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NL East Notes: Nationals, Hamels, Pelfrey, Braves

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Jimmy Rollins announced on Twitter that he has a mild grade 2 groin strain and will be on the disabled list until September. Here's the latest on the 81-44 Phillies and the rest of their division…

  • Ryan Zimmerman repeated to MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he'd like to spend his entire career in Washington. The third baseman is set to hit free agency after the 2013 season.
  • Scouts tell Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the Nationals will be powerful in a couple of years and would compete in the NL West right now (Twitter link).
  • The Phillies and Cole Hamels want to work out a long-term deal this offseason, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Gelb shows that Jered Weaver is about as statistically similar to Hamels as possible and suggests that the Phillies and Hamels could agree to a contract that mimics Weaver's recent five-year, $85MM extension. Hamels should earn more than Weaver, given his higher 2011 salary and proximity to free agency. 
  • Mets manager Terry Collins asked starter Mike Pelfrey if he'd be up for becoming the team's closer in 2012 and Pelfrey said he "absolutely" would, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. However, it's unlikely that Pelfrey will become the Mets' closer, since GM Sandy Alderson is opposed to the idea, Martino writes. Check out CloserNews.com for more on each team’s bullpen. 
  • Braves GM Frank Wren told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he has focused on adding speed in recent years, bringing in players such as Jose Constanza and Michael Bourn.
  • Braves reliever Eric O'Flaherty switched agents and is now a client of Dan Lozano's Icon Sports Group, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter). Steve Canter formerly represented the left-hander, who will be arbitration eligible for the second time after the season. Keep track of each player's representation with MLBTR's Agency Database.

NL East Links: Phillies, Thome, Mets, Pelfrey

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There's not much drama left in the NL East race, where the Phillies hold a seven and a half game lead over the Braves, not to mention a lead of at least 21 games over everyone else. But that doesn't mean there's not still a little hot stove chatter going on in the division. Let's check out Sunday's NL East links, with a focus on the Phils and Mets….

Quick Hits: Anthopoulos, Marlins, Harden, Bogusevic

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Todd Helton celebrated his 38th birthday with a 3-for-6 performance (that included a homer) against the Dodgers today.  Best of all for Helton, the Rockies picked up a 7-6 win in a 13-inning affair against their NL West rivals.

Some news from around the majors….

  • "There is a strong belief" that the Blue Jays have discussed a contract extension with general manager Alex Anthopoulos, writes Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star.  The catch is, the terms of Anthopoulos' original deal in 2009 were never made public, so the end date of the GM's current contract is unknown to all but himself and the club.  Anthopoulos' quotes to Griffin would seem to indicate that he is staying in Toronto for years to come. 
  • The Marlins have denied several requests from teams to interview GM Michael Hill and VP of player personnel Dan Jennings for open front office positions over the last few years, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  Rodriguez feels the two men have earned the right to run their own team since Larry Beinfest calls the shots in Florida, though in Hill's case, he would have to be offered a president position to leave since he's already a general manager.
  • If Rich Harden is traded this month or just reaches the end of his one-year contract, he's still a candidate to return to the Athletics in the offseason, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Harden has family in the Bay Area, enjoys pitching in Oakland and has "a great relationship with pitching coach Ron Romanick."
  • Slusser also notes that the A's were looking for a first baseman for Harden at the deadline (like Lars Anderson from Boston), but since they've acquired Brandon Allen in the interim, the A's could ask for an outfielder or third baseman in a potential Harden trade package.
  • Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle looks at how Brian Bogusevic went from a failing minor league pitcher to a productive member of the Astros' outfield.
  • "It's important to have talented players in uniform in Pittsburgh," Pirates owner Robert Nutting told Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  "That's exactly what we're trying to do, whether it's through a long-term assurance in a contract or whether it's bringing in great talent (through the draft)."  The Bucs have had an expensive week, spending $17MM on draft picks, signing Jose Tabata to a contract extension and closing in on another multiyear deal with Neil Walker.
  • The Rockies have dealt some notable right-handed prospects in recent years, but as Rich M of Inside The Rockies details, the club hasn't lost any significant arms.
  • Scott Van Slyke's impressive minor league campaign should earn him a chance at the Dodgers' first base job in Spring Training, argues Jon Weisman of ESPN Los Angeles.  Van Slyke, 25, has a .343/.424/.576 line in 474 plate appearances for Double-A Chattanooga this season.  Incumbent first baseman James Loney is expected to be non-tendered by L.A. this winter.
  • Ryan Madson's meltdown against the Nationals on Friday night is a sign that the Phillies need to stop using him on three consecutive days, opines Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  You can catch up on all the latest info about the Phillies' bullpen and every other late-game situation in baseball on MLBTR's sister site, Closer News.

Phillies Release Cust, Heilman

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The Phillies have released minor leaguers Jack Cust and Aaron Heilman, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadephia Inquirer.

Cust was signed just last week and had a .250/348/.500 line in 23 Triple-A plate appearances.  The Phillies are known to be looking for a left-handed bench bat, though Cust's lack of pinch-hitting success made him a less-than-ideal fit for the role.  This is the veteran slugger's second release in the month after being cut loose by the Mariners on August 4.   

