Discussion: Manny Ramirez
After being unable to land Nationals slugger Adam Dunn, the White Sox turned their attention to another target in the hours leading up to the Trade Deadline: Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez. The conversation reportedly didn't last long as Dodgers GM Ned Colletti essentially told White Sox GM Kenny Williams, "Thanks, but no thanks." Reportedly, the Rays made an inquiry of their own as well.
As they sit a surmountable seven games back in the NL West, the Dodgers made moves at the deadline to improve themselves in the short-term. Octavio Dotel and Ted Lilly were brought aboard and younger players with upside and team-friendly contracts like Blake DeWitt, James McDonald, and prospect Andrew Lambo were shipped out. However, the club's goals can change very quickly if they are unable to make up ground or even tread water in the coming weeks.
The enigmatic superstar has spent a good deal of time on the disabled list this season but has still managed to put forward a .317/.409/.516 slash line and eight homers in 61 games. For a team still in the playoff hunt, the 38-year-old could be very attractive, even for the roughly $7MM he is owed for the rest of the year. If the Dodgers can't keep their playoff dreams alive, one has to imagine that Ramirez will be an August trade target. The White Sox, Rays, and other contenders will certainly be keeping an eye on the club.
Hart Wants Contract Extension
Corey Hart is going public with his desire for a contract extension in Milwaukee, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Hart, who has been with the Brewers for his entire major league career, remained with the club after being linked to the Giants in the weeks leading up to the deadline.
Hart will be under club control through 2011, but says that he wants to stay with the club for longer:
"They know that," the two-time All-Star said. "I think, obviously, there are different variables. They have to figure out what to do with Prince [Fielder] and whether I'm part of what their long-term [plan] is."
As McCalvy points out, the Brewers haven't had an easy time negotiating with Hart's agent Jeff Berry in the past. Their most recent duel resulted in the two sides going to arbitration over Hart's contract following the 2009 season. Berry's client won the hearing, the Brewers' first since 1998.
After flirting with dealing Hart at the deadline, one has to wonder if Milwaukee will look to deal him in the offseason rather than lock him up long-term.
Rays Acquire Chad Qualls
The unloading of veteran Diamondbacks continues, as they've shipped reliever Chad Qualls to the Rays for a player to be named later. The Rays will pay the entire $1.48MM remaining on Qualls' contract, keeping interim GM Jerry Dipoto's streak alive of not sending cash in his transactions.
Qualls, 31, began the season as Arizona's closer but lost the gig by mid-June. He has an 8.29 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9 in 38 innings on the season with five home runs allowed. Silver lining: he tossed a scoreless inning last night and there's almost no way his batting average on balls in play remains at .434. The Rays' pen is in good shape, especially from the right side, so Qualls is something of a luxury for the wild card leaders.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal first reported the Rays' serious interest in Qualls, with MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reporting the agreement.
Odds & Ends: Padres, Oswalt, Farnsworth, Theriot
We here at MLBTR really appreciate everyone staying up past their respective bedtimes to keep up on all of the latest rumors. Here's some news from around the web..
- The Padres prospect drawing the most interest from other clubs is Double-A starter Cory Luebke, writes Tom Krasovic of Inside The Padres.
- The Dodgers had a chance to land Roy Oswalt from the Astros, but it would have cost them Chad Billingsley, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
- Plenty of major leaguers read MLBTR, but it doesn't sound like Kyle Farnsworth is one of them in this article by Dick Kaegel and Samuel Zuba of MLB.com.
- ESPN's Buster Olney (in these three tweets) says that the Red Sox, who have found the market for outfielders and relievers to be shallow, might make a smaller deal before the deadline or make their moves in the August waiver period.
- The Diamondbacks offered second baseman Kelly Johnson to the Cubs for Ryan Theriot and lefty James Russell in return, writes ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine.
