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Quick Hits: Pena, Braves, Reds, Maier

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Some late-night links as Saturday turns into Sunday…

  • Prior to acquiring Paul Janish from the Reds, the Braves were talking to the Yankees about Ramiro Pena as a shortstop backup plan according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post (on Twitter). Pena is hitting .236/.287/.297 in 271 plate appearances for New York's Triple-A affiliate this season.
  • The Reds thinking behind the Janish trade was to add pitching depth at Triple-A according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Cincinnati acquired right-hander Todd Redmond in the trade.
  • The Royals have outrighted Mitch Maier to Triple-A, the team announced (on Twitter). Kansas City designated the outfielder for assignment on Independence Day. Maier, 30, hit .172/.260/.313 batting line in 74 plate appearances for the Royals on the season.

Ten Teams Have Shown Interest In Ryan Dempster

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A total of ten teams have shown "legitimate interest" in acquiring Ryan Dempster according to ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine. Among those ten teams are the Dodgers, Tigers, Yankees, Braves, Indians, and White Sox.

The Cubs are willing to pay part of the approximately $7MM owed to Dempster through the end of the season in order to receive better prospects via trade. Levine says Chicago has begun to scout the lower levels of every farm system in earnest, and they seek young pitching as part of any trade. A highly regarded third base prospect is also high on their list.

Dempster, 35, extended his scoreless streak to 33 innings with six shutout innings today, lowering his season ERA to 1.86. With both Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels reportedly due to receive extension offers before the trade deadline, Dempster could be the best starter realistically available this summer.

Yankees Sign Kosuke Fukudome

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The Yankees signed Kosuke Fukudome to a minor league contract, Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger reports (on Twitter). The outfielder is expected to report to New York's Triple-A affiliate.

The White Sox signed Fukudome to a one-year, $1MM contract in February then released him in June. The 35-year-old appeared in 24 games for the White Sox and posted a .171/.294/.195 batting line in 51 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions. The White Sox placed him on the 15-day disabled list with back spasms in June then reinstated him from the DL on the day of his release.

Yankees Sign Ty Hensley

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The Yankees have signed first-round draft pick Ty Hensley, reports Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game USA (Twitter links).  The two sides agreed to a $1.2MM bonus, below the recommended slot price of $1.6MM for the 30th overall pick. 

There could be some intrigue in the signing, as Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that Hensley and the Yankees agreed to terms on a $1.6MM bonus in June before an MRI revealed "abnormalities" in his pitching shoulder.  As a result, Hensley's bonus was reduced by $400K, though the right-hander said in a statement released through his advisor that he was happy with how the Yankees treated him during the process.

Hensley, a high-schooler from Oklahoma, had committed to pitch for the University of Mississippi before being drafted by New York.  He is described by Baseball America's John Manuel as having a plus curveball that may be even better than his fastball, which has touched 97-mph.  Hensley's makeup and work ethic has also been praised by scouts.

Heyman On Yankees, Garza, Upton, BoSox, Jays

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CBS Sports' Jon Heyman discussed how baseball reporting is evolving in the age of social media and a 24/7 news cycle (while giving MLB Trade Rumors a tip of the cap), joked about the infamous "mystery teams" that often dominate the rumor mill and also shared some hot stove chatter during his appearance on Jonah Keri's Grantland podcast.  Here are some of the highlights…

