Quick Hits: Cardinals, Tigers, Rays, Peacock
That terrified gasp you heard earlier this evening was from Blue Jays fans and Jose Bautista fantasy owners. The star slugger was forced to leave Toronto's 16-7 win over the Yankees due to a twisted right ankle suffered in the fourth inning. X-rays were negative and Bautista will likely undergo an MRI tomorrow, reports Shi Davidi of Rogers Sportsnet.
Some news from around the majors…
- The Cardinals are shopping for both starting and relief pitching, but their trade efforts are complicated by the Albert Pujols negotiations looming this winter, writes MLB.com's Matthew Leach. There's also pressure on the club to win now since this could be the last season for both Pujols and Chris Carpenter in St. Louis.
- Speaking of pressure, it "might be higher than ever" in Detroit since GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland are both in the last year of their contracts, notes MLB.com's Jason Beck. The Tigers are also looking to add starting pitching and possibly a right-handed reliever, though Beck says the club will look internally (possibly the returning Carlos Guillen) to solve its second base problem.
- With their next seven games against the Red Sox and Yankees, the Rays may know by next week if they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, writes MLB.com's Bill Chastain. If the Rays are in contention, however, Andrew Friedman says it doesn't mean the Rays will deal prospects for big upgrades since "because of our situation, our prospects mean more to us than any other team in baseball."
- Brad Peacock is now represented by the ACES agency, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (Twitter link). The Nationals right-hander was a 41st-round pick in the 2006 draft but was recently ranked as the 42st-best minor leaguer in the game on Baseball America's midseason prospect list.
- The White Sox have signed third-round draft pick Jeff Soptic, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America. Soptic's contract bonus was worth $320K, $40.1K over MLB's recommended slot price for the 110th overall pick.
- Baseball America's Matt Eddy runs down the week's minor league transactions.
- A source tells Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles that the Angels are "pinching pennies" and won't be looking to add payroll at the trade deadline.
Red Sox Notes: Beltran, Ortiz, Papelbon, Garza
The Red Sox kick off the second half on Friday with a big series at Tropicana Field against the Rays. Here are some notes about the club with the AL's best record…
- The Red Sox have contacted the Mets about Carlos Beltran, a Boston team official tells Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston (Twitter link). According to the official, however, the Sox were "just doing [their] due diligence."
- Beltran would certainly fill Boston's hole in right field, an area that GM Theo Epstein admitted is an area of concern, reports MLB.com's Ian Browne. Epstein said he would make a move if necessary, but the GM also noted that the Sox could improve at the position from within, either with Josh Reddick playing more or J.D. Drew breaking out of his season-long slump.
- WEEI.com's Ryan Hannable has a partial transcript of Peter Gammons' appearance on the Mut & Merloni radio show today. Gammons said Boston faces "difficult decisions" on pending free agents David Ortiz and Jonathan Papelbon, particularly Papelbon since Daniel Bard is waiting in the wings as the club's next closer. Gammons believes if Papelbon wants a three-year deal worth $36MM or more, the Sox will let him go.
- Also from Gammons, he doesn't think Boston will trade a number of prospects for a starter like Matt Garza in order to solve its lack of rotation depth.
- The Red Sox face a 40-man roster crunch this winter, reports Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. "For that reason, the Red Sox can afford — and, indeed, might be wise — to trade three or four high-level prospects for an impact player," MacPherson writes. "Not only could that impact player help them win the World Series, but the trade could clear the 40-man-roster logjam and allow the Red Sox to retain some of the other prospects they've devoted so many resources to developing."
NL West Notes: Dodgers, Riggleman, Shields, Jimenez
Sixteen years ago today, Ramon Martinez threw a no-hitter against the Florida Marlins. The former All-Star won 123 games in 11 seasons with the Dodgers from 1988 to 1998 and finished second in voting for the 1990 NL Cy Young Award. Today, however, Ramon is best known as being Pedro's older brother.
Some news from the NL West…
- This is no surprise given the team's bankruptcy proceedings, but if the Dodgers do become buyers at the trade deadline, "it's probably on the Walmart level, if not the 99 Cents Only Store," writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. If the Dodgers become sellers, Gurnick lists Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Dee Gordon and Rubby De La Rosa as players who won't be moved.
- The Giants have hired former Nationals manager Jim Riggleman as a special assignment scout, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. (Twitter link) Riggleman resigned as Washington's manager on June 23 after the Nats refused to negotiate a contract extension.
