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Hiroki Kuroda Rumors: Monday

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Dodgers righty Hiroki Kuroda has generated interest from the Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, and Brewers, reported CBS Sports' Danny Knobler yesterday.  He noted that the Tigers "have been very interested."  This is the first time I've seen the Brewers mentioned for any starting pitcher.  The Rangers have also popped up for Kuroda in other reports, and Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that the Cardinals inquired.  Here are the latest rumors about Kuroda, with the most recent updates up top:

  • Kuroda hasn't talked to his agent or Dodgers GM Ned Colletti about a trade in recent days, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears that Kuroda isn't into "hypotheticals."  He'll decide on deals if and when the Dodgers present them to him instead of providing them with lists in advance, according to Crasnick (Twitter links).
  • Kuroda will consider waiving his no-trade clause if he's dealt to the Yankees or Red Sox, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • The Tigers, Indians and Rangers are the three hottest teams on Kuroda, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • The Dodgers believe Kuroda can be persuaded to waive his full no-trade clause, wrote Knobler.  I am guessing a financial incentive in the $1-2MM range might compel Kuroda to pitch in the midwest or on the East Coast for a few months.  Since Kuroda's signing bonus is paid out in 2012-13, $6.6MM of his $12MM contract will be owed to him after the trade deadline.  Tack on additional money for the no-trade clause, and renting Kuroda becomes an expensive proposition.  Kuroda, 36, has a 3.19 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.99 HR/9, and 43.2% groundball rate in 127 innings this year.

AL Central Rumors: Tigers, Indians, Twins

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The AL Central has only one clear seller at this point in the Royals, and they don't have much to offer.  The White Sox and Twins will add a lot to the trade market if they decide to wave the white flag.  The latest on the division:

Rockies Rumors: Jimenez, Wigginton

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The Rockies are 11 games back in the NL West, so it's time to consider selling various pieces.  The latest:

At Least Four Teams Interested In Uehara

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The Rangers, Pirates, Tigers, and Twins are among the teams that have expressed interest in Orioles reliever Koji Uehara, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.  Interest from the Pirates and Twins was previously reported, and the Reds are known to have discussed Uehara at least internally.

Uehara, 36, is among the best relievers available this summer.  He sports a 1.80 ERA, 11.8 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 1.2 HR/9, and 31.3% groundball rate in 45 innings this year, and a reasonable $4MM option for next year vests with 14 more appearances.  Uehara told Zrebiec he loves Baltimore and the Orioles, "but it's not going to be any fun if we don't win. That's the dilemma."

In theory, Uehara shouldn't be much easier to acquire than San Diego's Mike Adams, the biggest difference being the former's flyball leanings.  Aside from the Uehara suitors mentioned above, the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, Phillies, Braves, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks are seeking relief help.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Mets, Astros, Guthrie, Phillies

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that heading into the deadline his top priority remains bullpen help, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
  • We here at MLBTR love the build-up to the trade deadline, but Mets skipper Terry Collins can't wait for it to come and go, writes Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.
  • Astros GM Ed Wade says that his front office will be "good listeners" as the deadline approaches, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
  • The Cardinals have now joined the Tigers in pursuit of the Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The extent of conversations between the Cards and the Orioles is unknown, but it seems that the club is at least open to the idea of moving Guthrie for the right return.
  • The Rays told the Yankees that James Shields isn't available, but other clubs are still hopeful, according to Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter).  Detroit, for example, recently sent two scouts to watch him pitch.
  • A very weak left-handed relief market could inspire the Rangers to deal Arthur Rhodes, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  The Rangers could use him to land a righty out of the bullpen.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post checks out the track record of teams dealing at the deadline in recent years.  His gives the Phillies top honors for their deals in July from 2008-2010.

