Stark’s Latest: Brewers, Ruggiano, Young, Storen
ESPN's Jayson Stark quotes a number of executives who feel the trade deadline has lost its luster since many teams have locked up their top young players, teams are reluctant to acquire rental players who carry no draft pick compensation as free agents, and the second wild card has narrowed the market of outright sellers to just a few teams. That said, Stark still has lots of hot stove items for us in his latest Rumblings & Grumblings column…
- Ryan Braun's suspension could drastically change the Brewers' perspective on trading some veteran stars. While Francisco Rodriguez was indeed traded just a day after Braun's suspension was announced, Stark hears that the Brewers are asking for a lot in deals. "One of the problems with dealing with Milwaukee is that [their] trade for [Jean] Segura last year was so one-sided that they want another tilted deal. Not going to happen," an AL executive said.
- The price for Kyle Lohse, for instance, involves the price of a first-round pick. The Crew gave up as first-rounder as compensation for signing Lohse as a free agent in the spring.
- Three scouts who have recently seen Yovani Gallardo say he's been pitching like a fourth or fifth starter. Gallardo in his prime was "close to an ace. [But] lots of pitches on that arm from then to now. He can really pitch, but his stuff [has gone] way back," one scout said. Gallardo has a 4.58 ERA and a career-worst 7.2 K/9 in 21 starts this season, plus he's lost two miles of velocity off his fastball.
- We'd heard that the Yankees and Rangers had checked in on Marlins outfielder Justin Ruggiano, and Stark adds the Phillies and Giants to the list of a half-dozen interested teams. The Marlins weren't too keen on dealing Ruggiano but he could be expendable now that Christian Yellich and Jake Marisnick have been called up.
- The Phillies' next five games "will determine Michael Young's fate more than anyone else on their roster," said one executive who has talked to the club. Young is seen as "pretty much a lock" to be dealt if the Phils struggle during their road trip through St. Louis and Detroit this week. The Phillies dropped a 4-1 result to the Cardinals last night.
- Jonathan Papelbon hasn't been made available by the Phillies but even if he was, one AL executive thinks Papelbon's contract makes him "practically untradable."
- Stark thinks the Phillies and Marlins are good trade partners on paper since the Phils could use Ruggiano or any of Miami's good relievers. The Marlins aren't willing to move anyone unless they get a great offer, however, and the Phillies aren't willing to move any of their top prospects to facilitate a deal.
- The Nationals could listen on a good offer for Drew Storen, the former first-round pick who is struggling through a tough year. The Nats are in a tough spot trade-wise, however, since the team is largely set at every position yet are still in need of hitting.
- Alex Rios' long slump has lowered his trade value and the White Sox will be hard-pressed to find a team to meet their asking price for the right fielder. The Rangers still have some interest in Rios, as they're looking for an outfielder that can be controlled beyond this season.
- The Red Sox are seen as very likely to add pitching before the deadline. Boston has been linked to Jake Peavy and were interested in Francisco Rodriguez before the Orioles got him.
- The Braves have targeted Oliver Perez and Charlie Furbush of the Mariners, Scott Downs of the Angels, Mike Dunn of the Marlins and James Russell of the Cubs in their search for left-handed relief pitching. While Atlanta has been looking at these names and others, however, Stark says the team isn't close to a deal.
- In regards to the Biogenesis scandal, Stark hears from an attorney who believes "virtually every case will be settled by a plea deal. You're going to see a lot of pleas. You're going to see a lot of deals."
Cubs Notes: Soriano, Epstein, Adams, Samardzija
The Cubs dealt Matt Garza yesterday and are exploring a deal to send Alfonso Soriano to the Yankees, though that trade is far from complete (if it happens at all). Here's the latest from Wrigley Field…
- The Garza negotiations were "pretty all-consuming" for the organization, Theo Epstein told reporters (including Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune). With that deal now settled, Epstein said his team "can focus on some other things that we thought would happen closer to the deadline."
- Epstein tells reporters (including MLB.com's Carrie Muskat) that the Yankees aren't the only team who have called about Soriano.
- A "large gap" exists between the Cubs and Yankees about Soriano's value, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets. The two teams are also far apart in determining how the $24.9MM remaining on Soriano's contract will be split up.
- CBS Sports' Jon Heyman believes the Cubs will end up paying more than half of Soriano's remaining salary and that a Soriano-to-New York deal "simply makes too much sense" for either side to balk.
- The Cubs have shown interest in Yankees third baseman David Adams in the past, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter link), though Sherman isn't sure if Adams' name has come up in the Soriano trade talks.
