Phillies, Dodgers Expressed Interest In Cody Ross
The Phillies and Dodgers expressed interest in Cody Ross, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Those two teams discussed Ross with the Marlins, as did the Braves, Red Sox and Yankees. Ross tells Rodriguez that seeing his name in trade rumors is "not a good feeling," but until July 31st comes along, the rumors probably won't stop.
The 29-year-old has split his time between center and right, posting a solid .274/.326/.400 line with seven homers. He makes $4.45MM and won't qualify for free agency until after 2011, so he's more than a rental. Ross has $1.8MM remaining on his salary, but that's less than what many available outfielders will make.
Stark On Lilly, Indians, Astros, Dodgers
The starting pitching market may be ‘mediocre’ if you ask officials around the major leagues, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark did, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of rumors out there with just over a week before the deadline. Here they are:
- Six teams or more are interested in Ted Lilly, who will almost certainly get traded. The Tigers, Mets and Dodgers have interest, but the Yankees probably won’t be involved. The Cubs are not willing to pick up any of Lilly’s salary and probably won’t have to.
- The A’s, on the other hand, will pick up much of the $4MM or so remaining on Ben Sheets’ salary and are ready to deal him.
- The Indians are willing to deal one of Jake Westbrook or Fausto Carmona for a “compelling” package, but not both.
- They’re also growing more and more confident that they’ll be able to trade Kerry Wood. If they don't strike a deal before the deadline, they could do so after Wood clears waivers in August.
- The Yankees are kicking tires on many starters, including Westbrook and Dan Haren.
- The Astros would have to be “overwhelmed” to move Brett Myers (as FOX Sports reported) or Wandy Rodriguez. Myers has a mutual option, so there’s no guarantee he returns in 2011. I find it hard to believe that the Astros wouldn’t deal him for a good-but-not-great group.
- The Marlins appear to have decided to focus on extending Dan Uggla, instead of trading him.
- The Dodgers have told rival teams that they have $2-3MM to play with.
Heyman On Werth, Fielder, Uggla, Mets
The Phillies have asked the Rays about B.J. Upton and Wade Davis, but someone familiar with the trade talks tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that the Phils may attempt to obtain prospects from Tampa Bay and flip them to Houston to acquire Roy Oswalt. Here’s the latest on the Phillies, plus the rest of Heyman’s rumors:
- The Phillies offered Jayson Werth a long-term deal, but he didn’t accept it right away.
- The Blue Jays are looking for middle-infield help, according to Heyman. That’s surprising, since they can retain Aaron Hill through 2014 and Yunel Escobar through 2013. Perhaps the club seeks a versatile depth option.
- Prince Fielder is not likely to be traded, according to Heyman.
- One GM tells Heyman that Dan Uggla does not yet appear to be available.
- The Mets seem to prefer Brett Myers to Ted Lilly. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported earlier today that the Mets maintain interest in Lilly and have cooled on Myers. The reports are not necessarily contradictory, but let’s just say the Mets have some interest in both pitchers.
Giants Interested In Bautista, Hart, DeJesus
The Giants are interested in MLB home run leader Jose Bautista, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported today that the Blue Jays are asking for elite young players in exchange for Bautista, but the Giants must be getting used to such demands, since they're eyeing other top hitters.
The Giants remain interested in Corey Hart and David DeJesus, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Adam Dunn and Jorge Cantu are also on the team's radar.
Cantu has drawn interest from the Rangers and Angels; the Nationals are reluctant to trade Dunn; the Brewers want Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner for Hart; and the Royals have a steep asking price for DeJesus but teams are still interested. None of those bats will come cheap and the Giants know that better than anyone. They're presumably willing to give up talent to improve an offensive attack that ranks ninth in the NL.
The Braves, Padres, White Sox, Rays and Rangers are among the teams that could also be bidding for hitters, so the price could remain high until the July 31st deadline.
Mike Lamb Clears Waivers
WEDNESDAY: Lamb cleared waivers and the Marlins outrighted him to Triple A New Orleans, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (via Twitter).
SATURDAY: The Marlins will designate Mike Lamb for assignment tomorrow, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel.
The 34-year-old Lamb hit .189/.231/.270 in 39 plate appearances spread across two stints with the big league team this year. He was designated for assignment back in June when the Marlins called up Mike Stanton, though he cleared waivers and headed to Triple-A.
