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Quick Hits: Tigers, Bryan LaHair, Red Sox Draft

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The Yankees completed a sweep against the Nationals on Sunday afternoon in Washington D.C. with a 4-1 victory. The win marked New York's third consecutive sweep of three games or more for the first time since 1998. With the Yankees taking three from the Nationals, the Reds (7-5) are now the lone MLB team with an all-time winning record against the Bronx Bombers. Here's the latest from around the majors…

  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has already conceded his interest in acquiring a right-handed bat before the non-waiver trade deadline, but any potential move hinges on the health of Victor Martinez, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. “The possibility (of Martinez returning) exists in a strong enough fashion that you have to give it some thought, but I don’t really know where that stands – and I don’t know that we will know until July,” Dombrowski said in an interview Sunday morning. “We may get Martinez and (Al) Alburquerque back. Those would be two pretty good acquisitions, and our bullpen actually has pitched pretty well in recent times.”
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (via Twitter) that the Dodgers are not interested in Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair but are talking with Chicago about right-hander Ryan Dempster. Los Angeles may want to reconsider its stance as LaHair has a slash line of .297/.380/.560 as compared to .261/.322/.368 for the Dodgers' first basemen.
  • According to calculations by Baseball America, the Red Sox will face increased penalties from MLB if they continue spending at their current pace to go 5% over their draft budget as pointed out by Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. When a team exceeds its budget by 5% or less, it is penalized by paying 75% on the amount over the threshold. Teams that go over by 5 to 10% are mandated to pay a luxury tax of 100% on the excess spending and forfeit their next first round draft pick.

Koyie Hill Elects Free Agency

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Koyie Hill is a now a free agent after declining his outright assignment to Triple-A Iowa, tweets Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com. The switch-hitting catcher was outrighted by the Cubs on Friday, a day after being designated for assignment.

Hill appeared in 11 games with the Cubs this year compiling a slash line of .179/.179/.205. Hill has a career line of .210/.271/.294 over 313 games in nine years. The 33-year-old will be looking to hook on with his fourth major league organization in 2012 after spending Spring Training with the Cardinals and playing for the Reds' Double-A affiliate. 

Olney On Cubs, Dempster, Rockies, Betancourt

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If ESPN.com's Buster Olney cast one of the 32 ballots for National League MVP, he wouldn't hesitate to vote for Ryan Braun if his production warranted it.  Here's more from Olney's column (Insider subscription required)..

  • The Cubs desperately need prospects and sources say they're essentially willing to buy them.  Chicago is okay with eating a large portion of Ryan Dempster's salary for the rest of the year to pry good young players away from an interested team like the Red Sox or Dodgers.  Dempster is being paid $13.5MM this season, which means that any team that traded for him now would owe him roughly $8MM.
  • Even though the Rockies record would indicate that they are in sell mode, rival officials say that the club doesn't present blockbuster material.  One evaluator said that the club has "pieces", but not major chips.  Reliever Rafael Betancourt and veteran Jason Giambi could be of interest to contenders.
  • Olney wonders if the Blue Jays' recent rash of injuries in the rotation will deter them from pursuing a starter or if they'll instead feel so strongly about the rest of the team that they'll pay a premium for someone like Matt Garza.

Cafardo On Youkilis, Lowrie, Manny, Red Sox

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe asked 55 people in baseball if they'd rather have Bryce Harper or Mike Trout.  The final tally: Harper 25, Trout 24, six undecided.  Athletics GM Billy Beane was one of the six on the fence and likely had the best quote of anyone.  "Beatles or Stones?  They’re both great, aren’t they?"  Here's more from Cafardo's column..

  • The Pirates and Dodgers could be the teams most willing to pull the trigger on Kevin Youkilis.  The recent shift from third base to first has been a plus for scouts watching him, though he hasn’t performed well enough yet to wow anyone.
  • Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie has 12 homers this year and his offensive ability may make him a target at the trading deadline.  However, one AL GM pointed out that health concerns will impact his value.
  • Cafardo wonders if the Blue Jays might consider Manny Ramirez after letting Vladimir Guerrero go.
  • While Daisuke Matsuzaka would probably like to remain in the major leagues and in Boston, Matsuzaka will be in demand in Japan since he is still relatively young and still considered a big name, according to a major league source.  The right-hander could earn another multiyear deal if he does well this season.
  • Some baseball people wouldn't be shocked to see the Red Sox move Daniel Bard if he gets himself straightened out.  Theo Epstein has always been a big fan and Cafardo wonders out loud if something could be worked out with the Cubs for Matt Garza.  Garza, he opines, would be a perfect fit for an AL East team.
  • The Dodgers could pull the trigger on Ryan Dempster soon and the Blue Jays also seem to have serious interest.
  • Teams are reassessing their commitment to scouting Japanese players.  One GM said, “Is all the money spent and devoted to scouting really yielding any great player? You’ve had Kei Igawa, Daisuke Matsuzaka, the kid from Minnesota [Tsuyoshi Nishioka], and really, is the money spent worth it?"

