NL East Notes: Beltran, Sanchez, Nationals, Braves
The Marlins are the only NL East team whose second half begins tonight, as the Fish start a four-game series at Wrigley Field. The other four teams will begin intra-divisional matchups (Phillies at Mets, Nationals at Braves) on Friday. Here's the latest from the East…
- The Carlos Beltran rumors are already swirling but the Mets will wait right until the deadline to move him, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. The Mets will wait, Heyman says, since the team still thinks it has a chance at the playoffs and because the club isn't sure Beltran would clear waivers.
- The Marlins' organizational lack of pitching depth make them likely to pursue an extension with Anibal Sanchez, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 2012 is Sanchez's last arbitration-eligible year, so Rodriguez thinks an extension might cost a bit more than Josh Johnson's four-year, $39MM with the team since this deal would be cover more of Sanchez's free agent years.
- Also from Rodriguez, Larry Beinfest said prospect Matt Dominguez is being considered by the Marlins for a September call-up. Dominguez was the 12th overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft and was ranked 81st on Baseball America's preseason list of the game's 100 best prospects. He hasn't hit well at Triple-A this season (a .239/.303/.394 line in 201 plate appearances) but Dominguez also spent a month recovering from a fractured elbow.
- Terry Collins announced today that Pedro Beato, Jason Isringhausen and Bobby Parnell will all get chances to close games for the Mets. For more on this move and other late-game news, check out MLBTR's sister site, Closer News.
- The Nationals announced the signings of four picks from this year's amateur draft. Right-hander Taylor Hill (a sixth-round pick) was the highest-selected of the four new Nats.
- Frank Wren talks to Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the Braves' needs at the trade deadline. Wren feels the return of Martin Prado and Chipper Jones from the DL will help the club's offense and thus Atlanta may just look for role players to come off the bench, sch as a right-handed bat. The Braves are often mentioned as a team that could move its pitching depth in a trade but Wren says that other clubs haven't contacted him about such deals "because I think they’re smart enough to know that we’re not going to be trading our young pitching unless there’s something extraordinary out there to us."
NL East Notes: Beltran, Braves, Marlins
The Mets made the first major deal of the summer last night, sending Francisco Rodriguez to Milwaukee. Here's the story, here are some related links and here's the latest from the rest of the division…
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that we shouldn't draw conclusions about the Mets from their decision to trade their high-priced closer (Twitter links). Alderson says he simply wanted to trade Rodriguez before other relievers became available.
- Though Carlos Beltran has drawn lots of interest, the Mets aren't actively discussing him with other teams at this point, Alderson told Rubin (on Twitter). The Mets are looking for a "big-time" prospect for Beltran, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, who suggests the Mets could keep the outfielder if they aren't offered exactly what they want (Twitter links).
- The Braves would like to acquire an affordable right-handed bat without handing over top prospects, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest told Joe Frisaro of MLB.com that he doesn't expect to make major changes this month. “We never really consider ourselves sellers,” Beinfest said.
- At Closernews.com, Dan Mennella explains why Michael Dunn would be worth a look on your fantasy team if the Marlins decide to trade Leo Nunez.
Heyman On Jackson, Marlins, Brewers
Some teams are hoping that a top-of-the-rotation starter or two will appear on the trade market at some point this month, but those pitchers aren’t available now, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest on the starting pitching market and more of Heyman’s notes from around the league:
- The White Sox are fielding calls on Edwin Jackson, who is set to hit free agency after the season. I identified 2011 as a 'make or break' year for the right-hander before the season and he has a 4.30 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 106 2/3 innings so far.
- The Marlins want to be a contender when their new stadium opens next year, so they aren’t expected to seriously consider trading Ricky Nolasco or Anibal Sanchez.
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is happy in Milwaukee, according to Heyman’s sources. Attanasio has family connections in Milwaukee, but he lives in Los Angeles so he has been mentioned as a speculative owner for the Dodgers.
- Former agent Dennis Gilbert is a "logical candidate" to own the Dodgers at some point, Heyman writes.
Knobler On Marlins, Trade Market, Royals, M’s
Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com has some interesting tidbits of note in his latest blog post. Here's the latest …
- The Marlins could be an intriguing seller this month, with closer Leo Nunez, starter Ricky Nolasco, reliever Randy Choate and infielders Omar Infante and Greg Dobbs potentially being made available. However, Florida does not yet consider itself a seller and won't commence an all-out firesale, what with a new ballpark opening in 2012.
- The slow-developing trade market can be attributed to the league's great parity this season, but the generally healthy financial situations of most teams is playing a role, too. Few teams need to dump big contracts.
- The Royals, for example, will be willing to listen on veteran outfielders Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur, but Kansas City is under no pressure to trade either one.
- The Mariners, like the Fish, are still deciding whether they are ready to sell. Third-place Seattle is 7 1/2 games behind the division-leading Rangers.
Quick Hits: Krol, K-Rod, Trade Deadline
On this date in 1997, the Yankees signed a 17-year-old named Yhency Brazoban as an amateur free agent. Over the next 14 years, Brazoban was traded for Kevin Brown, closed games for the Dodgers, signed minor league contracts with four different teams, and, most recently, allowed yesterday's game-tying homer to Albert Pujols. Here are this afternoon's links, as Brazoban and the Diamondbacks look to recover from last night's loss in St. Louis….
