Giants, Javier Lopez Have Mutual Interest In Return
Javier Lopez is staying put and the left-hander says he and the Giants have already discussed his impending free agency and there is mutual interest in a return, tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com. The veteran said that he signed his two-year extension with every intention of playing it out and is glad that he'll get that chance, tweets Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The reliever's name popped up multiple times throughout the day in trade rumors but nothing came to fruition. With minutes to go before the deadline and multiple teams still linked to Lopez, Giants skipper Bruce Bochy said he was confident Lopez would staying put, according to Alex Pavlovic of the Mercury News (via Twitter).
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Giants kept a high asking price on Lopez and the Reds were among the teams vying for him, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Indians and Giants also had discussions regarding Lopez, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported yesterday the Giants asked the Indians for young starter Danny Salazar, which was not going to happen.
The Tigers were believed to be interested in Lopez, but Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Twitter links) reported that Detroit never tried to land the lefty.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Yankees Getting Offers For Phil Hughes
2:41pm: The Braves talked to the Yankees about Hughes but it won't happen, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman hears the Braves' interest was mild, anyway.
1:39pm: The Yankees are getting offers for righty Phil Hughes now, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Hughes, 27, has a 4.58 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 1.61 HR/9, and 30.1% groundball rate in 112 innings for the Yankees this year and will be eligible for free agency after the season. Hughes' home run problems have been much worse at Yankee Stadium, so a change of scenery leading up to free agency would be to his benefit.
Latest On Michael Young
The latest on Phillies third baseman Michael Young…
- The Phillies are skeptical they will make any move prior to the deadline, tweets Bob Nightengale.
Earlier Updates
- Young would approve a trade to the Yankees, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
- Two executives believe the Phillies and Red Sox are discussing Young, and the Yankees would have interest if that falls through and Young would waive his no-trade for them, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Young is unlikely to waive his no-trade clause for anywhere but Texas, hears Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, while WEEI's Rob Bradford has a source who's not confident Young will accept a trade to any team.
- It is doubtful the Red Sox will make a move for Young, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.
- As of a few minutes ago the Phillies hadn't called the Red Sox about Young's willingness to go there, and Boston's interest is not certain, tweets Peter Gammons of Gammons Daily.
- Young is unlikely to get through waivers in August, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Young has changed his mind and is now willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Red Sox, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Previously, he was only willing to go back to the Rangers.
Schierholtz Staying With Cubs
29-year-old Cubs right fielder Nate Schierholtz is one of the better bats on the trade market. He deserves credit for his strong work this year against right-handed pitching, but it's also a weak market for bats. Schierholtz is under team control for 2014 as an arbitration eligible player, and MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz suggests a salary in the $4.2MM range. 33-year-old center fielder David DeJesus is another candidate to be moved today; he comes with a $6.5MM club option for 2014. DeJesus recently returned from a shoulder sprain. The latest on that pair as well as the Cubs' other trade chips…
- It looks like Schierholtz is staying put with the Cubs, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Earlier Cubs Updates
- There's much more action on James Russell right now than Kevin Gregg, according to ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine (on Twitter).
- The Cubs expect to trade either Schierholtz or DeJesus, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and DeJesus might be more likely. The Pirates are in on both.
- The Cubs appear more likely to trade Schierholtz than relievers Kevin Gregg or James Russell, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
Padres Acquire Ian Kennedy
The Padres have bolstered their rotation for the present and future, acquiring righty Ian Kennedy from the division rival Diamondbacks for lefty reliever Joe Thatcher, Double-A reliever Matt Stites, and a compensation round B draft pick, according to a tweet from MLB.com's Corey Brock. It's a surprisingly light haul for Kennedy, a 28-year-old who is under team control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player.
Drafted 21st overall by the Yankees in '06, Kennedy joined Arizona in the December 2009 three-team trade with the Yanks and Tigers, at a time when Josh Byrnes was the Diamondbacks' GM. Byrnes was fired the following year and later landed the GM job in San Diego, while Kevin Towers took over for Arizona. Clearly, Byrnes has an affinity for Kennedy, who tossed 624 1/3 regular season innings from 2010-12 with a 3.55 ERA and finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting back in 2011. Kennedy's walk rate worsened this year, en route to a 5.23 ERA in 124 frames. His skills suggest something closer to 4.00 moving forward. As a fly-ball pitcher, Kennedy will likely benefit tremendously from leaving the hitter-friendly Chase Field to a more pitcher-friendly stadium in Petco Park.
Thatcher is a useful left-handed specialist who joined the Padres in a July 2007 trade brokered by Towers. The 31-year-old has a 2.10 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 1.2 BB/9, 0.90 HR/9, and 42.4% groundball rate in 30 innings this year. He's faced 70 lefty batters and held them to a .212/.257/.231 line. Earning $1.35MM this year, Thatcher is under team control through 2014 as an arbitration eligible player.
