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Derrek Lee Will Remain With Cubs

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Cubs GM Jim Hendry confirmed to ESPN's Bruce Levine today that first baseman Derrek Lee wants to play out his contract with the Cubs.  Lee has full no-trade rights, and the recent scuttlebutt from Levine's colleague Jayson Stark on Twitter was that he'd veto any trade.

Levine notes that the Angels proposed a trade to the Cubs for Lee over the past ten days. Lee vetoed the potential, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (Twitter link). Levine originally reported that the Rangers made a proposal for Lee, but now says Texas never offered a deal.

Angels Prefer To Avoid First Base Rental?

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The Angels are still looking for offensive help, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, but one team he spoke to says they're not going to rent a first baseman for two months.  This runs counter to Ken Rosenthal's July 10th report that the Halos are "looking only at rentals" at first base since Kendry Morales will be back in 2011.  Rosenthal wrote eleven days later that the Angels had discussed Jorge Cantu and Adam LaRoche.

Could both reporters be correct?  Perhaps, if the Angels are quietly seeking to upgrade over an incumbent such as Howie Kendrick or Bobby Abreu.  But we haven't heard anything like that.

Price On Dunn, Garrett Jones, DeJesus

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A look at the latest from Ed Price of AOL FanHouse…

  • Price tweets that some new teams asked about Adam Dunn within the past day.  He wonders if those clubs might include the Padres and Giants.  Dunn is a nice fit for both teams, though they've been said to prefer avoiding rentals.  Meanwhile Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the White Sox "remain focused on Dunn, but are laying the groundwork for a starting pitcher."  If Dan Hudson pitches poorly Friday against the Athletics, the Sox could change gears.
  • In his latest column, Price says the Angels checked in on Garrett Jones before acquiring Alberto Callaspo, but balked at the Pirates' asking price of Maicer Izturis.  However, it's worth noting that Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that the Pirates say the Angels never contacted them about Jones. 
  • The Royals were eyeing Rays minor leaguer Jake McGee in a potential David DeJesus deal before the outfielder's injury.  The southpaw McGee returned from Tommy John surgery last year and has 91 strikeouts in 76.6 Double A innings in 2010.  Baseball America ranked McGee eighth among Rays prospects heading into the season, but he might be first or second on another team.
  • Another trade that wasn't: SI's Tom Verducci says the Phillies discussed sending Jayson Werth to the Yankees as part of a deal for Dan Haren before the righty went to the Angels.
  • Also of note in Price's column: a look at how the trade deadline has changed over the decades, including varying dates and rules for interleague deals.

Reactions To The Dan Haren Trade

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Earlier today, the Angels came out of left field to win the Dan Haren sweepstakes.  Let's see what everyone has to say about what this deal means for both sides..

  • ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) has a hard time believing that this is the best deal the D'Backs could get for Haren.  As for the Angels, he writes that they have set themselves up beautifully for 2011.
  • "We can’t deny the volume and the depth that this brings us as an organization. The names involved in the deal on a prospect level, particularly Corbin, and the player to be named, give us extreme prospect depth, at a position, left-handed pitcher, that anybody would covet," Arizona interim GM Jerry Dipoto told Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.  Dipoto talked a lot about the pitcher win statistic in relation to Joe Saunders and Patrick Corbin while trying to justify the trade. 
  • Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner tweets that Saunders isn't worth the $6MM or so that he will earn in arbitration next year.
  • While some are saying that this move was a salary dump for the D'Backs, Jeff Passan of Yahoo (via Twitter) theorizes that Arizona may like Corbin and Tyler Skaggs more than most.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels isn't surprised to see the Angels improve their club, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
  • Fangraphs' Matthew Carruth tried to present Arizona's side of things, but couldn't.  He calls the trade "horrendous" for Arizona, even if the club's intention was to dump payroll.
  • Zach Sanders of Fangraphs doesn't think that Haren will have trouble adjusting to the American League.  The righty had success in the AL pitching for the A's and won't encounter great offense in his return to the AL West.
  • The deal could have ramifications for other teams looking to make moves.  Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun wonders if the deal freed things up to allow the O's to move some of their pieces.
  • Acquiring Haren won't help the Angels catch up with the Rangers this season, writes CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler.
  • The Halos sent a message to their fans by acquiring Haren, telling their fans that they're not ready to concede anything to Texas, tweets Lyle Spencer of MLB.com.
  • "I'm obviously sad to go from here, all the guys and I had a good time here.  That said, I'm really excited for the chance to go there and win," Haren told Piecoro.
  • Jorge Arangure of ESPN (via Twitter) can't remember seeing a player as excited to be traded as Haren was during his introductory press conference.
  • "I like the trade," said Angels outfielder Torii Hunter. "I also like Joe Saunders. But baseball doesn't operate that way; it's a business." (Lyle Spencer of MLB.com reporting).

Angels Still Looking For Big Bat

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The Angels haven't halted their pursuit of a power bat, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Garrett Jones of the Pirates and Derrek Lee of the Cubs are two hitters they are monitoring.  However, Morosi's sources could not confirm if Tony Reagins & Co. are in active talks for either player.

This certainly isn't the first time we've heard Lee's name linked to the Halos, as they were said to be targeting him early last month.  Lee, who turns 35 in September, has a no-trade clause in his contract but might be willing to waive it for the right team.  Lee is in the final season of a five-year, $65MM extension he signed in April of 2006.  With a .251/.338/.391 line, he's putting the contract year theory to the test.

Jones broke out in 2009 with a slash line of .293/.372/.567 and 21 home runs in 82 games.  The 31-year-old has slipped to .273/.336/.427 with 12 home runs so far this season.  Jones, who also plays right field, has started 50 games at first base this season.  As a late bloomer, Jones is under team control through 2015.

