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Rosenthal’s Latest: Cardinals, Greinke, Astros, Rasmus

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With Chris Carpenter set to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a nerve condition in his shoulder, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Cardinals are in the market for at least one starter and one reliever. St. Louis has trade chips though the new collective bargaining agreement doesn't allow teams to recoup draft pick compensation for rental players, changing the landscape.

Let's round up the rest of Rosenthal's rumors…

  • Zack Greinke would likely welcome a trade to – and a chance to sign long-term with – the Cardinals, though it's unclear if the Brewers would be willing to trade him within the division.
  • The Astros are prepared to move Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers, though Jed Lowrie is essentially unavailable. Rosenthal says they could be an obvious trade partner for St. Louis since GM Jeff Luhnow spent nine years in the Cardinals' front office.
  • The Cardinals may not want to invest $20MM+ annually into a pitcher, but both Lance Berkman ($12MM) and Kyle Lohse ($11.875MM) will be off the books after this season.
  • The Blue Jays' immediate strategy may be to acquire a modest rotation upgrade before reassessing at the trade deadline, shortly before Brandon Morrow returns from his oblique injury. Rosenthal believes they should consider selling high on Colby Rasmus.
  • Teams continue to call the Angels about Peter Bourjos and some believe he could be the centerpiece of a deal for a quality starting pitcher. The Halos believe the young outfielder is a building block for the future, however. They do not appear to be in the market for a pitcher at the moment.
  • The difference in income tax rates between Texas (none) and California (among the highest in the country) was an issue for Astros first baseman Carlos Lee as he mulled over a potential trade to the Dodgers. Los Angeles may have been willing to help "bridge the gap" had he shown enthusiasm for the deal.

International Signings: Blue Jays, Pirates, Athletics

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This year’s July 2 signing period opened yesterday, and teams got started immediately with a number of significant contracts on the first day of deal-making. The action continues today as the Twins and Indians have already signed players. We’ll keep track of other noteworthy deals right here with the latest updates up top: 

  • The Astros agreed to terms on contracts with outfielder Luis Payano, shortstop Kristian Trompiz, and catcher Victor Tavarez, the team announced. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
  • Dominican shortstop Richard Urena has signed with the Blue Jays, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The 16-year-old is ranked as the No. 13 international prospect by Baseball America and projects to stick at shortstop.
  • The Pirates signed Dominican third baseman Julio Delacruz for $700K, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. Baseball America notes that the 16-year-old has an impressive feel for hitting from the right side. "We are very excited to have signed Julio Delacruz who is, in our estimation, the best pure hitter available in Latin America this season,” director of Latin American scouting Rene Gayo said in a statement from the team.
  • The Athletics signed Dominican outfielder Luis Barrera for $450K, Badler reports. The 16-year-old Barrera has a smooth left-handed swing and profiles at first base or in left field.

Marlins, Astros Talking Carlos Lee Trade

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The Marlins and Astros are deep into talks about a deal that would send Carlos Lee to Miami, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports. The deal isn't completely done but there has been a whole lot of progress, Olney writes. Lee, who can block trades to 14 teams, including the Dodgers, has agreed to go to the Marlins, according to ESPN.

Lee left today's game against the Pirates before the contest ended, leading to speculation that trade talks might be picking up. As Olney notes, Marlins first basemen rank last among the 30 MLB teams with a combined .565 OPS this year.

Lee, 36, is earning $18.5MM in the final season of a six-year, $100MM contract. The Astros will absorb a "huge portion" of the $9MM remaining on his salary, Olney reports. Though Lee doesn't enjoy no-trade protection in the form of ten and five rights, his contract allows him to block trades to 14 clubs. The teams on his list are mostly in large markets, according to FOX Sports.

Lee has five homers and a .286/.336/.412 batting line in 274 plate appearances so far in 2012. Lee has slowed down in recent years, but his bat would still represent an upgrade over Gaby Sanchez's .194/.240/.283 batting line.

This post was first published on July 4th, 2012.

Quick Hits: Lee, Lino, Hamels, Trade Market

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Some links to sift through as your Monday night winds down…

Int’l Free Agency Links: Puig, Rangers, Royals

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There's been no shortage of signings on this, the first day of 2012's international signing period, but there's also plenty of chatter around the league. Here's some links for your perusal…

  • In the latest edition of Ask BA, Jim Callis relays some Yasel Puig-related notes from his colleague Ben Badler. Giving the caveat that it's difficult to compare the 21-year-old Puig to 15- and 16-year-olds, Badler notes that he'd only have ranked Puig 11th on his Top 20 international free agents. Beyond that, Badler says that the consensus from his talks with teams was that Puig would've gone in the third round of the 2012 Amateur Draft. Puig signed a seven-year, $42MM deal with the Dodgers just prior to July 2, narrowly avoiding the new CBA's spending limitations.
  • Badler tweets that the Rangers could be a fit for Wendell Rijo now that the Yankees have used up most of their $2.9MM cap. Badler ranked Rijo 10th on his Top 20.
  • Despite Badler's comment, Rangers GM Jon Daniels told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that his club isn't likely to be active on the international front because they're awaiting resolution on the Jairo Beras situation (Twitter link).
  • Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart) that his team is prepared to spend on international players in the coming days. Luhnow though, is more excited for the 2013-2014 classes, when bonus pools will be based on the previous year's standings. "…that's when things will be more interesting, and you'll see more unique strategies like we saw in the Draft this year," said Luhnow.
  • Badler doesn't think the Royals will be shy with signing someone they like, despite not having been active yet (Twitter link).

