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Tigers, Others Interested In Lincecum As A Reliever

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Several teams, including the Tigers, have interest in acquiring Tim Lincecum from the Giants but as a relief pitcher instead of a starter, FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi reports.  Lincecum has only made one regular season relief appearance in his seven-year Major League career, but he allowed just one run over 13 relief innings during the Giants' postseason run last October.  Though Lincecum returned to the San Francisco rotation this year, Morosi notes that he may eventually be tabbed for a bullpen role in the future.

The Tigers have been looking for an answer at closer all season, and while Joaquin Benoit has pitched well in the role as of late, Lincecum could be a game-changing addition at the back of the Detroit bullpen (or, Benoit could remain as closer as Lincecum could simply be used for other important relief situations).  It would be a somewhat difficult trade to negotiate for the Tigers or any team that wished to use Lincecum out of the pen, given that the Giants would likely still be looking for a return befitting that of a solid starting pitcher. 

As Morosi writes, the Giants may want to keep Lincecum given that they're still on the outskirts of the NL West race.  The World Series champs might be loath to deal Lincecum given that they're already known to be looking for starting pitching help and recently came up short in a bid to acquire Ricky Nolasco.  On the other hand, Lincecum is a free agent this winter and is owed $10.2MM for the remainder of the 2013 season, so if the Giants decided to become sellers, moving Lincecum's salary would be a key move as the club reloads for 2014.

I wrote back in February that Lincecum's upcoming free agency made this a make or break year for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, and to this point, Lincecum has showed signs that his disappointing 2012 campaign may have been an aberration.  Lincecum has a posted a 9.71 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 over 19 starts, the best of which was a no-hitter against the Padres on Saturday.  Lincecum has been hurt by some bad luck in the form of a .312 BABIP and 67.4% strand rate — his advanced metrics (3.34 FIP, 3.25 xFIP, 3.54 SIERA) indicate that his 4.26 ERA should be lower.  As I recently noted on MLBTR's sister fantasy site Roto Authority, Lincecum was a good buy-low candidate for your fantasy league, though the no-hitter has likely upped his value.

Phillies Notes: Giles, Utley, Lee

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The Phillies, who lost Ben Revere for six to eight weeks over the weekend due to a broken bone in his ankle, are currently 6.5 games out of first place in the NL East. With Revere on the shelf for the foreseeable future, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is on the lookout for a center fielder. A rough couple of weeks could have the team selling pieces, however. Here's more on the Phils….

  • Phillies chairman Bill Giles told Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer that this is the "most difficult (final) July two weeks" he has ever seen for the team. The 78-year-old Giles, who has been with the Phillies since 1969, is in particular "worried a lot" about Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley's futures.  "I am rooting for Chase to be with us, I will tell you that," Giles said. "He is a quality person and has done so much for this organization."
  • Utley, for his part, tells MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that he wants to remain in Philadelphia past the trade deadline and beyond.  "I've never envisioned wearing another team's uniform," Utley said. "And I know there's a lot of speculation, but I still haven't….that still hasn't changed over the last month. I've talked to Ruben. I've told him what I think about the organization and city of Philly. That's kind of where we're at."  Amaro recently said he hoped Utley would stay a Phillie for the remainder of his career.
  • A Red Sox team source tells Tim Britton of the Providence Journal that they don't expect the Phillies to be sellers at the trade deadline since the Phils are still afloat in the NL playoff race.
  • At today's All-Star festivities in New York, Cliff Lee told reporters (including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford) that as far as he knows, he will not be traded this year.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez Cleared To Sign With MLB

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Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez has been cleared by the U.S. Treasury Department and is free to sign with Major League teams, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter link).  It isn't expected to take long for Gonzalez to find a club, as Sanchez believes the righty could be signed within the next two weeks.

Gonzalez, 26, is old enough that his contract wouldn't count against a team's international signing cap, and thus the highly-touted pitcher is expected to command a deal worth as much as $60MM over five years.  The Dodgers are thought to be the favorites to sign Gonzalez, while the Red Sox, Rangers, Cubs and Twins are also known to have some interest.

Red Sox Considering Upgrades On Left Side Of Infield

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The Red Sox "have been open to exploring the market for potential contributors on the left side of the infield to help for the rest of 2013," writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com, who adds that the Sox are conducting their search despite possessing arguably more high-end third base and shortstop prospects than any team in baseball.

Between Will Middlebrooks, Xander Bogaerts and Garin Cecchini, that Sox have a plethora of talented infielders who could fill those spots long-term. That doesn't even include Jose Iglesias, whose overall production this season has been outstanding. Iglesias, however, has slumped of late, hitting just .205 without an extra base hit over his past 10 games. Given his minor league track record (.244/.296/.292 in 916 Triple-A plate appearances), it's fair to wonder whether or not he can sustain anything close to his current level of offensive output. Stephen Drew is also nearing a return, but his .233/.313/.409 batting line isn't what the Sox had hoped it would be.