Angels Acquire Dan Haren

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It took some time, but the Angels got even. Two weeks after the Rangers acquired Cliff Lee, the Angels traded for a highly-coveted pitcher of their own, obtaining Dan Haren from the Diamondbacks, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. In exchange for Haren, the Angels gave up Joe Saunders, Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez, and a player to be named later (Twitter link).  The player to be named later is going to be Tyler Skaggs, barring something unexpected, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). 

The deal brings an end to months of speculation surrounding Haren, who became the most desirable hurler on the trade block after the Mariners shipped Cliff Lee to the Rangers.  Unlike Lee, Haren's contract extends beyond this season.  Haren is under contract for 2011 and 2012 at $12.75MM per season with a club option for 2013 of $15.5MM ($3.5MM buyout).  The righthander has a 4.60 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 21 starts thus far in 2010.

Saunders, a former first round pick of the Angels, will change teams for the first time in his career.  The lefty owns a career-high 4.62 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 on the season.  The 29-year-old will earn a shade over $1MM for the rest of this season, after which point he is arbitration-eligible. The D'Backs will control his rights in 2011, but Saunders will hit free agency after 2012.

Skaggs was the Halos' supplemental first-round selection (40th overall) in 2009.  The 19-year-old signed for $1MM in early August.  According to Baseball America, Skaggs is armed with a fastball in the 88-91 mph range that could reach 91-93 mph when his upper body matures.  Skaggs, in their estimation, projects as a solid mid-rotation starter.

Corbin, who turned 21 on Monday, is a lefthander with "much of his value tied to the development of his fastball", according to Baseball America's Prospect Handbook.  At 6'3", the super-athletic hurler can dunk a basketball without a running start.  Rodriguez, soon to be 26 years old, saw some time with the varsity squad in 2009, turning in a 5.58 ERA with 10 Ks and 9 BBs in 30.2 innings.  Baseball America writes that he "features two plus pitches" at his best.

The Phillies, Cardinals, Tigers, Yankees and Dodgers were among the many teams connected to Haren this summer. The Angels did not appear to be a frontrunner for his services, but GM Tony Reagins pulled the deal off nonetheless. His counterpart, D'Backs interim GM Jerry Dipoto, faced the same challenge Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos faced last winter: his first major trade involved his team's best pitcher.

It was first reported by Bill Plunkett and Dan Woike of the Orange County Register that Saunders was involved in a trade. 

Odds & Ends: Hart, Angels, Blue Jays, Mariners

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Some links for Saturday as Roy Oswalt prepares to make what might be the final start of his Astros' career…

Gammons On Ankiel, Crawford, Iannetta, Martin

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In his latest appearance on WEEI's Big Show, Peter Gammons opines that the trade deadline isn't as significant as it's made out to be. He cites only a handful of teams over the last decade who have made the World Series after making major deals prior to the deadline, arguing that the idea of pennant-altering trades is "essentially fiction." Here are a few other interesting tidbits from Gammons' conversation:

  • Gammons thinks Rick Ankiel could be a good fit for the Red Sox, if he shows that he's healthy.
  • The Angels' top priority this offseason will probably be trying to sign Carl Crawford. Gammons notes that the club put Crawford's locker next to Torii Hunter's at the All-Star Game.
  • The Rockies aren't eager to trade Chris Iannetta, hoping instead to platoon him with Brad Hawpe at first base as long as Todd Helton is out.
  • The Red Sox could try to make a run at Russell Martin, rather than Iannetta, since Martin's price tag may be getting too high for the Dodgers.
  • There's still a chance the Sox could be sellers this year if they fall out of contention, though it's more likely to happen in August than before July 31st.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Gillies, Oswalt, Hart, Lilly

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On this date ten years ago, a 36-year-old Barry Larkin signed a three-year contract extension with the Reds worth $27MM. This came a day after Larkin invoked his ten-and-five rights to block a trade to the Mets, who agreed to send then-top prospect Alex Escobar and two others to Cincinnati. New York dealt Melvin Mora and three other players to Baltimore for Mike Bordick five days later, filling their shortstop hole. Larkin, the first 30-30 shortstop in baseball history, hit just .257/.328/.372 during the life of the extension.

Here are some links with the trade deadline seemingly right around the corner…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Angels Acquire Alberto Callaspo

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Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star is reporting (via Twitter) that infielder Alberto Callaspo has been dealt from the Royals to the Angels in exchange for right-hander Sean O'Sullivan and minor league left-hander Will Smith.

Callaspo has a modest .275/.308/.410 line in 373 plate appearances this season, though that still represents a big upgrade over the .411 OPS of Brandon Wood, who has seen most of the action for the Halos at third base.  Callaspo was originally signed by the Angels as a free agent in 2001, and spent four years in the club's system before being dealt to Arizona for Jason Bulger in 2006.  With Callaspo now in L.A., it potentially opens up a spot at third base for Mike Moustakas should the Royals want to give their top prospect a look over the last two months of the season.  Moustakas has an OPS of 1.067 in 326 plate appearances at Double-A and Triple-A this season.  

O'Sullivan, 22, has spent most of his year at Triple-A Salt Lake City, where he has posted a 4.76 ERA in 15 starts.  A third-round pick in the 2005 amateur draft, O'Sullivan was the Angels' organizational pitcher of the year in 2007 and has a 5.15 ERA in 17 career major league games (11 of them starts).

The Royals rejected a previous offer for Callaspo two days ago that consisted of O'Sullivan and "a fringe prospect," so presumably K.C. was more attracted to Smith, a seventh-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft.  Smith has a 4.24 ERA and a 3.47 K/BB ratio in 55 games (52 of them starts) in the Los Angeles minor league system, though his numbers have worsened this season as he's been elevated from high-A ball to Triple-A. 

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