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Stark On Rays, Zobrist, Utley, Cubs, Padres

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The trade deadline is rapidly approaching and while things figure to get exciting over the next month and change, not everyone is drooling over what might be available.  “To be honest, I don’t see much out there,” an official of one contender told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. “Who’s even selling? And what are they selling? I know there will be guys to trade for. But where’s the quality?”  The whole column is worth a read, but here are some of the highlights from Stark’s latest..

  • The Rays front office believed that they had the talent to win it all this year and that optimism could play into how they approach the deadline.  The Rays aren’t selling and Stark writes that if they believe what they have can power them to a championship next season, they might stand pat and keep the band together.  Teams that have spoken with Tampa Bay see a fire sale as unlikely.
  • The Rays might listen on Ben Zobrist, but one exec who has spoken with the club gets the sense that it would be “really, really difficult” for them to part with him.  The exception to all of this, of course, is David Price.
  • The Phillies are expected to be open for business between now and the deadline, but they might not like the offers that come in.  “Look at their trade chips,” said an NL executive. “Even if they blow it up, dangle [Cole] Hamels and dangle all these other guys, each one of those guys has some reason it will be hard for them to get back what they want.“
  • Meanwhile, one exec flatly said a Chase Utley trade is “not happening.”  The sticker price might not be met on Phillies like Cliff Lee, Jonathan Papelbon, and Jimmy Rollins, but teams see Domonic Brown as someone whom the Phillies would like to swap for a different young change-of-scenery candidate.
  • Teams that have spoken with the Cubs expect them to move pitcher Jason Hammel in the next two weeks.  That could just be the warm up for Jeff Samardzija, but they continue to tell teams that they’d like to hammer out a new contract with him.  This week we learned that the Cubs ace rejected a five-year, $85MM+ offer.
  • While some teams are beating around the bush, the Padres are aggressively letting teams know that they want to sell.  All of their outfielders, except Cameron Maybin, are available, and that includes Seth Smith, Chris Denorfia, and Will Venable.
  • Several teams report the Dodgers are telling them they’ll listen right now on every one of their outfielders except Yasiel Puig.
  • The Yankees have been asking almost exclusively about starting pitching in their preliminary conversations.
  • Teams that have talked with the Tigers say they’re focused on bullpen upgrades, not shortstop.
  • The Angels are in the bullpen market, but they’re looking hard at left-handed-relief options, not closers.
  • Things are murky around the D’Backs since no one really knows who is in charge their or what their goals are.
  • Royals GM Dayton Moore has indicated that the Royals can add payroll, but clubs believe that he won’t get to go-ahead to spend until mid-July.  When and if KC starts buying, they are expected to target right fielders and bullpen arms since that is what they’ve been asking about in conversations.

This Date In Transactions History: June 19th

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Here’s a look back at some of the more important and interesting transactions that have taken place on June 19th..

  • On this date in 2006, the Red Sox designated J.T. Snow for assignment.  Snow, who had a very notable career with the Giants, had a rather forgetful partial season in Boston.  After batting .205/.340/.205 in 38 games and seeing sparse playing time, Snow requested to be DFA’d.  That marked the “real” end of his playing career, though San Francisco signed Snow to a one-day contract in September of 2008.  Snow took the field on September 27th against the Dodgers and was removed before the first pitch to allow him to retire as a member of the Giants.
  • On June 19, 1999, the Dodgers signed Hong-Chih Kuo to a free agent contract with a $1.25MM bonus.  Unfortunately, elbow problems kept Kuo from taking the mound for the Dodgers until the 2006 season.  Kuo proved to be well worth the wait.   From 2005-2010, the left-hander posted a 3.19 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 and even earned an All-Star selection in ’10.
  • On this date in 1995, Darryl Strawberry signed with the Yankees after serving a suspension stemming from cocaine use.  In 32 regular season games for the Bombers that season, Strawberry posted a .276/.364/.448 slash line.  Over parts of five seasons with the Bombers, Strawberry slashed .255/.362/.502.

Quick Hits: Hudson, Niese, Orioles, Lester

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Giants starter Tim Hudson is baseball’s top unsung player, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan writes. One reason Hudson’s greatness often goes unnoticed is that his key weapon is the grounder, not the strikeout. With a ground ball rate of 57.4% this season, though, he’s been spectacular, with a 1.81 ERA, 6.0 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 89 1/3 innings — all despite being an undersized 38-year-old who missed much of last season with a serious ankle injury. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.

