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Morosi On League, Astros, Red Sox, Blue Jays

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It's unlikely that incoming Astros owner Jim Crane would want to start his tenure as Houston's new owner by opposing MLB's other teams, as Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports points out. That means it will be hard for Crane to turn Bud Selig down if the commissioner asks the Astros to move to the American League West at some point. Here are more of Morosi's notes from around MLB:

  • The Mariners are taking calls on Brandon League and have no plans to make Felix Hernandez available (Twitter link).
  • Despite the many injuries to their starting pitchers, the Red Sox haven't begun an all-out search for rotation help, according to Morosi. The Red Sox, who have checked in on Carlos Beltran, are prioritizing a right-handed hitting outfielder.
  • The Blue Jays are hearing from teams interested in their relievers (Twitter link).
  • The Angels prefer left-handed hitters over right-handed hitters, according to Morosi (on Twitter). They had serious discussions about the left-handed hitting Garrett Jones earlier in the year.

Olney On Tigers, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Beltran

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Teams looking to trade for outfield help will encounter a buyers’ market, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Here’s the latest from around MLB, with the most recent rumors up top:

  • The Tigers are pursuing pitching aggressively, checking in on high-end arms, according to Olney (on Twitter). 
  • The Pirates are looking for an outfielder who can be a stable presence in their lineup. They have asked around for veteran outfielders (Twitter link). 
  • The D'Backs are looking for relievers who have yet to go to arbitration, not expensive veterans (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox, Braves and Phillies would “undoubtedly” love to acquire Carlos Beltran, but all three clubs are distancing themselves from the teams behind them in the standings, so they could decide to acquire a second-tier bat instead of surrendering an elite prospect for Beltran.
  • Hunter Pence will likely stay in Houston unless the Astros are “overwhelmed,” according to Olney.
  • The A’s are listening on Josh Willingham.
  • Rival GMs believe that a deal for Ubaldo Jimenez is “all but impossible,” since the Rockies would ask for so much in a trade for their ace. The Rockies will listen on Jimenez, who is on the Reds' radar.

Astros Notes: Keppinger, Myers, Mills

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"We're going to be viewed as a land of opportunity for teams to try to improve the teams that are in contention," Astros GM Ed Wade tells Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).  Indeed, as one of the few teams clearly out of the postseason race, the 'Stros should be one of baseball's busiest teams as we head into the trade deadline.  Here's the latest on a few of Houston's trade chips…

  • Jeff Keppinger's versatility makes him a strong infield option for contenders like the Tigers, Cardinals, Giants, Indians and Pirates, writes Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Keppinger's trade candidacy last week.
  • Brett Myers's $10MM option for 2013 will vest if he makes 25 starts in 2012 and isn't on the DL at the end of that season, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (Twitter link).  Myers will be paid $11MM in 2012 and is slated to earn roughly $3MM over the rest of 2011.  That 2013 option contains a $3MM buyout.
  • Bud Norris, Mark Melancon and Jordan Lyles seem to be the only players the Astros won't consider trading, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, though Wade wouldn't confirm if any Houston players were indeed "untouchable." Also from that piece, Wade notes he would run any potential deal by both current owner Drayton McLane and the incoming ownership group led by Jim Crane.
  • Manager Brad Mills may be in "a can't-lose position" going into the last year of his contract, writes Chip Bailey of the Houston Chronicle.  Even if Mills is fired after the season, he'll lose no respect around baseball since "most outsiders and onlookers recognize he has been managing in an impossible predicament of circumstances."

Minor Moves: Gustavo Chacin

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Here are the latest minor moves…

  • The Astros released Gustavo Chacin, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The 30-year-old appeared in 44 games for the Astros last year, posting a 4.70 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 and homering in his lone at bat for Houston. He had a 5.13 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 66 2/3 innings for the Astros' Triple-A affiliate this year.

Tigers Have Interest In Beltran, Focused On Pitching

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The Tigers have interest in Carlos Beltran, but a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the team is still focused on finding a starting pitcher. They are not having any serious talks with the Royals about Jeff Francis, with the Astros about Brett Myers and Wandy Rodriguez, or with the Cubs about Ryan Dempster. They're also unlikely to acquire Erik Bedard from Seattle, according to Morosi. 

Detroit has gotten very little production out of left field (.251/.296/.387) and center field (.244/.320/.369) this year, so Beltran would be an obvious help. Tim Dierkes wrote about their left field plight earlier this week. Their rotation is middle of the pack with a 4.08 ERA, but that is boosted by the great Justin Verlander (2.15). Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, and Brad Penny all have 4.50+ ERA's, and Phil Coke (4.88 ERA) has just been replaced by rookie Charlie Furbush. The Tigers maintain their interest in Hiroki Kuroda.

