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Stark On Quentin, Pirates, Braves, Indians, Reds

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Another must-read column from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • Stark has updated his take on Carlos Quentin's availability.  He says there is "increasing evidence the White Sox are talking to several teams about Quentin, one of which is believed to be Atlanta."  An executive of a team that has talked to the Sox says that while they are not "bound and determined" to trade Quentin, they would do it.
  • The Pirates are focused on finding a professional hitter, but aren't hot on Carlos Pena or Josh Willingham.  They're eyeing the Twins' Jason Kubel, but GM Bill Smith considers his team a contender at six games out.
  • Stark hasn't heard much that suggests the Braves are still bullpen shopping.
  • The Indians are turning their attention to starting pitching, but players Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Jason Kipnis appear to be untouchable.
  • The Astros continue to shop Wandy Rodriguez, and Stark wonders if he'll fit for the Yankees as a salary dump type.
  • The White Sox dangled Adam Dunn.  Dunn has over $48MM remaining on the four-year, $56MM deal he signed in December.
  • The Reds have "stepped up their calls this week on controllable middle-of-the-order bats," although it's hard to name any available hitters of that nature.

Phillies Interested In Carlos Quentin

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THURSDAY, 7:20am: The Phillies loved what they saw scouting Quentin, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today, but the White Sox plan to keep him. 

WEDNESDAY, 9:15pm: The Phillies, who saw Carlos Beltran leave the NL East today, are interested in Carlos Quentin, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The possibility of Quentin going to Philadelphia "was talked about" a week or so ago, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).

The Phillies have scouted Quentin and it’s worth noting that the White Sox have been scouting Atlanta's system in anticipation of a possible deal involving the 28-year-old right fielder. He has a .265/.356/.516 line with 20 homers this year and earns $5.05MM. He'll earn a raise in 2012, when he's arbitration eligible for the final time.

NL East Notes: Marlins, Lowe, Nieves

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The NL East looks much different than it did 24 hours ago. Carlos Beltran is out, Zack Wheeler is in and the Phillies and Braves will have to turn elsewhere in their respective searches for offense. Here are the details on the division…

  • The Marlins are asking for a lot in exchange for Leo Nunez and Randy Choate and Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez are off-limits at this point, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • It appears that the Braves will hold onto Derek Lowe, according to Heyman (on Twitter). 
  • The Brewers obtained $1 from the Braves for catcher Wil Nieves, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (on Twitter). That's right – one dollar. The Braves will pay Nieves' remaining salary while he plays for their Triple-A affiliate.

Hunter Pence Rumors: Wednesday

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Hunter Pence has the ability to shake up the trade market for bats; here's the latest…

  • It appears more and more that Pence is staying put, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • The Phillies have been aggressive in pursuing Pence and there are indications that they would include Domonic Brown in a trade for him, according to Jim Salisburyof CSNPhilly.com. The Astros are looking for multiple top prospects for Pence, the Phillies' top target.
  • It appears that nothing will happen with Pence now and the Astros will look to trade him in the offseason instead, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  Knobler says the Phillies "almost certainly won't get Pence."  By the way, Pence's absence from the Astros' lineup tonight is not the sign of a trade but rather just a day off.
  • The Braves are turning their attention to Pence, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Another target, Carlos Beltran, is believed to be going to the Giants.
  • Two front office men, neither from the Astros or Phillies, told ESPN's Jayson Stark they believed the Phillies had a deal for Pence in the last 24 hours only to have the Astros back off.  The Phillies offered Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singelton, and a second-tier pitching prospect for Pence, believes Stark.  An Astros official told Stark they haven't said no to any specific proposal, however.
  • The Astros want a "very top pitching prospect" for Pence, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, and the Phillies are trying hard.  However, Heyman says most believe Pence will stay put.

Braves Rumors: Ludwick, Quentin

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The latest on the Braves, who weren't able to acquire Carlos Beltran but at least saw him leave the division…

  • Catcher Brian McCann's oblique injury had zero effect on the Braves' willingness to meet the Mets' asking price for Beltran, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • Morosi's colleague Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Braves are turning their attention to the Astros' Hunter Pence, and have also shown interest in the Padres' Ryan Ludwick.
  • Earlier today, ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote that other teams remain certain that the Braves will acquire a bat.  Though the Braves haven't been willing to discuss their top pitching prospects, the White Sox are scouting their farm system in case they decide to move Carlos Quentin.

