Starting Pitching Rumors: Blue Jays, White Sox
The Orioles are just one of many teams looking for starting pitching, and they reportedly have their sights set on Zack Greinke and Wandy Rodriguez. Here's the latest on some other clubs in need of rotation help…
- The Blue Jays are showing the most interest in pitchers under control beyond this season, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Matt Garza and Rodriguez are among those high on their list, according to sources.
- The White Sox's plans for the deadline depend heavily on John Danks and Philip Humber, tweets Morosi. If the two injured hurlers are not back soon, expect GM Kenny Williams to actively seek help for the battered rotation.
Minor Moves: Andy LaRoche, Hong-Chih Kuo
Here's a recap of today's minor league transactions, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy…
- The Red Sox have signed Andy LaRoche after the Indians released him late last month. The 28-year-old infielder has already played in six games for their Triple-A affiliate and is hitting .265/.352/.418 in 193 minor league plate appearances overall this season.
- The Cubs have released Hong-Chih Kuo. They signed him to a minor league deal in early-June. The 30-year-old left-hander has not appeared in a game yet this season after battling back and anxiety issues last year. Kuo owns a 3.73 ERA in parts of seven big league seasons, all with the Dodgers.
Tigers Inquired On Darwin Barney
The Tigers asked the Cubs about second baseman Darwin Barney a couple of weeks ago, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). However, talks didn't progress.
Tigers second basemen have combined for a .198/.272/.266 batting line, so it's no surprise that Dave Dombrowski's front office is looking into potentially available trade targets. No team in baseball has a worse OPS from the second base position in 2012.
Rival teams have asked about Barney, who has a .262/.307/.369 batting line in 302 plate appearances for the Cubs. The 26-year-old won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season. The Tigers are also interested in Cubs right-hander Matt Garza, Morosi reported today.
Tigers Interested In Matt Garza
The Tigers have interest in Matt Garza, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). The Cubs recently scouted Detroit's Erie affiliate, but talks are not serious. The Blue Jays, Indians, Reds, Red Sox, Diamondbacks and Cardinals all scouted Garza's start last night, Morosi adds.
The Cubs and Tigers discussed a deal involving Matt Garza this past January without reaching an agreement. Though the Tigers continue to get Cy Young-type production from Justin Verlander, starters Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer have been inconsistent so far this year.
Garza, 28, earns $9.5MM and will remain under team control through 2013. He has a 4.32 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 through 93 2.3 innings.
Cubs Agree To Sign Duane Underwood
The Cubs have agreed to sign second round pick Duane Underwood for $1.05MM, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. Slot money for the 67th overall pick was $770K. He'll take his physical on Monday.
Underwood, a high school right-hander from Georgia, is said to run his fastball up to 98. Callis notes (on Twitter) that Chicago is $276K under their draft pool and can afford to pay sixth overall pick Albert Almora up to $3.9MM without forfeiting next year's first round pick.
Quick Hits: Ryan Dempster, Jairo Beras, Blue Jays
Phillies co-ace Cliff Lee finally found himself in the win column on Wednesday after starting the season with 13 consecutive starts without a victory. Lee's drought was the longest by a former Cy Young winner since future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux went 14 starts without a win in 2008 with the Padres. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines from around the league…
- Trade candidate Ryan Dempster doesn't want to wait until after the All-Star break to return to the mound and may be ready in time to make a start against the Mets on Sunday, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. "I think they trust me to make the right decisions," Dempster said. "I also don't want to go out there and have a 50-pitch limit, and that doesn't do us any good." The right-hander has been on the disabled list since June 16 with a sore right lat.
- The Rangers may find themselves without any new prospects from Latin America as the team awaits a resolution from Major League Baseball regarding Dominican outfielder Jairo Beras' contract status, says Evan Grant from The Dallas Morning News. Beras' age at the time he signed with the Rangers has been called into question as Beras claims he was 17 but may have actually been 16. "We put our full budget towards Beras," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "In anticipation of getting the contract approved we’ve had to effectively sit out the signing period."
- Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos spoke on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio about his team's performance during the first half of the season and how he plans to be a buyer given Toronto's chances of securing a wild card berth (audio link). Anthopoulos expects to pursue pitching depth outside of the organization to help take pressure off an offense that has carried the team of late, thanks to Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.
- MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith joined the Getting Blanked show on The Score to discuss the Cardinals' plans for the rest of the season given Chris Carpenter's unavailability until 2013 (video link).
