Rosenthal’s Latest: Wilson, Marlins, Acta
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has a few evening tidbits…
- The Royals are reportedly "kicking around the idea of adding a shortstop." Rosenthal believes the Pirates' Jack Wilson is the best fit, "but only if the Red Sox don't grab [him] first."
- The Marlins "figure to trade [Dan] Uggla and first baseman Jorge Cantu if they fall out of contention," but, as Rosenthal notes, that hasn't happened yet.
- Nationals manager Manny Acta might hang on to his job for a while longer because his "players have not quit on him, nor are they sniping at him." Sure, but a .265 winning percentage won't sit well with upper management all season.
Odds & Ends: Igarashi, Cubs, Cardinals
Links for Friday…
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker talks about hard-throwing Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi, perhaps the top free agent from the country for the 2009-10 offseason.
- I did a Q&A over at Coast to Coast Baseball.
- Some doubt with the sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts family: Tribune owner Sam Zell said, "We've made it very public that the Cubs don't fit into the long-term picture of the Tribune. So if the Ricketts deal doesn't get done, I'm sure there will be other ones."
- In separate articles, Dan Uggla and Octavio Dotel comment on the possibility of being traded.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says Edgar Renteria was a good signing for the Giants, if you ignore the actual contract. Eh?
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discusses various third base trades the Cardinals could make.
- SI's Tom Verducci likes Freddy Sanchez for the Rays. What's wrong with Willy Aybar and Ben Zobrist?
- Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to Braves GM Frank Wren about the team's need for a bat.
- FanGraphs' Matthew Carruth asks: Where's Odalis Perez?
Marlins Interested In Daniel Cabrera
According to Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins are interested in righty Daniel Cabrera. Cabrera was designated for assignment by the Nationals on Tuesday. Berardino notes that Marlins pitching coach Mark Wiley worked with Cabrera in Baltimore in '04.
Back when Cabrera was a free agent, he reportedly drew interest from eleven clubs (the Pirates and Mets included).
Stark On Peavy, Oswalt, Phillies, DeRosa, Giants
Let's take a look at the latest Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark.
- The Padres' recent winning streak has not changed their intention of trading Jake Peavy. The Dodgers and Cubs are in Peavy's first tier of choices, follwed by the Giants, Cardinals, and Astros. The Angels would be the one AL team he'd consider. The East Coast is a long shot. Also, Peavy will want his 2011-13 partial no-trade clause to become a full no-trade. Peavy's friend Roy Oswalt has been unsuccessful in lobbying Astros owner Drayton McLane, as the 'Stros can't take on Peavy's contract. As for the Dodgers, GM Ned Colletti told the L.A. Times he hasn't talked to the Padres about Peavy since the pitcher vetoed the White Sox deal.
- Stark talked to scouts who believe Oswalt has "lost his edge" and needs a change of scenery. The Phillies have inquired on him, but they've asked about everyone: Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young and Jason Marquis. Popular Phillies trade targets include Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, Travis D'Arnaud, Freddy Galvis, Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, and Antonio Bastardo.
- The Braves are interested in bringing Mark DeRosa back to Atlanta. He came up with them and was non-tendered in '04 after tearing his ACL. But to deal young arms, the Braves would want an impact bat. Stark says they're "mostly listening" rather than shopping Jeff Francoeur. His trade value is difficult to gauge.
- The Mets seem content to wait out the first base trade market.
- The Giants seek a middle-of-the-order bat, and Jonathan Sanchez is being dangled. Three targets they haven't had success on are Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, and possibly Carlos Lee. Lee, according to one Stark source, doesn't intend to waive his no-trade for anyone.
Marlins Sign Clay Hensley, Gary Glover
According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins signed Clay Hensley to a minor league deal. He already started for the Zephyrs yesterday. The Marlins released Mike Wood to make room for him. The Astros had signed Hensley back in December after the Padres non-tendered him. He was pretty good in '06 but had labrum surgery since then.
Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald adds that the Marlins inked reliever Gary Glover. Glover had signed a minor league deal with the Nationals in January.
Giants Not Dangling Cain, Not Interested In Holliday
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle provides an update on a few Giants rumors.
- Schulman's "very high-level" Giants source says Matt Cain is not being dangled, contrary to an earlier rumor.
- Schulman agrees with Juan C. Rodriguez's report that the Giants have asked the Marlins about Dan Uggla.
- Schulman believes the Giants are talking to the Nationals about Nick Johnson. However, his source said the team has no interest in Matt Holliday. Much has been made of Holliday's slow start, but keep in mind he's hitting .296/.406/.494 in May.
Giants Inquire On Uggla
Juan C. Rodriguez at the Sun-Sentinel says the Giants have had preliminary discussions with the Marlins about second baseman Dan Uggla, "though they are not believed to have reached general manager level."
This jives with reports that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria wants "substantive changes" for his team. Rodriguez says the Giants would almost certainly have to part with Matt Cain or Jonathan Sanchez if such a deal were to go through.
Rodriguez also speculates that the Giants might be kicking the tires on Nick Johnson and Mark DeRosa in their quest for a bat.
Marlins, Loria Want “Substantive Changes”
On a 4-game losing streak leaving the team 19-25, and with hopeful ace Ricky Nolasco demoted, the Marlins are not right. In a note, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the Marlins are looking to make a change.
Jackson mentions Dan Uggla as a possible trade chip. Uggla is making $5.35MM in '09, his first year of arbitration, and after an abysmal beginning he may finally be starting to earn it by posting a 1.265 OPS with 4 HR and 9 RBI over his last 7 games.
The Marlins pitchers may lead the NL in strikeouts, but the team's 4.98 ERA is third to last and their 187 walks are tied with the Nats for most allowed.
There are lots of good comments discussing Marlins 2010 options and 2009 trade possibilities in this post.
Odds & Ends: Peavy, Gomes, Nolasco, Price
Your Saturday afternoon links, with more to come…
- JorgeSaysNo! reiterates that the Brewers are a "perfect fit" for Jake Peavy, and Craig Calcaterra of NBCSports.com's "Circling The Bases" believes Milwaukee will need to move quickly in order to land him.
- As Mark Sheldon of MLB.com points out, Jonny Gomes is set to make his debut with the Reds this evening. He showed good faith in the club when he accepted an assignment to Triple-A at the end of spring training, and that faith has now been rewarded.
- Ricky Nolasco was demoted to Triple-A New Orleans this morning after beginning the season with a 9.07 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 2-5 record. R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs examines what the 26-year-old has been doing wrong.
- David Price finally got the call. He'll start Monday against the Indians and R.J. Anderson of DRaysBay highlights a few things to monitor.
- Athletics Nation asks the question: "Where will the A's find greatness?"
- As Tim noted earlier this week, there are now several ways to keep up with the action here on MLBTR. You can join the Facebook fan page, follow us on Twitter, sign up for the RSS feed, and even get updates on your mobile phone.
Marlins DFA Dave Davidson
According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, the Marlins designated pitcher Dave Davidson for assignment. The 25-year-old Canadian pitched in just one inning this year, giving up four hits and four walks in an inning against the Rays last night. Davidson pitched for the Pirates back in 2007 and has since represented Canada at the Olympics and in the WBC. The Marlins made another change after last night's game, sending Ricky Nolasco to Triple A.