B.J. Upton Rumors: Friday
The Braves, Indians, Nationals, Phillies and Pirates have all been linked to B.J. Upton this week, so it won't be surprising if the center fielder is suiting up for a National League team within a week. With Carlos Beltran and Colby Rasmus off of the trade market, Upton and Hunter Pence (latest rumors) are the top available outfielders. Here's the buzz on Upton, who hit his 16th homer last night:
- Upton is “available,” but a number of teams linked to him appear to be focused on other moves at this point, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark writes. The Phillies, Braves and Pirates, for example, are working on other fronts. The Nationals remain interested.
- The Rays' asking price for Upton is more reasonable than the Astros' asking price for Pence, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
NL East Notes: Nationals, Marlins, Reyes
The Braves and Phillies are both interested in Hunter Pence (latest rumors) and have interest in the same collection of right-handed hitting outfielders as alternatives. Here's the latest on a division led by two of the NL's three 60-win teams…
- The Nationals want interested teams to take on the $2.2MM remaining on Jason Marquis' contract and surrender a prospect, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). Marquis' suitors don't love the idea. The Tigers discussed a deal for the righty last night.
- Rival executives tell ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is intent on finding a center fielder. "It's his Holy Grail," a rival GM said. "He's bound and determined to get an established guy.” Denard Span of the Twins is Rizzo’s current target.
- It looks like the Marlins won't make a deal before the trade deadline, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter).
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson has seen firsthand that Jose Reyes makes an immense difference on the field, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Can the Mets afford the free agent to be after 2011? A surprising number of Mets executives expect to keep Reyes long-term, according to Sherman.
Twins Rumors: Young, Slowey, Kubel, Cuddyer
The Twins are discussing a deal with the Nationals that would send Denard Span to Washington, possibly for Drew Storen. Here are some more updates on the Twins from Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:
- The Twins are open to trading Delmon Young and Kevin Slowey, but interest in Young has been “tepid.” Slowey has drawn interest from the Rockies and others.
- Meanwhile, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer, are drawing strong interest. The Twins are more likely to trade Kubel than Cuddyer, according to Morosi and Rosenthal.
- The Twins have also spoken to rival teams about upgrading their rotation.
- The Twins are six games back in the AL Central, trailing three other teams. One of FOX’s sources says they’re “in limbo.”
Quiet Deadline Possible For Royals
Though Jeff Francis, Bruce Chen and Kyle Davies are drawing interest from several clubs, the Royals may hold onto all three and continue using a six-man rotation, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The Royals continue to say they’re happy to hold onto the starters, who hit free agency after the season.
“Nothing has changed with our situation,” GM Dayton Moore told Dutton. “The guys we have, I think, are more valuable to us than the potential [return].”
Chen projects as a Type B free agent under our most recent projections, so the Royals could obtain a supplementary draft pick if the left-hander turns down an offer of arbitration to sign elsewhere. Francis and Davies, however, don’t currently project as ranked free agents, so the Royals can’t expect picks for them.
Kansas City appears to be seeking a number three starter (or close to it) for Melky Cabrera or Jeff Francoeur. However, trades involving the two outfielders don’t appear to be brewing at the moment.
Indians Making Push For Ludwick
The Indians acquired one outfielder earlier today and they may not be done yet. They're making a "strong push" for Ryan Ludwick, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). It's worth noting that Cleveland was the third team in the deal that sent Ludwick from St. Louis to San Diego last summer.
Now on the trading block for the second consecutive summer, Ludwick has a .238/.302/.373 line with 11 home runs so far in 2011. Even though the Indians added Kosuke Fukudome earlier today, they will consider adding further outfield help, as Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo are on the disabled list. The Phillies and Braves are among the other clubs with interest in Ludwick.
Quick Hits: Fister, Mets, Giants, Rangers
With less than three days until the trade deadline, here are the latest rumors and notes from around MLB…
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus introduced us to some prospects on contenders who should come with a "buyer beware" sign. Jonathan Singleton of the Phillies and Jesus Montero of the Yankees make the list, which is at ESPN.com.
- One team with interest in Doug Fister heard there's "zero" chance the Mariners part with him, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger hears that the Mets aren't likely to sign first round pick Brandon Nimmo until close to the August 15th deadline for teams to sign their draft picks (Twitter link).
- Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Giants still have interest in adding a catcher (Twitter link).
- The Rangers appear to be involved in serious talks with the Padres and A's regarding relievers, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). For the latest on Heath Bell and Mike Adams, click here.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Niemann, Howell
Every American League East team except the Orioles has a winning record. We've already checked in on the Red Sox and Blue Jays tonight, now here's the latest news out of the Bronx and St. Petersburg…
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Dan Martin of the New York Post that he doesn't expect to make a trade this week. However, he continues to go through the motions in search of a possible upgrade. “I go into the marketplace with a team that's a championship-caliber team as it sits," Cashman said. "It's hard to upgrade on that.”
- Rays manager Joe Maddon told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he isn't anticipating major trades (Twitter link).
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Rays didn't offer Jeff Niemann and J.P. Howell for Colby Rasmus, contrary to earlier reports.
AL Central Notes: Indians, Marquis, Soria
The Indians acquired Kosuke Fukudome from the Cubs today and they might not be done yet. GM Chris Antonetti told Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he’s open to adding another pitcher or a hitter – even another outfielder. Here are some other notes and rumors from around the AL Central…
- The Indians should see a "marginal improvement" after adding Fukudome, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law. The Indians, who gave up two "fringy" prospects for the outfielder, are getting a player with enough on-base skills to help out.
- Antonetti, by the way, called the improvement “incremental.”
- MLB.com’s Bill Ladson confirms that the Tigers are interested in Jason Marquis (Twitter link). A scout suggested to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Marquis is out there now and could clear waivers next month to enable an August trade (Twitter link).
- There are indications that Joakim Soria will stay in Kansas City, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Minor Moves: Miller, Cintron
The latest minor moves come from Matt Eddy of Baseball America…
- The Dodgers released Justin Miller, who had been pitching at Triple-A. The 33-year-old posted a 5.73 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 9.0 BB/9 in 22 Triple-A innings for the Dodgers, Rangers and Marlins this year. He was useful for the Dodgers in 2010, throwing 24 1/3 innings in the big leagues.
- The Padres released Alex Cintron in what appears to be a procedural move. The infielder retired in May, then decided to un-retire earlier this month. He last appeared in the Major Leagues in 2009.
Blue Jays Notes: Rauch, Francisco, Rasmus
Colby Rasmus is making his Blue Jays debut in Toronto, where he’s batting second and starting in center field tonight. Here’s the latest on a Blue Jays team that could make another move or two before Sunday afternoon…
- Though the Blue Jays have said they're likely done making deals, other teams believe they may still trade Jon Rauch and/or Frank Francisco, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- The Diamondbacks, who had interest in some of the relievers the Blue Jays traded, aren't willing to mortgage the future for middle relief, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). Octavio Dotel, Jason Frasor and Marc Rzepczynski were dealt yesterday.
- Rasmus' father, Tony, says Cardinals manager Tony La Russa pushed his son out of town. “Tony needed pitching and wanted to force the GM into making a trade, so he belittled Colby to the fans,” the elder Rasmus told Bob Eilliott of the Toronto Sun.
- One MLB executive told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the only thing he's sure of is that Toronto GM "Alex Anthopoulos is the smartest dude in the game." Rosenthal warns his readers that forming snap judgments about trades is dangerous, but most of his sources like the deal for the Blue Jays.