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Rosenthal’s Latest: Bay, Bell, Buck, Lee, O’s, K-Rod

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The Mets and Marlins discussed a change-of-scenery trade that would have sent Jason Bay to Miami for Heath Bell and John Buck, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. A deal was never close, though the contracts and the money matched up well. Bell is signed through 2014, Bay and Buck through 2013. Rosenthal notes that all three players are likely to clear waivers this month, so the two sides could revisit the deal. Here are the rest of his rumors…

  • The Astros are paying virtually all of the $9MM left on Carlos Lee's contract, but one club that spoke to the Marlins said Miami wanted as much as $2.5MM in return for the slugger. Talks never progressed.
  • The Orioles spoke to the Mariners about Kevin Millwood, but Seattle wanted a better return than what was offered given the right-hander's bargain $1MM salary.
  • The Orioles also discussed a deal with the Royals that would have sent one of their young arms to Kansas City for Luke Hochevar and Jonathan Broxton. Rosenthal speculates that it may have been Jake Arrieta.
  • The Brewers were close to trading Francisco Rodriguez to the Giants about a week before the deadline, but San Francisco backed off after the right-hander blew two saves and allowed six runs in Philadelphia last week.

Reds Acquire Jonathan Broxton

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The Reds added a late-inning reliever to the NL's best bullpen today, acquiring Jonathan Broxton from the Royals, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).  The Reds sent Triple-A lefty Donnie Joseph and Double-A righty J.C. Sulbaran to the Royals in return, tweets Rosenthal's colleague Jon Paul Morosi.

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Broxton, 28, has bounced back this year to post a 2.27 ERA in 35 2/3 innings, although his peripheral stats aren't great with a 6.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.  He has posted a career-best 56.6% groundball rate, a large part in why he's allowed just one home run.  Broxton is throwing 95 miles per hour again and has racked up 23 saves, though I'm guessing he'll join Sean Marshall in setting up Aroldis Chapman.  Broxton is on a one-year deal and has $1.4MM remaining in base salary.

Joseph, 24, has a 1.72 ERA, 11.7 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, and one home run allowed in 52 1/3 relief innings across Double and Triple-A this year.  Baseball America ranked him 27th among Reds prospects prior to the season, suggesting at the time he could become a power reliever in the bigs if able to improve his mechanics.

Sulbaran, 22, has a 4.04 ERA, 9.5 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, and 1.46 HR/9 in 104 2/3 innings as a starter at Double-A this year.  Baseball America ranked him 12th among Reds prospects prior to the season, praising his stuff but expressing concern with his maturity and secondarypitches.  They saw his future as a potential No. 3 starter at that time.

For the latest on all things related to winning the saves category in your fantasy league, check out CloserNews on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Reds Pursuing Jonathan Broxton

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The Reds and other teams are pursuing Royals closer Jonathan Broxton, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The Rangers are out.  The Giants are still in on Broxton, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio.  The Orioles are in, tweets Rosenthal.

Rangers, Giants, Orioles Interested In Broxton

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MONDAY, 3:16pm: The Royals are still listening on Broxton but offers haven't been encouraging so far, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  The Orioles were showing serious interest in Broxton over the weekend, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, though they're showing less interest now.  Kubatko says the Orioles are known to want a left-handed reliever but might just be looking to upgrade the bullpen however possible.

SUNDAY, 10:11pm: The Royals are eyeing right-hander Justin Grimm in their discussions with the Rangers, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News echoes the sentiment (on Twitter).  Grimm, 23, was a fifth round selection by the Rangers in 2010 out of the University of Georgia. He currently boasts a 1.99 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A and made his Major League debut earlier this season.

6:36pm: The Rangers are also in on Broxton, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Texas is turning its focus to bullpen help after becoming frustrated with the starting pitching market, according to Heyman.

2:36pm: The Giants have serious interest in Jonathan Broxton, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter). Interest on Broxton is picking up and there's a 60-70% chance he'll be traded by the deadline, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter).

The Giants don't view Broxton as the solution for their bullpen, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reported this week. There's not much bullpen help available, now that Huston Street is off the market, Knobler reported today (on Twitter). The Blue Jays and Red Sox aren't selling and teams aren't impressed by the available relievers.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Stark On Rangers, Johnson, Headley, Dempster

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Here's a look at the today's Daily Rumble from ESPN.com's Jayson Stark..

  • According to clubs that have talked to the Rangers, the club is balking at including shortstop Jurickson Profar and third baseman Mike Olt in any deal.  That stance meant losing out on Zack Greinke and could take them out of the mix for Josh Johnson or James Shields.
  • Clubs identify the Dodgers, Orioles and Blue Jays as other aggressive suitors for Johnson while the White Sox, Red Sox, Braves, and Royals have checked in.
  • Teams that have spoken with the Pirates say they seem to be losing their enthusiasm for Chase Headley.  If they dealt for Headley, they would have to move either him or Pedro Alvarez to first base, and neither player has started a professional game there.
  • One source told Stark that while the Braves and Ryan Dempster could potentially reverse course and get a deal done that would send the hurler to Atlanta, he "seriously" doubts it will happen.
  • While the Rays seem to be listening on offers for several quality players, other teams remain skeptical of how willing they are to move anyone right now.  One exec believes that they are simply listening on players in order to gather information for possible deals during the offseason.

