Rockies Rumors: Peralta, Gregg, Iannetta, Hawpe
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
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.
Stark On Lilly, Indians, Astros, Dodgers
The starting pitching market may be ‘mediocre’ if you ask officials around the major leagues, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark did, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of rumors out there with just over a week before the deadline. Here they are:
- Six teams or more are interested in Ted Lilly, who will almost certainly get traded. The Tigers, Mets and Dodgers have interest, but the Yankees probably won’t be involved. The Cubs are not willing to pick up any of Lilly’s salary and probably won’t have to.
- The A’s, on the other hand, will pick up much of the $4MM or so remaining on Ben Sheets’ salary and are ready to deal him.
- The Indians are willing to deal one of Jake Westbrook or Fausto Carmona for a “compelling” package, but not both.
- They’re also growing more and more confident that they’ll be able to trade Kerry Wood. If they don't strike a deal before the deadline, they could do so after Wood clears waivers in August.
- The Yankees are kicking tires on many starters, including Westbrook and Dan Haren.
- The Astros would have to be “overwhelmed” to move Brett Myers (as FOX Sports reported) or Wandy Rodriguez. Myers has a mutual option, so there’s no guarantee he returns in 2011. I find it hard to believe that the Astros wouldn’t deal him for a good-but-not-great group.
- The Marlins appear to have decided to focus on extending Dan Uggla, instead of trading him.
- The Dodgers have told rival teams that they have $2-3MM to play with.
Astros Claim Anderson Hernandez, Nelson Figueroa
The Astros claimed infielder Anderson Hernandez off waivers from the Indians and pitcher Nelson Figueroa off waivers from the Phillies, tweets Alyson Footer. She adds that pitchers Polin Trinidad and Gary Majewski were designated for assignment.
Hernandez was designated for assignment by the Indians three days ago, the second time they'd done so this year. He's struggled mightily with the bat in the Majors and minors. Figueroa cleared waivers and accepted a Triple A assignment in June, so I'm not sure what happened there. The 36-year-old was excellent in the minors and decent in the bigs.
Trinidad, a 25-year-old southpaw, has a 4.55 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 12 home runs allowed in 97 Triple A innings this year. Heading into the season Baseball America ranked him 26th among Astros prospects, saying he "profiles as a No. 5 starter or long reliever." Majewski, 30, spent most of the season at Triple A where he posted a 4.04 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 2.8 BB/9 in 35.6 relief innings.
Jensen Lewis Optioned To Triple A
WEDNESDAY: Lewis was optioned to Triple A Columbus, tweets MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. Castrovince explained yesterday that the move was a procedural one.
TUESDAY: The Indians designated righty Jensen Lewis for assignment to make room for Asdrubal Cabrera, according to the team. Lewis, 26, posted a 4.18 ERA in 22 relief appearances for the Indians this year, with 6.1 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9. The 2005 third-rounder picked up 23.2 innings in total this season, his fourth in the Indians' 'pen.
But teams salivating over Lewis in a thin relief market should check themselves. MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince reports that Lewis will not be placed on outright waivers and was DFA'd as a technicality (Twitter link).
Cabrera, who broke out for the Indians last season, is returning from a fractured left forearm and will play in the majors for the first time since May 17th. Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo and Kerry Wood have all missed time due to injuries as well.
Yankees Considering Jhonny Peralta
Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta is in the mix along with Florida's Wes Helms as potential bench options for the Yankees, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the prices on Jose Bautista and Ty Wigginton are too high.
Peralta has a substantial commitment for a bench player, with $2.23MM remaining on his contract. He's hitting .252/.314/.401 on the season.
The Yankees were first linked to Helms four days ago by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, but Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post tweets today that he's not their first choice. Other available bench options capable of playing third base include Willie Bloomquist, Adam Kennedy, and Craig Counsell.
Mets Considering Dotel, Downs
The Mets have discussed relievers Octavio Dotel and Scott Downs, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. John Harper of the New York Daily News reported yesterday that the Mets scouted Downs and Kevin Gregg over the weekend. The Mets agreed to terms with free agent reliever Chad Cordero earlier today.
The FOX writers say the Mets are now more focused on relievers than starters. While they maintain interest in Ted Lilly, they've cooled on Jake Westbrook, Ben Sheets, and Brett Myers. Speaking of Myers, ESPN's Adam Rubin learned that the Mets and Astros have had very little conversation.
Dotel came up through the Mets' system more than a decade ago and was traded in December of '99 to the Astros with Kyle Kessel and Roger Cedeno for Derek Bell and Mike Hampton. That deal was engineered by Steve Phillips and Gerry Hunsicker back when Dotel was a starter. If Hunsicker had been able to give the Yankees a window to negotiate with Hampton before his walk year, imagine how New York baseball history would've been altered.
This year as the Pirates' closer Dotel sports a 4.62 ERA, 10.9 K/9, and 4.1 BB/9 in 37 innings, with five home runs allowed and 20 saves in 25 attempts. He has a 2.60 ERA since May 4th. Still, as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick implies, Dotel's stats suggest he should be a righty specialist. By the way, Dotel's 2011 club option becomes mutual if he's traded.
Morosi noted on Twitter last night that the Pirates are also getting calls on Joel Hanrahan, "but the price remains very high." Armed with a 95.6 mph fastball, Hanrahan has 56 strikeouts in 40.6 innings. His 12.39 K/9 ranks behind only Carlos Marmol, Billy Wagner, and Brian Wilson in the National League.
