Heyman On Yankees, Garza, Upton, BoSox, Jays
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman discussed how baseball reporting is evolving in the age of social media and a 24/7 news cycle (while giving MLB Trade Rumors a tip of the cap), joked about the infamous "mystery teams" that often dominate the rumor mill and also shared some hot stove chatter during his appearance on Jonah Keri's Grantland podcast. Here are some of the highlights…
- The Yankees have mostly stayed away from major trade deadline moves under Brian Cashman and Heyman suspects the team will largely stand pat this month. There are no glaring needs on the roster plus the first-place Yankees will get a boost from Brett Gardner's return from the DL.
- If the Yankees did make a move for pitching, Matt Garza would be at the top of their list. The Red Sox and Blue Jays are also interested in Garza, not to mention the Dodgers and Tigers, among other clubs.
- When the Diamondbacks toyed with putting Justin Upton on the trade market two years ago, they discussed a deal with the Red Sox that would have sent Upton to Boston in exchange for Jacoby Ellsbury and Daniel Bard.
- The Red Sox and Blue Jays have the same record but the Sox are "more fully invested" in contending this season, while Heyman thinks the Jays' pitching injuries may prevent from making a true push at the deadline.
- Heyman thinks Zack Greinke is a "longshot" to re-sign with the Brewers but the club will at least make him a long-term offer before exploring possible trades before the deadline. The Angels and Braves are two of the teams expected to be in on Greinke should Milwaukee make him available.
- Surprise contenders like the Mets, Orioles and Pirates will look to upgrade themselves for a pennant race, though Heyman thinks these teams are "probably all realistic about their chances" and won't sacrifice their rebuilding process by trading any of their blue chip prospects. The Mets are looking for a veteran bullpen arm, the Orioles a veteran starter and the Pirates a corner outfielder, such as Carlos Quentin or Josh Willingham if the Twins were to make him available.
- Beyond Greinke, Josh Hamilton, Cole Hamels and a few other notables like Michael Bourn or Melky Cabrera, Heyman feels this year's free agent crop is "not a star-studded class." The free agent market has been dimmed by the preponderance of teams who lock their young stars up to multiyear contracts early in their careers.
Dodgers Eyeing Aramis, Headley
The Dodgers have identified Aramis Ramirez as a potential trade target in case the Brewers decide to trade veteran players this summer, Yahoo's Tim Brown reports (on Twitter). However, the Dodgers prefer Chase Headley of the Padres.
Ramirez signed a three-year, $36MM contract with Milwaukee last offseason. The 34-year-old has ten home runs and a .272/.346/.475 batting line through 338 plate appearances so far in 2012. The 40-45 Brewers aim to establish themselves as contenders after the All-Star beak, when they play the Pirates, Cardinals and Reds.
Headley, 28, has a .267/.368/.413 batting line in 370 plate appearances for the Padres. He earns $3.48MM this year and will remain under team control through 2014. The 34-53 Padres figure to be sellers this summer, though they may hesitate to deal within the NL West.
Los Angeles has a clear need at the hot corner; Dodgers third basemen rank 26th in MLB with a combined .631 OPS. Manager Don Mattingly was relying on a combination of Jerry Hairston Jr., Juan Uribe, Adam Kennedy and Luis Cruz at the position leading up to the All-Star break.
Latest On Zack Greinke
Despite the constant stream of rumors surrounding Brewers right-hander Zack Greinke, General Manager Doug Melvin still sounds like he wants to see how the team fares early in the second half before making deals, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel. Haudricourt writes that moving their other upcoming free agents, however, won't be an easy task. Randy Wolf and Francisco Rodriguez haven't done much to boost their trade value while Shaun Marcum is on the disabled list with an elbow issue.
Meanwhile, the Royals haven't ruled out bringing Greinke back if he hits the open market after the season, a person familiar with the team's thinking told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The odds of a reunion aren't terribly strong though as Greinke is looking for a chance to win right away.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Tim Dillard
We'll track the latest outright assignments right here…
- The Brewers announced that they outrighted Tim Dillard to Triple-A Nashville, pending the right-hander's acceptance of the move. Dillard appeared in 34 games for the Brewers this year, posting a respectable 4.38 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 37 innings. The Brewers will recall right-hander Tyler Thornburg and promote infielder Jeff Bianchi in related moves.
Angels Interested In Acquiring Zack Greinke
The Angels plan to make a run at trading for Brewers starter Zack Greinke if the right-hander becomes available prior to the trade deadline, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
The Orioles, Rangers and Braves are also thought to be interested in dealing for Greinke, the 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner, although a person close to Greinke said that the Halos are a "perfect fit."
The Angels lavished huge contracts on Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this offseason, but they may have payroll flexibility for 2013 with club options on right-handers Dan Haren and Ervin Santana, the latter of which is expected to be declined barring a "major turnaround," according to Heyman.
The Brewers entered the break with a record of 40-45, eight games back in the NL Central and six back for one of two Wild Card spots. They've not yet decided whether they're sellers and will apparently use the first week or two after the All-Star break to sort that out.
Brewers cornerstone Ryan Braun, for his part, wants to convince management to retain Greinke, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter): "Realistically, we're still in this thing."
Jay Gibbons Retires
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
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
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
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
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.