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Olney On Diamondbacks, Cubs, Giants, Rays, Twins

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In a Twitter blitz this morning, ESPN.com's Buster Olney dropped several pieces of information about the developing non-waiver trade deadline market. (All Olney links via Twitter.)

  • We learned on Thursday that the Diamondbacks are more interested in younger, high-upside, controlled starters like the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo and Cubs' Jeff Samardzija than short-term veteran rentals. Olney, who noted the Gallardo interest a week ago (on Insider), now adds that the Dbacks like the marketability of Gallardo's Mexican heritage.
  • Olney also reports that Arizona had brief discussions with the Cubs regarding Samardzija. When the Cubs inquired into the availability of top Dbacks prospects Archie Bradley and Tyler Skaggs, however, the clubs ceased their talks. Nevertheless, Olney says that others in baseball do not believe that Skaggs is untouchable.
  • Meanwhile, the trade value of Cubs starter Matt Garza is undeniably trending up as the pitcher demonstrates that he is healthy and capable. Olney says a Garza trade is "expected soon" and, according to MLB executives, will likely return "more than the value of a first-round draft pick" to Chicago. 
  • It is worth bearing in mind the Cubs' alternative strategic options. The team could decide to hold off on trading Garza, instead exploring a long-term extension with him. Should that not work out, Chicago could make him a qualifying offer. If he signed elsewhere in free agency, then, the Cubs would receive a compensatory first-round choice. Hence, the Cubs will likely be inclined to demand what they view as better value than such a pick in a mid-season trade.
  • The Giants may be focused on adding a starter, but that is far from the team's only need. According to an Olney tweet, San Fran is surveying the league for a right-handed outfield bat.
  • For the Rays, the club is still waiting and watching to decie on a trade deadline approach, says Olney. Sitting at seven games back in the competitive AL East, the team will wait to see how things play out when it returns David Price and Alex Cobb from the DL.
  • Finally, Olney expands upon yesterday's notes on Twins closer Glen Perkins. He reports that teams that have inquired have been told that the club's premier reliever is not presently available. With Perkins signed to what Olney describes as an "incredible team-friendly contract," it will be interesting to see whether Minnesota is interested in trying to entice a contender to send a significant prospect haul to supplement its promising minor league system.

NL Notes: Dodgers, Phillies, Zambrano, Marmol

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If you're looking for some good reading over your Saturday morning coffee, here are a few nice leftovers from yesterday: Writing for Fangraphs, MLBTR contributor Marc Hulet broke down the position players who will participate in the MLB Futures Game. MLB.com's Corey Brock had the story of former third-overall pick Donavan Tate's attempt to revive his injury- and addiction-plagued career. Writing for the Biz of Baseball, Maury Brown discussed the decline in MLB and MiLB PED suspensions thus far in 2013. And as the Washington Post's Dave Sheinin reports, youth baseball is experiencing what could be an inner-city renaissance in Washington, D.C. On to some National League notes:

  • Dodgers fans are probably still reeling from last night's beating, the team's worst home loss (Twitter link) since the franchise played in Brooklyn. But with the club's offense pointing upwards of late and with just six games to make up in a scuffling NL West, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that L.A. still could be looking to buy pitching. He says that the Dodgers cannot depend on a mix of Chris Capuano, Stephen Fife, Ted Lilly, and Matt Magill at the back of the rotation, and would be even more foolish to place their faith in Brandon League, Peter Moylan, and Matt Guerrier with late-inning pen roles. 
  • While the Phillies continue to hang around just under .500, speculation has focused on whether the club might deal top arms Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon. Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com wonders whether the club might be more likely to look to deal infielders Chase Utley or Michael Young, in spite of the no-trade protection that both enjoy. With Utley and Young set to become free agents after the season, a clear fall away from contention would make it difficult to pass up a youth infusion. On the other hand, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says that his "intention would be to keep [Utley] in our uniform for the rest of his career, if possible." Should the Phils look to deal, Knobler suggests that the Yankees could be in on both players, with the Royals potentially interested in Utley. 
  • One player that Philadelphia was hoping might provide a boost was mid-season signee Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano's inconsistent performance in minor league action had already dampened any real enthusiasm for his ascension to the bigs, but he took the Triple-A mound last night hoping to convince Amaro that a call-up was warranted in advance of his July 1 opt-out date. Instead, Zambrano left the game with what Amaro called "serious pain" in his shoulder. As Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports via Twitter, the injury means that Zambrano's already-uncertain big league return will now definitely not occur for the foreseeable future.
  • Embattled Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol, who currently sits in DFA limbo, may be able to draw some kind of trade return after all. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweeted yesterday that three unnamed teams have shown some interest in Marmol. 

