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Rockies Don’t Plan To Be Sellers

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The Rockies don’t need to shed salary this summer and don’t plan to be sellers regardless of their record, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies are now 41-46 and if they continue struggling they may move Aaron Cook and Ian Stewart, but Huston Street and Ty Wigginton are likely staying put. 

For now, the Rockies will attempt to add a pitcher who’s under team control beyond 2011. They’ve asked the Twins about their starters, but Minnesota is reluctant to trade until they’re further out of the race. 

Though Brett Myers and Carlos Beltran are among the best players available, the price tags for those players make them unappealing to Colorado. GM Dan O’Dowd won’t consider trading prospects for a ‘rental player’ unless Colorado is leading the division, according to Renck (the Rockies now trail by 7.5 games).

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Colletti, Stewart, Padres

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On this date last year, the Rockies scored nine runs in the ninth inning to overcome a six-run deficit and beat the Cardinals 12-9. Seth Smith's walk-off homer against Ryan Franklin sealed the win for Colorado. Here’s the latest from the NL West, one year after the Rockies’ amazing comeback…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from a source that the Dodgers might not trade Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll despite plenty of interest in both.
  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times passes along a note from Bill Plaschke (on Twitter), who reports that next season is the final guaranteed year on Dodgers GM Ned Colletti's contract.
  • A few teams are having internal discussions about Ian Stewart of the Rockies, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
  • The Padres are on a 10-3 run and have just defeated Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, so they can’t justify selling now, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out (on Twitter).
  • A rival executive tells ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that the Dodgers waited too long to sign Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to extensions. The outfielders hit free agency after 2012, so Los Angeles may have to overpay to keep the duo in place long-term.

Heyman On Cubs, Reyes, Street, Dodgers

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Jon Heyman of SI.com hands out his midseason awards and Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Verlander, Jose Reyes and Roy Halladay are among those who take home some virtual hardware. Here’s Heyman’s latest from around the Major Leagues…

  • Though Cubs manager Mike Quade appears to be safe, GM Jim Hendry doesn’t have assurances that he’ll keep his job, according to Heyman.
  • The Mets will make Reyes an offer, but one GM believes it will cost more than the $142MM Carl Crawford obtained to sign the shortstop when he hits free agency after the season.
  • I compared Reyes to Crawford on Monday and suggested that Reyes appears headed for a Crawford-like deal.
  • The Phillies would like to re-sign Ryan Madson after the season, when the currently injured closer hits free agency.
  • Huston Street could hit the trade market if the Rockies keep losing.
  • The Dodgers are saying they don’t expect to consider trading players away for two weeks or more.
  • Former Mets GM Omar Minaya is expected to join a different team in 2012.

Quick Hits: Hanrahan, Harden, Dodgers, Ring

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Some links for Sunday afternoon…

Quick Hits: Rockies, Pelfrey, Verlander, Brewers

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Links for Thursday…

  • The Rockies have signed second round pick Carl Thomore, reports Nick Groke of The Denver Post. Thomore, a high school outfielder from New Jersey, was the 77th overall pick of the draft, and that carries a slot recommendation of approximately $472K.
  • Multiple sources have told Jeff Passon of Yahoo! that labor talks between the owners and players' union are going well, unlike labor talks in the other major sports (Twitter link).
  • Mike Pelfrey faced the Tigers this afternoon, and Jason Beck of MLB.com notes that Detroit had interest in the righty during the 2005 draft (Twitter link). The Mets took him one pick before the Tigers could grab him though.
  • Interestingly enough, Justin Verlander (who pitched against the Mets this afternoon) was close to pitching for them at one point as Brian Costa of The Wall Street Journal explains. The Mets were prepared to draft Verlander with the third overall pick in 2004, but the Tigers grabbed him with the second pick.
  • Brewers manager Ron Roenicke expects a position player to be demoted once Takashi Saito is ready to be activated off the disabled list this weekend, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel. 
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about nine players that have stepped up to help their teams following injury. Hot stove afterthoughts Ryan Vogelsong and Phil Humber top his list.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America rounded up this week's collection of minor league transactions, which includes a ton of draft and undrafted free agent signings.

O’Dowd: “Little” Financial Room To Make Move

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The Rockies shored up their second base situation earlier today by acquiring Mark Ellis from the Athletics, and GM Dan O'Dowd told Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post that he still has a "little" financial room to make another move (Twitter link). 

Colorado has reportedly been calling other teams to gauge the pitching market, and they're one of several clubs showing interest in Hiroki Kuroda. The Rockies took on $1MM of the $3MM left on Ellis' contract and they started the year with a payroll just over $82MM. If they are willing to match last year's payroll ($84MM or so), they would still have another million bucks to play around with. 

Rockies Acquire Mark Ellis

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No second baseman has suited up for the A's as often as Mark Ellis, but when the 34-year-old lost his starting job earlier this month, it became clear that his time in Oakland would likely end soon. Ellis' nine-year tenure with the Athletics is now officially over. The A's announced that they sent Ellis and cash considerations to the Rockies for right-hander reliever Bruce Billings and a player to be named later.

Mark Ellis

Ellis hit .217/.253/.290 this year and lost his starting job to 24-year-old second baseman Jemile Weeks. The veteran pinch hit for the A's and even played a little first base, but he wasn't producing on offense the way he did in 2010, when he posted a .358 OBP. 