Crasnick On The Bullpen Market
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick does a nice job profiling the underwhelming market for relievers. The Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays, Phillies, and Twins could be looking to make an acquisition. A few tidbits…
- The Astros "will gladly talk about Brandon Lyon, but aren't so interested in discussing Matt Lindstrom." Lyon is still owed $12.48MM through 2012.
- Crasnick points out that Octavio Dotel is not a pitcher you want facing lefties. How about D.J. Carrasco? He's quietly having another decent year, he's cheap, and he's under team control through 2012. Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweeted yesterday that at least five teams have inquired.
- Crasnick finds "the consensus" to be that Mariners closer David Aardsma will be dealt before the deadline. The Tigers have been linked to the hard-throwing righty, whose ERA is up several runs this year despite his strikeout and walk rates remaining stable. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times feels the Mariners would need their socks knocked off to move Aardsma.
- Chad Qualls, Clay Hensley, and most of the Brewers' and Royals' pens also merit consideration as trade bait.
Yankees Considering Jhonny Peralta
Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta is in the mix along with Florida's Wes Helms as potential bench options for the Yankees, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the prices on Jose Bautista and Ty Wigginton are too high.
Peralta has a substantial commitment for a bench player, with $2.23MM remaining on his contract. He's hitting .252/.314/.401 on the season.
The Yankees were first linked to Helms four days ago by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, but Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post tweets today that he's not their first choice. Other available bench options capable of playing third base include Willie Bloomquist, Adam Kennedy, and Craig Counsell.
Marlins Designate Nate Robertson For Assignment
The Marlins designated lefty Nate Robertson for assignment, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Robertson sports a 5.47 ERA, 5.5 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9 in 100.3 innings this year after last night's bruising at the hands of the Rockies.
Now eminently available, Robertson might be appealing to teams looking for left-handed relief. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith pointed out yesterday that Robertson has been decent against southpaws prior to this year and is owed only $163K with the Tigers picking up the rest of the tab.
Angels Discussed Cantu, LaRoche
Jorge Cantu and Adam LaRoche are among the names the Angels have discussed, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Those veteran rentals could help the Halos at first base, but changing leagues is said to be a big factor for the Angels. Alberto Callaspo wouldn't be making the change; Rosenthal says the Royals infielder is on the Angels' short list. Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles first reported that target yesterday afternoon.
Regarding the first base situation, the Angels are said to prefer a rental player since Kendry Morales will be back next year. Aside from Cantu and LaRoche, the market features Lance Berkman, Derrek Lee, Xavier Nady, Lyle Overbay, and others. Despite the name value, keep in mind that many of these first basemen are having lackluster seasons.
The Nate Robertson Market
Nate Robertson’s numbers don’t scream ‘deadline difference maker,’ but he could be just that in the right situation. His ERA is 5.10, his WHIP is 1.49 and he is only striking out 5.3 batters per nine, but Robertson could still appeal to contenders. Here’s why:
Contract
Robertson makes $10MM this year, but the Tigers are paying all but $400K of it. The Marlins only owe the lefty $163K before the end of the season, at which point Robertson's contract expires. Salary-wise, he is as cheap as it gets.
Robertson is not close to Type B status, so free agent compensation is not currently a factor. His team will not offer arbitration even if he shoots into Type B territory.
Performance
Robertson's ERA has been better than the league average in only one season, but against lefties, he has actually been quite effective. For his career, the 32-year-old has 7.1 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. Robertson allows fewer hits against lefties and induces more ground balls (55% ground ball rate vs. LHB, 44% vs. RHB). Like most pitchers, Robertson fares better against batters the first time they hit against him in a game.
These splits suggest that Robertson could be an effective left-handed specialist in a contender’s ‘pen. There aren't many quality left-handers available and given the high asking price for Scott Downs, Robertson could become a cheap, outside-the-box alternative for teams seeking a lefty reliever.
Asking Price/Availability
The Marlins made Robertson available earlier in the month, according to this tweet from ESPN.com’s Buster Olney.
Interested Teams
- No teams have been directly linked to Robertson, but the Yankees and Red Sox are known to have interest in left-handed reliever Scott Downs.
- The Dodgers are interested in pitching and lefty George Sherrill has been a disappointment this season.
- The Rangers are looking for a left-handed reliever.
- The Angels could add a second lefty to complement Brian Fuentes.