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Orioles Acquire Juan Castro

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According to MLB.com’s Spencer Fordin, the Orioles acquired shortstop Juan Castro from the Rockies today for minor leaguer Mike McCoy.  Castro played 18 games for Colorado’s Triple A club.

Fordin spoke to Andy MacPhail, and the implication is that the Orioles’ midseason hunt for a shortstop may have come to an end with Castro.  Castro is understandably happy, as there aren’t too many places where he’d have a shot at a starting gig.  I’m sure MacPhail will continue hunting for a long-term option at short, even if it carries into the offseason.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Fuentes, Holliday, Sherrill

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Ken Rosenthal tops off the day with a column full of rumors.

  • Signing Mark Teixeira as a replacement for Manny Ramirez doesn’t make sense for the Red Sox, who don’t want to take on that kind of mega-contract.
  • The Phillies were recently working on a blockbuster with Colorado that would have netted them Brian Fuentes and Matt Holliday for something like Shane Victorino, J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco, and Lou Marson.  Those talks have stalled, and the added payroll might’ve been a problem for the Phillies anyway.
  • Though Frank McCourt denies it, Rosenthal says the Dodgers owned vetoed a CC Sabathia/Casey Blake/Jamey Carroll blockbuster because of a desire to keep trades payroll-neutral.
  • The Rockies, as well as the many suitors for Brian Fuentes, fear he could accept an offer of arbitration and saddle them with an $8MM salary in ’09 instead of two draft picks.  Given Fuentes’ stated desire to close, I find this unlikely.
  • A Pirates scout watched David Price’s last start, though he was likely looking at other members of the Montgomery Biscuits.  The Rays are known to be interested in Xavier Nady.
  • The A’s, stacked with second base candidates, are already getting calls on Adrian Cardenas.  Trading Mark Ellis would make more sense though.
  • Rosenthal believes the Orioles are reluctant to trade George Sherrill because they don’t have a suitable replacement for him in the ninth inning this year.
  • Brewers minor league shortstop Alcides Escobar is untouchable, and his ascent could lead the team to shop J.J. Hardy this winter.

Odds and Ends: Roberts, Clark, Vidro, Manny

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Time for today’s link collection.

Odds and Ends: Rasmus, Ozuna, Giles

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Time to run down today’s links.

Odds and Ends: Vizquel, Saito, Burnett, K-Rod

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So many links, so little time.

MLB Investigating Betting, Bonus-Skimming Scandals

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Cheers to MLB for following George Mitchell’s suggestion and creating an investigative unit.  It’s already helping to crack down on a couple of serious scandals, along with the FBI.  I also like ESPN’s hiring of Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn.  If I had something to hide, I wouldn’t want these guys on the case.

First we had several White Sox employees canned in May for possibly skimming bonuses intended for Dominican prospects.  Then a week ago the L.A. Times said at least one GM "has already come under suspicion."

On Saturday, the Fainaru-Wade/Quinn team broke the news that Nationals GM Jim Bowden and special assistant Jose Rijo are under investigation for possible roles in the scandal.  Bowden says he had no role and is not under suspicion, though.  Rijo says he and Bowden are both "clean as a whistle" and "clean as Irish Spring soap."

Meanwhile SI.com’s Jon Heyman discovered that Orioles scout Alan Marr was fired for ties to sports betting.  Other scouts may be implicated, but there’s no indication of game-fixing.  Heyman believes Marr was tied to a bookmaking operation.

Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Nady, Greinke, Burrell

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FRIDAY: We have an update to Stark’s column – he is now saying that Burnett does have veto power over 15 teams.

THURSDAY: Let’s take a look at Jayson Stark’s latest over at ESPN.com.

  • The Phillies and Yankees both made failed runs at CC Sabathia.  The Phils wouldn’t include Carlos Carrasco or Lou Marson, while the Yanks insisted on a negotiating window.  The Phils are looking at Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett by default, while neither of those pitchers makes sense for the Yankees.  The Yanks checked in on Aaron Harang, but that’s a moot point since he’s ailing.
  • Despite the Dodgers’ run at Sabathia, they’re apparently not looking at other starters.
  • Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that Burnett had veto power over 15 teams, but Stark’s source says it’s just a handful of teams.  It’ll be tough to convince Burnett not to opt out of his contract after the season, unless he’s hurt.
  • The Braves still haven’t made the buy/sell decision.  If they buy, Xavier Nady is the top target.  If they sell, Mark Teixeira is the best chip.  Apparently Scott Boras is talking about $23MM per year for Tex this winter.
  • The Giants are pretty clearly not trading Matt Cain.
  • The Orioles, making a run at .500, don’t seem motivated to move George Sherrill or othe top veterans.
  • The Brewers’ Plan B beyond Sabathia was Zack Greinke, rather than Rich Harden.  Ken Rosenthal recently said the Royals were "decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," however.
  • Stark says it "wouldn’t be out of the question" for the Cubs to pursue a lefthanded starter like Randy Wolf, despite the Harden acquisition.
  • Extension with the Phillies for Pat Burrell did not get very far.

Olney Rumor Bag: Eckstein, Teixeira

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Another Saturday, another edition of Buster Olney’s weekly blog; along-side the deafening Sabathia discussions, we find some hidden gems:

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are pondering making a deal for David Eckstein. The Blue Jays have a well-stocked infield that has made the veteran short stop and former World Series MVP expendable. 

The Orioles have also been inquiring about Juan Uribe of the White Sox and Felipe Lopez of the Nationals.

Mark Bradley of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution thinks the Braves should trade Mark Teixera. Although some veteran leaders think the team is still in the division race, the Bravos do sit 7 games behind Philadelphia and have been hampered by injury all year.

Teixeira signed a one year-deal in January and can become a free agent next year, but he would prefer not to be traded this year.   

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Rumors? Comments? Email me alexo05 (at) umpbump (dot) com.

Orioles Interested In Eckstein

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According to the Baltimore Sun, citing "industry sources," the Orioles are talking to the Blue Jays about shortstop David Eckstein.  The Jays have deemed Eckstein expendable, even though they’re reportedly hunting for a long-term shortstop.  Jeff Zrebiec and Roch Kubatko believe it wouldn’t take much to acquire him. 

Eckstein, 33, is hitting .273/.360/.348 this year.  The Orioles’ shortstops have hit .228/.264/.287 this year collectively.

The O’s have also scouted Juan Uribe and Felipe Lopez.  Despite previous reports of "substantive conversations" for Lopez, the Sun says the team’s interest has waned.

Jays Shopping Burnett For Shortstop?

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5:55pm: Robert MacLeod talked to Jays President Paul Godfrey, who said J.P. Ricciardi is not shopping Burnett but has received calls.

2:23pm: According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays are shopping starter A.J. Burnett for a shortstop.  Elliott notes that the Phillies and Orioles have had scouts at recent Burnett starts.  Neither of those organizations figures to match up on the shortstop front though.

Any contenders with an MLB-ready shortstop to spare?  The Cubs have Ronny Cedeno, who may or may not have a future as a regular.  The Brewers have J.J. Hardy and Alcides Escobar in the organization.  The Braves have Brent Lillibridge, and the Dodgers have Chin-lung Hu.  The Dodgers might need to hang on to Hu, however.

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