Rangers Acquire Jorge Cantu
After months of rumors and speculation, the Marlins finally traded Jorge Cantu. They sent him to the Rangers for AA righties Evan Reed and Omar Poveda in a deal that became official this evening. The Marlins will pay $600K of the $2.2MM remaining on Cantu's salary.
Cantu, 28, is hitting .259/.308/.408 this season with ten homers. The 28-year-old becomes a free agent after the season and has said he would like to sign with the Marlins. At this point, the club is considering multi-year deals for some of Cantu's former teammates.
Reed, 24, has a 1.76 ERA as a reliever in the upper minors this year. He has posted 7.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 across two levels so far in 2010.
Poveda is now on the disabled list, recovering from Tommy John surgery, but Baseball America ranked him 20th among Rangers prospects entering the season. BA explained then that Poveda "profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter."
Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Joel Sherman of the New York Post contributed to the story as it broke.
Astros, Blue Jays Swap Anthony Gose & Brett Wallace
Just minutes after the Astros officially acquired Anthony Gose, they sent him to the Blue Jays for Brett Wallace. The Blue Jays obtained Wallace for Michael Taylor last winter right after the Roy Halladay trade. Now, the first baseman could become the heir to Lance Berkman in Houston.
The Blue Jays believe Gose, 19, is an "athletic, Gold Glove caliber center fielder," Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told the FAN 590. They tried to acquire him in the Halladay deal and again this spring. Meanwhile, Astros GM Ed Wade says Wallace is a "hitting machine," according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (via Twitter).
ESPN's Jayson Stark first reported that the Astros were sending Gose to Toronto and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on Twitter that the Astros were getting Wallace in return. The Blue Jays confirmed the trade.
Orioles Hire Buck Showalter
3:20pm: The O's officially announced the hiring and noted that interim manager Juan Samuel will once again be the club's third base coach.
1:22pm: Showalter's contract runs through 2013, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
12:42pm: The Orioles have hired Buck Showalter as manager, reports ESPN's Tim Kurkjian. Showalter's first game will be Tuesday against the Angels. Kurkjian notes that Eric Wedge, Bobby Valentine, Rick Dempsey, and current interim manager Juan Samuel also interviewed for the job. Showalter brings an 882-833 career record and two Manager of the Year awards from his career managing the Yankees, Rangers, and Diamondbacks.
Phillies Acquire Roy Oswalt
Just one win shy of the Astros' franchise win record, Roy Oswalt is leaving the only team he's ever known. The 32-year-old righty approved a trade to the Phillies, who sent J.A. Happ and low minors prospects Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar to Houston for Oswalt and $11MM. The Astros then flipped Gose to the Blue Jays. The Phillies will not pick up Oswalt's 2012 option, but will add $1MM to the buyout as compensation. Seven months after trading Cliff Lee to the Mariners for prospects, the Phillies added a different ace to their rotation to support Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels. Oswalt has a 3.42 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 in 20 starts this year.
Oswalt asked the Astros for a trade in late May, and talks ensued with the Phillies, Cardinals, Rangers, Padres, and Dodgers, among others. Astros owner Drayton McLane dealt directly with Phillies president David Montgomery to complete the complicated trade. As expected, Oswalt's full no-trade clause, his 2012 option, and the $23.46MM guaranteed to him through '11 were significant obstacles.
Happ, 27, finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting last year with a 2.93 ERA in 166 innings. However, he's tallied only 53 pro innings in 2010 due to an April forearm injury. Happ won't go to arbitration until after the 2011 season and the Astros control his rights through 2014.
Gose, a speedy center fielder playing at the High A level, was ranked sixth among the team's prospects by Baseball America heading into the season. He rates highly for his speed, defense, and arm tools, but remains a work in progress.
Villar, a shortstop in Low A ball, was ranked 22nd among Phillies prospects heading into the season. The results haven't been there yet but BA says he has "plus tools across the board except for power."
Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston first reported the agreement late Wednesday night, while Ken Rosenthal, Jayson Stark, Jon Heyman, Matt Gelb, Amy K. Nelson, Jerry Crasnick, and Danny Knobler contributed more information today.
Rangers Seeking Second Base Help
The Rangers have entered the market for second basemen with Ian Kinsler hitting the disabled list with a groin strain, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith profiled the second base market two weeks ago. Ty Wigginton, Ryan Theriot, Kelly Johnson, Jose Lopez, Adam Kennedy, Jeff Keppinger, Jamey Carroll, Cristian Guzman, Jeff Baker, and Andy LaRoche are the main names out there. Morosi reminds us that the Rangers have already been connected to Guzman.
Rosenthal On Dunn, Carmona, White Sox
Tweets from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, with the latest up top…
- The Yankees are out on Adam Dunn for now. Joel Sherman of the New York Post cites several reasons the Yanks cooled on him.
