Aramis Ramirez Wants To Stay With Cubs
FRIDAY, 4:14pm: Ramirez spoke to reporters today, further clarifying his comments. He wants to remain a Cub and would only consider a deal if the team came to him. Cubs GM Jim Hendry asked what he wanted to do, and Ramirez told him he wants to stay. Aramis is not on the market (Twitter links from Bruce Miles and Carrie Muskat).
THURSDAY, 11:15pm: Agent Paul Kinzer tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Ramirez remains reluctant to waive his no-trade protection this month. “He doesn’t want to go anywhere,” Kinzer told Rosenthal after speaking with Ramirez. However, Ramirez may still consider trades during August.
5:01pm: Aramis Ramirez has said all summer that he won't waive his no-trade clause to accept a deal before the July 31st non-waiver deadline. But his recent comments to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times suggest he's softening on the idea of leaving the Cubs for another club this month (Twitter link).
"I understand it's a business," he said. "If they're looking to rebuild, I can't fit in. So we'll see."
If Ramirez gets traded, his $16MM option for 2012 becomes guaranteed and he gets an assignment bonus of $1MM. He earns $14.6MM this year and currently projects as a Type B free agent. If traded, Ramirez would likely want his new club to drop the $16MM option for '12 so that he can hit the open market after this season, agent Paul Kinzer told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The Angels have interest in Ramirez, the Brewers are looking for help on the left side of the infield.
Hiroki Kuroda Rumors: Friday
Yesterday we heard a variety of reports about whether the Dodgers are taking offers for Hiroki Kuroda and which destinations he would approve trades to. This much is clear, though – the Dodgers are asking for a "significant piece" in return for the right-hander, who is drawing lots of interest and can block any deal. Here are the latest rumblings regarding Kuroda, with the most recent updates up top:
- Officials in the Kuroda talks think a resolution is needed by Saturday night, since the pitcher will need some time to approve a deal, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- The Yankees made multiple calls to the Dodgers today on Kuroda, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
- There is a wide gap between the Dodgers' asking price and what teams are willing to pay, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Rival teams say the Dodgers want a young starting pitcher or a catcher who’s close to the Major Leagues for Kuroda, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark.
- Kuroda seems "apprehensive" about waiving his no-trade clause, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com, who hears that Kuroda may only accept a deal to the Yankees or Red Sox. The Tigers, Rangers and Indians remain interested.
- There's a strong belief that Kuroda would not approve a deal to the Tigers or Indians, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). As for accepting a deal to the Yankees or Red Sox, it's "iffy."
D’Backs Acquire Ryan Langerhans
The Mariners announced that they traded Ryan Langerhans to the Diamondbacks for cash considerations. The move clears a roster spot for former Diamondbacks outfielder Wily Mo Pena at Triple-A Tacoma. Langerhans will report to the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate in Reno.
Langerhans, a nine-year Major League veteran, hit .173/.317/.346 in 64 plate appearances with the Mariners this year and has a .226/.333/.372 line over the course of his career. The 31-year-old was hitting well in Tacoma, where he had a .313/.416/.584 line in 255 plate appearances.
Braves Designate Diory Hernandez For Assignment
The Braves designated Diory Hernandez for assignment, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). Atlanta made the move to create 40-man roster space for Jose Constanza, a seven-year veteran of the minor leagues.
Hernandez, 27, appeared in 35 games for the Braves this year, playing first, short and third. He has a .212/.212/.333 line in 35 plate appearances in the Majors this year to go along with a .200/.230/.313 line in 209 plate appearances at Triple-A.
Tigers Notes: Oliver, Marquis, Fister
The Tigers are looking for starters and relievers. Here's the latest on their trade talks:
- Scouts tell Yahoo's Jeff Passan that the Tigers are dangling lefty Andy Oliver on a number of trade fronts including Hiroki Kuroda, Ubaldo Jimenez and Jason Marquis (Twitter link).
- The Tigers and Mariners are engaged in active trade talks, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Detroit is interested in Doug Fister and a reliever.
- The Tigers are more interested in right-handed relief than left-handed relief, according to Morosi (on Twitter).
NL Central Notes: Ramirez, Reds, Pirates
We've already checked in on the NL East and the NL West. Now it's the NL Central's turn with precisely 48 hours remaining before the non-waiver trade deadline…
- The Angels would love the chance to acquire Aramis Ramirez from the Cubs, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Yesterday evening, after Ramirez suggested he would consider trades, Ramirez's agent said the third baseman wants to stay put.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer says it would be pointless for the Reds to make moves strictly for this season.
- As Morosi writes, the 50-55 Reds may not be a pitcher away from contending. Ubaldo Jimenez could only do so much – "He’s a pitcher, not a roster mechanic."
- The Reds want pitching in exchange for Ramon Hernandez, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Pirates remain active in the market for outfielders, Morosi reports (on Twitter).
NL West Notes: Iannetta, Ellis, Jimenez, Hernandez
One of the biggest trade chips in baseball – Carlos Beltran – joined the NL West this week, but a handful of impact players could leave the division within 50 hours. Heath Bell, Mike Adams (latest rumors), Ubaldo Jimenez (latest rumors) and Hiroki Kuroda (latest rumors) are all on the block. Here are the latest notes and rumblings from the NL West…
- The Padres have some interest in Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Pirates' interest in Iannetta has cooled.