- Brad Hawpe says that he isn't concerned about being involved in a deadline deal, writes MLB.com's Thomas Harding. Based on news from earlier today, it sounds like Hawpe doesn't have anything to worry about.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweets that the Cubs could move Ryan Theriot to the Diamondbacks for Kelly Johnson.
- The Phillies may be done trading and are telling teams that they are out of money and prospects, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
- The Tigers and Jays are talking, and John Buck may be an even better fit for Detroit than the relievers, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
Mariners May Move Aardsma On Saturday
The Mariners may move David Aardsma on Saturday, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
Aardsma, 28, has a 4.59 ERA on the year with 9.7 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9. Recently we have learned that the Tigers are keeping tabs on him, the Giants inquired on him, and the Red Sox have explored a trade for him (and roughly fifteen other relievers).
When the Giants asked about Aardsma, the M's countered by offering their closer and Jose Lopez for Pablo Sandoval, but Jack Zduriencik & Co. were rebuffed.
Mets And Royals Discussing Francoeur, Others
MONDAY, 3:09pm: A source tells ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that the Royals have "no interest" in Francoeur or Perez (Twitter link).
SUNDAY, 7:33pm: Talks between the Mets and Royals are fluid, though it doesn't appear that Guillen will be headed to Queens, says Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. It seems that if Guillen is dealt elsewhere, then Kansas City would be interested in Francoeur, Martino adds.
7:00pm: Francoeur and Perez are on the block, a source tells Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter). Another source tells Heyman that a trade with Kansas City "might happen" (Twitter link).
6:36pm: The Mets are in talks with the Royals and three names from each side are "in play," writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Those Royals players are Gil Meche, Kyle Farnsworth, and Jose Guillen while the Mets being discussed are Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, and Jeff Francoeur. It is unclear how advanced the talks are, cautions Rosenthal (via Twitter).
While the two sides aren't necessarily looking at a three-for-three swap, the two biggest contracts do match up well. Meche and Perez's contracts are identical over the next two seasons, with both pitchers earning $12MM in this year and next. The Mets made an attempt to swap the two just over a week ago.
Francoeur and Farnsworth also match up well, says Rosenthal. Farnsworth's contract has a club option for 2011 for $5.25MM, though he has the right to void it in favor of a $500K buyout if he is traded before the 2010 World Series. Francoeur will make $5MM this season before entering his final year of arbitration eligibility.
Reactions To The Dan Haren Trade
Earlier today, the Angels came out of left field to win the Dan Haren sweepstakes. Let's see what everyone has to say about what this deal means for both sides..
- ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) has a hard time believing that this is the best deal the D'Backs could get for Haren. As for the Angels, he writes that they have set themselves up beautifully for 2011.
- "We can’t deny the volume and the depth that this brings us as an organization. The names involved in the deal on a prospect level, particularly Corbin, and the player to be named, give us extreme prospect depth, at a position, left-handed pitcher, that anybody would covet," Arizona interim GM Jerry Dipoto told Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Dipoto talked a lot about the pitcher win statistic in relation to Joe Saunders and Patrick Corbin while trying to justify the trade.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner tweets that Saunders isn't worth the $6MM or so that he will earn in arbitration next year.
- While some are saying that this move was a salary dump for the D'Backs, Jeff Passan of Yahoo (via Twitter) theorizes that Arizona may like Corbin and Tyler Skaggs more than most.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels isn't surprised to see the Angels improve their club, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
- Fangraphs' Matthew Carruth tried to present Arizona's side of things, but couldn't. He calls the trade "horrendous" for Arizona, even if the club's intention was to dump payroll.
- Zach Sanders of Fangraphs doesn't think that Haren will have trouble adjusting to the American League. The righty had success in the AL pitching for the A's and won't encounter great offense in his return to the AL West.
- The deal could have ramifications for other teams looking to make moves. Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun wonders if the deal freed things up to allow the O's to move some of their pieces.
