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Minor MLB Transactions: 7/31/15

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Today’s minor MLB moves..

  • The Rays announced (on Twitter) that catcher Bobby Wilson was claimed off waivers by the Rangers.
  • The Pirates designated Deolis Guerra for assignment to clear roster a spot for Joakim Soria, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets.  Guerra gave up two three-run homers to Brandon Phillips yesterday, which probably didn’t help his job security with the Bucs.
  • The A’s announced that they have acquired lefty Felix Doubront from the Blue Jays for cash.  Doubront was designated for assignment just days ago to make room for the acquisition of Troy Tulowitzki.
  • Caleb Thielbar will be designated for assignment to make room for Kevin Jepsen on the Twins’ 40-man roster, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (on Twitter).
  • To make room for Jonathan Broxton, the Cardinals have designated Marcus Hatley for assignment, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com tweets.
  • The Brewers announced that they have claimed Preston Guilmet off waivers from the Dodgers.  The well-traveled Guilmet didn’t spend much time with the Dodgers, who selected him off waivers from the Rays on July 10. Guilmet tossed three innings for the club’s Triple-A affiliate prior being designated for assignment.  He’s been very good at Triple-A this season, tallying a 1.95 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 32 1/3 innings between Buffalo, Durham and Oklahoma City.
  • The Nationals announced (on Twitter) that they have assigned catcher Dan Butler outright to Triple-A.
  • The Indians announced (on Twitter) that they have acquired left-hander Jayson Aquino from the Pirates for cash considerations.
  • The Pirates have outrighted Gorkys Hernandez to Triple-A, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets.
  • The Cubs have designated Ben Rowen for assignment, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com tweets.

Cubs Acquire Tommy Hunter For Junior Lake

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The Cubs have acquired right-hander Tommy Hunter from the Orioles, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. ESPN’s Buster Olney adds that outfielder Junior Lake will go back to Baltimore in the deal.

[RELATED: Cubs Acquire Dan Haren]

Hunter, 29 this month, has a 3.63 ERA, 6.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.60 HR/9, and 46.3% groundball rate in 60 2/3 innings for the Orioles this year. Hunter joined the Orioles four years ago along with Chris Davis, in a trade with the Rangers for Koji Uehara. Since 2013, he has a 3.05 ERA in 191 2/3 innings out of the Orioles’ bullpen. He’s earning $4.65MM this year, and will become a free agent after the season. He’s the lone addition to a Cubs bullpen that includes Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop, Jason Motte, Justin Grimm, Rafael Soriano, and James Russell.

Lake, 25, has struggled in the Majors with a .241/.283/.380 career line. He has played well at Triple-A this year, with a .315/.404/.472 line in 231 plate appearances. Prior to the 2013 season, back when Lake was still an infield prospect, Baseball America said he had “tantalizing tools and inconsistent performance.” If Lake does become a useful big leaguer, he’ll be a late bloomer. He’s the second outfielder the Orioles acquired today, as they made a bigger splash earlier by acquiring Gerardo Parra from the Brewers.

Cubs Acquire Dan Haren

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The Cubs have acquired righty Dan Haren from the Marlins for shortstop Elliot Soto and righty Ivan Pineyro. The Marlins will also send $500K in the deal, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets.

"JunHaren, 34, has had a nice season in Miami after several marginal campaigns over the last three years. He’s worked to a 3.42 ERA with 6.1 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 on the year.

But those results have come in spite of a continued velocity decline (86 mph on his fastball on the year) and, more worryingly, less-than-excellent peripherals. ERA estimators see him as a 4+ ERA arm in terms of his actual contributions, with a low BABIP (.248) and high strand rate (82.6%) aiding his run prevention.

That being said, Haren has provided 129 innings already, showing the kind of durability that he did as a much younger starter. And the Cubs have reportedly been seeking not only young, controllable starting pitching but also depth pieces for the current season. With Haren set to become a free agent after the year, he certainly figures to fill some innings down the stretch.

Financials have played a big role in Haren’s market, with some teams talking with Miami asking for cash to come with him. It’s unclear as yet how that will work out in this trade.

The Marlins picked up Haren in the offseason as part of the Dee Gordon deal, with the Dodgers chipping in $10MM (the equivalent of Haren’s salary this season) in the trade. In the meantime, though, he’s begun racking up incentives through his high games started and innings tallies. If he maxes them out, as he’s on pace to do, he’d tack on another $3MM in obligations.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Wittenmyer initially reported that Haren was headed to Chicago, with Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reporting the Marlins would receive Soto and Pineyro.

