Marlins Acquire Will Ohman
The Marlins aggressively pursued bullpen help on deadline day, and ultimately acquired veteran lefty Will Ohman from the Orioles for 25-year-old righty Rick Vanden Hurk.
Ohman, 33 in August, has a 3.30 ERA, 8.7 K/9, and 5.4 BB/9 in 30 innings this year with three home runs allowed. He came a long way since signing a minor league deal in February, even spending a few days as the Orioles' closer. He hasn't displayed any special ability to retire lefties since the '08 season.
Vanden Hurk seems an acceptable return for two months of Ohman. This year at Triple A he posted a 4.68 ERA, 8.0 K/9, and 3.7 BB/9 in 98 innings, allowing 11 home runs. He's had multiple stints at that level and also has 155.6 big league innings under his belt. Strikeouts have been there, but everything else has been an issue (including health). Baseball America ranked Vanden Hurk 13th among Marlins prospects before the '07 season, noting that he was signed at 17 out of the team's Dutch academy. Did you know the Marlins had a Dutch academy? BA described Vanden Hurk as "smart and coachable."
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun first tweeted that Ohman was traded, and Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel tweeted that Vanden Hurk was the return.
Yankees Acquire Kerry Wood
The Yankees may have found their new setup man. They acquired Kerry Wood from the Indians today for a player to be named later and cash. The Indians also picked up $2.17MM of the $3.67MM Wood has left on his contract, but Cleveland will receive an additional $200K from the Yankees if Wood stays healthy. The former phenom was just activated from the DL today after dealing with a blister. In 20 innings this season, the 33-year-old righty has a 6.30 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 5.0 BB/9.
Wood doesn't know what role he'll have in Joe Girardi's bullpen, but he's excited to be joining a team that has a chance to win the World Series.
"That’s why we all play the game," he said.
Indians manager Manny Acta explained that Chris Perez will now be the team's permanent closer. And though Acta would rather be buying than selling, he's glad to see his former players join contending teams.
"It’s good for those guys to get an opportunity to go somewhere where they have a chance to win," Acta said.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark and Joel Sherman of the New York Post contributed to the story on Twitter as it broke. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed the quotes.
Adam Dunn Not Traded
The latest on slugger Adam Dunn, who we learned yesterday is comfortable serving as a designated hitter for two months…
- Dunn was not traded, according to many reports.
- Rosenthal tweets that Dunn to the White Sox for Jackson and others is "far from over."
- Edwin Jackson for Dunn is still possible, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, but the Nationals want another player or two.
- One Nationals source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports he thinks Dunn is staying.
- The Giants are still checking in on Dunn but the Nationals still want Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Nationals are getting late interest in Dunn from new teams and longshots are being explored, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The odds of a Dunn trade are less than 50-50, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. He adds that the Rays are not pursuing any bat aggressively.
Giants Still Active
2:56pm: It doesn't look like anything will happen with the Giants and Hart, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
2:28pm: Lots of familiar names still in play for the Giants, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, including perhaps Corey Hart again.
2:17pm: The Diamondbacks, Giants, and Blue Jays have discussed a three-way deal, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. For the moment I'll leave the speculation to the commenters, but we know the Giants like Kelly Johnson from Arizona as well as Jays relievers and Jose Bautista. The Jays have had interest in Johnson as well.
Rays Pursuing Luke Scott
2:21pm: Teams haven't been too aggressive on Scott, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles would want a solid return since Scott is under team control for two more seasons beyond this one.
2:08pm: Scott is getting play but not from the Dodgers, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
1:55pm: The Dodgers are making a push for Scott and the Rays are in the mix, tweets Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse.
1:02pm: The Rays and Orioles are in trade talks, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. He wonders if Luke Scott or Will Ohman would be the Rays' target. However, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets that an Orioles trade before the deadline is highly unlikely.
Brett Myers Rumors: Saturday
Brett Myers would be one of the better available starters, and the Astros reportedly became more open to moving him recently. Myers has a 3.10 ERA and has gone at least six innings in every start this year. The latest:
- The Astros are working on signing Myers beyond this year, tweets Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Astros still want to be overwhelmed in an offer for Myers, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the price is high for Myers – the Astros asked the Mets for Bobby Parnell and Josh Thole and were turned down.
Astros Expected To Keep Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers
1:33pm: The Astros will not trade Rodriguez or Myers, tweets Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
8:18am: The Astros became more open late Friday to the possibility of trading veteran starter Brett Myers, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Now, Morosi's colleague Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Astros are fielding offers for Wandy Rodriguez too, though they're not that motivated.
