Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for July 2013

AL West Notes: Perez, Mariners, Norris, Astros

By | at

Here's a look at the latest out of the AL West..

  • Peter Gammons of MLB.com tweets that every General Manager he has spoken with says the Mariners are asking for "premier prospects" in exchange for lefty relievers Oliver Perez, Charlie Furbush and Brian Moran.  We learned recently that Perez has drawn interest from the Orioles, Braves, and others.
  • In his latest Scouts Corner column, CBS Sports' Danny Knobler cites an executive who suggests that the Astros' Bud Norris could be the next starting pitcher to be traded. "He's got good stuff. It's about the consistency of command. I think most contending teams will see him as a fourth starter. The problem is they're going to ask a lot for him," a scout tells Knobler.  Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com wrote earlier tonight that the asking price is high for Norris as Houston is seeking two highly-rated prospects in return.
  • An executive on the hunt for pitching tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that the Astros' Norris is basically one of three decent available starters right now.  The others are the Cubs' Matt Garza and Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers.  The asking price for all three is really high, according to the exec, which is consistent with what we've been hearing.

Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

Phillies Notes: Lee, Papelbon, Utley, Ruiz

By | at

Phillies' right-hander Luis Garcia looked the part of a big league pitcher when he made his MLB debut on Wednesday, striking out Ryan Zimmerman and getting a double-play grounder from Adam LaRoche. However, prior to this season he'd been out of organized baseball for two years, working for a moving company and in a barbershop, Todd Zolecki and Stephen Pianovich of MLB.com write. After showing the Phillies a mid-90s fastball and a decent slider, the team assigned him to their high-A club, and he's now pitching out of a major league bullpen. Some more Friday night Phillies links…

  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. isn't expected to make drastic changes to his team as the trade deadline approaches, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Though the Phils remain under .500, the team is playing well lately, having just taken five of seven from divison rivals Washington and Atlanta.  A model for the Phillies' approach to the trade market this year might be the 2007 club under GM Pat Gillick, which plugged holes by acquiring infielder Tad Iguchi and pitcher Kyle Lohse for two non-prospects. Gelb also discussed the market for Michael Young, highlighting the Red Sox, the Yankees, the Dodgers and the Orioles as potential trade partners.
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com runs down possible trade pieces for the Phillies at the deadline. From conversations with people around baseball, it would seem that Lee is staying put while rival execs see at least a small chance of Jonathan Papelbon being traded. Opinions seem to be split 50/50 on Chase Utley, though there's a strong belief that Young is a goner if they're not in position to contend. Finally, execs could see the club trading catcher Carlos Ruiz if they remain on the cusp of the race or fall further.
  • The Phillies signed 11th-round pick Denton Keys to a $350K bonus (plus a $200K college scholarship) that will put them over their bonus pool and force them to pay a luxury tax, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (Twitter links). Because Callis mentions no loss of future draft picks, it seems that the Phils exceeded their pool by 0-5 percent. Any further overage would result in a loss of their 2014 first-rounder. Keys, according to Callis, is a prep left-hander from Colorado whose fastball touches 91 mph. He was committed to Kansas.

Astros Seeking Two Top Prospects For Norris

By | at

The Astros know that there's not a whole lot of quality starting pitching available on the trade market this year and they have an asking price to reflect it for their top hurler.  To part with righty Bud Norris, rival GMs tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the Astros are asking for two top prospects in return.

Heyman sees Norris as fitting somewhere in "the upper echelon" of starting pitchers in this year's market, which he says also includes Matt Garza and Yovani Gallardo.  "Garza is the biggest immediate impact guy and Norris is the best long value guy,'' a GM tells Heyman. With a reasonable salary – just $3MM this season – and an additional two years of team control, Norris could be an attractive option to contenders, particularly if top targets such as Cliff Lee remain unavailable.

