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Morosi On Dempster, Victorino, Liriano

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The Mariners don’t intend to trade Felix Hernandez this summer, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported yesterday. However, many other stars will be available in trade talks between now and the end of July. Here are Morosi’s latest notes and rumors:

  • The Dodgers and Tigers are among the most serious suitors for Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster, Morosi reports. Ten teams have reportedly shown interest in Dempster.
  • One executive predicts Shane Victorino will be the first big-name player traded. The Dodgers have some interest in Victorino, and the Rangers, Tigers, Pirates, Marlins and Giants have all scouted him recently.
  • The Blue Jays and Angels are showing interest in Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano, Morosi reports. Liriano has a 2.83 ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 57 1/3 innings since returning to Minnesota's rotation at the end of May, so many teams have been watching the Twins on days Liriano starts.

Yankees Will Monitor Hamels, Pass On Greinke

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The Yankees will stay informed about Cole Hamels’ availability between now and the July 31st trade deadline, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports. But even if the left-hander's possible extension doesn't materialize and the Phillies decide to weigh trade offers, Yankees GM Brian Cashman probably won’t pursue Hamels as aggressively as he went after Cliff Lee two years ago. 

Under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement, it’d be impossible for the Yankees to obtain draft pick compensation for Hamels if he were to depart as a free agent when his contract expires following the 2012 season. And signing Hamels long-term doesn’t seem realistic for a Yankees team that aims to avoid luxury tax penalties by 2014. Not only would Hamels command an annual salary of $20MM plus, the Yankees would have to surrender inexperienced (and affordable) players to pry the left-hander away from the Phillies.

The Yankees aren’t interested in Zack Greinke and don’t believe his personality would thrive in New York, Davidoff notes. Like Hamels, Greinke could sign an extension before the trade deadline. Cubs right-handers Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza are among the other possibilities for the Yankees. However, Cashman has said he’s skeptical about the chances of finding a deal that makes sense.

Cole Hamels Rumors: Sunday

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The Angels, Dodgers, Rangers, Pirates, Tigers, Marlins, and Giants were reportedly among the teams with scouts in attendance for Cole Hamels' start against the Rockies this afternoon, though keep in mind that a scouting presence does not always imply trade interest in a particular player.  The lefty didn't disappoint, dealing eight innings of one-run ball at Coors Field. The Rangers sent Don Welke, the senior special assistant to GM Jon Daniels, to Denver and Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports Texas wants Hamels bad. Here are the latest rumors on the prized left-hander with the latest up top:

  • Hamels doesn't seem concerned about his uncertain future, telling reporters after his victory, "That's the least of my worries."
  • The Phillies' forthcoming offer to Hamels is "expected to be in the ballpark that they know the left-hander will want, this close to free agency," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  I'm guessing Hamels would have his eye on a contract worth $23-25MM annually over six-plus years, if he reaches free agency. – Tim Dierkes
  • The Phillies are still "trying like heck" to sign Hamels, reports Salisbury.
  • The Dodgers and Phillies have had discussions about Hamels, but the Phillies aren't thrilled with the players they would receive in return, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. The Dodgers could become more aggressive in their pursuit with news that Chad Billingsley is suffering from elbow issues.
  • The Phillies have a scout attending the Angels–Yankees game fueling speculation the Halos could be in on Hamels, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman lists 10 teams that could be interested in Hamels, as well as the Brewers' Zack Greinke.
  • In the same piece, Heyman quotes one official who says there's a 30% chance the Phillies sign Hamels to a long-term extension.
  • Outside executives believe the Phillies will work feverishly to extend Hamels rather than trade him, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman provides three reasons for such a theory, including that it's harder than ever to land a commensurate package for a star in his walk year given the rule changes in the new collective bargaining agreement. 

Poll: Will The Phillies Extend Cole Hamels?