Rosenthal On Dempster, O’s, Jays, Astros, Indians

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Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has the latest from the rumor mill in a pair of videos, the Rosenthal Report and Full Count. Here's what's going on …

  • The Cubs are shopping starter Ryan Dempster to multiple teams, including the Dodgers. Chicago is willing to include significant amounts of cash in any trade in hopes of landing better prospects. Dempster has 10-and-5 rights, however, and thus can veto any deal, although he's willing to move to a contender.
  • The Orioles are pursuing starting pitching and scouted both Dempster and Matt Garza this week, although the Diamondbacks' Joe Saunders may be a better trade fit for Baltimore.
  • The Blue Jays are asking around for pitching help, although they may end up sellers before the non-waiver trade deadline.
  • The Astros are willing to listen on "virtually all of their players." Younger players like Jed Lowrie and third baseman Chris Johnson are all in play, although it would take a huge offer to pry away second baseman Jose Altuve.
  • The Indians are unlikely to make a move for a DH type like Vladimir Guerrero or Manny Ramirez. Their bigger need is a player who can play left field — perhaps someone like Carlos Quentin — but they first need to figure out where they stand with Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore, who are both injured.
  • The Marlins will have trouble bolstering their weak offense because of a depleted farm system. With Emilio Bonifacio injured, their most obvious need is center field. The Twins' Denard Span and perhaps the Phillies' Shane Victorino are potential targets.
  • The Angels no longer have room in the starting lineup for the injured Vernon Wells now that Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout have solidified the outfield, and one rival GM thinks Wells could be released when he's ready to return from the disabled list.

Minors Moves: Hill, Carlson, Ka’aihue

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We'll keep track of today's minor league moves here, with the latest up top..

Olney On Hamels, Dempster, Cubs, Red Sox, Draft

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Some rival executives believe that unless the Phillies run off a string of victories between now and the deadline, they will seriously consider offers for left-hander Cole Hamels, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney.  In today's column (Insider subscription required), Olney looks at the pros and cons of trading Hamels and more..

  • If the Red Sox are waffling about whether to get involved in talks for Ryan Dempster, then the right-hander must have opened their eyes with his strong outing Friday.  However, it remains to be seen if the Cubs and BoSox can move past the Theo Epstein compensation drama to make a deal.
  • Matt Garza could also figure to be one of the top pitchers on the market leading up to the deadline and execs say that he has been talked about a lot more in recent days.
  • A pair of baseball execs told Olney that they're in favor of the new draft rules putting prospects into their respective systems more rapidly.  "For them, it's one less year to the major leagues. High school kids do not have to spend as much time in rookie league. College players who are high draft [picks] can get more easily get to Double-A in Year Two," said Mark Newman, Yankees senior VP of baseball operations.
  • The Padres are extremely high on top pick Max Fried and one evaluator compared his breaking ball to Clayton Kershaw's.  Fried, the No. 7 pick, agreed to a $3MM deal with the club yesterday.

Yankees Like Dempster; Dodgers Eyeing Garza

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Ryan Dempster held the Red Sox scoreless for seven innings in Chicago today and even picked up two hits to provide his team's offense with some assistance. Here's the latest on Dempster and his teammate, Matt Garza:

  • Several contenders, including the Yankees and Dodgers, covet Dempster, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
  • Two scouts at today's game said the Yankees prefer Garza to Dempster, David Kaplan reports (on Twitter).
  • Dempster told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he doesn’t pay attention to the rumors, though it’s flattering to know teams are interested in him. “I’ve been itching to get back to the playoffs,” Dempster told Rosenthal. “I just wanted another opportunity. I never got it. And we’ve struggled since then.” Dempster is a clear summer trade candidate, as I explained yesterday.
  • The Dodgers are interested in Garza, Rosenthal reports. Garza, 28, has a 4.04 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 71 1/3 innings for the Cubs this year.

Cubs To Sign Paul Blackburn

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The Cubs agreed to sign supplemental first round selection Paul Blackburn, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets. The high school right-hander, represented by Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports, will obtain a $912K bonus.

MLB recommends a $912K bonus for the 56th overall selection, which the Cubs obtained as compensation for losing Carlos Pena to free agency. Blackburn has a clean delivery and the potential for three plus pitches, Callis reports. 

AL East Notes: Epstein, Cherington, Encarnacion

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It was on this day in 1996 that Cal Ripken Jr. became professional baseball's all-time iron man.  Though Ripken eclipsed Lou Gehrig's Major League record for consecutive games played in 1995, it took a while longer to surpass Japan's Sachio Kinugasa, who played in 2215 NPL straight games between 1970 and 1987.

Here's some news from both Ripken's Orioles and elsewhere around the AL East…

  • Theo Epstein spoke to media (including WEEI.com's Alex Speier) about his days as the Red Sox general manager, noting that he felt some of the club's free agent signings deviated from the franchise's long-term plan and were made due to the pressure of staying competitive.  It's a must-read piece for Red Sox fans, not to mention Cubs fans who could see what Epstein hopes to avoid during his tenure in Chicago.
  • “We’re going to go see hundreds of players over the next few weeks,” Red Sox GM Ben Cherington tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. “We may end up just acquiring one of those or none of them. In this particular year, we do believe we’re going to get impact players just by getting healthy. Still, we have to come together. I think this team still will be very good.”
  • The Blue Jays could look to move Edwin Encarnacion, Kelly Johnson or "any bullpen piece" at the trade deadline if the team isn't in serious contention, opines FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi in a radio interview with the Brady & Lang show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan (Sportsnet.ca's Jeff Simmons has a partial transcript).
  • Encarnacion's breakout season could put him in line for a big free agent contract this winter but Morosi says "a lot of GMs are wary" about Encarnacion's ability to play first base on a regular basis. "If you're viewed as a DH, that will affect his valuation going forward," Morosi said.  "So we'll see how often he plays in the field and not having [Vladimir Guerrero] coming will certainly change how often he'll play first base."
  • The Orioles and Blue Jays have both been scouting the Cubs, reports Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago.  Levine specified that Baltimore was looking at the Cubs' starting pitchers and Alfonso Soriano.
  • For more AL East news, check out this batch of Yankees notes and the latest on the Kevin Youkilis trade rumors.
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