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Archives for July 2012

Zack Greinke Rumors: Thursday

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The Brewers are looking to sell and, based on his most recent start, Zack Greinke is healthy. The right-hander figures to continue drawing heavy interest in the days leading up to the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. He’s clearly the top arm available with Cole Hamels locked up to an extension in Philadelphia. The Rangers, Angels, Braves and White Sox are interested in Greinke and the Red Sox and Nationals might be considered suitors too. Here are the latest rumors surrounding the Greinke with the most recent rumors up top…

  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin's comments this evening were measured compared to ones made earlier today where he sounded certain of a Greinke trade, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.  "I just said there was that possibility," Melvin said. "I don't think there's any secret, with the Trade Deadline, that this is a possibility. Zack knows that. We know that. Other teams know that."  McCalvy writes that the Rangers, Angels, and Braves appear to be the most serious suitors for Greinke.
  • The Dodgers aren't pursuing Greinke at this point, sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • The White Sox seem completely focused on trying to get Greinke, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Greinke will be traded before the July 31st deadline, GM Doug Melvin told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Melvin said Greinke could handle pitching in a large market. "There are so many good things about him, it's going to be difficult when we trade him,'' Melvin said. GMs and executives agree Greinke is the prize pitcher available in trades, Nightengale reports.
  • One source believes Greinke will be traded before Ryan Dempster, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin confirmed on WTMJ radio that he's taking phone calls and acknowledged that Greinke could be traded before his next start (transcript via Tom Haudricourt). "At this point we have to listen to opportunities to improve the ball club for the future and still try to win ball games now," Melvin said.
  • Melvin added that the Brewers haven't had recent extension talks with Greinke.
  • The Brewers are taking calls from teams interested in acquiring Greinke, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. "It sounds like he's as good as gone," one person told Haudricourt. 
  • Haudricourt offers a detailed look at which prospects interest the Brewers’ decision makers. Milwaukee would love to have Rangers shortstop prospect Jurickson Profar, but the Rangers consider him untouchable. The Brewers would be very interested in Rangers left-hander Martin Perez and have scouted right-hander Justin Grimm.
  • The Brewers are thought to rank Braves right-hander Julio Teheran ahead of Randall Delgado and Mike Minor, according to Haudricourt. The Brewers want pitchers who can contribute at the MLB level soon.
  • Milwaukee prefers Angels shortstop prospect Jean Segura to Garrett Richards, Haudricourt writes.
  • The White Sox also appear to have considerable interest in Greinke.

Ryan Dempster Rumors: Thursday

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The Braves are “moving on” from their pursuit of Ryan Dempster, GM Frank Wren said yesterday. That leaves the Dodgers, the right-hander’s preferred team, as a potential suitor. The possibility of a trade exists, but the Cubs are said to be frustrated by their lack of leverage in talks with Los Angeles. So Dempster might stay put after all. Here’s the latest with the most recent updates up top…

  • The Cubs offered to send Dempster to the Dodgers straight up for right-hander Allen Webster, but the Dodgers turned it down, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  People briefed on the talks say the Dodgers have thus far offered a couple of lesser prospects who may project as relievers instead.  It now seems that the Dodgers are more interested in Matt Garza than Dempster.
  • The Cubs are moving closer to sending Dempster to the Dodgers and are discussing various trades including a multi-team deal, tweets David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com.
  • The Dodgers and Cubs continue talking and “might” be getting closer to a deal involving Dempster, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.
  • Rival executives say the Dodgers are projecting an air of optimism about their chances of obtaining Dempster, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports (on Twitter).
  • The Cubs are running out of desirable choices as they consider their next move, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Cubs could keep Dempster and make him a qualifying offer after the season, but one executive says there’s “no way” the Cubs would make such an offer because the risk isn’t worth the reward.
  • One executive wondered if the Cubs might offer Dempster $1MM to go to Atlanta if the Braves are willing to surrender considerably more than the Dodgers, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes (Twitter links). Someone like Randall Delgado might be worth enough to make up for the one-time cost of $1MM.
  • Dempster and Matt Garza are seen as more likely trade options for the Dodgers than James Shields, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • The possibility of the Cubs and Dodgers completing a deal involving Dempster remains in limbo, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).

Brewers Designate George Kottaras For Assignment

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6:55pm: GM Doug Melvin says that he is working on a trade involving Kottaras and hopes to complete it in a day or two, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel.

11:03am: The Brewers announced that they designated catcher George Kottaras for assignment. In related moves, Milwaukee activated catcher Jonathan Lucroy from the 15-day disabled list, optioned infielder Jeff Bianchi to Triple-A and selected the contract of right-hander Jim Henderson.

Kottaras, 29, figures to draw trade interest in the coming days, when teams such as the Mets and Nationals could inquire about possible deals. He has a .209/.409/.360 batting line in 116 plate appearances this year, thanks to an impressive 25% walk rate. In parts of five MLB seasons, Kottaras has a .221/.326/.402 batting line.