Central Notes: Cardinals, Reds, Willingham, Ryan

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Three of baseball's hottest teams reside in the NL Central, where the Reds (15 wins in their last 17 games) hold a two-game lead over the Pirates (15-6 in their last 21 games) and a 5.5 game lead over the Cardinals (seven wins in their last eight games).  Let's check out the latest from both leagues' Central divisions…

  • The improved performance of the Cardinals' rotation "takes a little pressure off in terms of feeling like we have to do something," GM John Mozeliak tells MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.  "If you were to go after a starter, who are you really bouncing out? And how are you improving? That's why I don't think the urgency is quite there for rotational help as maybe it was, say, three or four weeks ago." It seems as if St. Louis will trade for a reliever if they do make a deadline move for pitching, Langosch notes, though the bullpen has also recently been better.
  • The Reds are looking to start their trade deadline shopping, with a leadoff man atop their wishlist, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • The Indians were only willing to offer two guaranteed years to Josh Willingham last winter given the slugger's injury woes, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  Willingham ended up signing a three-year contract with the Twins and is enjoying a superb season, while the Tribe is still looking for a big right-handed bat for their lineup. 
  • Twins interim GM Terry Ryan told Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities that he hasn't spoken to team owner Carl Pohlad about taking over the position on a permanent basis. "We haven't talked about it at all and I don't anticipate talking about it until we get to the latter part of this year," Ryan said.  "We have not had a good year. We've got a lot of work to do here. I'm not in any position to say that interim is going to be off me."
  • "It's business as usual" for the Royals heading into the deadline, GM Dayton Moore tells MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Moore wouldn't comment on rumors about Jonathan Broxton, Yuniesky Betancourt, Jeff Francoeur or Jose Mijares.

Rangers Notes: Outfielders, Greinke, Broxton

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The Rangers look primed to make at least a couple of trade deadline upgrades to their roster as they pursue that elusive World Series title.  We heard earlier today that Texas was looking at such top-tier outfielders as Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Shin-Soo Choo and Justin Upton, though none of those players look to be available right now.  Here's some more about other Ranger trade targets…

  • "We need a good pitcher. We can use a good pitcher. If it happens to be a No. 1 that Jon Daniels gets, if he gets it, fine. We need a good pitcher," Rangers manager Ron Washington told reporters (including ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett).
  • The Rangers seem to prefer Zack Greinke to James Shields and Josh Johnson, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets.  Knobler also notes the possibility that if Texas misses out on trading for a starter, they could instead trade for a reliever and more Alexi Ogando back to the rotation.
  • If the Rangers do acquire Greinke from the Brewers, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan speculates that Texas would want a second player back in the deal, "to at least have something to show for it beyond 2012" if Greinke leaves via free agency.  Such a second player could be a prospect or bench depth, Sullivan guesses.
  • The Rangers could be interested in Jonathan Broxton as the club looks for relief help, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  The Mets and Giants are among the other teams recently linked to Broxton.

Rosenthal & Morosi On Gonzalez, Phillies, Perkins

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Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledges his team’s upcoming series in Atlanta will have an impact on Philadelphia’s trade deadline plans, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. “We have to play well against these guys,” Amaro said. “They’re a very tough team. We don’t necessarily have to sweep ‘em. But it’s important for us to win the series.” Here are the latest rumors from Rosenthal and colleague Jon Paul Morosi…

  • Carlos Gonzalez is at or near the top of the Rangers’ wish list of outfielders for 2013, Morosi and Rosenthal report. For now, however, the Rockies are keeping Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler off-limits in trade talks.
  • Mariners relievers Shawn Kelley, Josh Kinney and Steve Delabar are drawing mild interest, Morosi tweets.
  • Left-hander Glen Perkins is drawing heavy interest, Morosi reports (on Twitter). The Twins have a very high asking price for Perkins, who signed a three-year, $10.3MM extension with the club in March.
  • The Orioles would like to add a left-handed reliever, Morosi reports (on Twitter).
  • The Giants want a right-handed bat and are expected to make a push for Hunter Pence if the Phillies make him available, Morosi reports (on Twitter). Jonathan Broxton is also of interest for the Giants, Morosi reports (on Twitter).
  • The Pirates aren't optimistic about their search for a hitter at this point, Rosenthal reports (on Twitter).
  • The White Sox haven't ruled out the possibility of adding another reliever, Morosi reports (on Twitter).

Crasnick On Athletics, Broxton, Francoeur

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The latest rumors from ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick…

  • The Athletics have discussed Jimmy Rollins and Chase Headley as possible upgrades for the left side of their infield, Crasnick reports (Twitter links). However, Rollins' salary would be difficult to fit into Oakland's budget and the Padres' asking price for Headley remains high. The A's seem lukewarm on Yunel Escobar, Crasnick writes. They aren't sure how he'd fit in their clubhouse dynamic. 
  • Jonathan Broxton is the most likely Royal to be traded, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (all Twitter links). The Royals want young starting pitching for Broxton, and they’re looking for pitchers who are close to MLB-ready — not Class A types. 
  • Meanwhile, Jeff Francoeur’s trade value is negligible because he’s not producing at the plate.

Quick Hits: Giants, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox

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The latest trade rumors from around MLB…

  • The Giants are still looking for bullpen help, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter), They had some interest in Francisco Rodriguez until they saw him pitch recently and they don't view Jonathan Broxton as the solution, Knobler reports.
  • GM Ned Colletti says the Dodgers are far from done, and will continue to look for a starter and a position player, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.
  • The Mets would listen to offers for Scott Hairston and Tim Byrdak, but only for pieces who could help them next year, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox would like to obtain a right-handed bat, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets. We covered more Red Sox rumors in a pair of AL East posts today.
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