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Orioles Designate Jairo Asencio For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that they have designated Jairo Asencio for assignment.  The move allows the O's to recall outfielder L.J. Hoes from Triple-A Norfolk.

Asencio, 30, appeared in four games for Baltimore this season and allowed two runs.  In parts of four big league seasons, the right-hander owns a 5.34 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9.  Across four Triple-A campaigns, the veteran has a much sharper 2.44 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Young, Rays, Middlebrooks

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While it has been said that the Orioles don't have enough financial flexibility to make a major splash before the deadline, last night's developments might indicate that they have the cash to make something happen.  Not only have they inquired on the Twins' Justin Morneau, who makes about $6MM for the rest of 2013, they're also among the teams that are in on Jake Peavy.  Here's more out of the AL East..

  • The Rangers and Orioles would provide a definitive role for Michael Young, but the Red Sox might have the best package to offer the Phillies, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Boston and Baltimore may have one less suitor to compete with as T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com heard that the Rangers don't plan to deal for Young before Wednesday's deadline.
  • As one might expect, the Rays aren't planning any major moves before the deadline, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  "We are always looking to improve, and between now and Wednesday, we're going to do everything we can to do that," executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "But I can't overstate our confidence in the team that we have. This is a tremendous group of guys, and the worst thing we can do is to feel pressure to make a move just for its own sake."
  • Will Middlebrooks, who's spent the last month in Triple-A, wants to remain with the Red Sox, telling Tim Britton of the Providence Journal that the bright lights of Boston appeal to him. "I mean, everybody wants to play in the Bostons, the New Yorks, the Phillys – with the big-market teams, to win on that stage," Middlebrooks said. However, the attention may have been a distraction earlier in the season, the third baseman admitted. 

Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

Orioles Notes: Young, Morneau, Morse

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Earlier tonight, we learned that the Orioles could be fairly serious about making a play for Jake Peavy.  Here's more out of Baltimore..

  • Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com names the Orioles as a primary team involved in talks for the Phillies'Michael Young, along with the Rangers and Red Sox.  The versatile Young appears to make the most sense for Baltimore as a DH, Edes says. T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reported earlier this evening that the Rangers aren't planning to reunite with Young.
  • A top Orioles scout was in Seattle this week as the Mariners took on the Twins, who have made Justin Morneau available, Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reports. An industry source tells Connolly that the Orioles have asked the Twins about the former MVP, who will earn about $6MM over the rest of the season, though the talks are considered "preliminary." As Connolly notes, DH might be Baltimore's biggest hole.
  • The O's have liked Seattle's Mike Morse for years, Connolly adds. Morse, 31, is currently rehabbing a quadriceps injury in Triple-A, but has hit .251/.313/.454 in 227 plate appearances so far this year, appearing mainly in the outfield. Connolly also says the O's could add still another arm, potentially a lefty for a late-inning role, noting that the Mariners'Oliver Perez could fit that bill. However, "the sense within the organization" is that the Orioles might be done shopping, as the team is hesitant to add payroll and won't send top prospects in a deal for a rental player.

Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

Orioles In Mix for Jake Peavy

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The Orioles are involved in talks for the White Sox's Jake Peavy and other top starting pitchers and are pondering a "major move," according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. We've heard previously that the O's may not have room in the payroll for another deal, but with the club locked in a pennant race with the Red Sox and Rays, owner Peter Angelos may have given the club the greenlight to spend.

In previous trade talks, Baltimore hasn't shown a willingness to include top prospects like Kevin Gausman or Jonathan Schoop. However, sending Nick Delmonico along in the trade for reliever Francisco Rodriguez could indicate that the team is serious and willing to make moves for the short-term.

Along with Peavy, the Royals' Ervin Santana and the Astros' Bud Norris are available, Heyman notes, while the Phillies have indicated they'll consider offers for Cliff Lee.  However, it's not clear whether the Orioles would boost their payroll, already at $92MM, by another $25MM to accommodate Lee.  

Amaro Denies That Dickerson Trade Is Close

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5:59pm: Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com that an acquisition of Dickerson is not close (Twitter link). Heyman has since retracted his report (on Twitter).