Latest On Alex Wood

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2:35pm: A Cubs-Dodgers deal was never discussed, per Rosenthal (on Twitter). But the Indians did have talks on Wood in a “larger deal.”

2:09pm: The Cubs and Dodgers are discussing lefty Alex Wood, who was just acquired by Los Angeles, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. A match appears to be “a longshot,” a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers In On Carlos Carrasco

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2:32pm: One executive tells Rosenthal that he does not expect a Carrasco trade (Twitter link).

2:12pm: The Dodgers are one of many to discuss Carrasco with the Tribe, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

1:03pm: Boston’s efforts are focused on Carrasco or Tyson Ross of the Padres, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.  Outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. could go in a deal.

7:36am: The Cubs are “among [the] teams engaged in ongoing dialogue” with the Indians about starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The Red Sox are in the market for controllable pitching, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, and they have also talked to the Indians about Carrasco.  Rosenthal says teams continue to call the Indians and make offers on the 28-year-old, who pitched a complete game last night.  Crasnick says the Tribe has been involved with a large number of teams on Carrasco.

Since rejoining the Indians’ rotation on August 10th of last year, Carrasco has been a new man, with a 3.07 ERA, 10.0 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, and 0.64 HR/9 in 196 1/3 innings.  The Indians deftly signed him to a four-year extension in April, which could run through 2020 if both club options are exercised.  As he’s guaranteed only about $21MM through 2018, Carrasco is a very valuable commodity.

Prior to acquiring David Price, the Blue Jays were “close to a deal that fell apart near the finish line” for Carrasco, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca.  According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the Jays offered Daniel Norris, Jeff Hoffman, and Dalton Pompey for Carrasco.  Interest will presumably be strong from teams looking for more than a rental starting pitcher, but not every team could spare the young players needed to pull off a deal.

Cubs Leaning Toward “Smaller Deal For Reliever”; 3-Team Talks Denied

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2:16pm: The Cubs now appear to be leaning toward striking a smaller trade for a relief arm, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com tweets. He adds that there are strong denials that a three-team scenario was ever considered, as Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald also has reported.

1:45pm: San Diego and Chicago are primarily working directly together on a deal, tweets Nightengale, who says that they may not need the involvement of a third team to swing a major deal.

1:22pm: Chicago “would love” to swing a deal for Tyson Ross and Craig Kimbrel, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets. It’s not entirely clear how realistic that scenario is, but it appears the Cubs at least have interest in pursuing it.

12:18pm: The Padres, Red Sox, and Cubs have discussed an unspecified three-team deal, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweeted earlier that there was industry speculation of discussions between the clubs, noting that there were many potential fits between them.

The parameters of a deal remain unreported at this time, but both Chicago (here and here) and Boston have been heavily connected to San Diego in recent days. The Padres are reportedly looking for a shortstop, and both Starlin Castro and Javier Baez of the Cubs have been mentioned as possible pieces that could be dangled. Meanwhile, the Cubs and Red Sox have frequently been said to be interested in controllable pitching.

Rangers May Hold Yovani Gallardo

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2:05pm: It doesn’t sound like the Rangers are getting any offers to their liking, as Heyman tweets that at this time, it appears that they may hold onto Gallardo.

10:17am: The Cubs and Blue Jays also remain in the mix for Gallardo, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Those three teams are his main suitors, Heyman says, noting that the possibility of the Rangers retaining Gallardo still remains.

10:02am: The Dodgers and Rangers are having “ongoing discussions” regarding right-hander Yovani Gallardo this morning, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

The 29-year-old Gallardo was an offseason acquisition by the Rangers, who acquired him from the Brewers in exchange for Luis Sardinas and Corey Knebel. He’s had a nice season overall with Texas, notching a 3.39 ERA 6.0 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 49.5 percent ground-ball rate. However, Gallardo’s recent performance hasn’t done the Rangers any favors in terms of trading him; he’s allowed five runs in three consecutive starts.

Gallardo’s strikeout numbers are way down from his 2009-11 peak, but his ground-ball rate is up, and his control numbers have sharpened as well. He’s earning $14MM this season in his final year of control before hitting the open market. Clearly, a trade would benefit his free agent stock, as he’d be ineligible for a qualifying offer.

The Dodgers have already added Mat Latos and Alex Wood to their rotation, though there have been indications that they’re still in the market for even more rotation help despite those trades.

