Astros Rumors

Diamondbacks, Astros Discussing Wandy Rodriguez

By Luke Adams 2 | July 24, 2011 at 11:25am CDT

While no deal is close, the Diamondbacks have discussed a potential Wandy Rodriguez trade with the Astros, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

With the Astros' new ownership group hoping to trim payroll, the team has made it clear that Rodriguez could be had in the right deal. The left-hander won't come cheap though – Peter Gammons reported a week ago that Houston is asking for as much in return for Rodriguez as the Rockies are for Ubaldo Jimenez.

The Reds are also eyeing Rodriguez, as we heard earlier this week, but an intra-division trade may be more difficult to orchestrate.

Hunter Pence Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2011 at 6:57pm CDT

The Astros are asking for multiple impact players in any deal involving Hunter Pence, according to Jon Heyman, Jayson Stark and Buster Olney. Pence earns $6.9MM this year and is due for a raise this offseason, when he could see his salary jump to the $10MM range. He'll earn another raise for the 2013 campaign before hitting free agency that offseason. Here's the latest on Pence, who is one of few impact hitters available:

The Phillies are targeting Pence, but the price for him is rather high, writes CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. Houston would probably want a package that begins with Domonic Brown. The Phillies might also have to include another top talent along with him.
The Reds have discussed Pence, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Stark On Shields, Melky, Soria, Marlins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2011 at 3:47pm CDT

Astros GM Ed Wade has been determining the market for his players, including Hunter Pence, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. Incoming owner Jim Crane urged Wade to do so in case appealing offers emerge. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors:

Given Wade’s uncertain future in Houston, at least one executive suggests the GM needs to make a "job-saving deal" if he trades Pence.
The Rays are more likely to trade B.J. Upton than James Shields, though they realize Shields’ value has never been higher (the right-hander won't be going to the Bronx).
The Phillies remain in contact with the Royals about Melky Cabrera, but the Royals have told teams they’re more likely to deal Jeff Francoeur. Kansas City is asking for a number three starter who’s nearly Major League ready in return for Cabrera.
Clubs that have inquired on Vance Worley have heard that he’s off of the market.
The Braves have shown some interest in Heath Bell, whose most aggressive suitors have been the Rangers, Cardinals, Phillies and Angels. The Padres are telling teams that they’ll need to “clearly surpass” the value of two compensatory draft picks in any deal for Bell, though they’re flexible in terms of the type of player they’d accept in return.
The Padres continue to field calls on Mike Adams, who will be tougher to obtain than Bell.
The Yankees, Phillies and Diamondbacks appear to have checked in on Joakim Soria.
The Red Sox are looking at everything, but aren’t approaching the deadline with much urgency, one AL executive told Stark.
Rival teams expect that the Dodgers will trade Jamey Carroll and there are indications that Rafael Furcal is drawing interest as well.
The Marlins, who hope to build momentum before opening their new stadium in 2012, are in a “holding pattern,” Stark reports. They’ve shown interest in third basemen.
Rival teams report that the Phillies say they won’t move Domonic Brown or top pitching prospect Jarred Cosart. Jonathan Singleton is available in the right deal, but the Phillies don’t expect to trade him for a rental player.
Stark reminds us that commissioner Bud Selig ruled out contraction at the All-Star Game.

Heyman On Astros, Adams, Matsui, Yankees

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2011 at 11:25am CDT

Incoming Astros owner Jim Crane has ordered a decrease in payroll from $76MM to $60MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest on Houston’s deadline plans and other notes from around MLB:

The Astros are looking for at least three pieces for Hunter Pence. They’d probably demand young, MLB-ready talent, so a deal appears unlikely.
Houston is shopping Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers harder than Pence
Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Heyman that he’d have to be “blown away” to trade Mike Adams and that he’d prefer to keep the setup man.
The Rangers are in talks with the Padres about Heath Bell, who is also drawing interest from the Cardinals, Angels and Reds.
No one has called the A’s about Hideki Matsui and Oakland isn’t looking to trade Grant Balfour.
The A’s are taking calls on Michael Wuertz, Brian Fuentes and Craig Breslow.
The Yankees’ wish list includes a right-handed bat along with a lefty reliever and a starter. Perhaps the newly-signed Marcus Thames will help the Yankees at some point in 2011.

NL Central Notes: Reds, Wandy, Bourn, Gomez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 21, 2011 at 8:38pm CDT

The Brewers lead the NL Central by half a game, but they lost their center fielder to injury last night. Here's the latest from the division…

"There is some urgency, but not tremendous urgency" said Reds GM Walt Jocketty to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon when asked about making a trade before the deadline. "I still have a lot of confidence that we're good enough to win, but if there is a chance to upgrade the club, we would try to pursue it."
MLB.com's Peter Gammons spoke to three AL clubs who have "no interest" in Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros, fearing the NL-to-AL switch (Twitter links).
Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner hears that Michael Bourn's name isn't coming up much on the trade market, though writers continue mentioning the speedy outfielder as a trade candidate (Twitter link).
Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he may look for center field help to restore outfield depth (Twitter link). Carlos Gomez fractured his left clavicle last night.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests Cubs GM Jim Hendry may be best-suited to lead the organization after 2011. Some baseball insiders believe former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes and current Dodgers GM Ned Colletti would be near the top of the Cubs' list of possible replacements, Wittenmyer writes. Reports linking the Cubs to longtime executive Pat Gillick and White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn have been shot down, according to the Sun-Times.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that incoming Astros owner Jim Crane hasn’t told current GM Ed Wade to keep any particular player.
Hunter Pence is likely staying in Houston, since the Astros aren’t seeing multi-player offers they like, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). Gammons explains that the market for Wandy Rodriguez is hurt because AL teams are wary of NL pitchers.