5:40pm: The Phillies are close to a deal for Orioles outfielder Chris Dickerson, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.

Dickerson, 31, was designated for assignment by the O's on July 19, managing a .245/.274/.412 line in 106 plate appearances prior to that point. He's been the subject of several trade rumors since his DFA, with FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal suggesting the Phillies as one possible destination. The Phils are known to be targeting an outfielder for their back up centerfielder job. Dickerson has logged 114 innings in the outfield so far this year, splitting them roughly evenly between left, center and right.

A left-handed hitter, Dickerson has hit 266/.342/.425 for his career against right-handed pitching, so he could also be useful as a late-inning pinch hitter. He's appeared in the majors every year since 2008, but has never managed to accumulate more than 300 plate appearances in any single season.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Thursday

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Jake Peavy could make his last start as a member of the White Sox this afternoon, as he takes on Justin Verlander and the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field.  The Sox aren't sure what they want to do with Peavy yet, writes ESPN's Buster Olney, but their asking price is "really high."  The latest: 

  • The Red Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers, Braves, Orioles, and Reds each have a scout in attendance, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, while the Rangers have two.  Athletics director of player personnel Billy Owens is also there, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Keep in mind that their presence does not necessarily imply trade interest in Peavy.

Earlier Updates

  • GM Rick Hahn keeps Peavy "abreast of what's going on," the righty told reporters including Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  Peavy says he doesn't want to be traded, but he's prepared for the possibility.  The Red Sox and Diamondbacks are expected to have two scouts apiece at today's start, notes Gonzales.
  • The Cardinals and White Sox "continue to scout each other's personnel," writes Gonzales.  Shortstop Alexei Ramirez could also be a fit for the Cardinals, but not at the cost of their top arms.
  • "ERA-based reputation still holds a lot of sway," writes Dave Cameron of FanGraphs in trying to understand the perception that Matt Garza had more trade value than Peavy.  That might make Peavy a relative bargain, he suggests.  I tried to make the case for Peavy in our Monday poll, but about 65% of over 26,000 MLBTR readers polled felt Garza had more trade value.

Rosenthal On Cardinals, Athletics, Stanton

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Ken Rosenthal's latest column for FOX Sports begins with a look at the Braves' rotation without veteran Tim Hudson, who sustained a season-ending ankle fracture last night.  Rosenthal notes it's a very young group without Hudson, and seems to be lacking a true number one starter.  Such a pitcher is probably not available on the trade market, which I imagine the Braves will be eyeing more keenly.  Elsewhere from Rosenthal's column:

  • The Cardinals are not actively pursuing the Astros' Bud Norris or the Blue Jays' Mark Buehrle.  The Cards didn't push for Matt Garza, but did scout Jake Peavy's last start.  Ervin Santana is available as well, but Rosenthal wonders if "a trade might not be worth the trouble," given the Cardinals' current group of talented young pitchers.
  • The Red Sox never got serious on Garza due to concerns with his injury history.  The Red Sox and Tigers were the other AL clubs in on reliever Francisco Rodriguez, who was recently traded to the Orioles.
  • After making a late run at Garza, the Athletics are interested in Peavy and Santana.  Sometimes it helps to add to a strength, explains Rosenthal.
  • The Rangers ask the Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton "every week," a Major League source tells Rosenthal, and keep hearing "no."  In addition to Alex Rios of the White Sox, the Rangers are considering Justin Ruggiano of the Marlins and Chris Denorfia of the Padres.  However, they have "not mounted a serious push" for Ruggiano, while the Padres don't plan to trade Denorfia or teammate Carlos Quentin.
  • "Some with the Brewers" wonder if the presence of Ryan Braun might make it more difficult to attract free agents.
  • The Phillies are "narrowing their search for a backup center fielder," writes Rosenthal, and the recently-designated Chris Dickerson could be one option.

