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Rangers Not Interested In Beltran, K-Rod

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TUESDAY, 7:50am: "I can't believe that we have an interest in either," remarked Rangers president Nolan Ryan on Galloway and Company yesterday. Ryan doesn't see K-Rod as an upgrade to his bullpen, and he's worried about Beltran's health and salary.

MONDAY, 12:37pm: The Rangers are interested in Mets veterans Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.

Beltran and the Rangers are not an obvious match, since Texas is set at the outfield corners with Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz.  Of course, there are ways to make it work, as Hamilton and Beltran are capable of playing center field.  Plus, Hamilton and Cruz are not locks to avoid the DL from here on out.  The 34-year-old Beltran is hitting .278/.372/.480 with 10 home runs in 317 plate appearances on the season, in what is likely to become his healthiest season since '08.  Beltran's $18.5MM salary and full no-trade clause, as well as the Mets' status as wild card contenders, could be obstacles in a trade.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, has an 8.18 ERA in 11 games this month.  He's 26 games finished away from having his $17.5MM option for 2012 vest.  That target could be down to 15 or so by the trade deadline, so it's safer to trade K-Rod now.  Though a trade would be a clear manipulation of his vesting option, the closer appears open to waiving his no-trade protection.  Even teams with established closers would take on risk in acquiring Rodriguez, since he could be thrust back into the ninth inning if the incumbent stopper is injured.  A trade agreement might have to address such a scenario.  And don't forget, Rodriguez earns a hefty $11.5MM this year. 

The Rangers and other teams seeking relief help have plenty of options beyond K-Rod and all his baggage.  The Rangers have more trade chips than anybody, in the opinion of one scout who spoke to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). 

New York Notes: Crosstown Trades, Osuna, Reyes

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The Yankees own the best record in the American League and a half-game lead in the AL East over the Red Sox.  The Mets are at .500 and sit 4.5 games out in the wild card race.  The latest on New York's teams…

NL East Notes: Mets, Fish, Phillies, Johnson

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A roundup of NL East-centric links for those who are so inclined…

  • Steve Popper of NorthJersey.com writes that it's time for the Mets to begin dealing, as pieces like Jose Reyes, and especially Carlos Beltran, can only lose value from here.
  • Bobby Valentine and Ozzie Guillen top Marlins' owner Jeffery Loria's list of preferred managerial candidates, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.
  • As the Phillies and Red Sox get set to square off this week, the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo takes a look at some of the high points (rotation, bullpen) and low points (right-handed hitting, plate discipline) for the Phillies. He names Josh Willingham and Beltran as logical targets for the Phils this July, though notes that their payroll constraints may not allow it.
  • Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says (via Twitter) that he believes Davey Johnson will be managing the Nationals in 2012.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that former bench coach and current interim manager John McLaren will be a scout for the Nationals after Johnson takes over. Today is McLaren's last game in uniform.

Giants Notes: Ellis, Reyes, Catching Search

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The Giants enter today's action riding a four-game winning streak and holding a half-game lead over the Diamondbacks in the NL West. Despite sitting atop the division, the team is looking for opportunities to upgrade. The Giants' search for catching help has them eyeing Yorvit Torrealba, and catcher isn't the only position where the club could use some help. Here are the latest updates on some of the Giants' trade possibilities:

  • Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe confirms a previous report, writing that Mark Ellis probably won't be headed across the Bay. "We need RBI bats. That's what we're looking for right now," one Giants official said in shooting down the possibility of acquiring Ellis.
  • A deal that sends Jose Reyes to San Francisco is looking increasingly like a long shot, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Even if the Mets decide to move Reyes, the Giants would be very reluctant to part with the prospects and pay the salary necessary to complete a trade.
  • Within the same piece, Rosenthal quotes a Giants official's response when asked if the club would like to find a more offensively-inclined catcher than their current options: "Name me one (available) catcher hitting over .250."

Davidoff On Padres, Bell, Yankees, Reyes

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In his Baseball Insider piece this week, Newsday's Ken Davidoff points out that the July 31st trade deadline often seems to "run through" a particular team that has the most pieces to sell. It seemed as if the Mets could be that team this year, but they may hang on to Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes if they have even a slim chance of making the playoffs. Instead, San Diego may be this year's biggest seller, with Heath Bell, Ryan Ludwick, Chad Qualls, and Aaron Harang among its potentially available players. Here are Davidoff's other notes:

  • The Yankees have called the Padres about Bell, but haven't been as aggressive as other clubs who would use Bell to close games.
  • The Yanks are more inclined to wait on the trade market anyway. By July 31st, the team will have a better idea of what injured players like Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes, and Rafael Soriano will contribute in the second half.
  • According to Reyes' agent, Peter Greenberg, the shortstop seriously considered listening to the Mets' contract offer before deciding not to negotiate during the season.

Giants Have Shown Interest In Yorvit Torrealba

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The Giants have scored the fewest runs in baseball in part due to Buster Posey's season-ending injury, so it's not surprising that both Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports are reporting that a catcher upgrade is the team's focus right now. They've specifically shown interest in Rangers' backstop Yorvit Torrealba, who started his career in San Francisco.

There are two significant roadblocks to a deal according to the FOX scribes. First, Texas can not seriously consider moving Torrealba until Mike Napoli comes off the disabled list, at the very least. Secondly, the Giants are reluctant to pay the $3.25MM he's owned next season. The Rangers would want a bullpen arm in return, but San Francisco is hesitant to part with any of their relievers other than Guillermo Mota.

Rosenthal and Morosi say that Ivan Rodriguez, Ronny Paulino, and Ramon Hernandez have also been discussed internally by the Giants. The Reds are unikely to part with Hernandez even though Ryan Hanigan gets the majority of the playing time behind the plate.

