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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 Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, and Brad Penny all have 4.50+ ERA's, and Phil Coke (4.88 ERA) has just been replaced by rookie Charlie Furbush.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.

What The Royals Got For Carlos Beltran

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Carlos Beltran is now one of the hottest names on the trade market, and it's not the first time he has been on the block. Back in 2004, Beltran was approaching free agency when Allard Baird, Kansas City's GM at the time, sent him to Houston in a complicated three-team trade. The deal worked out tremendously for the Astros, who enjoyed 23 regular season home runs from Beltran plus a record eight home runs in the postseason.

The Royals didn't get similarly explosive performances from the trio of players they acquired: Mark Teahen, John Buck and Mike Wood. Teahen spent five season in Kansas City, where he posted a .269/.331/.419 line with 59 home runs. Buck combined steady power with a characteristically low batting average for a .235/.298/.407 line and 70 home runs in six seasons. Wood posted a below-average 5.28 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 279 2/3 innings for Kansas City as a reliever and occasional starter.

The Royals lost Wood to the Rangers on waivers in 2006 and non-tendered Buck in 2009, a month after they traded Teahen for Josh Fields, who is now playing in Japan, and Chris Getz. That makes Getz the lone remnant of the Beltran deal on the Royals' active roster.

The 27-year-old infielder has appeared in 78 games for the Royals this year and has a .259/.320/.291 line with 17 stolen bases. Getz's numbers don't compare to Beltran's production and the '04 deal didn't produce a star for Kansas City, but it's somewhat surprising that the Royals have something to show for the switch-hitting outfielder, seven years after he was expected to leave as a free agent.

Soria Can Block Trades To Dodgers, Rockies, Braves

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The Dodgers, Rockies and Braves have replaced the Tigers, Cubs and Cardinals on Joakim Soria's no-trade list, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.com (on Twitter). The reliever can still block trades to the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies with his no-trade clause, which would provide him with leverage in the unlikely event of a proposed deal.

The asking price for Soria is "exorbitant," according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, who hears that Royals officials have never had upper-level talks about the closer with the Yankees.

Soria, 27, has a 4.03 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 38 innings this year. He had a difficult May during which he briefly lost the closer's job, but has recovered to post a 14K/2BB ratio since with just one earned run allowed in 16 innings in June and July.

The reliever’s 2012 option vests at $6MM if he finishes 55 games this year (he has finished 26 games so far). The Royals also have an $8MM option for Soria in 2013 ($750K buyout) and an $8.75MM option for  2014 ($750K buyout). Keep up with Soria and every other MLB closer at closernews.com.

Knobler On Marlins, Trade Market, Royals, M’s

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Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com has some interesting tidbits of note in his latest blog post. Here's the latest …

  • The Marlins could be an intriguing seller this month, with closer Leo Nunez, starter Ricky Nolasco, reliever Randy Choate and infielders Omar Infante and Greg Dobbs potentially being made available. However, Florida does not yet consider itself a seller and won't commence an all-out firesale, what with a new ballpark opening in 2012.
  • The slow-developing trade market can be attributed to the league's great parity this season, but the generally healthy financial situations of most teams is playing a role, too. Few teams need to dump big contracts.
  • The Royals, for example, will be willing to listen on veteran outfielders Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur, but Kansas City is under no pressure to trade either one.
  • The Mariners, like the Fish, are still deciding whether they are ready to sell. Third-place Seattle is 7 1/2 games behind the division-leading Rangers.

Quick Hits: Krol, K-Rod, Trade Deadline

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On this date in 1997, the Yankees signed a 17-year-old named Yhency Brazoban as an amateur free agent. Over the next 14 years, Brazoban was traded for Kevin Brown, closed games for the Dodgers, signed minor league contracts with four different teams, and, most recently, allowed yesterday's game-tying homer to Albert Pujols. Here are this afternoon's links, as Brazoban and the Diamondbacks look to recover from last night's loss in St. Louis….

  • Athletics minor leaguer Ian Krol was suspended indefinitely for a derogatory tweet, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Krol, a left-hander who was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, was ranked ninth among the A's prospects by Baseball America pre-season.
  • Even contenders who are eyeing Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez as an eighth-inning guy have to worry about his vesting option, says ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider only). As one GM points out, if your team acquires Rodriguez as a setup man and your closer gets hurt, it would be hard to justify not inserting K-Rod into the role.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com examines five prospects taking part in today's Futures Game who trade deadline sellers might target.
  • There are eight teams who should definitely be sellers at this point, argues Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter): the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Athletics, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres.
  • Despite being big spenders in Major League free agency, the Phillies are once again exercising restraint when it comes to international free agents, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter) reiterates that the Nationals need to acquire a leadoff man, citing the team's .203/.270/.306 slash line from the top of the order.

Cafardo’s Latest: Bell, Kazmir, Kendall, Aramis

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Heath Bell's name has been near the top of this season's list of trade candidates for months, and in this week's Sunday Baseball Notes, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe adds a new potential suitor to the mix. According to Cafardo's source, the Rays are interested in the Padres' closer, but will have to determine over the next couple weeks whether they have "enough firepower" to go all out to catch the Red Sox and Yankees. Here are a few other highlights from Cafardo:

  • The Yankees, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Phillies are a few other teams monitoring Bell.
  • While there hasn't been a whole lot of interest in Scott Kazmir, the Padres and Rangers have "taken a look."
  • Jason Kendall, who hasn't played this year as he recovers from shoulder surgery, has re-torn two rotator cuff tendons. Kendall will undergo additional surgery, possibly ending his career. Royals manager Ned Yost on the procedure: "That takes him out of the picture for this year and out of the picture for next year…. I think it’s more a quality-of-life surgery so he can have function in his shoulder."
  • The Angels appear to be the team most interested in Aramis Ramirez, though Cafardo names the Mariners, Giants, Braves, and D'Backs as other clubs who could look into the Cubs' third baseman. Of course, Ramirez's agent said earlier this week that his client likely won't waive his no-trade clause, so inquires may be futile.

