Rockies Notes: Giambi, Scutaro, Guthrie
The Rockies are expected to trade some players this summer after failing to meet expectations through the first three months of the 2012 season, Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes. Here's Renck's breakdown of the Rockies' trade candidates:
- Jason Giambi could help a contender as a left-handed bat off of the bench, Renck writes. Though Giambi doesn’t want to leave Denver, he understands a trade could take place. "You can't worry about it. If it happens, it happens. It's like playing in your free agency year. Just go play. But I love it here," he told Renck.
- Marco Scutaro could be in demand this summer, when the Tigers are expected to be among the teams seeking middle infield depth. Scutaro says he’d prefer to stay in Colorado, though it’s not his choice. "Sometimes you hear all the rumors and nothing happens. Then it's quiet, like with me last winter, and I got traded."
- Jeremy Guthrie could be moved, even if it’s just for salary relief. The Blue Jays had interest in Guthrie, but talks cooled. Like Giambi and Scutaro, Guthrie will hit free agency this offseason.
International Signings: Royals, Rockies
MLB teams have been signing top international prospects since Monday, when a new class of players became available. Here are the latest signings from around MLB…
- The Royals signed Venezuelan third baseman Samir Duenez for $425K, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The 16-year-old bats left-handed and has projectable power, Badler writes.
- The Rockies signed Venezuelan left-hander Luis Guzman, Badler reports. The 16-year-old is a strike-thrower with a feel for secondary stuff, Badler adds.
Olney’s Latest: NL Trade Market, Darvish
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney compares the current state of the trade market to shopping at an airport, where priced are designed to gouge customers. Buyers want more sellers and sellers want more buyers. Olney also previewed the NL trade market, so let's dive in…
- The Mets are among teams looking for bullpen help and are waiting for the market develop. The division-rival Nationals are also in the market for relief help but do have Drew Storen on the mend. Olney wonders if they'll look for a starter given Stephen Strasburg's inning limit.
- Executives expect the Padres to deal Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, plus they continue to get calls about Chase Headley. Olney speculates that the Reds could be a fit for Quentin.
- The Braves are looking to add a veteran starting pitcher, but Olney says they're unlikely to swing a trade for Zack Greinke without having some kind of long-term contract agreement in place.
- Olney wonders if the Diamondbacks could become surprise buyers for pitching help given Joe Saunders' injury and Trevor Bauer's early struggles. The Cardinals figure to jump into the pitching market given Chris Carpenter's season-ending shoulder surgery.
- The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are among the clubs in sell mode. The Brewers will wait a little longer before deciding to sell, and while Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and others could be on the block, Corey Hart will not.
- Olney says the Blue Jays actually finished third in the bidding for Yu Darvish behind the Rangers and Cubs. No bid was within $35MM of the $51.7MM Texas submitted.
Rosenthal On Pirates, Headley, Angels, Phillies
In today's column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Pirates should go all in and trade for either Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke or Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels. Rosenthal notes that the Bucs have the 11th-ranked farm system in the majors and enough young talent to pull off a trade without including Jameson Taillon or Gerrit Cole. Pittsburgh's pitching has been strong this year and the team is currently focusing on boosting their offense, but finding a hitter who could make an impact on the level of Greinke or Hamels would be a challenge. Here's more from Rosenthal..
- The Padres are drawing serious interest in third baseman Chase Headley, but one rival exec wonders how could the team trade Headley without knowing the future of left fielder Carlos Quentin. The club could potentially move both and replace Headley with top infield prospect Jedd Gyorko, but that would leave them flat offensively in 2013.
- Some execs wonder if the Angels might try to add one of the elite starters on the block due to the recent struggles of Dan Haren and Ervin Santana. The chances appear remote, however, as the Halos' farm system isn’t deep and sources say GM Jerry Dipoto is adamant about keeping right-hander Garrett Richards as a future low-cost option.
