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Cafardo On Clippard, Pence, Upton, Myers

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In a conversation with Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino echoed John Henry's sentiment from earlier this week: Whether or not Boston makes a move at the deadline, the luxury tax won't be an issue. Lucchino said the Sox have paid the tax before, and would be willing to do so again if the right deal came along. Here are some other highlights from Cafardo's weekly notes column:

  • The Rangers have made "a lot of inquiries" on Tyler Clippard. The Braves, Yankees, and Red Sox also have varying levels of interest in the Nationals' setup man.
  • According to an Astros source, the team intends to hold on to Hunter Pence. However, Cafardo points out that could change in the offseason, with the new ownership group (and possibly a new GM) in control.
  • Some Nationals people believe a change of scenery would greatly benefit B.J. Upton, and are considering "offering the moon" for him.
  • There hasn't been a whole lot of interest in Brett Myers yet. "We’ve had a couple of bites from National League teams, but not much else," said an Astros official.
  • Athletics lefty Craig Breslow is drawing interest from the Yankees and Red Sox.

Diamondbacks Release Wily Mo Pena

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The Diamondbacks have released Wily Mo Pena, according to the team's official Twitter feed. The club designated the 29-year-old for assignment ten days ago.

Pena's all-or-nothing approach at the plate resulted in no walks, 19 strikeouts, and five homers in his 46 plate appearances for the D'Backs this season. Pena, who is now free to sign with any club, drew interest from the Tigers, White Sox, Orioles, and Astros this past winter before he agreed to a minor league deal with Arizona.

Diamondbacks, Astros Discussing Wandy Rodriguez

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While no deal is close, the Diamondbacks have discussed a potential Wandy Rodriguez trade with the Astros, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

With the Astros' new ownership group hoping to trim payroll, the team has made it clear that Rodriguez could be had in the right deal. The left-hander won't come cheap though – Peter Gammons reported a week ago that Houston is asking for as much in return for Rodriguez as the Rockies are for Ubaldo Jimenez.

The Reds are also eyeing Rodriguez, as we heard earlier this week, but an intra-division trade may be more difficult to orchestrate.

Nationals Shopping Ian Desmond?

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The Nationals are "actively shopping" shortstop Ian Desmond, with the Giants and Red Sox among the suitors, according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan (Twitter link). However, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post tweets that he's hearing the exact opposite about Desmond's availability. Kilgore wrote yesterday that the Nats have received several calls about Desmond, but the team views him as a core player and is reclutant to move him.

Whether or not the Nationals are actively looking to trade the 25-year-old, it seems unlikely he'll be dealt in the next week, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ladson's source says GM Mike Rizzo is a fan of Desmond and that if he "puts it all together in one season for another team, [the Nats] would look foolish."

In a second tweet, Passan says the minor league performance of Stephen Lombardozzi, who Rizzo loves, is one reason Desmond could be available. The 22-year-old has hit .322/.372/.461 in 437 plate appearances this year in Double-A and Triple-A. Desmond, meanwhile, has played well defensively for the Nats, but has seen his OPS slip to .589, down over 100 points from 2010.

New York Notes: Trade Talk, Byrdak, Santana

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The Yankees and Mets will send Bartolo Colon and Dillon Gee, respectively, to the hill today as they look to take the rubber matches of their weekend series. Before they get underway, let's run down this morning's New York links….

Rosenthal’s Latest: Braves, Upton, Keppinger, Bell

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FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, whose bow tie took some playful mocking from Brandon Phillips yesterday, is back with another handful of hot stove notes….

