Guardians Rumors

Twitter Rumors: Lowell, Ross, Dotel, Heilman

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2010 at 2:31pm CDT

A home for today's random Twitter rumors…

The Red Sox might not activate Mike Lowell today because they're trying to trade him, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
The Marlins are getting tons of calls on Cody Ross but aren't inclined to move him, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Marlins are wavering on their stance not to deal Ross, and the Braves are making a push.
The Sox made a run at the Cubs' Sean Marshall and were shot down, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. Marshall is having a dominant year out of the Cubs' pen.
Though the Giants have inquired on Orioles lefty Will Ohman, a deal is unlikely according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Action has been light on Octavio Dotel so far, tweets Morosi.
The Diamondbacks aren't sure about trading Aaron Heilman, reports Ken Rosenthal, but could move Chad Qualls and Adam LaRoche. SI's Jon Heyman says the D'Backs have gotten nibbles on Qualls but nothing is close yet.
The Indians are getting "significant hits" on Jake Westbrook, says ESPN's Buster Olney. The Cardinals and Yankees have checked in, reports Stark.

Red Sox Have Explored Trades For Many Relievers

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2010 at 1:03am CDT

FRIDAY, 1:03am: Theo Epstein has discussed multiple possible trades with former Red Sox assistant GM and current Padres GM Jed Hoyer, according to Peter Abraham and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Globe duo believes Boston could have interest in a reliever like Joe Thatcher, and, given the team's excess of outfielders when Jacoby Ellsbury returns, they may match up with San Diego.

THURSDAY, 12:59pm: Though they're on his no-trade list, the Red Sox asked the Brewers about Trevor Hoffman, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal adds that the Brewers are not inclined to move Hoffman. Meanwhile they're getting calls on Carlos Villanueva and Todd Coffey.

12:05pm: The Red Sox are leaving no rock unturned in their search for relief help. They've explored Rafael Perez, Will Ohman, Mike Gonzalez, Matt Capps, Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, Sean Marshall, Kerry Wood, David Aardsma, and Kyle Farnsworth, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Cafardo says Scott Downs looks unlikely unless the Blue Jays back down from their top prospect requests. On a related note, SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Jays asked the Mets for outfield prospect Kirk Nieuwenhuis and one other player for Downs and were denied.

Marshall is the interesting name here. The 27-year-old lefty has had a dominant year in relief, posting a 1.71 ERA, 10.4 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in 52.6 innings with one home run allowed. He's been especially strong against lefties. Marshall is under team control through 2012 and would presumably be very difficult to pry loose from the Cubs. Gonzalez is another surprising name, since he's spent most of the season on the shelf with a shoulder injury and is still owed good money.

Cafardo adds that the Red Sox have been shopping reliever Ramon Ramirez, and offers the opinion that a National League team might want to take a look at him. Ramirez has a 4.57 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 in 41.3 innings with six home runs allowed and is a potential non-tender candidate after the season.

Rosenthal On Dunn, Carmona, White Sox

By Tim Dierkes | July 29, 2010 at 2:05pm CDT

Tweets from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, with the latest up top…

The Yankees are out on Adam Dunn for now. Joel Sherman of the New York Post cites several reasons the Yanks cooled on him.
Rosenthal's source puts the Indians' chances of trading Fausto Carmona at one in a million. Though the Indians are listening, they don't expect to receive a suitable offer. Carmona, whose ERA jumped from 3.51 to 3.92 after yesterday's disaster, can be controlled through 2014 given his rare three-option contract.
Despite Jorge Posada's sore knee, the Yankees are unlikely to pursue a catcher.
The White Sox are exploring hitters other than Dunn, and not all left-handed bats. With an open DH spot, the Sox have flexibility to take almost any bat. Rosenthal says they also seek a mid-rotation starter.

Tigers Acquire Jhonny Peralta

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 28, 2010 at 5:20pm CDT

The Tigers acquired Jhonny Peralta and cash from the Indians for minor league pitcher Giovanni Soto, according to the team. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince reports on Twitter that the Tigers are getting cash to cover all but the pro-rated portion of the major league minimum salary. To make room on their 40-man roster, the Tigers designated Wilkin Ramirez for assignment (Twitter link).

Brandon Inge and Carlos Guillen are on the disabled list, so Peralta gives the Tigers infield depth as they chase the Twins and White Sox. The infielder switched to third base last season after years at short. Peralta hasn't hit much this year, as his .246/.308/.389 line shows. The 28-year-old makes $4.6MM this season (about $1.7MM remains) and the Tigers have a $7.25MM option for 2011 with a $250K buyout.

In Soto, the Indians acquire a promising left-hander who still appears to be years away from the majors. The 2009 draft pick (21st round) has a 2.61 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 as a starting pitcher in A ball this year.

This deal should set the market for Miguel Tejada, another former shortstop who is having a similar season to Peralta at the plate. The Cardinals are interested in the former AL MVP.

Earlier today, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reported on Twitter that Mike Lowell wasn't drawing much interest, even though he hit three homers last night. The Tigers had some interest in Lowell, but today's trade likely means the Red Sox will have to find another trade partner.

Tigers Interested In Jhonny Peralta

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 28, 2010 at 1:15pm CDT

The Tigers are discussing Jhonny Peralta, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter). Brandon Inge and Carlos Guillen are on the disabled list, so the Tigers could use infield depth as they chase the Twins and White Sox. Peralta, who switched to third base last season after years at short, is batting .246/.308/.389 in 2010.