Olney’s Latest: NL Trade Market, Darvish
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney compares the current state of the trade market to shopping at an airport, where priced are designed to gouge customers. Buyers want more sellers and sellers want more buyers. Olney also previewed the NL trade market, so let's dive in…
- The Mets are among teams looking for bullpen help and are waiting for the market develop. The division-rival Nationals are also in the market for relief help but do have Drew Storen on the mend. Olney wonders if they'll look for a starter given Stephen Strasburg's inning limit.
- Executives expect the Padres to deal Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, plus they continue to get calls about Chase Headley. Olney speculates that the Reds could be a fit for Quentin.
- The Braves are looking to add a veteran starting pitcher, but Olney says they're unlikely to swing a trade for Zack Greinke without having some kind of long-term contract agreement in place.
- Olney wonders if the Diamondbacks could become surprise buyers for pitching help given Joe Saunders' injury and Trevor Bauer's early struggles. The Cardinals figure to jump into the pitching market given Chris Carpenter's season-ending shoulder surgery.
- The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are among the clubs in sell mode. The Brewers will wait a little longer before deciding to sell, and while Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and others could be on the block, Corey Hart will not.
- Olney says the Blue Jays actually finished third in the bidding for Yu Darvish behind the Rangers and Cubs. No bid was within $35MM of the $51.7MM Texas submitted.
Latest On Yankees’ Search For Pitching
The Yankees are in wait-and-see mode for now, but could pursue starting pitching before July 31st, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports write. With C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte on the disabled list, the Yankees’ rotation now includes Freddy Garcia and David Phelps.
Zack Greinke doesn’t interest the Yankees, who are concerned about how players will adjust to playing in New York. The Yankees could pursue Cole Hamels, but they aim to lower payroll below $189MM by 2014 to avoid the luxury tax, so keeping the left-hander long term wouldn’t be easy given the team’s existing commitments. The Yankees like Matt Garza and he may be their most realistic option if they’re willing to meet the Cubs’ steep asking price.
Int’l Signings: Barrera, Cruz, Esteves, Gomez, Dodgers
The 2012 international free agent signing period opened today and plenty of signings will be coming in as teams look to spend within their $2.9MM allotment. We'll be keeping track of all of the day's major agreements under $1MM right here..
- The Athletics are finalizing an agreement with Luis Barrera that would pay the Dominican outfielder $450K, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. Sanchez's colleague Jonathan Mayo ranked Barrera as the No. 13 prospect in this year's class.
- Badler also adds that the Indians have signed Dominican shortstop Grofy Cruz for a bonus of $400K. Cruz is expected to shift to third base soon, and is praised by Badler for his strong arm and raw power.
- Dominican third baseman Kelvin Esteves signed with the Braves for a $300K bonus, Badler writes. Badler praises Esteves' bat speed and raw power from the right side.
- The Dodgers also signed Dominican shortstop Cristian Gomez to an undisclosed bonus, writes Badler. Gomez was widely expected to receive a low six-figure bonus.
- The Dodgers issued a press release to announce four international signings: right-handers Lenix Osuna and William Soto, left-hander Victor Gonzalez, as well as catcher Julian Leon. Osuna is the son of former Dodgers righty Antonio Osuna. Soto hails from Venezuela while the other three were all signed out of Mexico. Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the club spent about $1MM total on the four players.
- The Mets, who earlier today signed shortstop Amed Rosario to a $1.75MM bonus, also signed Venezuelan shortstop Miguel Patino and Dominican second baseman Franklin Correa, tweets ESPN's Adam Rubin. Rubin also notes that Rosario's bonus is the highest the Mets have ever given to an international free agent. That honor had previously gone to Fernando Martinez ($1.3MM).
Central Notes: Cubs, Tigers, Marcum, Twins
The trade market is woefully thin in options, and one executive told Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) that there are "only six teams" that are ready to sell. That includes three teams out of the Central divisions – the Cubs, Astros, and Twins plus the Mariners, A's, and Rockies. Here's more out of the AL and NL Central..
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) notes that the Tigers were interested in Shaun Marcum during the offseason that the Brewers landed him. Marcum, he says, could be an option for Detroit if he's healthy.
- If the Twins do wind up as sellers, General Manager Terry Ryan says that no player will be off the table, writes Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN. "I never consider anybody untouchable. That's not the way to go about business on a baseball team or organization," Ryan said. "If you've got chances to do things that make a lot of sense for your club there shouldn't be any untouchables. Players know that, agents know that, and so does the fan base."
- When speaking with reporters today, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer had no update on talks with first-round pick Albert Almora, except to say dialogue continues, tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. The high school outfielder is one of ten unsigned first-round selections in the 2012 draft.