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Ricky Nolasco Rumors: Wednesday

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Last night it was reported that the Rockies, Rangers and Dodgers were the three teams that are "in heavy pursuit" of Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco. The 30-year-old's name has been the most frequently mentioned trade candidate of the summer to date, and reports have said that today could be a "soft deadline" by which to trade him. Here's the latest on Nolasco…

  • The Yankees are scouting the start as well, Knobler tweets.
  • Knobler also tweets that the Rangers have a scout in attendance. The Dodgers don't have a scout there, though Knobler notes that may not be worth reading into.
  • Nolasco is pitching for the Marlins right now, and Danny Knobler of CBS Sports tweets that the Giants, Padres and Rockies all have scouts in attendance.
  • While the Dodgers are still the frontrunners for Nolasco, about a half-dozen teams are showing interest in Nolasco, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaso. Nolasco could still be moved before the first pitch tonight, he adds. Frisaro also spoke to an NL scout regarding Nolasco's recent pair of rough outings. The scout downplayed the struggles, telling Frisaro: "He did nothing to not get himself traded."
  • All signs point to Nolasco making tonight's start for the Marlins, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. In a separate tweet, he notes that rain in the forecast could be an issue. A rainout would buy the Marlins some extra time, as the team has been said to prefer to move him prior to this start.

Yankees Sign Luis Cruz

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The Yankees announced that they have signed infielder Luis Cruz.  The veteran is represented by John Boggs & Associates, as shown in the MLBTR Agency Database.

Cruz, appeared in 45 games this season with the Dodgers before being designated for assignment on June 28th.  The 29-year-old made 30 starts for L.A., 20 at third base and ten at shortstop, but had an abysmal .344 OPS in 128 plate appearances.  For his big league career, Cruz has a .240/.277/.328 slash line, but he is valued more for his defense than his bat.  The veteran boasts a career 25.6 UZR/150 at third base and 10.8 UZR/150 at shortstop.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Young

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Yesterday, the Orioles made the first significant splash of the trade season by acquiring Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger from the Cubs in exchange for Jake Arrieta, Pedro Strop and additional international bonus money. Here's more from the AL East…

  • The Yankees' haven't gotten a lot of production out of their younger players, and that's a big problem, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Sherman writes that the Bombers may have less 20-something talent than any AL East team.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks at how the Red Sox are getting ready for the trade deadline at the end of this month.  While they'll look to upgrade when a deal makes sense, they'll also try to keep things in-house where ever possible.  "We've had some turnover at [third base] and in [the bullpen]," GM Ben Cherington said, "but right now we believe there is a good chance the solutions are internal. We'll keep an eye out in these areas and any other that crops up between now and the deadline."
  • The entire baseball world is trying to guess what Phillies GM Ruben Amaro might do at the deadline, but rival scouts and execs expect him to at least move Yankees trade target Michael Young, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
  • The Red Sox weren't in the mix for Matt Guerrier despite lacking a ground ball-oriented reliever, WEEI.com's Rob Bradford reports via Twitter, citing an industry source.
  • Potential trade targets for the Yankees include Justin Morneau and Marlon Byrd, and Matt Warden of River Ave. Blues breaks down what they could bring to the Bronx. Warden included Josh Willingham on his list as well, but that was before the news that the Twins' slugger will miss four to six weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery.

Aaron Steen and Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Alex Rios’ No-Trade List

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The seven-year, $69.835MM extension that Alex Rios signed with the Blue Jays back in 2008 didn't initially contain no-trade protection, but a limited no-trade clause allowing Rios to block trades to six teams kicked in starting in 2009. Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that the six teams to which Rios can block a trade are the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Royals, Astros and Athletics.

The Rockies, Diamondbacks and A's are likely set on outfielders, and the Astros certainly aren't looking to buy at this time. However, the no-trade protection against the Yankees and (to a lesser extent) the Royals is significant, as both teams would make sense as suitors for Rios.

The struggling Yankees scored fewer runs than any team in baseball last month (88) and have a dearth of right-handed power. Offense is said to be New York's primary need in trades. The Royals opened the season with Jeff Francoeur in right field but have since designated him for assignment. Recent reports did state that the chances of Kansas City making a big move were "slim," and David Lough has played well in place of Francoeur.