Minor Moves: Wise, Ray, Bell

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Tonight's minor moves..

  • Dewayne Wise cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but the Yankees outfielder has yet to accept the assignment, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
  • The Athletics have released reliever Chris Ray, who was with the club's Triple-A affiliate, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  The 30-year-old hooked on with Oakland less than two weeks ago.
  • Right-hander Trevor Bell cleared waivers and was released by the Angels today, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.  The 25-year-old made 19 appearances for the Halos in 2011, posting a 3.41 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.

Orioles Interested In Francisco Liriano

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4:58pm: The Angels and Orioles remain in the mix for Liriano, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

12:41pm: The Orioles have inquired about Francisco Liriano, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Baltimore is looking to acquire a starting pitcher and their chances at a high-end starter such as Zack Greinke aren’t great, so they’re inquiring on other arms. 

Jayson Stark reported yesterday that Liriano is "nearly 100 percent" likely to be traded. The Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays and Braves are believed to have some interest in Liriano, Heyman reported earlier this month. The 28-year-old left-hander has a 5.31 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in 100 innings this year. He earns $5.5MM and is eligible for free agency after the season.

The Orioles have also shown interest in Bartolo Colon, as Ken Rosenthal reported last week. The A’s will likely keep Colon, since he may be worth more on their roster than in a trade, Heyman reports.

NL East Notes: Reyes, Bonifacio, Murphy

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The Marlins appear to have set an extremely high asking price for Josh Johnson, Jon Heyman reported today. Here’s the latest on the Marlins and their NL East rivals…

Quick Hits: Indians, Scutaro, Twins, Polanco

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The Indians are focused on trade candidates who are under team control beyond 2012, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). This means players such as Shane Victorino aren’t ideal targets for Cleveland. Here are more links from around MLB for Thursday afternoon…

  • Marco Scutaro is the most likely Rockies player to be dealt this month, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. The Nationals and Rays are among the teams watching Scutaro, Renck notes.
  • The Twins are hoping Carl Pavano and Matt Capps get healthy and pitch well in August so they can pass the pitchers through waivers and consider trading them, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).
  • The Orioles, who continue looking for a third baseman, would have "tried hard" to acquire Placido Polanco if the Phillies hadn't placed him on the disabled list, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

Outrighted: Asencio, De La Cruz

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The latest outright assignments…

  • The Cubs have outrighted right-hander Jairo Asencio to Triple-A Iowa, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports (on Twitter). Asencio posted a 3.07 ERA with more walks than strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings for the Cubs after they claimed him from the Indians.
  • The Tigers announced that they outrighted left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz to Double-A Erie (Twitter link). De La Cruz, 23, has posted a 4.86 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 90 2/3 innings at Erie since the Tigers claimed him off of waivers from the Indians back in March.

Crasnick On Athletics, Broxton, Francoeur

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The latest rumors from ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick…

  • The Athletics have discussed Jimmy Rollins and Chase Headley as possible upgrades for the left side of their infield, Crasnick reports (Twitter links). However, Rollins' salary would be difficult to fit into Oakland's budget and the Padres' asking price for Headley remains high. The A's seem lukewarm on Yunel Escobar, Crasnick writes. They aren't sure how he'd fit in their clubhouse dynamic. 
  • Jonathan Broxton is the most likely Royal to be traded, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (all Twitter links). The Royals want young starting pitching for Broxton, and they’re looking for pitchers who are close to MLB-ready — not Class A types. 
  • Meanwhile, Jeff Francoeur’s trade value is negligible because he’s not producing at the plate.

Stark On Greinke, Headley, Indians, Wells

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The market for Zack Greinke appears to consist of the Rangers, Angels, White Sox and Braves, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. Rival teams say the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers aren’t involved on Greinke, and the Indians and Orioles have limited interest in pitchers headed for free agency, Stark writes. Here are more notes from Stark:

  • The Yankees are exploring their third base options with Alex Rodriguez out, Stark reports. Marco Scutaro could be an option for New York.
  • There’s an expectation that Chase Headley will be traded, but the Padres continue saying they’re happy to keep him, Stark writes.  One team says the Padres are looking for a Mat Latos-like return if they trade the third baseman.
  • The Phillies are looking for a proven, young setup reliever and a young outfielder or third baseman for Victorino, Stark reports. They’ve asked about relievers Brad Lincoln, Wade Davis and Logan Ondrusek in trade talks.
  • It’s already been a busy month for the Astros, but they’re still willing to consider trades for anyone but Jose Altuve.
  • The Indians and Cardinals have talked to the Rays about James Shields, Stark reports.
  • The Angels are telling teams they’d rather trade Vernon Wells than keep him when he returns from the disabled list. They’re looking for a trade partner and saying they don’t want to eat all of his salary, Stark reports. It’ll be challenging to find a taker for Wells’ salary; he earns $21MM per season through 2014.
  • The Indians aren’t likely to deal Chris Perez or Shin-Soo Choo, but they’ll listen on either player.

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