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Archives for July 2012

Tigers Interested In Stephen Drew, Ryan Roberts

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The Tigers have shown interest in infielders Stephen Drew and Ryan Roberts, Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports report. The Tigers and Diamondbacks have discussed scenarios involving one or both players, but it’s not clear how advanced talks are, Morosi and Rosenthal report.

Drew, who recently returned from an extended stint on the disabled list with a broken ankle, drew interest from the Tigers two summers ago. He’s earning $7.75MM this year and on track to hit free agency after the season. The Diamondbacks could ask for Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta in trade talks, Morosi and Rosenthal suggest. The Tigers have a $6MM club option for Peralta in 2013.

Roberts, 31, is a utility player who could play second base in Detroit. He has played second and third for the Diamondbacks this year, posting a .239/.287/.353 batting line in 260 plate appearances. Roberts earns $2.01MM in 2012 and will remain under team control through 2015.

Diamondbacks infielder John McDonald is on the disabled list, but expected back soon. The Athletics are also interested in acquiring shortstop help. Here's a look at potentially available shortstops and third basemen.

Braves Seeking Top Of Rotation Arms

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The Braves have been connected to several pitchers this summer, but ESPN's Jayson Stark hears from other teams that Atlanta is only interested in acquiring top-of-the-rotation pitchers at the deadline (Twitter link).

As Stark notes, that contradicts reports that link the Braves to names like Francisco Liriano and Jason Vargas. Atlanta has been linked to Zack Greinke, but GM Frank Wren will reportedly only part with his prized young pitching prospects if he's able to extend Greinke. Wren is unlikely to exceed $20MM annually in an offer for Greinke. The Brewers themselves are said to be gearing up for an offer in th five-year, $100MM range to retain their ace.

The Braves have seen young arms like Mike Minor and Randall Delgado struggle this season and turned to Ben Sheets in the short-term. Sheets had a brilliant Atlanta debut, but it's unlikely that he'd be counted on for significant contributions. After losing Brandon Beachy to Tommy John surgery earlier this summer, it stands to reason that they'd seek a front-line arm to replace his fantastic 2012 numbers.

Central Links: Castellanos, Cardinals, Miller, Crowe

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Between baseball's two Central divisions, at least six teams figure to be buyers, and more could emerge depending on how the coming weeks play out. The White Sox, Tigers, Indians, Reds, Pirates, and Cardinals could all add pieces prior to July 31, and here are some links pertaining to those clubs…

  • The Tigers are telling teams that top prospect Nick Castellanos is unavailable in any trade "at least right now," according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports echoes that sentiment, tweeting that he'd be "very surprised" if the Tigers move Castellanos for a rental (Twitter link).
  • The Cardinals were one of the teams in on Ben Sheets prior to his signing with the Braves, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who adds that the Cards continue to look for upgrades to their rotation.
  • Cardinals top prospect Shelby Miller has struggled in 2012, but B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest quotes GM John Mozeliak as saying, "Clearly we're still very high on him" (Twitter link).
  • The Indians announced that Trevor Crowe has been released from Triple-A Columbus (on Twitter). The former No. 14 overall pick is now 28 years old and has managed just a .736 OPS in parts of five Triple-A seasons. He batted .245/.295/.329 in three Major League stints.

Justin Upton Rumors: Monday

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Justin Upton is available for the right offer, but his no-trade protection enables him to block trades to four teams. The Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Indians are the teams on Upton's list, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report. As the FOX reporters note, players often include high-revenue teams like the Yankees on no-trade lists to maximize their leverage. Here are today’s latest Upton-related rumors:

  • Marc Carig of the Star Ledger tweets that there is "nothing going on" with the Yankees and Upton.
  • Larry Reynolds, the outfielder's agent, says Upton is a good person and a hard worker, Nightengale reports. "What I don't like are the comments and innuendos made about Justin's work ethic and character, especially from those gutless people that don't want to put their name by a quote," Reynolds said.
  • The Yankees have checked in on Upton.
  • Arizona GM Kevin Towers told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he’s getting more calls than ever as the trade deadline approaches. The volume of calls could be related to Upton’s availability and to the increase in potential buyers. 
  • Towers told Nightengale he’ll let Upton know if he’s nearing a deal with another club and suggested he might even give the right fielder some input if two teams offer similar packages. "I told Justin that if we're at the 1-yard line, I'll tell you the teams that are interested," Towers said.

Dodgers Interested In Jimmy Rollins

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A baseball executive recently suggested that Jimmy Rollins' contract would be a deterrent if the Phillies were to move him, but they may have one suitor. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports writes that the Dodgers are looking to upgrade at shortstop, and have some interest in Rollins.