In an recent column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports noted that the Padres would prefer a pitcher whom they can control beyond 2013 if they make a trade, and Norris certainly fits that bill. Norris, 28, has pitched to a 3.63 ERA in 114 innings this year, striking out 6.4 K/9 and walking 2.8 BB/9.

As Astros people note, that low salary and the team's sub-$30MM payroll mean there's no need for them to trade the righty, potentially giving them extra leverage in negotiations. However, some believe that Norris will be the next starter to be traded. There's plenty of trade talk around Norris and Houston may not be ready to contend for the next several years.

Padres Designate Pedro Ciriaco For Assignment

By | at

The Padres announced via press release that infielder Pedro Ciriaco has been designated for assignment.

Ciriaco, 27, was acquired in June after being designated for assignment by the Red Sox. He appeared in 23 games for the Padres, playing mostly shortstop and hitting .238/.284/.333 in 68 plate appearances. The Padres now have 10 days to assign Ciriaco to the minors, trade him or release him.

The DFA comes as part of a flurry of moves in which San Diego also reinstated infielders Yonder Alonso and Jedd Gyorko from the 15-day DL and promoted pitcher Sean O’Sullivan from Triple-A Tucson. O’Sullivan, 25, will start tonight against the Giants. He has a 3.88 ERA in 102 Triple-A innings this year.

Blue Jays Sign Brentz, Tellez; Do Not Sign Bickford

By | at

The official signing deadline for this year's draft has now passed, and the Blue Jays made some last-minute splashes. Toronto signed 11th-rounder Jake Brentz for a hefty $700K bonus and 30th-round pick Rowdy Tellez for a record-setting $850K bonus, according to Baseball America's Callis (Twitter links). However, Callis also tweets the team was not able to reach an agreement with first-round pick Phil Bickford, who will attend college at Cal State Fullerton.

Reports that the Blue Jays were unlikely to sign the No. 10 overall pick first surfaced yesterday. The team will now be awarded the No. 11 pick in the 2014 draft as compensation for failing to sign the right-hander. Bickford is the only first-rounder from this year's draft not to sign.

The assigned slot values of all picks after the 10th round is $100K, meaning that the Blue Jays went $750K over slot to sign Tellez and $600K over slot to sign Brentz. Tellez's bonus is the largest ever under the new CBA for a player selected after the 10th round of the draft. However, the Blue Jays' total spend is still within the confines of their draft pool, even without Bickford's money, as noted in Baseball America's draft database.

Tellez ranked 59th on Baseball America's list of Top 500 draft prospects and 99th according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. BA called him the "best left-handed power bat in this year's draft class," noting that he also has a good feel for hitting and moves well for his 6'5", 230-pound frame. While he's seen time in the outfield, Tellez profiles as a first baseman. Tellez is advised by Phil Ortiz of the Primo Sports Group.

Brentz's signing comes just one day after reports stated that he was unlikely to sign. The prep lefty out of Missouri ranked 45th among draft prospects according to ESPN's Keith Law and 80th on BA's Top 500. In fact, Law actually had Brentz ranked ahead of Bickford. Law wrote that Brentz may be "the best pure left-handed arm in the draft class," praising his upper-90s fastball but noting that his curveball is a work in progress. Brentz is advised by Jason Wood of Arland Sports.

Orioles Designate Jair Jurrjens For Assignment

By | at

The Orioles announced on Twitter that they have designated right-hander Jair Jurrjens for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Jairo Asencio, who has been called up from Triple-A Norfolk.

The 27-year-old Jurrjens appeared in two games (one start) for the Orioles after agreeing to a minor league contract with Baltimore this offseason, allowing four runs in 7 1/3 innings of work. He pitched well out of the gates for Norfolk but has posted an unsightly 5.32 ERA over his past eight starts for the Tides. In 94 2/3 minor league innings this season he has an impressive 2.3 BB/9 rate but just a 4.9 K/9 rate.