Deadline Notes: Starters, Astros, Utley, Braves, Perkins

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Let's have a look at the latest talk surrounding the approaching trade deadline season:

  • Starting pitching is an active priority for the Orioles, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Hurlers that the club is reportedly looking at include Ricky Nolasco (Marlins), Edinson Volquez and Andrew Cashner (Padres), Matt Garza and Scott Feldman (Cubs), Jake Peavy (White Sox), Bud Norris (Astros), and recent Oriole Joe Saunders (currently with the Mariners). The trouble for the O's, according to Connolly, will be coming up with enough prospects that the team can stomach dealing.
  • The Giants are most interested in acquiring a starter that the team can control for more than this year, tweets FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi. In spite of that preference, Morosi says that San Francisco is interested in popular trade subject Matt Garza. 
  • The Cubs' Garza is generating a lot of attention given his evident availability and intriguing return from a long DL stint. Paul Swydan of Fangraphs wonders, however, whether the oft-injured Garza is really worth the hype. Swydan says that Garza's overall track record as a solid middle or back-of-the-rotation starter is what teams should expect to be buying, especially since his recent starts have come against some of baseball's weaker-hitting clubs.
  • Trade talks are "ongoing" for two prominent members of the Astros, starter Bud Norris and closer Jose Veras, tweets Morosi. Both were recent subjects of MLBTR trade candidate analysis, as Mark Polishuk took a look at Norris and Steve Adams analyzed Veras.
  • The most obvious trade in baseball, according to Fangraphs' Dave Cameron, is a deal sending Chase Utley from the Phillies to the Athletics. Cameron argues that Utley is still a highly productive second bagger, and would be a huge upgrade at the spot that the A's most need one.
  • With the Braves losing key bench bat Ramiro Pena to season-ending shoulder surgery, MLB.com's Mark Bowman wonders whether the team will be more inclined to seek a third baseman before the trade deadline. While Chris Johnson has hit the ball fantastically, he has been a problem on the defensive side. Meanwhile, the team designated and then traded Johnson's early-season platoon partner, Juan Francisco, earlier in the year.
  • The Twins face a difficult choice with 30-year-old closer Glen Perkins, writes ESPN's Buster Olney (on Insider). (Olney expanded upon his tweet yesterday addressing the Perkins situation.) With Perkins' value trending way up — he sports a 2.12 ERA, has registered 12.4 K/9 against just 2.1 BB/9, and is inked to a very reasonable three-year deal (plus option) — Minnesota could reap a major return. 

Draft News: Lanphere, Farinaro, Bryant

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Last night, the Pirates agreed to terms with first-rounder Austin Meadows. Here are today's draft-related news items and notable non-first-round signings…

  • The Rangers have signed 21st-rounder Luke Lanphere for a $400K signing bonus, according to Baseball America's Jim Callis (Twitter link). That's $300K over-slot for Lanphere, a projectable high school right-hander out of California. The UC Riverside recruit's fastball touches 91 mph presently, according to Callis.
  • Baseball America reports that Cardinals 11th-round pick Steven Farinaro signed for $750K, which is the largest bonus ever for a player drafted after the 10th round under the new CBA's rules. Because the assigned pick value for each pick after the 10th round is $100K, signing Farinaro meant a $650K hit to the Cards' bonus pool. The Cardinals have now exceeded their bonus pool by $325K, resulting in a $243K penalty tax and leaving them just $20,896 shy of the point at which they would forfeit their 2014 first-round pick. Farinaro, a high school right-hander, ranked 423rd on BA's Top 500.
  • While recent reports suggest that the Cubs and No. 2 overall pick Kris Bryant are "nowhere close" to a deal, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets that he expects a deal to be completed. He does note that Bryant could be the last first-rounder to sign, however.

