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Rosenthal On Pirates, Headley, Angels, Phillies

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In today's column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Pirates should go all in and trade for either Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke or Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels.  Rosenthal notes that the Bucs have the 11th-ranked farm system in the majors and enough young talent to pull off a trade without including Jameson Taillon or Gerrit Cole.  Pittsburgh's pitching has been strong this year and the team is currently focusing on boosting their offense, but finding a hitter who could make an impact on the level of Greinke or Hamels would be a challenge.  Here's more from Rosenthal..

  • The Padres are drawing serious interest in third baseman Chase Headley, but one rival exec wonders how could the team trade Headley without knowing the future of left fielder Carlos Quentin.  The club could potentially move both and replace Headley with top infield prospect Jedd Gyorko, but that would leave them flat offensively in 2013.
  • Some execs wonder if the Angels might try to add one of the elite starters on the block due to the recent struggles of Dan Haren and Ervin Santana.  The chances appear remote, however, as the Halos' farm system isn’t deep and sources say GM Jerry Dipoto is adamant about keeping right-hander Garrett Richards as a future low-cost option.
  • Even before the Phillies began calling teams about Cole Hamels, it was obvious that they wouldn't be buyers.  “Their scouts are not out there banging,” a rival exec said. “They’re usually out there banging by this time. They’re playing it more conservative.”
  • The GM carousel could pick up again this year.  The Rockies, Mariners, and Braves could all be compelled to make changes while the Dodgers and Padres are under new ownership.  Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is reportedly in the final year of his contract while the Padres’ Josh Byrnes has four years left.
  • Sellers should target teams who are under a great deal of pressure to win such as the Braves, Red Sox, Marlins, Tigers, and Angels.  The Yankees now work to take emotion out of the equation when surveying the trade market but they could feel added stress if they start to see another AL East club as a threat.
  • Giants outfielder Nate Schierholtz is out-of-options and could draw interest at the deadline.  Schierholtz is hitting .248/.314/.400 with three homers in 140 plate appearances.

Quick Hits: Thome, Blue Jays, Oliver, Orioles

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Links as Friday turns into Saturday..

  • As the Phillies look for a place to move Jim Thome, the Rays and Yankees are not interested, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  Olney speculates (Twitter link) that the Orioles and Rangers could be solid fits for the veteran.
  • Darren Oliver may be a name to watch for the ‪Angels‬ if the ‪Blue Jays‬ decide to be sellers at the deadline, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
  • The Orioles‬ have agreed in principle with three of their top seven picks, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Second-round selection Branden Kline, Christian Walker (fourth), and Matthew Price (seven) all signed for their slot recommendation.

Stark On Garza, Orioles, Braves, Phillies, Headley

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Arizona general manager Kevin Towers says he’s been impressed by Mike Trout and Bryce Harper from an offensive and defensive standpoint, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. "They can beat you on the basepaths. They impact the game defensively,” Towers said. “They can beat you with key hits or the long ball. They're both very special." Here are Stark’s latest rumors from around MLB…

  • One American League executive says the Cubs are basing their asking price for Matt Garza on last summer’s Ubaldo Jimenez deal. This means it’ll take two controllable, young players with upside to pry the right-hander away from Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein.
  • Other teams say the Orioles are involved in the Garza talks. However, Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy aren’t going to be available in summer trade talks with any club.
  • The Braves are looking for "an impact starting pitcher" and they’ve scouted trade candidate Jason Vargas extensively
  • The Angels are desperate to add a really good bullpen piece and would dangle Peter Bourjos in the right deal, according to rival teams.
  • One executive doesn’t expect Luke Gregerson of the Padres to become available, though there would be heavy demand if San Diego were willing to listen.
  • Another executive suggests the Red Sox could trade Kelly Shoppach and call Ryan Lavarnway up from the minor leagues.
  • The Twins continue to tell teams they expect to hold onto Josh Willingham.
  • The Marlins are telling rival teams they haven’t discussed becoming sellers this summer. The Phillies also seem to want to add, not subtract. The Phils are considering a long list of relievers and have asked the Padres about Chase Headley.
  • The Diamondbacks have “window-shopped” for bullpen depth, Stark writes. Towers says he prefers his current team, now 38-37, to the one that won the NL West a year ago.
  • Stark also reported on the Blue Jays' approach to the trade deadline and you can read the details here.

