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Dodgers ‘Open For Business’

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The Dodgers are "open for business," according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Los Angeles front office will consider trading potentially useful veterans including Hiroki Kuroda, Jamey Carroll, Ted Lilly, Juan Uribe, Matt Guerrier and others. 

Peter Gammons reported over the weekend that the Dodgers, now 42-55, are looking to shed salary. Kuroda is drawing interest and may require compensation to accept a deal, though he the Dodgers may decide to keep him. The Brewers, who are looking to acquire help on the left side of the infield, have checked in on Carroll.

Carlos Beltran Rumors: Wednesday

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Though he's well-compensated and has full no-trade protection, Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran is the best available hitter.  The latest:

  • The Red Sox aren't willing to part with the prospects the Mets want, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. The Mets are interested in Josh Reddick, Ryan Kalish, Jose Iglesias, Anthony Ranaudo, Felix Doubront and Will Middlebrooks, according to Edes. Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald hears that the Red Sox are focusing on internal solutions, particularly Reddick.
  • SI's Jon Heyman runs through ten Beltran suitors, naming the Phillies the "clear favorite."  The Mets' first target would be Domonic Brown, a concession Matt Gelb can't see happening.
  • Boston's talks with the Mets about Beltran have not advanced beyond preliminary discussions, reports WEEI's Alex Speier.  Eight to ten teams are said to be in the mix, with the Red Sox among the top six.
  • Some Mets officials feel a deal could get done well before the July 31st deadline, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Sherman agrees with a previous Ken Rosenthal report that the Phillies and Red Sox are the most aggressive suitors.  Sherman says they're followed by the Braves, Giants, Indians, and Pirates.  He notes that the Mets "have been somewhat surprised by Detroit's disinterest."
  • Yesterday the Mets provided Beltran with a short list of teams to consider, and the Phillies are believed to be on it, report Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo.  The writers add that the Mets have indicated a willingness to pay much or all of the $6MM owed to Beltran depending on the return.  They list the Red Sox, Giants, and Yankees as other suitors, and wonder if the East Coast teams have an edge since Beltran lives in New York.  Brown and Passan named the Brewers as a dark horse, but they don't have much in the way of top prospects.

Rays Ready To Move B.J. Upton?

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The perception among teams is that the Rays are ready to move center fielder B.J. Upton now, writes ESPN's Buster Olney.  Olney believes the Rays "will listen to just about every trade proposal thrown their way" in general.  He's of the opinion that the team's front office faces limited backlash, since attendance is already poor.

Upton, 26, is hitting .237/.319/.411 on the season and is due another raise on this year's $4.825MM salary in 2012 before hitting free agency.  He slugged .508 as a 22-year-old in 2007, but .401 in 534 games since.  Plus defense allows Upton to remain a valuable player, but there is a sense that he hasn't lived up to his potential.  Olney imagines the Nationals and Phillies might be potential fits.

We wrote about James Shields' potential availability earlier today.  Olney says Johnny Damon and Casey Kotchman would also make strong trade chips.  The Rays are currently 5.5 games back in the wild card, though their schedule eases up after Thursday's game with the Yankees. 

In related Rays news, frustration with Tropicana Field is boiling over, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks MLB should help finance a new stadium.

West Notes: Pentland, Bell, Breslow, Bedard

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The latest on a few AL and NL West clubs…

  • The Dodgers fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland and named Dave Hansen interim coach through season's end, the team announced on Twitter.  Not that it's entirely Pentland's fault, but the Dodgers are 15th in the NL with 3.63 runs scored per game.
  • Padres closer Heath Bell appeared on ESPN's Doug Gottlieb show yesterday.  He thinks his top three suitors are the Rangers, Phillies, and Cardinals, and believes he'd probably close only for the Cards.  SI's Jon Heyman says the Padres have considered taking draft picks for Bell after the season or re-signing him if they don't get what they want this month.  Heyman lists the Phillies, Reds, Rangers, Cardinals, Pirates, Angels, (and the White Sox and Yankees to a lesser degree) as suitors.  By the way, check out our Bell archive over at CloserNews for fantasy advice.
  • Athletics lefty Craig Breslow interests the Brewers, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Morosi expects many A's to be dealt this month, and notes that the Rangers, Orioles, Giants, Pirates, Blue Jays, Brewers and Reds scouted Tuesday's game in Detroit.
  • Trade candidate Erik Bedard will likely have his return delayed until after the Mariners' series with Boston at Fenway this weekend, reports Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  He might have one start to display his health prior to the July deadline.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told SI's Jon Heyman he hasn't heard nor has he asked about his situation.  Zduriencik's contract is up after this season.
  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti explained to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times that "it's not that cut and dry" to label his club buyers or sellers.  Though the team has no chance in 2011, Colletti may be willing to acquire players who are controlled beyond this year.

Mets Certain They Won’t Trade Reyes

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11:36am: The Mets "are now 100 percent certain they will not trade Reyes before the deadline," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  SI's Jon Heyman wrote something similar earlier today.

9:58am: The Mets' careful handling of Jose Reyes' minor hamstring strain "speaks to the evolution of the relationship" between the two parties, writes Newsday's David Lennon.  In the past, says Lennon's source, Reyes would have returned earlier from such an injury due to "pressure from above."

Additionally, Mets GM Sandy Alderson appears to be getting along well with Reyes' agent Peter Greenberg.  Lennon says Reyes was privately infuriated when owner Fred Wilpon's April comments became public in May.  Things are better now, and I think if the Mets hang on to Reyes at the trade deadline it will be evidence that they're serious about re-signing him after the season.  ESPN's Adam Rubin tweets that he's very confident Reyes would love to remain a Met, and he'll stay if their offer is competitive.