Quick Hits: Iwakuma, Draft, Mariners

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On this date in 2009, the Nationals fired manager Manny Acta and replaced him with Jim Riggleman. A lot has changed in two years – Riggleman resigned as the Nationals' skipper over a contract dispute last month and Acta, now the Indians' manager, is a leading candidate for AL Manager of the Year. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • The Rays, Indians, Astros and Angels scouted Hisashi Iwakuma's recent rehab start, according to a Sponichi report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The 30-year-old right-hander posted a 2.72 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 from 2007-10 in Japan.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America explains the give and take between the commissioner's office and the players' union when it comes to the double standard between draft-eligible amateurs and international free agents.
  • One NL executive told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that we should expect an intense week leading up to the trade deadline, since teams will wait until the last possible moment before becoming ‘sellers.’
  • GM Jack Zduriencik told Greg Johns of MLB.com that he has discussed possible moves, but doesn’t want to get caught up in whether the Mariners will be buyers or a sellers this summer.

Astros Sign Harold Arauz

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The Astros have signed right-hander Harold Arauz for $300K, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 16-year-old from Panama was named MVP of the Dominican Prospect League All-Star Game in May.

In a subscriber-only scouting report, Badler notes that the 6-foot-4 righty sits in the high-80's with his fastball. He's said to have "a clean delivery and throws strikes with some feel for his secondary stuff." The Astros had previously signed Dominican shortstop Luis Reynoso for $700K.

Quick Hits: Reds, Berkman, Vogelsong, Blue Jays

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Links for Tuesday night, after a second consecutive win for the National League All-Stars… 

  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he’s talking to clubs about possible trades, though discussions are still in their early stages. "We have not had specific or significant trade talks with anyone at this point," Jocketty said. "All discussion with other teams has been more general info gathering.” The Reds are monitoring Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies. 
  • Lance Berkman told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he would have signed in Colorado if the Rockies had made him a "decent" offer last offseason (Twitter link). "They had other fish to fry," Berkman said. "And they fried them."
  • ESPN.com’s Keith Law hears that top Blue Jays pick Tyler Beede didn’t report to the summer classes he had signed up for at Vanderbilt (Twitter link). It could be an indication that he's going to sign instead of going to college.
  • As Patrick Newman points out at FanGraphs, Colby Lewis, Ryan Vogelsong, Chris Resop and Scott Atchison are among the MLB pitchers who pitched overseas before succeeding for their current MLB teams.
  • Mike Lopresti of USA Today explains how Vogelsong went from Triple-A discard to National League All-Star.
  • Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner points out that Brett Myers' trade value could diminish if other right-handed starters become available this month.

Selig On Draft, Playoffs, Realignment, Replay

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Commissioner Bud Selig held a chat with fans yesterday and he touched on a number of issues that we focus on here at MLBTR, plus some other items of interest. Here are some highlights from Selig’s chat at MLB.com:

  • Collective bargaining between the players and the owners has been “constructive” so far, but it’s still early.
  • Not surprisingly, there’s no chance of a salary cap in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.
  • Selig repeated his support for slotting and a worldwide draft and said the sides are discussing both possibilities at the bargaining table.
  • Stories about realignment are somewhat premature, according to Selig. He has had realignment on his mind for a while, but nothing is imminent.
  • The Diamondbacks have been told that they will be able to stay in the NL West and that the Astros will ultimately be asked to move to the AL West in realignment, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com (on Twitter).
  • The commissioner would like to see two additional playoff teams in the near future.
  • There are no plans to remove the designated hitter or expand the role of the DH.
  • There’s not much of an appetite for expanding instant replay within the game, according to Selig. However, MLB is considering “significant adjustments” to baseball’s current instant replay rules.
  • Selig told reporters today that he remains firm on his decision to retire after 2012, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

NL Central Notes: Cardinals, Keppinger, Johnson

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Heading into today's action, no first place team in either league holds a lead of more than two and a half games, and no division is tighter at the top than the NL Central. Not only are the Cardinals, Brewers, and Pirates separated by a single game in the standings, but all three teams are dead even in the loss column. Here's the latest on the Central, as we look forward to what should be a fun playoff race:

  • The Cardinals' pursuit of pitching is "taking shape," tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, though he cautions in a second tweet that he's unsure of the timetable for a deal.
  • Discussing the Cardinals' need for arms, Bernie Miklasz of the Post-Dispatch says that while prioritizing relief help makes sense, the team could also try to acquire a starter and move Kyle McClellan to the bullpen.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wonders (via Twitter) if the Astros will receive more interest in Jeff Keppinger than Brett Myers, given Myers' struggles this season.
  • In a separate tweet, Morosi notes that Cubs' outfielder Reed Johnson is another useful complementary player who could be available on the cheap this month.
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