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Wood Unlikely To Approve Trade

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Cubs veteran Kerry Wood will not approve any trade proposed to him by the Cubs, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  It's more likely that the right-hander signs a new deal with the club.

In late June, Wood said that it would take a "great" offer for himself and the Cubs organization for him to sign off on a trade.  Several teams would like to acquire Wood and his affordable $1.5MM salary, including the Diamondbacks.  The 34-year-old would likely find himself with a number of attractive options but it seems as though he'd prefer to stay put given his ties to the Chicago area.

In 33 appearances for the Cubs this season, Wood has a 3.45 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9.

Stark On Shields, Melky, Soria, Marlins

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Astros GM Ed Wade has been determining the market for his players, including Hunter Pence, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. Incoming owner Jim Crane urged Wade to do so in case appealing offers emerge. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors: 

  • Given Wade’s uncertain future in Houston, at least one executive suggests the GM needs to make a "job-saving deal" if he trades Pence.
  • The Rays are more likely to trade B.J. Upton than James Shields, though they realize Shields’ value has never been higher (the right-hander won't be going to the Bronx). 
  • The Phillies remain in contact with the Royals about Melky Cabrera, but the Royals have told teams they’re more likely to deal Jeff Francoeur. Kansas City is asking for a number three starter who’s nearly Major League ready in return for Cabrera.
  • Clubs that have inquired on Vance Worley have heard that he’s off of the market.
  • The Braves have shown some interest in Heath Bell, whose most aggressive suitors have been the Rangers, Cardinals, Phillies and Angels. The Padres are telling teams that they’ll need to “clearly surpass” the value of two compensatory draft picks in any deal for Bell, though they’re flexible in terms of the type of player they’d accept in return.
  • The Padres continue to field calls on Mike Adams, who will be tougher to obtain than Bell.
  • The Yankees, Phillies and Diamondbacks appear to have checked in on Joakim Soria.
  • The Red Sox are looking at everything, but aren’t approaching the deadline with much urgency, one AL executive told Stark.
  • Rival teams expect that the Dodgers will trade Jamey Carroll and there are indications that Rafael Furcal is drawing interest as well.
  • The Marlins, who hope to build momentum before opening their new stadium in 2012, are in a “holding pattern,” Stark reports. They’ve shown interest in third basemen.
  • Rival teams report that the Phillies say they won’t move Domonic Brown or top pitching prospect Jarred Cosart. Jonathan Singleton is available in the right deal, but the Phillies don’t expect to trade him for a rental player.
  • Stark reminds us that commissioner Bud Selig ruled out contraction at the All-Star Game.

Yankees Asked About Shields, Rays Said No

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The Yankees asked the Rays about James Shields and heard that he is not available, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Olney suggests that the right-hander would also be off-limits to the Red Sox, since they're ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings, like the Yankees.

The Yankees are looking for top-of-the-rotation help and Shields, a Cy Young candidate in 2011, certainly qualifies. The 29-year-old has a 2.53 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 156 1/3 innings into the season. Shields, who made his first All-Star team this month, is under team control through 2014.

Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues considered Shields as an option for the Yankees earlier today and suggested that Tampa Bay would be asking for two top prospects and three other players who are nearly ready to contribute in the Major Leagues. Mike ultimately drew the conclusion that a deal of that magnitude between the AL East rivals is unlikely.

Mets Designate Nick Evans For Assignment

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The Mets designated Nick Evans for assignment to create roster space for David Wright, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin (on Twitter).

Evans, 25, has appeared in 17 games for the Mets this year and has a .148/.343/.333 line through 35 plate appearances as a first baseman, third baseman and left fielder. The former fifth round pick had a .329/.378/.480 line at Triple-A before joining the Mets and he has a career line of .278/.344/.479 in eight minor league seasons. Evans has played all three outfield positions and both corner infield positions in his brief Major League career.

Mets Claim Mike Baxter

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The Padres announced that the Mets claimed outfielder/first baseman Mike Baxter off of waivers. The Padres also officially announced that they have recalled Kyle Blanks from Triple-A (as Tim Dierkes reported yesterday) and optioned Anthony Rizzo to Tucson.