Tim Dierkes recently examined the trade market for third basemen and the trade market for shortstops, and the cupboard is mostly bare in terms of short-term fixes. Michael Young could be a fit at third base if the team is looking strictly for help in 2013 (my own speculation), though his glove weighs down his trade value. Beyond that, most of the starters are controlled through at least the 2014 season. General manager Ben Cherington has already been active on the trade market recently, adding left-hander Matt Thornton in a trade with the White Sox.

Twins Notes: Carroll, Morneau, Plouffe

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The Twins have won just three of the 14 games they've played this month and figure to be sellers following the All-Star break. Brighter days could be ahead in the near future, however, thanks to top prospects such as Byron Buxton, who was profiled by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports earlier today. Passan writes that Buxton's introversion can help him to avoid some of the negative perception that has surrounded Bryce Harper and Yasiel Puig, likening him to Mike Trout in that regard. Here's more on the Twins…

  • Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports that Jamey Carroll is being sought after, but the Twins shouldn't expect much of a return. A prospect in the mold of Eduardo Escobar (a utility infielder whom the Twins received in last year's Francisco Liriano deal) is all they could hope for (Twitter links).
  • Justin Morneau had his agent at SFX reach out to the Twins last week to see if they had interest in working out an extension but was told by the team that they preferred to wait and see what happened at the trade deadline, according to Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Morneau added that after July, it would be difficult not to hear what other teams had to say, with his first venture into free agency so near.
  • From that same piece, Miller notes that Chris Parmelee was "stunned" by his demotion to Triple-A Rochester over the weekend. The Twins demoted Parmelee, Escobar and Oswaldo Arcia but only announced two call-ups. In another piece, Miller writes that it's likely due to the fact that Chris Colabello is slated to play in the Triple-A All-Star game this week, and the team is waiting until after that event to make the announcement.
  • Twins VP of player personnel Mike Radcliff told Wolfson that Trevor Plouffe's versatility will come into play when Miguel Sano is ready for the Major Leagues. Plouffe has homered 34 times over his last 729 plate appearances in establishing himself as Minnesota's primary third baseman but will likely be displaced by Sano. Of Sano's defensive improvements, Radcliff said, "He can play third base. That's not an issue anymore."

Rockies Acquire Armando Galarraga

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Here's your rundown of Monday's minor moves from around the league…

  • The Rockies have traded minor league right-hander Parker Frazier to the Reds in exchange for Armando Galarraga, the team announced on Twitter. Frazier was the team's eighth-round pick in 2007 and has a career 4.75 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 699 minor league innings. The 24-year-old reached Triple-A this season for the first time. Frazier entered the season as the team's No. 30 prospect, according to Baseball America. Galarraga famously threw a near-perfect game with the Tigers in 2010. He has a 4.78 ERA in 542 career Major League innings, though he's been significantly better in Triple-A this season, pitching to a 2.98 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. The move is clearly a depth signing, as the Rockies announced that Galarraga will report to Triple-A Colorado Springs.
  • Five players are currently in DFA limbo: Henry Rodriguez of the Cubs, Jair Jurrjens of the Orioles, J.C. Gutierrez of the Royals, Pedro Ciriaco of the Padres and Chris Heston of the Giants.

AL West Notes: DeShields, Mariners, Saunders

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Over the weekend, the Astros locked up second baseman Jose Altuve to a low-risk four-year, $12.5MM extension that carries a pair of club options at $6MM and $6.5MM. All told, Altuve can be controlled through the 2019 season if the Astros choose, and those six years would cost a total of $25MM. Here's more out of the AL West…

  • In light of Altuve's extension, Brian T. Smith and Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle note that a position change is a possibility for top prospect Delino DeShields Jr., whose path to the Majors as a second baseman is now blocked. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2010 draft, DeShields is hitting .290/.388/.399 with 30 steals in 71 games this season at high Class A. Last season, he swiped 101 bases in 135 games. General manager Jeff Luhnow said for the time being, DeShields would finish the season as a second baseman.
  • The Rays are believed to have checked in on Mariners bats such as Raul Ibanez and Kendrys Morales, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in the most recent edition of his Stock Watch column. He speculates that the Yankees and Rangers would also make sense as potential trade partners for Seattle.
  • From that same piece, Heyman adds that Joe Saunders is likely more available than either Morales or Ibanez. After a brutal start to the season, Saunders has a 2.37 ERA over his past nine starts. The Mariners are currently deciding when to begin a sale, says Heyman.

