievers, as it's a buyer's market (Twitter links).
- The Red Sox are among the teams that have checked in with the Padres about right-handed-hitting outfielder Ryan Ludwick, reports Olney (via Twitter). Boston has lacked a useful righty stick in the outfield most of the season, as Mike Cameron was ineffective in that role before being designated for assignment and then acquired by the Marlins. The Phillies have also been rumored to be interested in Ludwick, who is a free agent at season's end.
Twins Release Steve Singleton
The Twins released minor league infielder Steve Singleton from the organization today, writes La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. In a follow-up tweet, Neal adds that "off the field issues" played into the Twins' decision to release the 25-year-old.
Singleton excelled in 41 games at Double-A New Britain this season, hitting .295/.331/.452 with three homers and 17 doubles. He struggled in a promotion to Triple-A Rochester, though, batting just .246/.289/.380. Singleton was an 11th round selection by the Twins back in 2006 and has seen significant time at second base, shortstop, and third base in six minor league seasons, compiling a .282/.329./.418 triple slash line along the way.
Quick Hits: Wigginton, Reyes, Phillies, Lowe
Some assorted links for your Sunday reading:
- Ty Wigginton's name has come up in talks between the Yankees and Rockies, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. As Heyman points out, Wigginton could fill in for Alex Rodriguez as he recovers from surgery.
- The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo feels that the Red Sox should go all-in and acquire Jose Reyes to put the team over the top.
- Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to a scout from each league and got their takes on several Phillies' trade targets, including: Josh Willingham, Ryan Ludwick, Heath Bell, Mike Adams, Hunter Pence, and Carlos Beltran.
- Derek Lowe isn't concerning himself with trade rumors and is even making light of the Tigers' interest in him, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rogers speculates that the Braves could move Lowe to clear salary for a big-name hitter.
- The Tigers are looking at improving their rotation and possibly third base, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. With Carlos Guillen coming back and Phil Coke being placed back in the bullpen, GM Dave Dombrowski doesn't feel second base and relief help are big areas of need.
Gammons Talks Trade Market
Peter Gammons spoke with a host of scouts, general managers, and MLB executives, all of which is compiled in his latest piece at MLB.com, which is chock full of trade-related news:
- The Astros are asking for as much in return for Wandy Rodriguez as the Rockies are for Ubaldo Jimenez. General manager Ed Wade is in a difficult position, caught between an ownership change.
- Half a dozen teams are looking for right-handed offense, but the Rockies won't trade Ryan Spilborghs and the Cubs are holding onto Jeff Baker. Gammons says that reduces that market to Conor Jackson, Josh Willingham, Reed Johnson, Lastings Milledge, and Jeff Francoeur. The Twins recently announced they won't trade Michael Cuddyer as well.
- The Dodgers want to shed salary, but don't have much to shed besides Jamey Carroll and Hiroki Kuroda. Gammons spoke with two East coast executives that said Kuroda, who has a full no-trade clause, won't accept a deal to an East Coast team.
- The Athletics will move veteran bats and probably a reliever or two.
- The Mariners won't have a fire sale, and aren't likely to get much for Erik Bedard in light of his injury.
- The Nationals are willing to trade Tyler Clippard, and have been continually pursuing Michael Bourn. They're also one of several teams who showed interest in Julio Borbon prior to his injury.
- Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is in a tough spot because he doesn't know which way owner Peter Angelos wants him to go, according to a rival GM.
- Jordan Pacheco and Wilin Rosario make it possible for the Rockies to trade Chris Iannetta, but the Red Sox seem content wth their catching options.
Twins Won’t Trade Cuddyer
Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune cites a team official in reporting that the Twins won't trade Michael Cuddyer this summer, even if they fall from contention. Instead, the Twins will hang onto Cuddyer as they try to close what's now just a six-game gap for the division lead, and will look to re-sign their clubhouse leader after the season.
Cuddyer, 32, has been the Twins' best hitter with a .292/.372/.467 line and 13 homers thus far. He got off to a terrible start, but is batting .325/.405/.513 since May 1, ripping 10 home runs along the way.