Checking In On The Latest $100MM Contracts

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Every year a few players join baseball’s exclusive $100MM club with free agent deals and mega-extensions. Last offseason was no different — eight players signed nine figure deals. The contracts were all for five years or more, so it’s far too early to call them successes or failures. As the season approaches its halfway point, let’s check in on baseball’s newest $100MM contracts:

  • Albert Pujols, ten-year, $240MM contract - Pujols had a painfully slow start, but he has raised his batting line to a respectable .270/.332/.461. His last 40 games have been legitimately Pujols-like: 11 home runs and an OPS over 1.000.
  • Joey Votto, ten-year, $225MM extension - It's impossible to have a complete discussion about baseball's best hitters without considering Votto. The 28-year-old leads the National League in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, walks, doubles and wOBA, so this deal couldn't be going any better for the Reds.
  • Prince Fielder, nine-year, $214MM contract - Fielder continues to hit at an All-Star level, though he has a relatively modest total of 12 home runs. Unfortunately for Tigers fans Mike Ilitch's bold investment hasn't been enough to keep the team above .500.
  • Matt Kemp, eight-year, $160MM extension - Hamstring issues have sidelined Kemp, who was the best hitter in the National League for the first month of the season.
  • C.C. Sabathia, five-year, $122MM extension - Sabathia, now on the disabled list with a strained groin, is in the midst of yet another tremendous season. He has a 3.45 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 107 innings.
  • Matt Cain, five-year, $112.5MM extension - Cain's enjoying his best season as a Major Leaguer. He has a career-best ERA (2.27), strikeout rate (9.0 K/9) and walk rate (1.9 BB/9) through 107 innings. The Giants' decision to invest in Cain still looks like a good one.
  • Jose Reyes, six-year, $106MM extension - Reyes' offensive numbers have dropped off across the board this year, no thanks to a 60 point dip in batting average on balls in play.
  • Ryan Zimmerman, six-year, $100MM extension - Zimmerman's off to a slow start at the plate despite two home runs in his past three games. He missed two weeks with shoulder soreness earlier in the year and has just a .235/.297/.350 batting line.

Quick Hits: Wells, Attanasio, V-Mart, Mariners

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The Padres franchise is still looking for its first no-hitter, as Andrew Cashner's no-hit bid was ended after 6 1/3 innings tonight.  It still ended up being a good night for San Diego, however, as the Friars rallied for a six-run ninth inning in their 7-3 win over the Astros.

Some notes from around the majors…

  • Vernon Wells tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he has no plans to waive his no-trade clause since he enjoys playing for the Angels, though he may not receive much playing time once he returns from the DL.  Morosi speculates that the right-handed hitting Wells could be a fit for the Dodgers, Reds or Indians.  Any trade would involve the Angels eating the large majority of the approximately $53MM Wells is still owed through the 2014 season.
  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio covered many topics during a Q&A with local business owners (reported on by Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), such as the team's payroll, the change in how the Brewers are perceived around baseball and how the team is having "an uncomfortable time" deciding whether or not they're contenders or sellers.
  • If Victor Martinez is able to play this season, it won't until mid-September at the earliest, Tigers head trainer Kevin Rand told reporters (including Chris Iott of Mlive.com).  Martinez is recovering after tearing his ACL in January.
  • The Mariners aren't on pace to contend before Felix Hernandez's contract is up at the end of the 2014 season, argues Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, and should thus explore trading the ace right-hander.
  • With just a few days left before the July 2 international signing deadline, Ben Badler of Baseball America discusses some of the top prospects with various international scouting directors.
  • The Cardinals are looking for both starting and relief pitching, and Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch examines whch is a greater need for the club.
  • The Yankees announced that right-hander Adam Warren has been placed on the 25-man roster and signed to a Major League contract.  In corresponding moves, Ryota Igarashi was also called up while C.C. Sabathia was placed on the 15-day DL and Andy Pettitte went on the 60-day DL.  Warren, a fourth-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft, has a 3.05 ERA in 79 career minor league starts and he'll make his Major League debut on Friday in Sabathia's rotation spot.
  • The week's minor league transactions are recapped by Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

Minor Moves: Yankees, Angels, Guzman, Bogaerts

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Today's minor moves..

  • The Yankees released Double-A right-hander Adam Miller, tweets Josh Norris of The Trentonian.  Miller was ranked as Baseball America's #16 prospect after the 2004 season.
  • Right-hander Ysmael Carmona was released by the Angels, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter).  Carmona made the club's 40-man roster after the 2010 season but has struggled with shoulder issues ever since. 
  • The Reds released Double-A first baseman Joel Guzman, Eddy tweets.  The 27-year-old last appeared in the majors with the Rays in 2007.
  • The Cubs cut first baseman Jair Bogaerts, the twin brother of Red Sox prospect Xander Bogaerts, according to Eddy (via Twitter).  Bogaerts came to Chicago as a throw-in in the Theo Epstein compensation trade.
  • The Indians released outfielder Ben Copeland, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.  The fourth-round pick in 2005 was a former member of the Giants farm system.
  • The Pirates have traded minor league right-hander Shairon Martis to the Twins, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  Biertempfel also tweets that the two sides have yet to work out what the Pittsburgh will receive in return.  Martis, 25, has a 4.96 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 15 appearances in Double-A and Triple-A.  The hurler also appeared in 20 games for the Nationals in 2008 and 2009. 