Hunter Pence Rumors: Thursday

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2011 at 5:07pm CDT

There are a number of teams looking for a bat before the trade deadline, and Hunter Pence of the Astros is one of the best available. The outfielder is hitting .316/.361/.484 with 11 homers this season. Let's round up all the day's rumors involving him right here…

SI.com's Jon Heyman hears that Houston's asking price for Pence is so prohibitive that teams are sure he'll remain with the Astros (Twitter link).
A source tells Mike Silverman of The Boston Herald that Pence "won't be moved." (Twitter link)
Earlier today we heard that the Phillies would like to frame any potential trade for Pence around right-hander Vance Worley.

Olney On Wandy, Phillies, DeJesus, Cardinals, Mets

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2011 at 11:52am CDT

In addition to all the talk about a potential Hunter Pence trade, ESPN's Buster Olney notes the Astros are "making it clear" that they're willing to trade Wandy Rodriguez in today's Insider-only blog post. The left-hander has caught the eye of the Reds, but Houston will reportedly want as much for Rodriguez as the Rockies would want for Ubaldo Jimenez.

Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…

Olney hears that the Phillies would prefer to frame any offers for Pence around right-hander Vance Worley (Twitter link). Worley owns a 2.02 ERA in ten starts and two relief appearances for Philadelphia this season.
The Pirates have talked internally about pursuing David DeJesus, but it's unclear how aggressive they plan to get in trade talks (Twitter link).
The Cardinals have cast a wide net in their search for bullpen help, and other clubs expect St. Louis to land a right-handed reliever before the deadline (Twitter link).
There is growing confidence in the Mets' organization that the Bernie Madoff case "is veering in favor of the Wilpons," which could allow them to re-establish full control of the team. There is also some unhappiness with how David Einhorn has taken the spotlight without having a deal to become minority owner finalized.

Braves Fully Intend To Acquire Hitter

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 21, 2011 at 8:59am CDT

The Braves ‘fully intend’ to add a hitter before the end of the month, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Some of Rosenthal’s sources suggest the Braves are close to a trade, as David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicated yesterday.

If the Braves are indeed close to completing a trade, it isn’t for Carlos Beltran, Rosenthal writes. Hunter Pence is not Atlanta’s slugger of choice, though the Braves have expressed interest in him, B.J. Upton, Ryan Ludwick, Jonny Gomes and others.

The Braves are reluctant to overpay for a rental player and they’re uncomfortable with the Astros’ asking price for Pence. The Braves would prefer not to send Jason Heyward to the minors, though the sophomore slugger’s struggles have compounded Atlanta’s need for a bat.

NL Central Notes: Pirates, Barmes, Reds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2011 at 10:18pm CDT

Already today we've seen the Pirates add one player and contemplate more changes. We've seen the Brewers express interest in a versatile infielder and learned about how the Cubs intend to approach the deadline. Here's the rest of the day's news from the NL Central…

Rival GMs believe Pirates GM Neal Huntington over-values his prospects, so they're suspicious that he can be an effective 'buyer,' according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The Pirates haven't made progress toward a contract extension with Paul Maholm, according toJenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Pittsburgh has a $9.75MM 2012 option for Maholm, who has said he'd like to remain with the Pirates long-term.
The Brewers have had internal discussions about Clint Barmes of the Astros, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
The Brewers expressed interest in Jeff Keppinger before the Astros sent the infielder to San Francisco, according to Crasnick (on Twitter). Milwaukee continues looking for help on the left side of the infield.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin made the first major trade of the summer, acquiring Francisco Rodriguez from the Mets, but he says there’s "not much happening right now," according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the Reds are “definitely” buyers. “We’re looking to upgrade any area,” Jocketty said. For more detail on the Reds’ needs, check Tim Dierkes' analysis from yesterday.

Phillies Notes: Pence, Singleton, Mariners

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2011 at 7:38pm CDT

The Phillies have discussed Melky Cabrera, are one of the favorites to land Carlos Beltran and maintain interest in relievers, including Leo Nunez. Here's the latest, as we await Ruben Amaro Jr.'s next surprise move…

The Phillies have asked the Astros about Hunter Pence, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Pence is available and rival executives expect him to be traded.
Amaro and Astros GM Ed Wade have combined on deals involving Roy Oswalt, Sergio Escalona and others, as our Transaction Tracker shows.
The Phillies are open to dealing Jonathan Singleton, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff (Twitter link).
Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner says we should expect the Mariners to pursue Singleton if that’s the case (Twitter link). Seattle likes Singleton, according to Cameron.
As our Transaction Tracker shows, Amaro and Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik have made deals involving Mike Sweeney and, of course, Cliff Lee.

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