Phillies Acquire Hunter Pence
Last year it was Roy Oswalt, the year before Cliff Lee. This year, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. continued his July 29th big-game hunting by landing All-Star right fielder Hunter Pence and $2MM from the Astros for prospects Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, and Josh Zeid, as well as a player to be named later. The Phillies confirmed the deal through a press release.
Pence, 28, was hitting .309/.356/.472 in 430 plate appearances entering tonight's game at Milwaukee. He plays an average right field, based on UZR data since 2010. Perhaps the face of the Astros franchise, Pence was not initially thought to be available this summer with the Astros in the middle of an ownership transfer. He's much more than a rental, with $2.3MM remaining on his contract this year and team control through 2013. Pence's agents at Beverly Hills Sports Council had a big arbitration win in January, bringing his 2011 salary to $6.9MM and raising the bar for '12 and '13. The right-handed hitting Pence (pictured) fits perfectly into right field for the Phillies, who rank 14th in the NL with a .665 OPS against lefties after losing Jayson Werth during the offseason. The Braves, Indians, Reds, Red Sox, and Pirates were also in on Pence this month.
Cosart, 21, ranks as high as 17th by ESPN's Keith Law and as low as 43rd by Baseball America among the game's prospects. He dealt with an elbow injury last year, but has the electric fastball and plus curveball of a future front-rotation starter. Added bonus: he grew up just south of Houston, in League City, Texas.
Cosart's High-A teammate Jonathan Singleton, 19, was ranked #24 by Law and #41 by BA. Law says Singleton has "one of the best swings in the minors." Zeid, a 24-year-old Double-A righty, was ranked 23rd among Phillies prospects by BA prior to the season and has been exceptional out of the bullpen this year. The player to be named later won't be a top prospect, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, and will come from a list of players currently in Low-A ball.
In acquiring Cosart and Singleton, Astros GM Ed Wade added a couple of excellent prospects to a farm system generally regarded as one of the five worst in baseball prior to the season. Whether or not the move is popular with fans, it's the right direction for the Astros.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi broke the story, with Jayson Stark, Jim Salisbury, and Jon Heyman adding detail. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Marlins Likely To Keep Nunez Into Next Season
We've heard that the Marlins are likely to keep closer Leo Nunez this summer. Today, Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel adds that he's heard the Fish plan to keep the righty into next season. There had been a question of whether the Marlins would be willing to pay a reliever $6.5MM, the range of Nunez's expected 2012 salary.
Talking to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, Brewers GM Doug Melvin cited the Marlins as an example of a non-contender that is holding on to its players this summer. Said Melvin: "They're not anticipating moving anybody."
D’Backs Sell Brazoban To Fukuoka Softbank Hawks
FRIDAY: The Diamondbacks announced that they have sold Brazoban to the Hawks.
WEDNESDAY: Reliever Yhency Brazoban is on the verge of leaving the Diamondbacks for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Nippon Professional Baseball League, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The 31-year-old former Dodger had his contract purchased by Arizona in late June, but was outrighted back to Triple-A a week ago.
Brazoban has a 3.22 ERA, 10.4 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, and 1.5 HR/9 in 36 1/3 Triple-A innings for the Diamondbacks and Rangers this year.
Meanwhile, SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Diamondbacks are talking to the Blue Jays about reliever Jason Frasor, despite rumors Frasor is headed to the White Sox.
Mets Rumors: Available Players
The Mets are currently 6.5 games out of the wild card, with Dillon Gee opposing Chien-Ming Wang tonight in Washington, D.C. The latest:
- The trade front is now quiet with the Mets, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. He says R.A. Dickey is staying put, Jason Isringhausen probably will stay, and Chris Capuano, Scott Hairston, and Tim Byrdak are available but probably will also stay. Mets GM Sandy Alderson said yesterday that he doesn't expect more trades.
- Carlos Beltran's agent Scott Boras will seek a five-year, $70MM deal in free agency, reports Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog. I can see four years and $52MM if a team extends itself, but Beltran will be 35 in April of next year.
- New Mets prospect Zack Wheeler spoke to reporters today, noting that he found out about his inclusion in the Beltran trade by watching ESPN and he's happy about joining his new team.
Mariners Designate Jack Cust For Assignment
The Mariners designated Jack Cust for assignment to open a spot on the active roster for Erik Bedard, announced the team. The move drops the team's 40-man roster count to 39.
Cust, 32, hit .213/.344/.329 in 270 plate appearances for the Mariners, all as a designated hitter. His slugging percentage had been slipping in recent years, but this year it fell off a cliff as he provided only 19 extra-base hits. Cust, a left-handed hitter, signed a $2.5MM deal with Seattle in December after being non-tendered by Oakland.
Orioles Rumors: Guthrie, Uehara
The Orioles are unmoved by the offers for righty Jeremy Guthrie, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Tigers and Red Sox had been linked to the 32-year-old.
As for reliever Koji Uehara, Rosenthal says there's a 50-50 chance the Orioles trade the top-notch setup man. Earlier this week we summed up the Uehara market based on reports: the Rangers, Pirates, Tigers, Twins, and Reds appear to have interest.
