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Olney’s Latest: DeRosa, Nationals, Bay

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Buster Olney's latest blog post is up:

  • Mark DeRosa is "a perfect fit for the Cardinals" and the Indians "got exactly what they wanted" in Chris Perez says Olney.
  • Olney says the expectation is that a flurry of signings will occur in final 3 days leading up to the August 17 deadline due to "enormous pressure on teams to stay within the slotting recommendations set by the commissioners office." Here's a quick explanation of slot recommendations.
  • In response to the Nyjer Morgan/Lastings Milledge rumors, Olney says Washington is determined to purge their system of dysfunctional players.
  • Olney suggests Jason Bay is on pace to land a 4 year, $60MM or 5 year, $70MM contract.

Heyman’s Latest: Best & Worst Free Agent Signings

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Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman has compiled a list of the best and worst free agent signings. Here are the lists, in descending order:

The Best: Raul Ibanez, Trevor Hoffman, Francisco Rodriguez, Orlando Hudson, Mark Teixeira, Brad Penny, CC Sabathia, Ivan Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, Randy Johnson, Adam Everett, Randy Wolf, David Eckstein, Adam Dunn, and Felipe Lopez.

The Worst: Milton Bradley, Oliver Perez, Pat Burrell, Manny Ramirez, Kerry Wood, Kyle Farnsworth, Orlando Cabrera, Jason Giambi, Ken Griffey Jr., and Edgar Renteria.

What do you think? Anyone missing from these lists? Any surprises?

Heyman has a few more bullet points:

  • With Matt Lindstrom and Kiko Calero on the DL, the Marlins inquired about Heath Bell and Joakim Soria. Of course, neither star closer is available according to Heyman.
  • Heyman likes the Mark DeRosa deal for both sides, and thinks the Cardinals did well to acquire a versatile player like DeRosa to solve their 3B issues.
  • The Indians are not anxious to trade Cliff Lee. He's making a $6MM in 2009 with a $9MM club option for 2010. The Dodgers, Mets, and Brewers have inquired. Heyman says the Rangers could get a deal for Lee done with Derek Holland or Neftali Feliz.
  • Bad news for Xavier Nady. Heyman quotes a source saying second Tommy John surgeries have "as low as 20 percent" chance of success.

Renck’s Latest: Hawkins, Saito, Spilborghs, Atkins

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In his latest article, the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck has a few Rockies footnotes worth discussing:

  • Renck suggests the Rockies should aggressively pursue LaTroy Hawkins if the Astros drop in the standings.
  • Takashi Saito is another option. He has dominated in the NL West and the Red Sox like Ryan Spilborghs. He also notes the Tigers and Phillies have expressed interest in Spilborghs, as Ken Rosenthal said earlier this month.
  • Renck lists the Braves, Cardinals, and Mets as potential fits for Garrett Atkins, but Renck adds that his "$4 million in remaining salary is prohibitive."

Red Sox Rumors: Penny, Bay, Lugo

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The Boston Globe has posted a few notes today from Amalie Benjamin and Tony Massarotti.

  • Massarotti says that between Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL, the age John Smoltz (42) and Tim Wakefield (43), and not knowing how much Clay Buchholz can contribute, Brad Penny is "more valuable to the Red Sox than people may think" and there shouldn't be any urge to move him. Massarotti quotes Terry Francona, "We didn't sign him to trade him. We signed him to win. He’s worked hard. I only think it’s going to continue to get better."
  • While Jason Bay isn't concerned about getting a contract done, Massarotti says the Sox "have every intention of revisiting talks with the outfielder before the end of the season, a baseball source has confirmed."
  • Amalie Benjamin suggests that Jed Lowrie's return could mark the end of the Julio Lugo era in Boston. Before yesterday, Lugo had not started since June 14, ceding time to Nick Green who is making $8.5MM less. According to Benjamin, "…the shortstop would be foolish not to prepare for the possibility of being released. The Sox would be on the hook for his salary, and he could be signed by any club for the league minimum."

Pirates, Nationals Discussing Swap

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SATURDAY, 3:51pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson has confirmed through a source that the Nationals are in hot pursuit of Morgan.  Milledge was offered, but the Pirates are seeking a starting pitcher or middle infielder.

Washington infielders Alberto Gonzalez and Danny Espinosa probably aren't going anywhere, and the Nats seem to like their young nucleus of starters (mainly Stammen, Jordan Zimmermann and John Lannan).  Ladson suggests Anderson Hernandez could be part of the move, but he surely won't "wow" Pittsburgh's upper management.

