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NL West Notes: Francoeur, Giants, Pence, Padres

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We took a look at both Western divisions earlier today, now we'll zero in on just the National League side..

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) wonders if Jeff Francoeur could be a fit for the Giants.  Rosenthal notes that the outfielder, owed $6.75MM next season, would likely would clear waivers.  However, the Royals couldn't be expected to just give him away.
  • It has been widely speculated that the Giants acquired Hunter Pence as a response to rumors surrounding Melky Cabrera's possible suspension, but GM Brian Sabean denied that being a factor, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  "We tried to acquire [Pence] at the deadline last year and he was going to be a Giant if we could find a way to do it this year," Sabean said.  The GM also said that there was nothing "too compelling or interesting" available on the waiver wire.
  • The new Padres ownership could take the club in a number of directions, writes Chris Jenkins of U-T San Diego.  The sale of the team is now complete as it was approved at the owners meetings this week.

Royals To Release Yuniesky Betancourt

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The Royals have requested unconditional release waivers on infielder Yuniesky Betancourt, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).

The move comes nine days after the Royals designated Betancourt for assignment, meaning they were unable to trade him. If no team claims Betancourt while he's on release waivers, he'll receive his unconditional release.

Betancourt, 30, has posted a career line of .266/.290/.392 with 67 homers in 3,869 plate appearances. The eight-year veteran has played with the Mariners, Brewers and Royals (two stints).

Giants Acquire Jose Mijares

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The Giants have claimed left-handed reliever Jose Mijares from Kansas City, the teams announced. Mijares will provide Giants manager Bruce Bochy with a third lefty relief option to go along with Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez.

Mijares has a 2.56 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 33.3% ground ball rate in 38 2/3 innings this year. The 27-year-old earns $925K, will be arbitration eligible following this offseason, and will remain under team control through 2014.

I identified Mijares as a midseason trade candidate in May. However, I wouldn't have predicted he'd go unclaimed by 13 American League teams and a number of National League teams given the season he's having and his modest salary.

Royals Designate Betancourt For Assignment

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The Royals have designated Yuniesky Betancourt for assignment, according to Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star (via Twitter). The move allows for the Royals to call up infielder Tony Abreu from Triple-A Omaha.

Betancourt rejoined the Royals this past offseason after being included in the Zack Greinke trade to the Brewers after the 2010 season. The infielder was hitting .232/.260/.408 in 56 games with Kansas City this year. 

Quick Hits: Sheets, Braves, Phillies, Royals

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Saturday afternoon linkage..

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports recaps the unusual story of how Ben Sheets wound up hooking on with the Braves.  The 34-year-old, who had interest from a number of clubs, told Rosenthal that the situation in Atlanta fit him perfectly even though the offer wasn't necessarily the best.  The veteran prefers the National League, likes the pitcher's advantage in Turner Field, and enjoys the humidity of the Southeast.  Sheets' deal is for the prorated portion of $2.25MM and includes up to $1.4MM in incentives.
  • While Ruben Amaro Jr. & Co. are staying positive about the 2012 season, the Phillies should be making moves with 2013 and beyond in mind, opines Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • We could see familiar August trade subjects such as Jeff Francoeur go through the process once more this year, writes Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated.  Other top candidates to be moved include Carlos Lee of the Marlins, Jose Lopez of the Indians, and Scott Hairston of the Mets.
  • Dominican third baseman Juan Carlos Arias failed his age investigation, a major league source told Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The 6-foot-3, 220 pound prospect stood out for his raw power and strength but will now have to wait until June 12, 2013 to sign.

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.

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.
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