  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (on Twitter) that the club has the resources to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline.  Alderson went on to say that pitcher Jon Niese won’t be trade bait.
  • Orioles Executive VP Dan Duquette told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter) that he wants bullpen help as well as better offensive production at second and third base.
  • Red Sox starter Jon Lester tells WEEI’s Rob Bradford that he still wants to stay in Boston. “It’s all I’ve really known,” Lester says. “You don’t see many guys that get drafted by a team and end up staying there their whole career. It’s just something that I’ve always … wanted to do.” Lester cites his relationships with members of the Red Sox’s front office, and points out that his wife and kids would have to start their social lives anew if they were to move to a new city. Basic considerations like these rarely enter conversations about why a player might choose to sign with, or stay with, a team, but they’re clearly important. Lester, who is eligible for free agency after the season, says negotiations with the Red Sox will hinge on “what we think is a discount and still fair.”

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

Wade LeBlanc Elects Free Agency

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Left-hander Wade LeBlanc has rejected his outright assignment to Triple-A by the Yankees and has elected to become a free agent, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.

The Bombers designated LeBlanc for assignment last week in order to make room for left-hander David Huff.  LeBlanc pitched just an inning for the Yankees, allowing two runs in his lone appearance. He’s allowed six runs in 7 1/3 innings this season between the Angels and Yankees, and he has a career 4.56 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 35.4 percent ground-ball rate in 424 1/3 innings between the Padres, Marlins, Angels, Yankees and Astros.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Cafardo On Lee, Papelbon, Giants, Hammel, Black

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In his Sunday Baseball Notes column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reminisces about a pitchers’ duel between the Red Sox’s Luis Tiant and the Angels’ Nolan Ryan 40 years ago, the likes of which we may never see again in today’s game. Tiant threw 195 pitches and was still on the hill when the Angels scored the game-winner with one out in the bottom of the 15th inning. Ryan, meanwhile, tossed 235 pitches in a meager 13 innings of work. “When you took the baseball, you wanted to finish what you started,” Tiant told Cafardo. “I didn’t even feel tired. I could have gone as long as I had to go. They beat me on a ground ball that went through the second baseman’s legs. It was the 15th inning and I was OK.” The last pitcher to pitch more than nine innings in a MLB game was Cliff Lee, who lasted ten innings in April 2012.

Here’s more from Cafardo’s column:

  • Speaking of Lee, the Phillies left-hander will likely have to be a post-waiver deadline deal since he won’t have enough time between now and July 31st to rehab his strained elbow. Lee should be able to clear waivers because he has two years left on his deal at $25MM each.
  • Jonathan Papelbon is pitching a lot better and there’s an expectation he could be one of the first Phillies to go once they decide to sell. One AL scout who has watched Papelbon’s outings said, “I’ll give him credit. I think he’s learning to pitch with what he’s got left. He’s not 96-98 [miles per hour], but he’s getting back up to 92-93 and making a lot of good adjustments.” Cafardo wonders if he could be a future member of the Tigers or Orioles.
  • When Marco Scutaro returns from his back injury, he will likely become the Giants’ utilityman and GM Brian Sabean is trying to add a second baseman by the trading deadline. Chase Utley would be a great fit, but Cafardo wonders if the Phillies will actually deal him, whether the veteran would waive his ten-and-five rights, and whether the Giants would give up the necessary bounty to acquire him.  Ultimately, SF could set its sights lower.
  • Cubs right-hander Jason Hammel is having a good season, but the scouting community is mixed on what impact he’d have on a contending team.  Some question whether he can keep up this pace or whether he’ll be more of a back-of-the-rotation starter. Even positive comments Cafardo has heard have been tagged with the caveat you wouldn’t give up the farm for him.
  • Despite the harsh assessment of the Padres’ season by club CEO Mike Dee recently, Cafardo finds it hard to imagine Bud Black losing his job and opines firing him would be a mistake because he is seen as one of the game’s best managers in the eyes of a lot of baseball executives.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Mets, Pirates Complete Ike Davis Trade

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The Mets and Pirates have completed the Ike Davis trade with the Bucs sending Blake Taylor to the Mets as the player to be named later, according to Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter).  Taylor was the Pirates second-round pick (No. 51) overall in last year’s draft.  The CBA prevents teams from trading drafted players within their first year in the organization, so the two sides had to wait until after the one-year mark.

