Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2011

Tigers, Red Sox Among Teams Interested In Bedard

By | at

The Tigers and Red Sox are among the many, many teams interested in Mariners lefty Erik Bedard, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Bedard has missed the last month with a knee sprain, but he'll be activated to start Friday's game against the Rays.  You can bet that'll be a well-scouted affair.

Even back in April, it was apparent that Bedard could be the closest thing to an ace on the trade market if he stayed healthy.  Knee injury aside, Bedard re-established himself with a 3.00 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 40.9% groundball rate in 90 innings, picking up steam as he went along.  I can picture the Yankees, Indians, Rangers, Pirates, Cardinals, Reds, and Diamondbacks entering the fray as well, but Bedard has a good relationship with the Mariners and it's possible their best move is to re-sign him.

West Rumors: Angels, Iannetta, Rangers

By | at

The latest on a few AL and NL West clubs…

Phillies Will Consider Paying Luxury Tax

By | at

The Phillies are about $3MM shy of the luxury tax threshold of $178MM, report Matt Gelb and Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Team president David Montgomery is willing to pass that threshold for the right opportunity, he told the reporters.  No National League team has paid the luxury tax since it came into effect in 2003.

Yesterday the Phillies reportedly cooled on the best hitter available, Carlos Beltran.  Beltran is the trade target most likely to push the team over the luxury tax threshold.

Buyers Protective Of Top Prospects

By | at

I'm often asked in weekly chats on the site to name the best prospects who will be traded this month.  I'll toss out a few names outside of the top 20 – Jonathan Singleton, Yonder Alonso, Robbie Erlin.  But the reality is that most buyers are holding on to their top prospects tightly.  

ESPN's Buster Olney surveyed team executives, and several feel that the buyers are "exponentially more protective of their prospects."  Some teams operate in fear of even marginal prospects becoming useful big leaguers down the line.  An NL assistant GM said to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, "top prospects are totally overvalued and have never been tougher to pry away even in a perfect deal."

Still, last summer we saw Justin Smoak, Tyler Skaggs, Wilson Ramos, Brett Wallace, and Anthony Gose dealt, though those last two were for each other.  Other good young players such as James McDonald, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Yunel Escobar, Mark Melancon, and Dan Hudson were traded as well.

Quick Hits: Mijares, Tigers, Phillies, Nimmo

By | at

Michael Cuddyer pitched a shutout inning in Texas tonight, but the Rangers didn't have trouble scoring against Minnesota's other pitchers – they beat the Twins 20-6. Here are some late links from around MLB…

  • The Twins had been looking to trade Jose Mijares before tonight, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). The left-hander allowed five hits and four runs in 2/3 innings in tonight's blowout against the Rangers.
  • The Tigers continue watching Doug Fister, Jason Vargas, Aaron Harang and others as they look to acquire starting pitching, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports (on Twitter).
  • The Phillies are pursuing Heath Bell and Mike Adams of the Padres aggressively, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The Padres are surprised the Yankees, Reds and Cardinals haven’t expressed more interest in their relievers.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Mets think they’re close to a deal with first round pick Brandon Nimmo (Twitter link).

D’Backs To Sign Trevor Bauer

By | at

11:04pm: Bauer's deal includes a $3.4MM bonus, $4.45MM in guaranteed money and the potential for $7MM in earnings, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).

10:47pm: Bauer obtains a bonus of around $3.5MM and the overall package is worth $7.4MM or so, according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (on Twitter).

7:19pm: Jack Magruder of FoxSportsArizona.com reports (on Twitter) that Bauer's deal is worth about $7MM over four years, including bonus and salary. Depending on the exact amount, it could be one of the ten richest contracts in draft history.

5:22pm: The D'Backs announced that they have signed Bauer to a Major League contract. Arizona's 40-man roster now has 39 players.

4:56pm: Trevor Bauer, the third overall pick in this year's draft, has passed his physical with Arizona for his first big league contract, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). 

Bauer, 20, had “the deepest repertoire of any pitcher in the draft,” according to Baseball America. He can reach 96 mph with his fastball and has “top-of-the-rotation upside,” according to BA. Bauer's extensive repertoire worked at the collegiate level this season, as he posted a 1.25 ERA with 203 strikeouts and 36 walks in 136 2/3 innings for UCLA. 

After selecting Bauer with Arizona's top pick, D’Backs’ amateur scouting director Ray Montgomery suggested he can be a difference-making starter.

“We see him as a potential rotational guy for us and I think his talent gives him a chance to make an impact on us sooner rather than later,”  Montgomery said in June.

Bauer explained last month that Arizona's philosophy about scouting and player development matches up with his own somewhat unorthodox workout regimen. Since Bauer has already worked so many innings, Arizona could choose to shut him down for 2011 if they complete a deal.