Baxter, 26, had been rehabbing from a stint on the 60-day DL at Class A. The Padres placed him on the disabled list in March after he underwent surgery to repair a torn left thumb ligament. The Queens native has a .278/.349/.423 line in parts of seven seasons in the Padres' system. The former fourth round pick had 18 homers with a .301/.382/.517 line at Triple-A last year, when current Mets executive Paul DePodesta worked for the Padres.

Reds To Sign Jonathan Perez

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FRIDAY, 2:15pm: The Reds have a deal with Perez, despite Jocketty's comments, according to Badler.

TUESDAY, 4:11 pm: Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer there's no agreement as far as he knows. "And I’m sure I would have known about it,” Jocketty added.

2:24 pm: The Reds signed 16-year-old Venezuelan righty Jonathan Perez for $825K, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler.

BA's scouting report says Perez has a projectable body that will allow him to add velocity, although he's already touched 92.  His curveball and changeup need polish, but that's to be expected for someone his age.

Venezuela's top July 2nd pitching prospect, Victor Sanchez, remains unsigned.  To follow all the rumors on Venezuelan ballplayers in Spanish, check out our peloteros venezolanos category over at Rumores de Béisbol.

Olney On Braves, Blue Jays, Rasmus

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney believes that the Braves are the frontrunners for Carlos Beltran right now thanks to their assortment of pitching prospects, such as left-hander Mike Minor (Twitter link). Click here for more details on Beltran and keep reading for more of Olney's rumors:

  • General managers tell Olney that it's hard to obtain value for right-handed relievers now, since the market is flooded (Twitter link).
  • Some teams are convinced that the Blue Jays’ interest in Heath Bell revolves around the reliever's Type A status, according to Olney (on Twitter). Bell projects as one of the top rated free agent relievers under the Elias free agent rankings.
  • Olney reports that some rival executives believe the Cardinals would trade Colby Rasmus despite the fact that GM John Mozeliak says his center fielder is staying put (Twitter link).

Phillies Designate Danys Baez For Assignment

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The Phillies have designated right-handed reliever Danys Baez for assignment, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The move was made to clear space on the active roster for righty Brad Lidge, who was activated from the disabled list.

The Phils signed Baez to a two-year, $5.25MM contract in January 2010 following his solid 2009 with the Orioles in which he posted a whopping 61% ground ball rate. However, Baez has been underwhelming in his season-plus as a middle reliever in Philly, posting a 5.48 ERA in 2010 and a 6.25 ERA at the time of today's DFA.

For the fantasy implications of Lidge's return to the Phillies' bullpen, check out the post I wrote up today over at CloserNews.com.

Rosenthal On Mets: Paulino, Pelfrey, Capuano

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In his latest blog post regarding Carlos Beltran, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com also has some interesting notes on some of the Mets' other potential trade candidates. Rosenthal cautions, however, that the Mets will proceed carefully leading up to the deadline, because they don't want to give up on their season altogether.

  • The Mets are likely to retain catcher Ronny Paulino and right-hander Mike Pelfrey. Paulino, a righty, has split time with left-handed-hitting Josh Thole behind the plate this season. He's under team control through 2012. Pelfrey's trade value, meanwhile, is down, according to Rosenthal, and he's under team control through 2013, so the Mets are less inclined to move him.
  • The Mets will be more willing to move some of their free-agents-to-be, like lefty Chris Capuano, lefty reliever Tim Byrdak, outfielder Scott Hairston and utility man Willie Harris. Each of these players were signed to one-year deals prior to this season and could be useful, if unspectacular, additions for teams looking to patch minor holes.
  • Jason Isringhausen is likelier than the others to stay in New York because he has value to the Mets as a late-inning reliever and in helping to develop setup man Bobby Parnell into a closer. We heard last night that Izzy would like to remain with the Mets but would be receptive to returning to St. Louis, where he still has "unfinished business," per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Jon Heyman of SI.com first tweeted of the Mets' preference to hold Isringhausen yesterday. For the fantasy implications of closers on the move at the deadline, be sure to check out CloserNews.com.

Heyman On Astros, Adams, Matsui, Yankees

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Incoming Astros owner Jim Crane has ordered a decrease in payroll from $76MM to $60MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest on Houston’s deadline plans and other notes from around MLB:

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