Twins Rumors

Twins Interested In Koji Uehara

By Mark Polishuk | July 23, 2011 at 6:41pm CDT

Add the Twins to the list of teams interested in Orioles reliever Koji Uehara. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that both the Twins and O's have sent representatives to scout the other in the past week and Minnesota is known to be looking for bullpen depth.

As Connolly notes, the two clubs have a recent trading history — Baltimore acquired J.J. Hardy from Minnesota last winter. The two also seem like a good match since the Orioles "likely are looking for Major-League-ready starting pitching and young position players" and the Twins have several young outfielders and Kevin Slowey potentially available in a deal.

Uehara has a bit more than $1MM remaining on the one-year, $3MM contract he signed with the O's last winter and he has a $4MM option for 2012 that will vest if he reaches 55 appearances. Given that Uehara has 40 appearances already, this option is a virtual certainty to vest. The 36-year-old Osaka native is having a stellar year, posting a 1.84 ERA, a 7.25 K/BB ratio and an 11.9 K.9 rate in those 40 appearances with Baltimore.

The Reds and Pirates are two other teams rumored to be looking at Uehara.

Minor Moves: Vazquez, Diamond

By Mike Axisa | July 23, 2011 at 8:48am CDT

Let's keep track of all the day's minor moves here…

The Blue Jays have released infielder Ramon Vazquez according to the Pacific Coast League transactions page. The 34-year-old hit .288/.367/.363 in 90 Triple-A plate appearances after signing a minor league deal in mid-June.
The Twins released right-hander Thomas Diamond according to the International League transactions page. Diamond, 28, pitched to a 8.25 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9 in 24 innings for Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate after landing a minor league contract last month.

AL Central Notes: Twins, White Sox, Indians

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2011 at 10:52am CDT

On this date in 1909, Ty Cobb stole second, third and home in one inning as the Tigers beat the Red Sox 6-0. The Tigers will be playing the Twins tonight and the Indians will host the White Sox in the other intra-divisional contest of note. Here's the latest on the winnable AL Central…

The Twins are six games below .500, but they consider themselves buyers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. They’re six games out of first place and continue targeting middle relief. GM Bill Smith told Rosenthal that he wants “depth” to complement Joe Nathan, Matt Capps and Glen Perkins.
The White Sox are being uncharacteristically quiet on the trade market, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). Crasnick suggests we'll have a better sense of Chicago's plans after Chicago's upcoming six games against the Indians and Tigers.
Rival executives expect the Indians to keep their prime assets and make incremental moves this year, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (Twitter link).

Quick Hits: Mariners, Slowey, Phillies

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2011 at 11:48pm CDT

Here are some late night links as Thursday turns into Friday…

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports spoke to rival executives who believe the only three Mariners off limits in trade talks are Felix Hernandez, Michael Pineda, and Dustin Ackley. Impending free agents like Adam Kennedy, Jack Wilson, and Jamey Wright are certainly on the block, but pitchers Jason Vargas, Brandon League, and Doug Fister would be the most interesting trade candidates.
The Blue Jays scouted Kevin Slowey's minor league rehab start on Wednesday night, tweets Morosi. They've had interest in him since Spring Training.
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says the Phillies are unlikely to add both a reliever and a right-handed bat before the trade deadline. Healthy returns from Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras could be all the bullpen help they need.

AL Central Notes: Indians, Tigers, Twins, Avila

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2011 at 7:49pm CDT

The Indians called up top prospect Jason Kipnis today, hoping that his .281/.363/.485 batting line in Triple-A will provide a boost for their big league offense. Let's see what else is going on around the division…

The Indians need a starter and a bat, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says (on Twitter) that they are taking a conservative approach to the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) that the Indians' top two trade targets are Hiroki Kuroda and Aaron Harang. Earlier today we heard they were looking at Coco Crisp as well.
The Tigers are still not talking to the Astros about either Wandy Rodriguez or Brett Myers, reports Morosi (on Twitter). Earlier today we heard Houston is "making it clear" that they're willing to move Wandy.
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Twins are dipping their toe in the bullpen market, and seek a reliever to pair with Joe Nathan and Matt Capps at the end of the game.
The AL Central is up for grabs, and MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says the trade deadline could play a big part in determining who eventually wins the division.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about the rise of Alex Avila, the Tigers 24-year-old All-Star catcher.

Red Sox Not Pursuing Anyone Aggressively Right Now

By Tim Dierkes | July 20, 2011 at 8:41am CDT

The Red Sox are "not pursuing anyone aggressively right now," a source familiar with the team's thinking told WEEI's Alex Speier. Instead, the team is currently trying to determine which internal solutions will work. We've heard the Red Sox named as one of the most aggressive suitors for Carlos Beltran, but that may not be the case.

The Sox are still taking their normal approach of "inquiring about anyone who may make an appreciable difference to the team," in the words of the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. Cafardo says the Red Sox have inquired on Beltran, Ubaldo Jimenez, Felix Hernandez, Jose Reyes, Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Baker, Michael Cuddyer, Ty Wigginton, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jeremy Guthrie, Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham, Conor Jackson, Ryan Spilborghs, Mike Adams, and others. The team needs include starting pitching, a reliever, an outfielder, and a shortstop, but the Red Sox may prefer internal options in many cases.

