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Cafardo On Garza, Lowrie, Greinke, Red Sox, Liriano

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The rest of the baseball world is waiting for the Yankees to get old, but so far that hasn't happened, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  "They’ve been saying that ever since I’ve been around," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "They said it after 2001. They said it after we were reshuffling in 2003, and in 2004, my therapist said I wasn’t supposed to talk about it. After 2009, we can’t be winning with older guys…So I’ve always heard it. As long as we’re winning, people can keep saying it."  Here's more from today's column..

  • About six teams have been in contact with the Cubs consistently regarding Matt Garza: the Braves, Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Jays, and Royals.  Epstein is looking for a great package to part with Garza as he is the club's biggest chip.  However, teams have some concern over whether the pitcher can control his emotions.
  • The Tigers could be heavily in the mix for Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie and Detroit would likely move him to second to fill a need.  Cafardo wouldn't be shocked if he is on the Phillies’ radar as well. Houston has a few other chips in Brett Myers, Brandon Lyon, and Wandy Rodriguez that could help contenders.
  • When teams ask about Zack Greinke's availability, they are getting "not yet" from the Brewers.  However, Cafardo writes that he'll be available as soon as they get the right offer because there doesn’t seem to be any chance of Milwaukee signing him long-term. 
  • There has been a lot of talk about Scott Podsednik being used as a trade chip but Cody Ross and Daniel Nava could also be made available by the Red Sox.
  • Francisco Liriano's recent pitching has made him a viable trade chip for the Twins.  It would still be hard for a contender to trust him, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be moved.
  • A National League talent evaluator thinks the Mets should give some thought to trading R.A. Dickey while his value is skyhigh.  The Mets don't have the money to make the deadline upgrades that they need, so they could instead continue with their three- or four-year plan by making the right-hander available.

2013 Vesting Options Update

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Let's check in on the players who have vesting options for the 2013 season…

  • Jason Bartlett, Padres – $5.5MM option vests with 432 plate appearances. Bartlett came to the plate just 98 times before being placed on the disabled list with a knee injury. There is no firm timetable for his return and it seems unlikely that the option will vest at this point.
  • Kevin Gregg, Orioles – $6MM option vests with 50 games finished. Gregg has finished just six of the team's 70 games and it seems likely that Baltimore will keep the option from vesting.
  • Brett Myers, Astros – $10MM option vests with 45 games finished or based on a points system. Myers has finished 23 of the club's 70 games and is a trade candidate. If he continues to close, the option seems likely to vest.

Chipper Jones has an option worth $9MM+ that will vest with 123 games played, but he's already rendered the option moot by announcing his plans to retire after the season. Chipper has played in 38 of the Braves' first 70 games.

Alex Gonzalez has an option worth $4MM that will vest with 525 plate appearances, but he is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Gonzalez came to the plate just 89 times before the injury, so the Brewers do not have to worry about this one kicking in.

The Latest On Kevin Youkilis

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Yesterday we learned that the Red Sox have "stepped up their efforts" to trade Kevin Youkilis, who is losing playing time to Will Middlebrooks. After the rookie went 3-for-4 with a homer in last night's game, manager Bobby Valentine told Youkilis that he'll be sitting for a while according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Here's the latest on the Greek God of Walks…

  • A handful of teams are involved in the bidding according to Olney (Twitter link), but one official believes the White Sox are best positioned to swing a deal. It appears as though the Pirates have little interest in Youkilis according to ESPN Boston.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney hears that teams believe Youkilis could be traded at any time, but the feeling is that Boston is just working to get the best offer (Twitter link).
  • The Braves scouted Kevin Youkilis last week, Cafardo tweets. In fact, the Braves scouted him multiple times this past week, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Mills, Carrasco, Ambriz

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The latest minor moves..

  • The Indians traded first baseman Beau Mills to the Reds for cash considerations, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.  The former first-round pick has been assigned to Double-A Pensacola.
  • The Braves signed reliever D.J. Carrasco to a minor league deal. The Mets, who are responsible for the majority of Carrasco's $1.2MM salary, released the 35-year-old in late May after he allowed six hits, including two home runs, in 3 2/3 innings, according to the CBSSports.com transactions page.
  • The Astros signed right-hander Hector Ambriz to a minor league deal. The Indians released Ambriz this past Sunday after he posted a 3.55 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 33 Triple-A innings, according to CBSSports.com.

Braves To Consider Pitching Upgrades

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For now, the Braves will replace Brandon Beachy by recalling Jair Jurrjens from the minor leagues. But the Braves' long-term solution could come from outside of the organization, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. 

“I think we get through the next few weeks leading up to when the trading season really begins,” general manager Frank Wren said. “And we evaluate what we have, how guys are throwing and who might be available.”