The A's exercised Ellis' $6MM option last offseason and the infielder will be eligible for free agency this fall. He still has $3MM remaining on his 2011 contract and the Rockies will cover $1MM of that, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Though Ellis currently projects as a Type A free agent, draft pick compensation was probably not a major factor in the deal, as there's no guarantee he'll receive an offer of arbitration.

The Rockies have used six second basemen this year: Jonathan Herrera, Chris Nelson, Jose Lopez, Eric Young, Alfredo Amezaga and Jose Morales. The group has combined for a .610 OPS, 23rd among MLB second basemen. Herrera, the Rockies' primary second base option, has struggled to hit nearly as much as Ellis; the 26-year-old has a .237/.311/.303 line.

Billings, 25, pitched in his first (and so far only) MLB game on May 27th, when he allowed one earned run on five hits in two innings against the Cardinals. The former 30th round pick has a 4.47 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in his first season at Triple-A and his first full season as a reliever.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Olney On Deadline Plans For NL Teams

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The trade market is still developing at this point in the season, but it’s starting to take shape. Buster Olney outlines the plans for National League teams in a highly recommended insider-only piece at ESPN.com. Here are the details:

  • The Dodgers can’t make long-term investments in young stars like Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw because of their uncertain financial status. The Los Angeles front office is now gathering information about some of their trade candidates and taking calls on some players. No teams have called on Jamey Carroll yet, though the Rockies are interested.
  • James Loney and Casey Blake have next to no trade value, as Olney explains.
  • No team has called about Jose Reyes, who won’t be traded for anything less than a top prospect and a solid secondary prospect.
  • Rival executives expect the Phillies to acquire proven veterans this summer.
  • Though the Astros will listen to offers on Hunter Pence and Wandy Rodriguez, they will be asking a lot for them.
  • The Braves are checking out available hitters. Some rival executives have speculated on the possibility that the Braves will consider trading Jair Jurrjens, whose stock has never been higher.
  • Some rival executives think B.J. Upton will be a borderline non-tender candidate this offseason. Upton will earn a raise from $4.825MM next year and he currently has a .223/.308/.396 line with 20 steals. I can’t envision the Rays non-tendering Upton, who would presumably have trade value if Tampa made him available.
  • The Padres have told teams that they’re ready to take offers for Heath Bell and Mike Adams. Rival clubs believe Adams will be harder to obtain than Ryan Ludwick.
  • The Rockies will wait a few weeks before deciding whether to buy or sell.
  • The Giants are looking for catching help and Ramon Hernandez is a possible upgrade, as I explained earlier in the week.
  • The Reds are concerned about starting pitching and will consider making moves for upgrades at left field or shortstop. Though rival teams don’t expect Reyes to end up in Cincinnati, GM Walt Jocketty may be aggressive enough to make a deal happen.
  • GM Jim Hendry says there won’t be a fire sale, but the Cubs are “open for business,” Olney reports. Jeff Baker and Kerry Wood are “among the most coveted players in the trade market,” since they’re cheap and useful. Rival executives have mixed opinions about Carlos Pena, who is powerful but streaky.
  • Wood is near the top of Arizona’s list of targets.
  • The 40-39 Pirates will look for modest ways to improve and won’t be selling.

Heyman On Padres, Athletics, Twins

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • The Padres are being aggressive in engaging in trade discussions, say executives who have spoken to them.  They're even willing to discuss dominant set-up man Mike Adams, who is under team control for next year.  Many teams prefer Adams over closer Heath Bell, who Heyman says is "very likely" to be dealt.  There are a couple of surprise suitors for Bell, but one exec told Heyman the righty "won't bring as much as you think."
  • The impending returns of Rich Harden, Brandon McCarthy, and Tyson Ross are delaying the Athletics' decision on whether to sell.  If they do sell, here's a look at who might be available.
  • A rival executive believes the Mets would have to be bowled over to trade Jose Reyes, though teams seem convinced Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez will be traded.  Teams haven't even called the Mets yet about Reyes' availability, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • Heyman says that the Dodgers have not received any calls on Matt Kemp.
  • Though they are nine games out, Heyman says there is no evidence the Twins will start shopping soon.  A competing exec thinks they'll stand pat.  While Michael Cuddyer would be coveted, his value in the clubhouse might compel the Twins to keep him.
  • The Giants don't have much interest in Cleveland's Orlando Cabrera, writes Heyman.
  • The Reds "seem reluctant" to trade catcher Ramon Hernandez.  For more on Hernandez, click here.
  • The Rockies are in wait-and-see mode, but if they sell they'll look to move closer Huston Street.  Street is signed through 2012 with a club option for '13.

Yomiuri Giants Acquire Josh Fields

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The Yomiuri Giants have acquired third baseman Josh Fields from the Rockies, according to a Sponichi report. Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along the news and says we should expect an official announcement in a few days (on Twitter).

Fields had been playing for the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate in Colorado Springs, but the Sky Sox have released him, according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. The former first round pick had a .365/.429/.674 line at Triple-A, so the Rockies presumably released him as a formality to enable him to join the Japanese team. 

Fields, 28,  played for the White Sox and Royals from 2006-10. He clubbed 23 home runs in 2007, posting a .244/.308/.480 line in the process. He never replicated that success and has bounced from team to team since. The White Sox sent him to Kansas City in 2009 and the Royals non-tendered him last winter. The Pirates picked him up in December and flipped him to Colorado late in Spring Training.

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