- Rosenthal's source puts the Indians' chances of trading Fausto Carmona at one in a million. Though the Indians are listening, they don't expect to receive a suitable offer. Carmona, whose ERA jumped from 3.51 to 3.92 after yesterday's disaster, can be controlled through 2014 given his rare three-option contract.
- Despite Jorge Posada's sore knee, the Yankees are unlikely to pursue a catcher.
- The White Sox are exploring hitters other than Dunn, and not all left-handed bats. With an open DH spot, the Sox have flexibility to take almost any bat. Rosenthal says they also seek a mid-rotation starter.
Odds & Ends: Joba, Orioles, White Sox, Mets
Big names have traditionally been traded on July 29th, including Cliff Lee and Mark Teixeira in recent years. Perhaps today we'll add Roy Oswalt to the list. Links for Thursday with about 51 hours until the deadline…
- The Tigers have designated Jeff Larish for assignment, according to the team.
- I discussed the Mets and Yankees with SNY's Ted Berg earlier today.
- The Yankees were open to building a Dan Haren deal around Joba Chamberlain, Ivan Nova, and two prospects, reports Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse.
- The Orioles may be concerned about making their team even worse by trading veterans, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Shi Davidi of the Canadian Press analyzes Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos based on his major trades so far.
- The White Sox and Mets were on hand to watch the Blue Jays beat the Orioles last night, tweets Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Trade bait on the field for Toronto: Jose Bautista, Lyle Overbay, John Buck, Edwin Encarnacion, Jason Frasor, and Kevin Gregg.
- The Mets think they can trade Jeff Francoeur in August after he clears waivers, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The problem with that, in my opinion: he doesn't offer much for a contender, and other teams may not care to acquire a guy who's certain to hit the free agent market as a non-tender.
- The Rays' two biggest trade targets were Jayson Werth and David DeJesus, who are now off the board. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains that Adam Dunn and Prince Fielder don't hold the same appeal to Andrew Friedman and company.
- Pirates reliever D.J. Carrasco would welcome a trade to a contender, based on comments made to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. Carrasco's cheap and under team control through 2012, though keep in mind the White Sox non-tendered him in December coming off a similarly decent year.
- The Braves acquired second baseman Michael Noboa from the Diamondbacks for a player to be named later or cash, MLBTR has learned.
Phillies, Padres Eyeing Tejada, Bloomquist
The Padres' chief infield target is Miguel Tejada, reports CBS' Scott Miller. They're facing competition from the Phillies, who are also said to be after the Orioles infielder. Last we heard, the Cardinals inquired but didn't get anywhere.
The Padres and Phillies share another target in the Royals' Willie Bloomquist, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Crasnick says the Angels and Yankees have also kicked the tires on the 32-year-old utility man. Bloomquist is still owed $619K plus performance bonuses.
Angels Could Become Sellers
Though they've acquired Dan Haren and Alberto Callaspo this month and reached an agreement for Derrek Lee eight days ago, the Angels may become sellers in the wake of Joel Pineiro's rib-cage strain yesterday. The injury will knock the righty out for six to eight weeks, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, and GM Tony Reagins is now open to trading veterans for prospects.
DiGiovanna speculates that Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Hideki Matsui, and Maicer Izturis might interest contenders. Abreu, Fuentes, and Matsui would be tough to move, and could be August trade candidates. Abreu is signed at $9MM for next year and may have another $9MM salary vest for 2012. The 36-year-old is hitting just .253/.347/.416. Fuentes' strikeout rate is back up, but he's been homer-prone and has over $3MM left on his contract. Matsui's market is limited by his DH profile, though he has tallied 122 innings in left field this year. He's been streaky this year, with his best work coming in April and June.
Despite an offensive downturn this year, Izturis should generate interest given his ability to play all around the infield. He's signed through 2012.
Quiet Deadline Possible?
One "very-plugged-in GM" told the New York Post's Joel Sherman yesterday that this could be a very quiet trade deadline, with big names like Jayson Werth, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, Adam Dunn, and Roy Oswalt possibly staying put. Oswalt, of course, appears headed to Philadelphia if he'll approve the trade. Sherman notes that prospects are being overvalued, money is tight, certain teams are reassessing their playoff chances, and many players will still be available in August.
Despite such talk the days leading up to the trade deadline are always exciting in terms of rumored discussions. We hope you'll keep reading MLBTR religiously – we've extended our coverage until 3am central time the next two nights, all leading up to the first Saturday deadline day in the site's history. Back to Sherman's article…
- Dunn is viewed as the most likely to be moved from the aforementioned group. The White Sox and Giants are pushing harder than the Yankees.
- The Rays, Twins, and Phillies are the most motivated buyers. The Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays are the most motivated sellers.
- The Red Sox appear likely to make only a minor move. WEEI's Alex Speier says the Sox are focused on relief help, perhaps hoping to buy low on someone with good stuff. They're also monitoring the catcher and outfield markets.