Hiroki Kuroda Rumors: Sunday

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Hiroki Kuroda will listen to anything the Dodgers present to him before next Sunday's trade deadline, but as we learned yesterday, the team has yet to approach him about waiving his no-trade clause for any specific destination. With the Tigers, Indians, Yankees, Rangers, and Red Sox potentially in the mix for the right-hander, let's keep tabs on today's rumors here, adding the latest updates to the top of the list:

  • A scout who spoke to Yahoo's Jeff Passan (Twitter link) thinks the Tigers could be the favorites for Kuroda, and that they may not have to give up top prospects Jacob Turner, Andy Oliver or Nick Castellanos to land him.
  • We've already heard that Cleveland is targeting Kuroda, and Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer confirms (via Twitter) that the Indians have talked to the Dodgers about a deal.
  • Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (Twitter link) hears the Dodgers think Kuroda might agree to go somewhere for the next two months. The Dodgers believe, however, that if the right-hander is pitching in the Majors in 2012, it will be in Los Angeles.

More From Rosenthal: Beltran, Kuroda, Upton

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On today's FOX Saturday pre-game show, Ken Rosenthal ran down some trade-related topics with co-host Chris Rose, so here's some more news from FOX's senior writer:

  • The Braves are "not going to trade a number of their top pitching prospects" to acquire Carlos Beltran. Rosenthal doesn't mention specific names, but you'd have to think that includes guys like Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, and Arodys Vizcaino. Rosenthal does add that several Braves players, however, approached him and expressed their desire for the front office to add Beltran.
  • Despite reports that he doesn't want to go to the East coast, Dodgers righty Hiroki Kuroda is "keeping all his options open," Rosenthal learned today. He says it's looking like any team has a chance to get Kuroda to waive his no-trade clause, and mentions the Tigers, Indians, and Rangers specifically as suitors.
  • On Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, Rosenthal says: "[He] will be traded. You can trust me on that."

 

Quick Hits: Nationals, Upton, Webb, Inge, Mariners

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With nine days remaining before the trade deadline, the biggest trade chips in baseball are arguably Carlos Beltran (latest rumors) and Hunter Pence (latest rumors). Here are some other relevant links from around MLB…

  • The Nationals are in greater need of outfield depth than infield help or a catcher, a baseball source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
  • The Rays pulled B.J. Upton and prospect Desmond Jennings from their respective games, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).  However, Upton says that he has not been traded, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
  • Rangers pitcher Brandon Webb will undergo surgery on his right shoulder with the intent to pitch again in 2012, according to his agent Jonathan Maurer.  This will not be a full surgery of the rotator cuff but it will prevent him from throwing for four months.
  • The Tigers would need to eat some salary to move Brandon Inge but teams still believe that the veteran has value, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
  • The Reds scouted Jason Vargas and Doug Fister when the Mariners visited Toronto this week, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • Indians team president Mark Shapiro said that he expects the club will make a move in the next ten days, tweets Nick Camino of WTAM 1100.
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he’s looking for a bat to insert at the top of the order or in the middle of the lineup. However, the Reds are also open to acquiring pitching, either for the rotation or the bullpen. The Reds have lots of depth, but Jocketty says he “hates” trading prospects.
  • Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago hears that Hall of Fame executive Pat Gillick is open to a role with the Cubs. Gillick said last week that he's open to taking on a full-time role as a team president at some point in the future.
  • MLB talent evaluators tell Alex Speier of WEEI.com that the Red Sox have a number of players whose prospect status is starting to rise and who could become elite prospects within a year. Though the Adrian Gonzalez deal made a major dent in Boston’s farm system, Speier’s sources say the Red Sox still have secondary prospects who could be valuable trade bait this summer. Third baseman Will Middlebrooks and right-hander Anthony Ranaudo are among the organization’s top prospects.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports confirms that the Red Sox have had exploratory conversations with the Royals about Jeff Francoeur.

Tigers, Dodgers Talking Kuroda

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The Tigers and Dodgers have had dialogue about a deal that would send Hiroki Kuroda to Detroit, sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  However, other teams remain involved and a trade is not yet close.

The Rangers and Indians are among the other teams with interest in Kuroda, according to major-league sources.  We also heard this week that the Red Sox also inquired on the veteran hurler. 

The 36-year-old's no-trade clause could potentially be a stumbling block in any deal.  It has been rumored that Kuroda would decline trades to the East Coast. 

Kuroda signed a one-year, $12MM deal with the Dodgers before this season. 

AL Central Notes: Indians, Tigers, Twins, Avila

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The Indians called up top prospect Jason Kipnis today, hoping that his .281/.363/.485 batting line in Triple-A will provide a boost for their big league offense. Let's see what else is going on around the division…

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