Asencio was acquired from the Brewers in Spring Training for a player to be named later or cash. In 37 2/3 innings for Norfolk this season, he has a 2.15 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9. The Orioles will be the fourth big league team for which the 30-year-old Asencio has pitched. He has compiled 53 1/3 innings of Major League experience betweeen the Braves, Cubs and Indians.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: A’s, Angels, Blue Jays

By | at

On this date eight years ago, Bud Selig made it clear during the the All-Star game Town Hall discussion that the designated hitter will remain in use for the foreseeable future. The commissioner, however, stated that the National League will never adopt the 1973 addition to the American League rule book.  Here's this week's look around the baseball blogosphere..

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Zach can be reached at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.  

Pirates, O’s Swap Russ Canzler, Tim Alderson

By | at

The Pirates have acquired Russ Canzler from the Orioles, according to his agent, William Appleton (Twitter link; hat tip to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). Kubatko tweets that the Orioles will receive right-hander Tim Alderson in the deal. The Orioles PR department has confirmed the move.

Canzler, 27, was designated for assignment when the Orioles acquired Alex Liddi (another DFA casualty) from the Mariners. In 374 plate appearances for Triple-A Norfolk this season, Canzler hit .276/.369/.430. Canzler is primarily a first baseman but also has significant experience in left field and at third base. The former has appeared in 29 big league games — three with the Rays and 26 with the Indians.

Alderson, 24, was a one-time top prospect with the Giants after being selected 22nd overall in the 2007 draft. The Pirates acquired him in a trade deadline deal for Freddy Sanchez in 2009, and it was considered to be an impressive pull for the Buccos at the time of the deal. Alderson's star has faded, however, and after failing as a starter he's been shifted to the bullpen. In 29 relief appearances at Triple-A this season, he has a 2.43 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. He did not rank among the Pirates' Top 30 prospects in either of the past two seasons, according to Baseball America.

Trade Market For Center Fielders

By | at

Over the past few seasons, center fielders Michael Bourn, Colby Rasmus, Jordan Schafer and Scott Podsednik have exchanged hands via trade, and others capable of playing center field have been included in deals as well (e.g. Shane Victorino). Trades for center fielders aren't as plentiful as trades for corner outfielders, simply because good center fielders are hard to come by and thus hard to acquire.

Here's a look at some of the names who could be on the move as we approach the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline…

Regular Center Fielders

Justin Ruggiano (Marlins), Alejandro De Aza (White Sox), Franklin Gutierrez (Mariners)

The Marlins don't want to trade Ruggiano, but he has an outstanding glove in center field to go along with a nice blend of power and speed. He strikes out a fair amount and doesn't have tremendous patience, but a .249 BABIP has deflated his overall batting line to .218/.288/.397 this season. He's under team control through 2016 and isn't yet arbitration-eligible, so the asking price will be high.

De Aza grades out as a poor defender in center according to advanced metrics, but he's spent the past two seasons as Chicago's primary center fielder and hit well in the process (.274/.339/.413). De Aza will be arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason after making $2.08MM in 2013, and the White Sox are open to dealing anyone other than Chris Sale and Paul Konerko.

Gutierrez, predictably, has missed a signifcant portion of the season and is on the shelf without a clear timetable for his return. The impending free agent hasn't played in more than 100 games since 2010 and could be moved in August if he can get healthy.

Part-Time Center Fielders

Andre Ethier (Dodgers), David DeJesus (Cubs), Chris Denorfia (Padres), Rajai Davis (Blue Jays)

Injuries have pressed Ethier into center field duties this season, and the team may prefer to hang onto him given its recent surge in the standings. However, the emergence of Yasiel Puig along with the presence of Matt Kemp (if healthy) and Carl Crawford could allow the Dodgers to try to shed Ethier's contract. He's just one year into a five-year, $85MM contract but has hit a mere .274/.348/.409 over his past 162 games. That's hardly $17MM production, and there's been plenty of speculation regarding his situation already.