Sherman On Utley, Cano, Dodgers, Marlins

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post has some interesting items in today's column so let's dive in..

  • The Dodgers reportedly have interest in acquiring the Phillies' Chase Utley and one NL executive sees it happening, just not necessarily this month.  “I know everyone has [Robinson Cano] going to the Dodgers as a free agent if the [Yankees] don’t get him signed up, but I would put it at 90 percent that Utley ends up there,” said the exec.  He reasoned that the Dodgers, who have to sign Clayton Kershaw to a $200MM+ deal soon, may not be all that bullish about Cano since they aren't as flush with cash as people believe and they have learned that collecting mismatched expensive star players isn't necessarily the way to go.  The exec went on to predict that the Dodgers will offer Utley something like a three-year, $45MM deal this winter.  As for the Dodgers and Cano, we learned yesterday that the club doesn't want to do long-term contracts beyond age 36, which could limit Cano to a six-year offer if they decide to get involved.
  • The Marlins fire sale appears to be panning out well for the club, even if it was done for the wrong reasons.  Miami now looks better not just from a financial standpoint, but also when it comes to talent.  The Hanley Ramirez deal brought them Nathan Eovaldi and the blockbuster with Toronto imported Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, and well-regarded minor leaguers Jake Marisnick and Justin Nicolino. The Marlins’ rebuilding might be going quicker and better that the Mets' rebuilding.  As one AL source told Sherman, ignore who made the deals and just realize, “they made good baseball trades.”
  • After the Indians gave Michael Bourn a four-year, $48MM deal and the Nationals dealt one of their top prospects for Denard Span, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Sherman that Brett Gardner was in their class, if not better.  Right now, Gardner is outperforming both players in OPS and has a significant lead in WAR (2.8).

Braves Interested In Joba; Giants Eyeing Twins’ Pen

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4:36pm: Schulman notes that excepting Glen Perkins, whom the Twins are unlikely to trade, the interesting reliever for the Giants in Minnesota's bullpen is Casey Fien. However, Schulman doesn't know whether the righty, who's posted a 3.55 ERA in 38 appearances, is available.

11:33am: Elder, a Giants scout, was in Minnesota last night to see the Twins' bullpen rather than Chamberlain, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  Casey Fien,Jared Burton, Brian Duensing, and Josh Roenicke appeared for the Twins, with Burton and Duensing struggling.

10:30am: The Braves and Giants have an interest in Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain, a pair of American League talent evaluators told George A. King III and Dan Martin of the New York Post.  The Braves' Jim Fregosi saw Chamberlain Friday night, while the Giants' Lee Elder attended last night's game "exclusively to watch Chamberlain."

Chamberlain, 27, has a 5.75 ERA, 9.7 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, 1.77 HR/9, and 35.5% groundball rate in 20 1/3 innings this year.  He missed most of May with an oblique strain.  Chamberlain has worked at 95-97 miles per hour as of late and seems a good candidate for a change of scenery.  Once an untouchable starting pitching prospect, Chamberlain is in his contract year and isn't expected to be with the Yankees next season.  The Braves are known to be in the market for relief help; they last matched up with the Yankees in a minor trade in November 2010.

Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

International Prospect Signings: Astros, Cards, Yankees, Tigers, Brewers

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Teams were able to submit contracts for this year's class of July 2nd international prospects starting at 8am central time today.  You can find rankings here from Baseball America and MLB.com, and information on each team's international bonus pool at BA.  This is the first year in which teams have different bonus pools, and as explained by BA's Ben Badler, teams can trade for up to 50% of their pools (with plenty of stipulations).  The latest deals:

