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Heyman On Perez, Mariners, Morales, Yankees

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Here's a look at the latest news from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..

  • Mariners reliever Oliver Perez has drawn interest from the Orioles, Braves, and other clubs, according to Heyman.  Perez has reinvented himself as a bullpen arm in the last two years with the Mariners, posting a 2.00 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 across 63 innings in Seattle.  Competing execs note that Perez is more cost-efficient in terms of prospects and cash than a guy like Matt Thornton.  The veteran would cost another team the prorated portion of his $1.5MM for the rest of the year.
  • Kendrys Morales and Raul Ibanez could also bring a strong return to General Manager Jack Zduriencik & Co and the Rays are among the clubs that have inquired on their hitters.  However, parting with them would cause them to go into a free fall and also adversely affect the top prospects on the big league roster.  For his part, Jack Z isn't anxious to move anyone.  "We'll see how this week goes. I'm not going to be the aggressor,'' the GM told Heyman earlier this week. "I'm not shopping anyone.''
  • Seattle people have been wondering if the Yankees might call about Morales thanks to their rash of injuries.  The Rangers could also come calling.
  • A Mariners person said they've gotten calls on injured center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, but his injury history hurts his value.  Closer Tom Wilhelmsen has drawn interest and the Red Sox have had interest in the past, but Zduriencik is said to be hesitant to trade him since he's under control for a few more years. Brendan Ryan, who is no longer the starting shortstop, could also be of interest to someone as a defensive specialist in the infield.
  • Opinions are mixed, but one rival executive tells Heyman that Phil Hughes could fetch quite a bit in a trade.  Another rival exec quipped that the Bombers might trade Joba Chamberlain for a pine-tar rag.  We learned earlier today that the Yankees are aggressively pushing both pitchers.

Many Teams Scouting Brewers’ Relievers

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Brewers relievers John Axford, Francisco Rodriguez, and Mike Gonzalez are a popular bunch.  A Dodgers scout was sent to Milwaukee this week to watch the available trio, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, while the Red Sox, Orioles and Tigers have scouts in Milwaukee this week and the other NL West teams are interested in the Brewers' relievers as well as Yovani Gallardo.  Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports has a new report too, saying the Tigers, Orioles, and Diamondbacks have scouted the Brewers' relievers in recent days and weeks.

Morosi says the D'Backs and Brewers have discussed Axford, Rodriguez, and Jim Henderson, while Knobler says the Brewers have told teams Henderson won't be dealt.  Interest from the Tigers and Orioles appears more preliminary, writes Morosi, and the Tigers and Brewers have not had formal talks recently.

Rodriguez and Gonzalez will be eligible for free agency after the season, while Axford is under team control through 2016 as an arbitration eligible player.  As a Super Two with 106 career saves to his credit, Axford's salary jumped to $5MM this year.  As Morosi notes, Axford's salary might scare some teams off, though his lack of saves this year will slow down his arbitration raises.  Even though a team can technically own Axford's rights through 2016, the focus for a team acquiring him has to be on 2013, with tendering him a contract even for 2014 a decision that will require more information and some thought.  It's one of the reasons the Brewers are reportedly willing to move him.

AL East Links: Henry, Ellsbury, Davis, Bickford

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Andrew Miller will require surgery to repair ligament damage in his left foot and will miss the rest of the season, Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters (including Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com) today.  Miller had pitched well out of the Boston bullpen this season, posting a 2.64 ERA, 2.82 K/BB ratio and a whopping 14.1 K/9 in 30 2/3 relief innings, though control continued to be an issue for the southpaw as he issued 17 walks.  With Miller out, the Red Sox could well look into some of the left-handed relief options available on the trade market.