Denorfia and Davis don't play center regularly, but each has significant Major League experience at the position. Both are speedy right-handed hitters who hit left-handed pitching far better than right-handed pitching, so they could serve as a nice bench or platoon component to a contender. Davis is a free agent at season's end, while Denorfia is controlled through 2014.

There's no timetable for DeJesus' return from injury, but he's punished right-handed pitching this season in a return to center field action. He's already played more innings in center field this season than he has since 2008, however, so interested teams could look at him as more of a corner outfield option when healthy. DeJesus has a cheap club option for 2014, so he's more than just a rental.

Fourth Outfielders

Endy Chavez (Mariners), Dewayne Wise (White Sox), Ryan Sweeney (Cubs)

Wise and Sweeney are both on the disabled list, though Sweeney figures to return at or shortly after the trade deadline. As such, he could be moved in an August trade due to the fact that he's a pending free agent. Wise was recently sent on a rehab assignment and should be healthy before the deadline, but he hasn't hit much in 2013. Chavez has been worse at the plate and figures to be a DFA candidate for the Mariners as much as a trade candidate.

Other Possibilities

Alex Rios (White Sox), Colby Rasmus (Blue Jays)

Rios hasn't played center field regularly since 2011 due to De Aza's arrival in Chicago, but he has more than 3500 career innings at the position. He's hitting .278/.333/.432 with 11 homers and 19 steals, and a contending team in need of a center field upgrade as well as an offensive boost could see him as a fit. Rios is locked up through 2014 with a club option for 2015, so Sox GM Rick Hahn will ask for a significant haul.

There's no indication that the Blue Jays will be firm sellers, and even if they end up going that route, GM Alex Anthopoulos may prefer to hang onto his center fielder. However, at 11.5 games out of a first and eight games back from a Wild Card spot, a losing streak could push the Jays into that territory, and Rasmus only has one year of team control remaining before free agency. Interested parties would likely pay a healthy price to acquire Rasmus, who is hitting .251/.324/.475 with 16 homers and strong defense in center field (according to UZR and The Fielding Bible). 

For more on the 2013 trade market, take a look at Tim Dierkes' examination of the market for catchers, first basemen, shortstops and third basemen as well as my own look at the market for second basemen and corner outfielders.

Latest On The Diamondbacks’ Pitching Search

By | at

FRIDAY: Despite Towers' comments, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Diamondbacks are at least discussing Jake Peavy as a possibility, noting that the White Sox have scouted Randall Delgado (Twitter link). Given the number of available relievers the White Sox have, the Diamondbacks could ask for both Peavy and a bullpen arm in a trade, though that's just speculation on my part.

THURSDAY: While many of the rumors regarding the D-Backs' search for pitching thus far have focused on starting pitchers such as Yovani Gallardo and Jeff Samardzija, GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert that bullpen help is the team's bigger need:

"I'm not as concerned probably with our starting pitching and looking externally for starting pitching as much as trying to get a bullpen arm," D-backs general manager Kevin Towers said.

Towers feels that injured starters Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy can help to upgrade the team's rotation when they return from the disabled list. Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com echoes that sentiment (Twitter link), adding that Towers will not trade top prospects Tyler Skaggs or Archie Bradley. Skaggs had been mentioned as a possible component to a Gallardo trade.

The Diamondbacks have actually received a combined 3.33 ERA from their bullpen this season, but J.J. Putz has been injured and Heath Bell has an 8.38 ERA over his past 11 appearances. They also lost one of their top relief arms when Matt Reynolds hit the disabled list in early June. So far, the Diamondbacks have been linked to the Brewers' bullpen options such as John Axford, Francisco Rodriguez and Michael Gonzalez. Other teams such as the Marlins, White Sox and Twins figure to have bullpen arms that could be moved in the coming weeks as well.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top