Quick Hits: Brown, Tigers, Bourn, Mets
Let's take a look at some items as we close in on the 3:00pm (CST) deadline..
- Even though he received a number of calls on him, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. insists that Domonic Brown was never available, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Meanwhile, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski says that he never considered trading Rick Porcello or Max Scherzer to the Rockies in a package for Ubaldo Jimenez, writes James Schmehl of MLive.com.
- Several teams, including the Braves and Giants, are interested in the Astros' Michael Bourn, but the outfielder would prefer to stay in Houston, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- Even though they're getting hits on several useful chips with expiring contracts, the Mets are likely done trading, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Padres Likely To Make Multiple Trades
The Padres will make two and possibly three trades on Sunday, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Reliever Heath Bell, outfielder Ryan Ludwick, and right-hander Chad Qualls are the most likely to move.
The source said that the Rangers remain the front-runner for Bell, but the Cardinals are still in the mix with the Phillies and Yankees showing late interest.
Two men expected to remain in San Diego are starter Aaron Harang and setup man Mike Adams. The Tigers and Indians were pursuing Harang but both teams acquired better starting pitchers on Saturday. Adams, meanwhile, would takeover for Bell as closer.
White Sox Seeking Rotation Depth
The White Sox are now in search of rotation depth, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). After trading Edwin Jackson on Wednesday, General Manager Ken Williams & Co. believe that they are in need of starting pitching.
Without Jackson, the White Sox have gone from a six man rotation to a starting five which consists of Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, and Philip Humber. Earlier today, Williams said that it was highly unlikely that he would make another trade before the deadline.
Hiroki Kuroda To Stay With Dodgers
Yesterday we learned that officials in the Kuroda talks believe that they'll need to come to a resolution by tonight since the hurler will need some time to approve a deal. The Dodgers continue to talk with teams but the asking price remains high. Here's the latest news on Kuroda, with the most recent updates up top:
- Kuroda told the Dodgers he intends to stay with them for the remainder of the season, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter). The Dodgers have confirmed Kuroda's intention (on Twitter).
- Kuroda is the 'best bet' among players on Boston' radar, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter). The deal is far from done, though.
- The Dodgers' heaviest conversations about Kuroda today have been with Texas and Boston, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Yankees are still involved.
- Kuroda has indicated to the Dodgers that he is open to deals to the Rangers, Red Sox, and Yankees, tweets ESPN's Gordon Edes. Heyman, however, spoke to a friend of Kuroda who would be surprised if the pitcher consents to any trade.
- The Dodgers are down to a final three of the Rangers, Yankees, and Red Sox on Kuroda, tweets Jon Heyman, though there's still no word on whether he'd approve a trade.
- The Yankees have taken the lead over the Red Sox for Kuroda, tweets ESPN's Jim Bowden, and it's 40/60 they make a deal. However, Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees and Dodgers have not spoken about Kuroda recently.
- The Dodgers asked the Yankees for Ivan Nova and a catching prospect, which was a non-starter for New York, tweets Joel Sherman. He explains that the Yankees think the Dodgers feel that if they can't make a killer deal for Kuroda, it's not worth trying to talk him out of his no-trade clause.
- Boston's interest in Kuroda increased after Erik Bedard's ugly start last night, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
- The Red Sox and Dodgers are in trade talks involving Kuroda for a prospect, tweets ESPN's Jim Bowden.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told reporters that he's "under no orders to shed salary," writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Due to a signing bonus that has yet to be paid, Kuroda is owed almost $6.7MM of his $12MM contract currently.
Quick Hits: Turner, Cubs, Jimenez
Early Saturday morning linkage..
- In what could be an indication of a forthcoming move, the Tigers are calling up pitching prospect Jacob Turner, tweets Jon Heyman of SI. Meanwhile, Jason Beck of MLB.com tweets that the club is not answering questions about his status.