Quick Hits: Dodgers, LaHair, Wedge, K-Rod

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Here's the latest news and headlines from around the league on the day Chase Utley told the world he was back with a home run in his first at-bat since the end of the 2011 season…

  • There are very few viable options for the Dodgers as they look to add a middle-of-the-order bat, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Many of the players currently available are either fringe types or vastly overpaid for their services (like this one). 
  • Olney tweets that Cubs first baseman/outfielder Bryan LaHair has been scouted by the Dodgers, among other teams, but Los Angeles has reservations about his defense. Nonetheless, the Dodgers' need for a quality bat could lead to them overlooking LaHair's shortcomings and acquiring the power hitter before the trade deadline.
  • Mariners manager Eric Wedge doesn't like the progress his young team has made this season, but he's not ready to start sending players to Triple-A, writes Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. "It's frustrating because I know these guys are a much better offensive club than what we're seeing them do here at home,'' Wedge said. "I don't want to hear anything about the fences, or this, that and the other. It's about what they're doing at home plate and putting up good at-bats and hitting the ball hard."
  • The Angels have a special assignment scout watching the Reds–Brewers series to check up on a few players including Francisco Rodriguez, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. The Angels entered Wednesday night's action four and a half games behind the Rangers for first place in the American League West.

AL West Notes: Angels, Rangers, Greinke

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A few items of note out of the AL West, where the Rangers held a 4.5-game lead over the second-place Halos entering Tuesday night's action …

  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto doesn't expect his club to be busy at the trade deadline, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The lineup and bullpen, in particular, seem to be pretty set, and though Dipoto hinted that he'd like to improve the rotation, he said it won't be easy to do so. Owner Arte Moreno isn't inclined to increase the team's $151MM payroll, according to Saxon, especially after last offseason's spending spree.
  • Despite a rash of injuries to the starting rotation, Rangers GM Jon Daniels doesn't plan to be any more aggressive in seeking starting pitchers at the trade deadline, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as Texas' disabled hurlers are all expected back shortly after the All-Star break. Said Daniels: "The group we're going to get back is probably more impactful than anybody we can go get out there," according to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com (via Twitter).
  • However, the Rangers could be in the mix for Brewers starter Zack Greinke, speculates Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (Twitter link), as they were a finalist for the right-hander when the Royals traded him to Milwaukee following the 2010 season. It remains to be seen whether the Brewers will re-sign Greinke or deal him before the deadline.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Nationals, Guthrie, Angels, Porcello

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In today's column, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the biggest trade of the season has already been made. No, not Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox. He's referring to Ernesto Frieri, who's thrown 22 scoreless innings for the Angels team since being acquired from the Padres. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors…

  • The Nationals have been poking around for a right-handed hitting corner infielder to replace Mark DeRosa, who is hurt and declining. John Lannan has improved his trade stock by pitching better of late in Triple-A.
  • The Rockies have cooled on the idea of trading Jeremy Guthrie for the time being because they feel he could thrive in the bullpen as part of their four-man rotation setup. The team's current stance is that they'll only deal him if a club offers real talent or salary relief.
  • The Diamondbacks backed off Youkilis because of concerns about his defense on the hard and fast infield at Chase Field. They expect Stephen Drew to return this week to bolster their infield.
  • The Angels were not in on Youkilis but remain on the lookout for bullpen help, specifically a left-on-left reliever who would be an upgrade over Hisanori Takahashi. They're also looking for Triple-A starting pitching depth.
  • Rosenthal say talk about Rick Porcello as a trade candidate makes sense given his salary ($3.1MM) and ground ball approach on a Tigers team with poor infield defense.
  • The Braves will be a team to watch before the deadline, specifically in the starting pitching market following Brandon Beachy's injury.

Quick Hits: Angels, Doumit, White Sox, Tigers

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Trade talk is heating up for a number of clubs, but Angels GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters, including MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez, not to expect much chatter out of the club between now and July 31st.  “We have a 25-man roster right now of guys that are playing particularly well, they’re feeding off each other,” the GM said. “I don’t think it’s imminent that we make any kind of moves, nor do I think that it’s a must.”  It was already hard to imagine the Halos making additions, in part because of their already hefty $154MM payroll.  More from around baseball as Saturday turns to Sunday..

  • Twins‬ Assistant GM Rob Antony told Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) that he'll engage Ryan Doumit's agent in extension talks soon.  Doumit has enjoyed his time in Minnesota and has interest in returning next season.
  • White Sox GM Ken Williams kept mum today when asked about the current climate of the trade market, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  The club has been linked heavily to Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski must find a way to acquire a solid everyday second baseman and a right-handed power bat, opines Lynn Henning of The Detroit News.
  • Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig was set to have workouts for teams today for scouts in Mexico but wound up being a no-show, writes Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The 21-year-old has apparently changed representation and will now audition for clubs in Cancun over the next week.
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