Odds & Ends: Waivers, Lowell, Taschner, Sale
Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run today off Shaun Marcum. A-Rod is now the seventh player in MLB history to reach the milestone; up next is Sammy Sosa at 609. Links for Wednesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Players on the disabled list can't pass through waivers in August, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.
- The Yankees, Rangers, and Red Sox nearly reached a deal on Friday that would've sent Mike Lowell to New York, Jarrod Saltalamacchia to Boston, and prospects to the Rangers, reports WEEI's Alex Speier. A Lowell deal with the Blue Jays had been discussed in April and June, but both potential trades were killed due to health concerns.
- Lefty Jack Taschner filed for free agency, according to MLB.com's transactions page. Taschner had been designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Friday.
- First-round pick Chris Sale will join the White Sox today as a reliever, reports Baseball America's Jim Callis, making the lefty the first to reach the bigs from the 2010 draft class.
- With Thomas Diamond's MLB debut yesterday, Joe Pawlikowski of FanGraphs looks at what's come of the DVD trio.
Odds & Ends: White Sox, Mariners, Lowell, Myers
More links for Tuesday, as Mike Lowell returns to the Red Sox lineup and blasts a homer over the Green Monster…
- White Sox minor league hitting coordinator Jeff Manto told Paul M. Banks of the Sports Bank that prospect Brandon Short has "some of the fastest hands we have in the organization," when discussing Chicago's prospects.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told the AP that Don Wakamatsu is the team's manager for the foreseeable future. "We are trying to win baseball games with Don running the ship," Zduriencik said (link at CBS Sports).
- The Red Sox told Lowell they won't release him, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com (via Twitter). Speier notes that the Yankees were on Lowell's no-trade list (Twitter link).
- The Astros wanted Ruben Tejada and Bobby Parnell from the Mets for Brett Myers, according to Peter Gammons (Twitter link).
- The Mets released Ramon Ortiz Sunday, according to the International League transactions page. GM Omar Minaya signed the right-hander back in June.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan explains how Barret Loux is a casualty of the rule that guarantees teams a future pick if they fail to sign their first rounder. The D'Backs first rounder has an uncertain future after a failed physical.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo shows how some prospects have performed since switching organizations before the July 31st trade deadline.
- Pat Andriola of FanGraphs explains the Nationals' choices with Adam Dunn, who hit waivers today.
Waiver Trade Candidates: AL Central
The current AL Central picture: the White Sox and Twins are contenders, the Tigers are in the gray area, and the Royals and Indians are out of it. Waiver trade possibilities:
It's been an up-and-down year for White Sox closer Bobby Jenks; would he be claimed despite a $7.5MM salary? Would the Sox pull him back? I'd expect Scott Linebrink and Mark Teahen to clear waivers, although deals seem unlikely. Mark Kotsay and Tony Pena could be expendable in minor trades.
Twins such as Nick Punto, Nick Blackburn, and Brendan Harris should clear waivers, though Punto can't pass through until he returns from the DL.
Brandon Inge may return from the DL from a broken hand this week, and probably would clear waivers. Carlos Guillen, dealing with a calf strain, should clear if he returns from the DL this month. Jeremy Bonderman, Johnny Damon, Jhonny Peralta, Gerald Laird, and Brad Thomas are others who might make it through waivers. If the Tigers are out of it and one of these players is claimed, trimming a few hundred thousand dollars might be appealing.
Royals righty Gil Meche will attempt to finish the season as a reliever rather than undergo shoulder surgery, but it's hard to say if he'll return from the DL this month. Jose Guillen is a lock to clear, and perhaps a deal can be worked out. We'll be curious to see what happens when Yuniesky Betancourt, Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies, Willie Bloomquist, Wilson Betemit, and Bruce Chen hit the wire. Bloomquist may go.
The Indians' Travis Hafner will clear waivers and stay put, if he's activated from the DL for should inflammation later this month.
For our primer on the waiver trade process, click here.
White Sox, Rays, Angels Asked About Manny Ramirez
3:47pm: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says he believes Manny will stay with the team for the rest of the year, tweets Nightengale.
12:49pm: Brown says the Angels are not the third team he was referring to earlier. ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that there are absolutely no indications the Dodgers are trading Manny today.
12:36pm: The Angels also asked about Manny, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. I wonder how recently that happened.
12:26pm: The White Sox haven't heard a counter-offer from the Dodgers on Manny, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale, and the Sox are moving on.