FRIDAY, 9:58pm: Via Twitter, Ed Price of Fanhouse.com says the Pirates and Nationals have been discussing an outfield swap of Nyjer Morgan for Lastings Milledge but that talks stalled when Pittsburgh asked for right handed starter Craig Stammen as well.

Milledge is currently recovering from a broken finger sustained in Triple-A. Morgan is having a fine breakout season hitting .267 with 18 stolen bases; however, Pittsburgh has a glut of up-and-coming outfielders in Andrew McCutchen, Delwyn Young, and Steven Pearce.

What To Do With Hanrahan?

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Pete McElroy of MASN Sports thinks the Nationals should consider moving Joel Hanrahan. Since Hanrahan is out of options, this would mean either designating him for assignment or outright releasing him.

McElroy sees Hanrahan without confidence on the mound. Despite a more than a strikeout per inning, the former Dodgers top pitching prospect has a 7.71 ERA and lost the closers gig twice in '09 and shown no improvement. Perhaps a change of scenery would be best?

Discussion: Jarrod Washburn

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Jarrod Washburn is having a bit of a resurgence this season, sporting a 3.22 ERA, with a 2.37 ERA over his previous six games. Slight improvement in his strikeout rate plus increased success against left-handed hitters (.162 against) have the 34 year old seeming a decent commodity.

Peter Gammons said Washburn could be had. The Dodgers have reportedly been eyeing the veteran lefty; however a Juan Pierre for Washburn swap would not work because of Pierre's contract. Washburn has around $5.9MM left on his contract, as well as no-trade protection.

Greg Johns at the Seattle Post Intelligencer thinks the Mariners should not sell high, even as Washburn's value peaks with every good outing. Barring a good package of prospects, Johns feels that Seattle "will want to continue riding Washburn's strong season and see how far they can go." After all, they're only 2.5 games behind the first place Rangers, and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

Johns also notes Washburn's balky left knee causes him discomfort every pitch. Mike Sweeney is quoted in the piece saying, "He can barely walk the four days between starts. His knee is killing him, he's got a bad back. Yet every fifth day he goes out and pitches with all his heart."

If the standings don't change dramatically before the July 31st trade deadline, would the Mariners be better suited to sell high on Jarrod Washburn?

Shapiro Discusses Wedge Speculation

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MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says Indians general manager Mark Shapiro is taking the heat off Eric Wedge, and spreading the blame evenly for the Indians underwhelming 30-44 record, 12 games back in the AL Central. Castrovince quotes Shapiro:

"'The accountability and responsibility for what has been a bad year is broad-based and shared,' Shapiro said. 'The arrow should not be pointed at Eric. It should point toward a broad spectrum — players, our staff, Eric, myself, the front office. There's shared responsibility, and I'm accountable for all those groups.' … Still, as this issue lingers in the press and on the lips of fans, it certainly has the potential to further unravel an already reeling ballclub."

Jon Heyman adds via Twitter that "Shapiro sounded committed to Wedge" on the phone earlier today.

Nady’s Season Over

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UPDATE 7:17pm: The New York Post's George A. King III says Nady needs Tommy John surgery and is done for the season. King adds,

"Quietly the Yankees were hoping to have Nady's right-handed bat to help out in right field, where switch-hitter Nick Swisher is playing every day. Now that won't happen. And though GM Brian Cashman said this week 'a bat isn't needed,' knowing that Nady isn't returning might change the Yankees' mind."

6:07pm: During an International league game in Syracuse, Xavier Nady reported "significant discomfort" in his right arm after completing two throws from the outfield. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com says Nady could be done for the season which, if true, would snuff out any flickering speculation that the Yankees would or should consider dealing him or Nick Swisher upon Nady's return.

"Yankees manager Joe Girardi exchanged text messages with Nady and said there is discussion of flying the outfielder to California to visit with Dr. Lewis Yocum, who performed Nady's original September 2001 Tommy John surgery. A repeat procedure would wipe out Nady's 2009 season."

Benjamin Kabak at River Ave. Blues has more. Buster Olney recently noted the Yankees were not looking to deal either Nady or Swisher.

Jamie Burke DFA’d Again

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According to Larry LaRue of the Seattle News Tribune, reserve Jamie Burke was designated for assignment by the Marines today to make room for Kenji Johjima. This marks the third time this season that the veteran catcher has been DFA'd. Says LaRue,

Over the next 10 days, Burke, 37, will either be traded, claimed by another team or offered a minor league deal. LaRue writes,

"He still wants to play, thinks he can still help a pitching staff, still do the small things a reserve is asked to do. Will he ever get another chance? That's uncertain, and he knows it. If he returns to the Seattle minor league system, he could be brought up in September – but the Mariners by then could want to look, instead, at Adam Moore."

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