- Jeff Samardzija tells Carrie Muskat that he hasn't thought much about a long-term extension with the Cubs. "I haven't had too many talks with my agent outside of bill paying and insurance paying and taxes, which are always the most fun conversations. We'll see what happens in the offseason," Samardzija said. The right-hander is controlled through the 2015 season and has two remaining years of arbitration eligibility. The two sides discussed an extension in the offseason but not much progress was made.
AL East Notes: Anthopoulos, Sternberg, Rios, Orioles
The Orioles paid a steep price to acquire Francisco Rodriguez from the Brewers, ESPN's Keith Law opines, (Insider subscription required), given that Rodriguez will be a free agent this offseason. The busy marketplace for relief pitching could be a boon to another AL East club if they decided to become sellers; "if a two-month rental of K-Rod gets a mid-level prospect, the Jays should shop Brett Cecil and Steve Delabar," Law tweets.
Here's the latest from around the AL East…
- Speaking of the Blue Jays, GM Alex Anthopoulos predicts a "quiet" trade deadline for his struggling team, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reports (Twitter links). The Jays are looking for players who are controlled beyond the 2013 season and not just rental players. "From our standpoint, we’re having dialogue….I really don’t see us doing anything," Anthopoulos said.
- The Rays are also likely to have a pretty uneventful deadline period, principal owner Stuart Sternberg told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) though they're always open to making moves.
- Jim Hendry, special assistant to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, attended tonight's Tigers/White Sox game, according to Meghan Montemurro of the Northwest Herald. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune speculates that the Yankees could be interested in Alex Rios as a backup plan if they fail to acquire Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs (both links are to Twitter).
- The Orioles may need to make some tough choices given the number of key players whose contracts are soon up, CSN Baltimore's Rich Dubroff writes. Players like Chris Davis, Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy and Jim Johnson are only under contract through 2015 at the latest and Nate McLouth, Scott Feldman and Jason Hammel are set for free agency this winter.
- In other AL East news from earlier today….Dustin Pedroia agreed to a seven-year extension with the Red Sox, the baseball punditry weighed in on the Pedroia extension, we compiled a series of Red Sox notes, Alex Rodriguez plans to fight any possible PED suspension and the Yankees and Cubs continue to discuss a deal for Soriano.
A-Rod Plans To Appeal Possible PED Suspension
While Ryan Braun accepted a 65-game suspension from the league for his part in the Biogenesis scandal, Alex Rodriguez currently has no plans to make any such deals and will appeal any PED-related suspension the league may level against him, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports.
Rodriguez reportedly doesn't believe his case is comparable to Braun's, and Major League Baseball may agree in the sense that they're pursuing a lengthier suspension for the Yankee third baseman. Nightengale hears from a source that the league is looking to suspend Rodriguez for at least 100 games due to his longer history with PEDs and his part in the Biogenesis case, including a possible charge that Rodriguez tried to destroy evidence.
A 100-game suspension could cost Rodriguez roughly $21MM in salary. HIs return to the field in 2013 is in question due to both injuries and the possibility that the Yankees simply want nothing more to do with the controversial slugger. The Yankees could also potentially recoup 80% of Rodriguez's remaining salary through insurance policies if he is physically unable to play.
Yankees, Cubs Have Talked Soriano
6:39pm: Soriano tells reporters that the Cubs contacted his agent to tell him that the Yankees had interest, but since no deal is close, there has been no discussion of waiving his no-trade clause. Soriano hasn't spoken directly to the Cubs front office and is "open to anything" trade-wise, though he wants to make sure he'll still be able to play every day on a potential new team (all links are to the Twitter feed of Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times). The Yankees are the only team that has made contract with Soriano's agent, so they may be his only trade option (via Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune).
1:48pm: In an interview with Mike Ferrin and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio (audio link), Cubs GM Jed Hoyer called reports of a deal being near "very premature." Hoyer adds that there is "nothing close at all."
The Cubs have discussed Soriano with multiple teams, and Hoyer and Epstein plan to fly to Arizona to speak with the outfielder in order to gauge his interest in the teams that have inquired about him.
10:31am: A Cubs source tells Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that the two sides are indeed negotiating a Soriano trade, but a deal is not close at this time. The conversations to this point have been closer to preliminary, according to Sullivan, though he notes that both sides appear motivated to get something worked out.
8:11am: The Cubs scouted 24-year-old Triple-A right-hander Chase Whitley over the weekend, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Whitley has a 3.52 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 38 1/3 innings this season.
Sherman adds that right-handed relief is one area where the Yankees feel they're deep in young. In addition to Whitley, they have Preston Claiborne and Shawn Kelley at the Major League level and prospects Dellin Betances, Danny Burawa and Tommy Kahnle on the way.
7:47am: The Cubs likely consulted with Soriano before engaging in serious discussions with the Yankees, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal adds that Soriano recently told FOX Sports that he would accept the right deal to the right team. His article also has quotes of high praise from teammate David DeJesus and manager Dale Sveum about the 37-year-old Soriano's work ethic.
