Rosenthal On Yankees, Wandy, Ubaldo, Bailey
The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- Yesterday's push by the Yankees to acquire Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez came from ownership, not GM Brian Cashman. SI's Jon Heyman wrote yesterday that the Yankees offered to pay $21MM of the $38MM left on Rodriguez's contract, implying they feel that Rodriguez is worth less than $7MM a year. Rosenthal says the Astros were willing to pay $2MM of Rodriguez's salary this year (essentially all of it) "or $5MM if his [player] option for 2014 were exercised." I'm in the minority, but I'm with the Astros in thinking paying Wandy down to the range of Ted Lilly's contract is reasonable. At any rate, Rosenthal says the Astros and Yankees never even got to the point of discussing names.
- Cashman has seven untouchables in trade discussions, a rival GM told Rosenthal.
- More than a handful of teams called the Indians "to gauge the club’s willingness to flip Ubaldo Jimenez less than 24 hours after acquiring him." The Indians wanted Jimenez for themselves though. Rosenthal adds that the Indians entertained a "flurry of offers" for starter Fausto Carmona before the deadline.
- Rosenthal says he was unfair to print a rival executive's quote last week about how Astros GM Ed Wade was trying to make a "job-saving" deal for Hunter Pence.
- Athletics GM Billy Beane explained to Rosenthal that "ultimately a trade is a bilateral and not a unilateral process," suggesting that teams were not engaging in back-and-forth negotiations for his players. Also, Rosenthal hears that the Rangers offered Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland (who ultimately got them Mike Adams) plus shortstop prospect Leury Garcia for closer Andrew Bailey.
Trade Reaction: Ubaldo, Rangers, Furcal, Mariners
We've seen dozens of deals completed this month. To help you make sense of it all, here are some reactions to the moves from around MLB…
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan breaks down the deadline for all 30 teams. The Astros might receive Passan's harshest criticism. Passan's response to this morning's Michael Bourn trade: "To send him to Atlanta without getting at least Mike Minor or Randall Delgado, let alone Julio Teheran or Arodys Vizcaino, shows a deep misunderstanding by GM Ed Wade of the proper way to rebuild." Ouch.
- The Rangers, Phillies, Braves, Giants and Mets are winners for ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Yankees, Angels, Reds and Cubs are losers, Stark writes. The Astros face harsh criticism once again: "They're basically starting to shape themselves for 2015," one NL executive told Stark. "It's almost like they're doing an expansion team."
- Brian Sabean (Giants), Jon Daniels (Rangers), Dan O'Dowd (Rockies) and Jed Hoyer (Padres) are among the general managers on Jim Bowden's list of top deadline deal-makers at ESPN.com.
- In a separate piece, Passan looks back at flameout rates for pitching prospects and concludes that the Indians made a great deal in acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez for a package of players including Drew Pomeranz and Alex White.
- One front office polled its members about winners and losers and the Rangers were the unanimous top choice, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says Rafael Furcal is an upgrade for the Cardinals at short because St. Louis didn't have any legitimate alternatives. Furcal, Law writes, is an average defender with a plus arm.
- The Mariners did well to acquire Charlie Furbush, Francisco Martinez, Casper Wells and one of the Tigers' top three picks from the 2010 draft for David Pauley and Doug Fister, who benefit from spacious Safeco Field, Law writes.
- Law says the Mariners did well to obtain Trayvon Robinson for two months of Erik Bedard and Josh Fields ("a throw-in"), but he isn't sure what the Dodgers were doing in this deal.
- The Rangers' bullpen will be substantially better with Mike Adams and Koji Uehara, Law writes at ESPN.com. San Diego gets Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland from the Rangers, two pitchers who "make up in probability for what they might lack in upside."
The Latest On Wandy Rodriguez
The Astros traded two of their three starting outfielders before this afternoon's trade deadline, but they were unable to find a taker for Wandy Rodriguez. Let's round up the latest news regarding the left-hander, all courtesy of SI.com's Jon Heyman on Twitter…
- The Yankees offered to pay $21MM of the $38MM left on Wandy's contract, but that wasn't enough for the Astros.