  • While the Braves still figure to acquire a right-handed hitter, Rosenthal points out that Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward have recently shown signs of heating up. Increased production from that pair could be the equivalent of adding an impact bat.
  • The Braves view their starting rotation depth as one of their greatest strengths, and aren't inclined to compromise it by dealing Derek Lowe.
  • Rosenthal backed off his Saturday guarantee that B.J. Upton will be traded before the deadline, cautioning that he doesn't know the Rays' exact intentions.
  • Before the Giants acquired Jeff Keppinger from the Astros, the Yankees inquired on the infielder.
  • The Cardinals are "hotter" on Heath Bell than Mike Adams, especially considering the Padres continue to "need to be overwhelmed" to move Adams.
  • One executive offered this metaphor on Pirates GM Neal Huntington using his farm system to facilitate potential acquisitions: "He’s been planting a garden for four years, and now he’s going to be picking flowers out of it."

Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Sunday

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With July 31st just two weeks away, Ubaldo Jimenez is one of the most surprising names being floated in trade rumors. Would the Rockies actually move Jimenez less than a year after he finished third in NL Cy Young voting? ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider link) talked to one talent evaluator who put the chances of a deal at one in four: "It has to be something that makes sense for the Rockies [right now]." Another evaluator thinks "it's more trolling than intent on moving" on Colorado's part (Twitter link). Here's a roundup of the rest of today's Jimenez-related notes….

  • MLB.com's Peter Gammons says the Rockies think there's about a 10% chance Jimenez is traded this month. Colorado is looking for two prime prospects, along with one or two big-league ready players, including a starting pitcher.
  • The Rockies and Yankees match up well, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. Colorado likes Jesus Montero, but the Yanks are reluctant to include Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, or Ivan Nova along with Montero.
  • Heyman says (via Twitter) that the Rockies have talked to the Yankees, and "probably" the Red Sox, Tigers, Reds, and others as well.
  • Some teams interested in Jimenez believe that if the Rockies hang on to him now, he's a decent bet to be traded this winter, when available top pitching will again be scarce and more clubs could get involved, writes Olney.
  • One more note from Olney's article: Given Jimenez's inexpensive price tag through 2013, there would be very little financial risk for any team acquiring the right-hander, which is one reason why the Rockies' asking price is so high.
  • Speaking of that asking price, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that the Rockies would have to be "absolutely overwhelmed" to move Jimenez. "It would have to be a Herschel Walkerdeal," O'Dowd added, referring to the 1989 NFL trade that earned the nickname "The Great Train Robbery."
  • There seems to be a potentially game-changing pitcher connected in trade rumors to the Yankees every July, and this year it's Jimenez, writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.

Rays Notes: Trade Deadline, Moore, Upton, Damon

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As both a playoff contender and an organization keeping its payroll in check, the Rays could decide to become buyers, sellers, or a combination of the two this month. However, Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times views the club as buyers more than sellers, since they seem "more focused on adding to their core than breaking it up." Topkin spoke to executive VP Andrew Friedman about the upcoming deadline:

  • "I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to line up on something that helps us in 2011 and gets in front of one of our to-do items this offseason," said Friedman. "We are pursuing different moves that would strengthen our weaknesses and not necessarily detract from our current strengths."
  • The Rays are open to acquiring a rental player, but would give up more for someone who was under control past this season.
  • The team is willing to use its farm system to faciliate a potential trade. Friedman says there are a few prospects the Rays are "very unlikely" to trade, with Matt Moore likely heading that list, but "the fact that we have a really deep system helps us in that respect."
  • In a separate piece, Topkin examines the pros and cons of trading five players on the Rays' current roster, including B.J. Upton and Johnny Damon.
  • The Rays have been bold and brazen when making trades in the past, and need to continue to be aggressive, writes John Romano of the St. Petersburg Times.

NL Central Rumors: Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Rasmus

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The NL Central lead seems to change hands on a daily basis, meaning we can expect plenty of trade talk over the next two weeks as the Brewers, Cardinals, Pirates, and Reds attempt to gain an edge in a tight race. Here's the latest from out of the division:

NL West Notes: Pudge, Padres, Dodgers

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Ubaldo Jimenez's potential availability is the big story these days in the NL West, but let's not overlook the rest of the updates coming out of the division:

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