  • Badler reports that the Astros have signed Dominican shortstop Joan Mauricio for $600K. The infielder didn't make the Top 30 from BA or MLB.com, but Badler lauds his defensive actions and hands.
  • The Cardinals have signed Venezuelan outfielder Carlos Talavera (No. 28 on BA's list), Badler reports. The Cardinals have announced that signing as well as three others, and Kiley McDaniel has the bonus amounts: Dominican shortstop Hector Linares received $400K, Dominican right-hander Sandy Alcantara received $125K and Nicaraguan lefty Kerrion Bennett got $30K (Twitter links).
  • The Yankees have signed Dominican shortstop Yonauris Rodriguez for $575K, according to Sanchez (on Twitter). BA noted that he's one of the best defensive shortstop prospects in Latin America.
  • The Tigers signed Venezuelan catcher Elys Escobar for $350K, reports Badler.  They also signed shortstop Hector Martinez for $400K, tweets Sanchez. MLB.com's Jason Beck adds that the team has also reached agreements with Venezuelan outfielder Hector Hernandez and Venezuelan shortstop Anthony Pereira (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers signed Dominican outfielder Nicolas Pierre for $800K, tweets Soldevila.  Badler ranked him 20th, noting the Brewers connection, while MLB.com had him 28th. The Brewers also signed shortstop Franly Mallen, Badler reports. He later tweeted that MLB.com's No. 22 prospect received the same $800K bonus as Pierre.
  • The Athletics signed Dominican shortstop Carlos Hiciano for $750K, reports Badler.  The speedy infielder was 17th on BA's rankings and 26th at MLB.com.
  • The Indians signed Dominican outfielder Junior Soto for $600K, reports Badler.  He's known for his right-handed raw power. Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes tweets that the team also signed shortstop Willy Castro for $850K
  • The Padres signed shortstop Ruddy Giron for $600K, tweets Soldevila.  Baseball America called Giron a "high-energy player with good athleticism and above-average speed."
  • The Diamondbacks signed Dominican outfielder Francis Martinez for $350K and Dominican third baseman Josue Herrera for $150K, reports Badler.  They're nearing a deal with switch-hitting Venezuelan catcher Jose Herrera worth an estimated $1MM, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.  MLB.com ranks Herrera seventh; BA has him tenth.
  • The Cubs signed Dominican righty Jefferson Mejia for $850K, according to Badler.  Badler notes that the 18-year-old Mejia can begin playing immediately, as his contract is for the 2013 season unlike most July 2 signings.  Mejia previously had an issue with his paperwork and had been declared ineligible to sign until April.  At $4,557,200, the Cubs have the second-largest bonus pool and figure to be active.  
  • The Mets signed Venezuelan catcher Ali Sanchez for $690K, reports Badler.  BA ranked him 25th, calling him an "intelligent, high-energy player" and noting the many Venzuelan catchers in the big leagues.    The Mets also signed Venezuelan righty Luis Silva for $275K, according to Badler.  They signed Dominican shortstop Yeffry de Aza for $475K, he adds.  The Mets have a pool of $2,664,600 this year.
  • Colombian righty Erick Julio agreed to sign with the Rockies, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.  Julio, the best prospect out of Colombia this year, was ranked 14th by MLB.com and 13th by Baseball America's Ben Badler.  The Rockies are also expected to sign Venezuelan shortstop Carlos Herrera for close to $1MM, tweets Sanchez.  He was ranked 11th by BA and 15th by MLB.com.  The Rockies have the third-largest international bonus pool this year, at $4,213,800 according to BA.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Rosenthal’s Latest: M’s, Yanks, Roenicke, Rays, Cubs

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a lengthy new article discussing All-Stars, some of the game's top young hitters and a plethora of hot stove info. Here are some highlights…

  • Rival executives around the league are critical of the Mariners for rushing their top prospects, but Rosenthal notes that Nick Franklin has been more than up to the challenge, and Brad Miller earned his promotion with his minor league performance. Regarding the struggling Mike Zunino, GM Jack Zduriencik told Rosenthal: "We planned all along to get Mike to Seattle at some point in July … He wasn't expected to be a big contributor offensively if it was now, July, September … but he has held his own, and what he is receiving now will set him up for 2014 and beyond."
  • Multiple scouts have questioned the work ethic of the Brewers' players, with one telling Rosenthal "there's a lot of quit on that team." Rosenthal writes that it isn't manager Ron Roenicke's fault that Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Aramis Ramirez have been injured, but the negative reports could be an "ominous sign" for Roenicke. Rosenthal tweets a correction, noting that Roenicke is signed through 2014, not through 2013 as he initially reported.
  • The Yankees aren't planning a fire sale, but if they did, they'd have some of the most attractive trade chips in the game. The Yankees could part with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, however, and Rosenthal adds Curtis Granderson's name to the mix, assuming the injured outfielder gets healthy in time.
  • The Rays aren't looking to add a starting pitcher with both David Price and Alex Cobb likely to return in the near future. If the Rays make any moves at all, they'll be for impact players regardless of position.
  • The Cubs are "all but certain" to trade pending free agents Matt Garza, Kevin Gregg and Scott Feldman, but they're not in a rush to deal Nate Schierholtz and David DeJesus, both of whom are controlled beyond 2013. 