Heilman, 32, signed with the Phils last month after being released by the D'Backs.  Heilman posted a 6.88 ERA in 32 appearances coming out of the Arizona bullpen this season and his struggles continued in Philadelphia's minor league system — an 8.38 ERA in 9 1/3 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Stark On Draft, Astros, Phillies

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There’s a disconnect between ownership groups and baseball operations departments for some small market teams, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Owners want hard slotting for draft picks, but their front office employees like having the freedom to accumulate talent by spending aggressively in the draft. Here are the details and the rest of Stark’s notes from around MLB…

  • Some small-market teams would like to see stiffer luxury tax rates and thresholds imposed, the implementation of an international draft and penalties for teams whose payrolls dip below a certain level.
  • The idea of supplying small-market teams with extra draft picks has also been “tossed around,” Stark reports.
  • Unless the perfect player falls into the Phillies’ laps, they are going to rely on Jack Cust for left-handed pop. In other words, they aren’t prepared to overpay for someone like Jason Giambi, Jim Thome, Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon.
  • MLB doesn’t expect that anything will prevent Jim Crane from completing his purchase of the Astros, according to Stark.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Morrison, Thome

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Top Nationals prospect Bryce Harper had to leave last night's Double-A contest with a hamstring injury and Washington's medical staff will re-evaluate the 18-year-old outfielder today. In the meantime, here are some links from the Nationals' division…

  • Former Nationals president Stan Kasten told Bill Ladson of MLB.com that the Nationals had an "awesome, fantastic" draft this year. Kasten found out that Nats pick Matt Purke looks up to Tom Glavine and was able to set up a talk between the two left-handers.
  • Scott Miller of CBSSports.com understands why the Marlins' decision to demote Logan Morrison has drawn so much criticism, but he isn't ready to criticize Florida's move himself. One Marlin told Miller that Morrison was behaving like a superstar before he had even become a star.
  • Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News wonders if Jim Thome could end up returning to Philadelphia this season and says there's probably a way to make it happen. "Now it's up to the Phillies to decide whether it makes sense from a competitive standpoint," Hagen writes.

Quick Hits: Damon, Choate, Braves

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August 18th featured significant trades in 2009 (Ivan Rodriguez to the Rangers) and 2010 (Derrek Lee to the Braves). So far, today we've seen the Rangers acquire Tim Wood from the Pirates. Here are today’s links…

Phillies Interested In Acquiring Left-Handed Hitter

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The Phillies have had internal discussions about acquiring a left-handed bench bat to serve as a pinch-hitter, according to Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Phils discussed trades involving Rockies first baseman Jason Giambi and Twins first baseman/DH Jim Thome prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, and they would still like to acquire either of those sluggers, according to Brookover. However, both would be long shots at this point because it's unlikely Giambi or Thome would fall to the Phillies through waivers.

Ross Gload and Brian Schneider are the only lefty hitters on the bench presently, although the Phils recently signed former Athletics and Mariners slugger Jack Cust to a minor league contract in hopes that he could serve in a Matt Stairs-like role. Cust has declined in recent years, though, and has not had much success in his career as a pinch-hitter, so it doesn't sound like the Phils are expecting much there.

Otherwise, one remaining option would be to recall Domonic Brown, although that is less than ideal because he is slumping with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and needs to play every day to develop. Another option the Phils have discussed, a source tells Brookover, is recalling Brandon Moss from Lehigh Valley. Moss, of course, was involved in the three-team swap that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and Jason Bay to the Red Sox a couple years back.

The Phils look to be fine-tuning things before the postseason. We also heard yesterday that they are seeking a left-handed reliever.

Yankees, Phillies Seek Veteran Lefty Relievers

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The Phillies and Yankees are searching for veteran left-handed relievers, reported ESPN's Jayson Stark yesterday.  Let's take a look at who might be available.

Five southpaws have been reported to have cleared waivers so far: Chris Capuano, Jason Vargas, Bruce Chen, Tom Gorzelanny, and Ted Lilly.  Lilly is certainly not being acquired for a bullpen role, while Vargas is also unlikely.  Of the remaining three, Gorzelanny has been sharp against lefties and is currently in the Nationals' bullpen.  If the Nationals do not intend to tender him a contract after the season, they could move Gorzelanny now as a way of saving $485K and possibly getting a mildly useful prospect back.

Players do not have to clear waivers to be traded in August, but the Yankees and Phillies are at the bottom of the claiming order in their respective leagues.  Their best bet would be to go after an overpaid southpaw who is effective against lefties, as the Twins did with Brian Fuentes a year ago.  Examples could be Fuentes again, or Baltimore's Mike Gonzalez.

Otherwise, eight more lefty relievers I could see being available are John Grabow, Craig Breslow, Sean Burnett, Jose Mijares, Tim Byrdak, Randy Choate, Joe Beimel, and J.P. Howell.  Byrdak and Choate have been the toughest on lefties, but Choate might be hardest to acquire since he is controlled beyond this year.  Howell could be a fit for the Phillies – he's been battered by right-handed hitters but good against left-handed ones in a small sample, and the Rays may be planning to non-tender him after the season anyway.

Stark On Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies

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ESPN's Jayson Stark posted a new column yesterday; let's take a look.

  • Stark speculates on four players the Cubs could attempt to trade Carlos Zambrano for: Carlos Lee, A.J. Burnett, Barry Zito, and Derek Lowe.  I posted 11 Zambrano trade scenarios yesterday; check it out.  A few baseball insiders Stark spoke to did think that with the right veteran team or manager Zambrano could be useful.
  • Cubs players Kerry Wood and Reed Johnson were claimed on waivers and pulled back, reports Stark.  Carlos Pena has yet to be placed on waivers, but the Cubs may not be motivated to move him.
  • One baseball man who is close to Bud Selig told Stark the commissioner has "basically promised a lot of people he'll get them slotting by next year."  
  • The Red Sox are poking around for a right-handed bench bat, while the Yankees and Phillies seek veteran left-handed relievers.  
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