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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Bowden On Padres, Tigers, Indians, Royals, Pirates

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Here's the latest from around the league, courtesy of ESPN's Jim Bowden…

  • The Padres have fielded offers for both Huston Street and Carlos Quentin, but they've yet to seriously debate any of them internally.
  • The Tigers are seeking a second base upgrade and would like to acquire Darwin Barney from the Cubs for a mid-level prospect.
  • The Indians are looking all over to acquire an outfield bat, but they are unable to take back a significant contract and are unwilling to move their best prospects.
  • Meanwhile, the Royals are trying to convince the Indians or Reds to take Jeff Francoeur so they can promote Wil Myers from Triple-A.
  • The Pirates are aggressively trying to land a middle of the order bat while the Orioles are seeking starting pitching and a third base upgrade.
  • There have been rumors of a Mike Morse for B.J. Upton trade, according to Bowden. The Nationals are also looking to add a starter with Stephen Strasburg's innings limit approaching.
  • The Giants have no plans of making a deal similar to the one they made last year, when they traded Zack Wheeler for a rental (Carlos Beltran). They are looking for a bat or two, however.

Competitive Balance Lottery Results

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Baseball’s first Competitive Balance Lottery took place in New York City today. The lottery, which allocates additional draft picks to small-market and low-revenue teams, provides teams with draft choices they can choose to use or trade. The Diamondbacks, Orioles, Indians, Royals, Athletics, Pirates, Padres, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers and Cardinals were eligible to obtain draft picks. The Tigers were also eligible, though only for the group of selections that takes place after the second round. Here are the results, via MLB.com:

Selections Between First & Second Rounds (Round A)

  1. Royals
  2. Pirates
  3. Diamondbacks
  4. Orioles
  5. Reds
  6. Marlins

Selections After Second Round (Round B)

  1. Padres
  2. Indians
  3. Rockies
  4. Athletics
  5. Brewers
  6. Tigers

The Rays and Cardinals did not receive a pick in either of the Competitive Balance Lottery Rounds.

Tigers, White Sox, Orioles Asked About Richard

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The Tigers, White Sox and Orioles checked in on Padres left-hander Clayton Richard, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). All three American League teams are known to be seeking starting pitching depth.

Richard, 28, has a 3.83 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in an NL-best 127 innings this year. He earns $2.7MM in 2012 and will remain under team control as an arbitration eligible player through 2014. He has a career ERA of 4.12 with 6.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in five seasons with the White Sox and Padres.

Padres GM Josh Byrnes figures to get calls on players such as Richard, Edinson Volquez and Chase Headley, but all three players are under team control past 2012. One team said the Padres' asking price for Headley is the highest market price, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported on Twitter today.

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