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Heyman On Jackson, Marlins, Brewers

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Some teams are hoping that a top-of-the-rotation starter or two will appear on the trade market at some point this month, but those pitchers aren’t available now, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest on the starting pitching market and more of Heyman’s notes from around the league: 

  • The White Sox are fielding calls on Edwin Jackson, who is set to hit free agency after the season. I identified 2011 as a 'make or break' year for the right-hander before the season and he has a 4.30 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 106 2/3 innings so far.
  • The Marlins want to be a contender when their new stadium opens next year, so they aren’t expected to seriously consider trading Ricky Nolasco or Anibal Sanchez.
  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is happy in Milwaukee, according to Heyman’s sources. Attanasio has family connections in Milwaukee, but he lives in Los Angeles so he has been mentioned as a speculative owner for the Dodgers.
  • Former agent Dennis Gilbert is a "logical candidate" to own the Dodgers at some point, Heyman writes.

Contenders In Need Of A Left Field Upgrade

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As many as seven contenders could seek a left field upgrade at the trade deadline:

  • Rays: The Rays are five games out in the wild card, so acquiring talent for the short-term remains possible.  They've been using Sam Fuld and Justin Ruggiano lately.
  • Tigers: The team has employed a bunch of different corner outfielders, but primary options Brennan Boesch and Magglio Ordonez might be sufficient.
  • White Sox: The Sox have stuck with Juan Pierre, who was at least useful in May and is having a solid July.  Internally, they could give more playing time to Brent Lillibridge or promote Dayan Viciedo.
  • Phillies: Raul Ibanez has had a rough year, but has shown power this month and in May.  He's earning $11.5MM, which limits the Phillies' flexibility.
  • Braves: The Braves have been using Nate McLouth in left and Jordan Schafer in center lately with Martin Prado on the DL.  Prado will fill in for Chipper Jones at third upon his return.
  • Reds: The Reds have tried Chris Heisey, Jonny Gomes, and Fred Lewis.  Overall none of them have been awful but no one has run away with the job.
  • Giants: Aaron Rowand, Cody Ross, and perhaps Pat Burrell are in the mix.  Brandon Belt could enter the picture as well, so the Giants may already have enough to choose from.

None of these clubs are a slam dunk to acquire a left fielder, but the Braves, Phillies, and Reds seem more likely than the others.  Potential trade targets could include Josh Willingham, Ryan Ludwick, Luke Scott (if healthy), David DeJesus, Marcus Thames, Laynce Nix, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, and Juan Rivera, with Soriano and Lee long shots to be dealt.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Riggleman, Fernandez, Orioles

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Congratulations to Derek Jeter on career hit No. 3,000.  Here are some Quick Hits for Saturday afternoon..

  • ESPN's Buster Olney says that rumors are swirling about a managerial change for the White Sox, but a high-ranking source says a change is not being considered and Ozzie Guillen is safe (Twitter link). The ChiSox won today, but had lost four in a row and five of six before that.
  • Alex Rodriguez may need knee surgery that could keep him out a month, and Joel Sherman of The New York Post hears that the Yankees will consider outside options to fill in at third base (Twitter link). Their first choice is to use in-house candidates Eduardo Nunez and Brandon Laird.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that Jim Riggleman has a job interview for an unknown position with the Giants next week. Riggleman resigned as Nationals manager last month.
  • The Marlins are not close to signing first-round pick Jose Fernandez, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.  The 14th overall selection is seeking a deal close to $4MM while the Fish offered just $1.6MM.
  • The Orioles are confident that they will be able to sign top pick pitcher Dylan Bundy, but they also expect that negotiations will go down to the mid-August deadline, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com.
  • The Cubs are likely to pass on requests for starting pitchers Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Garza, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • We learned yesterday that Brian Gordon is Korea-bound, and now there are rumblings that Chris Bootcheck is as well, tweets Patrick Newman of NPBTracker.com.

Chicago Notes: Wood, White Sox, Soriano, Ramirez

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Let's check out some items on the Chicago teams, who are both in action tonight..

