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Orioles “Going Hard” After Greinke

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The Orioles are “going hard” after Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke, an MLB executive told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles appear to be the most aggressive suitor for Greinke, but talks are preliminary, Connolly reports. Some believe the Orioles and Braves are most likely to land Greinke, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.

Brewers president of baseball operations Doug Melvin recently told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that his team is "trying to win games and get back in the hunt." The Brewers may wait until after facing the Reds, Pirates and Cardinals to determine their course of action this summer.

Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette "absolutely" has financial support from ownership to take on salary this season, Connolly reports. Greinke, who’s on track for free agency this offseason, earns $13.5MM in 2012. The Brewers could obtain two compensatory draft picks for losing Greinke to free agency, but no other team has the same opportunity under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. 

Duquette recently told Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com that he'd like to improve his team's rotation if possible. Top prospects Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy are probably off-limits in trade talks. “They look to be long-term solutions to help the Orioles," Duquette said. The Orioles don’t want to trade young pitching, Connolly reports.

 Greinke, 28, has a 3.08 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 108 innings so far this year. Agent Casey Close has had some extensions talks with the Brewers on Greinke's behalf.

Brian Matusz is a possible trade chip for the Orioles, Crasnick writes (on Twitter). The Orioles are "down on" Matusz, who's now in the minor leagues.

Rosenthal On Red Sox, Blue Jays, Greinke, A’s

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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.

Braves Release D.J. Carrasco

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We'll track the day's minor moves here… 

  • The Braves released right-hander D.J. Carrasco, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter). The Mets released the 35-year-old in May after he appeared in four games and the Braves picked him up on a minor league contract. Carrasco appeared in five games for the Braves' top affiliate before losing his roster spot.

Olney’s Latest: NL Trade Market, Darvish

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney compares the current state of the trade market to shopping at an airport, where priced are designed to gouge customers. Buyers want more sellers and sellers want more buyers. Olney also previewed the NL trade market, so let's dive in…

  • The Mets are among teams looking for bullpen help and are waiting for the market develop. The division-rival Nationals are also in the market for relief help but do have Drew Storen on the mend. Olney wonders if they'll look for a starter given Stephen Strasburg's inning limit.
  • Executives expect the Padres to deal Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, plus they continue to get calls about Chase Headley. Olney speculates that the Reds could be a fit for Quentin.
  • The Braves are looking to add a veteran starting pitcher, but Olney says they're unlikely to swing a trade for Zack Greinke without having some kind of long-term contract agreement in place.
  • Olney wonders if the Diamondbacks could become surprise buyers for pitching help given Joe Saunders' injury and Trevor Bauer's early struggles. The Cardinals figure to jump into the pitching market given Chris Carpenter's season-ending shoulder surgery.
  • The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are among the clubs in sell mode. The Brewers will wait a little longer before deciding to sell, and while Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and others could be on the block, Corey Hart will not.
  • Olney says the Blue Jays actually finished third in the bidding for Yu Darvish behind the Rangers and Cubs. No bid was within $35MM of the $51.7MM Texas submitted.

Zack Greinke Rumors: Tuesday

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The Brewers plan to make another attempt at extending Zack Greinke this year, but if talks don't progress they may have to consider trade offers for the former Cy Young Award winner. Greinke, who's on track to hit free agency after the season, would be one of the best pitchers available if the Brewers decide to sell. Here are the latest rumors surrounding Greinke with the most recent rumors up top:

  • The Brewers have a special assignment scout watching the Rangers’ Double-A affiliate, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. The scout is not there on routine coverage, which raises the possibility that the Brewers are taking stock of the Rangers’ system in anticipation of possible trades.
  • The Braves are believed to be seriously considering a trade for Greinke even if they don’t have assurances of keeping him beyond 2012, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. O’Brien doubts the Braves would offer Greinke $20MM per season on an extension.
  • A former teammate of Greinke’s told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the right-hander would like to play for the Braves. Greinke likes Atlanta and wants to win badly, according to Greinke’s friend. The Braves, who have lost four of their past five games, haven’t yet decided how aggressively to pursue upgrades in midseason trades.
  • The Braves are willing to trade young arms for Greinke, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday.

Int’l Signings: Barrera, Cruz, Esteves, Gomez, Dodgers

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The 2012 international free agent signing period opened today and plenty of signings will be coming in as teams look to spend within their $2.9MM allotment.  We'll be keeping track of all of the day's major agreements under $1MM right here..

  • The Athletics are finalizing an agreement with Luis Barrera that would pay the Dominican outfielder $450K, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. Sanchez's colleague Jonathan Mayo ranked Barrera as the No. 13 prospect in this year's class.
  • Badler also adds that the Indians have signed Dominican shortstop Grofy Cruz for a bonus of $400K. Cruz is expected to shift to third base soon, and is praised by Badler for his strong arm and raw power.
  • Dominican third baseman Kelvin Esteves signed with the Braves for a $300K bonus, Badler writes. Badler praises Esteves' bat speed and raw power from the right side.
  • The Dodgers also signed Dominican shortstop Cristian Gomez to an undisclosed bonus, writes Badler. Gomez was widely expected to receive a low six-figure bonus.
  • The Dodgers issued a press release to announce four international signings: right-handers Lenix Osuna and William Soto, left-hander Victor Gonzalez, as well as catcher Julian Leon. Osuna is the son of former Dodgers righty Antonio Osuna. Soto hails from Venezuela while the other three were all signed out of Mexico. Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the club spent about $1MM total on the four players.
  • The Mets, who earlier today signed shortstop Amed Rosario to a $1.75MM bonus, also signed Venezuelan shortstop Miguel Patino and Dominican second baseman Franklin Correa, tweets ESPN's Adam Rubin. Rubin also notes that Rosario's bonus is the highest the Mets have ever given to an international free agent. That honor had previously gone to Fernando Martinez ($1.3MM).