The Braves are believed to be among the teams interested in Cubs right-hander Matt Garza, O’Brien writes. Garza earns $9.5MM this year and will be arbitration eligible for the fourth and final time before the 2013 season. His teammate, right-hander Ryan Dempster, could also interest the Braves.

The Braves hope Jurrjens pitches respectably, and they believe his minor league performance was better than his numbers would indicate (5.18 ERA, 4.7 K/9, 2.2 BB/9). Beachy will miss the remainder of the season to undergo Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, which leaves Jurrjens, Randall Delgado, Mike Minor, Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson in the Braves' rotation.

Braves Links: Beachy, Jurrjens, Garza, Youkilis

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The Braves have just one win over their last eight games and now face a potential season-ending injury for young ace Brandon Beachy.  Here's the latest from the A-T-L…

  • If Beachy requires Tommy John surgery, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution thinks the Braves may be forced to acquire another starter, and thus boost payroll or deal a valued prospect to do so.  The team could also go with internal options like Kris Medlen or Jair Jurrjens, the latter of whom is scheduled to take Beachy's spot in the rotation.
  • The Braves could still look to upgrade the rotation even if Jurrjens pitches well, but manager Fredi Gonzalez tells O'Brien that other teams would lower their trade demands since the Braves wouldn't be as desperate for pitching help.
  • Matt Garza's most recent start was watched by Braves' top advance scout Jim Fregosi, according to ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine.  "Six or seven other teams" besides Atlanta are also interested in Garza.
  • In addition to a starter, Fangraphs' Michael Barr suggests the Braves could augment their lineup by adding Kevin Youkilis, who would add depth at first and third behind the injury-plagued Freddie Freeman and Chipper Jones.  I'm not sure I see Atlanta getting in on the Youkilis sweepstakes given his salary and the fact that he'd be an expensive redundancy if Freeman and Jones were to remain healthy and productive.
  • From earlier today, the Braves officially released Livan Hernandez.

Draft Signings: Phillies, Marlins, Padres, Pirates

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The latest noteworthy draft signings from the second round and beyond…

  • The Phillies have signed eight of their top 10 picks, Phillies assistant director of scouting Rob Holiday told media (including Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer).  Second-round pitcher Alec Rash and third-round infielder Zach Green are the only two yet to sign with the team.  We heard last week that the Phils had signed their top three picks, all at slot value.
  • The Marlins have signed 25 players from their draft class, with outfielder Kolby Copeland (compensatory third round) being the highest-picked of the signees.
  • The Padres announced the signing of second-round pick Jeremy Baltz, via the club's Twitter feed.  Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that Baltz's bonus is worth $625K, well below MLB's recommended $757.9K price tag for the 68th overall pick.
  • The Pirates announced that they've signed three players: right-hander Adrian Sampson (5th round), infielder D.J. Crumlich (9th round), and infielder Chris Diaz (11th round).
  • The Braves announced that they have signed 26 players, including their first six selections. All but four of the 26 players signed out of college.
  • The White Sox signed sixth round selection Kyle Hansen for an over-slot bonus of $250K, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets. The right-hander can reach 96 mph and happens to be the brother of former MLB pitcher Craig Hansen.
  • The Indians announced that they have signed fifth round selection Dylan Baker. The Indians also signed seventh rounder Josh Schubert for an over-slot bonus of $250K, Callis tweets. Schubert, a high school outfielder, has raw power and relatively good speed.

Braves Release Livan Hernandez

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The Braves released veteran right-hander Livan Hernandez, according to the team's website. Hernandez, who was designated for assignment last week, has said he intends to continue playing.

The Braves removed the 37-year-old from their roster on Friday after calling other teams about possible trade scenarios. Hernandez signed a Major League deal with the Braves in March, not long after the Astros released him. The Praver/Shapiro client posted a 4.94 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 31 innings out of the bullpen for Atlanta.

D’Backs Notes: Youkilis, Parra, Saunders

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Here's the latest on the Diamondbacks courtesy of Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic..

  • The D'Backs have had multiple looks at Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis and GM Kevin Towers is reluctant to go down that road for several reasons.  Towers is turned off by the money owed to Youkilis and is also balking at the asking price.  The Red Sox apparently were asking for Gerardo Parra to be included in a deal for the veteran.
  • There are still indications that Arizona would be willing to trade left-hander Joe Saunders if the right deal came along.  Interested clubs include the Braves, Orioles, Red Sox, and Pirates.  Trading Saunders, who makes a reasonable $6MM this year, would open up room for top prospect Trevor Bauer.
  • On the whole, the Diamondbacks are on the fence about whether to make moves that will help their cause in 2012 or to instead look to add a piece for 2013 and beyond.

Braves Acquire McCurry From Orioles

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Today's minor moves..

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