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Hunter Pence Rumors: Tuesday

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We heard yesterday that the Braves haven't ruled out making a play for Hunter Pence, that the Pirates have been stymied in their pursuit of the 28-year-old and that the Phillies consider him a long shot. If you need proof that trade talks shift quickly in late July, keep on reading; today's rumors tell a different story than yesterday's:

  • The Phillies have been the most aggressive team on Pence, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Red Sox have inquired, but aren't finding it easy to match up with Houston and the Braves aren't currently involved.
  • Word spread yesterday that Pence was “essentially not going to be traded,” according to this Peter Gammons piece at MLB.com.

Stark On Shields, Pena, Fukudome, Rangers

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The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • The Rays listened on James Shields last week, but now they've taken him off the market for July and apparently the upcoming offseason.
  • An executive who spoke with the Cubs says the level of interest in first baseman Carlos Pena has been exaggerated.  That's pretty damning, since publicly the level of interest has always appeared tepid.  Also, Stark says the Cubs believe Pena could get through waivers in August.  I disagree with the notion that there will be a lot less money left on Pena's contract at that point, since half of the $10MM is to be paid in January.
  • Kosuke Fukudome might be the one Cub dealt at the July deadline.  We still haven't heard which teams are on his partial no-trade list, however.
  • The Rangers are balking at including lefty Martin Perez in a deal.  Perez is a consensus top-13 prospect in all of MLB.  However, the Rangers will discuss their next tier of prospects - Tanner Scheppers, Robbie Erlin, Roman Mendez and Barret Loux, in Stark's mind.
  • A longtime friend of Drayton McLane believes McLane's last act as Astros owner will be to convince GM Ed Wade to retain favorite Hunter Pence.

Hunter Pence Rumors: Monday

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So far today, we've heard that the Phillies view Hunter Pence as a long shot and that the Pirates have been "stymied" on the 28-year-old right fielder so far. The Astros have every reason to demand a lot for Pence, since he's under team control through 2013 and one of the best hitters on the market. Here's the latest, with the most recent rumors up top:

  • The Braves have not ruled out making an offer for Pence, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

NL Central Rumors: Volquez, Iannetta, Bourn

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The NL Central has four buyers and two sellers.  The latest:

George Springer Met With Long Island Ducks

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1:40pm: Springer's father explained to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he and his son met with the Ducks' GM as a contingency in case an agreement can't be reached.  Returning to college is not a likely option for Springer.

12:23pm: Astros first-round draft pick George Springer may sign with the independent league Long Island Ducks, tweets @zoodig.  This development is a sign that the University of Connecticut outfielder is not close to a deal with the deadline about three weeks away.

The typical bonus for the #11 pick is in the $1.8-2MM range, according to Baseball America.

Is Wandy Rodriguez Overpaid?

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For a pitcher with a 3.40 ERA since the beginning of the 2008 season, Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez isn't getting much respect.  American League teams seem to want nothing to do with him (though the Yankees and Red Sox scouted him this weekend), and one executive suggested to SI's Jon Heyman that the Astros might have to pay half of Rodriguez's contract to move him.  One GM told Heyman, "Nobody's going to touch Wandy."  

Since 2011 is Rodriguez's final arbitration year, and the player provided a discount in signing long-term, his current salary is just $7MM.  That'd leave only $2.3MM for '11 at the deadline.  After that Wandy gets $10MM in '12, $13MM in '13, and would have a $13MM player option for '14 upon a trade.  So you'd get him at a discount this year, and then have to take on as much as three years, $36MM.  3/36 doesn't sound too bad, although you're only on the hook for that last $13MM if Rodriguez doesn't feel he can do better on the open market or just really wants to stay.

I conducted an informal poll of two agents and one team executive on whether Rodriguez would top three years, $36MM as a free agent after this season.  One told me that amount is at the top of his probable range, and he wouldn't get more than three years since he turns 33 in January.  Another called Rodriguez a "poor man's Ted Lilly" in terms of cache, suggesting three years and $27-30MM would be more appropriate.