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Zack Greinke Rumors: Monday

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If the Brewers end up selling this season, Zack Greinke could be the prize of the trade market. The 28-year-old right-hander has been electric in 2012, entering play tonight with a 2.82 ERA, 9.0 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and 52.3% groundball rate. His FIP (2.21) suggests he's been even better than his ERA indicates. Here are Monday's rumors surrounding the Milwaukee ace…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Braves are "definitely" interested in Greinke and that they're willing to trade their young arms to facilitate a deal.
  • The Braves have sent one of their top scouts to attend Greinke's start tonight, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). Atlanta recently lost Brandon Beachy to Tommy John surgery. It's been reported that Atlanta is only interested in Greinke if an extension can be reached.
  • Brewers manager Ron Roenicke told reporters (including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) that the team will make another run at extending Greinke prior to the deadline. If Greinke remains with the team beyond the deadline, the Brew Crew will revisit extension talks this offseason, though Roenicke feels that Greinke will want to "know what's out there for him" in free agency.

Rosenthal On Pirates, Headley, Angels, Phillies

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In today's column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Pirates should go all in and trade for either Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke or Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels.  Rosenthal notes that the Bucs have the 11th-ranked farm system in the majors and enough young talent to pull off a trade without including Jameson Taillon or Gerrit Cole.  Pittsburgh's pitching has been strong this year and the team is currently focusing on boosting their offense, but finding a hitter who could make an impact on the level of Greinke or Hamels would be a challenge.  Here's more from Rosenthal..

  • The Padres are drawing serious interest in third baseman Chase Headley, but one rival exec wonders how could the team trade Headley without knowing the future of left fielder Carlos Quentin.  The club could potentially move both and replace Headley with top infield prospect Jedd Gyorko, but that would leave them flat offensively in 2013.
  • Some execs wonder if the Angels might try to add one of the elite starters on the block due to the recent struggles of Dan Haren and Ervin Santana.  The chances appear remote, however, as the Halos' farm system isn’t deep and sources say GM Jerry Dipoto is adamant about keeping right-hander Garrett Richards as a future low-cost option.
  • Even before the Phillies began calling teams about Cole Hamels, it was obvious that they wouldn't be buyers.  “Their scouts are not out there banging,” a rival exec said. “They’re usually out there banging by this time. They’re playing it more conservative.”
  • The GM carousel could pick up again this year.  The Rockies, Mariners, and Braves could all be compelled to make changes while the Dodgers and Padres are under new ownership.  Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is reportedly in the final year of his contract while the Padres’ Josh Byrnes has four years left.
  • Sellers should target teams who are under a great deal of pressure to win such as the Braves, Red Sox, Marlins, Tigers, and Angels.  The Yankees now work to take emotion out of the equation when surveying the trade market but they could feel added stress if they start to see another AL East club as a threat.
  • Giants outfielder Nate Schierholtz is out-of-options and could draw interest at the deadline.  Schierholtz is hitting .248/.314/.400 with three homers in 140 plate appearances.

Braves Notes: Greinke, Liriano, Chipper

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With nearly 81 games in the books, the Braves signed Ben Sheets to a minor league deal earlier today as the team hopes he can help bolster its rotation in the second half of the season. Here's the latest from Turner Field…

  • Look for Atlanta to join the pursuit of Zack Greinke's services if the team can secure him long term for closer to $15MM per season than $20MM, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Greinke, 28, is enjoying a strong season in his second year with the Brewers after being acquired from the Royals in December 2010. The right-hander has posted a 2.82 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 through 16 starts.
  • The Braves were among a series of teams scouting Francisco Liriano today during his start against the Royals, reports Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com (via Twitter). While Liriano failed to turn in a quality start on Sunday, the former All-Star has improved his performance each month of the season thus far. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $5.5MM deal with the Twins in January and will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season.
  • Count Bryce Harper among Chipper Jones' supporters for his bid to be added to the National League All-Star roster through the Final Vote competition, writes Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com. The 19-year-old rookie, who is competing with Jones for a spot on the team, said that a future Hall of Famer should be able to go to the All-Star Game during his last season. "If I was going to make a vote, I'd go vote for Chip."

Braves Sign Ben Sheets

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1:25 pm:  Braves GM Frank Wren spoke with reporters, including Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, after watching Sheets' bullpen session. "You look at him being a guy who, if the progression goes as we hope, that he could join our rotation in the next few weeks. What we just saw in the bullpen was very impressive."

11:53 am: The Braves announced that they have signed pitcher Ben Sheets to a minor league deal.  The right-hander will make his first start on July 4th for the team's Double-A affiliate.

Sheets, 33, will now work his way towards returning to a big league mound for the first time since July 19th, 2010 when he was with the A's.  The Louisiana native had a 4.53 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 through 20 starts that season with Oakland before having to undergo flexor tendon surgery.

As MLBTR first reported, Sheets threw for scouts from the Phillies, Braves, Yankees, and Angels two weeks ago.  The pitcher apparently wanted to wait until he was 100% before returning to baseball.

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