Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Orioles Rumors

Cafardo On Hernandez, Upton, Bard, Gordon

By | at

As teams scan the trade market for pieces that can make a difference down the stretch, many GMs are experiencing sticker shock, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  “Some of the demands out there are ludicrous,” said one NL adviser. “We asked about a lefty pitcher and they asked us for our best pitching, best hitting, and a couple of other established players. I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ That’s why I’m thinking despite all the talking, I’m not sure much is going to get done.”  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • The Rays have sniffed around on Rockies catcher Ramon Hernandez.  The Mets and Nationals are also said to have interest in the veteran, though teams are wary of the $3.2MM owed to him in 2013.
  • Diamondbacks rightfielder Justin Upton hasn’t drawn as much interest as expected.  The Pirates obviously have a great deal of interest in him but find the asking price was prohibitive.  Pittsburgh may also be interested in B.J. Upton of the Rays and they inquired on Billy Butler of the Royals and the Phillies' Shane Victorino.
  • The Cubs could be interested in Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard in a Matt Garza trade. Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, and Jason McLeod all have a strong history with the right-hander.
  • There hasn't been much news about him in the last week or so, but Red Sox catcher Kelly Shoppach remains a viable option for teams like the Mets in need of a catcher.  Boston can afford to part with him as well with Ryan Lavarnway waiting in Pawtucket. 
  • Cafardo cautions not to dismiss possible interest by the Yankees in Royals outfielder Alex Gordon, with Brett Gardner having surgery.
  • The Orioles, Tigers, and Royals are among the teams that have made inquiries on Mariners left-hander Jason Vargas.

Orioles Designate Steve Pearce For Assignment

By | at

The Orioles have designated Steve Pearce for assignment, according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Infielder Omar Quintanilla has been added to the 25-man roster in a related move.

Baltimore acquired the first baseman from the Yankees in exchange for cash considerations on June 2nd.  The once highly-regarded Pirates prospect posted a .254/.321/.437 slash line in 83 plate appearances for the O’s this year.

AL East Links: Orioles, Yankees, Victorino, Red Sox

By | at

The Blue Jays are the only team in the AL East with a losing record and they're only one game under .500. The Yankees have a healthy eight-game lead but the Orioles, Rays, Red Sox, and Jays are all within three games of a Wild Card spot. With ten days until the trade deadline, here's the latest from baseball's deepest division…

AL East Notes: Shields, Rays, Blue Jays, Orioles

By | at

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.

Starting Pitching Rumors: Nationals, Greinke, Tigers

By | at

The Nationals, Braves, Tigers and Dodgers are in on Ryan Dempster, who could be traded sooner, rather than later. But what about the rest of the starting pitcher market? Here’s the latest:

  • The Nationals don't intend to trade top prospects for a starting pitcher, ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets.
  • The Tigers intend to trade for a difference-making starting pitcher, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). The Rays appear to be telling teams James Shields isn't available yet, Knobler adds.
  • It’s possible that Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke will both remain with their current teams at the trade deadline, and if they stay put demand will increase for the next tier of available starters, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. The trade value of pitchers such as Shields and Matt Garza would increase and teams undecided about their midseason plans — the Marlins and Rays, for example — could decide to take advantage of the market and sell.
  • One rival executive said he’s “very” concerned about Greinke given his recent poor performances and potential fatigue issues. Another executive told Rosenthal that Greinke is a scary potential trade target.
  • The Orioles are among the teams that have shown interest in Bartolo Colon, Rosenthal reports.
  • The Tigers are still interested in acquiring a starting pitcher, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). However, they aren’t serious players in the market for Greinke.
  • In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney explained that players can improve their trade value by performing well in the days and weeks leading up to the trade deadline. Paul Maholm of the Cubs is one example, and clubs have already shown an interest in him. – Mike Axisa

Orioles Acquire Omar Quintanilla

By | at

The Orioles acquired Omar Quintanilla from the Mets for future considerations, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. The Mets, who have confirmed the trade, designated Quintanilla for assignment three days ago to create roster space for Jason Bay. 

Quintanilla, 30, has appeared in 29 games for the Mets this year, playing both middle infield positions. He has a .257/.250/.371 batting line in 80 plate appearances so far this year. The seven-year MLB veteran has a career batting line of .218 /.278 /.294.

Diamondbacks Claim Brad Bergesen

By | at

The Diamondbacks have claimed Brad Bergesen, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets. The Orioles called Bergesen up earlier this week, but designated him for assignment without having him pitch in a game.

Bergesen, 26, had posted a 4.03 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 80 1/3 innings at Triple-A before getting promoted. He posted a 5.70 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 101 innings a year ago, when the Orioles used him in a hybrid role as a starter and reliever. The Diamondbacks had an empty 40-man roster spot going into the day.

NL West Notes: Lee, Upton, Pena, Street, Denorfia

By | at

We've already checked out some Giants and Rockies rumors today, so let's look around the rest of the NL West…

  • The Dodgers won't trade top pitching prospect Zach Lee for a rental player like Ryan Dempster, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).  We heard earlier today that Los Angeles had made the Cubs an offer for Dempster.  
  • Though the Diamondbacks and Pirates have had trouble connecting on a trade match for Justin Upton, the outfielder remains "at or near the top" of Pittsburgh's search for a hitter, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • The Diamondbacks have signed 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Ismael Pena, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Badler describes Pena as "a 6-foot-3, 175-pound lefty with a sound swing, a good approach and a hit-first, power-second profile. He's an average runner with a 45 to 50 arm on the 20-80 scale."
  • Huston Street was "aggressively" pursued by the Mets last winter, a source tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), but through the Mets are searching for bullpen help now, they don't think the Padres will move the closer.  We heard earlier today that the Padres were looking to propose long-term extensions to Street and Carlos Quentin before the trade deadline.
  • Street and Chris Denorfia have drawn more trade interest than Quentin, reports Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
  • Also from Center, the Pirates and Orioles are "among the teams pushing hardest" for Chase Headley.  Center added the Mariners to the long list of Headley's suitors.  The third baseman himself says he has heard "between six and 10 teams" have shown interest.  

Quick Hits: Orioles, White Sox, Dodgers

By | at

The Orioles have lost 17 of their last 24 games, but they're just half a game out of the Wild Card race, so their top baseball executive says the team’s future is now. Dan Duquette told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Orioles are "going to try to do everything [possible] to get into the playoffs this year.” Here are today’s links…

  • The White Sox agreed to sign Dominican corner outfielder Hanlet Otano, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The 16-year-old Otano has raw power from the right side, according to Badler.
  • Austin Jackson, Mark Trumbo and Jason Kipnis make appearances in Dave Cameron's latest pieces about the MLB players with the greatest trade value.
  • The Tigers, Red Sox and Dodgers figure to be among the most aggressive teams in summer trade talks, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. The Tigers are pursuing starting pitching, Olney reported this morning.
  • Dodgers chairman Mark Walter told Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that the Dodgers won't pass up ways of improving their team this summer, even if it means boosting payroll. "I'm not trying to save a dollar," Walter said. "I'd rather say we have a great team and maybe spend a little too much."

Orioles Designate Brad Bergesen For Assignment

By | at

The Orioles designated right-hander Brad Bergesen for assignment to create roster space for Tommy Hunter, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter links). The Orioles, who confirmed the roster move, added Bergesen to the 40-man roster yesterday, but didn't call on him to pitch.

Bergesen, 26, had posted a 4.03 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 80 1/3 innings at Triple-A before getting promoted. He posted a 5.70 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 101 innings a year ago, when the Orioles used him in a hybrid role as a starter and reliever.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top