- The Indians and Blue Jays were both interested in Rodriguez, both only in a three-team scenario that would have sent him elsewhere. Presumably, the Yankees were that third team.
- The $38MM left on Rodriguez's contract makes him a prime August waiver trade candidate, but is there a chance a team claims him? "None," said one executive Heyman.
- The Yankees are unlikely to revisit talks with Houston after Wandy clears waivers this month.
NL Central Trades
The month of July proved to be a busy one for the NL Central..
Astros
- Acquired center fielder Jordan Schafer, southpaw Double-A starter Brett Oberholtzer, righty Double-A starter Paul Clemens, and righty Triple-A reliever Juan Abreu from the Braves in exchange for Michael Bourn and cash.
- Acquired prospects Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, Josh Zeid, and a player to be named later from the Phillies for Hunter Pence and $2MM.
- Acquired right-handed pitchers Henry Sosa and Jason Stoffel from the Giants for Jeff Keppinger.
Brewers
- Acquired infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. from the Nats for Double-A outfielder Erik Komatsu.
- Acquired Felipe Lopez from the Rays for cash considerations.
- Received cash considerations from the Braves for catcher Wil Nieves.
- Acquired Francisco Rodriguez and cash from the Mets for two players to be named later. The Mets will choose the players from a list of five Brewers minor leaguers by a date in September.
Cardinals
- Acquired Rafael Furcal from the Dodgers for Alex Castellanos and roughly $2.5MM.
- Acquired starter Edwin Jackson, relievers Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel, outfielder Corey Patterson, and three players to be named later or cash considerations from the Blue Jays for center fielder Colby Rasmus and pitchers Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters.
Cubs
- Acquired minor leaguer outfielder Abner Abreu and reliever Carlton Smith from the Indians for right fielder Kosuke Fukudome and about $3.9MM.
Pirates
- Acquired right fielder Ryan Ludwick from the Padres for a player to be named later.
- Acquired Derrek Lee from Baltimore for minor league first baseman Aaron Baker.
Reds
- Acquired outfielder Bill Rhinehart and left-hander Chris Manno from the Nationals for Jonny Gomes and cash considerations.
Astros Done Dealing
The Astros are telling teams they're done for the day, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, meaning Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, Jason Michaels, and everyone else are staying put.
Wandy Rodriguez Unlikely To Be Traded
2:37pm: Rodriguez is likely to stay with the Astros, tweets Morosi. Jon Heyman points out that he's a candidate for an August deal.
1:51pm: The Yankees' talks for Rodriguez are officially dead, tweets Stark. Jon Heyman says the Yankees wanted the Astros to pick up half his contract. Nothing is close for now, but it looks like the Blue Jays or nothing for Wandy according to Stark.
1:46pm: The Astros don't want to pay down Rodriguez's contract, tweets Heyman, so a trade seems unlikely. Morosi says the Blue Jays have entered the bidding, however.
11:49am: There's a 50/50 chance of Rodriguez being traded somewhere, tweets Morosi. The Yankees have strong interest, tweets Stephen Goff.
11:20am: The Yankees and Astros discussed Wandy as recently as this morning, tweets Jon Paul Morosi.
11:10am: Rodriguez would have to fall into the Yankees' laps, tweets Jack Curry. The Astros would have to eat a "huge chunk" of his contract, tweets Buster Olney. The Astros are surprised by the lack of interest and haven't shown an indication they're willing to include a lot of money, tweets Sherman. Here's a link to my post earlier this month about whether Rodriguez is overpaid.
10:33am: The Yankees are trying for Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, Joel Sherman tweets that there is no sense from the Yankees' side that they are anywhere near a deal.
The Astros will move Rodriguez only if they get impact prospects, tweets Rosenthal. They'd have to pay a chunk of the $38.3MM that will be owed to Rodriguez through 2014 if he exercises his player option for that season.
Braves Acquire Michael Bourn
After seeing top outfield trade candidates Carlos Beltran and Hunter Pence land with National League rivals, Braves GM made a splash today by acquiring center fielder Michael Bourn and cash from the Astros for center fielder Jordan Schafer, southpaw Double-A starter Brett Oberholtzer, righty Double-A starter Paul Clemens, and righty Triple-A reliever Juan Abreu. The Astros announced the deal via press release.
