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Contenders In Need Of A Left Field Upgrade

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As many as seven contenders could seek a left field upgrade at the trade deadline:

  • Rays: The Rays are five games out in the wild card, so acquiring talent for the short-term remains possible.  They've been using Sam Fuld and Justin Ruggiano lately.
  • Tigers: The team has employed a bunch of different corner outfielders, but primary options Brennan Boesch and Magglio Ordonez might be sufficient.
  • White Sox: The Sox have stuck with Juan Pierre, who was at least useful in May and is having a solid July.  Internally, they could give more playing time to Brent Lillibridge or promote Dayan Viciedo.
  • Phillies: Raul Ibanez has had a rough year, but has shown power this month and in May.  He's earning $11.5MM, which limits the Phillies' flexibility.
  • Braves: The Braves have been using Nate McLouth in left and Jordan Schafer in center lately with Martin Prado on the DL.  Prado will fill in for Chipper Jones at third upon his return.
  • Reds: The Reds have tried Chris Heisey, Jonny Gomes, and Fred Lewis.  Overall none of them have been awful but no one has run away with the job.
  • Giants: Aaron Rowand, Cody Ross, and perhaps Pat Burrell are in the mix.  Brandon Belt could enter the picture as well, so the Giants may already have enough to choose from.

None of these clubs are a slam dunk to acquire a left fielder, but the Braves, Phillies, and Reds seem more likely than the others.  Potential trade targets could include Josh Willingham, Ryan Ludwick, Luke Scott (if healthy), David DeJesus, Marcus Thames, Laynce Nix, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, and Juan Rivera, with Soriano and Lee long shots to be dealt.

Jose Contreras’ Season In Jeopardy

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Jose Contreras has suffered a setback in his recovery from a right forearm injury, and Will Carroll tweets that the setback is "very serious" and has the remainder of the season in jeopardy for the 39-year-old right-hander.

Contreras has been limited to just 14 innings due to injuries in the first year of the two-year, $5.5MM extension he signed with the Phillies this offseason. This setback is just the latest in what's been a season of bad luck for the Philadelphia bullpen. Both Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson are on the shelf, which has led to Antonio Bastardo's emergence as the Phillies' closer for the time being.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has already said he's seeking bullpen help. The Phils have contacted the Padres about Heath Bell and Chad Qualls, and a serious injury to Contreras will likely strengthen their desire to add some proven arms to the back-end of the bullpen. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes listed some potentially available right-handed relievers last month, many of whom could now be on Amaro's radar with Contreras' future in question.

Quick Hits: Krol, K-Rod, Trade Deadline

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On this date in 1997, the Yankees signed a 17-year-old named Yhency Brazoban as an amateur free agent. Over the next 14 years, Brazoban was traded for Kevin Brown, closed games for the Dodgers, signed minor league contracts with four different teams, and, most recently, allowed yesterday's game-tying homer to Albert Pujols. Here are this afternoon's links, as Brazoban and the Diamondbacks look to recover from last night's loss in St. Louis….

  • Athletics minor leaguer Ian Krol was suspended indefinitely for a derogatory tweet, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Krol, a left-hander who was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, was ranked ninth among the A's prospects by Baseball America pre-season.
  • Even contenders who are eyeing Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez as an eighth-inning guy have to worry about his vesting option, says ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider only). As one GM points out, if your team acquires Rodriguez as a setup man and your closer gets hurt, it would be hard to justify not inserting K-Rod into the role.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com examines five prospects taking part in today's Futures Game who trade deadline sellers might target.
  • There are eight teams who should definitely be sellers at this point, argues Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter): the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Athletics, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres.
  • Despite being big spenders in Major League free agency, the Phillies are once again exercising restraint when it comes to international free agents, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter) reiterates that the Nationals need to acquire a leadoff man, citing the team's .203/.270/.306 slash line from the top of the order.

