Orioles Rumors

Yankees Considering Jhonny Peralta

By Tim Dierkes | July 21, 2010 at 11:38am CDT

Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta is in the mix along with Florida's Wes Helms as potential bench options for the Yankees, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the prices on Jose Bautista and Ty Wigginton are too high.

Peralta has a substantial commitment for a bench player, with $2.23MM remaining on his contract. He's hitting .252/.314/.401 on the season.

The Yankees were first linked to Helms four days ago by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, but Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post tweets today that he's not their first choice. Other available bench options capable of playing third base include Willie Bloomquist, Adam Kennedy, and Craig Counsell.

Phillies Exploring Oswalt, Werth Trades

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2010 at 10:44pm CDT

The Phillies are exploring acquiring Roy Oswalt and moving Jayson Werth in a companion trade, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says nothing is close, but Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says the Oswalt talks are "heavy." Oswalt has yet to be presented with a deal for his approval. Stark says the Phils have also discussed Dan Haren, Jeremy Guthrie, and Ben Sheets as they leave no rock unturned. As for Werth, Stark believes the Rays "head the list of interested teams." The impending free agent would be moved to save money, stock the farm system, and open up a spot for Domonic Brown. Stark says the Red Sox, Giants, and Padres are also interested in Werth.

The Phillies recently optioned Kyle Kendrick to the minors and lost Jamie Moyer to an elbow strain, so they could use starting pitching depth. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. hinted today that the club could acquire a starter by Saturday. The Phils have already committed $135MM to next year's payroll, so adding an expensive arm like Haren or Oswalt would take some maneuvering.

One candidate to start Saturday, or perhaps be traded, is J.A. Happ. Stark says the Phillies have shopped the lefty, and the Astros scouted him on Tuesday.

Click here to predict the Phillies next move.

Padres Interested In Tejada, Not Targeting Guthrie

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 19, 2010 at 5:22pm CDT

The Padres have scored fewer runs than any winning team in the major leagues, so their need for offense is clear. Reports have connected the Padres to a number of outfielders, but they also have interest in Miguel Tejada, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter).

The former AL MVP has a .275/.314/.372 line, for his lowest OPS since 1998. That's still better than the marks middle infielders David Eckstein and Jerry Hairston Jr. have posted, but not by much. Perhaps the Padres believe Tejada can hit like he did a year ago, when he posted a .795 OPS and made the NL All-Star team, or perhaps they view him as a capable backup.

Tejada is playing third in Baltimore, though he spent more than a decade as an everyday shortstop before the 2010 season. The Phillies have been linked to Tejada on and off, though their need for an infielder is less acute now that Placido Polanco is healthy.

Meanwhile, the Padres are not targeting Tejada's teammate, Jeremy Guthrie, according to Brock. The Padres have discussed Guthrie and would like to add pitching depth, but Brock's report suggests the team would prefer to add other starters.

Odds & Ends: Guthrie, Ross, Ranaudo

By Tim Dierkes | July 19, 2010 at 2:08pm CDT

A year ago today, the Brewers acquired Felipe Lopez from the Diamondbacks for prospects Roque Mercedes and Cole Gillespie. Lopez raked after the trade, but was not offered arbitration by the Brewers. Gillespie and Mercedes ranked among Arizona's top 30 prospects heading into the season according to Baseball America, with the former now playing for the big league club. On to today's links…

The Mets scouted Jeremy Guthrie's last start, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Guthrie could make for an interesting project, as one scout told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, "He should be better than he is."
The relief trade market is "absolutely terrible," one talent evaluator told ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
The Padres are not a fit for Marlins outfielder Cody Ross, according to Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse. The Padres prefer David DeJesus instead, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.
Astros owner Drayton McLane "seems paralyzed by indecision," writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
SI's Jon Heyman ranks the 24 best available position players, starting with Prince Fielder.
Red Sox draft pick Anthony Ranaudo is done pitching in the Cape Cod League, reported Brian Foley of The College Baseball Blog yesterday. The consensus among prospect gurus is that Ranaudo had nothing left to prove. An elbow injury and representation by Scott Boras caused Ranaudo to drop to the Sox at #39 in the June draft.
The Mariners should aim to be competitive in 2012, writes Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner.
Former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi offered a few stories of near-deals on WEEI's The Big Show on Friday.

Odds & Ends: Nationals, Lilly, Haren, Marlins, Kotsay

By Zachary Links | July 18, 2010 at 10:35pm CDT

Sunday night linkage..

Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com wonders if the reason Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo has made players like Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham available is because the team's offense is struggling with them as it is, so he'll try to improve other areas of the team.
ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine says the Yankees could join the mix for Ted Lilly following Andy Pettitte's injury today. Meanwhile, Yanks' GM Brian Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com that he is "not inclined" to make a move to replace Pettitte yet, saying that he prefers to give internal options a try first. Levine has the Tigers, Twins, Mets, and Dodgers also in the hunt for Lilly.
Scott Miller of CSBSports.com wonders if this weekend's poor play (three losses to the Padres) makes a Dan Haren trade more likely.
David Villavicencio of Fox Sports Florida tells us that players like Cody Ross and Ricky Nolasco want to stay with the Marlins, and know they need a strong run to make that a reality.
Mark Kotsay knows what it's like to be the player who's desired in a trade, but also to be the player who would lose playing time as a result of one, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
Jose Bautista was honored that Alex Anthopoulos called him to help get Yunel Escobar settled into his new environment, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Bautista says that he loves Toronto and would like to stay there long-term.
The Yankees, who have been interested bystanders through most of the process, are now getting more interested in Mexican amateur pitcher Luis Heredia, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, the Pirates and the Blue Jays remain the frontrunners for the 15-year-old, who is sure to get a bonus of more than $2MM.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweets that Tampa Bay expressed interest in Yunel Escobar before he was dealt to Toronto. He also tweets that Reid Brignac was part of the talks.
Hayden Penn, a pitcher for the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate who was reportedly nearing a deal with the Chiba Lotte Marines, is on his way to Japan, according to Indianapolis Indians Triple-A announcer Scott McCauley (via Twitter). McCauley also says that another Indianapolis hurler is "close to a deal".
The White Sox, who have been linked to Nationals slugger Adam Dunn, have had a scout present for Washington's series against the Marlins, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
Reliever David Aardsma is a possible fit for the Tigers, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.
R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs attempted to peg Fausto Carmona's trade value.
Roy Oswalt wants to claim the Astros win record before leaving, writes Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle.
Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News praised the moves made by Rangers GM Jon Daniels.
Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun senses deja vu all over again as the deadline approaches.

Odds & Ends: Parker, Hawpe, Loux, Giants, Orioles

By Mike Axisa | July 17, 2010 at 10:34pm CDT

Saturday night links as Livan Hernandez takes the loss against the Marlins, his first team…

Troy Renck of The Denver Post spoke to Clemson reporters, who indicated that Rockies' first round pick Kyle Parker could decide on his future by Monday or Tuesday (four different Twitter links). Parker is choosing between baseball and football, and it's a matter of how much Colorado is willing to exceed MLB's recommended slot bonus of $1.5MM to sign him. The Rockies would be able to pay out his bonus over five years thanks to MLB's provision for two-spot athletes.
Meanwhile, Brad Hawpe is making his first career start at first base tonight, and Renck says proving he can play the position would go a long way towards keeping him in Colorado beyond this season (Twitter links). The Rockies won't pick up his $10MM option for next season, but they do value his bat and his leadership.
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic sees the Diamondbacks either signing Barret Loux at a discount or not signing him at all, and using the savings on some tough-to-sign players they drafted in the lower rounds. Loux, the sixth overall pick in last month's draft, recently failed his physical due to a shoulder issue.
Giants' manager Bruce Bochy indicated that he'd rather not sacrifice a starting pitcher in a trade for a bat, according to John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle.
Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun wonders when the trade deadline will be something more than a time when the Orioles just sell off veterans.
The Marlins have signed second round pick Rob Rasmussen, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Terms of the deal are unknown, but MLB's recommended slot bonus for the 73rd overall pick is estimated at $500K. Florida has now signed nine of their top 15 picks, though first rounder Christian Yelich remains unsigned.

MacPhail: No Young Player Is Untouchable

By Mike Axisa | July 17, 2010 at 5:33pm CDT

Orioles' president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail spoke to reporters today, and MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli says he indicated that no young player on the team's roster is untouchable (Twitter link). He did, however, say that it would be hard to give up a young guy, even for a big bat.

