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Quick Hits: Dempster, Wright, Kubel, Bell, Thome

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Let's take a look at some links as the northeast prepares for Hurricane Irene..

  • Cubs starter Ryan Dempster was non-committal when asked about his player option for 2012, but he doesn't sound like he wants to leave town either, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The 34-year-old's 2012 option is worth $14MM.
  • Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com wonders if the Cubs will keep Reed Johnson in the fold in 2012.  Johnson, he points out, could help groom top prospect Brett Jackson next season.  This year the 34-year-old is hitting .347/.385/.539 in 209 plate appearances.
  • Despite his insistence to the contrary, the swirl of trade rumors throughout the season have bothered David Wright, a Mets staffer told Andy Martino of the Daily News.  The third baseman surprisingly cleared waivers this week.  Wright is owed $15MM next year and can void a $16MM club option for 2013 if he is dealt.
  • Jason Kubel is happy to still be a member of the Twins, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.  Earlier this evening we learned that the Indians were the team to place the winning claim on him, not the White Sox as once thought.
  • Padres closer Heath Bell didn't let the recent round of trade speculation get to him, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com.  Earlier today, Ben Nicholson-Smith outlined the club's options regarding Bell this offseason.
  • Veteran Jim Thome is happy to return to the Tribe as the elder statesman, writes Zack Meisel of MLB.com.  The slugger will celebrate his 41st birthday tomorrow.

Kubel Claimed By Indians, Not White Sox

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FRIDAY, 7:31pm: The Indians were awarded the claim on Kubel, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.com (via Twitter).  However, the 48 hour window for the two sides to work out a deal has passed.

3:44pm: The White Sox did not actually claim Kubel, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).

THURSDAY: The Indians were awarded the claim on Thome, while the White Sox were awarded the claim on Kubel, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports. Thome has a full-no trade clause and would prefer to play for the Phillies, according to Rosenthal. It's unlikely that the Twins will move Kubel, Rosenthal reports. The sides have discussed a possible extension.

WEDNESDAY: The Twins' Jim Thome and Jason Kubel have been claimed on waivers , tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  The teams involved now have 48 hours to make a deal.

We learned earlier that the White Sox were one of the teams to place a claim on Thome.  Olney has spoken to executives who expected the White Sox, Indians, Rangers, or Yankees to win a claim on Kubel.

If multiple teams make a claim on one player, the team with the worst record in the same league is awarded the claim.

NL West Notes: Bell, Romero, Giants, Hernandez

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

  • After a potential August trade to San Francisco failed to come to fruition, Padres closer Heath Bell believes that he will still be a member of the club next season.  "I think I'm coming back next year. We're not talking, but I feel like something is going to happen," the closer said, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter).
  • The Rockies will have to make some roster moves after activating closer Huston Street and setupman Matt Lindstrom.  The game of musical chairs could end with J.C. Romero being designated for assignment, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
  • An unknown team claimed catcher Ramon Hernandez before he was pulled back off of waivers and Reds skipper Dusty Baker guesses that the Giants were the team to claim him, writes Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News.

Quick Hits: Harden, Thome, Weaver, Carroll

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Links for Friday, before Jim Thome makes his return to Cleveland as the Indians host the Royals…

What The Padres Can Do About Heath Bell

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Against all odds, Heath Bell is still a Padre. He was a trade candidate last summer, last offseason, this July and again this August. But the Giants and Padres weren’t able to work out a deal following San Francisco’s claim, so Bell remains in San Diego.

Here are the Padres’ options regarding their closer:

  • Put Him Back On Waivers – San Diego GM Jed Hoyer could put Bell on waivers in an attempt to save $1.4MM or so in salary. This option seems unproductive – all they would get is salary relief – and unlikely. If the Padres put Bell on waivers again this month, they'd be irrevocable.
  • Work Toward An Extension – Bell has consistently said that he’d accept less money to stay in San Diego. ‘Less’ would still be expensive in this instance, so Hoyer and CEO Jeff Moorad may decide the small-market Padres have more pressing needs given their strong bullpen.
  • No Arbitration Offer – The Padres could simply let Bell walk after the season and thank him for five years of excellent relief. This seems unlikely, but it’s too early to rule it out.
  • Offer Arbitration And Keep Him If He Accepts – This would mean the Padres are stuck paying a relief pitcher about 20% of their payroll and it would also mean no compensatory draft picks in 2012.
  • Offer Arbitration And Trade Him If He Accepts – If the Padres want draft picks for Bell, they’ll have to offer arbitration. Bell has said he’d accept and Moorad has said he wouldn’t mind if that happened, so an arbitration offer seems likely. Even if the Padres don’t like the idea of paying Bell $10MM or so in 2012, they could offer a contract and then trade him if he accepts, like the Rangers did with Frank Francisco last year.