Cafardo’s Latest: Bell, Kazmir, Kendall, Aramis

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Heath Bell's name has been near the top of this season's list of trade candidates for months, and in this week's Sunday Baseball Notes, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe adds a new potential suitor to the mix. According to Cafardo's source, the Rays are interested in the Padres' closer, but will have to determine over the next couple weeks whether they have "enough firepower" to go all out to catch the Red Sox and Yankees. Here are a few other highlights from Cafardo:

  • The Yankees, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Phillies are a few other teams monitoring Bell.
  • While there hasn't been a whole lot of interest in Scott Kazmir, the Padres and Rangers have "taken a look."
  • Jason Kendall, who hasn't played this year as he recovers from shoulder surgery, has re-torn two rotator cuff tendons. Kendall will undergo additional surgery, possibly ending his career. Royals manager Ned Yost on the procedure: "That takes him out of the picture for this year and out of the picture for next year…. I think it’s more a quality-of-life surgery so he can have function in his shoulder."
  • The Angels appear to be the team most interested in Aramis Ramirez, though Cafardo names the Mariners, Giants, Braves, and D'Backs as other clubs who could look into the Cubs' third baseman. Of course, Ramirez's agent said earlier this week that his client likely won't waive his no-trade clause, so inquires may be futile.

Mets Notes: Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Wilpons

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One of three Mets' starting infielders currently on the disabled list, David Wright is making good progress in his rehab, according to MLB.com's Adam Berry and Anthony DiComo. The third baseman, who has been on the DL since May 18th, could start a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday and return to the Mets for the club's ten-game road trip later this month. Let's check out some other Mets-related notes….

  • According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, executives around the league have very different opinions about what sort of contract Jose Reyes will earn in free agency. Before Reyes was placed on the DL, estimates ranged from "no more than $90MM" to as much as $160MM.
  • Within the same piece, Sherman looks at some teams besides the Mets that could be in on Reyes this winter, including the Phillies, Brewers, Mariners, Nationals, and Tigers. One GM says the Giants are the "obvious choice," predicting a bid of $120MM or so from San Francisco.
  • The Mets' solid play heading into the second half makes the decision on whether to trade Carlos Beltran tougher, says Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. While the team probably won't seriously contend for the postseason, dealing Beltran this month would be a "white flag" move that would hurt attendance.
  • The Wilpons' chances of maintaining ownership of the Mets are looking better, write Teri Thompson and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.

Quick Hits: Phillies, Soria, Hardy, Braves

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The Reds signed Pete Rose as an amateur free agent on this date in 1960 and it's safe to say their investment paid off. Rose collected 3,358 hits in 19 seasons with the Reds en route to becoming MLB's all-time hits leader with 4,256. Here are today's links…

  • Phillies starter Cole Hamels is heading into his final season of arbitration eligibility and as David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News shows in a pair of pieces, starters with Hamels-like production have been extremely well-paid in recent years. Hamels is earning $9.5MM this year in his third season of arbitration eligibility.
  • Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News explains that the Phillies might want to acquire a right-handed hitter for their lineup to avoid becoming a regular season success that fails in the playoffs, like the 2001 Mariners.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports explains that being selected to play in the All-Star Game has made a difference for players like Jose Bautista and Joe Nathan, who have obtained more endorsement offers and had more leverage in contract discussions since becoming All-Stars for the first time.
  • The teams on Joakim Soria's no-trade list have changed since last season, according to Morosi (on Twitter). The Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies are on the list, just as they were last year. The Tigers, Cardinals and Cubs were previously on Soria's list, which is designed to provide the reliever with leverage.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles are communicating semi-regularly with J.J. Hardy about a possible extension. The Orioles began extension talks with the shortstop last week.
  • Atlanta GM Frank Wren told Mark Bowman of MLB.com that the pieces the Braves are looking for may already be on their roster.

