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Dodgers Interested In Paul Maholm

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The Dodgers are interested in Pirates lefty Paul Maholm, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Yahoo's Tim Brown wrote yesterday that the Dodgers "have been very aggressive in their pursuit of pitching."

Maholm, 28, has a 4.03 ERA, 4.5 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9 in 114 innings, with nine home runs allowed.  With so few strikeouts, it's likely that Maholm's ERA will be higher from here on out.  On the plus side, his 50.3% groundball rate ranks 12th in the National League according to FanGraphs.  That rate has been higher in previous seasons.

Maholm signed a three-year, $14.5MM extension in January of 2009.  He's got only $1.86MM remaining this year, $5.75MM in 2011, and a $9.75MM club option for '12 with a $750K buyout.  That's $8.36MM guaranteed through '11, which has to be enticing for the Dodgers given their financial constraints.

George Sherrill Clears Waivers

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TUESDAY, 8:01am: Sherrill cleared waivers, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich.  If the Dodgers attempt to send him to the minors, he can consent, reject the assignment, or declare free agency.  Said manager Joe Torre recently, "Sherrill doesn't have a situation. He's still in our bullpen.  I think he's throwing the ball better."

WEDNESDAY, 5:01pm: The Dodgers put George Sherrill on outright waivers, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Price suggests Sherrill, who makes $4.5MM this season, will clear waivers, which would enable the Dodgers to option the reliever to the minor leagues. The 33-year-old lefty has a 7.32 ERA and nearly as many walks (16 BB) as innings (19.2 IP) so far in 2010.  

Outright waivers are not revocable, so the Dodgers won't be able to pull Sherrill back if a rival team claims him. A claim seems unlikely, given his salary, performance so far in 2010 and early-season back tightness. If Sherrill clears waivers, the Dodgers will have an open 40-man roster spot.

Sherrill pitched well for the Dodgers after they acquired him from Baltimore last summer, though not quite as well as his 0.65 Dodgers ERA suggests. Sherrill did strike out twice as many batters as he walked and allowed less than one hit per inning pitched last year. The Dodgers paid a steep price for two quality months of Sherrill: Josh Bell and Steve Johnson.

Johnson is struggling with command at AA, but Bell, who entered the season as Baseball America's second-ranked Orioles prospect, was just called up to the majors. The 23-year-old posted a .765 OPS this year in his first stint at Triple A.

Dodgers Interested In Many Pitchers

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The Dodgers are interested in a variety of starters and relievers, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown. They are calling to inquire about Roy Oswalt, Ted Lilly, Dan Haren, Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona. At one point, when Josh Byrnes was running the D’Backs, the Dodgers were discussing a deal for Haren, but those talks are no longer active.

The Dodgers have also expressed interest in available Blue Jays relievers such as Kevin Gregg, Scott Downs and Jason Frasor. GM Ned Colletti is attempting to improve his team’s bullpen, since the Dodgers are within striking distance of the NL West lead, though they currently trail the Padres, Rockies and Giants.

Dodgers Have No Intention Of Trading Kemp

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The Dodgers have no interest in trading outfielder Matt Kemp, GM Ned Colletti told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  Some have suggested that the club get rid of the embattled slugger, but Colletti says that he wants to keep him for the long haul.

"I've never floated his name," the General Manager said. "He's a gifted, five-tool player. He's getting better and better. He's had a tough couple of months. It's a baseball career. It's not a baseball two months.

"I have no intention of moving him."

Teams will unquestionably inquire on Kemp as the Dodgers look to upgrade their rotation at the deadline.  However, with injuries to Manny Ramirez and Reed Johnson, it wouldn't be wise to deal the 25-year-old at this time. 

Kemp, who has appeared in every game this season despite being briefly benched by manager Joe Torre, is having a down year by his standards.  In 400 plate appearances, the center fielder has a slash line of .258/.313/.463 with 16 homers.  His defense has taken a tumble as well, as demonstrated by his -29.9 UZR/150.

Olney’s Latest: Hamilton, Trades, Myers, Sherrill

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In today's blog post on ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney spoke to Rangers' GM Jon Daniels about Josh Hamilton's torrid streak (.374/.404/.683 since May 12th), which has coincided with the team's run to the top of the AL West. 

Here are Olney's rumors…

  • A number of executives expect there to be a "fairly robust" trade deadline. "I don't think there's going to be a lot of big names on the move," said one GM, "but I think you've got a lot of teams looking to fill specific needs, and there are a lot of conversations going on."
  • All of the executives Olney spoke to agreed that there are very few teams willing (or able) to add payroll, so many deals will include salary relief, similar to the $2.5MM the Mariners sent the Rangers in the Cliff Lee trade.
  • The Astros have not yet indicated to other teams what they would like in return for Brett Myers.
  • Olney wonders if the recently outrighted George Sherrill could land with the Phillies, given their interest in him last year.

