Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Tuesday
Yesterday, a Major League source close to the Ubaldo Jimenez trade talks told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the chances of a deal are "around 50/50." Here's the latest on the Rockies' ace, with the newest info up top…
- The Yankees and Red Sox called the Rockies about Jimenez today, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding. Talks with the Reds appear to be further along, though the Rockies appear to be asking for Travis Wood, Bailey and either Chapman or Mesoraco. The Rockies won’t lower their asking price, Harding reports. The Reds haven't said no yet, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Until they do, there's a slim chance a deal will occur.
- Sources tell Dan Knobler of CBSSports.com that the team with the best chance to trade for Jimenez is the Yankees (Twitter link). The Blue Jays are considered a "real longshot at best."
- About seven teams are interested in Jimenez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com who names the Reds, Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Indians and Blue Jays (on Twitter).
- The Blue Jays "legitimately want" Jimenez, according an executive who spoke to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter).
- The Rockies have asked the Reds about Homer Bailey, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Earlier, Renck wrote that "chances remain slim" of a Jimenez trade. He said the Rockies "continue to listen and negotiate with multiple teams regarding Jimenez, with the Reds receiving the most attention," but in general Colorado's demands are so high that no team is expected to bite. Renck said the Rockies have asked the Reds for Devin Mesoraco, Aroldis Chapman, and Chris Heisey, among others. In an email exchange with MLBTR, Renck clarified that the Rockies asked for Mesoraco and Chapman together while Heisey is simply another name that has come up in talks. Both Mesoraco and Chapman appear to be untouchable.
- The feeling from executives is that the Rockies want to find a trade for Jimenez, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Reds are calling, and the Blue Jays kicked the tires.
- The price on Jimenez hasn't dropped at all, writes ESPN's Jayson Stark. He says the Rockies require "three sure-thing young players, including one pitcher who goes into their rotation immediately." One executive who spoke with the Rockies pegs the chances of a deal at no more than 25 percent.
- The Rockies "recently held a two-hour internal conference call to go over the trade alternatives" for Jimenez, writes SI's Jon Heyman.
Outrighted: Brandon Inge
The latest players to clear waivers and be outrighted…
- Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, tweets the team. He'll accept the assignment and report to Toledo. Inge was designated for assignment on Wednesday. He still has about $7.8MM left on the contract he signed last October.
Tigers, Red Sox Among Teams Interested In Bedard
The Tigers and Red Sox are among the many, many teams interested in Mariners lefty Erik Bedard, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Bedard has missed the last month with a knee sprain, but he'll be activated to start Friday's game against the Rays. You can bet that'll be a well-scouted affair.
Even back in April, it was apparent that Bedard could be the closest thing to an ace on the trade market if he stayed healthy. Knee injury aside, Bedard re-established himself with a 3.00 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 40.9% groundball rate in 90 innings, picking up steam as he went along. I can picture the Yankees, Indians, Rangers, Pirates, Cardinals, Reds, and Diamondbacks entering the fray as well, but Bedard has a good relationship with the Mariners and it's possible their best move is to re-sign him.
Quick Hits: Mijares, Tigers, Phillies, Nimmo
Michael Cuddyer pitched a shutout inning in Texas tonight, but the Rangers didn't have trouble scoring against Minnesota's other pitchers – they beat the Twins 20-6. Here are some late links from around MLB…
- The Twins had been looking to trade Jose Mijares before tonight, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). The left-hander allowed five hits and four runs in 2/3 innings in tonight's blowout against the Rangers.
- The Tigers continue watching Doug Fister, Jason Vargas, Aaron Harang and others as they look to acquire starting pitching, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports (on Twitter).
- The Phillies are pursuing Heath Bell and Mike Adams of the Padres aggressively, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The Padres are surprised the Yankees, Reds and Cardinals haven’t expressed more interest in their relievers.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Mets think they’re close to a deal with first round pick Brandon Nimmo (Twitter link).
Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Monday
The chances of an Ubaldo Jimenez trade are around 50/50, one source close to the talks tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. To date, I don't think any reporter has ventured to go above 20%. Here are the latest updates on the right-hander, with the most recent news up top:
- The Reds remain very much involved in talks for Jimenez and the Tigers have him near the top of their list, according to Morosi.
- The Rockies won't be able to get three or four of Boston's top prospects for Jimenez, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (Twitter link). The Reds won't part with Devin Mesoraco, Billy Hamilton and two other prospects for Jimenez, Gammons notes.
- The Rockies' asking price on Jimenez hasn't changed, according to Renck (on Twitter).
- The Rockies "haven't pulled Jimenez off the showroom floor," wrote Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post yesterday. The Reds, Yankees, Rangers, and Red Sox are suitors, though Renck says Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd has "talked up nearly everyone."
- Morosi notes that the Reds are still involved, but there might not be a favorite at this point.
- For their part, the Yankees are worried "about Ubaldo's inconsistency, all-out delivery, and coming to AL East," tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees have the talent to pull off a deal, but it remains to be seen if the two teams can find common ground.
