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NL West Notes: Loney, Ethier, Rockies

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Let's take a look at a few items out of the NL West..

  • Andre Ethier backed off the comments he made suggesting that the team was pushing him to play injured, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Ethier expressed his desire to stay in Los Angeles, and GM Ned Colletti said that Ethier has not requested a trade. Colletti hopes he can extend Ethier.
  • Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times wonders if a strong finish could save James Loney's career with the Dodgers.  Loney is making $4.785MM this year as he enters his final year of arbitration.  The 27-year-old wants to return to the club but is likely due for a raise that would put him in the neighborhood of $6MM.
  • The Dodgers will also see Andre Ethier enter his final year of arbitration this winter.  Ethier is battling an injury to his right knee that will require surgery in the offseason, but the team is oddly pushing him to play, writes T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times.  General Manager Ned Colletti admitted that the outfielder's poor second-half performance could be slightly advantageous for the club in arbitration.
  • The Rockies have other holes to fill as well, but look for them to prioritize starting pitching this winter, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.

Rockies Notes: Giambi, Cuddyer, Young, Rotation

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Troy Renck of the Denver Post took some time to answer questions from his followers on Twitter just now. Renck touches on a lot of offseason topics for the Rox, so let's take a look (all links to Renck's Twitter):

Blue Jays Designate Ledezma For Assignment

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The Blue Jays designated Wil Ledezma for assignment following a six-run meltdown in today's 12-0 loss, according to this tweet from MLB.com's Gregor Chisolm.

Ledezma, 30, allowed 10 earned runs in just six innings with the Jays this year, six of which came today. He also allowed 11 hits and walked seven while striking out just six. All told, he's got a 15.00 ERA on the season.

The Blue Jays are the seventh team for which Ledezma has played over parts of nine MLB seasons. The southpaw has posted a 5.40 ERA, 6.4 K/9, and 4.5 BB/9 in 396 1/3 Major League innings. A corresponding roster move will be announced later tonight.

MLBTR Originals: 8/21/11 – 8/27/11

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Let's take a look back at some of the original content produced by MLBTR this past week:

Week In Review: 8/21/11 – 8/27/11

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As we approach the waiver trade deadline, let's take a look back at the week that was..

  • The Angels signed ace Jered Weaver to a five-year, $85MM contract extension.  The deal includes a full no-trade clause and various "significant" bonuses for winning the Cy Young and MVP awards and for earning All-Star berths.  Weaver was slated to hit free agency after 2012 and the extension buys out his final year of arbitration eligibility and four years of free agency,
  • The Diamondbacks acquired second baseman Aaron Hill and shortstop John McDonald from the Blue Jays for Kelly Johnson.  Johnson should still be a Type B free agent in the AL which is likely Toronto's motivation in acquiring the impending free agent.  Meanwhile, Hill has an $8MM club option which is expected to be declined after the season.
  • After a nine-year absence from Cleveland, Jim Thome is back with the Tribe.  The Indians are hoping that their all-time home run leader can help them leapfrog the Tigers in the standings and reach the playoffs once again.  The Indians will send a player to be named later to the Twins on or before October 15th.
  • B.J. Upton was claimed off trade waivers by an unknown team and the Rays have until Monday to work out a trade with the claiming team or pull him back.  The center fielder is scheduled to become a free agent after 2012 and will be arbitration-eligible again this winter.  Meanwhile, Upton told reporters that he doesn't expect to return to the club next season.
  • The Blue Jays claimed Dewayne Wise after he was DFA'd by the Marlins, meaning that the outfielder is now in his third stint with the club.  In 72 plate appearances, he posted a .239/.278/.269 line for Florida, appearing in left and center field.
  • The Giants were awarded the waiver claim on Padres closer Heath Bell, but the two sides were unable to work out a deal.  Bell's future with the club is anything but certain but the closer said that he would accept arbitration if he is offered.
  • Health permitting, the Cardinals will exercise their two-year, $21MM option on Adam Wainwright for 2012-13.  It's all still unofficial at this point since the Cardinals don’t have to make a decision until after the season ends.
  • The Rockies acquired third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and cash considerations from the A's for a player to be named or cash considerations.  The 30-year-old posted a .221/.262/.353 line with four homers in 149 plate appearances for Oakland this year.
  • Joe Nathan would consider moving on from the Twins under the right circumstances and says that he would look at possible deals on a case by case basis.
  • Don't expect the Cardinals to make any more moves, says GM John Mozeliak.
  • Some baseball people who know A's GM Billy Beane well say that he might consider an offer to join the Cubs if they approach him about their vacant GM job.  There’s concern within the organization that Beane might leave if the A’s don’t get permission to build a stadium in San Jose and the team is sold.  The Cubs are also interested in Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman.
  • Lance Berkman intends to play in 2012 and that the Cardinals would be his first choice.
  • The Rockies claimed Wandy Rodriguez off of waivers but balked when the Astros insisted on getting prospects and salary relief in return for the 32-year-old.  Rodriguez earns $10MM next year and $13MM in 2013. If he's traded, the Astros $13MM option for 2014 becomes a player option. 
  • The Nationals don't intend to go after Prince Fielder once he reaches free agency.  Instead, the Nats may be more focused on finding a center fielder and a leadoff hitter.
  • The Dodgers designated catcher Dioner Navarro for assignment and recalled A.J. Ellis in a corresponding move.
  • After being released by the Phillies on Saturday, Aaron Heilman inked a minor league deal with the Pirates on Sunday.
  • The Pirates designated lefty reliever Joe Beimel for assignment to open a spot on the active roster for Ross Ohlendorf.  Beimel, 34, has a 5.33 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 2.1 HR/9, and 41.2% groundball rate with 34 hits allowed in 25 1/3 innings this year.
  • The Orioles designated Felix Pie for assignment to create roster space for Matt Angle.  Pie wound up being outrighted to Triple-A and he's expected to accept the assignment.

