Marlins Rumors: Hermida, Francoeur, Ross
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has a couple of baseball-related updates in his most recent "Florida Sports Buzz" column:
- The Marlins have received several calls about Jeremy Hermida, but the offers "haven't been enticing." Sounds like it'll take a good chunk of talent to land the 25-year-old outfielder, who is hitting .276/.373/.421 with eight home runs and 29 RBI in 228 at-bats this season.
- Altanta offered Jeff Francoeur straight up for Cody Ross last week, but the Marlins quickly declined. For reference, Francoeur, 25, is batting .250/.282/.345 this season with four home runs and 29 RBI. Ross, 28, is batting .270/.320/.482 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI.
If the Braves are truly shopping Francoeur, what other clubs make sense? A change of scenery would probably serve him well.
Morosi’s Latest: Orioles, Cardinals, Rangers
FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi writes that with the Orioles buried in fifth place in the AL East, look for the team to start moving some of their veterans. Morosi cites an "industry executive" who says that several teams have called about Aubrey Huff and Luke Scott, both lefthanded bats with some thump. He suggests that the Reds, Tigers, Giants and Braves could match up in a deal, noting that the Tigers pursued both Huff and Scott three years ago.
Here's the rest of Morosi's rumors:
- Triple-A outfielder Wilkin Ramirez is one of Detroit's best trade chips.
- Morosi echoes reports that the Cardinals are looking for a bat.
- One scout says that Miguel Tejada's defense has been better than most give him credit for. I can't imagine that will play a big role in determining his trade value, though.
- Texas is looking for an upgrade for their rotation, and would likely be in on Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt if they are made available.
- It's increasingly unlikely that the Red Sox will make a move for a shortstop with Nick Green holding his own and Jed Lowrie close to returning from a wrist injury.
Braves Acquire John Halama
According to a press release, the Braves have purchased lefthander John Halama from the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League. Halama pitched to a 2.05 ERA in 66 IP while working as a starter, and was named the league's pitcher of the month in both April and May. He last pitched in the big leagues in 2006, allowing 51 baserunners in just 29.1 IP for the Orioles.
Odds And Ends: Draft, Francoeur, Crede
More links for your Friday afternoon…
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says next year's draft won't be as stacked as the 2011 edition and lacks one player who's clearly better than his peers.
- Todd Coppernoll of Brewerfan.net has a Rollie Fingers interview up, complete with Charlie Finley anecdotes and memories of the 1982 World Series.
- Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes the Atlanta Braves and Jeff Francoeur would be better off without each other. Almost 80% of the readers polled agree.
- Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press says Joe Crede, who now has ten homers, is on a pace to earn $4.5MM in incentives.
- Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune doesn't think Pedro Martinez is the answer for the Cubs.
- Check out my discussion with the Benchwarmers on KFNS 590 in St. Louis.
Rosenthal On Yankees, Angels, Glavine
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Yankees will eventually "target the best available late-inning relievers." Here are some names to watch and the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- The Yankees have already expressed interest in Huston Street.
- The Rockies, on an eight-game win streak, are just 4.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race and don't want to deal Street until closer to July 31st.
- Chad Qualls and Jose Valverde could be options for the Yankees, but both have dealt with health issues and the Yankees would have to be certain they're healthy.
- The Yankees could pursue Danys Baez.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins says other teams are calling him regularly, but there's "nothing on the horizon."
- The Angels could use help just about everywhere and they could deal from depth in the middle infield and behind the plate.
- Brandon Wood has been playing some first base in Triple A.
- Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann could be traded if the Rays don't start winning.
- The White Sox may not receive good prospects in return if they deal Jermaine Dye, since "few clubs, if any" can afford to take on his $11.5MM salary and surrender top young players in the same deal.
- Rosenthal hears that any grievance Tom Glavine files against the Braves would be out of principle; he would donate any money awarded to charity.
- Gregor Blanco could play right field for the Braves if they deal Jeff Francoeur.
- Rosenthal heard from one scout who was "decidedly unimpressed" with Doug Davis.
