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AL East Notes: Yankees, Reyes, Cano

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The AL East features one of baseball's tightest races, with just 6.5 games separating first place from fifth place. Here's the latest from the division that's currently fronted by the Red Sox…

  • The Yankees have an alarming lack of right-handed power, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Prior to tonight's home run by Jayson Nix, the Yankees hadn't received a right-handed homer since Mark Teixeira's blast on June 4. That weakness is compounded by the fact that Teixeira's injured wrist hasn't responded well to a cortisone shot. Still, GM Brian Cashman told Sherman that he's not aggressively pursuing right-handed bats at this time.
  • MLB.com's Greg Johns tweets that after many days of speculation, the Blue Jays will option Munenori Kawasaki to Triple-A Buffalo and transfer Ramon Ortiz to the 60-day disabled list to clear roster space for the returning Jose Reyes.
  • Robinson Cano isn't thinking about his next contract, though the Yankees' superstar did make the mistake of stating that he will "be a free agent either way" when asked about his stalled contract negotiations on Monday, writes Chris Dell of the New York Daily News.
  • Within that same piece, Cano also added that the Yankees desperately need Alex Rodriguez back, lauding not only his talent on the field but also his underrated leadership behind closed doors.

Reid Brignac Elects Free Agency

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TUESDAY: Brignac has elected free agency, tweets MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

MONDAY: Brignac has cleared waivers and may elect to become a free agent, tweets Heyman.

FRIDAY: The Yankees have designated infielder Reid Brignac for assignment, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

Brignac, 27, hit .114/.133/.136 in 45 plate appearances for the Yankees after being acquired from the Rockies in exchange for cash. Brignac was a long-time top prospect with the Rays and four times ranked among Baseball America's Top 100 prospects, but has just a .221/.262/.311 batting line in 814 career plate appearances.

AL East Links: Sternberg, Hughes, Teixeira, Orioles

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The Blue Jays' 11-game win streak was snapped tonight at Tropicana Field in a 4-1 loss to the Rays.  Jeremy Hellickson delivered seven shutout innings of one-hit ball while James Loney, Wil Myers (in his home debut) and Sam Fuld connected on three straight solo homers in the second inning.  One more victory would've given Toronto a new franchise record for consecutive wins.

Here's the latest from around the AL East…

  • "If it’s up to me, it’s very unrealistic," that the Rays would leave the Tampa area, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg tells FOX Sports' Jon Morosi, though Sternberg warns that "the decision can be taken out of my hands at some point" by Major League Baseball if the Rays' stadium situation isn't resolved.  Sternberg discusses several topics in this wide-ranging chat, from his team's future in Tampa Bay to David Price and Evan Longoria's contracts to even the prospect of MLB returning to Montreal.
  • An AL executive sums up the Yankees' decision about trading Phil Hughes as "If he’s good, why trade him? If he’s struggling, what will you get?", according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (Twitter link).  Hughes hasn't pitched well this year (a 5.09 ERA in 14 starts) and will be a free agent this winter, though it has been speculated that the homer-prone Hughes could still be targeted by teams who play in pitcher-friendly stadiums.
  • Mark Teixeira received a cortisone shot over a week ago but is "still experiencing soreness" in his right wrist, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters (including Andy McCullough) in a conference call today.  Teixeira's lack of progress renews speculation that he may have to undergo season-ending surgery, though Cashman didn't want to comment on the possibility or possible future moves at first base until more was known about the injury.
  • The Orioles are known to be looking for pitching help but since they aren't willing to move any top prospects or core players, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun thinks the O's will have to wait until close to the trade deadline "to see if they can get a bargain" since they currently wouldn't be able to find a true upgrade at their price.
  • Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters (including MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko) that "we would have liked, in a perfect world, to have [Mark Reynolds] back" this season.  "I know our guys liked Mark. He's a good teammate, a good guy, an easy guy to manage. We'd like to have had him, but it just didn't work out," Showalter said.  Reynolds signed with the Indians last winter and took a .741 OPS and 14 homers into tonight's action, so while the O's could've used Reynolds at DH, they're very set at the corner infield spots thanks to Manny Machado and Chris Davis.

Martino’s Latest: Hughes, Joba, Nats, O’s, Nolasco

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Andy Martino of the New York Daily News has a new column up that is loaded with trade deadline info after speaking to several Major League executives over the past few days. Here are some highlights from his excellent article…

  • One National League executive told Martino that the Yankees won't be able to get a useful bat or prospect back for either one of Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain.
  • The Nationals are the most aggressive buyer on the market at this point, and their primary focus is on starting pitching. "They're calling everybody, said Martino's source. The Nationals recently placed the struggling Dan Haren on the disabled list, and Chris Young has been worse at Triple-A with a 7.88 ERA.
  • The Orioles are also making calls as part of a search for starting pitching, which lines up with reports from last week.
  • Martino spoke with another NL official who told him that the Marlins are "aggressively" shopping their pitchers. Ricky Nolasco is known to be available, and they're said to be open to dealing Ryan Webb as well. I'd imagine that the team will be willing to listen to offers on Kevin Slowey and Chad Qualls also. It would make sense to listen on Mike Dunn and Steve Cishek, though previous reports state that the Fish would like to hold onto both relievers.
  • Nolasco's name came up in February trade talks with the Mets, and one NL executive says that the Marlins are still "desperate" to move him. The Mets aren't a fit for Nolasco at this point, but Martino reiterates that the team could act as buyers this July, despite their losing record, as they look to add outfielders with multiple years of team control.

