AL East Notes: Orioles, Red Sox, Yankees
Midway through this year's 162-game schedule, all five American League East teams have winning records. The Yankees have the best winning percentage in baseball and the Orioles, Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays have all won more games than they've lost. Here are the latest AL East links…
- Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette estimates that the Orioles have had trade talks with "probably over half the teams," Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com reports. Duquette says he'd like to improve his team's rotation if possible. "We need to find a solution to our starting pitching," he said.
- Top prospects Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy are probably off-bounds in trade talks. “They look to be long-term solutions to help the Orioles," Duquette said.
- Dominican prospect Wendel Rijo agreed to sign with the Red Sox for $625K, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Yankees signed fifth round selection Robert Refsnyder for $206K, Jim Callis of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The right fielder has a good bat and a good arm, Callis adds.
- The Blue Jays announced that they signed 18th rounder Alonzo Gonzalez, 26th rounder Nathan Desouza and 37th rounder Daniel Devonshire.
Morosi On Nationals, Broxton, Scutaro
The Nationals are willing to boost payroll midseason if the right opportunity emerges, principal owner Mark Lerner told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. “We’ve never let dollars get in the way of us making decisions that will help this organization,” Lerner said. “That will always be our philosophy.” Here’s more from Morosi, starting in Washington:
- Lerner said the Nationals “don’t want to get somebody who’s a rental player,” Morosi reports. The Nationals have a club-record payroll in the $90MM range for 2012.
- The Royals are now asking for a Major League piece in return for Jonathan Broxton, Morosi tweets. The Royals are open to moving Broxton, Morosi and Ken Rosenthal reported last night. The 28-year-old right-hander has a 1.99 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and 21 saves this year.
- Marco Scutaro is available, but the Rockies’ asking price remains high, Morosi tweets. Scutaro would prefer to stay in Colorado, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported today.
White Sox Claim Daniel Moskos
The White Sox announced that they claimed left-hander Daniel Moskos off of waivers from the Pirates and optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Chicago now has one open spot on its 40-man roster.
Pittsburgh selected Moskos with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft. He appeared in 31 games for last year's Pirates team and posted a 2.96 ERA with 4.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 24 1/3 innings as a rookie. The 26-year-old has spent this season at Triple-A, where he has a 3.86 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 14 innings. The White Sox are known to be seeking depth for their big league bullpen.
Potentially Available Third Basemen
The Diamondbacks and Dodgers are among the teams that are looking for third base help this summer. Here’s a preview of some potentially available third basemen:
- Chase Headley, Padres – The Padres control Headley's rights through 2014 and he's earning just $3.48MM this year, so there's no need to move the 28-year-old in the short or long-term. He's hitting .272/.374/.421, which would make him one of the trade market’s most sought-after players.
- Placido Polanco, Phillies – It's unclear if the Phillies will be willing to trade veterans such as Polanco. The 36-year-old is hitting just .269/.314/.346, so he's not the offensive threat he was five years ago. He earns $6.25MM this year and his contract includes a $5.5MM mutual option for 2013.
- Chone Figgins, Mariners – Figgins would not necessarily draw interest on the trade market even if the Mariners agreed to take on his entire salary. The 34-year-old has a .186/.245/.276 batting line in 165 plate appearances.
- Mike Fontenot, Phillies – Fontenot's playing time has been reduced since Chase Utley returned from the disabled list. He's now a bench player with a .338/.378/.403 batting line and the ability to play multiple infield positions.
- Cody Ransom, Brewers – The Brewers, who selected Ransom from Arizona in May, could trade him if they become sellers this month. The infielder has a .216/.318/.405 batting line in 171 plate appearances so far this year.
- Once Evan Longoria returns from the disabled list, the Rays could be positioned to trade an infielder such as Sean Rodriguez, Brooks Conrad, Jeff Keppinger or Will Rhymes.
- In theory, the Angels could consider deals for Alberto Callaspo or Maicer Izturis and move Mark Trumbo to the hot corner. Trumbo now has some experience at third base, but he hasn't played there since May 3rd.
MLBTR started previewing the trade market this week with a look at potentially available catchers, first basemen and second basemen.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Hamels, Holland, Garza, Lee
On this date in 2005, five Marlins pitchers combined to retire the final 28 Brewers they faced in a 12-inning win over Milwaukee. The combined "hidden" perfect game featured 22 total strikeouts (45 batters faced) by Florida, including a career-high 14 by A.J. Burnett. Here are this week's links from the baseball corner of the blogosphere…
- MLB Reports interviewed former All-Star Dmitri Young.
- Brotherly Glove says trading Cole Hamels makes sense for the Phillies.
- Over The Monster doesn't think the Red Sox should trade for Hamels.
- Amazin' Avenue wrote about a potential Francisco Rodriguez-Mets reunion.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness provides a trade deadline primer for Dodgers fans.
- Bleacher Nation broke down the Cubs and their trade fodder.
- Yanks Go Yard wrote about the Yankees and Matt Garza.
- Through the Fence Baseball says the Rangers should trade Derek Holland.
- Rays Colored Glasses looked at Nick Hundley as a trade target for the Rays.
- Tomahawk Take listed some bench trade targets for the Braves.
- Pirates Prospects isn't sure that the Pirates need to make a trade.
- Cleveland Indians Perspective says the Indians should stand pat.
- AL Eastbound & Down says the Blue Jays need to add pitching no matter what.