- The Giants are looking to add offense at catcher, second base, shortstop and/or corner outfield spots, said vice-president of baseball operations Bobby Evans during an appearance with Jim Bowden on XM 89 MLB Network Radio. (Twitter link)
- The "Rockies have always liked James Shields," tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who thinks Colorado could pursue the right-hander if the Rays make him available. We've already heard that the Rockies want to add controllable starting pitching whether they're in the NL West race or not, and Shields' contract carries options for the 2012-14 seasons worth $28MM. (These options could be worth as much as $44MM if Shields reaches certain performance standards.)
- Scouts from the Braves, Cardinals, Indians, Phillies, Reds, Tigers, White Sox and Yankees were among the 17 scouts on hand to watch Ubaldo Jimenez's start against the Brewers on Thursday night, reports Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports. Of course, it's possible those scouts were there to see other Colorado or Milwaukee players, though at least the Reds were known to have an interest in Jimenez.
- Kevin Towers has been personally scouting the Diamondbacks' minor leaguer prospects in order to evaluate them for possible trades, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. While the D'Backs are willing to move minor leaguers, however, the team's elite prospects are off limits.
- Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune chatted with fans today about the Padres and potential trades involving Heath Bell, Mike Adams and Ryan Ludwick.
Giants Sign Kyle Crick
The Giants have signed supplemental first round pick Kyle Crick, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. Crick, the 49th overall pick, signed a deal worth $900K, a healthy step up from MLB's $717.3K recommended slot price for the 49th pick.
Crick, a right-hander from Sherman High School in Texas, "pitched consistently in the low 90s and touched 97 this spring, and he also flashes a plus curveball and slider," according to Callis. Crick had committed to attend Texas Christian University this fall but instead decided to start his pro career at age 18.
Between Crick and 29th-overall pick Joe Panik, the Giants have now signed both of their first round picks from the 2011 amateur draft. Keep track of all the first and supplemental round selections on MLBTR's list of draft signings.
D’Backs Looking At Izzy, Wood; Talking To Blue Jays
The Diamondbacks are known to be looking for a veteran reliever and to that end will consider Jason Isringhausen and Kerry Wood as trade options, tweets John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR in Phoenix. The Mets are known to be shopping Isringhausen, who has had a successful comeback season in New York and now looks to get a share of the closing duties now that Francisco Rodriguez has been dealt to Milwaukee.
Wood could be a tougher get for the Snakes. Wood has a no-trade clause and given both his personal and professional ties in Chicago, the right-hander has stated that it's unlikely that he would choose to leave the Cubs. Wood has never played for a World Series winner, however, it's possible the D'Backs or another contender could convince Wood to take one last shot at a championship.
Gambadoro also notes that the D'Backs have "had some discussions" with the Blue Jays about acquiring a pitcher, presumably a reliever. Toronto has several veterans in the bullpen but, as MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm notes, many of these arms (Shawn Camp, Frank Francisco, Jason Frasor and Jon Rauch) project as Type-B free agents this winter. The Jays would want a return worth at least as much as the compensation draft pick they'd receive from any of those pitchers if they were trade them at the deadline. Octavio Dotel also projects as a Type-B free agent but since Chisholm predicts he'd accept an offer of arbitration from the Jays, "Dotel is the likeliest Blue Jays reliever to be on the move before the end of the month."
Orioles Notes: Hardy, Markakis, Uehara, Johnson
Some news tidbits from Charm City…
- Teams have contacted the Orioles about J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Mark Reynolds, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. Jones would seemingly be untouchable and (as Heyman notes) Hardy and the Orioles are working out an extension, though Hardy would be a strong trade chip if negotiations fall apart. Reynolds and Markakis are also probably unlikely to be dealt unless Baltimore is having second thoughts about paying Markakis over $47MM between now and the end of the 2014 season.
- In a radio interview with 105.7 The Fan's Ken Weinman and Vinny Cerrato, ESPN's Keith Law thinks the team "should go out and deal any veteran player who is not likely to be part of the next good Orioles team. That’s anyone who is not under contract for 2013 or beyond. You’ve got to trade them for prospects, even if it’s a mid-level prospect. Trust your scouts. Go out and add the depth to your farm system. Sometimes you get lucky.” Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun has transcribed some of the interview's highlights, plus a link to the audio of the full interview.
- Koji Uehara "has drawn tepid interest" on the trade market due to his injury history and his age, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. There is more interest in Jim Johnson, but the O's are considering making Johnson a starter next season and have told other teams that Johnson isn't for sale.
- Andy MacPhail tells Ghiroli that the pitching staff is "definitely something we are looking at to try to augment" at the trade deadline. To this end, if Jeremy Guthrie is traded, Baltimore would want at least one Major League-ready pitcher in return to eat Guthrie's innings.
- Also from Ghiroli, MacPhail didn't comment on his own status with the club. MacPhail's contract as Baltimore's president of baseball operations is up after this season.