- Even before the Phillies began calling teams about Cole Hamels, it was obvious that they wouldn't be buyers. “Their scouts are not out there banging,” a rival exec said. “They’re usually out there banging by this time. They’re playing it more conservative.”
- The GM carousel could pick up again this year. The Rockies, Mariners, and Braves could all be compelled to make changes while the Dodgers and Padres are under new ownership. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is reportedly in the final year of his contract while the Padres’ Josh Byrnes has four years left.
- Sellers should target teams who are under a great deal of pressure to win such as the Braves, Red Sox, Marlins, Tigers, and Angels. The Yankees now work to take emotion out of the equation when surveying the trade market but they could feel added stress if they start to see another AL East club as a threat.
- Giants outfielder Nate Schierholtz is out-of-options and could draw interest at the deadline. Schierholtz is hitting .248/.314/.400 with three homers in 140 plate appearances.
Central Notes: Cubs, Tigers, Marcum, Twins
The trade market is woefully thin in options, and one executive told Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) that there are "only six teams" that are ready to sell. That includes three teams out of the Central divisions – the Cubs, Astros, and Twins plus the Mariners, A's, and Rockies. Here's more out of the AL and NL Central..
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) notes that the Tigers were interested in Shaun Marcum during the offseason that the Brewers landed him. Marcum, he says, could be an option for Detroit if he's healthy.
- If the Twins do wind up as sellers, General Manager Terry Ryan says that no player will be off the table, writes Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN. "I never consider anybody untouchable. That's not the way to go about business on a baseball team or organization," Ryan said. "If you've got chances to do things that make a lot of sense for your club there shouldn't be any untouchables. Players know that, agents know that, and so does the fan base."
- When speaking with reporters today, Cubs GM Jed Hoyer had no update on talks with first-round pick Albert Almora, except to say dialogue continues, tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. The high school outfielder is one of ten unsigned first-round selections in the 2012 draft.
NL West Links: Hernandez, Dodgers, Cuddyer, Huff
The 2011 amateur draft has officially produced its first Major Leaguer, as Trevor Bauer made his debut for the Diamondbacks tonight against the Braves. The third overall pick from 2011 was shaky in his first start in the Show (two runs on five hits and three walks over four innings and 74 pitches) but Bauer escaped with a no-decision.
Here are some more items from the D'Backs and elsewhere in the NL West…
- David Hernandez's two-year extension with the Diamondbacks is worth $3.5MM, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Hernandez received a $250K signing bonus, and the right-hander will earn $1.25MM in 2013 and $2MM in 2014.
- The Dodgers' seven-year, $42MM deal with Cuban prospect Yasel Puig has stunned many international scouting directors, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. Puig's signing has caused a "huge disparity of opinion around the game," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, who cites one scout that rated Puig as worth just a $500K contract.
- Dodgers president Stan Kasten tells Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times that the team is prepared to make "big" moves at the trade deadline and are willing to increase payroll. Kasten said he would prefer to take on more salary if it meant the Dodgers wouldn't have to trade a promising minor leaguer.
- The Rockies should try to deal Michael Cuddyer while he still has trade value, opines Fangraphs' Chris Cwik. Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd recently said he isn't going to move Cuddyer, though other teams have called about the veteran outfielder.
- Aubrey Huff told reporters (including Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle) that he hasn't thought about retiring despite his difficult 2012 season. The Giants veteran hasn't produced at the plate, battled an anxiety disorder and is currently on the DL after spraining his knee while celebrating Matt Cain's perfect game.
- Billionaire Steve Cohen dropped out of the bidding to buy the Padres once the price reached $800MM, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Cohen is a Mets minority owner and was one of the top contenders to buy the Dodgers.
AL East Notes: Guthrie, Yankees, Stewart, Red Sox
Items out of the American League East..
- Jeremy Guthrie may be a potential fit for the injury-depleted Yankees after enjoying previous success in the AL East while with the Orioles, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman says that he would prefer not to go outside of the organization to solve the team's rotation issues, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network.
