Marlins No Longer Buyers?
It looked like the Marlins might be buyers this July, but after losing three games to the NL East-leading Phillies, that may be about to change. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Marlins are neither buyers nor sellers at the moment. Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post believes they're buyers for now, but says that could change soon.
Brad Penny’s Future
The Red Sox have a surplus of starting pitching, and ESPN.com's Buster Olney says it's possible they'll deal Brad Penny for a Grade B prospect in the next couple weeks. We've heard very little about Penny in the last month, but he could fit on a team like the Brewers, who are short on starters.
Odds And Ends: Reds, Tigers, Hernandez
Even more links for your perusal…
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times says the Mariners' combination of brilliant fielding, top starters, journeymen and injuries present a "true conundrum" to GM Jack Zduriencik: Buy or sell?
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck that "scoring runs is a concern," but not an urgent one. Carlos Guillen is rehabbing, so he'll provide a boost, but Dombrowski says his hitters have to perform better as a group.
- It's not getting any easier for the Reds. They face the Dodgers and Cubs this week and they'll have to play without Ramon Hernandez, who will miss 4-6 weeks to undergo knee surgery, according to the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald. The Reds will rely on Ryan Hanigan, who has out-hit Hernandez so far this year.
- Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post says the Mets, for now, are the most expensive fourth-place team in history. Their $136MM payroll leads the NL.
- Bradford Doolittle of the Kansas City Star says the Royals are in trouble because their relievers are "expensive and bad."
- Follow MLBTR on Twitter for all of your trade deadline updates.
Dodgers Eyeing Reds Relievers
The Dodgers can help themselves in more ways than one if they play well against the Reds this week. As MLB.com's Ken Gurnick points out, the Dodgers can push the Reds further from contention and give themselves a better shot at obtaining one of the Cincinnati relievers they've been watching. The Dodgers are trying to improve their 'pen, so they've been eyeing Francisco Cordero, David Weathers and Arthur Rhodes along with O's closer George Sherrill.
Odds And Ends: Smoltz, Cards, Rangers
Some links as we begin a week of non-stop rumors…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says John Smoltz, Jonathan Sanchez and Jason Schmidt, who all start tonight, will have an impact on their teams' deadline decisions. Red Sox officials want to see how much they can count on Smoltz, Sanchez can quiet teams' concerns about his control with a good start and Schmidt can provide the Dodgers a back-of-the-rotation arm.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Troy Glaus and Khalil Greene are both advancing to Triple A for the next stage of their respective rehab assignments.
- Evan Brunell of the Hardball Times finds the Padres-Orioles trade baffling from the Padres' perspective.
- Texas Rangers Trades interviews MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan and the chat is worth a read.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram lists 11 pitchers the Rangers could potentially trade for, including Roy Halladay.
Orioles Rumors: Huff, Scott, Meredith, Sano
The Orioles could move a number of their players; here are the latest rumblings on the subject:
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the O's aren't enthused about dealing Luke Scott or Aubrey Huff.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN.com notes that Oscar Salazar is out of options, so the Orioles did well to trade him for bullpen inventory and acquire Cla Meredith.
- Steve Melewski of MASN.com hears that the Orioles remain "very interested" in Miguel Angel Sano, but it could be a month before the Dominican shortstop signs.
Multiple Teams Interested In Sherrill
The Marlins, Dodgers, Brewers, Angels and Cubs all have some interest in Orioles closer George Sherrill, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Orioles would listen to offers, but one rival GM says they're "playing the 'don't-have-to-move-him-so-make-us' card." However, others are confident the O's will move him.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Sunday
9:01pm: Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com has a view of the Brewers' credentials. "Rival teams say the Brewers have enough prospects to make a Halladay deal," writes Knobler, "even though they've suggested they won't trade Alcides Escobar or Mat Gamel."
8:21pm: It's probably worth noting that Halladay collected his 11th win of the season this afternoon, tossing a one-run complete game against the AL East-leading Red Sox. The picture of consistency, he's done nothing but help his trade value these past few weeks.
8:07pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman believes the Phillies are still the front-runners to land Toronto's ace, but notes the Giants are now "kicking the tires." The Angels, on the other hand, "appear to be characteristically reluctant to trade their prospects, hurting their chances."
If the Phillies want to make this deal happen, it sounds like they'll need to include top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek in the package to Toronto. Some experts have deemed him "untouchable."
11:49am: There's a great pitching matchup in Toronto today; Roy Halladay and Jon Lester match up in about 20 minutes. A number of top officials are at Rogers Centre to watch and it's safe to say they're not there because of Lester. Here are today's Halladay rumors:
- Top officials from the Phillies, Brewers, Rangers and White Sox were in attendance at yesterday's Jays-Red Sox game and figure to watch this afternoon, according to Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun.
- The last two Toronto GMs are expected to watch: Pat Gillick on behalf of the Phils and Gord Ash, who drafted Halladay, for the Brewers.
- As Tyler Kepner of the New York Times notes, Brian Cashman is glad he didn't give up the farm to acquire Johan Santana a couple winters ago. He doesn't sound willing to deal top prospects away for Halladay, though he doesn't discuss specific players.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Jays should learn from the Twins, who waited too long and didn't obtain any sure things from the Mets for Santana. Olney argues that if the Jays deal now, instead of after the season, they can acquire top talent while it's still available to them.
Twins To Sign Mark Grudzielanek
The Twins agreed to terms with Mark Grudzielanek on a minor league deal, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Grudzielanek, who just turned 39, will provide the Twins with middle infield depth. The 14-year veteran hit .299 last year in 86 games with the Royals, while playing above-average defense at second. He'll report to the Twins' Gulf Coast League affiliate.
Angels Interested In Sherrill
The Angels are interested in George Sherrill, but may not be willing to part with the talent the Orioles seek, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. The Orioles are looking for two top prospects in exchange for their closer and were scouting last night's Angels game to evaluate the talent on LA's major league roster.