Quick Hits: Phillies, Soria, Hardy, Braves

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The Reds signed Pete Rose as an amateur free agent on this date in 1960 and it's safe to say their investment paid off. Rose collected 3,358 hits in 19 seasons with the Reds en route to becoming MLB's all-time hits leader with 4,256. Here are today's links…

  • Phillies starter Cole Hamels is heading into his final season of arbitration eligibility and as David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News shows in a pair of pieces, starters with Hamels-like production have been extremely well-paid in recent years. Hamels is earning $9.5MM this year in his third season of arbitration eligibility.
  • Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News explains that the Phillies might want to acquire a right-handed hitter for their lineup to avoid becoming a regular season success that fails in the playoffs, like the 2001 Mariners.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports explains that being selected to play in the All-Star Game has made a difference for players like Jose Bautista and Joe Nathan, who have obtained more endorsement offers and had more leverage in contract discussions since becoming All-Stars for the first time.
  • The teams on Joakim Soria's no-trade list have changed since last season, according to Morosi (on Twitter). The Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies are on the list, just as they were last year. The Tigers, Cardinals and Cubs were previously on Soria's list, which is designed to provide the reliever with leverage.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles are communicating semi-regularly with J.J. Hardy about a possible extension. The Orioles began extension talks with the shortstop last week.
  • Atlanta GM Frank Wren told Mark Bowman of MLB.com that the pieces the Braves are looking for may already be on their roster.

Rosenthal On Braves, Yankees, Royals

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Though some teams are still in the process of deciding whether to buy, sell or hold, others are developing a clear sense of what moves they intend to make this month. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has the latest on the trade deadline, which is just over three weeks away… 

  • The Braves, who have limited payroll flexibility, aren’t sure if they’re going to upgrade their offense, but they could pursue a right-handed hitting outfielder. Atlanta could probably afford an outfielder like Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham or Michael Cuddyer if they also obtained cash to cover the player’s salary (though that would likely mean giving up better prospects in the trade).
  • The Phillies may end up pursuing some of the same right-handed hitters as the Braves. Philadelphia is also exploring trades for relievers now that Jose Contreras, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson are on the disabled list.
  • The Yankees would like to acquire a top-of-the-rotation lefty, but they’re more likely to add a left-handed reliever. New York’s preference is for a southpaw who can retire right-handed hitters as well as lefties. The Yankees are targeting a number of left-handers, including Sean Burnett of the Nationals, who is not yet available.
  • The Royals will listen to offers for all of their players, but rival executives tell Rosenthal that Joakim Soria is likely staying put, since the asking price for him is high. 
  • Yankees catcher Jesus Montero has limited appeal to the Royals, since they doubt he’ll be able to stay behind the plate long-term.
  • The Royals expect to compete from 2012-14.

2012 Vesting Options Update

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The season is offically more than halfway complete now, so let's update the status of the various vesting options from around the league…

  • Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu is just 82 plate appearances short of that total, so this one will vest later this month, barring injury.
  • Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Injuries have limited Furcal to just 82 plate appearances this year, so this one won't be vesting.
  • Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. A few days ago we heard that Garland is unlikely to pitch the rest of the season due to a shoulder issue. He's at 54 innings, so the Dodgers won't have to worry about this one vesting either.
  • Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the year. K-Rod has finished 32 games already, putting him on pace for 60. A trade to a team that would use him as a setup man would change things, though we recently heard that some GMs beleieve Rodriguez's trade value is reaching a "tipping point" as he racks up the games finished.
  • Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 35 games and finished 16, putting him on pace for 68 and 29, respectively.
  • Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. Rhodes has appeared in 28 games so far, and he's on pace for 52. Texas will need to use him a little more liberally down the stretch for this one to kick in.
  • Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. With 35 appearances already to his credit, Soria is on pace to pitch in 69 games this year.
  • Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 26 games this year with a disabled list stint mixed in. He'd have to appear in 39 of the team's final 77 games for the option to vest, which seems unlikely.

Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.

Royals, Blue Jays, Cubs Sign Venezuelan Prospects

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The Royals signed 16-year-old prospects Angelo Castellano and Luis Lara, the Blue Jays signed 16-year-old prospects Wilmer Becerra and Jesus Gonzalez and the Cubs signed catcher Mark Malave and third baseman Ricardo Marcano, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The bonuses are not yet known for the players, who are all Venezuelan.

Castellano is a right-handed hitting shortstop who may eventually have to move to second or third base. He has good hands and has shown power potential, according to Badler. Lara is a catcher whose defense is ahead of his bat at this point.

Becerra has good speed and will likely become an outfielder. Scouts are mixed on his bat with some saying he's one of the top available right-handed hitters and others saying he struggles in games. Gonzalez has raw power and standout arm strength, according to Badler's subscriber-only report. He's an average runner who appears to have drawn interest from Arizona, as well as Toronto.

Malave has a strong arm that may be his best tool. The switch-hitter isn't a lock to remain at catcher and not all scouts believe in his hitting ability. Marcano has one of the best left-handed swings available and could hit for average and power. He is an average runner who may have to move to left field, according to Badler.

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