Olney’s Latest: Cashman, K-Rod, Rays, Managers

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney spoke to executives that believe this will be Brian Cashman's last season as Yankees GM. His contract expires after the season, and it could just be a simple case of burnout. "I think maybe he's finally had it," said one GM. "That's a job that will take a lot out of you." Olney cites Cashman's recent stretch of brutal and uncharacteristic honestly as evidence, but also notes that there have been three other instances in which he's looked ready to leave, only to end up staying on three-year deals.

Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…

  • A rival team official believes the Mets need to trade Francisco Rodriguez soon to keep his vesting option from becoming a problem. He's at 28 games finished now (needs 55 to vest a $17.5MM salary for next year), and the longer they keep him the less flexibility a team will have after acquiring him.
  • The Rays have "sent signals that they're open for business" and are prepared to take offers according to rival executives. Olney notes that their tradeable pieces include Kyle Farnsworth and B.J. Upton.
  • One GM told Olney that one position within the game without many young up-and-coming prospects is manager (Twitter link). That's why 80-year-old Jack McKeon and 68-year-old Davey Johnson landed jobs in the last week.

Cardinals Notes: Reyes, Reifer, Samuel, Brown

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Let's check out a couple of notes on the Cardinals as they take on the Blue Jays at home..    

  • Roger Hensley of STLToday.com led a roundtable discussion on the idea of the Cardinals pursuing Mets shortstop Jose Reyes.  Derrick Goold argues that such a deal is not realistic because the Mets are looking for a haul similar to what the Athletics were seeking for Matt Holliday.  Most agree with Goold's view and are also doubtful that the club could afford to keep Reyes beyond this season.
  • The club now finds themselves with a logjam on the 40-man roster, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  The Cards could put reliever Adam Reifer, who is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, on the 60-day DL, but doing so would put him on the major-league payroll and start his service time clock.  They could also drop Francisco Samuel or Andrew Brown, but they would risk losing them to another team.  With five weeks to go before the non-waiver trade deadline, it appears that the Cardinals are shopping and their moves will reach deeper than the majors.

K-Rod Would Consider Trades To Yankees, Rays

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6:06PM: Rodriguez described himself as "irritated" about the story describing his interest in a trade to the Yankees, tweets Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger.  The closer reiterated that he wants to stay with the Mets.

8:13AM: Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News that he would consider accepting a trade to a contending team like the Yankees, even if it meant setting up rather than closing. Rodriguez says he’d “love to stay” put, but understands that the Mets may approach him about waiving the no-trade protection that allows him to block deals to ten teams.

"If I am going to be traded, obviously I want the opportunity to close out games, but if it's going to be good teams like the Yankees or the Rays, and it's going to be for two months, I can go out there and help them out," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez’s contract includes a $17.5MM option for 2012 that will vest if the right-hander finishes 55 games. He has finished 28 games, which puts him on a pace to finish 60. However, if a team with an established closer were to acquire Rodriguez, he would stop finishing games as frequently and the option might not kick in.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said this week that he’s open to making trades with the Mets, though such deals are by no means easy. The Yankees are looking for a setup man who can restore depth to the team’s depleted ‘pen.

Quick Hits: Nationals, Padres, Drew, Quade

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Some notes from around the majors….

  • ESPN's Buster Olney is "85-95%" confident that Davey Johnson will be the next Nationals manager.  Johnson is currently an advisor with the Nats and hasn't managed since 2000.  SI.com's Jon Heyman says Johnson is "in the mix" and might take the job if offered but "he loves [Jim] Riggleman and is sensitive to [the] situation" concerning Riggleman's abrupt departure.  (All Twitter links)
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also chimes in on the Nationals' managerial situation, noting that while Riggleman was wrong to leave the team, it was also unfair of Nationals management to leave Riggleman as a lame duck without a guaranteed 2012 contract.  Rosenthal also reports that GM Mike Rizzo rarely communicated with Riggleman and has a similar lack of regular contact with his scouting department.
  • “Given the division, if we were to get real hot over the next two weeks, a final decision might be delayed a week or two,” a Padres executive tells Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune about when the Friars will start looking to trade players. “But the day is coming.”  Center figures Heath Bell, Ryan Ludwick and Chad Qualls are all sure bets to be dealt.  Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson may stay put, however, since San Diego has no Major League-ready middle infield replacements in the farm system.  Such a young player could possibly come back in any deal for one of those two veterans, but if you're a team with a good young middle infielder, you'd probably want to keep that player rather than move him for a Hudson or a Bartlett.
  • Jed Hoyer says "nothing is imminent" and "the only thing that’s true [about various Padres rumors] is that people call us," reports Marty Caswell of XX1090 Radio in San Diego.  (Twitter link)
  • With David Wright cleared to resume baseball activities, ESPN New York's Rob Parker hopes the Mets won't abandon a much-needed rebuilding plan in pursuit of a longshot chance at the postseason.
  • ESPN Boston's Jeremy Lundblad looks at J.D. Drew's struggles this season.  With Drew and Mike Cameron providing a negative WAR, Lundblad argues the Red Sox will need to look for right field help, whether it's via trade or an internal option like Josh Reddick or Ryan Kalish.
  • The Cubs will have to go on a tear in the second half of the season in order to save Mike Quade's job, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  Even this might not be enough, since if GM Jim Hendry goes, so will Quade.
  • In an appearance on Jim Rome's radio show on Wednesday (via Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post), Todd Helton said he thinks the Rockies need another quality starter to be World Series contenders.  Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd recently stated his team might be in the market for pitching.
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