Tigers Close To Acquiring Wilson Betemit
The Tigers are close to acquiring Wilson Betemit for two prospects, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Kansas City would receive two prospects in the deal. Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star originally reported that a trade appeared imminent (on Twitter). The Brewers, Angels, and Marlins had expressed interest in Betemit recently.
This post was originally published on July 20th.
Orioles Notes: Hardy, Simon, Bell, Worrell
Let's check in on the latest from Charm City…
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun has the breakdown of J.J. Hardy's contract extension (on Twitter). He'll earn $7MM per season from 2012-2014 with a $1.25MM signing bonus.
- Alfredo Simon's hearing in the Dominican Republic is finished and he should be back in Baltimore by Tuesday according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). Simon has not been cleared or charged in his case, and it's "highly unlikely" he'll have to leave the team again this season.
- Meanwhile, the club announced in a press release that they've placed Simon on the restricted list. Third baseman Josh Bell and righty reliever Mark Worrell were recalled from Triple-A.
Orioles Extend J.J. Hardy
The Orioles now have a strong bridge in place to top prospect Manny Machado. They officially signed shortstop J.J. Hardy to a three-year, $22.5MM contract extension today, in a deal that includes an eight-team no-trade clause. Hardy is represented by LSW Baseball, as our Agency Database shows.
Hardy, 28, is hitting .278/.335/.490 in 282 plate appearances for the Orioles this season. His defense is generally regarded as above-average. The biggest concern with this deal is health, as Hardy played 104 games last year and may fall short of 130 this year. Still, it won't take 160 games a year for Hardy to be worth a $7.5MM salary. The 2012 free agent market is now down to two big-name shortstops: Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins.
The Orioles acquired Hardy and Mark Reynolds in separate deals in December, revamping the left side of their infield. The Twins found Hardy expendable after signing Tsuyoshi Nishioka as a free agent.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun first reported the agreement on Saturday, with Ken Rosenthal tweeting the contract details.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Mets Agree To Sign Gustavo Chacin
The Mets have agreed to sign Gustavo Chacin to a minor league contract, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. MinorLeagueTransactions.com first reported the agreement.
Houston released the 30-year-old Chacin earlier this week. He appeared in 44 games for the Astros last year, posting a 4.70 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 and homering in his lone at bat for Houston. He had a 5.13 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 66 2/3 innings for the Astros' Triple-A affiliate this year.
Mariners Release Charlie Haeger
The Mariners have released Charlie Haeger according to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League transactions page. Seattle signed the knuckleballer to a minor league contract in November.
Haeger, 27, started nine games for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate this season, posting a 7.74 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. He walked 42 and struck out just 35. Haeger has 83 big league innings to his credit, most coming with the Dodgers. He owns a 6.40 ERA with a 7.5 K/9 and 6.4 BB/9 as a Major Leaguer.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Beltran, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees
Earlier today it was the Full Count video, and now Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has some more notes in a separate video…
- Carlos Beltran doesn't figure to be with the Mets much longer, especially since the team is willing to pick up the majority of the $6MM or so left on his contract. The Giants, Indians, Tigers, Red Sox, and Phillies all have interest.
- The Phillies prefer Mike Adams to Heath Bell because they'd have him under team control as an arbitration-eligible player next season. They're concerned they may lose Ryan Madson as a free agent this winter.
- The Red Sox keep saying they don't need starting pitching, but that could change before the deadline. Hiroki Kuroda is one possible target.
- The Yankees continue to look for starting pitching, especially after Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia got knocked around in their first starts after the All-Star break. Ubaldo Jimenez is out there, and the Rockies will at very least dangle him just to see if someone overwhelms them with an offer.
Cardinals Have Checked In On Blue Jays Relievers
Earlier today we heard that the Cardinals are aggressively looking for a starting pitcher, but that doesn't mean they aren't trying to add bullpen help either. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that St. Louis has checked in on the availability of several Blue Jays relievers, according to sources (on Twitter).
Toronto has a cache of right-handed relievers available, namely Jason Frasor, Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel, and Frank Francisco. The first three have affordable club options for next season, $3.75MM or less. Morosi notes that Frasor has never pitched in the NL, so there's an element of surprise there. The Cardinals are currently without setup man Eduardo Sanchez, and their 4.04 bullpen ERA is the third highest in the National League. The Jays and Cards don't get together for trades very often as our Transaction Tracker shows, but both clubs have relatively new GMs.
Make sure you check out our sister site dedicated to fantasy bullpens, Closer News.
Tigers Interested In Derek Lowe
The Tigers are looking for starting pitching, and that search has led them to a native Michiganite. Detroit has expressed interest in Derek Lowe according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, though the two sides have not yet had any serious talks.
Money could be an issue for the Tigers, as Morosi notes. Lowe is owed approximately $6MM for the rest of this season and is under contract for $15MM next year. That said, the prospect cost would be much less significant than it would be for someone like Ubaldo Jimenez. The 38-year-old Lowe has a 4.30 ERA in 113 innings this season, though he has his highest strikeout rate (6.5 K/9) in four years with his typically high ground ball rate (59.9%).
All things being equal, Morosi says Detroit would prefer to add a left-handed starter to a rotation currently lacking one. The Braves would be able to use any cash savings towards adding a hitter. These two teams have gotten together for a number of trades in recent years as our Transaction Tracker shows.
Brewers, Royals Have Discussed Wilson Betemit
Unsatisified with the production they're getting from third base, the Brewers have talked to the Royals about acquiring Wilson Betemit according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Kansas City GM Dayton Moore is willing to move Betemit in the right deal according to the FOX scribes.
Casey McGehee hit 23 homers with a .801 OPS last season, but he's hit just .221/.276/.311 with five homers in 362 plate appearances this year. Betemit, 29, has a .285/.345/.415 batting line in 223 plate appearances this season, but he's lost playing time to Mike Moustakas of late. He is making just $1MM this year and can be a free agent after the season. Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Betemit as a trade candidate back in May.
NL West Links: Padres, Adams, Ubaldo
The Giants have won four in a row to open up a 4.5 game lead in the NL West. Let's check in on the latest from the division…
- Padres scouts have spent a lot of time looking at Phillies and Rangers prospects recently, says Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Earlier today we heard that Philadelphia has interest in Heath Bell and Mike Adams.
- Meanwhile, ESPN's Buster Olney says rival GMs believe the Padres should trade Adams now to maximize his value, especially since he'll be 33 in two months and has a lengthy injury history (Twitter links). Olney adds that Adams has more trade value than Bell because he's under team control next season.
- Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd shot down speculation that the Rockies are open to trading Ubaldo Jimenez because of his attitude, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. "I don't know where that's coming from. That's not even close to the truth," said O'Dowd. "He's as fine as a kid you will come across in this game."