Orioles Rumors

Rosenthal On Yankees, Oswalt, White Sox, Beltre

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 21, 2010 at 1:43pm CDT

The Yankees are not actively looking for a utility infielder, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal names Willie Bloomquist, John McDonald and Jayson Nix as options the Yanks could consider should they decide that they want more experience than Kevin Russo and Ramiro Pena can offer. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

Adrian Beltre will almost certainly reject his player option after the season and re-enter free agency. He has been one of the game's best players this year, rating characteristically well on defense (according to UZR) and hitting .336/.371/.528.
The Mariners won't necessarily get a first round pick in next year's draft if they hold onto Cliff Lee. First of all, a losing team could sign Lee (the first 15 picks are protected). Secondly, a team could sign Lee and a free agent who ranks higher under the Elias system. That would mean the Mariners get a supplementary rounder and a second rounder.
If the Rangers are sold before the winter, they could be a potential landing spot for Carl Crawford, one executive suggested.
Rosenthal hears that Astros owner Drayton McLane is not against the idea of trading Roy Oswalt to Texas, though the Rangers' ability to take on payroll and the pitcher's no-trade clause could prevent a deal from going through.
The Marlins inquired on Matt Thornton back when the White Sox were sellers. Now, the White Sox would not consider dealing the left-hander.
If White Sox GM Kenny Williams becomes a buyer, he may pursue a left-handed bat.
The Mariners want major league or major league-ready hitters for Cliff Lee, but the Dodgers' best prospects are a few years away from the majors.
The Rockies are interested in Ty Wigginton, according to Rosenthal's colleague, Tracy Ringolsby.
The Rays will look for impact players at the trade deadline.

Using Postseason Odds To Identify Sellers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 21, 2010 at 12:29pm CDT

Buyers and sellers can be hard to identify this time of year, since so many teams are often within a few games of a playoff spot. It's not even July yet, but a number of clubs have extremely slim odds of becoming contenders and appear likely to sell. Here are the teams that have less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs in 2010, according to the postseason odds report at Baseball Prospectus.

Orioles
Royals
Indians
Mariners
Nationals
Astros
Pirates
Diamondbacks

Other than those eight clubs, the A's (7% chance of making the playoffs), White Sox (6%), Cubs (5%) and Brewers (2%) are potential sellers to watch. The White Sox, winners of ten of their last 12, have dramatically improved their chances of playing meaningful games down the stretch. They have shown that anything is possible, but the eight teams listed above seem like good bets to become sellers within the next six weeks.

In case you're wondering, BP suggests the Rangers (81%) are the safest bet to make the playoffs.

Odds & Ends: Sale, Astros, Shealy, Orioles

By Zachary Links | June 20, 2010 at 10:35pm CDT

Links for Sunday night..

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune points out that even though Sale signed for less than anticipated, a quick promotion to the majors would start his service time clock sooner.
Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets that more teams should be willing to test the resolve of college juniors, like the White Sox were with Chris Sale.
The moves the Astros made earlier this evening will make them younger, faster, and possibly better defensively, writes Alyson Footer of MLB.com.
Ryan Shealy believes that his new club will afford him a better opportunity to make a big league roster, writes Paul Kenyon for The Providence Journal. Shealy was signed by Boston and placed in Triple-A after exercising his opt-out clause with the Rays.
O's scouting director Joe Jordan is hopeful that the club's agreement with fourth-round pick Trent Mummey will get the ball rolling for the rest of the team's top draftees, writes MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. Baltimore has now agreed to terms with 26 of their 49 selections.

Odds & Ends: Mejia, O’s, McGuire, Rangers, Valverde

By Luke Adams 2 | June 20, 2010 at 3:48pm CDT

Links for Sunday….