Royals Open To Trading Prospects

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With baseball's best farm system at his disposal, Royals GM Dayton Moore acknowledged that he's willing to trade prospects for pitching, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Dutton says Moore would like to find a deal similar to the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, where the Indians acquired a talented, controllable starter in exchange for prospects.

"We'll be aggressive in trades," Moore said, looking ahead to the offseason. “We'll try to make a trade or two that helps us. We have to look internally first, but then we have to look at trades. Then, finally, we have to look at free agency. We’ll explore all of those options…. We have a minor league system that's ranked pretty good. So we'll see what's out there. We're a pitcher or two away."

This spring, Baseball America said Kansas City's minor league system was "among the best we've seen," with nine Royals ranking among BA's top 100 prospects. So while there's no doubt that the Royals have the depth to make such a move, you could contest Moore's assertion that the club is only "a pitcher or two away." Even in a weak AL Central division, with some of their youngsters starting to make an impact in the bigs, the Royals are 25 games below .500 this season.

Still, according to Dutton, club officials believe that the rotation doesn't need to be overhauled for 2012, and that adding a top-of-the-rotation starter to their current core is the key for a "rapid rise" in the standings.

"What we need, if we're going to win a championship," one official said. "Is somebody who can match up with [Justin] Verlander and [C.C.] Sabathia and [Josh] Beckett."

ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider link) identifies the Mariners, Diamondbacks, and Braves as teams who might match up with the Royals, specifically naming Mike Moustakas as a player who could interest Atlanta as a successor to Chipper Jones at third base.

NL Central Links: McCutchen, Cubs, Ramirez, Crane

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After Yovani Gallardo struck out ten Cubs en route to another Milwaukee victory, the club's division lead reached double digits for the first time this season, with the Cardinals now 10.5 games back. The Brewers will send Zack Greinke to the hill today as they look to sweep the Cubs and continue chipping away at their magic number (19). Let's check out the rest of the morning's updates from the NL Central….

Cafardo’s Latest: Cubs GM, Vazquez, Greene, Kubel

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The Cubs' GM search has the potential to impact the Red Sox front office, if Theo Epstein or Ben Cherington are near the top of Chicago's wish list. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe leads his Sunday Baseball Notes by addressing the possibility of a mutual interest between Epstein and the Cubs. As one AL team president points out, even if that interest exists, the Red Sox don't have to grant the Cubs permission to talk to Epstein: "I don't see why they would [grant permission]. They have one of the best GMs in the game. I know if I were the team president of the Red Sox or in ownership, I wouldn't let that happen."

Here are the other highlights from Cafardo's piece:

  • Brian Cashman's name has also come up in Cubs GM rumors, but Cafardo's source doesn't expect Chicago to land Cashman or Epstein: "My best guess is both stay where they are and get the paycheck they're looking for…. They're not going to make more money elsewhere. The Cubs may offer a lot, but both Boston and New York can offer more, and I think they will."
  • Marlins right-hander Javier Vazquez is seriously considering retirement after this season, and appears to have made up his mind one way or the other, as he told reporters earlier this week.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak would like to see former first round pick Tyler Greene get some big league playing time in September so the club has a better idea of how to plan for 2012.
  • The Red Sox were among the teams who put in a waiver claim for Jason Kubel, though they were blocked by the Indians.

New York Notes: Chavez, Reyes, Burnett

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Hurricane Irene washed out Saturday's contests for both New York clubs, and today's Braves/Mets game has been postponed as well. Weather permitting though, the Yankees and Orioles will play two, with Bartolo Colon and Ivan Nova looking to help the Yanks make up ground on the Red Sox in the AL East. Before they get underway, let's check out the latest from Queens and the Bronx….

Giants Designate Clayton Tanner For Assignment

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The Giants designated Clayton Tanner for assignment, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Eric Surkamp, who started against Houston tonight.

Tanner, a 23-year-old left-hander, has yet to appear in the Major Leagues. The 2006 third rounder has a 3.66 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 686 1/4 minor league innings. He has spent the 2011 season starting for the Giants' Double-A Richmond affiliate.

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