At the time of the trade, it was reported that the PTBNL would be more significant than the other piece the Mets received in minor league righty Zack Thornton.  The soon-to-be 19-year-old probably comes with more upside than the 26-year-old Thornton, but this may not be the impact prospect that some Mets fans had in mind.  In seven starts and one relief appearance in rookie ball last season, Taylor pitched to a 2.57 ERA with 5.6 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9.

Taylor was ranked as the 40th-best prospect of the 2013 draft class by ESPN’s Keith Law (Insider subscription needed) and was also ranked 55th by Baseball America and ranked 61st by MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo.

The Mets announced (via Twitter) that Taylor will report to the rookie-level Gulf Coast Mets.

Giants Showing Strong Interest In Jeff Samardzija

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The Giants are showing strong interest in Cubs ace Jeff Samardzija, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).  Other clubs in the picture include the Yankees, Orioles, Angels, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.

Yesterday it was reported that the Cubs have already started discussing trades involving Samardzija and Jason Hammel with at least two teams.  Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times cited the Braves, Blue Jays, and Mariners as clubs that have interest in bolstering their pitching through a deal with Chicago.  Seattle is viewed as the most likely landing spot for Hammel at present.

Samardzija, who is eligible for free agency following the 2015 season, currently has a 2.77 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 91 innings.  It has been long expected that the Cubs would dangle the 29-year-old and the future-minded club should find a ripe market this summer.  The Red Sox could be a suitable trade partner given their strong pitching and catching depth in the minors and Theo Epstein’s familiarity with their system.  The Orioles, meanwhile, have top-tier pitching prospects such as Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Hunter Harvey, and Eduardo Rodriguez that they can use to entice Theo & Co.

While some of the Samardzija suitors are playing catchup, the Giants are enjoying a 6.5 game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West and the top record in baseball.  Adding the Cubs ace to their rotation would further bolster their already strong pitching.  The Giants have a team ERA of 3.22, the third best in the majors.

Astros To Sign Jose Veras

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The Astros have agreed to sign right-hander Jose Veras to a minor league deal, tweets Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.  Veras will report to Kissimmee, Florida to gear up before heading to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Veras, 33, was designated for assignment by the Cubs earlier this month and subsequently released.  The veteran was signed to serve as Chicago’s closer after the Tigers declined to pick up his club option, but things did not work out as planned.

The Cubs gave Veras a $4MM guarantee (between this year’s salary and a $150K buyout for a 2015 club option at $5.5MM) and in return he gave the club a 8.10 ERA across 13 1/3 innings with 8.8 K/9 against 7.4 BB/9 and missed 17 games with an oblique strain.

The deal brings Veras back to where he did some of the best work in his career.  In 42 outings in 2013, Veras posted a 2.93 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 as the team’s closer.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: D’Backs, Rays, Markakis

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On this date in 2005, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor George Pataki, and team officials to announce plans for a new ballpark in the Bronx.  Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..

Please send submissions to Zach at ZachBBWI@gmail.com.

Jason Kubel Clears Waivers, To Refuse Outright Assignment

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2:16pm: Kubel will refuse the outright assignment, according to an update from Zach (Twitter link). Minnesota is likely to release him, leaving the club on the hook for the rest of his $2MM salary.

Kubel also earned $300K in roster bonuses under the minor league deal he signed over the offseason.

FRIDAY, 1:23pm: MLBTR’s Zach Links reports that Kubel has cleared waivers (Twitter link). Reports earlier in the week indicated that Kubel would not accept an assignment to Triple-A Rochester in the event that he cleared waivers, so it seems likely that he will instead elect free agency.

SUNDAY: The Twins have designated Jason Kubel for assignment, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter).  The move will help create room on the 40-man roster for the newly-acquired Kendrys Morales.

Kubel, 32, signed a minor league deal with Minnesota in December and made the big league club out of Spring Training.  Unfortunately, Kubel hasn’t been able to regain the form he displayed for much of his original stint with the Twins.  In 176 plate appearances this season, Kubel has slashed .224/.313/.295 with one homer.

For his career, Kubel owns a .262/.330/.448 slash line across ten seasons for the Twins, D’Backs, and Indians.  Kubel is represented by Joel Wolfe of Wasserman Media Group, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.

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