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NL East Links: Oviedo, Nationals, Hamels

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A few items of note out of the National League East, where the Nationals held a 2.5-game lead over the Braves entering Tuesday night's action. …

  • Marlins president Larry Beinfest said right-hander Juan Carlos Oviedo will become a free agent after this season, regardless of whether he makes it back to the Major Leagues in 2012, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Oviedo, formerly known as Leo Nunez, was nearing the conclusion of an eight-week suspension for identity fraud but suffered a sprained elbow ligament during a minor league rehab stint. The severity of the injury is not yet known. Just reading between the lines, it sounds like Miami is not interested in re-signing Oviedo.
  • The Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said he will approach this year's trade deadline as he has in years past, with an emphasis on deals that will make the team better for the long-term, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Nats are intrigued by, but not committed to, the idea of trading for a pitcher who can account for the innings they'll lose when Stephen Strasburg rests in accordance with his innings cap, although the price of brand-name arms like Zack Greinke, Ryan Dempster and Francisco Liriano is probably too high, not to mention that those pitchers are all free agents at season's end and therefore don't fit into the aforementioned long-term plans.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is facing a difficult decision in determining what to do with lefty Cole Hamels, writes Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (subscription required). Bowden examines the plusses and minuses of extending and trading Hamels, as well as letting him walk.

Quick Hits: Quentin, Hagadone, A’s, Uribe

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A few stray links to pass along as the NL All-Stars celebrate their third consecutive victory over the AL …

  • The Indians are trying to acquire Carlos Quentin from the Padres, but the sides "don't have much common ground right now," according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Quentin is an impending free agent and figures to be dealt, as the Friars are unlikely to extend him with their ownership situation still in flux.
  • The MLB Players Association is considering filing a grievance on behalf of Indians reliever Nick Hagadone, who was placed on the minor league disqualified list after injuring himself in a fit of frustration following a recent poor outing, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Indians GM Chris Antonetti said Hagadone was angry that he pitched poorly and not because he had been informed he'd been optioned to the minor leagues. Players do not receive salary or accrue service time while on the disqualified list.
  • The odds of the Athletics moving to Sacramento, as was recently proposed by the city's mayor, former NBA star Kevin Johnson, is highly unlikely, according to the Contra Costa Times. The A's, meanwhile, remain in stadium limbo.
  • The Dodgers may be in an active-roster bind with the impending returns of outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier from the disabled list, and though they could possibly cut ties with oft-injured and ineffective infielder Juan Uribe, that move remains unlikely, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. The balance of the $12MM owed to Uribe over the next season-plus would be tough for the Dodgers to swallow, Dilbeck explains.

East Notes: Martin, Phillies, Blue Jays, Papelbon

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A few links from around the NL East and AL East, where the Yankees and Nationals reside in first place at the All-Star break …

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman has no plans to acquire a catcher despite Russell Martin's struggles, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. "We have our catching," Cashman said. "I believe in Russell Martin, period."
  • The Phillies are flirting with exceeding MLB's luxury-tax threshold of $178MM, which could affect their dealings with impending free agent Cole Hamels, who's also a potential trade candidate, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The looming threat of a luxury tax stifling a player's contract negotiations is something union chief Michael Wiener said he wouldn't be "happy about," but he understands it's part of the the collective bargaining agreement.
  • The Blue Jays will have to pay a tax after overshooting the $2.9MM cap for signing international free agents that kicked in on July 2, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Toronto inked three of BA's top 20 international free agents.
  • Former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said his Boston tenure all but ended when ex-manager Terry Francona's 2012 option was not picked up, leaving a managerial void the club would not fill till December, according to ESPNBoston.com. The Sox never made the right-hander an offer, Papelbon confirmed: "(The Red Sox) wanted to see if I could go out and test the market and maybe come back. I don't know if they would (have countered), but I don't go back. I go forward."

Sabean Discusses Giants’ Deadline Plan

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The Giants made one of the biggest moves of last season's trade deadline, acquiring center fielder Carlos Beltran from the Mets in exchange for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, although San Francisco fell short of the postseason. Now, though, the Giants are just a half-game out of first place in the NL West, and GM Brian Sabean shared some thoughts with Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle as this year's deadline approaches. Here are the highlights:

  • Sabean would like to bolster the Giants' weak-hitting lineup with some power, but he's unsure of where he could upgrade significantly and whether that's even available on the trade market.
  • "I'm not sure we have enough [offense]," Sabean said.
  • The Giants have had talks with 15 teams regarding about 25 players, both hitters and pitchers.
  • Sabean was "adamant" that he won't make a significant trade for a rental player this year as he did last season for Beltran. As Schulman notes, though, the Giants were more desperate for help then with both Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez out for the season due to injuries.
  • “Anything we have do has to be significant upgrade and take us into the future,” the GM said.
  • The outfield of Gregor Blanco, Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera will likely remain intact, and the Giants seem "committed" to shortstop Brandon Crawford and first baseman Brandon Belt.
  • If anything, San Francisco may look to upgrade its bullpen and bench, with perhaps a right-handed power hitter being the ideal fit.
  • Sabean reiterated that he's not interested in acquiring a starting pitcher.

Angels Interested In Acquiring Zack Greinke

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The Angels plan to make a run at trading for Brewers starter Zack Greinke if the right-hander becomes available prior to the trade deadline, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

The Orioles, Rangers and Braves are also thought to be interested in dealing for Greinke, the 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner, although a person close to Greinke said that the Halos are a "perfect fit."

