Brewers Eyeing Brandon Backe
According to Adam McCalvy at MLB.com, the Brewers might be interested in signing recently-released RHP Brandon Backe. Says assistant GM Gord Ash: "You have to at least take a look."
The Brewers are currently hurting for starting pitching depth, though they received a nice outing from Mike Burns tonight, as McCalvy notes. By picking up Backe they'd only be on the hook for the pro-rated amount of the league minimum. He might be able to slide into the back end of the rotation, but he's not likely to be an impact acquisition.
It's a little murky on who else has expressed interest in Backe. Any other teams where he might make a decent fit?
Arangure Jr. On International Prospects
ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. has been all over the market for potential signings from Latin America ahead of July 2nd, the first day teams are officially eligible to sign international free agents. Let's check out his latest action on the beat:
- The Braves and Reds supposedly watched the workouts for shortstop prospect Humberto Valor. One scout called him "the best position player in Venezuela," and he's expected to get a bonus in the range of $1.5MM-$2.2MM.
- The Red Sox are apparently set to sign Dominican right-hander Raul Alcantara for $500k. Here's a scouting report, and one scout said he's "better than [Michael] Ynoa."
- The Brewers and Yankees are said to be "all over" SS prospect Damian Arredondo, touted for his "raw speed."
Ben had a round-up of more international signing tidbits yesterday. Keep an eye out for a flurry of news as the deadline approaches.
Odds & Ends: Zambrano, Royals, Hinske
A dosage of links to soothe and satisfy between innings:
- Paul Sullivan at the Chicago Tribune got Carlos Zambrano to respond to the poll that 57.2% of Cubs fans think he should be traded: "Fine, trade me to Boston," he joked.
- Joe Posnanski gives an in-depth look at the problems facing the Royals. "The Royals execs are smart people. But the more they do to this offense, the worse this offense gets," he says.
- Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, cricket players from India who won a reality T.V. show called "Million Dollar Arm" and had never picked up a baseball until recently, are now set to play their first game for rookie-level Pirates affiliate Bradenton.
- M.A. Mehta at the Newark Star-Ledger talked to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who says the deal for Eric Hinske "made some sense…he's a pro."
- Bart Hubbuch at the New York Post tweets that the Mets "inquired repeatedly" on Mark DeRosa but didn't like the price.
- ESPN's Keith Law takes a look at some intriguing pitchers in the Cape League (Insider).
- Kiley McDaniel tweets that Baltimore is a "serious darkhorse" for the services of Miguel Angel Sano, with the Pirates and Twins still favorites.
- According to MLB.com's Rustin Dodd, the Royals have begun discussions with first-round pick Aaron Crow.
Discussion: Replacing Mike Lowell
The Red Sox were dealt a blow today when third baseman Mike Lowell was placed on the DL with a right hip strain. In a new video today, ESPN's Peter Gammons commented on the situation:
"One way or another, they need to find another bat… He's a huge loss on and off the field."
Gammons throws out Garrett Atkins and Nick Johnson as potential fits, though noting Johnson's defense has been suspect this season.
Adam Kilgore at the Boston Globe talked to Terry Francona about Lowell, who says he's feeling good and doesn't expect to miss much more than the 15-day minimum. Regardless, the 35-year-old Lowell had surgery on the hip in November and isn't guaranteed to stay healthy. He's posted a .282/.319/.470 line for a Sox team that has put up a .798 OPS, which sits at 3rd in the majors.
If you're Theo Epstein, do you trust that Lowell returns to form on time? Or do you pursue a corner bat to boost the offense? If so, who's your guy? Share your thoughts.
Indians Release Luis Vizcaino
According to Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com, the Indians released reliever Luis Vizcaino today. The 34-year-old Vizcaino had been designated for assignment on June 23.
Vizcaino put up a 4.11 ERA and 12/12 K/BB ratio in 15.1 innings between the Cubs and Indians this year. The Rangers were said to be in the mix for Vizcaino before the Indians, and with their decimated bullpen it looks to still be a possibility.
D’Backs Discussed Haren With Angels?
Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports says that the Angels inquired on Dan Haren, hoping to add the elite starter through a deal that could have included "their surplus of catchers and middle infielders to put together a blockbuster offer." However, the Diamondbacks declined to engage in more serious talks for Haren. Says one D'Backs exec:
"I almost can't conceive of a package that would motivate us to move him."
Rosenthal goes on to say that the Diamondbacks consider Haren an integral piece of their future, but one source indicated that "talks could accelerate" if the Angels bowl over the Diamondbacks with an overwhelming offer. Rosenthal notes this is a sign that teams are trying to get creative in a depleted market for starting pitching.
Odds & Ends: Indians, Pirates, Zambrano
Some links to wrap up a relatively busy weekend, with more on the way:
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure says the Yankees, Red Sox, Reds and Padres in on 16-year-old Dominican RHP Cristopher Cabrera.
- John Perrotto at Pirates Report says if he were Neal Huntington, he'd go ahead with the rumored swap of Nyjer Morgan for Lastings Milledge with the Nationals.
- Phil Rogers at the Chicago Tribune is fed up with Carlos Zambrano and thinks the Cubs should waive him and take anything another club is willing to give. Not a great week for Cubs fans, eh?
- Bud Shaw at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer notes that the Indians have had more success making deals than with their draft picks.
- Paul Hoynes at the Plain-Dealer gets some more player reactions to the Mark DeRosa deal.
- Andrew Baggarly at the San Jose Mercury News wonders if Jermaine Dye and Mark Teahen could be on Giants GM Brian Sabean's radar screen.
Rangers Shifting Focus To Starters?
With starter Matt Harrison hitting the DL, T.R. Sullivan at MLB.com says that Rangers GM Jon Daniels could comb the starting pitching market for help. We've known that the Rangers have been looking for arms, but the priorities could be shifting from RPs to SPs:
"We probably have more internal options in the bullpen than in the rotation. [Starting pitching] is something we're looking at but there are not that many starting pitchers available and I don't expect that to change," Daniels said.
The Rangers field some of the best pitching prospects in baseball, but most aren't close to major-league ready. The team ERA sits at 4.41, which is 19th in the majors and might slip with the depleted depth. Kevin Millwood has been the only reliable piece of the rotation this year.
Texas is now 40-33, one game behind the surging Angels. We checked in on a similar debacle a few weeks ago when Brandon McCarthy hit the DL, and at that time the Rangers were comfortably ahead of the Angels by 4.5 games. The Rangers have plenty of pieces to offer potential suitors, but Daniels believes the market to be "thin." They've been reported as being reluctant to add any salary as well.
If you're Daniels, is it your only choice to stand pat and hope it all pans out? Or is this team for real, and does the market have more valuable pieces to offer than they're letting on? Do we re-visit the ever-fascinating Ben Sheets and Pedro Martinez talks? Discuss your thoughts.
Brewers, D’Backs Talk Trades
Steve Gilbert at MLB.com talked to Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash, who said there had been "conversations" with the Diamondbacks:
"I think it speaks to what I talked about earlier, that because they are one of the few clubs that have available pieces, the asking price is way too high," Ash said. "So they don't have to make a deal yet."
Gilbert notes that the Brewers are in the market for help in starting pitching and at second base. Though the D'Backs have potential fits there with both Felipe Lopez and Doug Davis in the final years of their contracts, it's unclear if the talks were centered around those players.
The Brewers sit at 40-35, a percentage point above the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central, but were knocked around by the Giants today 7-0 and saw the rival Cards pick up Mark DeRosa last night.
Manuel Wants Bat For Mets?
According to Brian Costello at the New York Post, Mets manager Jerry Manuel had this to say about the Mets' potential need for a big bat:
"If we get below [.500] and we continue to struggle offensively as we are, I think that [a trade] is a no-brainer," Manuel said today. "I think we have to visit that. I think that has to be visited or talked about at some point. It would be dishonest if I said no."
Costello notes that this is Manuel's "strongest statement" for endorsing outside help. The Mets were said to be players for the services of Mark DeRosa, and it seems that the DeRosa trade has upped the pressure level on the front offices of the many teams in playoff limbo.
Is this going to push GM Omar Minaya to make a deal? Is there anyone attainable out there who makes sense for the Mets? Do they have the moveable pieces to get the big bat they desire? Discuss your thoughts here.