Dodgers shortstops this season have combined to hit a ghastly .227/.284/.302. Dee Gordon has seen the lion's share of the time at the position, and while his 30 steals lead the National League, he's managed an OPS+ of just 56 and is now on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his thumb.

Rollins is batting .261/.315/.414, but that includes a slow start to the season. Since May 29, Rollins has picked up the pace in grand fashion, totaling a .304/.354/.571 triple slash line, belting seven homers along the way. Ultimate Zone Rating suggests that the 33-year-old's defense is exactly on par with his career rate of +5.1 runs per 150 games.

The biggest red flag with Rollins is, of course, the aforementioned three-year contract he signed this offseason. The Phillies guaranteed Rollins $33MM through his age-35 season, and the contract also contains a vesting option for a fourth year at another $11MM. That option is said to be easily attainable for Rollins, and is contingent on plate appearances. As Knobler points out on Twitter, Rollins also has 10-and-5 rights, which give him the ability to veto any potential trade.

The Dodgers have also been linked to both Shane Victorino and Cole Hamels recently, as they look to upgrade both their offense and their rotation prior to the trade deadline.

Red Sox Aggressively Pursuing Ryan Dempster

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The Red Sox are 9.5 games out of the division lead in the AL East, but they're just 1.5 back from a wild card spot, and look to be interested in fortifying their rotation. ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Boston is being aggressive in its pursuit of Ryan Dempster.

The 35-year-old Dempster, who is owed roughly $6.1MM over the remainder of the season, is in the midst of a very strong campaign. He's posted an MLB-leading 1.86 ERA to go along with a 7.3 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, and 42.5% groundball rate in 92 innings to date. Stats such as FIP (3.13) and SIERA (3.82) aren't as fond of Dempster's work, and he went through a short DL stint with a lat strain, but Dempster would be a clear upgrade to a Red Sox rotation that has compiled a 4.77 ERA this season.

Dempster has the power to veto a trade, but will reportedly consider being shipped to any contender. He's drawn interest from as many as ten teams, and prior to this point, the Dodgers and Tigers were thought to be the most serious players for the right-hander's services. Other interested parties include the Yankees, Braves, and Indians.

As a reminder, any team that acquires Dempster would be receiving a pure rental. Baseball's new collective bargaining agreement states that teams are only eligible to receive compensatory picks for players who spent the entirety of the season with that club.

A deal between the two sides would make for an interesting matchup, as it would represent the first deadline deal between new Cubs president Theo Epstein and his former assistant GM (and now Red Sox GM) Ben Cherington.

Quick Hits: Bourjos, Dempster, SFX

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The Angels have told some teams that Peter Bourjos is unavailable and offered the outfielder to other teams for relief help, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The fleet-footed 25-year-old has a .237/.293/.348 batting line and won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season. Here are today's links…

Athletics Interested In Shortstop Help

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Billy Beane would “love” to acquire a shortstop who could provide the streaking Athletics with an offensive boost, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The A’s, who aren’t presently in serious trade talks with any teams, could pursue Yunel Escobar or Stephen Drew. 

The Blue Jays are willing to trade Escobar, Rosenthal reports. Shortstop prospect Adeiny Hechavarria has convinced Toronto’s decision makers that he can play in the Major Leagues, so the Blue Jays could listen to offers on Escobar, Rosenthal writes. The 29-year-old Escobar has a .251/.295/.339 batting line and earns $5MM per season through 2013.

The A’s have also tried to upgrade over the slumping Brandon Inge, Rosenthal reports. Here's a look at potentially available shortstops and third basemen.

AL Central Notes: Castillo, Tigers, Willingham

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The White Sox lead the AL Central with a 49-39 record, and they are considering at least one high-profile midseason reinforcement. The White Sox have Zack Greinke on their radar, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported earlier today. Here are the latest AL Central rumors, starting in Chicago…

  • The White Sox agreed to sign Dominican prospect Luis Castillo for $450K, the Dominican Prospect League announced. The league release describes Castillo as a "man child" who hits the ball hard and runs well for his size.
  • The Tigers and White Sox are both prioritizing starting pitching in trade talks, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports.
  • The Twins haven't made Josh Willingham off-limits to other teams, but they aren't shopping him, Phil Mackey and Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com report. Willingham, who's in the first year of a three-year, $21MM contract, is "definitely" Minnesota's most valuable trade chip, 1500ESPN.com reports. However, the Twins are enjoying Willingham's production and would prefer not to trade a player so early in a multiyear contract.
  • The Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays and Braves are believed to have some interest in Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano, Heyman reports.

How To Use MLBTR

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