1:10am: The Yankees and Cubs are nearing a deal that would send Alfonso Soriano to the New York, according to George A. King III of the New York Post. Soriano is owed roughly $24.9MM over the remainder of his contract (roughly $6.9MM in 2013 and $18MM in 2014), and King reports that the Cubs would pick up the majority of the remaining tab in exchange for a mid-level prospect.
Soriano, 37, would be joining the team with which he broke into the Major Leagues back in 1999. The Dominican native played with the Bombers from 1999-2003 before being traded to the Rangers along with Joaquin Arias for Alex Rodriguez. In 378 plate appearances for the Cubs this season, Soriano is batting .256/.286/.471 with 17 home runs.
Soriano, of course, would have to waive the same no-trade clause that he enacted a year ago when the Cubs attempted to trade him to the Giants. Cubs president Theo Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer have been exceptionally busy of late, with the Cubs trading Matt Garza to the Rangers earlier today. They also traded Scott Hairston to the Nationals and Scott Feldman to the Orioles earlier this month.
Minor Moves: Hernandez, Gonzalez, Moskos
Here is Tuesday's rundown of minor moves from around the league…
- The Royals acquired outfielder Gorkys Hernandez from the Marlins yesterday in exchange for shortstop Alex McClure, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Hernandez, 25, is a former top prospect and has hit .275/.330/.375 for Triple-A New Orleans this season — numbers that are almost identical to his career marks at the Triple-A level. The 24-year-old McClure has hit just .219/.257/.267 in 274 minor league plate appearances this season.
- Infielder Alberto Gonzalez has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A by the Yankees, according to the International League's transactions page. Gonzalez was designated for assignment over the weekend after hitting just .176/.176/.206 for the Yankees in 34 plate appearances.
- Left-hander Daniel Moskos has signed to play with the EDA Rhinos in Taiwan, according to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com (Twitter link). The former No. 4 overall selection in the draft was released by the White Sox a month ago and will now join the same team which Manny Ramirez played for earlier this season. Moskos, 27, has a career 4.43 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 439 minor league innings.
- Six players are currently in DFA limbo: Carlos Pena and Ronny Cedeno of the Astros, Brendan Harris of the Angels, Chris Dickerson of the Orioles, J.C. Gutierrez of the Royals and Chris Heston of the Giants.
Reactions To Ryan Braun’s Suspension
Earlier today, Major League Baseball announced that Ryan Braun has accepted a suspension for the remainder of the season (65 games) in lieu of filing an appeal following his connection to the Biogenesis PED scandal. This comes on the heels of Braun adamantly denying his use of performance enhancing drugs for nearly two years. Braun's situation will be one of the hottest topics in baseball in the coming days, and the chatter has already started.
Here are some of the reactions from media members and other players…
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweets that Braun's teammates are glad that he was suspended and angry that they were lied to.
- Passan also tweeted that Braun's suspension will serve as a baseline for Alex Rodriguez's coming suspension. One source Passan spoke to said that A-Rod's suspension will be significantly longer.
- MLB could push for a 150-game suspension for Rodriguez, if it can prove multiple violations before and after interviews denying involvement with PEDs, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. He goes on to note that a 150-game suspension for a soon-to-be 38-year-old with two bad hips could put his career in jeopardy. As many as 15 more players could be facing suspensions in the coming weeks, Heyman adds.
- Heyman's colleague Scott Miller writes that Braun's apology today was weak and didn't come close to addressing all of the parties who needed to be addressed. Miller writes that Braun needs to apologize first and foremost to Dino Laurenzi Jr., the collector who Braun called into question following his initial positive test following his 2011 MVP campaign.
- ESPN's Buster Olney agrees that Braun's apologies have only just begun. He writes that the Brewers signed Braun to be the Cal Ripken of their franchise and instead watched him turn into the Lance Armstrong of Major League Baseball.
- White Sox reliever Jesse Crain told Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago that he is happy to see Braun suspended for using performance enhancing drugs. Jake Peavy, a close friend of Braun, told Hayes that he was surprised by the news and finds it amazing that anyone could try to get away with using PEDs given the testing in today's game.
- Dave Cameron of Fangraphs writes that suspending Braun for the remainder of a season in which the Brewers are 19 games out of first place is akin to pinch-hitting for him in a blowout game. The loss of Braun won't affect the Brewers' season this year and could even lead to a better draft pick for them in 2014. Cameron wouldn't be surprised to see other non-contenders with Biogenesis-connected players push them to take their suspensions without an appeal.