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The Phillies are reportedly preparing a large extension offer for 28-year-old southpaw Cole Hamels, who shut down the Rockies today at Coors Field in a well-scouted game.  We've heard Hamels expects to be paid as an elite pitcher, so his next contract is surely headed north of $100MM.  In recent months Matt Cain and C.C. Sabathia both chose extensions over the open market, signing five-year contracts worth $112.5MM and $122MM in new money, respectively.

The Cain and Sabathia contracts include reasonable sixth-year vesting options, but that fully guaranteed sixth year is probably what both pitchers sacrificed by signing prior to full-blown free agency bidding wars.  The Phillies already have one starting pitcher megadeal on the books, having created the template by signing Cliff Lee for five years and $120MM plus a vesting option in December 2010.  A year and a half later, a Lee/Cain/Sabathia-type contract would be a reasonable offer from the Phillies for Hamels, but he may want more.  The clock is ticking, because if they can't extend Hamels, the Phillies' best path is probably to trade Hamels for a nice bounty this month.  How do you see it playing out?

Will the Phillies extend Cole Hamels this month?
No 56.46% (6,991 votes)
Yes 43.54% (5,391 votes)
Total Votes: 12,382

Rosenthal’s Latest: Marlins, ChiSox, Headley, Orioles

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a bunch of new rumors for us today in a pair of videos. Let's round 'em up…

  • Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria may soon be faced with the question about selling at the deadline, something he wanted to avoid in the first year of the club's new ballpark. The best thing they could do to improve their farm system likely involves trading guys like Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante, and the newly acquired Carlos Lee.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams always thinks big and it would not be surprising to see him get in on pitcher such as Zack Greinke. The problem is that his farm system doesn't have much to offer and they don't want to give up pieces off the big league roster while contending.
  • The best guess right now has the Padres keeping Carlos Quentin and trading Chase Headley. Rosenthal says it's simple supply-and-demand; as many as ten teams have shown interest in the third baseman Headley. The team isn't sure they can get more for Quentin in a trade than they would by letting him walk as a free agent and recouping draft picks after the season.
  • The Orioles are clearly buyers. They're willing to trade any prospect not named Dylan Bundy or Manny Machado, but they probably don't have enough to get Greinke. They do have interest in lesser arms like Joe Blanton and Jason Vargas, as well as leadoff man Juan Pierre.
  • The Brewers could pit the Rangers and Angels against each other in the Greinke sweepstakes. Texas is unwilling to trade Mike Olt, Jurickson Profar, or Martin Perez for a rental, which could create an opening for the Halos if they're willing to deal Major League talent.
  • The Phillies do not intend to trade Cliff Lee to create payroll room for Cole Hamels. If they do keep Hamels long-term, they could have $140MM tied up in just eight players going into next season.

Olney On Victorino, Phillies, Sizemore, Ryan

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Here's a look at the latest from Buster Olney of ESPN.com (all links go to Twitter)..

  • Rival teams say the Phillies' asking price for Shane Victorino is extremely high right now, Olney tweets.  Last week, people familiar with the club's thinking told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that whether he is dealt before the deadline or plays out the year in Philadelphia, he doesn't appear to be long for the organization.
  • Victorino would be a fit for many teams including the Indians, Pirates, and maybe the Yankees, but it's not clear if anyone would give them value equal to the draft pick they would receive as compensation, tweets Olney.
  • Speaking of the Indians and their outfield situation, they're not completely ruling out a return for Grady Sizemore this year, Olney tweets.  They're also not necessarily expecting to see him back in action as his legs haven't responded in rehab.
  • It makes total sense for the Braves to pursue Mariners infielder Brendan Ryan, says Olney.  The 30-year-old is making $1.75MM on the back end of a two-year pact.

