NL Central Rumors: Volquez, Iannetta, Bourn
The NL Central has four buyers and two sellers. The latest:
- The Reds are drawing interest from multiple teams on righty Edinson Volquez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 28-year-old has a 5.93 ERA on the season and spent time at Triple-A. Still, he throws hard and is under team control through 2013.
- The Pirates and Rockies have yet to exchange names on Chris Iannetta, tweets Jon Paul Morosi. The Pirates added one bat today, promoting Pedro Alvarez.
- Interest in Astros center fielder Michael Bourn is still not high, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. He says the Braves are not a good fit and the Nationals are highly unlikely.
- The Astros had scouts watching the Triple-A clubs of the Diamondbacks and Braves recently, writes Rosenthal.
George Springer Met With Long Island Ducks
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?
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
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
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
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
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.
Diamondbacks, Astros Discussing Wandy Rodriguez
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
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
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.