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) also hears from sources that the Yankees will look to handle loss of Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia from within using Freddy Garcia, Adam Warren, and David Phelps.
- Zach Stewart is used to moving around a lot after being a part of three major league trades in the last three years, writes Paul Kenyon of The Providence Journal. Stewart came to the Red Sox along with Brent Lillibridge in the Kevin Youkilis deal.
- The Red Sox signed third-round pick Austin Maddox for $350K, less than the pick value of $400K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America. The right-hander out of Florida has a 92-96 mph fastball with a promising slider.
Rockies Won’t Trade Gonzalez, Cuddyer
While there has been some speculation that the Rockies could consider moving outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, General Manager Dan O'Dowd says that the standout will be staying put in Colorado, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
O'Dowd says that talk of the team putting the 26-year-old on the block started when Nationals GM Mike Rizzo inquired on him via phone. The Rockies GM says that he told Rizzo that the outfielder wasn't available, and that was the end of it.
O'Dowd added that he has had a great deal of calls on Michael Cuddyer but won't part with him either. He expects to keep Dexter Fowler past the deadline as well but stopped short of calling him untouchable.
"I can't say for certain [we're not trading him] but we put a lot higher value on him than someone looking to acquire him," the GM said. Fowler has put it together since his demotion last season and is hitting .282/.377/.539 with ten homers this season.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Nationals, Guthrie, Angels, Porcello
In today's column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the biggest trade of the season has already been made. No, not Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox. He's referring to Ernesto Frieri, who's thrown 22 scoreless innings for the Angels team since being acquired from the Padres. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors…
- The Nationals have been poking around for a right-handed hitting corner infielder to replace Mark DeRosa, who is hurt and declining. John Lannan has improved his trade stock by pitching better of late in Triple-A.
- The Rockies have cooled on the idea of trading Jeremy Guthrie for the time being because they feel he could thrive in the bullpen as part of their four-man rotation setup. The team's current stance is that they'll only deal him if a club offers real talent or salary relief.
- The Diamondbacks backed off Youkilis because of concerns about his defense on the hard and fast infield at Chase Field. They expect Stephen Drew to return this week to bolster their infield.
- The Angels were not in on Youkilis but remain on the lookout for bullpen help, specifically a left-on-left reliever who would be an upgrade over Hisanori Takahashi. They're also looking for Triple-A starting pitching depth.
- Rosenthal say talk about Rick Porcello as a trade candidate makes sense given his salary ($3.1MM) and ground ball approach on a Tigers team with poor infield defense.
- The Braves will be a team to watch before the deadline, specifically in the starting pitching market following Brandon Beachy's injury.
Poll: Trading Carlos Gonzalez
The Rockies have baseball’s third worst record at 27-44 because they have the game’s least effective pitching staff, a crew that has allowed an average of 5.7 runs per game. Offseason pickup Jeremy Guthrie (6.34 ERA) has been both hurt and ineffective, ditto both Jhoulys Chacin (7.30 ERA) and Juan Nicasio (5.28 ERA). Jamie Moyer‘s feel-good story came to an unceremonious end when he was released after pitching to a 5.70 ERA.
Last weekend, Joel Sherman of The New York Post opined that Colorado should consider trading outfielder Carlos Gonzalez for prospects while noting there is no indication that he is actually available. Troy Renck of The Denver Post countered today by saying CarGo is simply too young, too good, and too affordable to trade. The 26-year-old has hit .328/.385/.604 this season and is under contract for approximately $73.5MM through 2017.
Players like Gonzalez don’t getting traded very often, but it’s safe to say he would command a monster package. The number of teams that both have a need in the outfield as well as the young players to swing a deal is limited, but the Rockies will surely find suitors if they put one of their two superstar hitters on the market.
Should the Rockies trade CarGo for a package of young players?
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Yes 54% (8,120)
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No 46% (7,027)
Total votes: 15,147