AL East Notes: A-Rod, Guerrieri, Red Sox, Dickerson

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The Alex Rodriguez saga took another strange turn today when the third baseman's handpicked doctor told Mike Francesca of WFAN that the third baseman doesn't have a quad strain and should be able to play, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  Later in the day, Yankees GM Brian Cashman responded in a press release, saying, "Contrary to the Basic Agreement, Mr. Rodriguez did not notify us at any time that he was seeking a second opinion from any doctor with regard to his quad strain.  As you know, it is the Yankees’ desire to have Alex return to the lineup as soon as possible. And we have done everything to try and accomplish this."  Here's more out of the AL East..

  • Rays pitching prospect Taylor Guerrieri underwent Tommy John surgery today, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Drafted 24th overall by the Rays in 2011, Guerrieri is ranked as the 64th prospect in baseball by Baseball America. ESPN.com's Keith Law ranks him 47th, while Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has him at No. 44. In 67 innings this year for the Rays' Class A affiliate, the right-hander had compiled a 2.01 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9.
  • Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino says his team has an obligation to be active at the trade deadline, but that doesn't mean a deal is a certainty, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal tweets. While the Sox have been a popular name in trade speculation and have been connected with arms such as the White Sox's Jake Peavy and the Royals' Luke Hochevar, the executive cautions that the team isn't "just building for one year." "There's going to have to be a pretty good deal to extract some of these high-quality prospects we have," Lucchino said (link).
  • The Orioles are getting lots of interest in Chris Dickerson and we can expect to see him in the majors somewhere in the next few days, tweets Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com.  The O's designated the outfielder for assignment last week.

Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

Orioles Sign Cuban Outfielder Dariel Alvarez

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JULY 24th, 6:08pm: The O's confirmed the signing via press release.

JULY 18th, 3:41pm: The Orioles have agreed to terms on a deal with 24-year-old Cuban outfield prospect Dariel Alvarez for $800K, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. Because Alvarez is older than 23 and has more than three years of professional experience, he is not subject to the new international signing guidelines laid out in the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement. Alvarez is in Miami and waiting on the results of his physical, which will make the deal official.

Alvarez defected from the Cuban National Team in January and was cleared to sign with MLB teams a month later, though a change in agents held up his journey to MLB. Alvarez tells Sanchez that he is "very happy to get [his] career going" and will report to whatever level the Orioles see fit. The Cardinals were said to be keeping tabs on Alvarez over the winter, and there were also some conflicting reports as to whether or not the Twins were in the mix.

Over the winter, Sanchez reported that 6'2", 190-pound Alvarez is capable of playing all three outfield positions and possesses a strong throwing arm. The bonus he received is a fraction of the sum that the A's and Dodgers gave Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig on their multi-year contracts.

Astros Pitchers Drawing Major Interest

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Astros starting pitcher Bud Norris and reliever Jose Veras are drawing considerable interest and it's likely that both players will be traded, sources tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Astros have said that they don't need to move Norris as his $3MM salary is affordable, but that also increases his value on the market.

The Orioles are one of the clubs that realize the value of Norris and other Astros hurlers.  Even though they've already been aggressive on the trade market by acquiring Scott Feldman from the Cubs and Francisco Rodriguez from the Brewers, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that they're likely not done and are speaking with Houston about acquiring more arms.  Baltimore likely would balk at the trade price for Norris – one report earlier this month said they're seeking two top prospects – but they could zero in on former O's lefty Erik Bedard or right-hander Lucas Harrell, sources told Rosenthal.

Meanwhile, one might guess that the Tigers would be among the leading suitors for Veras, but Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) hears that the Detroit front office is split on him.  Knobler's best guess is that the Tigers don't make a play for the reliever, but there are some within the organization that are fans.

Heyman notes that the Red Sox, Pirates, Phillies, Rangers, Giants, and Dodgers have also shown interest in Norris at some point, which should make for some competitive bidding.  Meanwhile, just about every contending team is considering relief help and the Pirates could be in that group after Jason Grilli was put on the shelf with a forearm issue. 

Veras has a 3.12 ERA on the season with 9.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 on the season.  Norris is also enjoying a solid campaign, posting a 3.91 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 through 20 starts.

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