Marlins In Serious Talks For Heath Bell
1:48pm: A Rosenthal/Morosi source says the Rangers aren't in on Bell, Sherrill, or Matt Capps.
11:49am: ESPN's Buster Olney says the Marlins declined the request for Miller or West, leaving talks between the two clubs at a standstill.
Meanwhile, Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins are also in on George Sherrill.
11:12am: SI's Jon Heyman tells us the Marlins are "are in serious discussions to try to land Padres closer Heath Bell." Heyman says it looks like it could be Andrew Miller or Sean West, names that have been put forth in previous reports. Either young lefty seems like a solid return for Bell. Heyman notes that the Yanks also have interest, but the Fish "are in good position to make a deal." Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi at FOX Sports acknowledge interest from the Yanks, but say the teams have not had serious discussions. The writers also mention the Rangers "on the periphery."
Rosenthal and Morosi wrote yesterday that 10 to 15 teams are pursuing Bell. He's under team control through 2011 and sports a 2.01 ERA this season.
Astros Looking For Pitching
We haven't heard much on the Astros lately. Today ESPN's Jayson Stark says they're looking for pitching, but only "expect to make a deal for another starter only if one 'falls in their lap.'" Astros ace Roy Oswalt recently received an injection to treat a back injury. The Astros are 3.5 games out in the NL Central, 4 out in the Wild Card.
Padres Rumors: Kouzmanoff, Durango, Correia
A few Padres rumors from Tom Krasovic:
- The Marlins, who are eyeing Heath Bell, are a bit more open to trading Rick VandenHurk than guys like Sean West and Andrew Miller.
- All quiet on the Kevin Kouzmanoff front, not that the Pads haven't tried to gauge his value the last few years. The 28 year-old third baseman is hitting .248/.282/.417 in 401 plate appearances this year and is under team control through 2012.
- Krasovic says speedy minor league outfielder Luis Durango is drawing interest, and he could potentially be packaged with starter Kevin Correia. Yesterday we saw the Brewers linked loosely to Correia by Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
MLB Trade Rumors Has The Trade Deadline Covered
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Josh Willingham Not Traded
12:38pm: Harlan says it's a stiff neck, not a trade.
12:36pm: Outfielder Josh Willingham was pulled from the Nationals' lineup today, and the Washington Post's Chico Harlan thinks "something is definitely going down."
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox
Thursday linkage…
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Pirates wanted Aaron Hicks or Danny Valencia from the Twins for Freddy Sanchez. LEN3 has a few other hot stove tidbits as well.
- ESPN's Keith Law finds the Giants' trade of Tim Alderson for Sanchez reasonable, due to "slippage in Alderson's stuff."
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe talks about how major additions such as Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, or Victor Martinez would help the Red Sox. Via Twitter, ESPN's Amy K. Nelson heard from a source guessing that Gonzalez has a ten percent chance of being moved.
- Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports via Twitter that the Mets designated pitcher Elmer Dessens for assignment to make room for catcher Robinson Cancel.
- Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Mets "do not intend to give up a significant prospect" in their quest to add a left-handed reliever.
- Via Twitter, Ken Davidoff of Newsday informs us that the Blue Jays expanded their coverage of the Yankees' farm system. Davidoff feels that this coverage more likely reflects the Yanks' interest in relief help than in Roy Halladay.
- The Pirates don't have anything serious going on with relievers Matt Capps or John Grabow, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They might be done.
- Joe Smith and Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times find the Rays unlikely to make a major deal, with Cliff Lee off the table.
- ESPN's Buster Olney lists all kinds of holes that could be filled via the trade market for various clubs.
Royals Acquire Josh Anderson
According to a press release, the Royals acquired outfielder Josh Anderson from the Tigers for cash considerations. The speedster hit .242/.282/.315 with 13 steals in 15 tries for Detroit before being designated for assignment. The Royals say they'll make a corresponding roster move once they determine Anderson's reporting date.
MLB.com's Jason Beck notes that the Royals and Yankees also had interest in Anderson.
Victor Martinez Rumors: Thursday
Indians catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez stands as one of the bigger names remaining on the trade market. The 30 year-old, who is under control through 2010 with an affordable option, is hitting .284/.368/.464 in 435 plate appearances this season. The option jumps to $7.5MM if he's traded, plus up to $1MM in incentives.
We've seen the Red Sox and Rays linked to V-Mart, though Joe Smith and Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times doubt the Rays' desire to add Martinez without Cliff Lee. Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox already rejected a "one-for-one proposal that would have sent Clay Buchholz to Cleveland for Martinez."
Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports say "other, unidentified teams are believed to be interested in Martinez as well."
Yankees Eyeing Corey Patterson, Josh Anderson
We already knew of the Yankees' interest in recently-designated outfielder Josh Anderson; Joel Sherman of the New York Post says to add the newly-released Corey Patterson to the list. Sherman says the goal is to find a fill-in for Brett Gardner, who broke his thumb on Saturday. Anderson and Patterson both have speed, at least.
In that same blog post, Sherman draws a connection between Chien-Ming Wang and Brandon Webb. He wonders whether both pitchers could hit the free agent market after this season. On a related note, we've heard that Webb will have shoulder surgery on Monday; hopefully just a clean-up.
Pirates And Mariners Make Seven Player Deal
1:24pm: Kovacevic reports that the Pirates will pay nearly all of the money owed to Wilson and Snell this year. The Mariners will pay each player $400k. Kovacevic breaks out the calculator and finds that the Pirates will send a total of $3,308,702.19 to Seattle along with Snell and Wilson.
12:28pm: Kovacevic hears that the Pirates are contributing a "significant amount" of cash in the deal.
12:16pm: ESPN's Buster Olney believes the Mariners might be inclined to exercise Wilson's 2010 option, which wasn't likely for the Pirates. Jack Zduriencik's comments support this: "As we move forward over the next few years it is nice to know that we have solidified the shortstop position."
11:58am: Kovacevic says Cedeno's the only player who will report to the Pirates. Clement will head to Triple A, the others to A ball.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo calls it a "pretty good haul" for the Pirates and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus says it's the best deal the Pirates have made yet.
11:45am: Kovacevic says the Mariners acquire Wilson and Ian Snell for Clement, Ronny Cedeno, Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock.
11:41am: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Mariners acquire Jack Wilson in the deal.
11:40am: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears that the Pirates are getting Jeff Clement from the Mariners along with other minor leaguers.
WEDNESDAY, 10:14am: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report that the Indians and Rays say they're not involved in talks for Clement, who was told last night that he's about to be dealt.
TUESDAY, 11:36pm: DH/catcher Jeff Clement was pulled from the Tacoma Rainiers' lineup in the third inning tonight, according to Ryan Divish of The News Tribune. His analysis:
I have it on pretty reliable source that it is not injury related. Clement has been rumored to be part of possible trades already this season and maybe he is part of a package deal. Or perhaps, he is being called up in place of another player for the Mariners, who might be getting dealt.
Meanwhile trade target Jarrod Washburn just wrapped up what could be his last start with the Mariners. He tossed seven strong innings to lower his ERA to a sparkling 2.64 in front of scouts from the Yankees, Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers. Washburn, a Boras client and impending free agent, sure knows how to time his best seasons.