Rodriguez, a 31-year-old southpaw, has a 4.80 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 3.4 BB/9 on the season in 114.3 innings. He's under team control through next year. His 2011 salary will be kept lower in part because the Astros beat him in arbitration for 2010, getting him for $5MM instead of $7MM. The sample is small, but Rodriguez's July numbers are reminiscent of his breakout 2009 campaign. He'd be a solid pickup for a team seeking more than a rental, and the Astros shouldn't be afraid to move him. I wouldn't expect the price to be too different from that of Edwin Jackson.
Dodgers Acquire Lilly, Theriot For DeWitt
The Dodgers acquired veteran lefty Ted Lilly, infielder Ryan Theriot, and $2.5MM from the Cubs for second baseman Blake DeWitt and minor league pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit today. Lilly has $4.24MM remaining on his contract, while Theriot has $918K. The Cubs are picking up about half of the tab on the players they're sending.
Lilly set himself apart from the many brutal pitching signings made in the 2006-07 offseason by making 113 starts for the Cubs with a 3.70 ERA, 7.6 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 over the four-year deal. Though he began this season on the disabled list due to November shoulder surgery, Lilly sports similar numbers in 2010. He serves as proof that velocity isn't everything, with the sixth-slowest average fastball velocity in baseball at 86.1 mph. Lilly currently projects as a Type A free agent, though the Dodgers' recent history suggests they will not offer him arbitration and therefore will not receive draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere.
Theriot, 30, has a .284/.320/.327 line on the season. He'd been the Cubs' starting shortstop for a few years, but moved to second base when they promoted Starlin Castro in May. Theriot's walk rate reached 11.0% in 2008, but is down to 4.6% this year. He's under team control through 2012, if the Dodgers want to tender a contract two more times.
DeWitt, 25 next month, is having a better season than Theriot at .270/.352/.371. He's under team control through 2014, so the Cubs acquired a long-term asset for second base. Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein calls his the "prettiest swing you'll see never turned into results," calling DeWitt a "constant source of disappointment" for the Dodgers.
Wallach, son of former big leaguer Tim, was a third-round pick of the Dodgers last year. Baseball America ranked him 20th among Dodgers prospects heading into the season, saying he could blossom into a No. 3 in time. He's currently in Low A. Smit, a reliever, spent most of this year in High A ball where he posted a 2.49 ERA, 8.2 K/9, and 1.8 BB/9 in 50.6 innings. He's now in Double A.
Jayson Stark, Ken Rosenthal, Joel Sherman, and Tim Brown reported on the trade as it developed.
Jose Bautista Rumors: Saturday
The latest on MLB home run leader Jose Bautista, as he plays against the Indians…
- The Blue Jays are more likely to keep Bautista than trade him, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Jays want "something big" for him. Jon Heyman of SI agrees, saying the Jays require legitimate Major Leaguers like Jonathan Sanchez.
Pirates Acquire Chris Snyder In Five-Player Deal
Diamondbacks interim GM Jerry Dipoto further dismantled his team today, sending catcher Chris Snyder, Triple A shortstop Pedro Ciriaco, and $3MM to the Pirates for reliever D.J. Carrasco, infielder Bobby Crosby, and outfielder Ryan Church. Snyder has about $8.18MM remaining through 2011, assuming his '12 option is declined, while Carrasco, Crosby and Church have roughly $1.2MM remaining.
Snyder signed his extension under previous GM Josh Byrnes in December of '08, coming off a fine .237/.348/.452 performance. However, he hit the disabled list in June of last year with a back injury and had surgery in September. Miguel Montero took over as the starter and hit .319/.364/.523 the rest of that season. The D'Backs shopped Snyder in the offseason and nearly dealt him to the Blue Jays until concerns over his back scuttled the deal. Snyder was able to prove his health this year when Montero missed two months due to knee surgery. Current Pirate Ryan Doumit, whose contract might have been the model for Snyder's, is on the disabled list due to a concussion.
Carrasco, Crosby, and Church were signed cheaply as free agents by the Pirates last winter, but only Carrasco has panned out. On the season he has a 3.88 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9 in 55.6 innings with only four home runs allowed. Carrasco probably will be tendered a contract by the D'Backs, and he's under team control through 2012. Church is technically arbitration-eligible after the season, but he's highly likely to be non-tendered.
Ciriaco, 24, ranked 27th among D'Backs prospects heading into the season according to Baseball America. They praised him for his defense and speed, suggesting a possible utilityman future.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first broke news of the trade talks, with Nick Piecoro, Jack Magruder, Steve Gilbert, Dejan Kovacevic, and Jenifer Langosch also contributing to the story.