- The Rockies intend to try to re-sign Mark Ellis, who hits free agency after the season, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com presents the nine pitchers to throw 500 innings for the Rockies before Jimenez. Jason Jennings, Shawn Chacon and Jeff Francis are among the pitchers on the list, so Verducci says Colorado “should absolutely see if they can prey upon the needs of the Yankees, Reds and Tigers.”
- The Giants remain interested in Ramon Hernandez, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Reds haven't made the backstop available at this point, but the Giants have had interest since early July (and perhaps earlier).
- Yhency Brazoban reached an agreement with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, according to a Sports Hochi report that Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along. We heard earlier in the week that the reliever was on the verge of leaving the Diamondbacks' organization for Japan.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Mark Worrell
Here's our list of recently-outrighted players…
- The Orioles outrighted right-hander Mark Worrell to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko (on Twitter). The 28-year-old appeared in four games for the Orioles, who signed him as a free agent in February. Worrell has a 3.65 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 37 innings at Triple-A this year.
AL East Notes: Uehara, Yankees, Lee, Guthrie
On this date last year, the Orioles traded Miguel Tejada to the Padres for Wynn Pelzer and the Blue Jays traded Brett Wallace to the Astros for Anthony Gose. Here's the latest from the AL East as we await today's first trade…
- Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that Koji Uehara is drawing "big interest" (Twitter link).
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports believes that the Yankees have to acquire a starter before the
- deadline.
- Jeremy Guthrie, Uehara and Derrek Lee are the main players the Orioles are discussing, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
- Mark Reynolds might get an extended look at first base if the Orioles trade Lee, who could be a fit in Pittsburgh or Arizona.
- The Tigers and Indians have talked to the Orioles about Guthrie, Zrebiec confirms.
- Yankees manager Joe Girardi doesn't think the Yankees need another starting pitcher, but the Yankees have a number of options to consider, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News explains. Ubaldo Jimenez, Wandy Rodriguez and Hiroki Kuroda are possible fits for the Yankees.
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com explains the pros and cons of bringing Erik Bedard or Jimenez to Boston. As we’ve heard this week, the Red Sox are interested in pitching, including Bedard and Jimenez.
Hunter Pence Very Likely To Be Traded?
We learned yesterday that the Astros are deep into trade talks for Hunter Pence and that a deal could be completed today. The Phillies, who appear to be willing to include Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton and others in a deal, may have a Friday pre-deadline for reaching an agreement, so that the Astros have time to explore deals with other suitors, like the Braves, Reds and Red Sox. The Pirates, Rangers and Angels aren't seriously in the mix at this point. Here are today's rumors with the latest updates up top:
- The Braves are looking to be creative and are still involved, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Pence is very likely to be moved now, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. He believes the Phillies are the favorite, with the Indians, Red Sox, and Reds also in.
- A two-team swap remains the Astros' focus, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Indeed, ESPN's Jayson Stark says there's no more talk of three-team deals.
- The Braves have not considered Pence a priority, reports MLB.com's Mark Bowman. However, Ken Rosenthal tweets that they seek an athletic corner bat who is controlled beyond this year, and Pence fits that description.
- The Phillies currently have no intention of putting Brown in a deal for Pence, tweets Buster Olney.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests the Phillies will continue negotiating with the Astros until Sunday if they need to, since Pence "is the guy" for them (Twitter link).
- The Astros want pitching for Pence, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
- The Phillies and Astros are exploring potential three-team deals involving Pence, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Jon Heyman of SI.com and Joel Sherman of the New York Post agree (Twitter links). The Phillies may be willing to trade Brown to a third team to get the prospects the Astros want for Pence, Stark writes.
- The Braves offered a package that included prospects they didn’t offer to the Mets for Carlos Beltran, but the Astros turned the offer down, according to Stark. The Braves may be moving on, which would leave the Phillies as Pence’s primary suitor. The Red Sox, Reds, Pirates and Indians appear to have peeled off, according to Stark.
- Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) hears that the Astros don't love the Phillies' prospects, and that may even include Domonic Brown.
- Houston is still playing the Pence market and working to bring other teams into the mix besides the Phillies, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Astros would prefer to deal Pence to the Braves, but Atlanta continues to be very protective of their big-time pitching prospects, tweets Jon Heyman of SI. The Phillies are still working to get something done.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Astros prefer the Braves' prospects to the Phillies' prospects (Twitter link). Atlanta won't give up the "key guy," who is believed to be Mike Minor, Sherman writes.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the Braves, generally speaking, have zero enthusiasm about giving up Minor, Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino or Randall Delgado (Twitter link).
- Pence was told during last night's game that he was being pulled because of a trade, then wasn't pulled, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The Reds are in on Pence, but he's the Phillies' to lose, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- There's a sense that the Phillies might be able to obtain Pence by offering Domonic Brown instead of Singleton and including Cosart in the deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The Astros still have an "unreasonable" asking price for Pence, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- There's a "huge bidding war" going on for Pence, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter links). The Braves don't value on-base percentage as much as other teams, one NL official told Olney (Pence has a .354 OBP).