- Lasorda's Lair wrote about the Dodgers' failed attempt to acquire Carlos Lee.
- 85% Sports broke down the worst contract in baseball.
- The Hardball Times analyzed this year's Home Run Derby participants.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Tigers Interested In Matt Garza
The Tigers have interest in Matt Garza, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). The Cubs recently scouted Detroit's Erie affiliate, but talks are not serious. The Blue Jays, Indians, Reds, Red Sox, Diamondbacks and Cardinals all scouted Garza's start last night, Morosi adds.
The Cubs and Tigers discussed a deal involving Matt Garza this past January without reaching an agreement. Though the Tigers continue to get Cy Young-type production from Justin Verlander, starters Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer have been inconsistent so far this year.
Garza, 28, earns $9.5MM and will remain under team control through 2013. He has a 4.32 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 through 93 2.3 innings.
Olney On Headley, Rangers, Branyan
The Padres’ most sought-after player may not be Huston Street or Carlos Quentin, Buster Olney writes in his latest column at ESPN.com. Here are the details from Olney:
- Chase Headley could be the most coveted player of the summer, Olney writes. The 28-year-old third baseman has a .372 on-base percentage, earns just $3.48MM this year and has two years of team control remaining after 2012. Some rival evaluators expect Headley’s power numbers would improve if he played at a more hitter-friendly park in a more potent lineup, Olney writes.
- The Dodgers, Pirates, Indians, Orioles and Diamondbacks are among the teams believed to have some interest in Headley, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported yesterday.
- The Phillies haven’t decided to trade Cole Hamels, but the Rangers are already viewed as favorites to acquire the left-hander should Philadelphia make him available.
- The Dodgers could consider Russell Branyan, Olney suggests. Branyan, who has 194 career MLB home runs, has 11 homers and a .302/.436/.660 batting line in 133 plate appearances for the Yankees' Triple-A team this year.
Rockies Notes: Giambi, Scutaro, Guthrie
The Rockies are expected to trade some players this summer after failing to meet expectations through the first three months of the 2012 season, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. Here's Renck's breakdown of the Rockies' trade candidates:
- Jason Giambi could help a contender as a left-handed bat off of the bench, Renck writes. Though Giambi doesn’t want to leave Denver, he understands a trade could take place. "You can't worry about it. If it happens, it happens. It's like playing in your free agency year. Just go play. But I love it here," he told Renck.
- Marco Scutaro could be in demand this summer, when the Tigers are expected to be among the teams seeking middle infield depth. Scutaro says he’d prefer to stay in Colorado, though it’s not his choice. "Sometimes you hear all the rumors and nothing happens. Then it's quiet, like with me last winter, and I got traded."
- Jeremy Guthrie could be moved, even if it’s just for salary relief. The Blue Jays had interest in Guthrie, but talks cooled. Like Giambi and Scutaro, Guthrie will hit free agency this offseason.
Rosenthal On Red Sox, Blue Jays, Greinke, A’s
We hear a lot of talk about buyers and sellers this time of year, but as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out in his latest column, some teams will do neither this summer and other teams will do both. Here are Rosenthal’s latest notes with less than four weeks to go before July 31st:
- The Red Sox could be positioned to trade an outfielder this month if their rehabbing players return as expected. Boston figures to pursue starting depth in trades; the Red Sox aren’t considering trades involving Josh Beckett.
- The Yankees will probably not sign Josh Hamilton or Cole Hamels this offseason, since they aim to avoid the MLB luxury tax by 2014 and that means cutting back on extravagant free agent signings.
- Under GM Frank Wren the Braves won more games while spending less money than every team but the Rays from 2009-11, Rosenthal notes.
- If the Blue Jays trade players on the brink of free agency such as Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson, they’d look to acquire players who can help them win next year. And if the Blue Jays don’t like what other teams are offering, they’ll keep their potential free agents. Toronto’s not likely to overpay in a “go for it” trade, Rosenthal writes.
- The Blue Jays aren’t trading Colby Rasmus, who has become more driven, according to a team official.
- Rosenthal suggests the Athletics could look to acquire players midseason if they stay in the playoff mix. Bartolo Colon is the player the A’s are most likely to trade, Rosenthal writes.
- The Mets are actively seeking relief help, but it’s highly doubtful they’d trade for Huston Street, who publicly criticized Mets bench coach Bob Geren last year. The Mets, who insist they won’t trade top prospects, are likely to wait until the end of the month before making any trades.
- The Cardinals wouldn’t be willing to meet the Brewers’ asking price for Zack Greinke, Rosenthal notes. St. Louis is more likely to pursue a mid-rotation starter.
- The Diamondbacks believe they need a third baseman more than a starting pitcher.
Blue Jays Sign Franklin Barreto
FRIDAY: Barreto obtained a $1.45MM bonus, ESPN.com's Keith Law reports (on Twitter). Luis Castillo obtained an $800K bonus from Toronto, Law adds.
MONDAY: The Blue Jays have signed Venezuelan shortstop/centerfielder Franklin Barreto, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 5'9", 175-pound prospect is Baseball America's top-ranked international prospect in the July 2nd class. Terms of the deal are not yet known but Barreto had been expected to sign with the Blue Jays for nearly $2MM.
Badler writes that few amateurs have ever matched the 16-year-old's history of dominance representing Venezuela in international competitions. Several teams had Barreto as the No. 1 player on their board and some scouts project him as a future plus hitter. Most teams, however, don't expect him to stick and shortstop and expect to see him wind up in centerfield.