Hiroki Kuroda Rumors: Monday
Dodgers righty Hiroki Kuroda has generated interest from the Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, and Brewers, reported CBS Sports' Danny Knobler yesterday. He noted that the Tigers "have been very interested." This is the first time I've seen the Brewers mentioned for any starting pitcher. The Rangers have also popped up for Kuroda in other reports, and Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Cardinals inquired. Here are the latest rumors about Kuroda, with the most recent updates up top:
- Kuroda hasn't talked to his agent or Dodgers GM Ned Colletti about a trade in recent days, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears that Kuroda isn't into "hypotheticals." He'll decide on deals if and when the Dodgers present them to him instead of providing them with lists in advance, according to Crasnick (Twitter links).
- Kuroda will consider waiving his no-trade clause if he's dealt to the Yankees or Red Sox, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
- The Tigers, Indians and Rangers are the three hottest teams on Kuroda, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- The Dodgers believe Kuroda can be persuaded to waive his full no-trade clause, wrote Knobler. I am guessing a financial incentive in the $1-2MM range might compel Kuroda to pitch in the midwest or on the East Coast for a few months. Since Kuroda's signing bonus is paid out in 2012-13, $6.6MM of his $12MM contract will be owed to him after the trade deadline. Tack on additional money for the no-trade clause, and renting Kuroda becomes an expensive proposition. Kuroda, 36, has a 3.19 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.99 HR/9, and 43.2% groundball rate in 127 innings this year.
AL Central Rumors: Tigers, Indians, Twins
The AL Central has only one clear seller at this point in the Royals, and they don't have much to offer. The White Sox and Twins will add a lot to the trade market if they decide to wave the white flag. The latest on the division:
- The Tigers' list of starting pitching targets includes Ubaldo Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda, Aaron Harang, Jeremy Guthrie, and Jason Marquis, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, the Padres are more inclined to keep Harang and try to re-sign him, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. Harang picked up his ninth win today in Philadelphia.
- The White Sox are scouting the farm systems of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies in case they decide to sell, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- In a series of three tweets, Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains why the Indians are setting their sights low as they seek a right-handed hitting outfielder. I think the biggest point is that they expect Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo back in August.
- Indians corner infielder Jared Goedert cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, tweets Morosi. Another procedural note: Tigers lefty Brad Thomas is now on the 60-day DL rather than being outrighted, tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- The Twins reached an agreement with Vanderbilt lefty Corey Williams for just under $600K, tweets ESPN's Keith Law. Williams, the team's third-round pick, signed above slot.
Rockies Rumors: Jimenez, Wigginton
The Rockies are 11 games back in the NL West, so it's time to consider selling various pieces. The latest:
- The Red Sox, Rangers, Tigers, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Reds scouted Ubaldo Jimenez's start yesterday in Arizona, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post tweets that nothing has changed since his column yesterday – the Reds and Yankees make the most sense, with the Rangers, Red Sox, and Tigers lurking. At that point, Renck wrote that the price is huge – at least three players – but the Rockies "haven't pulled Jimenez off the showroom floor."
- The Pirates have interest in Ty Wigginton, tweets Renck. Wigginton, who played for the Bucs from 2004-05, is a good source of righthanded pop at the corners.
- Right-handed relievers Rafael Betancourt and Matt Lindstrom are also trade candidates, tweets Renck.
At Least Four Teams Interested In Uehara
The Rangers, Pirates, Tigers, and Twins are among the teams that have expressed interest in Orioles reliever Koji Uehara, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Interest from the Pirates and Twins was previously reported, and the Reds are known to have discussed Uehara at least internally.
Uehara, 36, is among the best relievers available this summer. He sports a 1.80 ERA, 11.8 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 1.2 HR/9, and 31.3% groundball rate in 45 innings this year, and a reasonable $4MM option for next year vests with 14 more appearances. Uehara told Zrebiec he loves Baltimore and the Orioles, "but it's not going to be any fun if we don't win. That's the dilemma."
In theory, Uehara shouldn't be much easier to acquire than San Diego's Mike Adams, the biggest difference being the former's flyball leanings. Aside from the Uehara suitors mentioned above, the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, Phillies, Braves, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks are seeking relief help.
Quick Hits: Rangers, Mets, Astros, Guthrie, Phillies
Sunday afternoon linkage..
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that heading into the deadline his top priority remains bullpen help, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- We here at MLBTR love the build-up to the trade deadline, but Mets skipper Terry Collins can't wait for it to come and go, writes Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.
- Astros GM Ed Wade says that his front office will be "good listeners" as the deadline approaches, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- The Cardinals have now joined the Tigers in pursuit of the Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The extent of conversations between the Cards and the Orioles is unknown, but it seems that the club is at least open to the idea of moving Guthrie for the right return.
- The Rays told the Yankees that James Shields isn't available, but other clubs are still hopeful, according to Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter). Detroit, for example, recently sent two scouts to watch him pitch.
- A very weak left-handed relief market could inspire the Rangers to deal Arthur Rhodes, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. The Rangers could use him to land a righty out of the bullpen.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post checks out the track record of teams dealing at the deadline in recent years. His gives the Phillies top honors for their deals in July from 2008-2010.