So does Rodriguez have surplus trade value with his current contract?  Given the lower salary in 2011, I'd say yes.  However, with the contract viewed as market value or a little worse, the Astros probably can't expect anything too impressive in return unless they include several million dollars.

Stark On Bell, Beltran, Rays, Giants

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The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • The Rangers and Phillies are the favorites for Padres closer Heath Bell, with the Cardinals, Angels, Braves, and Reds also in the mix.
  • One executive Stark spoke to wouldn't be surprised to see a dark horse like the Reds or Brewers make a late run at Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran.
  • An official who spoke with the Rays over the weekend said that while they're not trading James Shields, they'll decide later this week on players like Johnny Damon and Kyle Farnsworth.  B.J. Upton could be dealt even if the team closes its 6.5 game wild card deficit.
  • The Rays and Blue Jays have been scouting each other's farm systems recently.  One scout speculated that the Jays could join a three-team Upton trade somehow.
  • One team says Brian Sabean's off-limits prospects are Zack Wheeler, Heath Hembree, and Gary Brown, along with Brandon Belt.  That'd leave the team without any top 50 prospects to move, with Francisco Peguero and Ehire Adrianza in the next tier based on Baseball America's preseason rankings.  There's also Double-A lefty Eric Surkamp, who brought his ERA down to 2.00 yesterday.
  • The Phillies are steering teams to their High-A Clearwater club, as they don't want to trade big leaguers and not to add much more than a million bucks in payroll.  Jonathan Singleton, Brody Colvin, Trevor May, Sebastian Valle, and Jiwan James are names to watch there assuming Jarred Cosart is untouchable.  Stark says the Phillies have cooled on Beltran and Hunter Pence is a long shot, so the focus is now the back end of the bullpen.  Heath Bell is the top target, with Brandon League also on the radar.

Pirates Rumors: Pena, Beltran, Pence

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The NL Central race remains tight, but the Pirates are technically above the Cardinals and Brewers at the moment.  The latest on these surprise contenders…

  • We haven't read much beyond speculation linking the Pirates to Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena, but Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review lists Pena, Carlos Beltran, and Hunter Pence as three bats on which GM Neal Huntington has been "stymied" so far.  Huntington explained the roadblocks he's encountered so far, including no-trade clauses and finding a match in value with the other team.  The GM explained that he intends to "stay disciplined and stay with teams" in hopes of the asking prices going down.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney guesses the Pirates will end up acquiring a second-tier reliever and bat, he explained to Joe Giardina of Pittsburgh Sports Report.  Olney has doubts that Beltran would accept a trade to Pittsburgh, and would be shocked if the Bucs meet Houston's asking price for Pence.
  • In a tweet, Olney speculates that Colorado's Jason Giambi "would be perfect as a bench addition" for the Pirates.
  • Alex Presley's thumb injury increases the Pirates' need for an outfielder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

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.

Cafardo On Clippard, Pence, Upton, Myers

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In a conversation with Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino echoed John Henry's sentiment from earlier this week: Whether or not Boston makes a move at the deadline, the luxury tax won't be an issue. Lucchino said the Sox have paid the tax before, and would be willing to do so again if the right deal came along. Here are some other highlights from Cafardo's weekly notes column:

  • The Rangers have made "a lot of inquiries" on Tyler Clippard. The Braves, Yankees, and Red Sox also have varying levels of interest in the Nationals' setup man.
  • According to an Astros source, the team intends to hold on to Hunter Pence. However, Cafardo points out that could change in the offseason, with the new ownership group (and possibly a new GM) in control.
  • Some Nationals people believe a change of scenery would greatly benefit B.J. Upton, and are considering "offering the moon" for him.
  • There hasn't been a whole lot of interest in Brett Myers yet. "We’ve had a couple of bites from National League teams, but not much else," said an Astros official.
  • Athletics lefty Craig Breslow is drawing interest from the Yankees and Red Sox.
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