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Jay Gibbons Retires

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The Brewers announced that outfielder Jay Gibbons has retired, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. The 35-year-old last played in the Major Leagues with the 2010-11 Dodgers.

Gibbons appeared in 58 games for Milwaukee's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates this year, posting a .253/.345/.431 batting line. He retires with 127 career MLB home runs and a .260/.315/.453 batting line in nine seasons with the Orioles and Dodgers. Gibbons hit at least 20 homers in three of four seasons from 2002-05 and earned close to $16MM in his career, according to Baseball-Reference.

Rosenthal On Upton, Rangers, Twins, Tigers

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The Diamondbacks are willing to trade Justin Upton even if they’re in contention, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Arizona GM Kevin Towers won’t make a deal unless he’s “dazzled”, Rosenthal reports. Here are Rosenthal’s latest rumors, starting with Upton:

  • The Diamondbacks could pursue Major Leaguers instead of prospects for Upton if they remain in contention for a postseason berth. Upton raises some questions with his effort level and body language, according to Rosenthal, but the outfielder appears to have drawn “huge” interest from teams such as the Pirates nonetheless. 
  • The Rangers prefer Cole Hamels to Zack Greinke, though they continue scouting Greinke.
  • Francisco Liriano has a 2.74 ERA in eight starts since returning to the Twins’ rotation, but clubs are “wary” of trading for the left-hander, Rosenthal reports. It’s doubtful that teams would part with significant prospects for Liriano, who’s thought of as a bullpen option by some teams. Matt Capps will also be available once he returns from the disabled list, according to Rosenthal.
  • The Tigers are prioritizing offense over starting pitching, according to an executive that has spoken to the team. The Tigers need second base help and could also explore trades for corner outfielders, starting pitchers and relievers.

Olney On Upton, Greinke, Rays, Phillies

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The Diamondbacks have let other clubs know that they are willing to consider offers for Justin Upton and Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) writes that teams are attaching red flags to the situation.  Rival clubs wonder why Arizona would look to move a 24-year-old who is signed through 2015. and there is some concern about whether Upton has a chronic left shoulder problem.  The D'Backs are looking for third base help, and there aren't a lot of options at the position.  Meanwhile, we learned this morning that they have talked with the Pirates about a possible deal.  More from today's column..

  • If the Brewers decide to deal Zack Greinke and the Orioles have a chance to land him, the question is whether Baltimore can generate an offer strong enough to top the draft pick that Milwaukee would get by hanging onto the pitcher instead.  Baltimore won't part with Manny Machado or Dylan Bundy, leaving the Brewers to look beyond the club's two best prospects.  Brian Matusz could be an interesting name in the talks if Milwaukee is a fan.
  • It remains to be seen whether the Rays will turn into sellers, but they have assets to dangle if they decide to go in that direction, including James Shields, B.J. Upton, and Matt Joyce.  Upton is making $7MM this year and Joyce is headed to arbitration for the first time this winter.
  • The Phillies are already prepared to weigh any offers for Cole Hamels right now and the decision to sell continues to get easier as they fall in the standings.  Headed into this afternoon's game against Atlanta, Philadelphia is 14 games behind the Nationals.

Rosenthal On Greinke, Hamels, Ellsbury, Victorino

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has posted his latest edition of Full Count.  Let's dive in..

  • As of this morning, the GMs of the Orioles and Brewers have not spoken about a trade involving Zack Greinke.  But the O's, despite sending three starters to the minors this week, continue to indicate that they are buyers.  Brewers pitching coach Rick Kranitz was previously in Baltimore and O's right-hander Jake Arrieta was originally a Brewers draft pick in 2005 and could be of interest as part of a package for Greinke.  However, the Orioles may not want to pay a steep price for a potential free agent when they might only be playing for a wild card.
  • Rival teams covet Rangers third base prospect Mike Olt and the Phillies would likely target him in any talks for Cole Hamels, but the odds of Philly landing him are slim.  Texas would view Hamels as a rental and are looking at Olt at first base and right field, in addition to third.  His bat will be needed next season if they lose Hamilton or Mike Napoli to free agency.
  • The Red Sox face ongoing luxury tax concerns and are over the threshold by $10MM, according to a source.  That could make holding on to Jacoby Ellsbury difficult after 2013 and trading him might make sense at the end of this season.  Unfortunately, the free agent market will be flooded with outfielders including Josh Hamilton, Michael Bourn, B.J. Upton, and Shane Victorino.  That will obviously hurt the market for the 28-year-old.
  • Victorino could be a fit for the Pirates or Indians as they aggressively pursue hitters.  The Pirates like Carlos Quentin but his asking price is steep.  The Tribe has inquired on Corey Hart, but he is unavailable.  Victorino would be a solid fit for Cleveland as he is a switch-hitter (who would join a predominantly left-handed lineup) and can play either left or center field.

Draft Notes: Gausman, Phillies, Rash, Brewers

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Earlier today, we ran down the remaining unsigned first-round picks from the 2012 draft.  Here's today's latest draft news..

  • An Orioles source tells Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com (via Twitter) that the team remains "very confident" of signing top pick Kevin Gausman.  However, talks between the two sides still could go into next week.  The fourth-overall pick in the draft has said that he expects to reach agreement with the O's but there hasn't been a great deal of news on that front lately.
  • The Phillies were unable to reach agreement with second-round pick Alec Rash, writes Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register.  The right-hander's father said the family requested $800K while the Phillies countered with an offer of $500K plus $120K for college.  Rash will now attend Missouri in the fall.
  • The Brewers‬ signed eighth-rounder Edgardo Rivera for $200K, more than the suggested pick value of $132K, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America.   The high school outfielder out of Puerto Rico boasts plus-plus speed and could be solid left-handed bat, Callis writes.

