GM: Astros Will Not Be Buyers
In the midst of a five-team race for the NL Central title, GM Ed Wade told Sirius XM Radio that the Astros will not be buyers this July. They are just 3.0 games behind the division-leading Cardinals, with a record of 45-44.
Bay, Red Sox Put Extension Talks Aside
3:53pm: Adam Kilgore of the Globe says Theo Epstein characterized his offer as "aggressive," and has no hard feelings towards Bay. It looks like talks will resume after the season.
3:37pm: Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe says the Red Sox and Jason Bay won't discuss a contract extension until after the season. The two sides had been talking since May, and the Red Sox made an offer about a week ago, but the talks will stop until the season ends, at which point the Red Sox have 15 days of exclusive negotiating rights with Bay.
9:18am: During the All-Star break Jason Bay's agent spoke with the Red Sox about extending his client's stay in Boston, but talks didn't develop significantly, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. However, the two sides would like to keep the free agent-to-be on the Red Sox.
Cubs, Cards & Mets Asked About Lugo
The Cubs, Cardinals and Mets have shown some interest in Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, according to Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald. The Red Sox will have to pay all of the $13.5MM remaining on Lugo's deal if they release him, so they're likely to pick up the vast majority of the contract in any trade.
Odds And Ends: Holliday, Lugo, DeRosa
Some links for the afternoon…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the A's want two highly regarded prospects in any deal for Matt Holliday.
- Rosenthal believes the Braves have too much pitching not to make a serious run at the playoffs.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that Mark DeRosa will test his wrist to see how much pain it gives him before deciding if he needs surgery. The Cards hope to activate him within a few days.
- Multiple teams have inquired about Julio Lugo, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. The Red Sox designated him for assignment earlier today.
- DRaysBay hosts a roundtable discussion with bloggers for each AL East team.
- I'll be talking trades on 107.5 The Game in about ten minutes. Click here to listen in.
Chapman, Darvish And Strasburg
Aroldis Chapman, Yu Darvish and Stephen Strasburg "represent the best pitching talent in the world that is not yet in the major leagues," so ESPN.com's Keith Law grades the trio of pitchers. Here's his take on each one:
- Aroldis Chapman is a 21-year-old lefty who just defected from Cuba. He relies on a fastball that touches 100 mph and has the makings of a good slider. That combination could make him a top reliever and better secondary stuff could help him realize his ceiling and become a top starter.
- Yu Darvish is a 22-year-old righty who pitches in the NPB and has said he doesn't think about pitching in the States. He relies mostly on a low-90s fastball and a slider, but has other pitches. Right now, Law says Darvish could do better in the majors than the other two pitchers because of his deeper repertoire and experience against top competition.
- When the Nats selected Stephen Strasburg first overall in last month's draft, they got a pitcher who can touch 100 mph and throws a power curve. Law suspects that minor leaguers won't hit the 20-year-old righty, so he may have to learn in the majors. Of the three pitchers, Law says Strasburg is the best long-term choice to become an elite starter.
Heyman On Halladay, Francoeur, Brewers
Jon Heyman of SI.com hears the Blue Jays have told the Yankees and Red Sox they're unlikely to trade Roy Halladay within the AL East and haven't even returned a call the Yankees placed about Halladay over a week ago. That leaves the Phillies and, now, the Dodgers as frontrunners to acquire the Jays ace. Here are the details and a few stray rumors:
- One executive believes that any Blue Jays-Phillies swap would have to begin with the supposedly untouchable Kyle Drabek, who impressed in this week's Futures Game.
- At least one exec believes the Jays would want to pluck a player from the Dodgers major league roster in any deal.
- The Dodgers don't necessarily have enough minor league talent to tempt the Jays.
- One Jays person said Cardinals top prospect Brett Wallace may not be enough to acquire Doc.
- The Jays are not insisting that teams take on the Vernon Wells contract in a potential deal.
- The Yankees and Red Sox have become more protective of their minor leaguers, so they're not likely to overwhelm the Jays with offers.
- The Yankees tried to trade for Jeff Francoeur last offseason.
- The Brewers could still make a run for a star pitcher.
- As SI writer Tom Verducci notes, the Dodgers would like to acquire a top reliever such as Chad Qualls or George Sherrill.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Friday
12:30pm: Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com hears from an AL executive who would be "very surprised" if White Sox GM Kenny Williams isn't pursuing Halladay.
The White Sox have seen attendance drop and Gordon Beckham appears to be untouchable. This means the White Sox could have trouble paying Halladay or enticing the Blue Jays with a package centered around Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dayan Viciedo and Tyler Flowers.
Tom Verducci of SI.com hears that Clayton Kershaw is off-limits, but the Dodgers want to make a run at Halladay with other prospects. The Jays like minor league third baseman Josh Bell.
10:10am: Here are the latest Roy Halladay rumors and a bit of trivia to explain why he's in such high demand: Halladay pitched less than seven innings for the first time this season on June 12th.
- Don't expect the Cardinals to trade Colby Rasmus for Halladay. GM John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he won't move the young outfielder in a deal for a player the Cards only control for a year and a half.
- The Dodgers are looking for relievers now, but they'll try to acquire Halladay or Cliff Lee to improve their rotation, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com.
- Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News says Halladay's availability has created such a frenzy that people "who wouldn't know Michael Taylor from Elizabeth Taylor speak authoritatively about a hole in the … outfielder's swing."
- Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News says the Yankees should have enough talent not to have to bring in another Cy Young Award winner less than 100 games after adding C.C. Sabathia.
Red Sox DFA Julio Lugo
The Red Sox designated Julio Lugo for assignment according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The move is not surprising, as Lugo did not travel to Toronto with the Red Sox, who need roster space for players returning from injury.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Red Sox consider Lugo a "sunk cost" and would expect very little in return for him in any trade. Lugo will likely be released if the Red Sox can't trade him.
The 33-year-old has a .352 OBP and fields well enough, so he figures to draw some interest.
Phillies DFA Tyler Walker
The Phillies designated Tyler Walker for assignment to make room for Clay Condrey, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Walker, 33, has only pitched 11 innings for the Phillies this year, but he's done well, allowing ten hits and a walk to go along with five Ks and a 1.64 ERA.
Odds And Ends: Lowell, Girardi, Pirates
Some links to read through this morning…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Red Sox will evaluate Mike Lowell's health tonight before deciding whether to pursue the likes of Garrett Atkins and Nick Johnson.
- Sherman wonders what will happen to Joe Girardi if the Yankees miss the playoffs for a second straight year.
- The Pirates have discussed the financial side of possible extensions for Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, but only in general terms according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star says Julio Lugo would have been easier to acquire and probably more productive than current Royals shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.
- New manager, same result. The Nats lost their first game under interim skipper Jim Riggleman.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the MLB draft is broken and explains why he thinks teams should be allowed to trade picks.
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. says the Dodgers are one of the teams relying on psychological data to select and handle their players.