Texas Has “Strong Interest” In Xavier Nady
Now that Justin Smoak is on his way to Seattle, Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com reports that the Rangers are looking at Chicago's Xavier Nady. Chris Davis has already been called up from Triple-A to take over first base for Texas, though Davis was sent down in April due to his unimpressive .556 OPS in 53 plate appearances that necessitated Smoak's call-up earlier this season.
Nady, meanwhile, has a line of .233/.305/.361 line in 151 PA for the Cubs as he tries to recover from major elbow surgery last year. Nady is the last man on the depth chart in a crowded Cubs outfield, and has about $1.6MM still owed to him from the one-year deal he signed with Chicago last January. Nady can earn $2.05MM more due to games-played incentives, which the Rangers would also have to take into consideration should they have a more prominent role in mind for the veteran.
If Texas did acquire the right-handed hitting Nady, it would make sense to platoon him with the left-handed hitting Davis (who has a career .671 OPS against lefties). The Rangers were, however, willing to install a rookie as the everyday first baseman when they called up Smoak, so it's reasonable to think that they'd still show some faith in Davis by letting him take some cuts against major league southpaws. Davis had a whopping .958 OPS for Triple-A Oklahoma City so perhaps he's gotten his confidence back.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Red Sox, Meek, Giants
On this date eight years ago, Major League Baseball's 73rd All Star Game ended after 11 innings in a 7-7 tie when both sides ran out of pitchers. Shortly thereafter, commissioner Bud Selig ruled that the All Star Game will determine home field advantage in the World Series, a still unpopular decision. The American League has won every Midsummer Classic since then, and 12 of the last 13 overall (the tie being the one exception).
This year's All Star Game is still four days away, so here are some links to keep you occupied until then…
- Mets Paradise examines some trade scenarios for the Mets involving Ted Lilly and Octavio Dotel.
- The Bottom Line finds some relievers on the trade market that could entice the Red Sox.
- MLB Depth Charts lists (almost) every club's nearly big league-ready trade chips.
- Pittsburgh Lumber Co. looks at the possibility of the Pirates turning Evan Meek, an All Star, into a starting pitcher.
- The Dugout Report wonders if the Bengie Molina trade means the Giants are going for it, or packing it in.
- Meanwhile, More Hardball catches up with the three Molina brothers.
- River Ave. Blues lays out the case for the Yankees to acquire Kerry Wood.
- Examiner looks at the consequences of Jake Peavy's injury for the White Sox.
- The Baseball Opinion reviews the Mark Mulder trade following the lefty's retirement.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Mets Will Turn To Ted Lilly
Cliff Lee is coming to New York, but he isn't the left-handed starter the Mets are focused on. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (via Twitter) that the Mets will 'turn strongly' to Cubs starter Ted Lilly now that Lee is on the brink of joining the Yankees. As Sherman explains here, the Mets do like Roy Oswalt – they just aren't comfortable paying the vast majority of his salary and giving up good prospects.
Lilly, a free agent after the season, has about $5.6MM remaining on his 2010 contract. The 34-year-old has a 3.76 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 and projects as a Type A free agent.
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets are more likely to add Lilly than Oswalt or Dan Haren, but says the Cubs have yet to make their left-hander available (Twitter link). Heyman points out that Lilly's average fastball velocity has dropped from 87 to 86 mph.
Cubs Looking To Move Cumbersome Salaries
The Cubs are finally starting to get serious about making trades, and The Chicago Tribune's Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan hear that the team is picking up their efforts to shed some "cumbersome salaries." Ownership is also expected to address the media about the team's direction at some point.
"It has been very difficult for the family and the team the first half of the season," chairman Tom Ricketts told season ticket holders. "This is not where the family wanted to be in the first half of the season."
Kosuke Fukudome, who has close to $20MM left on his deal, probably represents the most "movable" of the big salaries, since the team is unlikely to find a taker for Alfonso Soriano ($62MM left) or Carlos Zambrano ($45MM) without eating a significant portion of their contracts.
Derrek Lee is owed approximately $6.2MM the rest of the season, Ted Lilly a touch less. Those two are probably Chicago's best hope for clearing payroll, though the savings will not extend beyond this season since both are scheduled to become free agents this winter. The Cubs have over $103MM in salary obligations for 2011, and more than $62MM for 2012.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Cardinals, Padres, Oswalt
Some links for Thursday, a day that has even the most intense baseball fans wondering about LeBron James' decision…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reviews all of the players Pirates' GM Neal Huntington has acquired after they were designated for assignment by another team. The best of the lot: Delwyn Young.
- Tony LaRussa is happy with the Cardinals' recent bullpen additions, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. St. Louis added Mike MacDougal today and Renyel Pinto about two weeks ago.
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer confirmed to Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that the Padres have payroll flexibility and would like to add a well-rounded hitter and a starting pitcher (all Twitter links).
- Peter Gammons notes a Corey Hart–Mike Minor rumor (via Twitter). The Braves are interested in Hart and other right-handed hitting outfielders, but Hart tells MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he wants to stay in Milwaukee.
- The Mets, Phillies, Rays and Dodgers are among the teams watching Roy Oswalt today, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter link).
- Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog hears that the Mets, Phillies and Rangers are among the many teams eyeing Ben Sheets.
- Yahoo's Steve Henson dials the clock back to 1999 and takes a look at the little league team that included Stephen Strasburg and Mike Leake.
- Cubs draftee Matt Szczur has a deal that will give him an additional $500K if he gives up football, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.
- Jamey Newberg says the Rangers should seriously consider trading Chris Davis or Justin Smoak if there's a real chance to improve the club.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the D'Backs will listen to offers for Dan Haren, but will likely have to be blown away to deal him (Twitter link).
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun asks Orioles fans: should the O's have any untouchable players in trade talks this year?
- Billy Wagner repeated something he said earlier in the year, telling Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he intends to retire after 2010.
- Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies – like every other team in baseball – would be better with Cliff Lee.
- David Ortiz tells John Tomase of the Boston Herald that he hopes to talk to the Red Sox about staying in Boston after this season. The Red Sox hold a $12.5MM option for Big Papi in 2011.
Cubs Are Getting More Serious About Trades
The Cubs have yet to declare themselves buyers or sellers despite a 37-47 record, but Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets that the team is starting to get "more serious" about making deals. Davidoff also mentions that the Mets "like the idea" of adding Ted Lilly to their rotation while assuming the $6MM left on his contract in order to give up fewer prospects in a trade.
Lilly is just one of several pieces the Cubs could shop, along with Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, Jeff Baker, Derrek Lee, Kosuke Fukudome, and Xavier Nady. The Giants could have interest in Theriot and Chicago tried to push Fukudome on the Red Sox, but nothing has materialized just yet.
The Mets have expressed interest in adding a quality starter, and Lilly would certainly fit the bill. There is some uncertainty about the team's ability to add payroll however, so whether or not they can actually take on Lilly's salary remains to be seen.
Cubs Rumors: Theriot, Trades, Piniella
Jim Hendry's peers recently told ESPN that the Cubs GM is an easy person to make trades with. If the 36-47 Cubs decide to sell, Hendry's phone could be ringing non-stop, but the Cubs aren't there quite yet. Here's the latest on the North Siders:
- A few weeks ago Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News heard that the Giants could have interest in Ryan Theriot, but the Giants now say Theriot's name hasn't come up in trade talks.
- Hendry may not have committed to selling, but manager Lou Piniella thinks the Cubs will get younger this month. ''We probably will be sellers,'' Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Piniella told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he will finish managing this season, but won't take another managerial job afterwards. "I know that this will be my last managing job," Piniella said. "I do know that for a fact."
Odds & Ends: Zambrano, Millwood, Orioles, Ausmus
Let's check out some tidbits from around the web on this Fourth Of July eve..
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks that a swap of Carlos Zambrano and Aaron Rowand would make sense.
- A source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that the Tigers have not inquired on Kevin Millwood even though they need pitching. Earlier this week we learned that the Mets aren't interested in the veteran either.
- It will be interesting to see what Eric Wedge does if he's offered the O's job, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. Wedge and Buck Showalter are believed to be the favorites for the position.
- Brad Ausmus, 41, isn't ready to call it a career yet, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
Olney’s Latest: Lee, Zambrano, Dodgers, Fielder
In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says that even though the Yankees already have five good starters, the tight race in the AL East is enough to keep them engaged with the Mariners about Cliff Lee. They will probably make an offer at some point, but they're unlikely to land him because they've been philosophically opposed to trading prospects for a player they could just sign as a free agent after the season.
Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- Olney's message to any team looking for bullpen help: Good luck with that. There are no difference-making relievers on the market, and guys like Kerry Wood, David Aardsma, and Jason Frasor are no sure things.
- Carlos Zambrano has some value as an innings eater, and the Cubs could probably get a team to absorb $10-15MM of the $45MM left on his deal. If he does get traded, Olney says it would likely be in the offseason.
- People in the Dodgers' organization say there is "little or no hope" that money will be available for the team to make moves.
- Olney doesn't see the Giants and Brewers matching up in a Prince Fielder trade. Matt Cain is a deal breaker given Tim Lincecum's recent struggles, and Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner won't be enough.
July 2 Rumors: Phillies, Twins, Cubs, Blue Jays
The international signing period opens today and we'll keep track of the rumors and news right here:
- The Phillies signed Venezuelan shortstop Francisco Silva for about $200K and the Twins agreed to sign Reyson Zoquier, a Dominican lefty, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
- The Cubs agreed to sign Dominican shortstop Daniel Sanchez for a mid six-figure bonus, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
- ESPN.com’s Keith Law hears that the Blue Jays are expected to spend aggressively on international prospects this summer.
- The Blue Jays have been tied to Gabriel Cenas, a Venezuelan third baseman and Pedro Perez, a Colombian third baseman, according to Law.
- They are also in on Eskarlin Vazquez, a Dominican outfielder who has captured the Giants’ attention. Law predicts Vazquez will get one of the summer’s top bonuses.
- The Mariners are expected to sign Philips Castillo, another Dominican outfielder who should command a top bonus, according to Law. The Mariners have also been linked to Jose Torres, a Colombian right-hander.
- Law has heard that the Royals are in on Jeffrey Baez, a speedy Venezuelan outfielder.