Rosenthal On Braves, Yankees, Royals

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Though some teams are still in the process of deciding whether to buy, sell or hold, others are developing a clear sense of what moves they intend to make this month. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has the latest on the trade deadline, which is just over three weeks away… 

  • The Braves, who have limited payroll flexibility, aren’t sure if they’re going to upgrade their offense, but they could pursue a right-handed hitting outfielder. Atlanta could probably afford an outfielder like Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham or Michael Cuddyer if they also obtained cash to cover the player’s salary (though that would likely mean giving up better prospects in the trade).
  • The Phillies may end up pursuing some of the same right-handed hitters as the Braves. Philadelphia is also exploring trades for relievers now that Jose Contreras, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson are on the disabled list.
  • The Yankees would like to acquire a top-of-the-rotation lefty, but they’re more likely to add a left-handed reliever. New York’s preference is for a southpaw who can retire right-handed hitters as well as lefties. The Yankees are targeting a number of left-handers, including Sean Burnett of the Nationals, who is not yet available.
  • The Royals will listen to offers for all of their players, but rival executives tell Rosenthal that Joakim Soria is likely staying put, since the asking price for him is high. 
  • Yankees catcher Jesus Montero has limited appeal to the Royals, since they doubt he’ll be able to stay behind the plate long-term.
  • The Royals expect to compete from 2012-14.

NL East Notes: Johnson, Phillies, Mets

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On this date in 1979, Mike Schmidt homered in his first three trips to the plate then flied out to the warning track his next time up. Here's the latest from the Hall of Famer's former division…

Heyman On Cubs, Reyes, Street, Dodgers

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Jon Heyman of SI.com hands out his midseason awards and Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Verlander, Jose Reyes and Roy Halladay are among those who take home some virtual hardware. Here’s Heyman’s latest from around the Major Leagues…

  • Though Cubs manager Mike Quade appears to be safe, GM Jim Hendry doesn’t have assurances that he’ll keep his job, according to Heyman.
  • The Mets will make Reyes an offer, but one GM believes it will cost more than the $142MM Carl Crawford obtained to sign the shortstop when he hits free agency after the season.
  • I compared Reyes to Crawford on Monday and suggested that Reyes appears headed for a Crawford-like deal.
  • The Phillies would like to re-sign Ryan Madson after the season, when the currently injured closer hits free agency.
  • Huston Street could hit the trade market if the Rockies keep losing.
  • The Dodgers are saying they don’t expect to consider trading players away for two weeks or more.
  • Former Mets GM Omar Minaya is expected to join a different team in 2012.

Davidoff On Twins, Indians, Reyes, Rays

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Since few teams have been completely eliminated from contention, the trade market is developing slowly, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff. As of today, the top commodity available is relief pitching and there’s lots of interest in that department. Here are the rest of Davidoff’s notes on the trade market:

  • Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, Chad Qualls and Luke Gregerson are available. 
  • The Mets believe they can keep their fans interested even if they trade Rodriguez.
  • The Diamondbacks, Brewers, Cardinals and Rangers are among the teams that are heavily in the mix for relievers.
  • It appears extremely unlikely that the Mets will trade Jose Reyes, but his top suitors would likely include the Reds, Indians, Giants and Mariners, four teams that have poked around for infield help, according to Davidoff. It’s even possible that the Red Sox would pursue Reyes if he became available.
  • The Orioles aren’t quite ready to shop Koji Uehara and the Twins aren’t quite ready to shop Matt Capps. In fact, the Twins aren’t going to sell until they’re sure they’re out of contention.
  • The Yankees are focused on finding a lefty reliever, a commodity the Red Sox and Tigers would also like to acquire.
  • Though no frontline starters appear to be available, the Yankees are looking to acquire a top starter. Cleveland and Detroit are also looking for rotation help.
  • The Mariners are looking for an outfielder and the Phillies are still looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder.
  • One official says the Rays are “buying and selling.” Johnny Damon could be had in the right deal, according to Davidoff.
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