Quick Hits: Soriano, Nationals, Angels, K-Rod
Alfonso Soriano of the Cubs is on the Yankees' radar as a possible trade target, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. If any deal were to take place, though, it might not happen in July, since the $25MM remaining on Soriano's contract means he's sure to pass through waivers in August. Soriano has a full no-trade clause, but says he will consider a trade to a contending team. Wittenmyer writes that the Yankees view another Cubs outfielder, Nate Schierholtz, as more of a platoon type.
- The Nationals shouldn't be buyers at the trade deadline, the Washington Post's Thomas Boswell writes. The Nats are now 48-50, and are now seven games back of the Braves in the NL East, as well as seven games back of the Reds for the second Wild Card. Boswell points out that their chance of making the playoffs is less than 20 percent, and for a team in that position, the value of a rental player like Matt Garza or Ervin Santana is questionable. Boswell argues that even if the Nats acquire a player who is also under contract for 2014, like Jake Peavy or Yovani Gallardo, they need to do so mostly because those players can help next year, not because they can help down the stretch this season.
- The Angels are now ten games back of the Athletics in the AL West, and it looks like they should sell at the trade deadline, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi tweets. (Note that Morosi isn't predicting the Angels will sell, only saying that they should.) If the Angels were to sell, Erick Aybar and Scott Downs are two players they could trade, Morosi writes. Aybar is in the first year of a four-year, $35MM deal, and he's hitting .287/.305/.388 as the Angels' starting shortstop. Downs, who is in the last year of a three-year, $15MM contract, has a 1.32 ERA, albeit with a more pedestrian 6.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.
- The Dodgers have heavily scouted Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez recently, Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports. Milwaukee also has two other veteran relievers in Mike Gonzalez and John Axford, and Knobler notes that the Tigers and Red Sox have also been scouting the Brewers. Still, the Brewers might opt not to trade any of their relievers before the deadline.
- The Yankees have signed left-handed pitcher Artur Strzalka, Mike Axisa of River Ave Blues notes (via Baseball America's Matt Eddy). Strzalka is the first born-and-raised Polish player ever to sign with a Major League team. As Axisa notes, one likely purpose of this signing is to help the Yankees establish themselves as bidders for talent in a new part of the world.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Hafner, Rays
If the Yankees don't acquire a hitter before the July 31st trade deadline, it won't necessarily be for a lack of trying. "The phone calls are taking place, but nothing to show for it,” Cashman said. “I think if you’re looking for offense, Exhibit A is, name me the bat that’s moved already? It hasn’t. Exhibit B is, look at all the big rumors out there – they’re involving pitchers … It’s just an offensive offense market." Here's the latest on the Yankees and other news out of the AL East..
- Travis Hafner's inability to play the field could result in his release from the Yankees, explains Joel Sherman of the New York Post. When/if Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez return to action, they'll need the respite of playing DH more than ever. Hafner could save his job if he picks things up, but he hasn't hit with much power lately.
- Rays team president Matt Silverman isn't a huge fan of MLB's competitive balance lottery, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "The competitive balance lottery is a lot more lottery and a lot less competitive balance," Silverman said. "Perhaps one day these picks will make strides against the imbalance in our game. For now it is about competitive balance in name only." The Rays got a Round B pick in the inaugural lottery (after Round 2) rather than the preferred Round A (after Round 1).
- While the Yankees would like to count on an in-house boost rather than give something up via trade, they have to accept that guys like Jeter and Rodriguez are basically day-to-day for the rest of their careers and cannot plan to have them next week, next month, or next year, Sherman writes.
AL Central Notes: Peavy, White Sox, K-Rod
Here's the latest out of the AL central…
- The White Sox's Jake Peavy may be the top name on the trade market now that he's returned from the DL, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says. Up until now, most of the market's attention seems to have been on another Chicago hurler, the Cubs' Matt Garza, but a survey of GMs and assistant GMs favored Peavy, Heyman writes. Executives say they like Peavy's extra year of club control – allowing a club to extend a qualifying offer, which won't be an option for the team that acquires Garza – and overall appeared to be "pretty enamored" of the Chicago righty. "Peavy has been better than Garza except for lately and he has done it in a hitter's park in the American League," an NL GM said. "Garza's better for 2013, but I think Peavy has more overall value."
- Scouts from the Blue Jays, the Red Sox, the Yankees, the Orioles and the Diamondbacks were on hand for the White Sox's matchup with the Braves today, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets. However, not all were there to watch Peavy, who started for the White Sox and went six innings, striking out three and walking none. Rosenthal says Yankees scouts were in attendance merely as a part of the team's normal coverage, while the Diamondbacks aren't in on the righty.
- The Tigers hope to be the team that ends up with the Brewers' Francisco Rodriguez when the trade deadline passes, ESPN's Buster Olney reports (Twitter link). K-Rod appears to make the most sense for Detroit and Boston, Olney tweets, as he has experience in the ninth inning but can pitch in any role and any market.