- While he admits that the club needs some rebuilding, Cubs GM Jim Hendry doesn't believe that the team is in need of a complete overhaul, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Now that he's back on track, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com wonders why the Rockies would trade Ubaldo Jimenez.
Twins Unlikely To Trade Kubel, Cuddyer
The Twins are getting hits on Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer but are unlikely to trade either of them, tweets Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
On Friday morning it was reported that Kubel and Cuddyer were drawing strong interest from clubs with Kubel more likely to be dealt. The Pirates are one of the teams with interest in Kubel while the Angels are said to have their eye on Cuddyer.
Hunter Pence Trade Reactions And Fallout
The Phillies love to make a big splash at the trade deadline and they continued the trend this year by acquiring Hunter Pence from the Astros for Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, Josh Zeid, and a player to be named later. Let's take a look at some reactions to the deal from around the baseball world:
- Up until late yesterday, the Astros were looking to get even more out of the Phillies, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Houston insisted that the Phillies had to include two more of their top ten prospects, including 2010 first-round pick Jesse Biddle.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. will continue to listen to other teams up until the trade deadline on Sunday, but he's likely done trading after landing Pence, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Astros GM Ed Wade was still talking to other teams until ten minutes before he made the deal with the Phillies, tweets Bob Brookover of Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) believes that the Astros took a considerable risk in dealing Pence. While they received a ton of potential long-term value, the major prospects coming over in the trade are high-risk, high-reward prospects.
- Wade's decision to trade Pence certainly isn't a popular one but it is the right move for the organization, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes that it could take two years or longer to fairly judge the return that the Astros got for Pence.
- Phillies officials have questioned Cosart's maturity in the past, according to John Manuel and Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Furthermore, the right-hander's command issues led others in the organization to believe he was destined wind up in the bullpen. However, Cosart had the best pure arm in the Phillies' system.
Rangers Notes: Valdez, Mendez, Pinto
The Rangers made a trio of signings today, according to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com..
- The Rangers signed right-handed pitcher Merkin Valdez to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock. The Dodgers released Valdez on Wednesday after he registered a 3.58 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 50 1/3 innings at Triple-A.
- Texas also signed Venezuelan pitcher Yohander Mendez to a 2012 contract. The 16-year-old is a 6-foot-5, 175-pound left-hander who played for Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League this past offseason.
- Outfielder Eduard Pinto, 16, also signed a 2012 contract with the Rangers. Pinto, who stands at 5-foot-10 and weighs 155 pounds, also played for Magallanes in the Venezuelan Winter League last season.
Quick Hits: Rangers, Mets, Astros, Guthrie, Phillies
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that heading into the deadline his top priority remains bullpen help, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- We here at MLBTR love the build-up to the trade deadline, but Mets skipper Terry Collins can't wait for it to come and go, writes Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.
- Astros GM Ed Wade says that his front office will be "good listeners" as the deadline approaches, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- The Cardinals have now joined the Tigers in pursuit of the Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The extent of conversations between the Cards and the Orioles is unknown, but it seems that the club is at least open to the idea of moving Guthrie for the right return.
- The Rays told the Yankees that James Shields isn't available, but other clubs are still hopeful, according to Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter). Detroit, for example, recently sent two scouts to watch him pitch.
- A very weak left-handed relief market could inspire the Rangers to deal Arthur Rhodes, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. The Rangers could use him to land a righty out of the bullpen.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post checks out the track record of teams dealing at the deadline in recent years. His gives the Phillies top honors for their deals in July from 2008-2010.
Teams Eyeing Kosuke Fukudome
At least four teams are zeroing in on Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, major league sources tell Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. A major league source tells Levine that Fukudome has a limited no-trade clause in his deal that allows him to block trades to six teams.
The Indians are reportedly one of the clubs interested in Fukudome's services though it is unknown if they are on the veteran's no-trade list. Fukudome, 34, will be owed $4.3MM as of August 1st and the Cubs would likely pay some of that money for the right prospects in return. This is the final season of Fukudome's four-year, $48MM contract.