  • Cubs GM Jim Hendry says that he's gotten phone calls from teams inquiring about players that he's not interested in moving, and the teams know that before they call, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
  • At some point, the Cubs will let Kerry Wood know which contenders have serious interest in him and let him make the choice of if he's traded, and where to according to Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • Meanwhile, the club is telling teams that they have no interest in talking about Sean Marshall in any potential trade, Olney tweets.
  • The White Sox might make a trade with the Braves in the weeks leading up to the deadline, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  Though it's possible that nothing is imminent, GM Ken Williams' special assistants Dave Yoakum and Bill Scherrer have been watching Atlanta over the past two or three series.
  • Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com wonders if Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and John Grabow could be of interest to the Yankees.  Although the Yankees already have a solid base in their everyday lineup, Levine writes that Ramirez or Soriano could add some punch as a designated hitter.

Astros Claim Lucas Harrell

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The Astros have claimed right-hander Lucas Harrell from the White Sox, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The move fills Houston's 40-man roster and creates a spot on Chicago's roster, which now stands at 37.

The White Sox selected Harrell in the fourth round of the 2004 draft and the 26-year-old has had brief stints in the majors in each of the past two seasons. In 29 big league innings, he has a 5.28 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9 and over the course of seven minor league seasons, Harrell has a 3.79 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.

NL East Notes: Werth, Morse, Braves

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On this date in 2004, the newly acquired Richard Hidalgo homered in his fifth consecutive game for the Mets, giving him eight homers in his first 16 contests with New York. Hidalgo would go on to hit 21 homers for the Mets in '04, but he played his last MLB game a year later. Here are the latest links from his former division…

  • Jayson Werth told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that he doesn't regret signing in Washington last winter. The outfielder says he's happy with his decision, but unhappy with his offensive production. He has a .221/.326/.377 line since signing a $126MM deal with the Nationals. 
  • Michael Morse of the Nationals tells Crasnick that he feels like a late bloomer. The 29-year-old outfielder, who had just 392 MLB plate appearances before last season, now has 15 homers and a .536 slugging percentage.
  • The White Sox seem interested in Atlanta's pitching, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. The Braves could be in the market for an outfielder and may attempt to find a proven leadoff hitter like Juan Pierre.
  • Bowman notes (on Twitter) that he won't be surprised if the Braves don't make a significant move this month.

White Sox Agree To Deal With Keenyn Walker

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6:21PM: Walker's deal is worth $795K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter).

5:00PM: The White Sox have agreed to terms on a minor-league contract with their first pick in the 2011 draft, outfielder Keenyn Walker, according to a team press release.  Walker was selected 47th overall out of Central Arizona Junior College.

Terms of Walker's deal were not disclosed but slot would put his deal at roughly $740K.  Walker hinted that he was close to an agreement with the White Sox on Wednesday with an enthusiastic tweet.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was drafted previously by the Cubs in the 16th round of the '09 draft and by the Phillies in the 38th round in 2010.  Walker was recommended by White Sox scouts John Kazanas and Derek Valenzuela according to the team.

Cafardo On Dodgers, Hardy, Wandy, Twins

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The latest from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe…