Here's some more news from around the AL East…

  • Also from McAdam, Red Sox owner John Henry said that the team had room to add payroll at the trade deadline, if necessary.  "I can't see it being an issue," Henry said. "I suppose there might be some (larger) salaries that we couldn't take on, but it just doesn't come up as an issue."  The blockbuster trade with the Dodgers last summer helped the Red Sox avoid any potential payroll tax issues and left the team with financial room to maneuver this year, Henry explained.
  • Jacoby Ellsbury figures to be one of the top free agents of the 2013-14 offseason and agent Scott Boras will no doubt keep his client in the headlines this winter, but Ellsbury tells WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that he and his agent haven't discussed the future as Boras has let Ellsbury just focus on baseball.  Bradford also talked to notable Boras clients Michael Bourn and Stephen Drew about their own forays into free agency and how Boras dealt with their situations.
  • The Orioles have avoided "the mega-contract business" since the Albert Belle signing, though CBS Sports' Jon Heyman wonders what the team will do to lock up Chris Davis and Manny Machado.  Davis will go through the arbitration process for the second time this winter and is controlled through 2015 while Machado is controlled through 2018 and is still two years away from arb-eligibility.  Davis, for his part, hasn't heard of any extension talks between the team and his agent, Scott Boras.  While the O's have generally avoided big signings, I'd argue that the Adam Jones extension shows that the team won't hesitate to extend its key building blocks.  A multiyear deal for Davis wouldn't be a surprise this winter, though the O's can probably wait for a year or two to explore an extension for Machado.
  • A scouting director tells Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun that his team considered Phil Bickford to be the top high school pitcher available in this year's amateur draft but the right-hander carried signability issues.  "The family wouldn’t meet with us until 48 hours before the draft and they wanted $3MM," the scouting director said.  The Blue Jays took Bickford with the 10th overall pick, a position that carries an assigned value of a little over $2.921MM, and since the team has saved a lot of bonus pool money, the Jays could afford to meet Bickford's $3MM asking price.
  • We covered some Yankees items as part of a New York Notes post earlier today on MLBTR.

Central Notes: Garza, Soriano, Peavy, Carpenter

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Five years ago today, the Brewers acquired CC Sabathia from the Indians for Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, and a player to be named later. The PTBNL turned out to be Michael Brantley who hit a pair of homers, including the game-winner, and drove in a career-high five runs in the Indians' 9-6 win over the Tigers this afternoon. Brantley, who has matched his career-best with seven home runs on the season, has become the headliner in the deal for the Indians as LaPorta has been a disappointment and is no longer on their 40-man roster, Bryson is struggling with an ERA over 11 at Double-A Akron, and Jackson is now in the Royals organization. Sabathia, meanwhile, was so dominant during his short tenure as a Brewer he led the NL in complete games (seven) and shutouts (three) while posting a 1.65 ERA during 17 regular-season starts. Sabathia used that platform to sign a record seven-year, $161MM contract with the Yankees. Will there be a similar blockbuster deal between MLB Central Division teams in 2013? Here's the latest:

  • With Ricky Nolasco becoming a Dodger, the trade rumor spotlight will now shine brightly upon the Cubs' Matt Garza. The Nationals have kicked the tires on the right-hander, but talks have not progressed to the point of a formal proposal being exchanged, a person familiar with the situation told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Nationals, who already have scouted Garza this year, have long had an interest in acquiring Garza engaging in a "not insignificant" pursuit of him in 2011 before the Rays shipped him to the Cubs. 
  • Alfonso Soriano has increased his trade value thanks to five home runs and 13 RBIs in his last eight games, writes ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine. 
  • Jake Peavy will continue his rehab from a fractured rib with a simulated game Tuesday after reporting normal soreness from a 53-pitch bullpen session Friday, reports Scott Merkin of MLB.com. If healthy, Peavy could be dealt before the Trade Deadline. "We'll see how it plays out," Peavy told Merkin. "I'm open to anything and I'll do everything I'm asked to do. If that's staying here, I'll be happy to do that. If that means to move, then that's something we'll address and be OK with when that time comes." 
  • The Cardinals are conducting a low-key search for a starting pitcher and, if healthy, Chris Carpenter could be that starter bringing the club confidence, energy, and swagger during the dog days of the schedule, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "They’re going to evaluate me," Carpenter said. "Is my stuff good enough? Am I good enough to fit in and move one of these guys? If not, be honest, tell me and move on." 
  • Scouts from the Tigers, Cardinals, and Orioles were on hand for the Brewers–Mets game today, tweets MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.   
  • Last night, MLBTR's Jeff Todd highlighted the Trade Deadline options for the Indians. 

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Johnson, Yankees, Ishikawa

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Let's take a look at the latest news and notes involving the American League East:

Yankees Claim Travis Ishikawa

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The Yankees have claimed Travis Ishikawa off of waivers from the Orioles, an industry source tells Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).  The O's designated the first baseman for assignment towards the end of June.

Ishikawa signed a minor league deal with Baltimore and, as MLBTR first reported, had an opt out clause in his contract.  The Orioles promoted him rather than let him go elsewhere, but he was DFA'd after just six games in uniform for the major league team.  In 208 plate appearances for Triple-A Norfolk, the 29-year-old slashed .316/.413/.525 with seven homers.