11:35pm: The Dodgers asked the White Sox for Dayan Viciedo in exchange for Ramirez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com on Twitter. The Manny market is heating up, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown on Twitter. The Rays, White Sox and a mystery team are all involved. The Dodgers are considering dealing Manny, according to Brown, who explains that the Dodgers are not shopping him. The left fielder is said to be open to a trade.
11:18am: The Sox intend to make one more run at Manny today, tweets Rosenthal. Yahoo's Steve Henson tweets that the Dodgers would love to move Manny but they don't want to eat his contract.
11:15am: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that Manny appears amenable to going to the White Sox but the Dodgers want big prospects back.
11:06am: The Rays inquired on Manny a while back and it went nowhere, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
10:28am: The White Sox made a failed run at Manny Ramirez, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Ramirez has over $7MM remaining on his contract, and Rosenthal tweets that the Sox wanted the Dodgers to pay all but $1MM and did not want to send any players to Los Angeles. This was apparently what Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times was referring to when he said GM Kenny Williams was trying to "shock the world" before yesterday's Edwin Jackson trade.
Though the Sox were rejected, Manny makes for an interesting DH target for multiple teams. Ramirez is having a strong year statistically, but he was otherworldly after the '08 trade to the Dodgers. Obstacles abound: Manny has a full no-trade clause, he's on a rehab assignment for a calf strain, and as we mentioned he has over $7MM remaining on his contract (much of it deferred). The contract makes Ramirez an August trade candidate, if the Dodgers feel they can spare him.
Adam Dunn Not Traded
The latest on slugger Adam Dunn, who we learned yesterday is comfortable serving as a designated hitter for two months…
- Dunn was not traded, according to many reports.
- Rosenthal tweets that Dunn to the White Sox for Jackson and others is "far from over."
- Edwin Jackson for Dunn is still possible, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, but the Nationals want another player or two.
- One Nationals source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports he thinks Dunn is staying.
- The Giants are still checking in on Dunn but the Nationals still want Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Nationals are getting late interest in Dunn from new teams and longshots are being explored, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The odds of a Dunn trade are less than 50-50, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. He adds that the Rays are not pursuing any bat aggressively.
White Sox, Twins Exploring Deal For Brett Myers
SATURDAY, 2:53am: The Twins are in the mix to land Myers, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. He says the Astros became more open to trading Myers in recent hours.
FRIDAY, 1:37pm: The White Sox are including Jackson in their offer for Adam Dunn, tweets Nightengale. If they pull that off, they'll try for Myers.
10:56am: We know the White Sox are seeking a mid-rotation starter and might pull off a deal for Edwin Jackson. But GM Kenny Williams is also quietly exploring acquiring Brett Myers from the Astros, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Myers is thought to be mostly unavailable, as the Astros hope to re-sign him and perhaps would prefer not to decimate their rotation for the rest of this year. The Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley cautions not to get too excited about the White Sox-Myers talk (Twitter link).
Williams might be burning up the phone lines with Ed Wade for multiple players, as AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets that there's buzz about the Sox going after Lance Berkman. It certainly seems that the White Sox will make some noise in the 28 hours leading up to the trade deadline.
Adam Dunn Rumors: Friday
The latest on Nationals slugger Adam Dunn…
- The Giants are involved a number of pursuits, but do not seem serious about Dunn, writes Rosenthal.
- The White Sox are once again saying that they're out of the Dunn sweepstakes, according to Rosenthal (Twitter links). Barring a mystery team, Rosenthal finds it hard to envision a Dunn trade.
- The Nationals told teams that Edwin Jackson was key to obtaining Adam Dunn from them, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Many teams tried to obtain Jackson, the White Sox got him and now the Nationals say they aren't so sure they want the righty. Obviously, teams are frustrated with the Nationals (all Twitter links).
- The Nats are becoming frustrated as they try to obtain equal value for Dunn, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). Rival teams say that Washington's asking price is enormous.
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo told MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling that he won't lower his asking price for Dunn (Twitter link).
- Dunn says he'd be comfortable DHing for the rest of the year, according to multiple reporters, including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link). That is music to the ears of White Sox, Rays and Yankees fans.
- The Rays are convinced that the Yankees will acquire Dunn, Peter Gammons told WEEI.com. Gammons suspects that if the Nationals trade Dunn, the Yankees will acquire him. The Rays haven't given up hope, since they have had a special assignment scout watching Dunn all week, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (Twitter link).