Marlins Unlikely To Make Major Trades

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The Marlins have improved greatly over the course of the season, as evidenced by their 22-17 record since May 31. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro writes that the team attributes the success to a young core coming together and isn't likely to sell significant pieces to jeopardize that core.

According to Frisaro, Giancarlo Stanton, Logan Morrison, Steve Cishek and Mike Dunn are all considered building blocks and are likely to stay put with the Fish. All of that could change if the Marlins are overwhelmed by a team willing to overpay, but even a package for Cishek would have to start with a team's No. 1 prospect, according to Frisaro. As it stands, the 27-year-old closer is not available.

Ryan Webb and Chad Qualls may still be dealt, as could position players Placido Polanco, Greg Dobbs and Justin Ruggiano. That quintet of veterans has less team control than the untouchables listed by Frisaro, and those players likely aren't seen as core members of the team going forward. It's likely that the Marlins' biggest July trade has already occurred in the form of the Ricky Nolasco trade. The Marlins, according to Frisaro, may be more active on the August waiver trade front than before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

While a deal sounds unlikely, the team has still received plenty of hits on Stanton as well as its many bullpen arms. Ruggiano has also drawn some interest from teams like the Rangers and Yankees, although he's another player the team isn't in a rush to trade.

Quick Hits: Shortstops, Indians, Hart, Papelbon

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The All-Star Futures Game demonstrated how strong the future of the shortstop position can be, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. The World roster alone featured Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox, Francisco Lindor of the Indians and Carlos Correa of the Astros, leaving the Cubs' Javier Baez out in the cold. (Addison Russell of the Athletics started for the U.S. team.) There has been a bit of a void at the position since the heyday of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra in the 1990s, Castrovince says. It's unclear whether the new group is good enough to yet again raise the bar for the position. "The more competition I have, the better it's going to make me," says Lindor. "I see Bogaerts got called up [to Triple-A], I see Correa's doing great, I see [Jurickson] Profar is in the big leagues, I see what Baez is doing, and I think that's awesome." Here are more notes from around baseball.

  • The Indians are 51-44 through the first half of the season, and their best path to improving at the trade deadline and staying near the top in the AL Central is improving their bullpen, Bud Shaw of the Plain Dealer writes. Upgrading their shaky rotation will be tricky, since they can't justify trading a top-notch prospect like Lindor, particularly not for a rental player. Upgrading their bullpen, rather than their rotation, would allow them to keep Lindor and pitching prospect Danny Salazar.
  • After having knee surgery, Corey Hart is now out for the season, and it's unclear what his future holds, reports Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel. He's a free agent this offseason, and he'd like to stay with the Brewers. Due to the injury, it likely won't take a large financial commitment for Milwaukee to keep him. "I’ve talked to my agent. This is my home – I’ve been them almost half my life," says Hart. "I’d like to continue as long as they’ll let me. This might have been the silver lining to let me stay here – maybe a lower salary with incentives helps my case."
  • The Red Sox appear unlikely to pursue Jonathan Papelbon of the Phillies as the trade deadline approaches, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe tweets. Abraham cites both Papelbon's recent performance and his salary. Papelbon has a 2.33 ERA, but his strikeout rate (8.0 K/9) has dipped substantially this year, and his velocity is down a bit as well. He's still an effective reliever overall, but there's little doubt that his contract, which will earn him $13MM per year through 2015 with a vesting option for 2016, is worrisome.

Los Angeles Notes: Mattingly, Dodgers, Cron, Angels

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Here are some items from the City of Angels…

  • The Dodgers' decision not to fire Don Mattingly was "the best no-decision of the first half," CBS Sports' Scott Miller writes. After months of speculation about Mattingly's job security, the Dodgers finished their first half by winning 17 of their last 22 games, and although they're only 47-47, they're just 2 1/2 games back of the Diamondbacks in the NL West.
  • In first baseman C.J. Cron, the Angels have a "legitimate trade piece," ESPN.com's Jim Bowden tweets. He also describes Cron as a "future middle of the order impact bat," which may be a stretch at this stage — Cron is already 23 and is hitting .287/.332/.440 at Double-A Arkansas, which is decent but hardly revelatory. There's little doubt, however, that many organizations would love to take a chance on Cron, who was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2011 Draft.
  • Cron is currently blocked by Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo at first base and designated hitter. But Cron, who played catcher in college before suffering a shoulder injury, feels he could handle the position at the big-league level, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. A move to catcher might clear a path for him within the organization and keep his name out of trade rumors. GM Jerry DiPoto says, however, that the Angels have no plans to ask Cron to switch positions.

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