Draft Links: Compensation Picks, Seniors, Yaz

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Yesterday afternoon (4pm CT, specifically) was the deadline for teams to sign this year's draft picks. Every first round and supplemental first round pick signed except for Stanford right-hander Mark Appel, who turned down the Pirates as the eighth overall pick. Here's a round-up of some post-draft links…

  • Jim Callis of Baseball America lists the four compensation picks for next year's draft. The Pirates will get the ninth overall pick for Appel while the Mets (76th overall), Phillies (96th), and Athletics (supplemental third round) will also receive picks for failing to sign players before yesterday's deadline.
  • The deadline does not apply to college seniors with college eligibility remaining, so Preston Tucker (seventh round, Astros), Jarret Leverett (15th, Twins), and Tyler Olson (17th, Athletics) are still eligible to sign at any time according to Callis (on Twitter).
  • The Mariners offered 30th round pick Mike Yastrzemski a $300k bonus according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons (on Twitter), but he decided to return to Vanderbilt to finish his degree. Mike is the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.
  • Fifteen picks in the top ten rounds remained unsigned as of 15 minutes prior to the deadline, and Callis explains what happened with each of them.

Quick Hits: Braves, Blue Jays, Soriano, Weaver

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Earlier this evening, Braves General Manager Frank Wren confirmed that he is on the lookout for a shortstop.  "We’re moving along. Hopefully in the next day or so we’ll get to the end of it," said the GM, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter).  Here's more from around baseball..

  • The Blue Jays‬ are more focused on improving their starting rotation than their bullpen right now but are interested in upgrading both, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Toronto is said to be among the clubs interested in Cubs starter Matt Garza.
  • Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) speculates that Alfonso Soriano would be an interesting get for the Rays if the Cubs were willing to absorb about 90 percent of the money owed to him.
  • Angels pitcher Jered Weaver has no regrets about staying with the Halos for less money than he could have gotten elsewhere on the open market this offseason, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
  • Phillies assistant GM Marti Wolever isn't “overly disappointed” about not signing second-round pick Alec Rash, writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.  “We’ll get an extra second-rounder next year,” he said of the right-hander. “We liked [Rash], but he didn’t pitch well this summer. We made a fair offer. He’s going to school."

NL East Notes: Nationals, Pence, Young

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The Nationals will have to directly protect their NL East lead right out of the gate after the All-Star Break, as Washington's first 14 games of the second are all against division rivals.  Here are some items from around the NL East…

  • The Nationals may be relatively quiet at the trade deadline, as Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider write that the team is relying more on injured players (Drew Storen and Jayson Werth) returning to fill holes in the roster.
  • If the Phillies dealt Hunter Pence, they could use the salary earmarked his possible long-term extension and spend it on re-signing Shane Victorino at a discount and signing another outfielder, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Using Andre Ethier's $85MM extension with the Dodgers as a model for a future Pence contract, Gelb argues that if the Phils don't want to pay Pence that much, they should move him now to create salary relief and add prospects.  Pence has one more arbitration year before being eligible for free agency following the 2013 season.
  • Chris Young's minor league contract with the Mets can pay him as much as $4.85MM if he reaches all his incentive clauses, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.  Young's one-year deal pays him a base salary of $1.1MM.

Phillies Preparing Major Offer For Cole Hamels

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The Phillies plan to offer Cole Hamels a large contract extension in order to see if they can lock the southpaw up before the July 31 trade deadline, reports ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.  The size of the proposal is unknown, though a source tells Stark that the Phillies have debated about whether or not to break their unofficial club policy of not signing a pitcher to more than five guaranteed years.

We recently heard that the Phillies were willing to go beyond four years to sign Hamels, though if the Phils aren't willing to go beyond five years, Hamels could easily get a minimum six-year deal on the open market this winter.  If it's just length and not money (an estimated $24-25MM per season) that's the issue, the gap could possibly be closed by a vesting option. 

This could explain why the Phillies are internally optimistic that they can re-sign Hamels, Stark hears from two executives from opposing teams.

"They're trying to sign him," said one of those executives. "And they think it's going to happen. At least that's what I was told."

If Hamels turns down the offer, then the Phillies could explore trading the southpaw before the trade deadline, though Stark notes that the Phillies intend to wait as long as possible to decide if they'll be sellers given that Chase Utley, Ryan Howard are off the DL and Roy Halladay will also soon return.

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