Stites, a 23-year-old reliever, has a 2.08 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 1.4 BB/9, and 1.04 HR/9 in 52 Double-A innings this year. Prior to the season Baseball America ranked the 5'11" Stites 27th among Padres prospects.
To clear space on the 40-man roster following the trade, the D'Backs have outrighted Nate Adcock to Triple-A Reno, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
The draft pick headed to the D'Backs is San Diego's competitive balance lottery pick, which is the first pick of Comp Round B (between the second and third rounds). As such, it will likely fall in the 70 to 75 range; Comp Round B consisted of picks 69 to 73 in this year's draft. Those picks carried assigned values of between $808K and $759K, according to Baseball America.
Towers and the Diamondbacks clearly thought Kennedy to be expendable with Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy on the mend and Archie Bradley in the minor leagues. Kennedy scored a near-record $4.265MM salary for 2013, his first arbitration year. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a mild raise to the $5.9MM range for 2014, so there's a financial element to the trade as well. Still, it seems to be an underwhelming return for a pitcher with Kennedy's upside, even in a down season.
As shown in MLBTR's Transaction Tracker, Towers and Byrnes have connected on a pair of past deals for Tony Clark and Scott Hairston back in 2008 and 2007, respectively.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Padres To Keep Gregerson
The latest on the Padres, who host the Reds today 20 minutes prior to the trade deadline…
- The Padres are done and will not trade Gregerson, tweets Jim Bowden.
- The Padres will probably not trade Gregerson after moving Joe Thatcher in the Ian Kennedy deal, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Earlier Updates
- The Pirates and Red Sox are two of the teams sniffing on Gregerson, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- The Padres are more likely to trade lefty reliever Joe Thatcher than righty Luke Gregerson, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, and they're saying no to deals for any of their outfielders.
Padres Closing In On Trade For Ian Kennedy
28-year-old Diamondbacks righty Ian Kennedy is having an off year, but he is under team control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player. The latest:
- Double-A reliever Matt Stites is in the Padres' offer for Kennedy, tweets Darren Smith of XX1090.
- The Angels still believe they have a shot at Kennedy, tweets Ken Rosenthal. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the D'Backs and Padres are closing in on a Kennedy trade, however. The D'Backs would get Thatcher and two minor leaguers, notes Miller.
- The Padres are getting closer to a deal for Kennedy, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Earlier Updates
- There are legs to the Kennedy to San Diego rumors, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan, who says Thatcher would be one of the players going to Arizona. The Padres are in active discussions to acquire Kennedy, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Speaking on 620 KTAR today, D'Backs GM Kevin Towers said, "I'm fairly confident that there will be some trade news involving the Diamondbacks probably by the end of the day."
- Kennedy to the Padres "could happen," hears Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- The D'Backs could move Kennedy as a way to improve the back end of their bullpen, writes Scott Miller of CBS Sports. They've inquired with the Padres on Luke Gregerson and Joe Thatcher.
- The D'Backs are still considering offers for Kennedy even with potential replacement Jake Peavy landing in Boston, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Angels would love Kennedy and the Padres are also in.
Tigers Talking Relievers With Blue Jays
The Tigers have been in contact with the Blue Jays regarding bullpen arms, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. It was previously reported they were talking to the Giants about Javier Lopez, and the Jays have their own veteran southpaw in Darren Oliver.
Mike Morse Very Available
12:00pm: Aside from the Rays and Orioles, three or four other teams are interested in Morse, according to Peter Gammons on MLB Network.
6:07am: Mariners outfielder/first baseman Mike Morse is very available, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Morse, 31, recently returned from a long layoff due to a quad strain and is headed for free agency after the season.
The general vibe so far has been that the Mariners are not motivated to strip down their team, even at 8.5 games out in the wild card. Morse, acquired from the Nationals in January, has a .246/.307/.445 line in 231 plate appearances. From 2010-12, he hit .296/.345/.516 in 1,298 plate appearances for the Nats, so he has the potential to be the impact bat the trade market seems to be lacking with nine hours to go until the deadline.
Rangers Willing To Listen On Anyone
WEDNESDAY: Even the newly-acquired Matt Garza could be in play for the Rangers, tweets Rosenthal. He notes that as they aggressively seek offense, it's not unusual for the Rangers to make creative proposals.
TUESDAY: The Rangers are willing to listen on anyone, report Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, including shortstop Elvis Andrus. The Rangers have not have any substantive trade conversations involving Andrus, however, cautions Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. The team is known to be aggressively seeking a bat, especially given the possibility of Nelson Cruz being suspended. Bowden says they're focused more on outfielders than DH types.
At .250/.310/.289 in 458 plate appearances, the 24-year-old Andrus has not done much offensively this year. In theory, the Rangers could trade him and replace him with 20-year-old rookie Jurickson Profar. Andrus signed an eight-year, $120MM extension with the Rangers in April, which includes opt-out clauses after the 2018 and '19 seasons as well as a 2023 vesting option that becomes a player option upon a trade. The Cardinals would seem to be a logical fit for Andrus.