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Outrighted: Brazoban, Hottovy, Blevins

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The latest players to clear waivers and be outrighted…

  • The Diamondbacks announced that they have outrighted Yhency Brazoban to Triple-A in a press release. The 31-year-old right-hander struck out eight and walked four in six relief innings for Arizona over the last few weeks. He allowed eight hits and four runs.
  • Southpaw reliever Tommy Hottovy, designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Saturday, cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A, tweets ESPN's Gordon Edes.
  • Athletics lefty Jerry Blevins cleared waivers and is headed to Triple-A as well, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Pirates Mulling Breslow, Willingham

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2:29pm: The Pirates and A's aren't discussing a package deal involving Willingham at this point, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The two clubs have discussed relief pitching.

12:18pm: The Pirates are mulling a possible trade with the Athletics for lefty Craig Breslow and outfielder Josh Willingham, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  Biertempfel believes Garrett Jones would probably be part of the package going to Oakland in such a deal.

The Pirates have a need for left-handed relief, while Willingham would serve as a useful right-handed bat in right field.  The 32-year-old is hitting .244/.321/.434 on the season, but must prove he's past an Achilles injury.

The Pirates are enjoying increased financial flexiblity due to improved attendance, president Frank Coonelly told ESPN's Buster Olney.  Coonelly also mentioned that he envisions GM Neal Huntington remaining at the helm "for a long time."

West Notes: Pentland, Bell, Breslow, Bedard

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The latest on a few AL and NL West clubs…

  • The Dodgers fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland and named Dave Hansen interim coach through season's end, the team announced on Twitter.  Not that it's entirely Pentland's fault, but the Dodgers are 15th in the NL with 3.63 runs scored per game.
  • Padres closer Heath Bell appeared on ESPN's Doug Gottlieb show yesterday.  He thinks his top three suitors are the Rangers, Phillies, and Cardinals, and believes he'd probably close only for the Cards.  SI's Jon Heyman says the Padres have considered taking draft picks for Bell after the season or re-signing him if they don't get what they want this month.  Heyman lists the Phillies, Reds, Rangers, Cardinals, Pirates, Angels, (and the White Sox and Yankees to a lesser degree) as suitors.  By the way, check out our Bell archive over at CloserNews for fantasy advice.
  • Athletics lefty Craig Breslow interests the Brewers, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Morosi expects many A's to be dealt this month, and notes that the Rangers, Orioles, Giants, Pirates, Blue Jays, Brewers and Reds scouted Tuesday's game in Detroit.
  • Trade candidate Erik Bedard will likely have his return delayed until after the Mariners' series with Boston at Fenway this weekend, reports Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  He might have one start to display his health prior to the July deadline.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told SI's Jon Heyman he hasn't heard nor has he asked about his situation.  Zduriencik's contract is up after this season.
  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti explained to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times that "it's not that cut and dry" to label his club buyers or sellers.  Though the team has no chance in 2011, Colletti may be willing to acquire players who are controlled beyond this year.

Red Sox Not Pursuing Anyone Aggressively Right Now

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The Red Sox are "not pursuing anyone aggressively right now," a source familiar with the team's thinking told WEEI's Alex Speier.  Instead, the team is currently trying to determine which internal solutions will work.  We've heard the Red Sox named as one of the most aggressive suitors for Carlos Beltran, but that may not be the case.

The Sox are still taking their normal approach of "inquiring about anyone who may make an appreciable difference to the team," in the words of the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo.  Cafardo says the Red Sox have inquired on Beltran, Ubaldo Jimenez, Felix Hernandez, Jose Reyes, Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Baker, Michael Cuddyer, Ty Wigginton, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jeremy Guthrie, Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham, Conor Jackson, Ryan Spilborghs, Mike Adams, and others.  The team needs include starting pitching, a reliever, an outfielder, and a shortstop, but the Red Sox may prefer internal options in many cases.

Reds Eyeing Wandy, Figgins, Crisp

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Danny Knobler of CBS Sports has three new names on the Reds' radar: Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez, Mariners third baseman Chone Figgins, and Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp.

The Reds have strong interest in Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez, says Knobler, and have looked into Rodriguez.  Wandy would be much easier to acquire in general, though there is the wrinkle of trading with a division rival and a GM who might fear losing his job in Ed Wade.

Figgins and Crisp would fit the Reds as leadoff types, though neither is getting on base much this year.  The Mariners would likely pick up much of the $19.9MM that will be owed to Figgins through 2013.  Figgins or Crisp would presumably play left field for the Reds.

AL Central Notes: Indians, Francis, Chen, Buehrle

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Jeff Keppinger was traded today as well as five years ago today. That's when the Royals acquired him from the Mets for Ruben Gotay. Here's the latest from the AL Central…

  • Grady Sizemore was placed on the disabled list with a knee issue, and SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) the Indians have their eyes on Ryan Ludwick and Josh Willingham. They also called about Carlos Beltran, but his no-trade clause may be an obstacle.
  • Meanwhile, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian notes (on Twitter) that while the Indians prefer a right-handed bat, they haven't ruled out lefties with Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo out.
  • Royals GM Dayton Moore told MLB Network Radio's Jim Bowden that it's possible they'll move lefty starters Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen before the deadline (Twitter link).
  • South Side Sox notes that it's much quieter this year than the last time White Sox ace Mark Buehrle was scheduled to become a free agent.

A’s Designate Jerry Blevins For Assignment

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The A's announced that they designated Jerry Blevins for assignment. The left-hander, who loses his 25-man roster spot to Guillermo Moscoso, remains on Oakland's 40-man roster, just as he did when Oakland designated him for assignment in May. The move is simply procedural and does not expose Blevins to other clubs.

The 27-year-old has a 3.86 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 7.7 BB/9 in 16 1/3 innings for Oakland this year. He has also logged 19 1/3 innings at Triple-A, where he has a 5.12 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9. The former 17th round pick has appeared in parts of five seasons for Oakland.

West Notes: Heath Bell, Jimenez, Conor Jackson

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The latest on a few NL and AL West teams…

  • Padres closer Heath Bell explained to Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton on XX 1090 that he has not gotten an extension offer from the Padres, but he's leaving the door open (transcript here).  Bell appears willing to take a discount, but admits he doesn't know what he's worth.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that some baseball people feel Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd tossed Ubaldo Jimenez's name out there to gauge the pitcher's value, as Kevin Towers did during the offseason with Justin Upton.
  • The affordable Conor Jackson figures to be traded, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  Jackson, once a rising star in Arizona, has a .249/.323/.330 line in 260 plate appearances for Oakland this year.  He'll be owed just over $1MM after the trade deadline, and has been linked to the Pirates so far.

Quick Hits: Wigginton, Reyes, Phillies, Lowe

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Some assorted links for your Sunday reading:

Gammons Talks Trade Market

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Peter Gammons spoke with a host of scouts, general managers, and MLB executives, all of which is compiled in his latest piece at MLB.com, which is chock full of trade-related news:

  • The Astros are asking for as much in return for Wandy Rodriguez as the Rockies are for Ubaldo Jimenez. General manager Ed Wade is in a difficult position, caught between an ownership change.
  • Half a dozen teams are looking for right-handed offense, but the Rockies won't trade Ryan Spilborghs and the Cubs are holding onto Jeff Baker. Gammons says that reduces that market to Conor Jackson, Josh Willingham, Reed Johnson, Lastings Milledge, and Jeff Francoeur. The Twins recently announced they won't trade Michael Cuddyer as well.
  • The Dodgers want to shed salary, but don't have much to shed besides Jamey Carroll and Hiroki Kuroda. Gammons spoke with two East coast executives that said Kuroda, who has a full no-trade clause, won't accept a deal to an East Coast team.
  • The Athletics will move veteran bats and probably a reliever or two.
  • The Mariners won't have a fire sale, and aren't likely to get much for Erik Bedard in light of his injury.
  • The Nationals are willing to trade Tyler Clippard, and have been continually pursuing Michael Bourn. They're also one of several teams who showed interest in Julio Borbon prior to his injury.
  • Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is in a tough spot because he doesn't know which way owner Peter Angelos wants him to go, according to a rival GM.
  • Jordan Pacheco and Wilin Rosario make it possible for the Rockies to trade Chris Iannetta, but the Red Sox seem content wth their catching options.
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