  • The Yankees have mostly stayed away from major trade deadline moves under Brian Cashman and Heyman suspects the team will largely stand pat this month.  There are no glaring needs on the roster plus the first-place Yankees will get a boost from Brett Gardner's return from the DL.
  • If the Yankees did make a move for pitching, Matt Garza would be at the top of their list.  The Red Sox and Blue Jays are also interested in Garza, not to mention the Dodgers and Tigers, among other clubs.
  • When the Diamondbacks toyed with putting Justin Upton on the trade market two years ago, they discussed a deal with the Red Sox that would have sent Upton to Boston in exchange for Jacoby Ellsbury and Daniel Bard.
  • The Red Sox and Blue Jays have the same record but the Sox are "more fully invested" in contending this season, while Heyman thinks the Jays' pitching injuries may prevent from making a true push at the deadline.
  • Heyman thinks Zack Greinke is a "longshot" to re-sign with the Brewers but the club will at least make him a long-term offer before exploring possible trades before the deadline.  The Angels and Braves are two of the teams expected to be in on Greinke should Milwaukee make him available.
  • Surprise contenders like the Mets, Orioles and Pirates will look to upgrade themselves for a pennant race, though Heyman thinks these teams are "probably all realistic about their chances" and won't sacrifice their rebuilding process by trading any of their blue chip prospects.  The Mets are looking for a veteran bullpen arm, the Orioles a veteran starter and the Pirates a corner outfielder, such as Carlos Quentin or Josh Willingham if the Twins were to make him available.
  • Beyond Greinke, Josh Hamilton, Cole Hamels and a few other notables like Michael Bourn or Melky Cabrera, Heyman feels this year's free agent crop is "not a star-studded class."  The free agent market has been dimmed by the preponderance of teams who lock their young stars up to multiyear contracts early in their careers.

AL East Notes: Orioles, Longoria, Encarnacion, BoSox

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It was on this day in 1997 that Roger Clemens struck out 16 Red Sox batters to lead the Blue Jays to a 3-1 win at Fenway Park.  It was Clemens' first appearance in Boston since he signed a free agent contract with Toronto the previous winter, and there were some definite hard feelings — Clemens punctuated several of his strikeouts with glances up towards the Fenway luxury boxes and then-Sox GM Dan Duquette.

Here's the latest from around the AL East…

  • Speaking of Duquette, the current Orioles executive VP tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he is looking for a hitter with on-base skills to bat first or second in the Orioles' lineup.  Connolly speculates that Shane Victorino could fit that bill though the O's would have to outbid several other teams if the Phillies made Victorino available.
  • Duquette didn't completely rule out dealing a major prospect like Manny Machado or Dylan Bundy, but such a deal is very unlikely.  "They can be really good major leaguers for a really long time,” Duquette said. “That’s the way I look at it. I don’t know that we want to send them to another ballclub for two months or 10 starts of a pitcher. I don’t think that’s the kind of trade we’d want to make. But we want to advance our team in the pennant race.”  (Quotes courtesy of Connolly's Twitter feed).
  • Evan Longoria's recovery timeline will "influence" what the Rays will do at the trade deadline, Andrew Friedman told reporters, including Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link).  Longoria is expected back in August though the third baseman has already experienced one setback during his recovery from a torn hamstring.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters (including Sportsnet's Shi Davidi) that with Edwin Encarnacion's extension settled, the team can now focus on acquiring pitching.  Anthopoulos also said he "didn't have any intention of trading" Encarnacion, though ESPN's Jayson Stark reported earlier today that the Jays were checking on trade interest in Encarnacion just last week.
  • The Yankees have wrapped up negotiations with first-round draft pick Ty Hensley and are waiting to hear if the right-hander will accept their offer before tomorrow's draft signing deadline, reports Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
  • The Red Sox are almost obligated to be active at the trade deadline, says ESPN's Tim Kurkjian during a radio appearance on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show.  (WEEI.com's Morley Quatroche has a partial transcript.)  “I think they’re going to have to be buyers because they’re the Red Sox,” Kurkjian said. “And they can’t give up on a season….The Red Sox have to go out and get somebody. They have to go out and get another starting pitcher, whether it’s Ryan Dempster or Zack Greinke. It’s going to take an enormous amount to do it.”  Kurkjian also discusses such topics as Carl Crawford's injury, Bobby Valentine's managerial style and the mood in the Sox clubhouse.
  • For most Boston-related material, here's a collection of Red Sox notes from earlier today, plus news about trade interest in the team's backup outfielders.

Justin Upton Rumors: Wednesday

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The Diamondbacks are willing to listen to offers for Justin Upton, but they’re not looking for prospects. "We're still in win mode,” GM Kevin Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. We’ll track the latest rumors on Upton here with the most recent updates up top.

