Justin Upton Rumors: Wednesday
The Diamondbacks are willing to listen to offers for Justin Upton, but they’re not looking for prospects. "We're still in win mode,” GM Kevin Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. We’ll track the latest rumors on Upton here with the most recent updates up top.
- Olney suggests the Braves could be a fit for Upton (Twitter links). Atlanta could build a deal around third baseman/outfielder Martin Prado and pitching prospects, Olney writes. Upton would balance the Braves' lineup and provide the team with cost certainty going forward, Olney adds.
- The Diamondbacks believe they could obtain a package of perhaps three players for Upton, Piecoro writes. Towers said he’s not shopping the right fielder, but will listen in case an enticing offer emerges. “Clubs have asked; I've said, 'Hey, tell me what you would do.' We could either say yes or say no," the GM told Piecoro.
- The Rangers could make sense as a suitor for Upton, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney suggests (all Twitter links). The Diamondbacks could be interested in third base prospect Mike Olt and the Rangers could like the idea of adding outfield depth with Josh Hamilton headed toward free agency.
- Upton has no-trade protection that allows him to block deals to some big-market teams, including the Yankees, according to Olney.
Athletics Release Brian Fuentes
The Athletics announced that they released reliever Brian Fuentes. They had designated the left-hander for assignment on July 3rd after a disappointing first half.
In 25 innings for the Athletics this year Fuentes posted a 6.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. The 36-year-old is in the second year of a two-year, $10.5MM contract he signed following the 2010 season. He'll earn $5MM this year, but can now be signed by another team for a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary. The Cardinals showed interest in Fuentes after the A's removed him from their roster.
Cubs Sign Albert Almora
JULY 11th: The Cubs have officially announce the signing in a press release. Almora will report to the team's complex in Mesa.
JULY 9th: The Cubs have agreed to sign first round selection Albert Almora, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The high school outfielder obtains a $3.9MM bonus.
MLB recommended a $3.25MM bonus for Almora, the sixth overall selection in last month's draft. The outfielder has lots of tools and polish, Callis notes. The Cubs have now agreed to terms with their first 20 selections from the draft. Just six first round selections remain unsigned with four days to go before this Friday's deadline for signing draft picks.
Potentially Available Starting Pitchers
Starting pitching is in demand every summer. And as fans of Doug Fister and the 2011 Tigers know, it’s not always the biggest names that have the biggest second-half impact.
Teams are now navigating the trade deadline under a new collective bargaining agreement, and for the first time in decades clubs cannot obtain compensatory draft picks if players acquired midseason depart as free agents. There’s been some speculation that this rule change will mean lowered asking prices for top players. After all, why would a team surrender top prospects for a player who could disappear without a trace a few months later?
It’s a fair question, but there’s still reason to believe top players will cost top prospects. Imagine for a minute that you’re a general manager calling up Doug Melvin of the Brewers about Zack Greinke. You say ‘Hi Doug, we’d like to acquire your ace right-hander, but the CBA changed so we’re going to scale our proposal back and offer a couple B and C prospects. That OK?’ Melvin could then say ‘Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll wait it out and get a top draft pick next year. Good luck having replacement level pitchers in your rotation for the next two months.’
Within a few weeks we’ll know how the trade deadline will affect the value of top pitchers. Until then, here’s a look at which pitchers will — or might — be available between now and the upcoming trade deadline:
NL West Notes: Street, Garcia, Ozuna
Much of the recent NL West chatter relates to Justin Upton and potential trades for Arizona's 24-year-old right fielder. The Diamondbacks will listen to offers for Upton, who’s just one year removed from a fourth-place finish in the NL MVP balloting. Here are some non-Upton related notes from the NL West…
- Padres closer Huston Street said he could “clear the air” with Mets bench coach Bob Geren if a trade sends him to New York this summer, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. "If I get to the Mets, that'll be the first bug I go squash,'' Street said. The right-hander called Geren his “least favorite person” in sports following their time with the Athletics.
- The Diamondbacks signed catcher Oswaldo Garcia, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. Some scouts considered Garcia the top Colombian prospect available this year. The 16-year-old has a powerful bat and a strong arm.
- The Diamondbacks also signed 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Fernery Ozuna, Badler reports.
Dodgers, Cubs Discussing Dempster, Garza
The Dodgers and Cubs are discussing possible trades that would send either Ryan Dempster or Matt Garza to Los Angeles, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Dodgers are seen as a favorite to acquire Dempster, and they’ve also had conversations about Garza.
The Dodgers are expected to pursue upgrades aggressively in their first summer under new ownership. They have the resources to take on large contracts like Dempster’s ($14MM) and Garza’s ($9.5MM), but the Cubs prefer to obtain talent in trades even if it means getting less salary relief.
