Rosenthal On Buyers And Sellers
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports predicts whether six of the teams on the fringes of the playoff race will become buyers or sellers between now and July 31st, providing some rumors along the way:
- The Cardinals, who are not interested in Miguel Tejada, are tracking Mark DeRosa.
- Carl Pavano, Jamey Carroll and Rafael Betancourt could all become trade candidates.
- The Indians will only move Victor Martinez or Cliff Lee if they're overwhelmed.
- Rosenthal predicts the White Sox will be buyers. After all, their offense has lots of room for improvement and they're just 3.0 games behind Detroit.
- If the Rockies sell, they could have two impressive trade chips in Jason Marquis and Huston Street.
- One GM predicts that demand for Street will be so intense that he'll command more in return than Matt Holliday will for the A's.
- The Yankees, Rangers and Dodgers could have interest if Street hits the market.
- The Astros won't likely add payroll, but Rosenthal doesn't expect them to sell.
- Along with Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn, the Mariners have Adrian Beltre. We don't know if any of them will hit the market, but Beltre's been hitting better for the last six weeks.
- The Marlins are looking for a reliever who can set up for Matt Lindstrom.
- Rosenthal predicts the Marlins will try to compete for as long as possible before considering deals for Jorge Cantu, Dan Uggla and Jeremy Hermida.
Edes On Tejada, Nationals, Shapiro
Yahoo's Gordon Edes updates us on the Cardinals' search for a bat and more in his most recent column. Here are the details:
- The Cardinals aren't interested in Miguel Tejada, but they are looking to add offensive help at third or in the outfield.
- Some have criticized the Pirates for taking Tony Sanchez fourth overall, but Edes hears they chose him because they like his tools and believe he's polished enough to reach the majors before most players in the draft.
- The Nationals would move Elijah Dukes or Lastings Milledge. Ryan Zimmerman is their only untouchable player.
- The Rangers have interest in Nick Johnson.
- There is speculation that Indians GM Mark Shaprio could be promoted to club president, with Chris Antonetti becoming GM. Edes hears that we won't see an in-season shake-up.
- Bill Lajoie, one of the decision-makers behind the deal that sent Hanley Ramirez to Florida, doesn't second guess the move.
- Edes heard from one scouting director who believes Bryce Harper is stronger than Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez when they were in high school. However, some scouts wonder whether Harper would be better if he didn't rush to the majors.
Odds And Ends: Francoeur, Draft, Giants
Some more links for the evening…
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman wonders if Jeff Francoeur might end up with the Marlins after all. He can imagine a Francoeur-Jeremy Hermida swap. Personally, I don't see the Marlins making that deal.
- Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox are set to sign their second round pick, pitcher Alex Wilson.
- MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports that the Cardinals agreed to sign their second rounder, Robert Stock, and 31 other players they drafted.
- The Cards haven't reached an agreement with first rounder Shelby Miller yet, and, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, that's no surprise.
- As Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports, Boston's director of player personnel, Mike Hazen heard Clay Buchholz's comments and remains sure that the righty wants to help the Red Sox win titles.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says the Giants could really use a power bat.
Izzy To Hang Up His Spikes?
Rays right-hander Jason Isringhausen was placed on the 60-day disabled list Sunday morning with an injury to his surgically-repaired right elbow, leading some in the media, including the St. Petersburg Times' Joe Smith, to speculate that the 36-year-old former closer may soon call it a career.
Morosi’s Latest: Orioles, Cardinals, Rangers
FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi writes that with the Orioles buried in fifth place in the AL East, look for the team to start moving some of their veterans. Morosi cites an "industry executive" who says that several teams have called about Aubrey Huff and Luke Scott, both lefthanded bats with some thump. He suggests that the Reds, Tigers, Giants and Braves could match up in a deal, noting that the Tigers pursued both Huff and Scott three years ago.
Here's the rest of Morosi's rumors:
- Triple-A outfielder Wilkin Ramirez is one of Detroit's best trade chips.
- Morosi echoes reports that the Cardinals are looking for a bat.
- One scout says that Miguel Tejada's defense has been better than most give him credit for. I can't imagine that will play a big role in determining his trade value, though.
- Texas is looking for an upgrade for their rotation, and would likely be in on Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt if they are made available.
- It's increasingly unlikely that the Red Sox will make a move for a shortstop with Nick Green holding his own and Jed Lowrie close to returning from a wrist injury.