Draft Updates: Strasburg, Braves, Sierra Jr.
Some more updates and thoughts on the draft as day two continues…
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman notes that the Braves have taken a different approach this year, selecting seven college players with their first eight picks.
- Via Byron Kerr of MASN.com we hear that Jim Callis of Baseball America expects Stephen Strasburg to sign for about $17.5MM.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney says GMs want the draft to give the worst teams the chance to sign the best players, or the chance to trade the rights to them away. Teams don't always spend early picks on the best players, so Olney says the issue will surface when it's time for the next collective bargaining agreement.
- Baseball America reports that the Rangers took a familiar name in Ruben Sierra Jr., a high school outfielder. His father showed flashes of brilliance for the Rangers, before falling off in the mid-1990s.
- The Pirates have impressed MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo today. They chose Tony Sanchez earlier than expected with the fourth pick, but have since been aggressive.
Draft Updates: Wheeler, Hobgood, Borchering
A final round of updates for the draft, which is now just half an hour away…
- Baseball America's John Manuel confirms Jon Heyman's report that the deadline for signing draft picks has been bumped back two days to August 17th.
- Steve Melewski of MASN.com reports that the O's are interested in Zack Wheeler and Matt Hobgood with the 5th pick.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says the Orioles would take Hobgood if the Padres choose Wheeler.
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com says it's a shame that Wheeler will likely be off the board by the time the Braves select 7th.
- Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies, picking 11th, have interest in Hobgood and Bobby Borchering, a favorite of the D'Backs.
- Paul DePodesta will blog about each Padres selection from an insider's perspective.
Odds And Ends: Padres, Fukumori, Ortiz
Some links for Tuesday morning…
- Today's chat will be at 2pm CST.
- Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports that the Padres know they have to win if they want to stop management from trading players away.
- Adrian Gonzalez says it's too early to tell how long he'll remain a Padre.
- Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker passes on a report saying Kazuo Fukumori will be released by the Rangers. He made four appearances for them last year, but hasn't pitched in the majors this season.
- It's not his eyes, after all. David Ortiz can see just fine according to John Tomase of the Boston Herald.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer responds to Eddie's post about the mystery shortstop the Red Sox have interest in, saying it's "probably not" Yunel Escobar.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he believes Neal Huntington made an "understandable" and "wise" decision when he dealt Nate McLouth to the Braves.
- Joe Posnanski does not want to see the Royals trade for Jeff Francouer.
Odds & Ends: Draft, Cardinals, Mets
A dosage of mostly vague, speculative links to calm the nerves before tomorrow's draft:
- Derrick Goold at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gives part 2 of his rundown of potential picks for the Cardinals.
- Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe talked to one former scouting director who says the Nats should think "long and hard" before selecting Stephen Strasburg.
- The Phillies have to wait until the 75th pick for their first draft selection, and David Gurian-Peck at MLB.com says they're leaning toward a high school player.
- Dan Connolly at the Baltimore Sun dishes on the Orioles' draft options at pick no. 5. President Andy MacPhail says he's not afraid to dole out a large bonus.
- Mark Bowman at MLB.com talked to Braves head of scouting Roy Clark and speculates the Braves will pursue pitching with the seventh pick.
- Paul Hoynes at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer relays the opinion of Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant that the MLB draft needs a medical combine.
- Matthew Cerrone at MetsBlog is fielding questions for an exclusive interview with Mets skipper Jerry Manuel.
Red Sox Discussing Shortstop Options
According to Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have "left no stone unturned" in their search for a shortstop. Rounding out the list of names are Omar Vizquel, Jack Wilson, J.J. Hardy, the aforementioned Orlando Cabrera, Bobby Crosby, Jason Donald, Miguel Tejada and a mystery shortstop with the Braves. Ideally, Jed Lowrie would make a speedy return from the DL before they begin making any decisions.
As noted earlier, the Sox inquired on Cabrera but apparently aren't interested.
What should the Sox do? Just speculation–could the Braves' shortstop be Yunel Escobar or is it someone else?