Hamels, Phillies Working Towards New Deal
The Phillies and Cole Hamels are said to be "moving in the right direction'' in their contract discussions, people familiar with the talks told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The club's willingness to go to six years was apparently a turning point in the negotiations.
The Phillies were said to start at $127.5MM over six years but are expected to go from there. A report on Wednesday said that the club has been sending signals that they're willing to go to $130MM for the left-hander.
Quick Hits: Greinke, Nats, Indians, Liriano, Dodgers
Recently it was reported that Zack Greinke received an extension offer from the Brewers in the neighborhood of $100MM and today the pitcher told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com that the figure is “pretty accurate”. However, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says that there’s no indication that Greinke will sign quickly. More from around baseball as Friday turns into Saturday..
- The Nationals planned on designating Xavier Nady for assignment if they came through tonight’s game healthy, but so far there hasn’t been an announcement, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.
- Nationals manager Davey Johnson doesn’t think that the club needs to make a blockbuster move before the deadline, writes Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com. “I have gone into that area with general managers, saying, ‘I need so-and-so,’ or this, that and the other,” Johnson said. “But I like what we have here. I don’t see any emergency move needed.“
- As the Indians look to bolster their pitching rotation, Francisco Liriano of the Twins is a name to keep an eye on, says Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (video link).
- Dodgers pitcher Ted Lilly gave a solid endorsement of Cubs hurler Ryan Dempster, who is said to be a target for Los Angeles, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. In addition to the Dodgers, there are six to eight other teams reportedly in on Dempster.
West Notes: A’s, Haren, Santana, Upton
A look at the latest out of the AL and NL West..
- With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, A's manager Bob Melvin says that he is comfortable with what the team has at shortstop, tweets Jane Lee of MLB.com. Earlier this week, it was reported that General Manager Billy Beane would like to upgrade at the position. Even though Oakland has yet to engage other clubs in talks, Yunel Escobar and Stephen Drew were mentioned as possible targets.
- The Angels would like to get a read on starters Dan Haren and Ervin Santana before they consider dealing them, but GM Jerry Dipoto says that he won't let one or two starts dictate their fate, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles. Dipoto added that the current trade market has the least "definition" of any that he has seen.
- While constant trade rumors can be a source of distraction for some, Diamondbacks skipper Kirk Gibson says that outfielder Justin Upton hasn't been fazed by it, writes Tyler Emerick of MLB.com.
- In this week's mailbag, Casey Pratt of CSNBayArea.com writes that trading Coco Crisp could give the A's more flexibility in the outfield.
Blue Jays To DFA Andrew Carpenter
The Blue Jays will designate Andrew Carpenter for assignment tomorrow, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter). The right-hander appeared in just two games for the Blue Jays this season with his last appearance coming on July 14.
Over parts of five major league seasons, Carpenter has just 26.1 innings to his credit, posting an 8.54 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. However, the 27-year-old put up a 3.38 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 12 starts and nine relief appearances.
AL East Notes: Shields, Rays, Blue Jays, Orioles
Several teams, including the Tigers and Angels, had scouts in attendance for Rays right-hander James Shields' start against Seattle today, write Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Red Sox, Yankees, Pirates, Giants, and Blue Jays also had scouts on hand, indicating that Shields could be a hot commodity as the deadline approaches. As for Detroit, sources say that the Tigers have had interest in Shields for years and could ply him away with catching prospects Rob Brantly and James McCann. The Rays aren't necessarily shopping Shields but GM Andrew Friedman will listen to offers on him as well as Jeremy Hellickson, Alex Cobb, and Wade Davis, sources say. Here's more out of the AL East..
- As you might imagine, the ten-player deal between the Blue Jays and Astros wasn't exactly easy to put together. Houston GM Jeff Luhnow told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter) that he had 20 conversations with Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos last night alone.
- Orioles GM Dan Duquette told reporters, including Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun that he's on the lookout for high on-base percentage hitters. “Hopefully, [Omar Quintanilla] is a good on-base man. Take a look at his OBP capabilities with the Mets. He was good. We hope he brings the same [thing] with us. … "[But] we are looking at our on-base capabilities. No question. We need to do a better job with that," Duquette said.
- Anthopoulos told reporters that the two teams will work out the player to be named later in the trade by the end of August, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.
Rosenthal On Dodgers, Giants, Rangers, Nats
There's no question that the Dodgers will look to be major players at the deadline this year, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link). The Dodgers want to add a starting pitcher, a couple of bats, and bullpen help, but it's not certain that they'll get all of that accomplished. The club's farm system isn't terribly deep and they might not have the prospects necessary to entice teams. Here's more from Rosenthal..
- While the Dodgers figure to be aggressive on those three fronts, Rosenthal expects the rival Giants to zero in on bullpen help and possibly bench upgrades. They are unlikely to trade a top prospect for immediate help, like they did last year by trading Zack Wheeler for Carlos Beltran, but there are other ways for the Giants to improve their team.