Matt Garza Rumors: Friday

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last night that the Nationals, Dodgers, Phillies, Orioles and Blue Jays were scouting Matt Garza in his dominant performance over the Brewers yesterday. Garza fired seven innings of one-run ball, allowing eight hits and a walk to go along with 10 strikeouts. He figures to be one of the most popular names on the trade market this summer. Here's the latest on the 29-year-old Garza…

  • There's "heavy traffic" on Garza, who should be dealt well in advance of the July 31 non-waiver deadline, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • Jon Heyman of CBS Sports writes that the Dodgers, Orioles, Giants, Padres, and Rangers all have "varying degrees of interest" in Garza. He adds that the Blue Jays and Red Sox are also seen as possibilities. 
  • Rosenthal tweets that the Rangers were also on hand to scout Garza for yesterday's start against the Brewers.
  • Earlier today, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reported that the Rockies are among the teams that are interested in Garza.

Rockies Interested In Gallardo, Garza, Gregg

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The Rockies are on the lookout for pitching help, and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post writes that the team is "aggressively scouting" right-handers Yovani Gallardo and Matt Garza. The Rox are also "taking a look" at Kevin Gregg, writes Saunders.

Vice president of baseball operations Bill Geivett declined to discuss the team's specific approach, nor would he discuss specific trade targets, but he did tell Saunders: "I won't comment on anybody specifically. But we are going to watch them all." Colorado is also interested to see how Drew Pomeranz will fare following his most recent promotion. Pomeranz is scheduled to start for the Rockies on Sunday.

The Rockies are not one of the 10 teams on Gallardo's no-trade list, so Geivett won't have to work to circumvent that obstacle if he pushes for a deal with the Brewers. The Diamondbacks have been linked to Gallardo in the past day, and the Braves have been linked to Gregg as well. Saunders echoes an earlier report that the Rockies won't pursue Ricky Nolasco if the Marlins insist that teams pick up the remainder of his salary, which appears to be the case.

Diamondbacks Interested In Gallardo, Samardzija

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While every other team in the division is interested in Ricky Nolasco, the Diamondbacks aren't interested because they prefer pitchers who are controlled beyond this season. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the D-Backs are interested in two pitchers in particular — Yovani Gallardo and Jeff Samardzija.

Gallardo figures to be available for the right price, but that's unlikely to be the case with Samardzija. Earlier this year it was reported that the Cubs view Samardzija as "one of their upper-tier starters of the future," and Rosenthal echoes that, noting that it would require an "overwhelming" return. The Diamondbacks and Cubs have yet to engage in discussions.

The Diamondbacks' pitching depth has taken a bit of a hit with Daniel Hudson's re-injury and the struggles of Ian Kennedy. Both Trevor Cahill and Wade Miley have experienced rough patches, and Brandon McCarthy is on the disabled list. As Rosenthal notes, it's unlikely that the Cubs would make Samardzija available, but the D-Backs have a farm system that is rich in outfielders, pitchers and left-side infielders.

Gallardo is owed $11.25MM in 2014 and has a $13MM club option on his contract. Samardzija is under control through the 2015 season as an arbitration-eligible player.