AL East Notes: Niemann, Davis, Orioles

By | at

We’ve already checked in on the AL East and taken detailed looks at its two biggest spenders, the Yankees and Red Sox. Here are some new notes from around the division, with an emphasis on teams that could be sellers:

Carlos Beltran Rumors: Monday

By | at

MLBTR readers would trade for B.J. Upton over Carlos Beltran, but one GM said to Yahoo's Jeff Passan, "Upton and Rasmus are better long term, but if I want to win this year, I'm getting Beltran." Yesterday we learned that Beltran has a list of seven NL teams to which he will accept a trade, though publicly he expressed a willingness to play for the Rangers and Red Sox when asked by a reporter about the five most interested clubs. The Giants, Braves, and Phillies are seen as more likely. Today's Beltran rumors, with the newest at top:

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Rangers are pushing hardest for Beltran, followed by the Braves and Red Sox. The Giants and Phillies appear to be fading, Sherman writes (on Twitter).
  • The Rangers and Giants appear to be ahead of the Phillies and Braves in pursuit of Beltran, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). As Crasnick points out, everything can change quickly.
  • There isn't much confidence within the industry that the Mets will obtain a top prospect for Beltran, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff.
  • Beltran said yesterday that he has had "zero" contact with GM Sandy Alderson regarding possible trades, according to Newsday's David Lennon (on Twitter).
  • The Phillies have cooled on the idea of trading for Beltran, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
  • Beltran told Mike Puma of the New York Post, "I have not told (the Mets) I won't play for an American League team. I don't know where that is coming from" (Twitter link).  Beltran said he's fine with the American League as long as he doesn't have to DH. 
  • There's no sign of the Mets dropping their price on Beltran, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
  • The Giants and Phillies continue to be the favorites with the Braves still in the mix, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
  • The Giants, Red Sox, and Pirates could take on the most money in a Beltran deal, opined one executive to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).
  • As with B.J. Upton, the Braves don't appear willing to give up Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, Mike Minor, or Arodys Vizcaino for Beltran, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • The Mets are "expected to finish evaluation of rival farm systems in next day or two" in preparation for a Beltran trade, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • The Phillies are saying top pitching prospect Jarred Cosart is unavailable in a deal, especially for a rental like Beltran, reports Passan.  A scout from the Phillies will be at the Mets' game tonight in Cincinnati, tweets ESPN's Adam Rubin.
  • The Rangers ramped up their pursuit of Beltran in the last 36 hours, says Passan.
  • The Giants aren't close to acquiring Beltran, GM Brian Sabean told reporters yesterday.

Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Monday

By | at

The chances of an Ubaldo Jimenez trade are around 50/50, one source close to the talks tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  To date, I don't think any reporter has ventured to go above 20%.  Here are the latest updates on the right-hander, with the most recent news up top:

  • The Reds remain very much involved in talks for Jimenez and the Tigers have him near the top of their list, according to Morosi.
  • The Rockies won't be able to get three or four of Boston's top prospects for Jimenez, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (Twitter link).  The Reds won't part with Devin Mesoraco, Billy Hamilton and two other prospects for Jimenez, Gammons notes.
  • The Rockies' asking price on Jimenez hasn't changed, according to Renck (on Twitter).
  • The Rockies "haven't pulled Jimenez off the showroom floor," wrote Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post yesterday.  The Reds, Yankees, Rangers, and Red Sox are suitors, though Renck says Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd has "talked up nearly everyone."  
  • Morosi notes that the Reds are still involved, but there might not be a favorite at this point.
  • For their part, the Yankees are worried "about Ubaldo's inconsistency, all-out delivery, and coming to AL East," tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  The Yankees have the talent to pull off a deal, but it remains to be seen if the two teams can find common ground.

Hiroki Kuroda Rumors: Monday

By | at

Dodgers righty Hiroki Kuroda has generated interest from the Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, and Brewers, reported CBS Sports' Danny Knobler yesterday.  He noted that the Tigers "have been very interested."  This is the first time I've seen the Brewers mentioned for any starting pitcher.  The Rangers have also popped up for Kuroda in other reports, and Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Cardinals inquired.  Here are the latest rumors about Kuroda, with the most recent updates up top:

  • Kuroda hasn't talked to his agent or Dodgers GM Ned Colletti about a trade in recent days, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears that Kuroda isn't into "hypotheticals."  He'll decide on deals if and when the Dodgers present them to him instead of providing them with lists in advance, according to Crasnick (Twitter links).
  • Kuroda will consider waiving his no-trade clause if he's dealt to the Yankees or Red Sox, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • The Tigers, Indians and Rangers are the three hottest teams on Kuroda, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • The Dodgers believe Kuroda can be persuaded to waive his full no-trade clause, wrote Knobler.  I am guessing a financial incentive in the $1-2MM range might compel Kuroda to pitch in the midwest or on the East Coast for a few months.  Since Kuroda's signing bonus is paid out in 2012-13, $6.6MM of his $12MM contract will be owed to him after the trade deadline.  Tack on additional money for the no-trade clause, and renting Kuroda becomes an expensive proposition.  Kuroda, 36, has a 3.19 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.99 HR/9, and 43.2% groundball rate in 127 innings this year.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top