- Acquiring Haren won't help the Angels catch up with the Rangers this season, writes CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler.
- The Halos sent a message to their fans by acquiring Haren, telling their fans that they're not ready to concede anything to Texas, tweets Lyle Spencer of MLB.com.
- "I'm obviously sad to go from here, all the guys and I had a good time here. That said, I'm really excited for the chance to go there and win," Haren told Piecoro.
- Jorge Arangure of ESPN (via Twitter) can't remember seeing a player as excited to be traded as Haren was during his introductory press conference.
- "I like the trade," said Angels outfielder Torii Hunter. "I also like Joe Saunders. But baseball doesn't operate that way; it's a business." (Lyle Spencer of MLB.com reporting).
Odds & Ends: Rangers, DeJesus, Westbrook, Happ
There's still plenty of news in the baseball world outside of today's surprising deal. Let's dive in..
- Derek Czenczelewski and Gil Bransford of ESPN took a look back at the best and worst trades in Rangers history.
- Ben Davis will take one more shot at the big leagues, this time as a pitcher, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
- The Red Sox were serious about David DeJesus before his injury, a rival executive tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Indians are drawing only mild interest in pitcher Jake Westbrook, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Trade bonuses in his contract remain an obstacle, even though Cleveland would be willing to include cash in the deal, Rosenthal adds (via Twitter).
- Mets GM Omar Minaya declined to give his coaching staff a vote of confidence, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Hitting coach Howard Johnson appears to be the most vulnerable of the bunch.
- Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ has looked good as scouts have had an eye on him leading up to the deadline, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Happ would likely head to Houston in a deal for Roy Oswalt.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels continues to say that the club will look internally for improvement, writes ESPN.com's Jeff Caplan.
Angels Still Looking For Big Bat
The Angels haven't halted their pursuit of a power bat, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Garrett Jones of the Pirates and Derrek Lee of the Cubs are two hitters they are monitoring. However, Morosi's sources could not confirm if Tony Reagins & Co. are in active talks for either player.
This certainly isn't the first time we've heard Lee's name linked to the Halos, as they were said to be targeting him early last month. Lee, who turns 35 in September, has a no-trade clause in his contract but might be willing to waive it for the right team. Lee is in the final season of a five-year, $65MM extension he signed in April of 2006. With a .251/.338/.391 line, he's putting the contract year theory to the test.
Jones broke out in 2009 with a slash line of .293/.372/.567 and 21 home runs in 82 games. The 31-year-old has slipped to .273/.336/.427 with 12 home runs so far this season. Jones, who also plays right field, has started 50 games at first base this season. As a late bloomer, Jones is under team control through 2015.
Rangers After Cantu, Wigginton
SUNDAY, 9:04pm: The Rangers are in "ongoing conversations" with the Marlins regarding Cantu, tweets Rosenthal. He adds that the Marlins are also talking to the Rockies and Giants about the infielder, while Texas remains interested in Wigginton.
2:56pm: Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Rangers are also very interested in Ty Wigginton. Texas sent three scouts to watch Wigginton on Friday night when the Orioles faced off against the Twins.
Like Cantu, Wigginton is a free agent after the season. He's earning $3.5MM in 2010, and has $1.35MM of that left coming to him. Wigginton's lower price tag, versatility, and superior production may make him a more attractive option than Cantu. His OPS checks in at .771 compared to Cantu's .721.
SATURDAY: The Rangers are making a strong push for Marlins infielder Jorge Cantu as the deadline approaches, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Texas is in search of a right-handed hitting backup first baseman and the 28-year-old is high on the team's list.
Cantu is set to earn $2MM over the final two months of the season, a price the Rangers can't afford. However, the judge presiding over the club's bankruptcy case told the Rangers earlier this week that he has the power to have MLB extend their line of credit, which would make it possible for them to add payroll.
In recent weeks other teams have been said to have interest in Cantu, including the Giants, Rockies, and Angels.