Cardinals Focused On Westbrook, Haren
The Cardinals are trying to acquire a starting pitcher, wrote Ed Price of AOL FanHouse last night, and they're focused on Jake Westbrook and Dan Haren.
Recently we summed up the market for both pitchers. Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ten days ago that he expected to "shy from a rental deal that requires us to give up a ton of talent." Neither Westbrook nor Haren fits that description, so it makes sense that they'd be in play for newly-extended GM John Mozeliak.
The Jake Westbrook Market
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of 2008, Indians righty Jake Westbrook is finally healthy again. It'd be reasonable for the last-place Tribe to move the veteran, so let's take a closer look.
Contract
Westbrook signed a three-year, $33MM extension in April of 2007, and he has $4.54MM in base salary remaining. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Westbrook also gets a $2MM lump sum and a pro-rated $1MM salary increase if traded. If dealt today, Westbrook would be owed about $6.95MM. This is clearly a major impediment to a deal. As far as draft pick compensation, forget about it – Westbrook is nowhere close to Type B status.
Performance
Westbrook, 33 in September, has a 4.67 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in 113.6 innings this year. His 52.2% groundball rate ranks sixth in the American League among those with 80 innings, according to FanGraphs. Interestingly, Westbrook's teammates Justin Masterson and Fausto Carmona are among the five hurlers ranked ahead of him. The Indians rank 25th in baseball in defensive efficiency according to Baseball Prospectus, so any potential trade partner will probably be good for Westbrook.
Asking Price/Availability
The Indians "would trade Westbrook in a minute for a mid-level prospect if the Mets would pick up most of what's left on his contract this season," wrote John Harper of the New York Daily News. Indians writers have presented a different view. On July 4th, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote that the Indians "are sending out messages that they don't simply intend to dump Westbrook's salary," and will have to be compelled to move him. In June, Pluto's colleague Paul Hoynes wrote that Westbrook is "one of the least likely to be moved" on the team. Hoynes said the Indians have a good relationship with Westbrook and may try to re-sign him after the season. The fact that Westbrook had significant trade incentives built into his contract shows his inclination to stay put.
Interested Teams
- Mets: Harper says Mets officials are divided on whether to acquire Westbrook. Indeed, reports over the last month have conflicted over the team's level of interest.
- Dodgers: They've inquired, reports Yahoo's Tim Brown. You may recall the Casey Blake trade of two years ago, where the Indians paid the freight and were able to acquire Carlos Santana as a result.
- Padres: They've discussed him, reports Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse. The Padres are known to be prioritizing starting pitching.
- Yankees: The idea of a reunion has been broached by beat writers in a more speculative sense. However, GM Brian Cashman told Peter Botte of the New York Daily News yesterday that "Cliff Lee was a special case" and Sergio Mitre would be in most teams' rotations.
- We haven't seen the Tigers, Twins, Angels, Phillies, Cardinals, or Rockies linked to Westbrook, but those contenders may be looking for pitching.
Odds & Ends: Nationals, Lilly, Haren, Marlins, Kotsay
Sunday night linkage..
- Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com wonders if the reason Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo has made players like Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham available is because the team's offense is struggling with them as it is, so he'll try to improve other areas of the team.
- ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine says the Yankees could join the mix for Ted Lilly following Andy Pettitte's injury today. Meanwhile, Yanks' GM Brian Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com that he is "not inclined" to make a move to replace Pettitte yet, saying that he prefers to give internal options a try first. Levine has the Tigers, Twins, Mets, and Dodgers also in the hunt for Lilly.
- Scott Miller of CSBSports.com wonders if this weekend's poor play (three losses to the Padres) makes a Dan Haren trade more likely.
- David Villavicencio of Fox Sports Florida tells us that players like Cody Ross and Ricky Nolasco want to stay with the Marlins, and know they need a strong run to make that a reality.
- Mark Kotsay knows what it's like to be the player who's desired in a trade, but also to be the player who would lose playing time as a result of one, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
- Jose Bautista was honored that Alex Anthopoulos called him to help get Yunel Escobar settled into his new environment, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Bautista says that he loves Toronto and would like to stay there long-term.
- The Yankees, who have been interested bystanders through most of the process, are now getting more interested in Mexican amateur pitcher Luis Heredia, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, the Pirates and the Blue Jays remain the frontrunners for the 15-year-old, who is sure to get a bonus of more than $2MM.
- Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweets that Tampa Bay expressed interest in Yunel Escobar before he was dealt to Toronto. He also tweets that Reid Brignac was part of the talks.
- Hayden Penn, a pitcher for the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate who was reportedly nearing a deal with the Chiba Lotte Marines, is on his way to Japan, according to Indianapolis Indians Triple-A announcer Scott McCauley (via Twitter). McCauley also says that another Indianapolis hurler is "close to a deal".
- The White Sox, who have been linked to Nationals slugger Adam Dunn, have had a scout present for Washington's series against the Marlins, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
- Reliever David Aardsma is a possible fit for the Tigers, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.
- R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs attempted to peg Fausto Carmona's trade value.
- Roy Oswalt wants to claim the Astros win record before leaving, writes Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle.
- Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News praised the moves made by Rangers GM Jon Daniels.
- Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun senses deja vu all over again as the deadline approaches.