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Jorge Soler Declared A Free Agent

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11:52am: Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that Soler's agent, Bart Hernandez of the Praver Shapiro Sports Management group, still must produce a) an unblocking license from the Office of Foreign Asset Control, or b) two permanent residency documents from a new country before any contract can be finalized. 

10:39am: Jorge Soler has been declared a free agent and is now eligible to sign with any team, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 20-year-old Cuban outfielder will be subject to the spending restrictions imposed by the new collective bargaining agreement as of July 2nd, but he can sign for any amount prior to then.

The Indians, Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees, Marlins, Blue Jays, and Astros are said to have interest in Soler, and I'm sure many other clubs will get involved as well. Back in March we heard bogus reports that the Cubs had agreed to a contract with the outfielder. Two GMs speculated that the bidding would exceed five years and $15-20MM back in February.

West Notes: Dodgers, Dempster, Angels, Hamilton

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After taking a look at the AL and NL East, it's only fair that we turn our attention to the Western divisions..

  • The Dodgers are expected to pursue pitching and hitting and Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) wouldn't be surprised to see the club pursue Ryan Dempster of the Cubs.  Knobler adds (Twitter link) that that the Dodgers wanted Dempster two summers ago but settled for Ted Lilly once he was taken off the market by the Cubs.
  • Juan Rincon opted out of his contract with the Angels this morning but Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (via Twitter) says that the Halos released him, making it a mutual decision in essence.
  • Rangers president Nolan Ryan says that there's nothing new to report when it comes to contract talks with Josh Hamilton.  Over the weekend, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opined that the slugger is unlikely to sign an extension with Texas.

East Notes: Nationals, Youkilis, Podsednik, Red Sox

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After 8,020 games, the Mets finally have their first no-hitter in franchise history thanks to Johan Santana's brilliant performance tonight against the Cardinals.  Santana's bid was saved in the seventh inning by Mike Baxter as he sacrificed his body to make an incredible catch against the leftfield wall.   The left-hander threw 134 pitches in total but said after the game that he had no intentions of coming out of the game early.  Here's more out of the Eastern divisions..

  • According to a baseball source, there is a feeling that Bryce Harper is not the long-term answer in center field for the Nationals and the club still has interest in Angels outfielder Peter Bourjos and Twins outfielder Denard Span, a source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com.  However, the source said there haven't been any talks between the Nats and those clubs and wouldn't be the surprised if nothing happened until the offseason.
  • Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis told Ian Browne of MLB.com that he's not fazed by the recent trade talk surrounding him.  Boston GM Ben Cherington denied a report saying that they are telling teams that the veteran is available but the White Sox and Rangers are among the clubs that have checked in on him.
  • The Red Sox could be forced to cut veteran outfielder Scott Podsednik once Darnell McDonald or Cody Ross return, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal.  For his part, the 36-year-old doesn't sound ready to hang 'em up just yet.  "Until I can't go out and steal a base, until I'm not running that well, I'd be doing myself an injustice by not trying to go out and play," Podsednik said.

Stark On Hamels, Ruiz, Scutaro, Willingham, Pirates

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Jayson Stark of ESPN.com has plenty of news in his latest edition of Rumblings & Grumblings.  Let's dive in and take a look..