Carlos Beltran Rumors: Wednesday

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Yesterday's Carlos Beltran learnings: the Indians offered to pick up all of Beltran's contract and include a good player, but nothing was presented to the player; the Phillies won't trade Jonathan Singleton for Beltran and many other top prospects can't be had either; the Mets' asking price has come down from two weeks ago and they're talking two and three-prospect deals with suitors.  The latest:

  • Beltran is not going to the Rangers, tweets Rosenthal.  The Giants are his presumed frontrunner.  He says the Mets had asked about Giants prospects Zack Wheeler and Gary Brown.  They won't get Wheeler, but Rosenthal says "we'll see" on Brown.
  • Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez could go to the Mets as part of a Beltran trade, tweets Sherman.
  • Some executives believe Boras is trying to direct Beltran to the Giants, a team that has the money to retain him after the season, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Meanwhile Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Rangers are offering the Mets a greater number of players for Beltran than the Giants, who are offering fewer players but more quality.  The Phillies are still serious, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
  • The Indians walked away from the Beltran talks convinced that agent Scott Boras is controlling the process, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  They won't shut the door on Beltran but believe he won't change his mind, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets have "moved off A-level prospect requests" for Beltran, but Andy Martino of the New York Daily News has a high-level source who denies the Mets have lowered their asking price.
  • The Mets are making progress in negotiations with the Rangers and Giants, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.  The Braves remain involved.

Carlos Beltran Rumors: Tuesday

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Yesterday right fielder Carlos Beltran shot down the notion that he's told the Mets he won't accept a trade to an American League team.  Writers agree that the Rangers are making a big push and that the Phillies have cooled, but the standing of the Braves, Red Sox, and Giants is unclear.  The latest up top:

  • Beltran says he never blocked a deal to the Indians, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (on Twitter). He says the Mets haven't come to him with possible deals.
  • The Indians offered to pick up all of Beltran's remaining contract and give the Mets a good player in return according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons, but Cleveland was not a fit for the Scott Boras client. Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the deal was never presented to Beltran, so the Mets must know which teams he'll accept a trade to.
  • The Phillies won't give up Jonathan Singleton for Beltran, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, who confirms that Cosart and Brown aren't available either (Twitter link). More Phillies prospects will soon be off the table as well, according to Heyman.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin declined to speak about Beltran in particular, but he told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that he's always open to making the right deal, generally speaking.
  • Agent Scott Boras told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that Beltran's decision to accept or block a trade will revolve around his chances of winning a title. Crasnick's take on the leading suitors for Beltran confirms what we've read for the past 24 hours or so: the Rangers have ramped up their pursuit of Beltran and the Braves and Giants remain interested, while the Red Sox and Phillies appear to have slipped to the back of the pack.
  • There's a strong belief the best offer may come from the Rangers, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
  • The Mets' asking price has come down a bit from two weeks ago, an interested executive told Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links).  Sherman says the Mets are talking two and three-prospect deals with the Rangers, Red Sox, Giants, Braves, Phillies, and Brewers.
  • The Mets have been turned down on requests for Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, or Arodys Vizcaino of the Braves, Zack Wheeler or Gary Brown of the Giants, and Domonic Brown or Jarred Cosart of the Phillies, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark.  Stark says the Mets are telling teams the Beltran deal isn't about money, and the team that offers the best players will get him.
  • A high-ranking source tells ESPN's Buster Olney there is no clear frontrunner for Beltran as of right now (Twitter link).  Meanwhile, a source close to the talks tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports he expects things to intensify within the next 48 hours (Twitter link).
  • The Giants "look like a possible favorite" for Beltran at the moment, reports SI's Jon Heyman.  The Braves are very interested as well, while the Phillies "don't seem all that involved."
  • The Reds are not currently involved in trade talks for Beltran, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • An executive from a team that has expressed interest in Beltran told Joel Sherman of the New York Post, "They are not getting a top-40-ranked prospect for Beltran even if they eat all the money [left on his contract]."  Sherman's article goes on to explain why the Mets will probably have to settle for less-than-elite prospects.  He reiterates that the Rangers are aggressively pursuing Beltran and the Braves and Red Sox are the other two most interested clubs.      

Hunter Pence Rumors: Tuesday

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We heard yesterday that the Braves haven't ruled out making a play for Hunter Pence, that the Pirates have been stymied in their pursuit of the 28-year-old and that the Phillies consider him a long shot. If you need proof that trade talks shift quickly in late July, keep on reading; today's rumors tell a different story than yesterday's:

  • The Phillies have been the most aggressive team on Pence, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Red Sox have inquired, but aren't finding it easy to match up with Houston and the Braves aren't currently involved.
  • Word spread yesterday that Pence was “essentially not going to be traded,” according to this Peter Gammons piece at MLB.com.

B.J. Upton Rumors: Tuesday

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The latest on Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, who owns a .229/.310/.399 line on the season:

My apologies for an earlier error in which I erroneously attributed Joel Sherman's "asking for a ton" quote to the Rays and B.J. Upton.  The quote actually referred to the Cardinals and Colby Rasmus.

Blue Jays Likely To Keep Type B Relievers?

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2:16pm: Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, who is in a lot of talks, "probably is going to keep his Type B relievers," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.

1:08pm: The Braves "will continue to evaluate the possibility of acquiring either Jon Rauch or Jason Frasor from the Blue Jays," writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Bowman notes that the Jays want a significant return for either reliever, since they both project as Type B free agents and therefore could net supplemental draft picks.  Both righties also have club options for 2012 at $3.75MM, so they're more than rentals.

The Braves' bullpen is fourth in the NL with a 3.08 ERA, but the group also ranks third with 319 innings pitched.

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