There’s also the possibility that Bell will turn down arbitration, leaving the Padres with two top picks in next year’s draft. That’s essentially out of their control once the offer of arbitration is out there, though.

Nearly half of 6,500 MLBTR readers said in a recent poll that they would sign Bell to an extension. While that would appease some Padres fans and the right-hander himself, it would create as many problems as it solves for a team with such a modest payroll. It’s doubtful that the Padres would give Bell up for nothing though, so at this point it seems likely that they’ll offer arbitration after the season and go from there.

Blue Jays Claim Dewayne Wise

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Dewayne Wise is heading to Toronto for a third stint with the Blue Jays. The team announced that they have claimed the outfielder off of waivers from the Marlins. He is scheduled to report to Toronto tomorrow, at which point the club will make a corresponding move.

Starting center fielder Colby Rasmus has been dealing with a sore wrist, so the Blue Jays could create 25-man roster space for Wise by placing Rasmus on the 15-day disabled list. They have two open 40-man roster spots, so no one is in danger of losing his spot when Wise arrives.

Wise signed with the Marlins twice this year, first in January, then in June, before they designated him for assignment earlier this week. In 72 plate appearances, he posted a .239/.278/.269 line for Florida, appearing in left and center field. The 33-year-old has a .223/.261/.373 line in a nine-year MLB career that includes one stint with Toronto from 2000-02 and another in 2010.

Andrew Miller’s Contract Was Reworked

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Major League Baseball initially approved Andrew Miller’s contract with the Red Sox, but ended up objecting to the deal and it was reworked, WEEI.com’s Alex Speier reports. However, the Red Sox don’t have to worry about losing the left-hander, who has emerged as a valuable piece of their pitching staff in the past two months. 

Miller’s minor league deal with Boston initially included a $3MM option for 2012 that would become guaranteed if another team claimed Miller off of waivers. The option had apparently been designed to deter rival teams from claiming the former first rounder, but it was removed from the agreed upon contract after MLB objected.

Given Miller’s importance to the Red Sox – he has put together consecutive strong starts – and the upcoming expansion of rosters, it seems highly unlikely that Boston would expose him to waivers by sending him to the minors. 

Instead, Miller will likely remain with the Red Sox for the remainder of 2011 and then some. He’s arbitration eligible next year (working from a $1.2MM salary) and it appears that the Red Sox will tender him a contract, as Speier explains. The 26-year-old has a 4.42 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 55 innings this year.

Ramon Hernandez Claimed On Waivers, Pulled Back

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An unknown team claimed Ramon Hernandez on waivers, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). However, the Reds pulled the catcher back off of waivers, so he'll be staying in Cincinnati.

The 35-year-old earns $3MM this year and projects as a Type A free agent, so it's not hard to see why the Reds are keeping him. He'll only cost $500K or so for the remainder of the season and could bring Cincinnati draft picks next year. Hernandez, a 13-year veteran, has a .288/.345/.458 line with 11 homers in 290 plate appearances so far this season.

Giants Claim Bell On Waivers; No Deal Reached

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FRIDAY: Bell is staying put, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: The Giants have been awarded the waiver claim on Padres closer Heath Bell, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  Olney expects the Giants' level of concern with closer Brian Wilson's elbow to be a factor in the ensuing trade talks.  If the teams cannot reach an agreement, the Padres can pull Bell back, but then won't be able to trade him elsewhere.  A trade is unlikely, hears Dan Hayes of the North County Times. 

Though Bell projects as a Type A free agent, National League non-contenders elected not to claim the righty with an eye on draft pick compensation.  With the Padres at least, Bell has said he'd accept an arbitration offer.

Bell, 33, has a 2.55 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.34 HR/9, and 43.2% groundball rate on the season.  He has $1.44MM remaining on his contract.

The two division rivals last struck a deal in July of 2003, when the Giants traded Clay Hensley and cash to the Padres for Matt Herges.  Before that, they hadn't made a deal since '92.

Heyman On Cubs, Valverde, Bell, Hernandez

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Jon Heyman of SI.com runs through the Cubs’ options for their open GM position and concludes that White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn is “perhaps the most logical choice” for chairman Tom Ricketts. Click here for more rumblings about the Cubs and keep reading for Heyman’s other notes from around MLB… 

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