Phillies To Acquire Hunter Pence
8:54pm: Pitching prospect Josh Zeid will also go to the Astros in the deal, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly. SI's Jon Heyman adds that the Astros will pay $1MM to the Phillies in the trade.
8:42pm: The Astros are also sending cash to the Phillies in the deal, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
8:16pm: Pence has been removed from tonight's game against the Brewers, tweets MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. He's getting hugs in the dugout.
7:49pm: The Phillies are close to acquiring Pence, tweets Rosenthal. He says a deal is expected to be completed tonight. Jon Paul Morosi tweets that first baseman Jonathan Singleton and righty Jarred Cosart are in the deal. Rosenthal says the Astros will also get two players to be named later in the deal – one of whom may be announced tonight – and they are not major prospects.
6:42pm: The Phillies and Astros are progressing toward a deal for right fielder Hunter Pence, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He says talks "are to point where another team will need to trump the Phillies with a superior package," and agrees with ESPN's Buster Olney that the Braves are still trying. Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Braves still think they're right in the race for Pence.
Nationals Targeting Denard Span
10:08am: The Twins are unhappy with the Nationals' offer, Rosenthal reports (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the Nationals are worried about Span's concussion.
FRIDAY, 9:23am: Talks between the Twins and Nationals are ongoing, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Span and Storen are at the center of discussions, with Roger Bernadina and others in play. The Nationals aren't talking exclusively to the Twins as they search for a center fielder, but Span appears to be high on their list of targets.
THURSDAY, 12:52pm: The Nationals are not willing to trade Storen for Span, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
WEDNESDAY, 3:20pm: The Nationals continue to target Span, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and Storen may be in play.
MONDAY, 2:03pm: The Nationals have talked to the Twins about Span, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Nationals are unwilling to trade Drew Storen or Tyler Clippard, though Rosenthal feels Ian Desmond could be of interest to the Twins.
1:30pm: Twins center fielder Denard Span is high on the Nationals' list of targets, reports Amanda Comak of the Washington Times. Span would fit the team's desire for a controllable center fielder/leadoff hitter, assuming there are no ill effects from a concussion suffered in June.
Span, 27, is hitting .294/.361/.385 on the season in 255 plate appearances. His center field defense has been a plus in recent years, according to UZR. His team-friendly contract has less than $15MM remaining through 2014, plus a club option for '15. It's not known whether the Twins consider Span expendable; Ben Revere has a .249/.287/.284 line filling in. The asking price would surely be significant.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first mentioned Span as a potential Nats target earlier this month, along with B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn, and Colby Rasmus.
Free $400 Fantasy Baseball Contest (Sponsored Post)
Looking for some competition from MLBTR readers amid the insanity of trade deadline week? Try DraftStreet, where you can put your GM hat on to create a new fantasy team every night and compete against other users for real money.
Right now DraftStreet is offering a freeroll for MLB Trade Rumors readers, meaning you've got a shot at a $400 prize pool for free, with no strings attached. The top ten finishers will get paid. The details:
The MLBTR freeroll is for Friday night's games, so you have until then to create your team. You're given a $100K salary cap, and each player is assigned a price by DraftStreet. For Friday, Roy Halladay is considered the most valuable player since he starts against the Pirates, but he'll cost you over $18K. I've gone with a couple of big strikeout pitchers instead in my roster below, Matt Garza and Erik Bedard. I'm hoping Bedard handles the pressure of a being heavily scouted well. Your roster covers these positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, 2 utility, 2 SP, 1 RP, 1 P and 2 Reserves (14 starters). You get points based on how your team performs Friday. For example, you'll get 0.75 points for each strikeout Bedard racks up and 1.5 points if he gets the win. The teams with the most points get the prize money. You can apply all kinds of strategy in building your roster – for example, maybe you want to avoid Heath Bell because you think he'll be a setup man by Friday. Below I've taken a screenshot of a roster in progress:
If you're interested, sign up and create a roster prior to Friday's night games (6:05pm central time). It's quick, easy, fun, and the MLBTR league gives you a free chance to win some of the $400 prize pool. If you enjoy the competition you can try other leagues for free and earn credits, or deposit real money.
Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Thursday
The latest on Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez, who is scheduled to pitch Saturday in San Diego…
- The Tigers contacted the Rockies Thursday to discuss possible deals, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Colorado is also discussing Jimenez with the Yankees, Red Sox, Reds and Indians, according to FOX. Names of interest to the Rockies: Kyle Weiland and Will Middlebrooks of the Red Sox, Ivan Nova, Dellin Betances, and Jesus Montero of the Yankees, Jacob Turner of the Tigers, Yonder Alonso and a Major League starting pitcher from the Reds, and Drew Pomeranz of the Indians.
- The Yankees appear to have the best shot at Jimenez, but there are no indications that they will meet the Rockies' asking price, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
- The Rockies' asking price for Jimenez "remains very, very high," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, as in three top prospects. There's been no significant movement in the Jimenez market, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- An NL source tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald the Red Sox are "not hot as of now" for Jimenez.