Yankees Notes: A-Rod, Gonzalez, Devers, Molina

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The Yankees dropped a 4-2 result to the Orioles tonight, giving the Bombers an 11-16 record in June and extending their losing streak to five games.  Here's the latest from the Bronx…

  • Alex Rodriguez and Yankees GM Brian Cashman shared some harsh words this week but team president Randy Levine told ESPN New York's Ian O'Connor that the Yankees both want and "need Alex back" as soon as possible.  "We are desperate for his right-handed power, and he's better than any third baseman on this team right now," Levine said.  "Alex is going to help us.  Obviously, it's no secret that we're struggling against left-handed pitching, that our whole offense is struggling, and that we've had very, very serious injuries….Any semblance of A-Rod would help us. Even last year's A-Rod would be a big upgrade over what we have right now."
  • The Yankees have scouted Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez but won't pursue signing him, George A. King III of the New York Post reports.  One scout tells King that it "looks like the Dodgers" will sign the 26-year-old, echoing rumors that the Dodgers are willing to "go all out" to acquire Gonzalez.  
  • Also from King, the Yankees are interested in two players from the Dominican Republic: third baseman Rafael Devers and center fielder Leonardo Molina.  The Yankees have been considered to be the "most likely suitor" for the 15-year-old Molina, while the Phillies and Red Sox have also been linked to Devers.

Cafardo On Utley, Gonzalez, Crain, Yankees

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As impressive as young players like Manny Machado, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and Yasiel Puig have been, no one was more spectacular than young Alex Rodriguez, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  However, A-Rod has since tarnished his legacy by being linked to performance enhancing drugs.  It all comes back to Rodriguez's love of baseball, because for him, being the best was never good enough.  Now he finds himself rehabbing from injury in Tampa, Florida and no one knows how it will play out.  Rodriguez could retire because of a physical disability and collect the remaining $114MM on his contract or he return to the Yankees after the All-Star break and provide the righthanded bat they sorely need.  Here's more from today's column..

  • One team that has at least discussed acquiring the Phillies' Chase Utley is the Royals.  Kansas City would love to stabilize their lineup and/or second base situation with someone of Utley’s caliber.  Meanwhile, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says that he wants the second baseman to retire in a Phillies uniform, if possible.
  • The Red Sox are one of the teams extremely interested in Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, but they won’t break the bank for him, according to a team source.  The Sox were certainly burned by the Daisuke Matsuzaka signing and don’t want to get burned again on a deal for the 26-year-old righthander. Even though Gonzalez seems to be the real deal, past injuries seem to be giving some teams pause. 
  • White Sox reliever Jesse Crain will draw interest and Cafardo warns not to rule out the Red Sox. Pitching coach Juan NIeves coached him in Chicago and he’s a stable force at the end of games.  Meanwhile, there will be others vying for Crain, including the Orioles and Yankees.  Our own Charlie Wilmoth recently examined Crain as a trade candidate.
  • FIrst baseman Chris Carter is an interesting righthanded bat the Astros would move for the right package of young players. The Yankees are a possibility since they need a righthanded hitter who can play first base and the outfield.  Even though he strikes out a lot, the 26-year-old Carter could be an intriguing option for clubs. 
  • The Cubs have a lot of desirable trade pieces, starting of course with Matt Garza, who could be dealt sooner rather than later – maybe even sooner than the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco.  Besides Garza, there’s been a lot of interest in outfielder Nate Schierholtz and veteran righthander Scott Feldman, who Cafardo sees as a match for the Orioles.  Outfielders Alfonso Soriano and David DeJesus along with relievers Kevin Gregg and James Russell could be moved as well.
  • While the Twins say that Glen Perkins is not available, they should expect some club – possibly the Tigers - to offer a substantial package.
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