Even with the majors' worst record at 29-60, the Orioles do have a promising young core to build around, led by Brian Matusz and Matt Wieters. Others like Chris Tillman, Adam Jones, Jake Arrieta, Josh Bell, and Felix Pie also fit into that fix. Nick Markakis remains extremely productive, though the big money in his contract kicks in next season, when he'll earn $10.25MM. Baltimore would find plenty of interest in the 26-year-old if they were to make him available.

Understandably, most of the trade rumors involving Orioles' players this summer have been about veterans, namely Ty Wigginton. The team would receive a better return if they moved younger players for obvious reasons, and I suppose it's not crazy to think MacPhail could deal a youngster for a package that could potentially address multiple needs.

Odds & Ends: Molina, Machado, Wood, Montero

By Mike Axisa | July 17, 2010 at 3:43pm CDT

Saturday afternoon linkage…

Bengie Molina has had an immediate impact in Texas, writes Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.
The Orioles won't sign Manny Machado before August 1st, Baltimore's director of scouting told Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com (via Twitter).
The Indians placed closer Kerry Wood on the disabled list with a blister on his right index finger according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. The move is retroactive to July 12th, so unless he needs more than the 15 days off, Wood will be back just before the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, ESPN's Buster Olney says Wood's actual trade deadline is August 31st, because he will clear waivers next month given the $4MM still owed to him this season (Twitter links).
White Sox GM Kenny Williams often approaches his veteran players to get their opinions about potential moves, but he has not yet pulled Paul Konerko aside to discuss scenarios according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times.
Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that Cardinals' GM John Mozeliak was well-deserving of his contract extension.
In a video on ESPN, Olney says the Yankees have determined that they would not trade catching prospect Jesus Montero for any player available on the trade market. They were willing to move him for Cliff Lee because it was a special case.

Talks Between Phillies and O’s Are “Dead”

By Zachary Links | July 17, 2010 at 2:53pm CDT

Talks between the Phillies and Orioles regarding infielders Ty Wigginton and Miguel Tejada are currently dead, a source told Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun. Yesterday it was reported that the Phillies have been talking to Baltimore about Wigginton for weeks and might also be interested in Tejada, who could have been a short-term solution at third base.

For now, it seems that the defending National League champs are content with leaving Placido Polanco at third base and Wilson Valdez at second until Chase Utley returns to the fold. However, Zrebiec notes that this could all change before the deadline, especially if the O's reduce their asking price for Wigginton.

Meanwhile, Orioles GM Andy MacPhail says that the club could be in position to make a splash by picking up a big-time player on waivers:

“A claim would be something that would definitely be attractive," the GM said. "The trade for a big-time player, if it’s going to subtract from the core guys you are trying to build around, that becomes more problematic. It’s something you obviously would have to look at.”

Orioles, Showalter Close To Terms

By Steve Adams | July 17, 2010 at 11:43am CDT

SATURDAY: MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli confirms that the Orioles will not announce any managerial moves this weekend (via Twitter).

TUESDAY: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun assures his readers that Showalter will not be named Orioles manager this weekend.

MONDAY: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears from a source who expects Showalter to take over this weekend.

SUNDAY: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Orioles are "close to terms" with managerial candidate Buck Showalter. According to Rosenthal's sources, Showalter will be in uniform sometime after the All-Star Game. An official announcement will also be held until after the All-Star Break, according to Rosenthal's second tweet.

However, the O's have yet to make an offer to Showalter, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Juan Samuel will manage the team Friday after the All-Star Break, but Showalter could receive an offer in the near future.

Earlier today, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that the Orioles met with Showalter again this weekend, and that he was the "heavy favorite" to be the O's next manager. The consensus for the past few weeks has been that either Showalter or former Cleveland skipper Eric Wedge would eventually be Dave Trembley's replacement, after Trembley was fired on June 4. Last week, we learned that Showalter had become the favorite.

Showalter has managed the Yankees, Diamondbacks, and Rangers over parts of 11 seasons. He owns an 882-833 career record as a Major League manager and was the AL Manager of the Year with the Yankees during the strike-shortened 1994 season.

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