Cardinals Looking To Add Bat, But No Deal Imminent
Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch spoke to Cardinals president Bill DeWitt Jr., who acknowledged that the team is looking to add another bat, but says not to expect a move anytime soon.
"There are possibilities here and there, but nothing compelling," DeWitt said regarding a middling pool of available trade possibilities. "There remain some clubs that now perceive themselves in the race that may fall out and move talent. But you can't be certain of the market."
Strauss mentions that the Indians, A's and Astros all have been playing better of late, so they could be the clubs that DeWitt is referring too. He also acknowledged that the team's better than expected attendance gives them some financial flexibility "if the right situation were to occur."
The Cards have been connected to Miguel Tejada recently, but it's unknown if the team has that kind of flexibility.
Orioles, Cardinals Interested In Sano
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles will attend a three day workout for Dominican prospect Miguel Angel Sano later this month. John Stockstill, the O's director of international scouting, confirms the team's interest:
"We've seen him a few times, but it gets back to our commitment of seeing the top players," John Stockstill said. "We're going to make sure we give him a thorough look and evaluation. We have legitimate interest, but we have to be sure of what we're seeing."
The Orioles worked Sano out just over a week ago, but apparently they still want to see more. Meanwhile, Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette passes along word that the Cardinals have also scheduled a workout for Sano later this week. It certainly looks like it will be a very competitive market for the 16-yr old shortstop, by our count no fewer than 12 teams have expressed interest in the youngster.
You can follow all of the Sano rumors here.
Odds & Ends: Betemit, Greene, Sano, Draft
How do you guys feel about interleague play? I understand the problems in creates in terms of the unbalanced schedule, but the fan in me still loves it. Anyway, here's some evening links as rivalry weekend kicks off…
- Wilson Betemit has been outrighted to Triple-A according to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune. Betemit had been designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Gordon Beckham last week.
- Khalil Greene has returned to St. Louis not to play, but to "have his status re-evaluated" according to Derrick Goold. The Cards have been looking for middle infield help, and most recently have been connected to Miguel Tejada.
- Tyler Kepner notes that prospect Miguel Angel Sano will work out for the Yankees at their Dominican academy next Thursday. Here's the money quote from Sano's agent Rob Plummer: "I would say he has a Hanley Ramirez body and the possible upside of an Albert Pujols-type bat." Oh, is that all?
- Maury Brown notes that this week's amateur draft shattered MLB.com's traffic records.
- MLB.com's Todd Willis reports that the Rangers have signed six draft picks including Ruben Sierra Jr.
- The Blue Jays inked a nostalgic draft pick of their own, agreeing to terms with Tony Fernandez's son Jonathan according to Erika Gilbert.
Heyman On Penny, Ackley, Milledge
SI.com's Jon Heyman places Marco Scutaro and David Ortiz atop his lists of over and underperforming players. In the same article, he provides some trade rumors:
- The Phillies, Mets and Cardinals are among the teams "in" on the Brad Penny discussions.
- Philadelphia would still like to acquire a premium pitcher; they're "aiming higher" than Penny.
- Dustin Ackley is apparently seeking "Mark Teixeira money." No, he's not looking for $180MM, but he'd like a deal worth $9.5MM, like the one Teixiera received out of college.
- And there's word of trade talks involving Lastings Milledge.
Odds And Ends: Indians, Ryan, Red Sox
More links for the afternoon…
- The Indians drafted two players named Kyle Smith, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Mark Shapiro still says he's hoping for a resurgence from the Indians, according to Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today.
- Dean Jones Jr. of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles selected Mike Flacco, the brother of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe.
- The family connections don't stop there. As Chad Finn of the Boston Globe reports, the Red Sox chose Michael Yastrzemski, Carl's grandson.
- Charlie Nobles of MLB.com writes that Brendan Ryan is playing well, maybe well enough to become the Cardinals' regular shortstop.
- Within this ESPN Insider chat with Keith Law, he says the Red Sox have had the best draft.
- Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has been hitting better this month, as Alex Speier of WEEI.com notes. This takes pressure off the Red Sox to acquire another bat.
- Gwen Knapp of CBS Sports says baseball's insistence on developing a higher profile for the draft is part of the reason Stephen Strasburg can command so much money.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if any free agent-to-be has seen his stock drop more than John Lackey's this season. He could have a point, as Matt Holliday's hitting better, but Lackey has pitched well two of his last four starts. How much will he sign for this offseason?