- The White Sox remain in talks with the Nationals for Dunn even after the Edwin Jackson trade, write Rosenthal and Morosi. Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Nationals want Jackson in a Dunn trade, but the White Sox hope to keep him out of the deal.
- The White Sox are focused only on Dunn and not Prince Fielder or Lance Berkman, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has heard varying opinions about whether the Yankees are truly out on Dunn.
- Yesterday's Dunn rumors are tough to sort out, rife with conflicting reports. The White Sox, Yankees, Rays, Giants, and Tigers were linked, though the Tigers might be out.
Rockies Not Likely To Trade Cook Or Hawpe
6:00pm: The Rockies are telling teams they can't move Hawpe right now no matter what, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (Twitter link).
1:55pm: The Rockies aren’t likely to move Aaron Cook or Brad Hawpe, but Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that Colorado is looking for MLB-ready prospects if they deal either player (all links on Twitter). Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Rockies would deal Cook for a bullpen piece and a prospect.
The White Sox and Tigers are still eyeing Hawpe, so Renck suggests things could get “interesting” if Chicago doesn’t acquire Adam Dunn. The White Sox still appear to have interest in Dunn, but Hawpe’s left-handed bat could be an alternative for GM Kenny Williams. So far this season, the 31-year-old is batting .262/.340/.454 with seven homers.
Lance Berkman, another player the White Sox are considering as an alternative to Dunn, drew interest from the Rockies, who ‘kicked the tires’ on him before their recent skid.
Lance Berkman Rumors: Friday
Yesterday we heard Lance Berkman could be the next big-name Astro to go, especially with Brett Wallace now in the fold. The latest:
- The Yankees are telling teams they can take on salary, but don’t want to hand over prospects, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. They’re now taking a long, hard look at Berkman.
- Berkman would accept a deal to the Yankees, according to Sherman (via Twitter). Earlier today we heard that Berkman would like to play with former teammate Andy Pettitte.
- The Yankees are seriously considering Berkman, tweets Sherman. Berkman is one of many bats the Yankees are considering, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- ESPN's Jayson Stark notes that Berkman could be traded in August given his large salary. He says the White Sox, Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays have checked in.
- Berkman could be in play for the Yankees under the right circumstances, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal feels Berkman would probably waive his no-trade rights for a chance to reunite with old friend Andy Pettitte. A word of caution: an exec who talked to Joel Sherman of the New York Post wondered how Berkman would fare in the American League.
- Are the White Sox in on Berkman, perhaps as a backup plan for Adam Dunn? Ed Price of AOL FanHouse tweets yes, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets no.
White Sox Acquire Edwin Jackson
Edwin Jackson has been traded for the fourth time in his young career, this time by the Diamondbacks to the White Sox for pitchers Dan Hudson and David Holmberg.
The 26-year-old Jackson would be a project for Sox pitching coach Don Cooper, as he has a 5.55 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 4.3 BB/9 on the season despite throwing a no-hitter in late June. Of course, we're not positive the hard-throwing righty won't be flipped, possibly for Adam Dunn, before Saturday's trade deadline. At any rate, Arizona shed more payroll with the move since Jackson is owed $1.5MM more this year and $8.35MM in 2011 before he'll be eligible to become one of the youngest members of the 2012 free agent class.
Hudson, 23, rocketed up Chicago's farm system last year with "three solid pitches and natural deception," according to Baseball America. He's spent most of this season in Triple A, posting a 3.47 ERA, 10.4 K/9, and 3.0 BB/9 with 13 home runs allowed in 93.3 innings. The D'Backs might be concerned that their revamped rotation is built around flyball pitchers, with Ian Kennedy and Joe Saunders already in the fold, but interim GM Jerry Dipoto told MLBTR, "pitchers with good stuff work just about anywhere" while noting that Kennedy and Hudson miss bats. The D'Backs will have Hudson under team control through 2016 even if they keep him in the Majors the rest of the season.
Holmberg, 19, was drafted in the second round, 71st overall out of high school by the White Sox last year. The southpaw was ranked eighth among Sox prospects by BA heading into the season, with the projection of a "middle of the rotation workhorse at best."
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports were first to report the teams being on the verge of the deal, with Yahoo's Tim Brown breaking news of the agreement. Jon Heyman, Joe Cowley, and Bob Nightengale also contributed to the story.