Orioles Acquire Alex Liddi

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The Orioles have acquired Alex Liddi from the Mariners, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).  In the swap, the M’s also sent their No. 3 international slot to Orioles and received the O’s international signing slot No. 2.  To make room for Liddi on the 40-man roster, Baltimore announced that they have designated Russ Canzler for assignment.

Baltimore’s No. 2 international slot is $351,200 and Seattle’s No. 3 slot is $277,500 and the swap adds an extra $73,700 to Seattle’s pool, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America (on Twitter).  

Seattle designated Liddi for assignment towards the end of June in order to promote shortstop Brad Miller.  The infielder posted a .263/.322/.454 slash line over his 262 plate appearances in Triple-A this year but wasn’t as strong in 188 major league plate appearances.

Canzler, 27, has 29 big league games to his credit between 2011 and 2012.  In 86 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season, the infielder/outfielder has slashed .276/.369/.430.

Injury Notes: Carpenter, Anderson, Pagan, Chen, Cervelli

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As always, the rehabilitation status of injured players can have a major impact on teams' plans as the trade deadline nears. Here are a few updates on some players whose recovery could play a role in the trade market's development:

  • Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter threw over 100 pitches in a bullpen session Friday and could face live hitters shortly, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. Though Cards' GM John Mozeliak said recently that Carpenter's status is unlikely to factor into the team's plans, a continued positive trajectory could potentially change that stance.
  • The Athletics received good news on starter Brett Anderson today, with MLB.com's Jane Lee reporting (via Twitter) that he will be shedding his walking boot and beginning to work back from an ankle fracture. She also tweets that manager Bob Melvin is bullish on Anderson returning strong, with Lee suggesting that we could see a repeat of Anderson's mid-August return from last season. While the A's rotation has not exactly been a problem area, some have suggested that Oakland could shop for another arm.
  • It appears that the Giants are prepared to go the rest of the way without center fielder Angel Pagan, with the club putting him on the 60-day DL. The San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea also relayed comments (on Twitter) by GM Brian Sabean indicating that the club does not expect him back in 2013. As previously noted, this could make the Giants potential buyers for a Pagan replacement. 
  • On the other hand, in spite of that need (and this evening's earlier report that the club is actively pursuing Ricky Nolasco), San Francisco could instead stand pat. Shea tweets that, according to Sabean, the Giants will not make any acquisitions unless the team turns around its play before the deadline.
  • Though the Orioles recently added a starter in the first significant trade of the pre-deadline market, they could still be considering the addition of more starting pitching. One major factor in Baltimore's internal analysis will surely be the return of Wei-Yin Chen, who has missed much of the year with a strained oblique. Chen looked strong in his rehab outing last night and, according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun, could take a spot in the rotation as soon as Tuesday. If Chen can pick up where he left off — his ERA stands at 3.04 through his first 47 1/3 innings of the year — it may obviate the need for the O's to revisit the market. 
  • Another day, another bit of bad injury news for the Yankees. As Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports, the catching-strapped club learned yesterday that its primary backstop to start the year, Francisco Cervelli, will have his rehab halted and be shut down for two weeks. With an early August return now the best case scenario for Cervelli and rookie Austin Romine struggling, the Yankees could find it necessary to look for another capable backstop before the trade deadline.

Matt Garza Rumors: Friday

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Earlier today, ESPN's Buster Olney said on the Baseball Tonight podcast with Jayson Stark that he'd be "shocked" if Matt Garza was on the Cubs by the All-Star break. Stark, countered by saying he's heard that the Cubs may be willing to wait until a team meets their price. Here's the latest on the right-hander…

Jon Rauch Opts Out Of Orioles Contract

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Right-hander Jon Rauch has opted out of his minor league deal with the Orioles, who have granted him his release from Triple-A Norfolk, according to Rich Dubroff of CSN Baltimore (on Twitter). The veteran setup man and former closer signed a minor league deal with the O's back on June 1.

Rauch, 34, agreed to a one-year, $1MM contract that contained $750K of incentives with the Marlins this offseason, but the Fish designated him for assignment in late May. Rauch posted a 7.56 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 16 2/3 innings for Miami. His 3.48 FIP suggests that he was considerably better than his ERA indicated during his brief stint with Miami.

Rauch excelled in a small 9 1/3 inning stint with Norfolk, allowing just three runs with 10 strikeouts and four walks. That was his first minor league action since 2005, as the 6'11" hurler had been able to hold down a Major League bullpen job in each year since that time.

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