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AL East Notes: Hardy, A-Rod, Millwood

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Here are a few items of note coming out of the American League East. The Red Sox own a one-game lead over the Yankees in that tightly contested division as we hit the Midsummer Classic …

Cafardo’s Latest: Bell, Kazmir, Kendall, Aramis

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Heath Bell's name has been near the top of this season's list of trade candidates for months, and in this week's Sunday Baseball Notes, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe adds a new potential suitor to the mix. According to Cafardo's source, the Rays are interested in the Padres' closer, but will have to determine over the next couple weeks whether they have "enough firepower" to go all out to catch the Red Sox and Yankees. Here are a few other highlights from Cafardo:

  • The Yankees, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Phillies are a few other teams monitoring Bell.
  • While there hasn't been a whole lot of interest in Scott Kazmir, the Padres and Rangers have "taken a look."
  • Jason Kendall, who hasn't played this year as he recovers from shoulder surgery, has re-torn two rotator cuff tendons. Kendall will undergo additional surgery, possibly ending his career. Royals manager Ned Yost on the procedure: "That takes him out of the picture for this year and out of the picture for next year…. I think it’s more a quality-of-life surgery so he can have function in his shoulder."
  • The Angels appear to be the team most interested in Aramis Ramirez, though Cafardo names the Mariners, Giants, Braves, and D'Backs as other clubs who could look into the Cubs' third baseman. Of course, Ramirez's agent said earlier this week that his client likely won't waive his no-trade clause, so inquires may be futile.

Quick Hits: Yankees, Riggleman, Fernandez, Orioles

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Congratulations to Derek Jeter on career hit No. 3,000.  Here are some Quick Hits for Saturday afternoon..

  • ESPN's Buster Olney says that rumors are swirling about a managerial change for the White Sox, but a high-ranking source says a change is not being considered and Ozzie Guillen is safe (Twitter link). The ChiSox won today, but had lost four in a row and five of six before that.
  • Alex Rodriguez may need knee surgery that could keep him out a month, and Joel Sherman of The New York Post hears that the Yankees will consider outside options to fill in at third base (Twitter link). Their first choice is to use in-house candidates Eduardo Nunez and Brandon Laird.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that Jim Riggleman has a job interview for an unknown position with the Giants next week. Riggleman resigned as Nationals manager last month.
  • The Marlins are not close to signing first-round pick Jose Fernandez, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.  The 14th overall selection is seeking a deal close to $4MM while the Fish offered just $1.6MM.
  • The Orioles are confident that they will be able to sign top pick pitcher Dylan Bundy, but they also expect that negotiations will go down to the mid-August deadline, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com.
  • The Cubs are likely to pass on requests for starting pitchers Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Garza, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • We learned yesterday that Brian Gordon is Korea-bound, and now there are rumblings that Chris Bootcheck is as well, tweets Patrick Newman of NPBTracker.com.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Yankees, Ubaldo, Jays

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, so let's recap…

  • Two GMs tell Rosenthal that the Yankees are more worried about Mariano Rivera's nagging triceps injury than they're letting on. If true, they could increase their efforts to acquire a setup man, though they're hopeful Rafael Soriano will be back from his elbow injury soon after the All-Star break.
  • The Mets have called the Yankees and offered Francisco Rodriguez according to one source, but they're only interested if the Mets call them at the deadline and offer K-Rod at a minimal price.
  • The starting pitching market could soon heat up. The Rockies are getting calls about Ubaldo Jimenez and several other players, though they're not shopping their ace right-hander. Rosenthal says they'll listen on anyone besides Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Jimenez is under contract through 2014 (though he can void that option if traded) and could return a significant package of the players, so the team would give a trade serious consideration.
  • Don't be surprised if the Marlins listen on Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. Florida will try to get back into contention, though they'll likely entertain offers for both pitchers if that doesn't happen. Nolasco is under contract though 2013, Sanchez under team control through 2012.
  • The Blue Jays offer perhaps the best value on the bullpen market. Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel, and Jon Rauch aren't in the same class as Heath Bell, though all three could pitch better outside of the AL East and have club options for 2012. They all figure to qualify as Type-B free agents as well.

16 Players Receive All-Star Bonuses

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The All-Star Game is fun for fans, but for many players it means another payday. Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball has the list of 15 players receiving bonuses for making the game, led by Derek Jeter's $500K bonus. Carlos Beltran and Tim Lincecum both pulled in six figures as well ($100K each). Curtis Granderson will receive a $25K bonus, but the All-Star Game nod triggers a clause in his contract that increases his 2013 club option from $13MM to $13.5MM. There are more escalators that could raise the value of the option to $15MM.

Howie Kendrick was not listed by Brown but also received a $50K All-Star Game bonus, MLBTR has learned. Several pitchers will have to be replaced on the rosters because they're scheduled to pitch Sunday, which makes them ineligible for the game. That could mean even more bonus money gets handed out.

Olney’s Latest: Choate, Bell, Isringhausen, K-Rod

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney notes that while the market for right-handed relief pitching is bountiful, the market for lefties is pretty thin. The Nationals will talk about Sean Burnett but the Cubs will not discuss Sean Marshall, though one southpaw to keep an eye on is Randy Choate. Olney says the Yankees have already asked the Marlins about his availability.

Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…

  • The Padres are unlikely to trade Heath Bell to the Diamondbacks even though the latter would love to have him. Padres owner Jeff Moorad used to run the D'Backs.
  • "The key guys this time of year really aren't the general managers," said one GM. "The owners are the key guys. Because they'll decide whether to add payroll, and when to raise the white flag on the season."
  • Jason Isringhausen of the Mets is "destined to draw a whole lot interest" because he's cheap and experienced. A handful of GMs feel that a Francisco Rodriguez trade is "all but impossible" because of his vesting option.
  • Teams have received their preliminary 2012 schedule, and the chances of realignment dwindle with each passing day.
  • Labor negotiations are progressing as scheduled, though recent buzz that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement could be announced at the All-Star Game has been dismissed.

Quick Hits: Beltran, Giants, Brewers, Gordon

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Friday night linkage..

  • Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran hinted that he would waive his no-trade clause to play for the Giants, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).  Beltran also said that the Mets might want to keep him now that they're playing better (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers will be looking for infield depth in the trade market in addition to relief pitchers, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
  • The Yankees have sold Brian Gordon's rights to the SK Wyverns of the Korean Professional League for cash considerations, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. 
  • For a Carlos Beltran trade to happen, the Mets would probably have to eat $5-7MM of his contract and take back a B-minus/C-plus prospect back in return, Olney tweets.

New York Notes: Rodriguez, Burnett, Budgell

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The latest from New York, where Derek Jeter will attempt to reach the 3,000 hit plateau against the Rays tonight. The Yankees' captain is two hits away from reaching the milestone…

  • Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez met with Scott Boras and two of the agent’s associates both before and after yesterday’s game against the Dodgers, according to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. Other agents have also contacted Rodriguez, who is currently represented by Paul Kinzer of Wasserman Media Group, as MLBTR’s Agency Database shows.
  • Kinzer called Rodriguez's meetings with Boras "a sad part of the business," according to Costa (Twitter link).
  • Rodriguez will not become a free agent if he completes 55 games and his $17.5MM option for 2012 vests. Otherwise, he’ll receive a $3.5MM buyout and hit the open market this offseason.
  • The Yankees appear to have interest in Sean Burnett, but ESPN.com's Buster Olney cautions that the Yankees were simply doing their regular scouting when they saw the Nationals left-hander pitch recently (Twitter link).
  • The Mets signed tenth round pick Matthew Budgell, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). Jim Callis of Baseball America notes that the high schooler obtained an over-slot bonus of $225K (Twitter link).

Rosenthal On Braves, Yankees, Royals

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Though some teams are still in the process of deciding whether to buy, sell or hold, others are developing a clear sense of what moves they intend to make this month. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has the latest on the trade deadline, which is just over three weeks away… 

  • The Braves, who have limited payroll flexibility, aren’t sure if they’re going to upgrade their offense, but they could pursue a right-handed hitting outfielder. Atlanta could probably afford an outfielder like Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham or Michael Cuddyer if they also obtained cash to cover the player’s salary (though that would likely mean giving up better prospects in the trade).
  • The Phillies may end up pursuing some of the same right-handed hitters as the Braves. Philadelphia is also exploring trades for relievers now that Jose Contreras, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson are on the disabled list.
  • The Yankees would like to acquire a top-of-the-rotation lefty, but they’re more likely to add a left-handed reliever. New York’s preference is for a southpaw who can retire right-handed hitters as well as lefties. The Yankees are targeting a number of left-handers, including Sean Burnett of the Nationals, who is not yet available.
  • The Royals will listen to offers for all of their players, but rival executives tell Rosenthal that Joakim Soria is likely staying put, since the asking price for him is high. 
  • Yankees catcher Jesus Montero has limited appeal to the Royals, since they doubt he’ll be able to stay behind the plate long-term.
  • The Royals expect to compete from 2012-14.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Giants, Yankees, Orioles

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Our condolensces go out to the friends and family of Dick Williams. The long-time player and manager passed away at age 82 today. 

  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told MLB.com's Greg Johns that "we're wide open." He added that they've "had dialogue" about potential trades, but haven't found a match and won't make a deal until they find one that makes sense.
  • MLB.com's Adam Berry notes that Mike Fontenot is coming off the disabled list soon, which could mean the end of Bill Hall's time with the Giants.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Yankees have a scout at Nationals Park tonight, presumably to see Sean Burnett. Earlier today we heard that they've discussed the lefty internally.
  • Meanwhile, ESPN's Buster Olney hears that the Yankees are doing normal pre-deadline due diligence and are discussing many players (on Twitter), but they are not close to any deals.
  • Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com that he'd like scouting director Joe Jordan to return next year. The contracts of both men are up after the season.
  • The Mets have signed seventh rounder Cole Frenzel, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. The first baseman from Arizona was the 222nd overall pick.
  • Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears that the Cardinals are expected to finalize a deal with third rounder C.J. McElroy (Twitter link). "Just details" are left to be finalized. MLB's slot recommendation for the 109th overall pick is approximately $284K.
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