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Angels Unlikely To Trade Aybar; Kendrick Still In Play

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The Angels are unlikely to trade Erick Aybar at this point, but second baseman Howie Kendrick remains in play on the trade market, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (on Twitter).

Reports earlier tonight suggested that Aybar has drawn interest from the Cardinals, though St. Louis was unwilling to part with top prospects Michael Wacha or Carlos Martinez to facilitate a deal.

Kendrick, 29, will earn $9.35MM in 2014 and $9.5MM in 2015 in the final two seasons of a four-year contract with the Halos. He's hitting .298/.338/.444 with 11 homers this season and has drawn interest from the Royals in recent days. Anaheim flipped Alberto Callaspo to the A's in exchange for former first-rounder and second base prospect Grant Green, so the Angels have newfound depth at second base that could allow them to move Kendrick if they wish.

Bud Norris Rumors: Tuesday

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28-year-old Astros starter Bud Norris was scratched from his start in Baltimore today amid swirling trade rumors.  The righty is under team control through 2015.  The latest:

Earlier Updates

  • In addition to the Orioles and Pirates, the Diamondbacks are also in the mix for Norris, according to McTaggart (on Twitter). The D'Backs are also said to be hot after Jake Peavy, though I imagine they're only interested in adding one of the two arms.
  • Astros manager Bo Porter told reporters, including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that trade talkes regarding Norris have "gotten deeper." Norris will start for Houston tomorrow if he isn't traded, adds McTaggart (Twitter links).
  • The Orioles have yet to make an offer on Norris, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  They appear to have interest in the Angels' Jason Vargas, more of an August trade candidate after he recovers from a blood clot in his left armpit.
  • Three teams are hard after Norris, reports McTaggart, including the Orioles, though no deal is imminent.
  • Norris is very likely to be traded today, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan, and Pittsburgh could be his landing spot.  He adds that the Pirates won't trade center field Gregory Polanco for Norris, but the Astros do like righty Tyler Glasnow.  Passan goes on to write that other teams are still in on Norris, and one executive says the Astros are motivated to move him.
  • Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle says that while Norris hasn't been informed he's been traded, all signs point to a deal by the deadline.  In contrast, Danny Knobler of CBS Sports hears the Astros have no trade close with anyone as of now.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Athletics Acquire Alberto Callaspo For Grant Green

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The Athletics have acquired Alberto Callaspo from the Angels, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Danny Knobler of CBS Sports tweets that the A's will send Grant Green to the Angels in the deal, which has now been officially announced.

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Callaspo, 30, was hitting .253/.323/.348 with five homers for the Angels so far this season, prior to tonight's game. Originally acquired from the Royals, he has extensive experience at second and third base, though he hasn't played second base since 2010. In spite of that fact, the A's plan to use him at second, according to MLB.com's Jane Lee (Twitter link). He is under contract for the 2014 season at $4.875MM — the second year of a two-year deal he signed with Anaheim this offseason.

The Athletics selected Green, 25, with the 13th overall pick inthe 2009 draft. He's 0-for-15 with the A's thus far in 2013 — his first taste of Major League action, but he's batted .325/.379/.500 with 11 homers in 415 plate appearances at Triple-A this season. He ranked among the game's Top 100 prospects from 2010-11 according to Baseball America and in 2012, according to MLB.com.

Prior to the 2013 season, BA ranked Green eighth among A's prospects, noting that he may not be an impact bat but should provide enough offense from second base to be a solid regular. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo ranked Green as the No. 3 prospect in Oakland's system, noting that he could be an offensive-minded second baseman who has plus athleticism.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Red Sox Close To Acquiring Jake Peavy

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Jake Peavy was scheduled to start for the White Sox in Cleveland tonight at 6:05pm central time, but the Sox will instead make history by promoting the Majors' first Brazilian native pitcher, Andre Rienzo, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  Meanwhile,  GM Rick Hahn will be entertaining offers for Peavy, according to Gonzales.  Gonzales notes that even if Peavy is not traded, the Sox will "get a chance to evaluate Rienzo on the major league stage."  Peavy is definitely not starting for the White Sox tonight, confirms Scott Miller of CBS Sports.  The latest:

