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Pirates, Angels Discussed Jones For Mathis Swap

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The Pirates and Angels had serious discussions about a trade that would have sent Garrett Jones to Anaheim for Jeff Mathis, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the Pirates decided to keep Jones instead of pursuing talks further.

Since the Pirates’ two primary catchers, Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder, are on the disabled list, they’d like to upgrade their catching depth (they’re currently using Michael McKenry and Eric Fryer). However, finding alternatives is proving difficult for the 47-43 Pirates.

The Angels would like to acquire a left-handed power hitter who can play first base, outfield and DH. Though Russell Branyan had potential as a powerful lefty bat, he has hit just .178/.255/.267 since signing with Los Angeles.

Heath Bell Talks Trade Possibilities

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Padres closer Heath Bell appears to be keeping tabs on his own market, telling Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times he views the Angels, Yankees, Cardinals, Rangers, and Phillies as potential suitors (Twitter link). 

Bell discussed the trade possibility at length with MLB.com's Matthew Leach and other reporters today at the All-Star game media session, saying he's willing to set up for the rest of the year if a team acquires him for that role.  Of course, he doesn't really have any say in the matter; if a team wants him to play shortstop he'll have to do that to collect his paycheck.  Bell does not seem to have a league preference.  As you might expect, Bell will want a closing job when he signs a contract as a free agent.

An NL executive spoke to Tom Krasovic about Bell's trade value, wondering if Padres setup man Mike Adams is valued more.  As far as fantasy baseball trade value, Dan Mennella at CloserNews wonders if it's time to try flipping Bell.

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.

Service Time Breakdown For Mike Trout

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It’s common for teams to time the debut of a top prospect carefully in order to delay his free agency or prevent him from going to arbitration an extra time. But such precise timing isn’t always possible, especially for short-handed teams in the middle of a pennant race.

Mike Trout

The Angels, who trail the Rangers by one game in the American League West, lost no time in calling up top prospect Mike Trout to replace injured center fielder Peter Bourjos and the move doesn’t appear to have anything to do with service time.

Trout, 19, entered the season as baseball’s second-best prospect (behind only Bryce Harper), according to Baseball America. So far this year, the 2009 first round pick has solidified his place as one of the game's elite prospects. He has a .324/.415/.534 line with nine homers and 28 stolen bases in his first season at Double-A.

There’s definitely a chance that Trout returns to the minors this season (he could be demoted when Bourjos’ hamstring heals), or later on in his pro career, like so many other prospects. But let’s take a look at what lies ahead for the 19-year-old if he never returns to the minors. It’s admittedly a lot to ask of a player who was in high school a couple years ago, but Trout is no ordinary prospect.

He can pick up as many as 83 days of service time this year, which would put him on track for arbitration eligibility after the 2014 season and free agency after the 2017 season (it’s the same timetable that he would have been on if the Angels had called him up this September or added him to their Opening Day roster in 2012). In other words, there’s a chance Trout will hit free agency just a few months after his 26th birthday.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

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.

Quick Hits: Blue Jays, International Signings, Astros

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A few items of note as the White Sox pick up a rare "balk-off" win over Aaron Crow and the Royals….

  • The Blue Jays have signed Nicaraguan right-hander Osman Gutierrez, reports Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.  Terms of the deal were not announced.  Gutierrez is only 16 years old but stands 6'4", weighs 200 pounds and has a "power arm."
  • In a mailbag piece, Jim Callis of Baseball America questions the double standard between international signings and draft picks, wondering "why it's OK for the Rangers to give $5 million to Nomar Romaza and $3.5 million to Ronald Guzman, both Dominican outfielders, yet it's a capital offense for any club to exceed MLB's ridiculously low bonus recommendations for the draft."  Callis also discusses the history of draft picks making quick debuts in the Majors and the progress of Angels prospect Randal Grichuk, who was taken 24th overall in the 2009 draft — one pick ahead of Mike Trout.
  • The Astros' signings of Luis Reynoso and Arturo Michelena are the latest examples of the team's renewed focus on Latin American scouting, writes Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner.

Reagins: Angels Able To Add Payroll

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Angels GM Tony Reagins said Friday that the Angels can add payroll in the right deal, refuting reports that Halos owner Arte Moreno told him not to spend any more money this season, writes Jordan Garretson of MLB.com.

Reagins, appearing on Jim Bowden's SiriusXM program "Inside Pitch," said:

We're looking to improve this ballclub. We'll have the opportunity to add if we need to add. If the situation is right, we're going to be aggressive in pursuing it. That's been our M.O. since we've been here and will continue to be. If we see opportunities that will make us better, we're definitely going to jump right in there.

Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena is being mentioned as a potential fit for the Angels, according to Garretson, but he'd have to split time with first baseman Mark Trumbo and perhaps DH Bobby Abreu, which wouldn't necessarily be a net gain for the lineup.

That aside, the Angels have been hot of late and trailed the AL West-leading Rangers by just one game entering Friday night's action, so if nothing else, Reagins is saying the right thing now.

Olney On Deadline Plans For AL Teams

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ESPN's Buster Olney outlined plans for National League teams heading into the trade deadline yesterday, and today he follows up with the American League in an Insider-only column that comes highly recommended. Here's a brief recap…

  • The Mark Ellis trade could just be the first domino that falls for the Athletics. Other veterans like Josh Willingham, Coco Crisp, and Grant Balfour could follow him out the door.
  • The Twins aren't as willing to trade now as they were a few weeks ago, and the big question they have to ask themselves is if eating a chunk of the $5.5MM left on Michael Cuddyer's contract is worth it to trade him.
  • We've heard this before, but B.J. Upton and Kyle Farnsworth of the Rays figure to draw interest.
  • The Red Sox and Angels don't have a lot of financial flexiblity and are more likely to target smaller pieces.
  • Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera, and Wilson Betemit are all affordable and reasonably productive, but Olney notes that the Royals might want to keep some veterans around so the youngsters don't get pounded.
  • The Indians and Mariners will not blow up their rebuild processes despite their surprising runs at contention. Erik Bedard's injury took away Seattle's best chip.
  • Poor seasons from Alex Rios and Adam Dunn make it difficult for the White Sox to do anything. They need those two to get back on track more than anything.
  • The Yankees are convinced their internal pitching options are better than what's available on the market right now. A Rafael Soriano setback would put them in the reliever market.
  • It's all about right-handed relief pitching for the Rangers, who will have plenty of options to choose from. The Blue Jays have lots of bullpen help to deal.
  • The Tigers are asking around about pitching, specifically left-handers.
  • The Orioles are having an internal debate about whether or not to trade Jeremy Guthrie, but they are expected to at least listen to offers.

Quick Hits: Mitre, Bedard, Cron, Joaquin

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It was an ugly day for the Dodgers off of the field (they filed for bankruptcy), but they defeated the Twins 15-0 in a one-sided rematch of the 1965 World Series today. Here's the latest from around the Major Leagues…

  • The Brewers have gotten multiple calls on Sergio Mitre, the recently-designated right-hander, according to MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes (on Twitter).
  • Larry Stone of the Seattle Times says the question of whether the Mariners will be buyers or sellers this summer comes down to whether or not they trade Erik Bedard. The lefty has a 2.93 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 83 innings this year after missing the entire 2010 season. He makes just $1MM in '11 and would have substantial value on the trade market.
  • Top Angels draft pick C.J. Cron will start his pro career instead of undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder immediately, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. The powerful prospect took batting practice in Angel Stadium today and hit a number of home runs. Keep track of which top picks have signed with MLBTR's list.
  • Waldis Joaquin, a right-hander who pitched for the Giants in 2009-10, can opt out of his contract with San Francisco this Friday if the Giants don't put him back on their 40-man roster, MLBTR has learned. The 24-year-old has recovered from offseason back surgery to post a 2.12 ERA with 3.7 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 17 innings at Triple-A. The Giants have one of the best bullpens in baseball and a full 40-man roster, so finding room for Joaquin won't be easy.
  • New Nationals manager Davey Johnson told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he's open to staying on after 2011 (Twitter link).

Angels Agree To Sign First Rounder C.J. Cron

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11:26am: Cron's deal is for $1.467MM and he'll sign it Monday, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter).

7:13am: Top Angels draft pick C.J. Cron announced on Twitter that he will sign early next week. The University of Utah first baseman says he has agreed to terms on his first professional deal.

"Off to Anaheim on Monday to sign the contract!" he wrote. "I'm going to be an Angel."

As Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times points out, Cron's pro debut will likely have to wait until 2012 despite the early deal. The powerful prospect has a tear in his throwing shoulder and surgery would sideline him for six months or more. Baseball America ranked Cron 26th among draft eligible prospects before the draft and the Angels selected him with the 17th overall pick.

Cron, the son of former big leaguer Chris Cron, doesn't move well or run quickly, but Baseball America says that's fine given his power and hitting ability. "He's the best all-around hitter in the country and should have no problem producing the numbers teams expect from a first baseman," BA explained. Here's MLBTR's complete list of top picks that have signed.

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