He's been linked to teams such as the Phillies, and Christensen throws in the Braves and Giants as teams who've scouted Cuddyer in recent weeks. Last month, Cuddyer was willing to waive his limited no-trade clause if the situation called for it, but that looks to be a thing of the past now. A prolonged losing streak and a big offer from another club could of course cause the Twins to change their minds, but for now it seems certain that the longest-tenured Twinkie will be hanging around. I examined Cuddyer's trade candidacy last month.
Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Sunday
With July 31st just two weeks away, Ubaldo Jimenez is one of the most surprising names being floated in trade rumors. Would the Rockies actually move Jimenez less than a year after he finished third in NL Cy Young voting? ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider link) talked to one talent evaluator who put the chances of a deal at one in four: "It has to be something that makes sense for the Rockies [right now]." Another evaluator thinks "it's more trolling than intent on moving" on Colorado's part (Twitter link). Here's a roundup of the rest of today's Jimenez-related notes….
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons says the Rockies think there's about a 10% chance Jimenez is traded this month. Colorado is looking for two prime prospects, along with one or two big-league ready players, including a starting pitcher.
- The Rockies and Yankees match up well, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. Colorado likes Jesus Montero, but the Yanks are reluctant to include Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, or Ivan Nova along with Montero.
- Heyman says (via Twitter) that the Rockies have talked to the Yankees, and "probably" the Red Sox, Tigers, Reds, and others as well.
- Some teams interested in Jimenez believe that if the Rockies hang on to him now, he's a decent bet to be traded this winter, when available top pitching will again be scarce and more clubs could get involved, writes Olney.
- One more note from Olney's article: Given Jimenez's inexpensive price tag through 2013, there would be very little financial risk for any team acquiring the right-hander, which is one reason why the Rockies' asking price is so high.
- Speaking of that asking price, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that the Rockies would have to be "absolutely overwhelmed" to move Jimenez. "It would have to be a Herschel Walkerdeal," O'Dowd added, referring to the 1989 NFL trade that earned the nickname "The Great Train Robbery."
- There seems to be a potentially game-changing pitcher connected in trade rumors to the Yankees every July, and this year it's Jimenez, writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.
Rays Notes: Trade Deadline, Moore, Upton, Damon
As both a playoff contender and an organization keeping its payroll in check, the Rays could decide to become buyers, sellers, or a combination of the two this month. However, Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times views the club as buyers more than sellers, since they seem "more focused on adding to their core than breaking it up." Topkin spoke to executive VP Andrew Friedman about the upcoming deadline:
- "I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to line up on something that helps us in 2011 and gets in front of one of our to-do items this offseason," said Friedman. "We are pursuing different moves that would strengthen our weaknesses and not necessarily detract from our current strengths."
- The Rays are open to acquiring a rental player, but would give up more for someone who was under control past this season.
- The team is willing to use its farm system to faciliate a potential trade. Friedman says there are a few prospects the Rays are "very unlikely" to trade, with Matt Moore likely heading that list, but "the fact that we have a really deep system helps us in that respect."
- In a separate piece, Topkin examines the pros and cons of trading five players on the Rays' current roster, including B.J. Upton and Johnny Damon.
- The Rays have been bold and brazen when making trades in the past, and need to continue to be aggressive, writes John Romano of the St. Petersburg Times.
NL Central Rumors: Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Rasmus
The NL Central lead seems to change hands on a daily basis, meaning we can expect plenty of trade talk over the next two weeks as the Brewers, Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds attempt to gain an edge in a tight race. Here's the latest from out of the division:
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry has "no interest" in moving Matt Garza or Ryan Dempster this season, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com.
- New Astros ownership would like to cut payroll to $60MM, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter). As such, Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers are "being shopped," though Houston will likely hang on to Hunter Pence.
- Discussing those three Houston trade candidates, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the Astros would have to be "completely blown away" to move Pence, but Myers is very much in play, and there could be a decent market for him. Rodriguez falls somewhere in between – the Astros have fielded plenty of inquires, but it would take a big package to get a deal done.
- Heyman thinks that Jamey Carroll would be a good addition for the Brewers (Twitter link).
- Colby Rasmus' father confirmed to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his son has requested a trade in the past. Strauss breaks down some of the reasons why the Cardinals and Rasmus seem to have trouble seeing eye to eye.