Earlier Updates

  • The Diamondbacks don't necessarily have to unload multiple contracts to fit Peavy into the payroll, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. However, they're still looking at moving Ian Kennedy, who could draw interest from the Angels, given the fact that Angels GM Jerry Dipoto is a former D'Backs executive.
  • Despite interest from the Red Sox, A's, D'Backs, and Cardinals, the sense is the White Sox are coming down on their asking price for Peavy, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
  • Arizona would be a comfortable destination for Peavy, the righty told reporters including Mark Gonzales today.
  • If the A's are to make a deal for Peavy, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle sees outfielder Michael Choice as the potential centerpiece.  Otherwise, they could add a reliever.  GM Billy Beane says this is the "lowest trade inventory I've seen in years."
  • The D'Backs have emerged as the front runner for Peavy, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.
  • The Diamondbacks could make a deal for Peavy if they get a cash adjustment, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, who notes the strong history with Peavy and GM Kevin Towers.
  • The D'Backs may kick the tires again on Peavy, hears Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The White Sox are now listing Peavy for tomorrow's start against the Indians, for what it's worth.
  • The price for Peavy remains a top 50 prospect in a three or four-player package, hears Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Sherman does believe Peavy will be traded, ranking the most likely landing spots as the Cardinals, Red Sox, and A's.
  • There are no current discussions between the Cardinals and White Sox on Peavy, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  And the D'Backs say they no longer have interest in Peavy with Brandon McCarthy and Trevor Cahill soon returning, adds Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
  • Yesterday, we heard the White Sox were trying to move Peavy prior to tonight's start.  However, the market for the righty's services became muddled as the Athletics seemingly moved on and the Sox started telling teams they plan to keep Peavy.  Their decision not to start him tonight seems to indicate otherwise.

Cardinals Interested In Erick Aybar

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7:59pm: The Angels appear to be seeking top pitching prospects in return for Aybar, but the Cardinals have no interest whatsoever in including Michael Wacha or Carlos Martinez in a possible deal, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio (Twitter links).

6:27pm: After their interest in Alexei Ramirez and Jimmy Rollins failed to produce anything meaningful, the Cardinals have reached out to the Angels regarding Erick Aybar, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.

The Cardinals have deployed Pete Kozma as their primary shortstop in 2013, and while he's provided solid defense, Kozma is batting just .241/.283/.301 through 339 plate appearances. Aybar, on the other hand, is hitting .283/.320/.410 dating back to the beginning of the 2011 season. He signed a four-year, $35MM extension prior to the 2012 season that took effect beginning this season. As such, he's under contract through 2016 at $8.5MM per season.

Knobler points out that the Cardinals are rich in pitching prospects that would be of interest to the Angels, though to this point, St. Louis GM John Mozeliak has been highly reluctant to deal from that surplus.

White Sox, D’Backs, Angels Discussing Three-Team Trade

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The White Sox, Angels and Diamondbacks are discussing a three-team trade that would send Jake Peavy to Arizona and Ian Kennedy to Anaheim, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The Diamondbacks reportedly emerged as the front-runners for Peavy earlier today, and the Angels have been connected to Kennedy as well. Crasnick notes that it's not clear what Chicago would receive in the trade at this time.

Peavy is earning $14.5MM in 2013 and 2014, while Kennedy has about $1.4MM remaining on this year's $4.27MM salary and is controllable through 2015 via arbitration. The D'Backs have been prioritizing pitching help, reportedly kicking the tires on Bud Norris in addition to Peavy. The Angels, meanwhile, view Kennedy as a buy-low candidate that they can control for multiple years, according to reports from earlier today. The White Sox scratched Peavy from his scheduled start tonight earlier today in order to eliminate the risk of an injury that would take a trade off the table.

Yankees, Angels Have Discussed Alberto Callaspo

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6:09pm: The Yankees have indeed called about Callaspo, but they think of him merely as one option at third base, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who adds that the Yankees don't currently have Callaspo on the front burner.

5:47pm: The Yankees have contacted the Angels about third baseman Alberto Callaspo, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Knobler's colleague, Jon Heyman, tweeted earlier today that Callaspo figures to be available as well. Knobler adds that the Angels "have made nearly everyone available" in trades.

Knobler reports that multiple teams have expressed interest in Callaspo, who is hitting .253/.323/.348 with five homers. The switch-hitting 30-year-old is earning $4.1MM in 2013 and is guaranteed a $4.875MM salary in 2014, after which he will be eligible for free agency for the first time.