ESPN's Adam Rubin tweets that the Mets have optioned Jenrry Mejia to Double-A Binghamton, where he will start their game on Wednesday.
Jeff Zrebiec tells us that Buck Showalter will interview for the Baltimore managerial job this week, and Eric Wedge will likely receive a second interview. The club has yet to ask the Mets for permission to interview Bob Melvin.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian quotes Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos saying that despite first-round pick Deck McGuire's lack of participation in a media conference call, he's excited to have been drafted by Toronto. Anthopoulos says that negotiations, however, could go down to the wire as they did in 2009 with Chad Jenkins.
Rangers manager Ron Washington feels that his team could use another front-line starting pitcher, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Texas has recently seen both Derek Holland and Rich Harden land on the disabled list.
Nick Piecoro tweets that the D'Backs offered Jose Valverde a two-year deal worth about $10MM before he signed for two years and $14MM with Detroit. The story spawns from some heated comments that were exchanged between Valverde and former teammate Miguel Montero.
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times thinks Dan Haren would be a "perfect fit" for the Angels.
The Cubs will soon face a decision on whether to become buyers or sellers, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
Within a mailbag for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Paul Hoynes says that a little salary relief is the best the Indians could hope for in a Kerry Wood trade.
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details how the Cardinals will handle their starting rotation for the time being. Even after signing Jeff Suppan, the club will be short-handed while they wait for Brad Penny to get healthy.
The Tigers should exercise patience when it comes to acquiring a shortstop, according to Lynn Hennig of the Detroit News.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers will have to think about trading for a starting pitcher, with Rick Porcello heading to Triple-A.

Odds & Ends: Grandal, Red Sox, Salazar, Rockies

By Mike Axisa | June 19, 2010 at 9:28pm CDT

A few links to check out while we wait to see if the Rays can avoid falling out of first place for the first time in nearly two months…

The Reds have made initial contact with the representatives for Yasmani Grandal according to John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer. GM Walt Jocketty said they will continue talks this week with 2010's 12th overall draft pick.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier mentions that when Felix Doubront started for the Red Sox last night, he became the first Latin American player signed and developed by the Theo Epstein regime to reach the big league. ESPN's Jorge Arangure mentions (via Twitter) the Boston hasn't had a homegrown Latin American position player since the early 1990's.
Meanwhile, MLB.com's Peter Gammons says (via Twitter) that only two teams were willing to take Manny Ramirez off Boston's hands two years ago even if they footed the bill: the Marlins and Dodgers. The Red Sox's requests for Mike Stanton and Andre Ethier were met with "no thank yous."
MLB.com's Corey Brock, Brittany Ghiroli, and Gina Mizeli spoke to Oscar Salazar, who reflected on the trade that send him from the Orioles to the Padres last year.
The Rockies will look at the middle infield market, but ESPN's Buster Olney tweets they're likely to just ride out Troy Tulowitzki's absence with what they have in house. He does however mention that Dan Uggla is one name to watch.
Both Jhonny Peralta and Kerry Wood offered up the stock "it's out of my control" response when asked about the possibility of being traded, according to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post says the idea of the Rockies' acquiring Cliff Lee is wishful thinking. The team would have to get back in the playoff race and show it can compete without Troy Tulowitzki before ownership would consider adding Lee's salary to the payroll.
The Cardinals had interest in signing Ben Sheets this winter according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but the righthander's price was too high. “If he wants to prove his value here, we’d have interest,” said manager Tony La Russa. “It turns out he had value that wasn’t going to work.”

Orioles Interested In Jake Fox

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 19, 2010 at 8:59pm CDT

SATURDAY, 8:59pm: The Orioles still have interest in Fox according to Zrebiec. Oakland has until Thursday to trade, release or waive him, though the fact that Baltimore has waiver priority may increase the likelihood of a deal.

WEDNESDAY, 4:14pm: Andy MacPhail and the Orioles have at least some interest in acquiring Jake Fox, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The A's designated Fox for assignment over the weekend and are apparently hoping that he clears waivers.

Fox, 28 next month, has already played left field, third base, DH and catcher in 2010. His .214/.264/.327 batting line doesn't compare with the numbers he has posted in the minors. Fox has 122 homers with a .293/.357/.528 line in his minor league career, so he clearly has some hitting ability.

Zrebiec suggests a Fox acquisition could mean the end of Garrett Atkins' tenure in Baltimore, though it would not be a surprise to see the Atkins era end before long regardless of what happens with Fox.

