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Freddy Sanchez Rumors: Saturday

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Yesterday we learned that the Pirates are "pushing hard" to trade All Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez before this year's trade deadline, but nothing appears imminent right now. Here's the latest roundup of Sanchez rumors courtesy of Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports.

  • Kovacevic says the Mariners and Twins remain interested in Sanchez.
  • The Rockies' interest has cooled off of late, and they're now focused on acquiring bullpen help.
  • Biertempfel adds a new team to the mix: Tampa Bay.
  • Edes reports that a NL Central team is involved, and speculates that it could be the Cubs.
  • Sanchez's $8MM vesting option based on plate appearances is an obstacle in any trade.

Odds And Ends: Pujols, Pirates, Marlins

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Links for Friday…

Freddy Sanchez Rumors: Friday

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The Giants and Twins are interested in Freddy Sanchez, but no deal is imminent for the Pirates' second baseman. Here are the latest Sanchez rumors from Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

  • Morosi says the Twins and Giants are interested, but would probably want to see Sanchez, who has missed the last six games with a back issue, prove his health before making a deal. 
  • The Rockies don't appear to have serious interest. That's hardly a surprise, given Clint Barmes' work at second base and Colorado's need for relievers.
  • In addition to the Giants and Rockies, Kovacevic hears that the Pirates have spoken to as many as five teams.
  • The Giants would move Jonathan Sanchez, but he would not be enough on his own.  
  • Both reporters identify an obstacle for interested teams: the vesting option that will allow Sanchez to make $8MM next year if he continues playing regularly.

Miguel Angel Sano Rumors: Monday

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9:25pm: Arangure also notes that the Aroldis Chapman defection could have a major impact on Sano's negotiations.  As he tweets,

"Certain teams will save money for run at Aroldis. Last minute offer (for) Sano less likely now."

9:04pm: Seeking more information, I asked Arangure whether the Twins and Pirates also see Sano as a guy not worth a $4MM signing bonus.  He was kind enough to respond:

"For me, the Twins aren't real contenders anymore. The Pirates won't give record money because they won't have to."

8:58pm: ESPN's Jorge Arangure, who's been on the ball since the international signing period began on July 2, just rattled off a couple of interesting "tweets" involving 16-year-old shortstop Miguel Angel Sano:

"Am convinced Sano will not get record money. Orioles see him as late-first-round talent, which does not equal $4 million. More like $1-$1.5."

"Those who think Orioles will give record $ for Sano remember: They gave $3.2m to No. 4 pick [Brian] Matusz last year. Gave [Matt] Hobgood $2.4 this yr."

"There's no way Orioles are giving more to Sano than they gave Matusz and Hobgood."

If Arangure is correct, and the other teams tracking Sano follow suit, Wagner Mateo, singed July 2 by the Cardinals for $3.1MM, will go down as the highest-paid international prospect from 2009.  Sano has been courted this summer by the Twins, Pirates and O's, who are awaiting the results of an MLB investigation into his age and identification.

Odds And Ends: Kepler, Rangers, Hairston

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More links for the afternoon…

  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports that the Twins awarded Max Kepler a bonus of about $800k. That's close to the record for a European player.
  • Ben Klayman of Reuters reports that the Rangers are likely to make financial information available to potential buyers. Owner Tom Hicks would like to see bids for the team by mid-August, but negotiations won't necessarily be complete by the end of the season.
  • Byron Kerr of MASN.com argues that the Nyjer Morgan acquisition shows why the Nats need to award Mike Rizzo the permanent GM job.
  • Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that the Rockies signed five international players, including Dominican shortstop Rosell Herrera.
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the Scott Hairston deal was an "easy win" for the A's.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock says the move could work for the Padres in the future. 

Twins A Distant Third For Sano

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ESPN's Jorge Arangure tweets that the Twins are now just a distant third behind the Pirates and Orioles in the sweepstakes for Dominican megaprospect Miguel Angel Sano. He notes that the Twins don't have unlimited funds, and instead are "simply moving on."

Earlier today we recapped everything we know about Sano, the top prospect on this year international market.

Olney’s Latest: Atlanta’s Potential Trade Partners

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney chimes in with some players and teams that could matchup in a trade with the Braves, who could dangle Javier Vazquez and/or Yunel Escobar as bait. Most of the rumors are just Olney's own speculation, but let's round 'em up anyway.

  • The Red Sox have liked Escobar for a while, but don't match up very well for a trade.
  • Olney mentions that Jacoby Ellsbury might be the only fit since JD Drew is owed a ton of money and Jason Bay will be a free agent after the year, but that wouldn't work for  Boston since they would then need to find another centerfielder.
  • Olney speculates that the Red Sox could use their young pitching to engage a third team in a trade, mentioning that Matt LaPorta, Shin-Soo Choo and Corey Hart could be a good fit.
  • Boston could eat some of the money left on Julio Lugo's deal to give Atlanta a stop-gap shortstop should they deal Escobar.
  • The Red Sox are not interested in Jeff Francoeur.
  • If Milwaukee and Atlanta discussed a Vazquez-Hart swap, the Brewers would likely have to kick in another piece.
  • The Twins could offer one of their many outfielders in exchange for Escobar. Delmon Young might not be enough to entice the Braves, but Michael Cuddyer or Denard Span could be.
  • The Dodgers would love to add Vazquez to their rotation, but Juan Pierre probably wouldn't be enough given his lack of power.
  • The A's could package Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera, both free agents after the season, for Escobar, who would step in as Oakland's shortstop of the future.

Odds And Ends: Dodgers, Chapman, Kepler

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Some more links as we count down to the big weekend…

  • Diamond Leung reports that the Dodgers traded minor-league pitcher Stephen Randolph to the Royals. Randolph, who was named in the Mitchell Report, pitched well as a starter in Triple A this month.
  • Aroldis Chapman's whereabouts remain unknown, according to ESPN.com.
  • Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says "Clint Hurdle would not have fallen on his sword had the 'pen been mighty under his watch." Or, in less poetic terms, the Rockies have an improved bullpen.
  • Signees from the Dominican Republic will now have to take DNA tests to prove their identity before leaving the country, according to Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus.
  • As ESPN.com's Keith Law reports, the Twins have agreed to sign German catcher Max Kepler for an undisclosed amount.

Twins Interested In Pirates Players

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11:52am: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates and Twins are not discussing Sanchez.

9:11am: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Twins are interested in a trio of Pirates: Freddy Sanchez, Matt Capps and John Grabow. Twins GM Bill Smith did not discuss specifics, but he confirmed that he's open to making deals.

"We still need to make this club better, whether that comes from the minor leagues or outside the organization," Smith said. "We're still looking to do that."

As Morosi says, the Pirates have already been aggressive sellers, dealing Nate McLouth and Eric Hinske. And the sale isn't about to end according to one of Morosi's sources who says the Pirates "are talking to everyone."

The Twins, who have been reluctant to take on salary, would have to get creative or change their stance to add Sanchez, who makes $6.1MM this year and will likely make $8MM in 2010. Grabow, a free agent after the season, would likely be easier to acquire than Capps, who's under team control through 2012.

Marlins To Sign Luis Ayala

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According to John C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins have agreed to terms with Luis Ayala.

That didn't take long.  Ayala was designated for assignment on June 23 and released this afternoon by the Twins.  The 31-year-old right-hander allowed eight walks and 38 hits (including four home runs) in just over 32 innings with Minnesota.  He'll spend a few outings at Triple-A New Orleans before joining the Fish.

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