Young Would Consider Trade To Red Sox
The latest on Phillies third baseman Michael Young, who is in tonight's lineup against the Giants…
- Young has told the Phillies that he will consider trades to other clubs if he isn't dealt to Texas, and the Red Sox are his second choice, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). Stark adds that if a trade with Boston doesn't work, the Yankees would be a last-minute possibility.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that Young isn't flat-out rejecting trades to other markets, he's simply trying to steer trade discussions to his preferred destinations one-by-one.
- Young told reporters, including MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, that no trade is imminent and he's not certain if he will be a Phillie in 24 hours (Twitter links).
Earlier Updates
- Asche's call-up does "not necessarily" mean Young will be traded, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said on MLB Network today. Amaro described the chance of Young changing teams by the deadline as "pretty remote."
- There are executives who believe Young would approve a trade to the Red Sox if a deal is made, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Young will only approve a trade back to the Rangers, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. In contrast, Scott Miller of CBS Sports says Red Sox people believe Young would approve a trade there. The Phillies checked in with Young over the weekend about the Rangers and Red Sox. You have to wonder if the Asche promotion is designed to force Young into accepting a deal, asMatt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the rookie is up to stay and Young would likely be pushed into a bench role.
- If Young is being traded, Yankees people say it's not to them, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The Phillies plan on calling up third baseman Cody Asche, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan. That points to Young being traded today, he adds. Asche, 23, is hitting .295/.352/.485 in 446 Triple-A plate appearances. Asche "should hit enough to have a regular big league role," wrote Baseball America before the season.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Royals Discussed Kendrick, Beckham, Weeks
3:50pm: The Royals are one of 12 teams to which Kendrick can block a trade, notes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
3:07pm: The Royals have had discussions about second basemen Howie Kendrick of the Angels, Gordon Beckham of the White Sox, and Rickie Weeks of the Brewers, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. They also looked at the Phillies' Kevin Frandsen. However, Knobler says there is no indication the Royals are close to any deal.
The Royals have used Chris Getz, Elliot Johnson, Miguel Tejada, and Johnny Giavotella at second base this year, resulting in a .230/.279/.311 offensive line. They seek a second baseman they would control beyond 2013, says Knobler, and all of the players mentioned above are controlled through '15.
The Angels would need a front-line, Major League or MLB-ready starting pitcher for Kendrick or Erick Aybar, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. As Knobler notes, Beckham presents the problem of playing within the Royals' division, while Weeks' salary is prohibitive compared to his production.
Brewers To Retain Aoki; Trade Talks Quiet
3:12pm: Gallardo left today's start early due to an injury, limping off the mound. The Brewers described the injury as left hamstring tightness.
11:09am: "We're not going to move him," Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in regard to affordable right fielder Norichika Aoki. Melvin noted that most of the players being traded are in their contract years; Aoki has a $1.5MM club option for 2014.
Melvin also told Haudricout he's not motivated to move Kyle Lohse, nor is he engaged in trade talks about today's starter, Yovani Gallardo. Melvin isn't in active talks for any of his relievers, either, including Mike Gonzalez. "Teams have to make offers," said Melvin who did acknowledge having one offer on the table for a pitcher, which he does not expect to lead to a deal.
Blue Jays Could Trade Bonifacio, Melky
Utility man Emilio Bonifacio is the most likely player to be traded by the Blue Jays, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Jays are also shopping outfielder Melky Cabrera, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Bonifacio, 28, came over from the Marlins in the November blockbuster. He's limped to a .214/.254/.314 line on the season. Cabrera, 28, inked a two-year, $16MM deal that was seen as a potential bargain after he served a PED suspension. He could face another suspension by way of the forthcoming Biogenesis announcement, but the general feeling is that he already served his time. His lack of offensive production may be the bigger concern in moving him.
Dodgers Sign Brian Wilson
The Dodgers signed free agent reliever Brian Wilson,tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown. It's a guaranteed big league deal, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, and Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio says it's worth $1MM plus performance bonuses. The Beard had a long road to recovery from April 2012 Tommy John surgery. He spent his entire career in the Giants organization, racking up 171 saves in the process. The Giants non-tendered him after last season, and the fully-recovered Wilson auditioned for many teams Thursday. Wilson had three offers, notes Brown. The 31-year-old reliever is represented by MVP Sports Group.
The Dodgers' bullpen struggled at the outset of the season, partially due to the decision to anoint Brandon League the closer. Kenley Jansen officially usurped that role in mid-June. The Dodgers have also gotten good work from lefties J.P. Howell and Paco Rodriguez.