Marlins Seeking Controllable Pitching

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The latest on the Marlins, who have already shipped Dan Haren to the Cubs…

Earlier Updates

  • Jon Heyman of CBS Sports says the Marlins are looking for controllable young pitching, with names such as Tyson Ross of the Padres, Carlos Carrasco of the Indians, and Nate Karns of the Rays in play.
  • A number of teams are calling on recently-demoted outfielder Marcell Ozuna, tweets Frisaro.  The Marlins have no urgency to move the 24-year-old, who hit 23 home runs last year.
  • The Marlins are shopping for starting pitching today, tweets MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro, in what he expects to be a busy day for the club.  Frisaro notes that Dan Haren is drawing interest from several teams.  Also, reliever Carter Capps was linked to the Yankees earlier.
  • Earlier this week, the Marlins sent impending free agent Mat Latos to the Dodgers in a 13-player deal, but the move seemed mostly about salary relief for Miami.  The assumption is the Fish are seeking young, controllable starting pitching, since both Latos and Haren will be eligible for free agency after the season.

Orioles Weighing Gerardo Parra, Ben Revere; Discussing Tommy Hunter With Cubs

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The Orioles are looking at a pair of left-handed hitting outfielders in Gerardo Parra of the Brewers and Ben Revere of the Phillies, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. The club was talking about a deal involving minor league hurler Zach Davies (in addition to other pieces). Baltimore already has Travis Snider and David Lough as left-handed options in the corner outfield, but has long been said to be looking at new options.

Confirming and building on that report, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Baltimore is indeed pursuing talks on both Parra and Revere (Twitter links). Baltimore is also working on a deal with the Cubs involving reliever Tommy Hunter, per the report. The team would look to save some cash (around $1.5MM) while adding a minor leaguer from Chicago. The 29-year-old has been a steady contributor in the pen, though he failed in an early stint as the team’s closer last year.

The O’s would presumably put some of the savings achieved on Hunter, should that deal come to fruition, towards a new outfielder. Parra ($6.24MM annual salary) and Revere ($4.1MM) would both cost Baltimore a fairly tidy sum to field the rest of the way, in addition to whatever the acquisition cost would be from their respective clubs. Both are different players who represent different kinds of assets: Parra is a better defender with decent pop (particularly this year), and is a pure rental, while Revere is a singles hitter with outstanding speed who can be controlled for two more seasons.

Pitching Market Notes: Ross, Gallardo, Iwakuma, Indians, Chapman, Pirates

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The Padres are “progressing” on multiple deals, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and Tyson Ross is a key piece among their trade chips. Rosenthal adds that trading him would be considered a concession on the 2015 season, and while that’s likely, it’s certainly possible that the Padres could acquire some MLB-ready talent to make it more even for 2015 purposes than if they went with an all-prospects package. The Padres could add some pieces as well, he notes.

Meanwhile Bob Nightengale of USA Today chimes in on Ross as well, tweeting that executives from other teams are “convinced” that Ross will be dealt. Nightengale says the Cubs continue to push for Ross. (Earlier today, ESPN’s Jayson Stark heard that Ross is Chicago’s top pitching target.)

Here’s more on the trade market for pitching help — starters and relievers alike:

  • The Cubs, Blue Jays and Dodgers are the most aggressive teams pursuing Yovani Gallardo of the Rangers at this time, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Yankees and Giants also have some level of interest, he adds. Gallardo started tonight, and things went poorly; the Yankees knocked him around for five runs in six innings, and he struck out just one hitter.
  • Despite a record that is well below the .500 mark, the Mariners aren’t planning to make right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma available, tweets Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. While other teams have apparently inquired, they’ve been informed that Mariners ownership prefers to keep him. Iwakuma’s value is down after a shaky, injury-filled season, though given his reasonable $7MM salary and track record, I’d imagine he’d draw no shortage of interest if put on the block.
  • Teams are still in touch with the Indians regarding their crop of young pitching talent, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. There’s nothing close at this time, but the Indians remain willing to engage in conversations. To this point, they’ve reportedly discussed Carlos Carrasco with other clubs, and one can imagine that Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer are of interest to other teams as well. Cleveland did bolster its impressive stockpile of young pitching today — albeit with a future-oriented move — acquiring Class-A lefty and former first-round pick Rob Kaminsky from the Cardinals for Brandon Moss.
  • The D-Backs reportedly have an offer on the table to the Reds for Aroldis Chapman, but Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic spoke to a pair of executives (Twitter link) about the asking price on Chapman, with one calling it “high” and the other using the term “ridiculous.”
  • Following today’s acquisition of Joakim Soria to strengthen his bullpen, Pirates GM Neal Huntington told reporters, including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that he doesn’t plan to acquire an additional starting pitcher prior to tomorrow’s non-waiver trade deadline (Twitter link).
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