  • Olney suggests the Braves could be a fit for Upton (Twitter links). Atlanta could build a deal around third baseman/outfielder Martin Prado and pitching prospects, Olney writes. Upton would balance the Braves' lineup and provide the team with cost certainty going forward, Olney adds.
  • The Diamondbacks believe they could obtain a package of perhaps three players for Upton, Piecoro writes. Towers said he’s not shopping the right fielder, but will listen in case an enticing offer emerges. “Clubs have asked; I've said, 'Hey, tell me what you would do.' We could either say yes or say no," the GM told Piecoro.
  • The Rangers could make sense as a suitor for Upton, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney suggests (all Twitter links). The Diamondbacks could be interested in third base prospect Mike Olt and the Rangers could like the idea of adding outfield depth with Josh Hamilton headed toward free agency.
  • Upton has no-trade protection that allows him to block deals to some big-market teams, including the Yankees, according to Olney.

East Notes: Martin, Phillies, Blue Jays, Papelbon

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A few links from around the NL East and AL East, where the Yankees and Nationals reside in first place at the All-Star break …

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman has no plans to acquire a catcher despite Russell Martin's struggles, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. "We have our catching," Cashman said. "I believe in Russell Martin, period."
  • The Phillies are flirting with exceeding MLB's luxury-tax threshold of $178MM, which could affect their dealings with impending free agent Cole Hamels, who's also a potential trade candidate, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The looming threat of a luxury tax stifling a player's contract negotiations is something union chief Michael Wiener said he wouldn't be "happy about," but he understands it's part of the the collective bargaining agreement.
  • The Blue Jays will have to pay a tax after overshooting the $2.9MM cap for signing international free agents that kicked in on July 2, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Toronto inked three of BA's top 20 international free agents.
  • Former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said his Boston tenure all but ended when ex-manager Terry Francona's 2012 option was not picked up, leaving a managerial void the club would not fill till December, according to ESPNBoston.com. The Sox never made the right-hander an offer, Papelbon confirmed: "(The Red Sox) wanted to see if I could go out and test the market and maybe come back. I don't know if they would (have countered), but I don't go back. I go forward."

Quick Hits: Yankees, Orioles, Selig

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Here are some links to read before the Home Run Derby begins, starting with last year's derby winner…

  • The Yankees have had internal discussions about a long-term contract for Robinson Cano, Jack Curry of the YES Network writes. GM Brian Cashman acknowledges that the team has considered trying to lock the second baseman up to an extension. "Oh, yeah. But we haven't done it yet," Cashman said.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com suggests the Orioles should seek upgrades aggressively without parting with elite prospects Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado. Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette is working to add starting pitching between now and the end of July and names like Zack Greinke and Wandy Rodriguez have emerged as possibilities.
  • Commissioner Bud Selig told reporters he's "very satisfied" with baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement so far, Eric Fisher of the Sports Business Journal tweets.

Quick Hits: Paul, Ross, Tanner, Wells, Martin

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Let's check out some links as Saturday turns into Sunday..

  • Outfielder Xavier Paul has signed with the Reds and will report to Triple-A Louisville, according to his agency Paragon Sports International on Twitter.  Paul was granted free agency by the Nationals earlier this week.
  • Cody Ross told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that he rejected a multi-year offer from ‪the Braves‬ to sign a one-year deal with ‪the Red Sox‬ this winter.  Ross has a .275/.352/.560 slash line in 220 plate appearances this year.
  • The Giants signed left-hander Clayton Tanner and assigned him to Triple-A after he was released by the Reds, according to the Fresno Grizzlies' tranactions page.  Tanner, 24, spent several years in the Giants organization before being designated for assignment last summer.
  • There is concern for the Angels that there could be distractions if Vernon Wells either grumbles about a lack of playing time upon his return or other players grumble about him taking at-bats away from Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  Wells is set to earn $21MM in each season through 2014 and moving him would be far from easy.
  • Russell Martin's slump this year could cost him a great deal of money, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  The catcher is believed to have rejected a three-year, $24MM offer from the Yankees this offseason, instead choosing to bet on himself.
  • Orioles General Manager Dan Duquette confirmed to Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com that the club won't be signing Korean high school pitcher Seong-Min Kim.  The O's signing of Kim this winter got them in hot water with the Korean Baseball Association which led to their $550K agreement being voided.
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