- The Rangers have the ability to pull off almost any move thanks to a talented farm system and financial flexibility. However, right now it seems that the only thing they might do is improve their bench. They could be in on Justin Upton, but he may not fit on their roster as they have plenty of outfielders. They've also talked about getting an elite starting pitching but if Cole Hamels re-ups with the Phillies, that's another top hurler off the market. Teams are also concerned about Zack Greinke's long layoff and how much he can be trusted down the stretch.
- The Nationals could be an even better club down the stretch if they add another starting pitcher who can fill the void when Stephen Strasburg is put on the shelf. However, Rosenthal believes that the club's recent comments about gauging the youngster by the way he looks rather than the number of innings that he throws suggests that they may let him approach 180 innings rather than 160 or 165. The right-hander has logged 105 innings thus far.
Justin Upton Rumors: Sunday
Yesterday, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told reporters that he spoke with Justin Upton about the trade rumors surrounding him and said that he would let him know if a deal is near. Could a trade for the outfielder be around the corner? Here's today's news on Upton with the latest up top..
- There's "nothing serious" with Upton, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman also hears the Pirates are "probably not a fit" because they will not include Cole or Taillon.
- The Yankees are scouting the Diamondbacks and Cubs this weekend, tweets Jon Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Pirates have a scout watching Upton in Chicago this weekend, tweets Morosi.
- The Pirates are serious about Upton and are sending signals they could include Starling Marte in an Upton deal, but not Gerrit Cole or Jameson Taillon, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
- The Athletics were on Upton's no-trade list at one point but are no longer one of those four teams, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Yankees are now on his list but the other three clubs are not yet known. Oakland may not be a perfect fit for Upton but Rosenthal expects GM Billy Beane to inquire on him.
Cashman On Cano, Granderson, Trades, Outfield
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman spoke with reporters prior to today's game against the Angels and Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger has the goods..
- Cashman implied that the Yankees might break policy and explore contract extensions early this winter with both Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson. The Yankees hold club options in 2013 for both Cano ($15MM) and Granderson ($13MM) but may be motivated to extend both before they hit the open market. The Yanks want to get their payroll below $189MM in 2014 to avoid stiff penalties and could make the numbers work if they lock in both players early.
- Cashman doesn't want to overpay to make improvements at the deadline that will only be "marginal." He wouldn't rule out some activity before the July 31 but he's "very skeptical" about the chances of finding something worthwhile on the market.
- The GM said that he wanted to avoid wearing Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones thin by playing them in the outfield but he seems content to wait on Brett Gardner's return rather than overspend for an outfielder via trade.
NL Central Notes: Cubs, Dempster, McClellan, Baker
Yesterday we learned that ten teams have shown legitimate interest in acquiring Ryan Dempster, including the Dodgers, Tigers, Yankees, Braves, Indians, and White Sox. Here’s more on the Cubs pitcher plus other items from the NL Central..
- The Cubs will look to trade Dempster now in part so that his presence doesn’t affect their marketing of Matt Garza later this month, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d). While the Dodgers once looked like the favorite to land the veteran, it’s now unclear if they can outgun the rest of the field to trade for him.
- After undergoing shoulder surgery, pitcher Kyle McClellan believes that he has probably pitched his last game for the Cardinals, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. McClellan will be arbitration eligible for the third time this winter and says that he anticipates being non-tendered. The 28-year-old makes $2.5MM this year and would probably command upwards of $3MM in arbitration.
- Reds skipper Dusty Baker isn’t sure if the club will ask him to return for next season but he sounds like he’d be ready to move on to another team if the opportunity isn’t there, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. “At this point in my career, this point in the season, I have as much say about it as the organization does. And that’s not sounding cocky or arrogant,” Baker said.
Red Sox Notes: Bullpen, Ross, Crawford
Links out of Boston as the Red Sox get set to take on the Rays this afternoon..
- The Red Sox are said to have interest in Rockies reliever Rafael Betancourt but GM Ben Cherington won't rule out dealing from the club's bullpen surplus, writes Tim Britton of The Providence Journal. “Perhaps, selectively, if the right opportunity presents. But we’ve got to be careful. Moving anything from an area that might look like there’s some surplus, pretty soon you could scramble and turn around and you’re trying to trade for the same guy you gave up."
- Cody Ross arrived in Boston with one eye on re-entering the open market this offseason, but the outfielder now says that he has enjoyed his time with the club and wouldn't mind staying, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. It would make sense for the Red Sox to hang on to Ross, Speier writes, as he figures to be relatively affordable and could be a bridge for the organization's next group of outfielders.
- Carl Crawford acknowledged that external pressures, including his $142MM contract, are pushing his impending return to the club whether he's "ready or not," writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. The outfielder's seven-year, $142MM deal runs through the 2017 season.