- Athletics minor leaguer Ian Krol was suspended indefinitely for a derogatory tweet, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Krol, a left-hander who was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, was ranked ninth among the A's prospects by Baseball America pre-season.
- Even contenders who are eyeing Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez as an eighth-inning guy have to worry about his vesting option, says ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider only). As one GM points out, if your team acquires Rodriguez as a setup man and your closer gets hurt, it would be hard to justify not inserting K-Rod into the role.
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com examines five prospects taking part in today's Futures Game who trade deadline sellers might target.
- There are eight teams who should definitely be sellers at this point, argues Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter): the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Athletics, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres.
- Despite being big spenders in Major League free agency, the Phillies are once again exercising restraint when it comes to international free agents, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter) reiterates that the Nationals need to acquire a leadoff man, citing the team's .203/.270/.306 slash line from the top of the order.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Yankees, Ubaldo, Jays
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, so let's recap…
- Two GMs tell Rosenthal that the Yankees are more worried about Mariano Rivera's nagging triceps injury than they're letting on. If true, they could increase their efforts to acquire a setup man, though they're hopeful Rafael Soriano will be back from his elbow injury soon after the All-Star break.
- The Mets have called the Yankees and offered Francisco Rodriguez according to one source, but they're only interested if the Mets call them at the deadline and offer K-Rod at a minimal price.
- The starting pitching market could soon heat up. The Rockies are getting calls about Ubaldo Jimenez and several other players, though they're not shopping their ace right-hander. Rosenthal says they'll listen on anyone besides Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Jimenez is under contract through 2014 (though he can void that option if traded) and could return a significant package of the players, so the team would give a trade serious consideration.
- Don't be surprised if the Marlins listen on Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. Florida will try to get back into contention, though they'll likely entertain offers for both pitchers if that doesn't happen. Nolasco is under contract though 2013, Sanchez under team control through 2012.
- The Blue Jays offer perhaps the best value on the bullpen market. Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel, and Jon Rauch aren't in the same class as Heath Bell, though all three could pitch better outside of the AL East and have club options for 2012. They all figure to qualify as Type-B free agents as well.
Olney’s Latest: Choate, Bell, Isringhausen, K-Rod
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney notes that while the market for right-handed relief pitching is bountiful, the market for lefties is pretty thin. The Nationals will talk about Sean Burnett but the Cubs will not discuss Sean Marshall, though one southpaw to keep an eye on is Randy Choate. Olney says the Yankees have already asked the Marlins about his availability.
Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…
- The Padres are unlikely to trade Heath Bell to the Diamondbacks even though the latter would love to have him. Padres owner Jeff Moorad used to run the D'Backs.
- "The key guys this time of year really aren't the general managers," said one GM. "The owners are the key guys. Because they'll decide whether to add payroll, and when to raise the white flag on the season."
- Jason Isringhausen of the Mets is "destined to draw a whole lot interest" because he's cheap and experienced. A handful of GMs feel that a Francisco Rodriguez trade is "all but impossible" because of his vesting option.
- Teams have received their preliminary 2012 schedule, and the chances of realignment dwindle with each passing day.
- Labor negotiations are progressing as scheduled, though recent buzz that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement could be announced at the All-Star Game has been dismissed.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Jose Lopez
Here's where we'll keep track of the latest players to get outrighted to the minors…
- The Marlins outrighted Jose Lopez to Triple-A, according to MLB.com's transactions page. They had designated the infielder for assignment over the weekend, less than a month after signing him. The 27-year-old has a .188/.219/.260 line this year in 160 plate appearances for the Marlins and their expansion cousins, the Rockies.
Marlins Acquire Mike Cameron
The Marlins have acquired outfielder Mike Cameron from the Red Sox, according to the Marlins' official Twitter page. Boston will receive a player to be named later or cash considerations in return.
The Red Sox will likely receive some cash back for Cameron rather than a PTBNL, a team source tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com. When all is said and done, the Red Sox will pay about $3MM of the $3.6MM owed to Cameron, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. As of right now, however, Florida will be responsible for less than $200K of Cameron's remaining salary, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel.
Cameron, 38, was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on June 30th. The veteran was expected to hit left-handed pitching this year, but he posted a .143/.214/.302 line in 70 plate appearances against southpaws.
The centerfielder could have a chance to be an everyday player in Florida as Chris Coghlan has struggled offensively this season and will be out-of-action as he rehabs a knee injury. The Marlins are Cameron's eighth career club.
Minor Moves: Cesar Valdez
Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…
- The Pirates announced that they traded right-hander Cesar Valdez to the Marlins for cash or a player to be named later. It wasn't long ago that Valdez was a PTBNL himself. The D'Backs sent him to Pittsburgh in December to complete the deal that sent Zach Duke to Arizona. Valdez, who pitched 20 innings for the D'Backs last year, has spent this year at Triple-A. The 26-year-old has a 3.86 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 42 innings at Indianapolis.