  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro says that his value assessment on Cole Hamels hasn't changed but he will have to take his other free agents into account this winter.  "But the biggest thing is all the other decisions we have to make…at third base [Placido Polanco], in center field [Shane Victorino], and at right field [Hunter Pence] and catcher [Carlos Ruiz] in two years. And we haven't solved our left-field situation, either," Amaro said.
  • Amaro says that he is high on Ruiz but will consider the club's payroll as a whole before considering a long-term deal.  The GM also pointed out his age (33) and demanding position.  The Phillies hold a $5MM club option for next year on Ruiz, which would put him on the open market  on the verge of his age-35 season.
  • The Phillies GM also seems confident that the club won't be in a position to cave before the deadline and become sellers.  For the Phillies to pull the plug and sell, he says the club would have to "fall out of contention pretty significantly."  
  • The Tigers might want to consider waiting around for the Rockies' Marco Scutaro as a solution at second base.  Clubs that have checked in with the Rockies say they're still at least a month from selling but Scutaro, Rafael Betancourt, and Jeremy Guthrie are all likely to be available when they do.
  • There's been a surprising amount of trade talk surrounding Twins outfielder Josh Willingham but teams that have kicked the tires on him have been rebuffed. 
  • The Pirates are telling other teams that they're likely to approach this deadline like they did last year's, looking to add.  They've indicated that they're likely to trade arms for bats, especially hitters they can control beyond this year. 
  • Meanwhile, potential shoppers wonder if the Pirates are willing to move enough quality to make a splash.  Pittsburgh is hinting that they'll keep James McDonald, A.J. Burnett, and probably Erik Bedard if they have a shot to win.  If that's the case, they'll instead be shopping the likes of Charlie Morton, Kevin Correia, Jeff Karstens, and prospect Rudy Owens, which won't net them the same kind of return.
  • Despite reports to the contrary, Roy Oswalt never received offers from the Phillies or Cardinals according to Amaro and a source who spoke with the Cards' brass, respectively.  While there was other interest, it seems that this was a one-team negotiation with Oswalt and the Rangers.

Wright Won’t Discuss Contract During Season

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David Wright told Ed Coleman of WFAN Radio that he will not discuss a new contract with the Mets during the season, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  The third baseman has also let the club know that he won't negotiate in-season, a team source told Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter).  Wright is earning $15MM this season with a club option for 2013 worth $16MM.

Earlier this week, GM Sandy Alderson said that he planned on offering the 29-year-old a new contract at some point during the season.  Mets CEO Jeff Wilpon supported that notion, but added that the club wasn't necessarily in a rush to get a deal done.

Wright has been outstanding thus far in 2012, boasting a slash line of .365/.463/.565 with five homers in 203 plate appearances.

Padres Designate Jeff Suppan For Assignment

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The Padres have designated right-hander Jeff Suppan for assignment, according to a team press release.  The move will allow the club to recall catcher Yasmani Grandal from Triple-A Tucson.

Suppan, 37, has a 5.28 ERA with 2.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 30.2 innings of work this season.  The veteran inked a minor league deal with San Diego in February in a deal that paid just $950K for his promotion to the varsity roster.  Suppan spent 2011 with the Royals' Triple-A affiliate where he posted a 4.78 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.

Quick Hits: Beltran, Angels, Mercedes, Cruz

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The Nationals reinstated Michael Morse from the disabled list today in a move that should help the team score a few more runs. Morse hit 31 homers and posted a .910 OPS last year, so he should help a Nationals offense that ranks 13th out of the 16 NL teams in scoring. Here are today's links…

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Oswalt, Jones, Youkilis

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On this date in 1995, the Diamondbacks named Joe Garagiola Jr. the first GM in franchise history. Arizona started play in 1998 and Garagiola remained with the team through August 2005, when he took a senior-level position with MLB. Bob Gebhard served as the team's interim GM until Josh Byrnes was hired that October. Here's the latest from the baseball corner of the web…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Yankees Eyeing Matt Garza

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Matt Garza interests the Yankees more than other potentially available starters, so GM Brian Cashman could pursue the right-hander this summer, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Red Sox could also pursue Garza, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com notes (on Twitter).

The Yankees appear to have little interest in Brewers right-handers Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, Heyman writes. The team has concerns about how Greinke would pitch in New York and members of the New York front office aren’t sure about Marcum as an American Leaguer.

The Yankees also have concerns about Ryan Dempster’s ability to transition to the American League. While the Brewers have a buyer’s mindset, the Cubs appear willing to listen on most of their players. Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros could be another option for the Yankees, Heyman notes.

Mets Designate Chris Schwinden For Assignment

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2:06pm: The Mets designated Schwinden for assignment and optioned Rob Johnson to Buffalo, the team announced (on Twitter).

11:18am: The Mets placed right-hander Chris Schwinden on waivers, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. By placing Schwinden on waivers the Mets will create one of two 40-man roster spots required for right-handed reliever Elvin Ramirez and catcher Josh Thole. 

Schwinden, 25, has appeared in three games for the Mets this year, making two starts. He has spent most of the season at Triple-A Buffalo, where he has a 2.59 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 48 2/3 innings over the course of nine starts.

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