The Angels lavished huge contracts on Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this offseason, but they may have payroll flexibility for 2013 with club options on right-handers Dan Haren and Ervin Santana, the latter of which is expected to be declined barring a "major turnaround," according to Heyman.

The Brewers entered the break with a record of 40-45, eight games back in the NL Central and six back for one of two Wild Card spots. They've not yet decided whether they're sellers and will apparently use the first week or two after the All-Star break to sort that out.

Brewers cornerstone Ryan Braun, for his part, wants to convince management to retain Greinke, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter): "Realistically, we're still in this thing."

Quick Hits: Moyer, Blue Jays, Sellers

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Here's a hodgepodge of links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday …

  • Jamie Moyer's minor league contract with the Blue Jays is for two Triple-A starts, at which point the club must decide whether to promote the left-hander, tweets Shi Davidi of sportsnet.ca.
  • Despite the recent rash of injuries among the Jays' starters, GM Alex Anthopoulos won't rush to acquire pitching help, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. Anthopoulos said the soonest a big move might happen would be mid-July, if at all.
  • There are four teams that will obviously be in sell mode as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post: the Mariners, Padres, Cubs and Astros. San Diego and Chicago, in particular, figure to be the most active.
  • The Braves and Nationals were recently scouting at a Twins game, tweets Phil Mackey of ESPN's 1500 Twin Cities radio. Atlanta was there to see Francisco Liriano, while Washington was likely keeping tabs on center fielder Denard Span.
  • Hall of Famer Frank Robinson has been named MLB's Executive Vice President of Baseball Development, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.
  • Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca asked to be reassigned and has been made a special assistant to GM Dan O'Down, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Apodaca has been with the Rox since 2002.
  • The Dodgers have hired Mickey Hatcher as a special assistant to GM Ned Colletti, the club announced. Hatcher began the season as hitting coach for the Angels but was let go when the Halos were struggling offensively.

Yasiel Puig Declared Free Agent

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Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig has officially been declared a free agent, sources tell Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, and could have a deal finalized with a Major League team by Friday.

Puig can now meet with teams to discuss parameters of deals but cannot finalize a contract until he is unblocked by the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, Sanchez reports. That is not expected to be an issue, though, "in accordance with the new guidelines that create a general license authorizing Major League teams to do business" with a Cuban prospect who has established residency somewhere else.

The 20-year-old has been working to establish free agency so as to beat the new collective bargaining agreement's July 2 deadline, which stipulates that teams may only sign international prospects for up to $2.9MM without penalty after that date. Puig is thought to be seeking a contract similar to the ones signed by Yoenis Cespedes with the A's and Jorge Soler with the Cubs.

Central Links: Liriano, Carpenter, Hernandez

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On this date in 1999, the Royals tore off a 10-run eighth inning en route to an 11-7 win over the Indians, according to Baseball-Reference. Kansas City's only homer in the barrage was a two-out solo shot by Johnny Damon, now of the Indians. On with the Central Links:

  • The Twins will see "robust interest" in left-hander Francisco Liriano as the trade deadline nears, a club official tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (Twitter link). Liriano has pitched better of late after a terrible start to the season, though his ERA sits at 5.30 and his SIERA at 4.10.
  • The Cardinals' pursuits leading up to the trade deadline will largely be shaped by Chris Carpenter's attempt to return from a shoulder injury, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. GM John Mozeliak is targeting July 1 as a yardstick for Carpenter's progress, although the right-hander recently suffered a setback. The Redbirds plan to seek a starting pitcher.
  • Indians pitcher Roberto Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, likely won't have to serve an eight-week suspension similar to the one being served by the Marlins' Juan Carlos Oviedo for playing under a false identity, GM Chris Antonetti told reporters, including Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Hernandez will probably be excused from the suspension because he restructured his contract this offseason.

Astros Designate Travis Buck For Assignment

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The Astros have designated outfielder Travis Buck for assignment, the club announced via press release.

Buck, 28, was a reserve player and occasional starter this season, his first in the Astros' organization, although he had been on the disabled list since late May due to a heel injury. The left-handed hitter owns a .216/.284/.311 line in 81 plate appearances in 2012 and .243/.316/.399 line for his career.

Formerly a well-regarded prospect with the Athletics, Buck's best performance to date came as a rookie with Oakland in 2007, when he hit .288/.377/.474 in 334 plate appearances, though he's battled injuries and ineffectiveness since then. Buck spent 2011 in the Indians organization.

Buck was DFA'd to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Scott Moore, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

AL West Notes: Angels, Rangers, Greinke

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A few items of note out of the AL West, where the Rangers held a 4.5-game lead over the second-place Halos entering Tuesday night's action …

  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto doesn't expect his club to be busy at the trade deadline, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The lineup and bullpen, in particular, seem to be pretty set, and though Dipoto hinted that he'd like to improve the rotation, he said it won't be easy to do so. Owner Arte Moreno isn't inclined to increase the team's $151MM payroll, according to Saxon, especially after last offseason's spending spree.
  • Despite a rash of injuries to the starting rotation, Rangers GM Jon Daniels doesn't plan to be any more aggressive in seeking starting pitchers at the trade deadline, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as Texas' disabled hurlers are all expected back shortly after the All-Star break. Said Daniels: "The group we're going to get back is probably more impactful than anybody we can go get out there," according to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (via Twitter).
  • However, the Rangers could be in the mix for Brewers starter Zack Greinke, speculates Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (Twitter link), as they were a finalist for the right-hander when the Royals traded him to Milwaukee following the 2010 season. It remains to be seen whether the Brewers will re-sign Greinke or deal him before the deadline.

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