Odds & Ends: Sheets, Padres, Scutaro, Nationals

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A few links to check out while the Yankees play their first game without George Steinbrenner at the helm since 1972…

  • Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Phillies have had a "top scout" on hand for the A's last four series, though Oakland isn't going to move Mark Ellis and Ben Sheets isn't scheduled to pitch this weekend. 
  • James Schmehl of MLive.com says that Sheets could be a "rather inexpensive" trade option for the Tigers if they're looking to add a starting pitcher. 
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock reports that Padres' GM Jed Hoyer told reporters he would like to make a move to improve the team, not just a cosmetic one (all Twitter links). He says the prices must first come down, and that he has the resources to add multiple pieces.
  • WEEI.com's Rob Bradford says (via Twitter) that the Braves did not talk to the Red Sox about a potential Yunel Escobar–Marco Scutaro deal. He says that the Blue Jays were the only team Atlanta spoke to about an Escobar trade.
  • Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo ranked the team's international free agent signings for MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling.
  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times tweets that the Tokyo Giants have a scout attending tonight's Dodgers-Cardinals game. If nothing else, it shows that Japanese teams scour the U.S. for talent just like MLB teams do in Japan.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Giants, Fielder, Lee

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On this date in 2001, Fred McGriff invoked his no-trade clause to block a deal that would have sent him from the last place Devil Rays to the first place Cubs. The Crime Dog was born and raised in Tampa, but he relented and agreed to the deal 11 days later. Tampa Bay received Manny Aybar and Jason Smith in return for McGriff, who was unquestionably the greatest player in franchise history at the time.

Hear are some links with the deadline rapidly approaching…

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

Garret Anderson’s Uncertain Future On The Dodgers

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With Manny Ramirez activated today from the disabled list, the Dodgers put backup outfielder Reed Johnson on the DL to create roster space.  In the opinion of Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times, Johnson's back injury might've been the "slight reprieve" that Garret Anderson needed to stay on the team.  With George Sherrill put on waivers, Dilbeck thinks the Dodgers would have Anderson in mind should the club be looking to further clear the roster of under-performing veterans.

Anderson signed a minor-league contract with L.A. in March and made the club with the expectation that he would provide veteran leadership, a backup glove in the outfield and left-handed pinch-hitting help off the bench.  While Dilbeck says Anderson is "great in the clubhouse," the outfielder has posted a .470 OPS in 140 plate appearances and his limited time in the field has been shaky (a -8.8 UZR/150).  

Dilbeck thinks L.A. has more to gain by cutting Anderson and keeping rookie Xavier Paul as the left-handed outfield reserve.  Dilbeck notes that Paul himself hasn't performed overly well (a .649 OPS in 94 PAs) but Paul at least has upside, whereas there's little evidence that Anderson will turn things around in the second half.  GM Ned Colletti gave Anderson a vote of confidence in May, but if the problem, as Colletti claimed, was that Anderson hasn't yet adjusted to a backup role, then two more months of struggles would seem to imply that Anderson may never find that comfort zone.  Anderson's career 103 OPS+ is a sign that he may have been a poor choice for the "professional hitter" pinch-hitting job in the first place.

In spite of Anderson's problems this season, he would likely get picked up by another team in the hopes that his experience could aid a playoff contender (and that his numbers would pick up with a change of scenery).  If Dilbeck's prediction of July 24 as the Dodgers' decision day is correct, Anderson would have lots of time to catch on with another team should he actually be released.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Marlins, Berry, Carroll, Pujols

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Links for Wednesday, on an eerily quiet day for baseball fans…

Rosenthal On Marlins, Crawford, Dodgers

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Good stuff from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports; let's get into it…

  • The Marlins have made Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross available, but are currently holding off on Dan Uggla and Ricky Nolasco.  Rosenthal finds Cantu to be a fine fit for the Rockies, although it might leave Melvin Mora without much of a role.  President Larry Beinfest said yesterday that the Marlins will be active one way or another, but their moves will not be financially motivated.  I'll still note that Cantu, a free agent after the season, has $2.74MM left on his contract.  He's just below Type B status at the moment.  Ross has $2.03MM left on his contract this year and is under team control through 2011.
  • Unlike nearby teams such as the Giants and Padres, the Angels prefer a rental player if they are to acquire a first baseman.  One reason is that Kendry Morales will be back next year, and the other is that the Halos "intend to pursue Carl Crawford as a free agent."  A blockbuster signing of that nature would push Bobby Abreu to the DH spot.
  • The Dodgers would like to add a reliever and a starter, though they may look internally at Kenley Jansen for the 'pen.
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