  • The Dodgers are not ready to become sellers quite yet, but Cafardo reports that the team's scouts are already compiling lists of other teams' better prospects.  Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll are among the players who would be made available — Kuroda is already attracting the attention of several teams and MLBTR's Tim Dierkes looked at Carroll's trade candidacy two weeks ago.
  • Cafardo reports that the Indians looked into Casey Blake as a depth option at third base before Lonnie Chisenhall was called up.  Blake, Jonathan Broxton and Jon Garland are all currently on the DL but would be shopped by L.A. if they can prove they're healthy.
  • The Dodgers don't appear to be interested in moving higher-profile players like Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier or James Loney since "the feeling is Dodgers fans would rebel if some of their star players were sold off."  I don't think Loney falls into this category at all — he has just a .678 OPS this season and could be a non-tender candidate after the season, so the Dodgers would love to get something back for him.
  • J.J. Hardy will be "a major trade chip" for the Orioles if the two sides can't work out a contract extension before the deadline.  Hardy would become the top option for shortstop-needy teams, particularly if the Mets don't shop Jose Reyes.
  • "It’s no secret that [Wandy Rodriguez] is being watched closely by the Yankees, who have sent a few people to watch some of his starts," Cafardo writes.  As FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal noted a few weeks ago, the Yankees would want Rodriguez at the back of their rotation while the Astros would want a trade package befitting an ace, so there may not be a fit between the two teams.  Cafardo notes that Brett Myers "also remains on the Yankees' radar."
  • The Twins are more likely to deal Carl Pavano or Francisco Liriano than they would Scott Baker, though "there are teams that would love to get their hands on Baker."
  • The White Sox recently sent assistant general manager Dave Yokum to scout some Braves games for pitching.  Cafardo specifically cites Brandon Beachy as a starter the Sox were watching and says that Beachy or Derek Lowe could be shopped by Atlanta in exchange for a hitter.  I think it's obvious the Braves would prefer to move the expensive Lowe rather than a young, controllable pitcher like Beachy, but if the Braves wanted to pick up a big bat like Carlos Quentin (as Cafardo speculates), Atlanta certainly has the pitching depth to spare.

Olney On Deadline Plans For AL Teams

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ESPN's Buster Olney outlined plans for National League teams heading into the trade deadline yesterday, and today he follows up with the American League in an Insider-only column that comes highly recommended. Here's a brief recap…

  • The Mark Ellis trade could just be the first domino that falls for the Athletics. Other veterans like Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, and Grant Balfour could follow him out the door.
  • The Twins aren't as willing to trade now as they were a few weeks ago, and the big question they have to ask themselves is if eating a chunk of the $5.5MM left on Michael Cuddyer's contract is worth it to trade him.
  • We've heard this before, but B.J. Upton and Kyle Farnsworth of the Rays figure to draw interest.
  • The Red Sox and Angels don't have a lot of financial flexiblity and are more likely to target smaller pieces.
  • Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera, and Wilson Betemit are all affordable and reasonably productive, but Olney notes that the Royals might want to keep some veterans around so the youngsters don't get pounded.
  • The Indians and Mariners will not blow up their rebuild processes despite their surprising runs at contention. Erik Bedard's injury took away Seattle's best chip.
  • Poor seasons from Alex Rios and Adam Dunn make it difficult for the White Sox to do anything. They need those two to get back on track more than anything.
  • The Yankees are convinced their internal pitching options are better than what's available on the market right now. A Rafael Soriano setback would put them in the reliever market.
  • It's all about right-handed relief pitching for the Rangers, who will have plenty of options to choose from. The Blue Jays have lots of bullpen help to deal.
  • The Tigers are asking around about pitching, specifically left-handers.
  • The Orioles are having an internal debate about whether or not to trade Jeremy Guthrie, but they are expected to at least listen to offers.

Chicago Links: Williams, Viciedo, Hendry

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Chicago's teams have combined for 70 wins and 90 losses, yet the White Sox say they could still turn their season around and the Cubs tell us not to expect a fire sale. Here are the details…

  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that his team can turn it around and start winning, but is licking its wounds too much at the moment. “We're going to have to start to turn this around quickly,” Williams said. 
  • Jim Margalus of South Side Sox explains that Dayan Viciedo may be in Triple-A because of service time considerations. The prospect is hitting minor league pitching as well as the White Sox could hope (.330/.369/.528 line), but if the White Sox wait another week, Viciedo won't have a full year of service time at the end of the year even if he doesn’t return to Triple-A. Margalus’ analysis is spot-on here. 
  • Cubs GM Jim Hendry told Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald that the Cubs won't have a fire sale this summer. They intend told keep the players who will help down the road, Hendry said. "If we make moves, it will be designed to make us better for the future."
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