Carlos Lee Rumors: Sunday

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Yesterday, we learned a deal is on the table for the Dodgers to acquire Carlos Lee and cash from the Astros for pitching prospect Garrett Gould. All that is needed is for Lee to approve the trade. Here's the latest:

  • The Dodgers have pulled the plug on the Lee trade and will look elsewhere for a bat, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. 
  • Sources tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Lee has not changed his mind since Saturday and won't agree to a deal (via Twitter).
  • Lee told reporters, including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, that he still hasn't made a decision and admitted the weight of trying to decide whether to accept the trade to the Dodgers or stay in Houston has been difficult. McTaggart writes several of Lee's teammates feel he wants to remain with the Astros.

Carlos Lee Rumors: Saturday

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Last night we learned that the Dodgers and Astros are in serious talks about a trade involving Carlos Lee, though the two sides also discussed Jed Lowrie at one point as well. Dodgers' pitching prospect Garrett Gould was rumored to be involved and he was scratched from last night's start, perhaps an indication of how far along things are at the moment. Here's the latest on Lee, the Astros, and Dodgers, with the latest up top…

  • Lee told reporters (including McTaggart) that he expects to make his decision about waiving the no-trade clause by tomorrow.
  • Olney hears that the Dodgers' attitude toward the trade is: "Something else will come up (if it falls through). We'll get somebody." (Twitter link)
  • Sources tell Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the deal would be Lee and cash to ‪the Dodgers‬ for Gould (Twitter links). It's still unclear if Lee will waive his no-trade clause.
  • As of early-afternoon today, Lee continues to tell the Astros that he will not waive his no-trade clause according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • Lee met with GM Jeff Luhnow this morning and told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart and The Houston Chronicle's Zachary Levine) that the Dodgers have made an offer (Twitter links). He is going to take some time to decide if he wants to accept the trade, and he has not been given a deadline for his decision. He's unsure if he'll have an answer this weekend.
  • The Astros "will do cartwheels'' if the trade is completed according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The hard part won't be agreeing to the pieces involved, but getting Lee's approval. Heyman mentions that Houston is willing to trade just about anyone on their roster, but it'll take quite a bit to part with Lowrie.
  • The Dodgers prefer to take on salary rather than give up quality prospects under their new ownership, write Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Lee is owed just under $9MM for the remainder of the season.
  • As a reminder, the Dodgers are one of the 14 teams on Lee's no-trade list, so he can veto a deal. Lee does not have traditional 10-and-5 protection, having essentially traded it for a full no-trade clause during the first four years of his six-year, $100MM contract back in 2007.

Central Notes: Cubs, Tigers, Marcum, Twins

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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.

Dodgers, Astros Discussing Trade

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10:11pm: The Dodgers asked about Lowrie, but he's not in the current talks, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  A source says that there's a 50-50 shot that Carlos Lee accepts a deal to Los Angeles for pitching prospects.

9:57pm: Dodgers‬' talks with ‪Astros‬ involve Carlos Lee, not Jed Lowrie, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  Lee would need to a approve deal and has the right to block a deal to the Dodgers.

9:02pm: The Dodgers are talking to the Astros about a trade that would send Jed Lowrie to the Dodgers with minor-leaguers Zach Lee and Garrett Gould headed to Houston, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  One source place the odds of the deal taking place at about 50-50 right now, Olney tweets.

Sources also say that others could be involved in the talks, according to Olney (via Twitter).  Lowrie would provide the Dodgers with options at shortstop and third base to go along with a power bat.  The 28-year-old has a .262/.350/.492 slash line with 14 homers in 68 games this year.

Lee, 20, was the Dodgers' first-round pick in 2010 and signed with the club over attending LSU on a football scholarship.  The right-hander was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga earlier this week after turning in a 4.55 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 12 California League starts in 2012.

Gould, also a right-hander, was the club's second-round pick in '09 out of Wichita, Kansas.  The soon-to-be 21-year-old has made 12 starts and three relief appearances in the California League this year, posting a 5.12 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.

Dodgers Notes: Cubs, Brewers, Dempster, Lee

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Earlier today the Dodgers officially announced the signing of Cuban outfielder Yasel Puig to a seven-year deal.  The news of the agreement sent shock waves through baseball this week and clearly shows that the club is very serious about getting back into signing top Latin American players.  Here's more out of Los Angeles..

  • The Puig deal could be just the start of major moves to come from the Dodgers, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  According to major league sources, they have talked multiple times to the Cubs, Astros, and Brewers.  They've also touched base with a number of other teams, including the Mariners, Royals, Twins, Blue Jays and Padres, sources said.  The Dodgers would like to add a hitter, a starting pitcher, and a left-handed reliever.
  • Speaking of the Cubs, the Dodgers are viewed as a favorite to land Ryan Dempster once he returns from the disabled list, sources suggest to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The two sides haven't talked since the week before Dempster went down but a person familiar with the situation says Los Angeles has a very good chance to land the right-hander.
  • The Dodgers are lukewarm to the idea of signing Derrek Lee, and would prefer to explore other options first, a major league source told Rosenthal.  Lee would require time at Triple-A and the Dodgers seem to prefer more certainty and perhaps a more immediate solution at first base.
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