Bourn (pictured) is hitting .303/.363/.403 in 473 plate appearances, and he leads MLB with 39 steals. He fills the Braves' need for a center fielder and leadoff man through next year. The 28-year-old Scott Boras client has $1.45MM remaining on his contract this year and is arbitration eligible for 2012 before hitting free agency. The Astros' outfield purge continues, as they sent Pence to the Phillies on Friday. The Reds, Giants, Indians, and Nationals had also shown interest in Bourn.
Schafer, 24, figures to replace Bourn as the Astros' regular center fielder once he returns from the disabled list for a finger injury. He owns a .223/.310/.303 line in 414 big league plate appearances, coming in '09 and this year. Before the 2008 and '09 seasons, he was considered one of the best 50 prospects in the game, but an HGH suspension and wrist surgery dropped his stock.
None of the three pitchers are top 50 prospects, but they did rank ninth, 26th, and 27th respectively for the Braves on Baseball America's preseason rankings, and the team has a highly-regarded farm system. Oberholtzer, 22, ranked ninth and is seen as a potential third or fourth starter in the big leagues. Clemens and Abreu both have big upside and impressive fastballs.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports broke the story, with Jayson Stark adding the prospects and Ken Davidoff adding the financial detail. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Cardinals Acquire Rafael Furcal
10:31am: The deal is now complete, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. The Cardinals will pay $1.4MM of Furcal's $3.96MM remaining salary, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, implying the Dodgers are sending $2.56MM.
SUNDAY, 10:06am: The Dodgers will receive Double-A outfielder Alex Castellanos from the Cardinals, reports Goold. The 24-year-old is hitting .319/.379/.562 this year.
SATURDAY, 9:48pm: The Cardinals are likely to receive cash in the deal and they'll send a minor league outfielder to the Dodgers, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The outfielder is not currently on St. Louis' 40-man roster, Goold reports.
8:40pm: Furcal will approve the trade, Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets.
1:40pm: The teams are a step away from completing the deal, hears Goold.
SATURDAY, 12:00pm: Though Furcal has no-trade protection, he's open to a deal to the Cardinals, tweets Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The two teams continue to talk.
FRIDAY, 8:35pm: The Cardinals have had conversations with the Dodgers regarding Rafael Furcal, reports MLB.com's Matthew Leach.
6:34pm: The Cardinals are prioritizing a trade for a shortstop, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Strauss hears it's more likely than not that GM John Mozeliak pulls off a deal before Sunday's deadline, and feels that the rumored move is a difference-maker.
Difference-making shortstops are hard to come by in this trade market, unless the Marlins decide to listen on Hanley Ramirez or the Mets on Jose Reyes. The names I'd expect to be available are not nearly as exciting: Jamey Carroll and Rafael Furcal. The Astros are telling some teams Clint Barmes is not available, tweets MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Quick Hits: Slowey, Royals, Lee, Reddick
For a while, it seemed as though we'd have a quiet trade deadline. So much for that – today we saw Ubaldo Jimenez, Derrek Lee, Orlando Cabrera, Rich Harden, Koji Uehara, Chris Davis, Tommy Hunter, Jason Marquis, Mike Aviles, Jerry Hairston Jr., Doug Fister and David Pauley all get traded. Let's gear up for the deadline itself with another round of links…
- The Twins would like to move Kevin Slowey and the Rockies are interested, though they don't want to pay too much for him, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- Teams are still calling on Bruce Chen, Jeff Francis and Kyle Davies of the Royals, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Any deal will likely come at the deadline tomorrow.
- Teams are still inquiring on Brandon League, even though top Mariners executives have said he's going nowhere, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels expects a quiet day tomorrow, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- The Astros would love to convince Carlos Lee that there's no point in refusing to waive his no-trade clause, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
- The Astros wanted a package of players including Josh Reddick and Kyle Weiland from the Red Sox for Hunter Pence, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
Little Momentum For Michael Bourn Trade
Yesterday we learned that the Giants and Braves are in on Astros center fielder Michael Bourn, and GM Ed Wade seeks Major League-ready prospects. The latest:
- There is currently little momentum for a Bourn deal, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, though he notes things can change quickly on deadline day.