AL East Notes: Ramirez, Gonzalez, Yankees, Papelbon

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Manny Ramirez wants to return to the Majors, but Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com spoke with an official who doesn't think he'd be a fit with the Yankees, despite the Yanks' recent offensive woes: "Can't see him in the Bronx given all the baggage he brings," said Marchand's source. Marchand also polled readers, who are split about 50-50 on whether or not they would approve of a Ramirez acquisition at this point. Here's more on the AL East…

  • Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington was the only Major League GM present to watch Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez's recent showcase in Tijuana, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Numerous other teams were there to see him, though they were represented by scouting directors and assistant GMs. One executive told Rosenthal: “The world was there to see him. A million teams were in there."
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if the Yankees should consider selling low on Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes in order to supplement their roster with some right-handed bats that can help alleviate the team's woes against left-handed pitching. Both are free agents at season's end, and neither is a key component to their success at this point, opines Sherman.
  • In light of the Red Sox's recent closer shuffle, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal asks if the best solution is for the Sox to re-acquire Jonathan Papelbon. As MacPherson points out, the Sox have tasked four relievers with replacing Papelbon — Andrew Bailey (twice), Mark Melancon, Alfredo Aceves and Joel Hanrahan — and none have been able to get the job done to this point. 

Bootcheck Clears Waivers, Re-Signs With Yankees

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Right-hander Chris Bootcheck has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Yankees on Tuesday, MLBTR's Chris Cotillo has learned. Instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Bootcheck elected free agency and immediately re-signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal.

The new deal includes an August 15th opt-out date if he is not in the major leagues, and he will report to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he has posted a 3.32 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 11 starts on the season.  In 91 career big league games with the Angels and Pirates, the 34-year old has a 6.55 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9.

Yankees Acquire Brent Lillibridge

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The Cubs announced that they have traded Brent Lillibridge to the Yankees for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  The light-hitting infielder/outfielder has spent the bulk of the year with Chicago's Triple-A affiliate. 

The 29-year-old saw just nine games of action on the Cubs' varsity squad this season versus 48 games in Triple-A Iowa where he hit .281/.331/.425 with five homers.  Across six big league seasons, Lillibridge owns a .207/.271/.339 slash line with five different clubs.

Yankees, Robinson Cano Far Apart In Talks

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Some figured that Robinson Cano's decision to join up with Jay-Z's agency venture would lead to a quick and smooth contract resolution with the Yankees, but that doesn't appear to be the case.  While there's been some talk that the second baseman's people and the Yankees might pick up official contract talks sometime after the All-Star break, it's clear they are nowhere near a deal at this point, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

Even if they talk, its not clear if they will have anything to talk about, making free agency a very likely outcome for Cano at this point.  The Bombers are still far and away Cano's preference, but there's a very good chance he won't have a new deal with anyone until at least November or perhaps later.  There's always an outside chance that either part or both could bend leading to a quick deal, but that would signal a major change in thinking.

Cano isn't talking about his contract publicly, but he has told friends that he'd like something in the neighborhood of a $275MM deal, reminiscent of Alex Rodriguez's deal.  The Yankees aren't believed to be anywhere close to that, however, and at one point they suggested something closer to David Wright's eight-year, $138MM contract.  

The second baseman is the top ranked free agent on Tim Dierkes' 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings.  While he's still having a strong year, his numbers are down from his 2012 campaign in which he hit .313/.379/.550 with 33 homers.

Yankees Acquire Yoshinori Tateyama

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The Rangers announced that they have sent right-hander Yoshinori Tateyama to the Yankees for future considerations.  The right-hander has been assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Tateyama has spent the entire season at Triple-A Round Rock, posting a 4.24 ERA with 11.6 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 23 games. The 37-year-old spent portions of the 2011-12 seasons with Texas, posting a 5.75 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 53 relief appearances.  

Yankees Sign Mike Zagurski

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The Yankees have signed Mike Zagurski to a minor league deal, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. His contract contains an August 15 opt-out date if Zagurski has not been promoted to the Majors.

Zagurski, 30, elected free agency on Wednesday after being designated for assignment by the Pirates last week.  While the left-hander made just six big league appearances this season for the Bucs, he has been extremely sharp in Triple-A, posting a 2.14 ERA with 37 strikeouts and nine walks across 21 innings of work.

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