NL Central Links: Garza, Cubs, Lohse, Pujols

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With the Cubs and Brewers both more than 14.5 games out of first place, the NL Central figures to be the source of plenty of rumors this summer. Both teams have an ample amount of trade chips that should ultimately exchange hands. Here's the latest out of the division…

  • The Nationals, Dodgers, Phillies, Orioles and Blue Jays all had scouts on hand to watch Matt Garza's dominant start against the Brewers today, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
  • Cubs president Theo Epstein told ESPN Chicago's Sahadev Sharma that he owes it to the organization to explore trades of Garza and the team's veteran players to improve the future. Garza added that he doesn't pay attention to rumors.
  • From that same piece, Epstein said that trading for additional pool space in this year's international free agency market isn't a huge priority, though he didn't specifically deny rumors that the Cubs are looking to acquire additional funds. For those who don't recall, the new CBA will allow teams to trade international spending money.
  • Teams have ramped up their evaluations of Kyle Lohse to determine if he's a worthwhile trade target, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • Albert Pujols told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that St. Louis is still a special place for him and it made him the person that he is today. The longtime Cardinal said he's slightly bitter about the way the front office handled his departure, though he declined to get into specifics on the topic.

Braves Expected To Show Interest In Gregg

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The Braves are "among the many teams expected to show interest in Cubs closer Kevin Gregg," writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Bowman notes that the righty closed for current Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez when both were with the Marlins in 2007-08.  Gregg is just one of many relievers the Braves may be looking at as they pursue veteran help with Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters out for the season.

Gregg, 35, has become an unlikely asset for the Cubs, returning to their closer role and posting a 1.42 ERA, 9.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.71 HR/9, and 36.5% groundball rate in 25 1/3 innings.  He's proof of the volatility of relievers.  In March, ESPN Los Angeles' Mark Saxon wrote that Gregg "quietly stewed" over the fact that he couldn't find a Major League deal in the offseason coming off a 2012 campaign in which he posted a 4.95 ERA and 1.5 K/BB ratio in 43 2/3 frames for the Orioles.  He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers, who couldn't find a spot on their big league pitching staff due to their starter surplus and released him.  He then signed a minor league deal with the Cubs, who selected his contract in a mid-April bullpen shakeup.

It's a little early for a clear picture of Gregg's market, but the Braves, Reds, Red Sox, Tigers, and Padres are likely to be on the hunt for bullpen help.  The Cubs and Braves hooked up on a notable trade near the deadline last year, with Chicago shipping veterans Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson to Atlanta for prospects Arodys Vizcaino and Jaye Chapman.

Marlins Working To Trade Nolasco ASAP

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WEDNESDAY, 10:59pm: The Marlins are surprisingly open to eating some of Nolasco's contract, but only if the prospect return is significantly better than alternative deals, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com.  Meanwhile, the Padres continue to have talks with the Marlins on multiple players, including Nolasco, but nothing is close or imminent, a source tells Bowden (Twitter link).

5:21pm: The Marlins have told other clubs that they have teams willing to take on all of the prorated portion of Nolasco's $11.5MM salary, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  Nolasco is owed roughly $6MM between now and the end of the season.

TUESDAY, 12:41pm: The Marlins have been aggressively working to move starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco as soon as possible, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  So far the Orioles, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Padres, Rockies, and Giants have been connected to the righty, and the Marlins' aggressive approach was noted by Andy Martino of the New York Daily News yesterday.  And earlier today, ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote that Nolasco might win the "Most Likely to Get Traded Before the All-Star Break pool."  Moving Nolasco with over a month remaining until the July 31st trade deadline makes sense, because there's added value to a contender in having him for all of July.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new article on Nolasco, where he names the Giants, Dodgers, Padres, Rockies, and Orioles as interested parties (the NL West teams have expressed interest).  As opposed to Olney's report, Rosenthal writes, "The Marlins are 'kicking around' names in a potential Nolasco trade with clubs, sources say, but their talks have not progressed to the point where a deal is close."

Nolasco, 30, has a 3.68 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.81 HR/9, and 41.6% groundball rate in 100 1/3 innings this year, making him one of the better available starting pitchers.  He has about $6MM remaining on his contract, after which he'll be a free agent.  Another of the top starting pitchers available, Matt Garza, is under pursuit by the Padres and Dodgers, according to Rosenthal.  Any player traded midseason becomes ineligible for a qualifying offer in the offseason, removing the possibility of draft pick compensation and increasing the player's value to winter suitors.

Click here to see a leaderboard I've created of all the potentially available starting pitchers.

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