D’Backs Designate Wily Mo Pena For Assignment
The Diamondbacks have designated Wily Mo Pena for assignment, reports Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (Twitter link). In corresponding moves, the D'Backs also optioned Juan Miranda to Triple-A and called up Brandon Allen and Geoff Blum.
Arizona signed the slugger to a $675K minor league deal in December and called him up last month to serve as a DH during interleague play. Pena hit .196/.196/.522 in 46 plate appearances with the Snakes and hit five homers, two of which were game-winners. Before this year, Pena's last appearance in the Major Leagues came in 2008 with the Nationals.
Astros Notes: Keppinger, Myers, Mills
"We're going to be viewed as a land of opportunity for teams to try to improve the teams that are in contention," Astros GM Ed Wade tells Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Indeed, as one of the few teams clearly out of the postseason race, the 'Stros should be one of baseball's busiest teams as we head into the trade deadline. Here's the latest on a few of Houston's trade chips…
- Jeff Keppinger's versatility makes him a strong infield option for contenders like the Tigers, Cardinals, Giants, Indians and Pirates, writes Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Keppinger's trade candidacy last week.
- Brett Myers's $10MM option for 2013 will vest if he makes 25 starts in 2012 and isn't on the DL at the end of that season, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (Twitter link). Myers will be paid $11MM in 2012 and is slated to earn roughly $3MM over the rest of 2011. That 2013 option contains a $3MM buyout.
- Bud Norris, Mark Melancon and Jordan Lyles seem to be the only players the Astros won't consider trading, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, though Wade wouldn't confirm if any Houston players were indeed "untouchable." Also from that piece, Wade notes he would run any potential deal by both current owner Drayton McLane and the incoming ownership group led by Jim Crane.
- Manager Brad Mills may be in "a can't-lose position" going into the last year of his contract, writes Chip Bailey of the Houston Chronicle. Even if Mills is fired after the season, he'll lose no respect around baseball since "most outsiders and onlookers recognize he has been managing in an impossible predicament of circumstances."
NL East Notes: Beltran, Sanchez, Nationals, Braves
The Marlins are the only NL East team whose second half begins tonight, as the Fish start a four-game series at Wrigley Field. The other four teams will begin intra-divisional matchups (Phillies at Mets, Nationals at Braves) on Friday. Here's the latest from the East…
- The Carlos Beltran rumors are already swirling but the Mets will wait right until the deadline to move him, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. The Mets will wait, Heyman says, since the team still thinks it has a chance at the playoffs and because the club isn't sure Beltran would clear waivers.
- The Marlins' organizational lack of pitching depth make them likely to pursue an extension with Anibal Sanchez, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 2012 is Sanchez's last arbitration-eligible year, so Rodriguez thinks an extension might cost a bit more than Josh Johnson's four-year, $39MM with the team since this deal would be cover more of Sanchez's free agent years.
- Also from Rodriguez, Larry Beinfest said prospect Matt Dominguez is being considered by the Marlins for a September call-up. Dominguez was the 12th overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft and was ranked 81st on Baseball America's preseason list of the game's 100 best prospects. He hasn't hit well at Triple-A this season (a .239/.303/.394 line in 201 plate appearances) but Dominguez also spent a month recovering from a fractured elbow.
- Terry Collins announced today that Pedro Beato, Jason Isringhausen and Bobby Parnell will all get chances to close games for the Mets. For more on this move and other late-game news, check out MLBTR's sister site, Closer News.
- The Nationals announced the signings of four picks from this year's amateur draft. Right-hander Taylor Hill (a sixth-round pick) was the highest-selected of the four new Nats.
- Frank Wren talks to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the Braves' needs at the trade deadline. Wren feels the return of Martin Prado and Chipper Jones from the DL will help the club's offense and thus Atlanta may just look for role players to come off the bench, sch as a right-handed bat. The Braves are often mentioned as a team that could move its pitching depth in a trade but Wren says that other clubs haven't contacted him about such deals "because I think they’re smart enough to know that we’re not going to be trading our young pitching unless there’s something extraordinary out there to us."
Rangers Designate Zach Phillips For Assignment
The Rangers have designated left-hander Zach Phillips for assignment, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The move creates a spot on the 40-man roster for Scott Feldman, who was activated from the 60-day DL and cleared outright waivers earlier today. In another corresponding move, the Rangers optioned Darren O'Day to Triple-A in order to make room for Feldman on the 25-man roster.
Phillips, 24, was taken by the Rangers in the 23rd round of the 2004 amateur draft. He began his pro career as a starter but has primarily been used as a reliever for the last three seasons. Phillips has a career 4.10 ERA, an 8.6 K/9 rate and a 2.33 K/BB ratio in 213 minor league appearances, 98 of them starts.