The tentative plan for Wilson is to begin at the Dodgers' complex in Arizona, then go to Rancho Cucamonga as part of a rehab assignment, and then report to the Dodgers in two weeks, tweets Brown. In theory, the move could take the Dodgers out of the running for other, similar relievers available for trade.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Phillies To Designate Steve Susdorf For Assignment
The Phillies are designating outfielder Steve Susdorf to create a roster spot for third baseman Cody Asche, MLBTR has learned. We learned earlier today that Asche is getting the call, presumably pushing out Michael Young.
Susdorf, 27, appeared in only three games for the Phillies. He was hitting .335/.419/.428 in 229 Triple-A plate appearances upon getting the call when Domonic Brown hit the seven-day DL for concussion symptoms.
Stark On Howie Kendrick, Cubs, D’Backs
ESPN's Jayson Stark begins his latest column with a look at the Biogenesis situation. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported, suspension announcements are not expected today. Sherman expects the announcements to come Thursday or Friday. In Stark's opinion, the Rangers are acting like a team that knows what Nelson Cruz will do if suspended, in that their aggressive search for a bat suggests he might serve a suspension now to preserve his free agent value. Meanwhile, the Tigers' lack of pursuit of a backup plan to shortstop Jhonny Peralta suggests he'll appeal. Elsewhere in Stark's column:
- The Dodgers and Angels, who haven't made a trade in 20 years, had a "mostly casual conversation" regarding Halos second baseman Howie Kendrick. There are no indications a deal is in the works.
- The Angels are at least listening on infielders Kendrick, Erick Aybar, and Alberto Callaspo, and seeking high quality big league ready pitching in return.
- The Cubs could move Kevin Gregg and Nate Schierholtz, but are extremely unlikely to trade lefty reliever James Russell and there's just about zero chance of a Jeff Samardzija trade.
- Pitchers Ian Kennedy and J.J. Putz of the Diamondbacks and Kyle Farnsworth of the Rays "have suddenly been made available." Trading Kennedy would allow Arizona to clear around $1.4MM toward another move. Are they that hard up for cash?
Mark Lowe Approaching Opt-Out Date
Reliever Mark Lowe has the ability to opt out of his minor league deal with the Nationals tomorrow, MLBTR has learned. Lowe, 30, has a 4.26 ERA, 12.8 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9 with two home runs allowed in 12 2/3 Triple-A innings this year. Earlier, he made 11 big league appearances with the Angels.
Yankees, Reds Inquired On Hunter Pence
TUESDAY, 10:26am: The Yankees also checked in on Pence, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, but as with the Reds, there doesn't appear to be a match. Heyman says the Pirates and Rangers are also among the interested teams.
MONDAY, 3:32pm: The Reds inquired on Giants right fielder Hunter Pence, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, but it doesn't look like a match so far. It seems an odd fit for the Reds, who have Jay Bruce and Shin-Soo Choo entrenched in their outfield and Ryan Ludwick on a rehab assignment following April shoulder surgery.
Pence, 30, is hitting .277/.320/.457 in 440 plate appearances this year and is hitting .259/.300/.401 since June 1st. He has around $4.6MM remaining on his contract. The Giants reportedly plan to make a qualifying offer after the season, setting the bar for a potential trade this month.
Dodgers In Lead For Brian Wilson
TUESDAY, 10:17am: The Dodgers are now the front runner to sign Wilson, tweets Nightengale.
MONDAY, 9:24pm: ESPN's Jim Bowden lists the Giants, Pirates and Dodgers as front-runners for Wilson (on Twitter).
8:58pm: Wilson has narrowed his decision to three or four teams and is in the "offer/counter-offer" stage at this point, Miller tweets.
7:10pm: The Pirates and Giants are both "serious suitors" for Wilson, who appears close to signing soon, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports. Miller adds that the Diamondbacks and Dodgers have some level of interest as well, and he notes that Wilson "has an affinity for Los Angeles." The Phillies were also thought to have interest prior to the six-game skid that has pushed them firmly into their stance as sellers.
3:52pm: The D'Backs are not in on Wilson, tweets John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR.
2:52pm: The Pirates and Diamondbacks are the strong front runners for free agent reliever Brian Wilson, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who notes that Wilson has offers from four NL teams and one AL club. Yesterday, Yahoo's Tim Brown noted interest from the same mix of five teams.
Wilson, 31, auditioned for teams Thursday with the Pirates, Diamondbacks, Athletics, Giants, Phillies, Rangers, Rockies and Cardinals in attendance. The former Giants closer had Tommy John surgery in April 2012.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.