Dempster, 35, recently returned from the disabled list. He has a league-leading 1.99 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 86 innings and will hit free agency this coming offseason. Garza, 28, has a 4.32 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 93 2/3 innings. He’ll go to arbitration once more next winter and hit free agency following the 2013 campaign.
Quick Hits: Quentin, Hagadone, A’s, Uribe
A few stray links to pass along as the NL All-Stars celebrate their third consecutive victory over the AL …
- The Indians are trying to acquire Carlos Quentin from the Padres, but the sides "don't have much common ground right now," according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Quentin is an impending free agent and figures to be dealt, as the Friars are unlikely to extend him with their ownership situation still in flux.
- The MLB Players Association is considering filing a grievance on behalf of Indians reliever Nick Hagadone, who was placed on the minor league disqualified list after injuring himself in a fit of frustration following a recent poor outing, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Indians GM Chris Antonetti said Hagadone was angry that he pitched poorly and not because he had been informed he'd been optioned to the minor leagues. Players do not receive salary or accrue service time while on the disqualified list.
- The odds of the Athletics moving to Sacramento, as was recently proposed by the city's mayor, former NBA star Kevin Johnson, is highly unlikely, according to the Contra Costa Times. The A's, meanwhile, remain in stadium limbo.
- The Dodgers may be in an active-roster bind with the impending returns of outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier from the disabled list, and though they could possibly cut ties with oft-injured and ineffective infielder Juan Uribe, that move remains unlikely, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. The balance of the $12MM owed to Uribe over the next season-plus would be tough for the Dodgers to swallow, Dilbeck explains.
East Notes: Martin, Phillies, Blue Jays, Papelbon
A few links from around the NL East and AL East, where the Yankees and Nationals reside in first place at the All-Star break …
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman has no plans to acquire a catcher despite Russell Martin's struggles, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. "We have our catching," Cashman said. "I believe in Russell Martin, period."
- The Phillies are flirting with exceeding MLB's luxury-tax threshold of $178MM, which could affect their dealings with impending free agent Cole Hamels, who's also a potential trade candidate, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The looming threat of a luxury tax stifling a player's contract negotiations is something union chief Michael Wiener said he wouldn't be "happy about," but he understands it's part of the the collective bargaining agreement.
- The Blue Jays will have to pay a tax after overshooting the $2.9MM cap for signing international free agents that kicked in on July 2, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Toronto inked three of BA's top 20 international free agents.
- Former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said his Boston tenure all but ended when ex-manager Terry Francona's 2012 option was not picked up, leaving a managerial void the club would not fill till December, according to ESPNBoston.com. The Sox never made the right-hander an offer, Papelbon confirmed: "(The Red Sox) wanted to see if I could go out and test the market and maybe come back. I don't know if they would (have countered), but I don't go back. I go forward."
Sabean Discusses Giants’ Deadline Plan
The Giants made one of the biggest moves of last season's trade deadline, acquiring center fielder Carlos Beltran from the Mets in exchange for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, although San Francisco fell short of the postseason. Now, though, the Giants are just a half-game out of first place in the NL West, and GM Brian Sabean shared some thoughts with Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle as this year's deadline approaches. Here are the highlights:
- Sabean would like to bolster the Giants' weak-hitting lineup with some power, but he's unsure of where he could upgrade significantly and whether that's even available on the trade market.
- "I'm not sure we have enough [offense]," Sabean said.
- The Giants have had talks with 15 teams regarding about 25 players, both hitters and pitchers.
- Sabean was "adamant" that he won't make a significant trade for a rental player this year as he did last season for Beltran. As Schulman notes, though, the Giants were more desperate for help then with both Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez out for the season due to injuries.
- “Anything we have do has to be significant upgrade and take us into the future,” the GM said.
- The outfield of Gregor Blanco, Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera will likely remain intact, and the Giants seem "committed" to shortstop Brandon Crawford and first baseman Brandon Belt.
- If anything, San Francisco may look to upgrade its bullpen and bench, with perhaps a right-handed power hitter being the ideal fit.
- Sabean reiterated that he's not interested in acquiring a starting pitcher.
Angels Interested In Acquiring Zack Greinke
The Angels plan to make a run at trading for Brewers starter Zack Greinke if the right-hander becomes available prior to the trade deadline, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
The Orioles, Rangers and Braves are also thought to be interested in dealing for Greinke, the 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner, although a person close to Greinke said that the Halos are a "perfect fit."
The Angels lavished huge contracts on Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this offseason, but they may have payroll flexibility for 2013 with club options on right-handers Dan Haren and Ervin Santana, the latter of which is expected to be declined barring a "major turnaround," according to Heyman.
The Brewers entered the break with a record of 40-45, eight games back in the NL Central and six back for one of two Wild Card spots. They've not yet decided whether they're sellers and will apparently use the first week or two after the All-Star break to sort that out.
Brewers cornerstone Ryan Braun, for his part, wants to convince management to retain Greinke, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter): "Realistically, we're still in this thing."