The 28-year-old makes $4.6MM this season (about $1.7MM remains) and the Indians have a $7MM option for 2011 with a $250K buyout. Peralta isn't cheap, but the Yankees do have some interest. Like Miguel Tejada, another former shortstop who is having a similar season at the plate, Peralta could likely be had for secondary prospects.

Stark On Phillies, Indians, Ross, Athletics

By Tim Dierkes | July 28, 2010 at 11:55am CDT

Today's rumblings from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

Shane Victorino's oblique injury yesterday appears to close the door on a Jayson Werth trade. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki seems to agree, but unlike Stark he feels that the Phils "remain a top contender" for Roy Oswalt. More on Oswalt here.
Stark writes of indications the Phillies have turned to starters such as Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona and relief options like Octavio Dotel. Jon Heyman of SI.com notes that the Indians are talking trades with the Phils (Twitter link).
Speaking of the Indians, Stark senses they do want to move money off the books.
The Marlins have told teams they could deal Cody Ross in August if they fall out of contention, but they'd have to match up only with the team that wins the claim.
The Braves maintain strong interest in Josh Willingham, though there's a good chance they stand pat. Willingham is just one of many Nationals veterans generating interest, GM Mike Rizzo told ESPN 980.
Athletics assistant GM David Forst told Stark "it would have to be an over-the-top deal for us to even consider it" in regard to trading relievers such as Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, and Brad Ziegler.

Lefty Reliever Rumors

By Tim Dierkes | July 28, 2010 at 11:07am CDT

Scott Downs, Will Ohman, Javier Lopez, Craig Breslow, George Sherrill, Doug Slaten, Brian Tallet, Mark Hendrickson, and Bruce Chen make up most of the trade market for left-handed relievers. Today's rumors…

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that he feels the Giants, Phillies, Red Sox, Twins, and Rays could use a left-handed reliever.
Morosi tweets that the Pirates are getting calls on Lopez, who is affordable now and under team control for 2011. Lopez has surrendered too many walks to both lefties and righties, but his groundball rate is 59.6% and he's whiffed southpaws at a strong rate.
The Indians are getting hits on Rafael Perez, tweets Morosi's colleague Ken Rosenthal, but they aren't motivated to trade him. Perez is technically under team control through 2013. With a 5.6 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9, Perez's best asset is his 57.4% groundball rate – much like Lopez.

Indians Designate Wes Hodges For Assignment

By Tim Dierkes | July 27, 2010 at 12:54pm CDT

The Indians designated infielder Wes Hodges for assignment to make room for pitcher Josh Tomlin, according to the team.

Hodges, a second-round pick of the Indians in 2006, was hitting .270/.316/.423 this year in his second Triple A stint. He came up as a third baseman, but has been playing first base and DH this year. Baseball America ranked him 27th among Indians prospects heading into the season, citing health issues and the move off third base.

Rockies Rumors: Peralta, Gregg, Iannetta, Hawpe

By Luke Adams 2 | July 25, 2010 at 9:00am CDT

Let's check in on the latest Rockies-related rumors and notes…

Jhonny Peralta has "emerged as a potential fit" for Colorado, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies and Indians have made trades in the past, including Colorado's acquisition of Rafael Betancourt last year, and Peralta can play all over the infield.
As we heard earlier this weekend, bullpen help is still a priority for the Rox, and Kevin Gregg appears to be their top target.
The Red Sox will likely look to reopen talks for Chris Iannetta during the offseason.
With Jorge de la Rosa and Jeff Francis both facing free agency, Renck believes the Rockies should explore a deal for Dan Haren, though there's no indication Colorado is involved in those sweepstakes.
In a separate Denver Post piece, Mark Kiszla argues that the Rockies should attempt to trade Brad Hawpe. Renck notes, in a tweet, that Hawpe could be a fit for the White Sox if Chicago can't land Adam Dunn or another big bat.

Odds & Ends: Hamilton, Rangers, Moyer, Wilson

By Mark Polishuk | July 22, 2010 at 10:56pm CDT

As Alex Rodriguez takes a step closer to the 600-homer club, here are some news items…

Barry Shlachter of the Star-Telegram reports on Nolan Ryan's testimony about the Rangers' money problems. The most notable item from Ryan's testimony was that Texas may not be able to afford Josh Hamilton's inevitable arbitration raise this winter. This seems hard to believe, since you'd figure that Texas would cut corners anywhere else to find the money to pay Hamilton or to negotiate a long-term deal with their star.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com tweets that the Rangers have excess pitching and could make Scott Feldman and/or Rich Harden available in a trade.
Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Jamie Moyer's recent elbow injury might end the 47-year-old's amazing career.
The Cardinals feel more confident about their chances of signing draft pick Austin Wilson after the 12th-round selection and his family visited Busch Stadium, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The highly-regarded Wilson has a full scholarship waiting for him at Stanford and thus the Cards' selection was thought to be a longshot.
Tom Krasovic of the Inside The Padres blog writes that the Friars are looking for "a hitter adept at reaching base against right-handers."
Holden Kushner of CSNWashington.com examines a potential Adam Dunn deal against the situation the Nationals faced in 2005 when they didn't trade Alfonso Soriano.
Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com discusses some Indians prospects and more in a fan mailbag.
David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune thinks the White Sox should resist the urge to trade Gordon Beckham for a rent-a-player. Haugh proposes that the Sox should instead offer up Bobby Jenks, whose closing job is up in the air.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Guardians Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect