Athletics Rumors

NL Central Rumors: Brewers, Hernandez, Cardinals

By Tim Dierkes | July 26, 2011 at 10:14pm CDT

The latest buzz from the NL Central…

The Brewers have discussed Clint Barmes, Coco Crisp and Jerry Hairston Jr., according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
Ramon Hernandez of the Reds is "not on the block," according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
"We're still exploring both [starters and relievers]," said Cardinals GM John Mozeliak to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. "But when it comes down to it, I think the reliever market’s got more opportunities." Mozeliak also indicated that the team could conceivably add payroll both this year and next in a trade.
An AL executive told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that while the Astros asked for a big return for lefty Wandy Rodriguez a few weeks back, they now "will take little at deadline to get rid of most of his contract" (Twitter link). Rodriguez has about $38MM left on his contract if he exercises his 2014 player option. He's a bit overpaid, but presents a nice opportunity for a team to add a solid starter without giving up top prospects.
The Reds are not close on any deals, GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). While Jocketty would not reveal his list of untouchable prospects, he laughed when Fay mentioned catcher Devin Mesoraco. Earlier today we learned that the Rockies asked for Mesoraco and Aroldis Chapman in an Ubaldo Jimenez trade. Jocketty seems disinclined to trade prospects for rentals.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin seeks a left-handed reliever, but told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the market "isn't very strong." It's a similar story with the Brewers' other main needs, shortstop and third base.

West Rumors: Angels, Iannetta, Rangers

By Tim Dierkes | July 26, 2011 at 10:28am CDT

The latest on a few AL and NL West clubs…

The Marlins "are scouting the Angels closely," reports Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times. Baxter believes Marlins closer Leo Nunez could be a fit for L.A., but the two teams might not match up. Head over to CloserNews for Dan Mennella's look at which other closers might be on the move this month.
The Pirates have cooled on Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports would be shocked if the Rangers don't address their bullpen, regardless of what happens with Carlos Beltran.
Padres reliever Mike Adams was affected by recent trade rumors, he admitted to Don Norcross of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
David DeJesus' wife "goes to the trade rumor sites," the A's outfielder told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. DeJesus and teammate Josh Willingham leave the trade chatter to their better halves. Willingham told Susan Slusser of the Chronicle he'd be open to discussing an extension with Oakland, but Slusser's team source says they don't want to talk to potential free agents about contracts until after the season.

AL West Notes: Fister, Rangers, Pena

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 25, 2011 at 8:25pm CDT

On this date last year, the Angels acquired Dan Haren from Arizona for Patrick Corbin, Tyler Skaggs, Rafael Rodriguez and Joe Saunders. The Angels finished with a losing record in 2010, but they're in contention now and Haren has been excellent, posting a 3.01 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 239 innings for the Halos. Meawhile, Skaggs has developed into one of the top prospects in the game and Corbin is highly-regarded as well. Here's the latest from the AL West…

Mariners starters Felix Hernandez and Doug Fister told Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com that they don't want to be traded.
Rangers manager Ron Washington confirmed to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com that he'd like to see the Rangers fortify their bullpen before the trade deadline.
The Mariners appear to believe Fister is better than Jason Vargas, so they may not want to deal Fister, according to Knobler (on Twitter).
Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that Texas continues discussing a contract extension for left-hander C.J. Wilson (Twitter links). Wilson, who hits free agency after the season, received a contract offer from the Rangers in March.
Levine also confirmed that the Rangers are looking for bullpen help and a left fielder.
The Mariners, A's, Brewers and Giants have looked at free agent slugger Wily Mo Pena, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Diamondbacks recently released Pena, who hit five homers in 46 plate appearances this year.

A’s To Sign Sonny Gray

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 25, 2011 at 5:56pm CDT

The A's announced that they have agreed to sign first round draft pick Sonny Gray. The A's selected the right-hander 18th overall after he posted a 2.12 ERA wtih a 124K/46BB ratio in 119 innings for a Vanderbilt club that advanced to the final four at the College World Series.

Gray signed for a $1.54MM bonus, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). MLB's recommended bonus for the 18th overall pick was $1.422MM a year ago, according to Baseball America.

I spoke to Gray about his season and his repertoire back in February. Earlier today, ESPN.com's Keith Law and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the sides were making progress.

Yankees Rumors: Jackson, Prospects, Gio Gonzalez

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 4:32pm CDT

The latest on the Yankees…

Though the Yankees think Edwin Jackson is solid, they aren't pursuing him now, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network (on Twitter).
A rival executive believes the Yankees will add a left-handed reliever via trade, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Left-handed relief is a weakness of this trade market, though perhaps the Yanks could take on a bad contract like that of Baltimore's Mike Gonzalez.
Unless a no-doubt number one starter appears on the market, the Yankees have made it clear they won't move prospects Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Jesus Montero, and Austin Romine, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
The White Sox are spending a lot of time scouting the farm systems of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies in case Kenny Williams and company decide to sell, tweets Sherman.
The Yankees would pay big for A's lefty Gio Gonzalez, tweets Sherman, but Oakland still refuses to discuss the southpaw. The 25-year-old ranks eighth in the American League with 124 strikeouts and seventh with a 2.67 ERA, and is not arbitration-eligible until after this season.

Athletics Near Agreement With Sonny Gray

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 12:04pm CDT

5:26pm: Oakland scouting director Eric Kubota told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that the A's are close to a deal with Gray (Twitter link).

12:04pm: Athletics first-round pick Sonny Gray is in Oakland today for a physical, tweets ESPN's Keith Law. Law notes that once Gray is stretched out, the A's plan to send him to Double-A Midland.

The A's drafted Gray 18th overall out of Vanderbilt last month. Slot for the pick is around $1.4MM, though Kaleb Cowart signed for $2.3MM as the 18th pick last year.

Cafardo On Clippard, Pence, Upton, Myers

By Luke Adams 2 | July 24, 2011 at 12:52pm CDT

In a conversation with Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino echoed John Henry's sentiment from earlier this week: Whether or not Boston makes a move at the deadline, the luxury tax won't be an issue. Lucchino said the Sox have paid the tax before, and would be willing to do so again if the right deal came along. Here are some other highlights from Cafardo's weekly notes column:

The Rangers have made "a lot of inquiries" on Tyler Clippard. The Braves, Yankees, and Red Sox also have varying levels of interest in the Nationals' setup man.
According to an Astros source, the team intends to hold on to Hunter Pence. However, Cafardo points out that could change in the offseason, with the new ownership group (and possibly a new GM) in control.
Some Nationals people believe a change of scenery would greatly benefit B.J. Upton, and are considering "offering the moon" for him.
There hasn't been a whole lot of interest in Brett Myers yet. "We’ve had a couple of bites from National League teams, but not much else," said an Astros official.
Athletics lefty Craig Breslow is drawing interest from the Yankees and Red Sox.

Red Sox Have Inquired About Rich Harden

By Mark Polishuk | July 23, 2011 at 5:22pm CDT

The Red Sox have inquired about A's right-hander Rich Harden, reports Peter Gammons (Twitter link). After spending much of the season on the 60-day DL with a muscle injury in his throwing arm, Harden has a 5.00 ERA in three starts with Oakland. Two of those outings were quality starts and Harden has an impressive 17 strikeouts (against just four walks) in 18 innings pitched.

Boston owner John Henry predicted a "quiet deadline" for his team yesterday but acquiring Harden would give the Sox a bit more depth for their struggling and injury-plagued rotation. Of course, the big question with Harden is if he can avoid injury himself and if he can pitch effectively in a hitter-friendly park like Fenway. Not that money is necessarily a major issue for Boston, but Harden is a potentially great late-season bargain — he has only around $600K remaining on the one-year, $1.5MM deal he signed with the A's last winter.

NL West Notes: Bell, Stewart, Padres, Giants

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2011 at 6:00pm CDT

On this date three years ago, the Diamondbacks acquired Jon Rauch from the Nationals for Emilio Bonifacio. Neither player remains in the NL West, but that won't stop us from passing along the latest from their former division…

There's no frontrunner yet in the Heath Bell trade talks, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
The Rockies are playing Ian Stewart in part because they want the rival scouts on hand to watch him, according to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. Stewart's struggles continued last night; he struck out three times.
Jason Bartlett is staying put in San Diego, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
The Padres have focused their trade talks around Heath Bell, Chad Qualls, Ryan Ludwick and Aaron Harang, according to Crasnick, who hears that they're going at a "slow pace" (Twitter link).
The A's are open to trading within the AL West or with the Giants, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Heyman On Astros, Adams, Matsui, Yankees

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2011 at 11:25am CDT

Incoming Astros owner Jim Crane has ordered a decrease in payroll from $76MM to $60MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest on Houston’s deadline plans and other notes from around MLB:

The Astros are looking for at least three pieces for Hunter Pence. They’d probably demand young, MLB-ready talent, so a deal appears unlikely.
Houston is shopping Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers harder than Pence
Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Heyman that he’d have to be “blown away” to trade Mike Adams and that he’d prefer to keep the setup man.
The Rangers are in talks with the Padres about Heath Bell, who is also drawing interest from the Cardinals, Angels and Reds.
No one has called the A’s about Hideki Matsui and Oakland isn’t looking to trade Grant Balfour.
The A’s are taking calls on Michael Wuertz, Brian Fuentes and Craig Breslow.
The Yankees’ wish list includes a right-handed bat along with a lefty reliever and a starter. Perhaps the newly-signed Marcus Thames will help the Yankees at some point in 2011.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Athletics Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect