West Rumors: Angels, Iannetta, Rangers
The latest on a few AL and NL West clubs…
- The Marlins "are scouting the Angels closely," reports Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times. Baxter believes Marlins closer Leo Nunez could be a fit for L.A., but the two teams might not match up. Head over to CloserNews for Dan Mennella's look at which other closers might be on the move this month.
- The Pirates have cooled on Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports would be shocked if the Rangers don't address their bullpen, regardless of what happens with Carlos Beltran.
- Padres reliever Mike Adams was affected by recent trade rumors, he admitted to Don Norcross of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- David DeJesus' wife "goes to the trade rumor sites," the A's outfielder told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. DeJesus and teammate Josh Willingham leave the trade chatter to their better halves. Willingham told Susan Slusser of the Chronicle he'd be open to discussing an extension with Oakland, but Slusser's team source says they don't want to talk to potential free agents about contracts until after the season.
Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Monday
The chances of an Ubaldo Jimenez trade are around 50/50, one source close to the talks tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. To date, I don't think any reporter has ventured to go above 20%. Here are the latest updates on the right-hander, with the most recent news up top:
- The Reds remain very much involved in talks for Jimenez and the Tigers have him near the top of their list, according to Morosi.
- The Rockies won't be able to get three or four of Boston's top prospects for Jimenez, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (Twitter link). The Reds won't part with Devin Mesoraco, Billy Hamilton and two other prospects for Jimenez, Gammons notes.
- The Rockies' asking price on Jimenez hasn't changed, according to Renck (on Twitter).
- The Rockies "haven't pulled Jimenez off the showroom floor," wrote Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post yesterday. The Reds, Yankees, Rangers, and Red Sox are suitors, though Renck says Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd has "talked up nearly everyone."
- Morosi notes that the Reds are still involved, but there might not be a favorite at this point.
- For their part, the Yankees are worried "about Ubaldo's inconsistency, all-out delivery, and coming to AL East," tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees have the talent to pull off a deal, but it remains to be seen if the two teams can find common ground.
Rockies Designate Eric Stults For Assignment
The Rockies designated left-hander Eric Stults for assignment and reinstated Esmil Rogers from the disabled list, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Rockies have confirmed the moves, which open up a 40-man roster spot (Twitter link).
Stults, who spent last season in Japan, appeared in six games for the Rockies this year. He posted a 6.00 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 12 innings. The 31-year-old was on the Dodgers from 2006-09 before Los Angeles sold his contract to the Hiroshima Carp last spring.
NL Central Rumors: Volquez, Iannetta, Bourn
The NL Central has four buyers and two sellers. The latest:
- The Reds are drawing interest from multiple teams on righty Edinson Volquez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 28-year-old has a 5.93 ERA on the season and spent time at Triple-A. Still, he throws hard and is under team control through 2013.
- The Pirates and Rockies have yet to exchange names on Chris Iannetta, tweets Jon Paul Morosi. The Pirates added one bat today, promoting Pedro Alvarez.
- Interest in Astros center fielder Michael Bourn is still not high, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. He says the Braves are not a good fit and the Nationals are highly unlikely.
- The Astros had scouts watching the Triple-A clubs of the Diamondbacks and Braves recently, writes Rosenthal.
Rockies Rumors: Jimenez, Wigginton
The Rockies are 11 games back in the NL West, so it's time to consider selling various pieces. The latest:
- The Red Sox, Rangers, Tigers, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Reds scouted Ubaldo Jimenez's start yesterday in Arizona, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post tweets that nothing has changed since his column yesterday – the Reds and Yankees make the most sense, with the Rangers, Red Sox, and Tigers lurking. At that point, Renck wrote that the price is huge – at least three players – but the Rockies "haven't pulled Jimenez off the showroom floor."
- The Pirates have interest in Ty Wigginton, tweets Renck. Wigginton, who played for the Bucs from 2004-05, is a good source of righthanded pop at the corners.
- Right-handed relievers Rafael Betancourt and Matt Lindstrom are also trade candidates, tweets Renck.
Quick Hits: Trade Market, Giambi, Pirates
Some late-night linkage as the Reds walk off on the Braves on a Drew Stubbs blast …
- The trade market is slow taking shape this year, and one GM tells Scott Miller of CBSSports.com that too many teams are intent on making the perfect trade or scared of making a bad one. Miller also suggests that trade talks were slow this weekend because many top executives were in Cooperstown, N.Y., for induction ceremonies at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- The Rockies may trade first baseman Jason Giambi before the deadline, though Troy Renck of the Denver Post wouldn't be surprised if Colorado were to re-sign the slugger in the offseason (via Twitter).
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington says asking prices are high for a bat, and he thinks potential trade partners are using the Bucs' first successful season in nearly two decades as leverage, according to Laura Myers of MLB.com.
Indians, Pirates Interested In Iannetta
A number of teams, including the Indians and Pirates, have inquired on Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, major-league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. It was reported on Wednesday that the Rockies are not actively shopping the veteran.
Iannetta, 28, is under contract through next season with a club option for 2013. He's set to earn $2.55MM this season, $3.55MM in 2012, and his option is worth $5MM with an affordable $250K buyout.
Morosi writes that the BoSox have had off-and-on interest with the backstop but they appear to be content with their catching situation at the moment.
NL West Notes: Bell, Stewart, Padres, Giants
On this date three years ago, the Diamondbacks acquired Jon Rauch from the Nationals for Emilio Bonifacio. Neither player remains in the NL West, but that won't stop us from passing along the latest from their former division…
- There's no frontrunner yet in the Heath Bell trade talks, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- The Rockies are playing Ian Stewart in part because they want the rival scouts on hand to watch him, according to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. Stewart's struggles continued last night; he struck out three times.
- Jason Bartlett is staying put in San Diego, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
- The Padres have focused their trade talks around Heath Bell, Chad Qualls, Ryan Ludwick and Aaron Harang, according to Crasnick, who hears that they're going at a "slow pace" (Twitter link).
- The A's are open to trading within the AL West or with the Giants, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
NL West Notes: Giambi, D’Backs, Ubaldo, Kuroda
The Padres sent Anthony Rizzo back to Triple-A today after he hit just .143/.282/.265 in a 117 plate appearance cameo. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reports (on Twitter) that Kyle Blanks will get called up to take Rizzo's place after hitting a stout .351/.421/.716 in Triple-A. Let's recap the rest of the news out of the NL West…
- "I'd be shocked if we didn’t make some trades," said Padres GM Jed Hoyer to Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio (Twitter link). "It'd be foolish not to get some prospects … we’re not in a position to have untouchables."
- "There's not a lot of starting pitching depth in the trade market that is really appealing to us," said Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (Twitter links). They are still focused on acquiring bullpen help.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Rockies are drawing interest in Jason Giambi (Twitter link). Giambi's preference is to stay with Colorado, and they will consult him before making a move.
- The Diamondbacks intend to replace Stephen Drew from within with the likes of Willie Bloomquist, Geoff Blum, and Cody Ransom according Rosenthal (Twitter links). Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that Arizona isn't targeting Jack Wilson of the Mariners.
- ESPN's Buster Olney says (on Twitter) that any move the D'Backs make will be geared towards 2012 as well as 2011. They won't trade prime pieces for rental players.
- Teams are convinced that the availability of Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez is just a Justin Upton-esque "trial balloon," according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). That makes Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers the best pitcher on the market, but he may invoke his no-trade clause.
- Meanwhile, Rosenthal tweets that Kuroda will decide whether or not to waive his no-trade clause on a case-by-case basis. He won't give the Dodgers a list of teams he'd accept/decline a trade to. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick wrote more on the right-hander's situation.
Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Wednesday
Yesterday the Red Sox joined the list of teams that have reportedly checked in on Rockies' ace Ubaldo Jimenez, while the Reds' interest was said to be strong. The latest:
- One MLB official says the Rockies never seriously intended to deal Jimenez, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It still sounds like he's staying put.
- The return in a Jimenez trade "would have to blow everybody away," GM Dan O'Dowd told Woody Paige of the Denver Post.
- The Rockies have yet to receive a single official offer for Jimenez, report Yahoo's Tim Brown and Jeff Passan. The Tigers, Reds, and Yankees are said to be the "most smitten" clubs. The writers add that a Tigers package would have to include pitching prospect Jacob Turner, the Reds would have to part with catcher Devin Mesoraco, and the Rockies inquired on Jesus Montero and Manny Banuelos of the Yankees.