Yankees third basemen are hitting just .215/.275/.285 this season, and while the Yankees will theoretically have Alex Rodriguez rejoining the team soon, the looming Biogenesis suspensions could take him out of action for the 2013 season and possibly 2014 as well.

Angels, Padres Eyeing Ian Kennedy

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5:53pm: Arizona's main motivation in moving Kennedy would be to free up some cash to accommodate Jake Peavy's contract, writes Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (which meshes with reports from earlier today). Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona was told by an Angels source that there's no match for Kennedy a few days ago, though he notes how quickly that line of thinking can change (Twitter link).

MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez spoke with a scout from an NL West team who said that Kennedy's stuff is still good. The Halos like Kennedy as a buy-low candidate, according to Gonzalez.

It seems odd that the Diamondbacks would be motivated to move Kennedy's remaining $1.4MM, though they could be focusing more on ways to fit Peavy's 2014 salary into the payroll. Despite his poor season, Kennedy would earn a raise on his $4.27MM salary next year, so clearing him from the books would be a more significant benefit in that sense. Arizona is also reportedly shopping Jason Kubel, who is owed roughly $2.7MM for the remainder of the season.

4:49pm: Earlier today, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote that the Angels could be interested in landing D'Backs right-hander Ian Kennedy, as Halos GM Jerry Dipoto is a former Diamondbacks executive who is very familiar with Kennedy. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports now tweets that the Angels are "hopeful" of landing Kennedy, whom the D'Backs have been shopping recently. Steve Gilbert of MLB.com adds that the Padres are also interested in Kennedy (Twitter link), and Buster Olney of ESPN lists the Cubs as a potential landing place as well (on Twitter).

Kennedy, 28, is a buy-low candidate in the midst of his worst full season at the Major League level. Through 119 innings for the D'Backs, he has a 5.22 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 36.2 percent ground-ball rate. Each of those represents the worst full-season mark of Kennedy's career. Kennedy is owed roughly $1.4MM over the remainder of the season and can be controlled through 2015 as an arbitration-eligible player.

Royals Discussed Kendrick, Beckham, Weeks

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3:50pm: The Royals are one of 12 teams to which Kendrick can block a trade, notes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

3:07pm: The Royals have had discussions about second basemen Howie Kendrick of the Angels, Gordon Beckham of the White Sox, and Rickie Weeks of the Brewers, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  They also looked at the Phillies' Kevin Frandsen.  However, Knobler says there is no indication the Royals are close to any deal.

The Royals have used Chris Getz, Elliot Johnson, Miguel Tejada, and Johnny Giavotella at second base this year, resulting in a .230/.279/.311 offensive line.  They seek a second baseman they would control beyond 2013, says Knobler, and all of the players mentioned above are controlled through '15.

The Angels would need a front-line, Major League or MLB-ready starting pitcher for Kendrick or Erick Aybar, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.  As Knobler notes, Beckham presents the problem of playing within the Royals' division, while Weeks' salary is prohibitive compared to his production.

Stark On Howie Kendrick, Cubs, D’Backs

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ESPN's Jayson Stark begins his latest column with a look at the Biogenesis situation.  As Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported, suspension announcements are not expected today.  Sherman expects the announcements to come Thursday or Friday.  In Stark's opinion, the Rangers are acting like a team that knows what Nelson Cruz will do if suspended, in that their aggressive search for a bat suggests he might serve a suspension now to preserve his free agent value.  Meanwhile, the Tigers' lack of pursuit of a backup plan to shortstop Jhonny Peralta suggests he'll appeal.  Elsewhere in Stark's column:

  • The Dodgers and Angels, who haven't made a trade in 20 years, had a "mostly casual conversation" regarding Halos second baseman Howie Kendrick.  There are no indications a deal is in the works.
  • The Angels are at least listening on infielders Kendrick, Erick Aybar, and Alberto Callaspo, and seeking high quality big league ready pitching in return.
  • The Cubs could move Kevin Gregg and Nate Schierholtz, but are extremely unlikely to trade lefty reliever James Russell and there's just about zero chance of a Jeff Samardzija trade.
  • Pitchers Ian Kennedy and J.J. Putz of the Diamondbacks and Kyle Farnsworth of the Rays "have suddenly been made available."  Trading Kennedy would allow Arizona to clear around $1.4MM toward another move.  Are they that hard up for cash?
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