Amateur Draft Signings: Saturday

By Mike Axisa | June 19, 2010 at 8:47pm CDT

Here are the latest updates on which picks have signed with the clubs that selected them in last week's draft. Keep tabs on which first rounders and sandwich picks have signed by checking out our detailed breakdown.

Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies reports that Colorado has signed fourth round pick Russell Wilson, though terms of the deal are unknown.
The Cubs have signed 15 players according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, including seven of their first 14 selections. They also finalized their deal with first rounder Hayden Simpson.
MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that the Dodgers have signed three more draft picks, and that the club remains optimistic that they will be able to get first rounder Zach Lee under contract.
Bill Shanks of FoxSportsSouth.com passes along word of two more draft pick signings by Atlanta, bringing their total to 28.
The Orioles have agreed to a deal with fourth rounder Trent Mummey, tweets MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. He still has to pass a physical.

Olney’s Latest: Rockies, Lee, Diamondbacks, Royals

By Mike Axisa | June 19, 2010 at 10:32am CDT

In today's blog post at ESPN, Buster Olney speculates about some possible trade targets for the Rockies now that Troy Tulowitzki is going to miss the next six to eight weeks with a fractured wrist. Among those mentioned: Dan Uggla, Craig Counsell, Julio Lugo, and Cesar Izturis. Uggla would obviously be the most expensive, but Colorado would boast a dynamic offensive middle infield once Tulo returns.

Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

Sources tell Olney there is no clear signal from the Mariners indicating that they're ready to trade Cliff Lee, but presumably that will come soon. He compares a potential Lee trade to the CC Sabathia trade, meaning that the sooner he's dealt, the more Seattle will receive in return.
The Diamondbacks continue to gather intel about possible trades, but they are not close to making another deal at the moment.
The Royals have a pair of outfielders in Rick Ankiel and David DeJesus who could be fits for the Red Sox. J.D. Drew suffered a hamstring injury yesterday, and Boston was already without Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida, who are both on the disabled list. Mike Cameron is playing through an abdominal tear as well.

Amateur Draft Signings: Friday

By Luke Adams 2 | June 18, 2010 at 8:39pm CDT

Here are the updates on which picks have signed with the clubs that selected them in last week's draft. Keep tabs on which first rounders and sandwich picks have signed by checking out our detailed breakdown.

Top selections that were locked up today: Cito Culver signed with the Yankees, Taijuan Walker agreed to terms with the Mariners, and the Rangers signed Mike Olt.
In addition to reaching an agreement with Walker, the Mariners signed ninth-rounder Luke Taylor and nine other players. The M's have now locked up 28 of their 50 selections, per a team release.
The Diamondbacks signed two of their top three picks, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com (via Twitter). Right-handed pitchers James Bradley (56th overall) and Robert Rowland (88th) signed with the D'Backs. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets the financial details.
MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports that the Pirates also agreed to terms with a pair of right-handed arms, fifth-round pick Tyler Waldron and 12th-rounder Vincent Payne.
The Orioles agreed to terms with their fourth-round pick, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
The Giants signed eight draft picks, according to the team's official transactions page.

Heyman On Orioles, Torre, Mets, Harper

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 18, 2010 at 4:18pm CDT

Andy MacPhail knows it's not an easy time to manage the Orioles. He told Jon Heyman of SI.com that some of the managerial candidates the club is considering have limited interest in the job. "Let's be honest, I'm not sure this gig's for everyone," MacPhail said. Here's the latest on the Orioles' search for a manager along with the rest of Heyman's rumors:

Davey Johnson, who led the Orioles to the playoffs in 1996-97, has been mentioned internally.
Johnson and Bobby Valentine seem like long shots for the job.
If current Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez is available, the Braves could choose him to replace Bobby Cox.
The Dodgers offered Joe Torre an extension this spring, but Torre turned it down. Heyman says most baseball people see the Dodgers moving on after the season.
The Mets prefer Cliff Lee to Roy Oswalt.
Many of Heyman's sources expect Bryce Harper to sign for more than Mark Teixeira's $9.5MM deal and less than Stephen Strasburg's $15.1MM deal. Harper, who is a Scott Boras client like Teixeira and Strasburg, appears headed for a $12MM deal, according to Heyman.

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