Orioles “Going Hard” After Greinke

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The Orioles are “going hard” after Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke, an MLB executive told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles appear to be the most aggressive suitor for Greinke, but talks are preliminary, Connolly reports. Some believe the Orioles and Braves are most likely to land Greinke, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.

Brewers president of baseball operations Doug Melvin recently told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that his team is "trying to win games and get back in the hunt." The Brewers may wait until after facing the Reds, Pirates and Cardinals to determine their course of action this summer.

Executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette "absolutely" has financial support from ownership to take on salary this season, Connolly reports. Greinke, who’s on track for free agency this offseason, earns $13.5MM in 2012. The Brewers could obtain two compensatory draft picks for losing Greinke to free agency, but no other team has the same opportunity under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement. 

Duquette recently told Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com that he'd like to improve his team's rotation if possible. Top prospects Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy are probably off-limits in trade talks. “They look to be long-term solutions to help the Orioles," Duquette said. The Orioles don’t want to trade young pitching, Connolly reports.

 Greinke, 28, has a 3.08 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 108 innings so far this year. Agent Casey Close has had some extensions talks with the Brewers on Greinke's behalf.

Brian Matusz is a possible trade chip for the Orioles, Crasnick writes (on Twitter). The Orioles are "down on" Matusz, who's now in the minor leagues.

Central Notes: Greinke, Cardinals, Garza, Royals

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Here is the latest from baseball's two Central divisions, which house two of three worst teams in baseball (Cubs and Astros) by winning percentage…

Brewers Notes: Trade Deadline, Greinke, Marcum

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The Brewers were shut out by the Marlins today, dropping them to 38-44 on the season. Last year's NL Central champs are currently 6.5 games out of a wild card spot. Here's the latest from Milwaukee, courtesy of ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links)…

  • "We're just trying to win games and get back in the hunt,'' said GM Doug Melvin. The Brewers play nine games against NL Central competition after the All-Star break, and Melvin says he'll probably wait until the end of that stretch to determine the team's course of action for the trade deadline.
  • There is nothing happening with Zack Greinke at the moment, ditto the injured Shaun Marcum. Last week we heard that the Brewers are prepared to trade Greinke if the two sides are unable to work out a contract extension prior to the deadline.

Olney’s Latest: NL Trade Market, Darvish

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney compares the current state of the trade market to shopping at an airport, where priced are designed to gouge customers. Buyers want more sellers and sellers want more buyers. Olney also previewed the NL trade market, so let's dive in…

  • The Mets are among teams looking for bullpen help and are waiting for the market develop. The division-rival Nationals are also in the market for relief help but do have Drew Storen on the mend. Olney wonders if they'll look for a starter given Stephen Strasburg's inning limit.
  • Executives expect the Padres to deal Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, plus they continue to get calls about Chase Headley. Olney speculates that the Reds could be a fit for Quentin.
  • The Braves are looking to add a veteran starting pitcher, but Olney says they're unlikely to swing a trade for Zack Greinke without having some kind of long-term contract agreement in place.
  • Olney wonders if the Diamondbacks could become surprise buyers for pitching help given Joe Saunders' injury and Trevor Bauer's early struggles. The Cardinals figure to jump into the pitching market given Chris Carpenter's season-ending shoulder surgery.
  • The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are among the clubs in sell mode. The Brewers will wait a little longer before deciding to sell, and while Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and others could be on the block, Corey Hart will not.
  • Olney says the Blue Jays actually finished third in the bidding for Yu Darvish behind the Rangers and Cubs. No bid was within $35MM of the $51.7MM Texas submitted.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Cardinals, Greinke, Astros, Rasmus

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With Chris Carpenter set to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a nerve condition in his shoulder, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Cardinals are in the market for at least one starter and one reliever. St. Louis has trade chips though the new collective bargaining agreement doesn't allow teams to recoup draft pick compensation for rental players, changing the landscape.

Let's round up the rest of Rosenthal's rumors…

  • Zack Greinke would likely welcome a trade to – and a chance to sign long-term with – the Cardinals, though it's unclear if the Brewers would be willing to trade him within the division.
  • The Astros are prepared to move Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers, though Jed Lowrie is essentially unavailable. Rosenthal says they could be an obvious trade partner for St. Louis since GM Jeff Luhnow spent nine years in the Cardinals' front office.
  • The Cardinals may not want to invest $20MM+ annually into a pitcher, but both Lance Berkman ($12MM) and Kyle Lohse ($11.875MM) will be off the books after this season.
  • The Blue Jays' immediate strategy may be to acquire a modest rotation upgrade before reassessing at the trade deadline, shortly before Brandon Morrow returns from his oblique injury. Rosenthal believes they should consider selling high on Colby Rasmus.
  • Teams continue to call the Angels about Peter Bourjos and some believe he could be the centerpiece of a deal for a quality starting pitcher. The Halos believe the young outfielder is a building block for the future, however. They do not appear to be in the market for a pitcher at the moment.
  • The difference in income tax rates between Texas (none) and California (among the highest in the country) was an issue for Astros first baseman Carlos Lee as he mulled over a potential trade to the Dodgers. Los Angeles may have been willing to help "bridge the gap" had he shown enthusiasm for the deal.
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