Earlier today, however, Yahoo's Tim Brown and Jeff Passan said that Reyes has told friends he'd love to sign with the Angels as a free agent.

Hendry Explains Deadline Approach

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Cubs GM Jim Hendry aims to limit his trades to players he knows won't be returning next season, he told Rick Brown of the Des Moines Register.  Hendry explained:

"Why would we trade anybody who we think is going to help us next year or the years after?  I would say if we move anyone it would be somebody we clearly knew wouldn't be back.  We're not going to move people that we think are going to help us.  Why would I trade Sean Marshall?  Why would I trade Darwin Barney? Those calls kind of stop quickly. It makes no sense."

The next logical question is which Cubs players clearly won't be back.  Aramis Ramirez won't be accepting a trade this month, and Ryan Dempster has full no-trade rights as well.  Kerry Wood probably has a say in whether he's dealt.  That probably leaves Kosuke Fukudome, Carlos Pena, John Grabow, and Reed Johnson as the Cubs' main trade candidates.  However, I'm guessing the Cubs haven't ruled out re-signing Pena, so he's not a lock to be dealt.

An August trade appears possible for Ramirez, based on his agent's comments yesterday to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Paul Kinzer said that when his client's children return to the Dominican Republic in August for the start of school, "that could possibly loosen up" Ramirez's stance.  Ramirez's $16MM option for 2012 technically becomes guaranteed upon a trade, but Kinzer said his client would want the option dropped.  The agent does not feel the request would pose a problem for most teams.

There's also left fielder Alfonso Soriano, whose contract pays $18MM a year through 2014 and makes him virtually immovable.  Talking to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, Soriano wasn't even aware he has a no-trade clause.  But he did say he'd waive it to go to a contender.

Pirates Reach Agreement With Jason Grilli

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10:15am: Pirates GM Neal Huntington commented on Grilli to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch: "We are aware Jason has been released to pursue a Major League opportunity. We are interested and optimistic, but conversations continue."  Langosch says the Pirates are expected to announce the deal tonight or Thursday, and Grilli just needs to pass his physical.

7:12am: The Pirates appear to have landed righty reliever Jason Grilli, based on the pitcher's tweet:  "Black & Yellow! Black & Yellow! Black & Yellow! Cannot wait to join the new squadron."

Grilli, 34, has a 1.93 ERA, 11.8 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 32 2/3 innings for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate this year.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Phillies were on the clock, as Grilli had an out clause that allowed him to take a Major League offer from another team if the Phils didn't promote him within three days of that offer.  Grilli adds depth for the Pirates, who Rosenthal believes are also seeking "an established eighth-inning reliever." 

The Bucs will have to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Grilli.  One solution could be transferring reliever Evan Meek to the 60-day DL, as Meek hit the 15-day on June 10th.

Red Sox Not Pursuing Anyone Aggressively Right Now

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The Red Sox are "not pursuing anyone aggressively right now," a source familiar with the team's thinking told WEEI's Alex Speier.  Instead, the team is currently trying to determine which internal solutions will work.  We've heard the Red Sox named as one of the most aggressive suitors for Carlos Beltran, but that may not be the case.

The Sox are still taking their normal approach of "inquiring about anyone who may make an appreciable difference to the team," in the words of the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo.  Cafardo says the Red Sox have inquired on Beltran, Ubaldo Jimenez, Felix Hernandez, Jose Reyes, Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Baker, Michael Cuddyer, Ty Wigginton, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jeremy Guthrie, Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham, Conor Jackson, Ryan Spilborghs, Mike Adams, and others.  The team needs include starting pitching, a reliever, an outfielder, and a shortstop, but the Red Sox may prefer internal options in many cases.

Brown, Passan On Rockies, Reyes, Angels

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A few more notes from Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo…

  • The Rockies are not actively shopping Chris Iannetta and Ty Wigginton, though they appeal to other teams.
  • Mets shortstop Jose Reyes told friends he'd love to sign with the Angels after the season.  However, the writers feel that Angels owner Arte Moreno is unlikely to win the bidding.  Plus, the team is content with Erick Aybar at shortstop.
  • The Halos' trade deadline emphasis is their bullpen, though they believe the cost of top-tier relievers like Heath Bell and Mike Adams is prohibitive.  They'll look at the next tier, and also consider third base upgrades.

Is James Shields Available?

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The Reds are targeting Rays righty James Shields, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, which might be why Tampa Bay scouts have been evaluating the Reds' Triple-A team this week.  Baseball Prospectus' John Perrotto says the Rays have "quietly let it be known that right-hander Shields is available for the right price."  The Rays "will listen to just about every trade proposal thrown their way," writes Olney.

With a 2.60 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 46.1% groundball rate, the 29-year-old Shields has the ability to shake up a trade market that is light on starting pitchers aside from perhaps Ubaldo Jimenez.  Shields' contract offers the ultimate in flexibility, with reasonable club options on his 2012, '13, and '14 seasons. 

Shields' ERAs have bounced around plenty over the years, but his skills have always supported sub-4.00 and this year he's pitched like an ace.  Plus, he's never been on the disabled list and averaged over 220 innings from 2008-10.  This year, he leads the Majors with seven complete games and has averaged over 7.4 innings per start.

Shields' suitors probably won't match up directly with those of Jimenez, as I imagine the Rays would prefer not to trade him to the Yankees or Red Sox.  Still, my contender wish list post yesterday shows the Indians, Tigers, Rangers, Cardinals, Reds, Pirates, and Diamondbacks as other clubs seeking starting pitching.

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