Sabean Talks Offense, Trade Market, Prospects

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 19, 2011 at 11:59pm CDT

11:59pm: It's possible Sabean's "something bigger" referred to the Twins' Michael Cuddyer, writes Baggarly. The Giants recently expressed interest in him with a second base job in mind. The asking price was steep, so Sabean closed the Keppinger deal with Houston. Still, Baggarly would not rule out the Twins revisiting Cuddyer.

10:15pm: After the Giants acquired Jeff Keppinger, GM Brian Sabean explained that his work isn't done. The 56-41 Giants are lucky to be 15 games above .500, according to Sabean, who discussed the trade market in detail tonight. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has the details on the Giants, who are taking on the division rival Dodgers tonight:

Sabean said he's still committed to improving the San Francisco offense. No winning team has scored fewer runs than the Giants (356).
Before the Keppinger deal, Sabean was working on “something [he] thought was much bigger.” That deal did not involve Carlos Beltran, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
Sabean described the market for catchers and shortstops as “almost nonexistent.”
General managers eyeing Zack Wheeler and Brandon Belt may want to think twice. Sabean suggested some of the team's top young players are virtually untouchable. “There are guys we definitely won’t trade, and baseball people know that, too,” Sabean said.

Rosenthal On GM Job Security

By Tim Dierkes | July 19, 2011 at 8:45am CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tells us which GMs are on the hot seat in his latest column. A few details…

Ed Wade (Astros) and Jim Hendry (Cubs) are deemed to be on the hot seat. New Astros owner Jim Crane is expected to try to lure Rays decision-maker Andrew Friedman with the chance to run his hometown team. As for the Cubs, Rosenthal finds speculation of a Pat Gillick-Hendry pairing to be far-fetched. Rosenthal notes that the Cubs job, which has been occupied by Hendry for more than nine years, "might draw interest from some of the game's top current GMs."
Jack Zduriencik (Mariners), Tony Reagins (Angels), and Dave Dombrowski (Tigers) are viewed as "less than secure."
Brian Cashman (Yankees) and Andy MacPhail (Orioles) are in the final year of their contracts. Rosenthal says "even some of Cashman’s friends in the industry think he might be ready to bolt." Rosenthal says it'd be an upset if MacPhail returns for Baltimore.
Ned Colletti (Dodgers) and Kenny Williams (White Sox) are in unusual positions. Colletti has an out after 2012, and of course his club is a picture of uncertainty. As for Williams, he could theoretically become club president to allow the team to retain Rick Hahn, but Rosenthal's sources believe "such an arrangement would be difficult on both men."
Rosenthal tosses a "you never know" tag on Doug Melvin (Brewers) and Bill Smith (Twins), but finds the Pirates' Neal Huntington secure.
We'll have much more on the topic of GM candidates next month. But in MLBTR's survey of dozens of team executives and agents, the following people were named as candidates at least five times: Hahn, Jerry Dipoto, Thad Levine, David Forst, Ben Cherington, Tony LaCava, Mike Chernoff, Bryan Minniti, A.J. Preller, and Billy Eppler.

Quick Hits: Iwakuma, Cintron, Twins, Buehrle

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 18, 2011 at 11:05pm CDT

Links for Monday as the Indians and Pirates claim sole possession of first place in their respective divisions…

Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker previews the NPB players who may be available to Major League teams after the season, including starter Hisashi Iwakuma and former big leaguer Matt Murton.
The Hiroshima Carp signed Brian Barton, according to a report on Sanspo. The 30-year-old infielder has experience with three MLB teams and last played in the big leagues for last year's Marlins team.
The agent for Alex Cintron told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that his client is looking to un-retire and play in the Major Leagues again (Twitter link).
Twins assistant GM Rob Antony said on 1500 ESPN's "Sunday Morning SportsTalk" show that Minnesota would like to add a middle reliever and may go outside of the organization for help. Tom Pelissero has the details on the Twins, who started the day just five games out of first place.
White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen told Brett Ballantini of CSNChicago.com that he and GM Kenny Williams want to re-sign Mark Buehrle after the season, when the left-hander is eligible for free agency. The White Sox have not discussed years or money with Buehrle, who has hinted at retirement in the past. Buehrle allowed two earned runs in seven innings as the White Sox beat the Royals tonight.

Nats Rumors: Storen, Clippard, Desmond, Gorzelanny

By Tim Dierkes | July 18, 2011 at 1:03pm CDT

The Nationals are listening on top relievers Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but such a trade would have to fill a specific long-term need such as center field. Teams are calling on Storen, Clippard, and Todd Coffey.

Potential center field targets for Washington include B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn, Colby Rasmus, and Denard Span, writes Rosenthal. He believes that a reliever alone probably would not bring back a center fielder, but the Nats could also trade shortstop Ian Desmond since some club officials would like to move Danny Espinosa to shortstop.

Storen is under team control through 2016, Clippard and Desmond through '15. Desmond would be an interesting name for teams seeking shortstop help, though he's limped to a .226/.269/.311 line in 361 plate appearances this year.

The Nationals also have starting pitching to spare, as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that they will move Jason Marquis, Livan Hernandez, and Tom Gorzelanny. Gorzelanny is a bit of a surprise, as he's got strong strikeout and walk rates and is under team control through 2013.

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