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Phillies Release Danys Baez

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The Phillies released reliever Danys Baez after he cleared waivers, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  He'd been designated for assignment a week ago to create a spot for Brad Lidge.

Signed to a curious two-year deal before the 2010 season, Baez produced a 5.81 ERA, 4.9 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 1.2 HR/9 in 83 2/3 innings for the Phillies.  He still posts healthy groundball rates, at least.

NL East Trades

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Here are the trades that took place in the NL East this month..

Braves

Mets

Marlins

Nationals

Phillies

Heath Bell Rumors: Sunday

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The latest on Padres closer Heath Bell, who is owed $2.47MM on the season and projects as a Type A free agent in either league…

  • There has been some discussion between the Padres and Bell's agents within the last 24 hours, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock.  The Padres will not trade Bell unless the Yankees or Phillies offer an astronomical package, tweets Scott Miller.
  • The Phillies still seem to be in on Bell, tweets Heyman.  The Padres just traded setup man Mike Adams to the Rangers.
  • The Angels have minimal interest in Bell, tweets Jon Paul Morosi.
  • The Cardinals are sensing no traction for Bell, GM John Mozeliak tells Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
  • The Rangers appear to be losing momentum on Bell with the Cardinals still possible, tweets Rosenthal.
  • The Rangers are still in on Bell, but don't want to pay big now that they've gotten Koji Uehara, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  The Yankees are in the mix, the Cardinals are on the fringes, and the Phillies have slight interest.  The Yankees are still viewed as a long shot, tweets Buster Olney.  The Rangers are also still in on Oakland closer Andrew Bailey, tweets Bob Nightengale.
  • The Yankees are in on Bell, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  However, Joel Sherman tweets that as of this morning the two teams are not optimistic there is a common ground for a deal.  Last night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that the Yankees were showing late interest in Bell, but the Rangers were the frontrunner and the Cardinals were still involved.

NL East Notes: Braves, Pence, Minor, Beltran, Marlins

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The Phillies sent Bobby Abreu to the Yankees on this date five years ago. Now they're buyers and they have Hunter Pence to show for it. Here's the latest on Pence and his new division…

  • The Braves are working hard to acquire an outfield bat, but there are "still no dance partners" according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
  • The Astros sent $2MM (not $1MM) to the Phillies in the Pence deal, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). The Phillies won't have to pay the luxury tax this way, Stark reports. 
  • Kevin Goldstein and R.J. Anderson of Baseball Prospectus break down the trade that sent Pence to the Phillies.
  • The Braves would have included Mike Minor in a deal for Pence, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • One executive tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Braves have six untouchable players (Twitter link).
  • The Mets thought they were going to trade Carlos Beltran to the Rangers earlier in the week, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Texas was being more aggressive than other teams and even though they weren't willing to include elite prospects, the Mets considered a multi-prospect package. Finally, the Giants offered Zack Wheeler and the Mets moved on from the Rangers, who wouldn't budge on certain requests.
  • The Marlins intend to keep Leo Nunez, Omar Infante, Ricky Nolasco and Randy Choate, according to Olney (on Twitter). They've gotten tons of hits on those players, Olney reports.

Padres Reliever Rumors: Saturday

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The Padres have right-handed relievers Heath Bell, Mike Adams, and Chad Qualls on the trading block.  Here are yesterday's rumors, and below is the latest.

  • The Rangers continue talking to the Padres about Bell, even after acquiring Koji Uehara, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter).
  • The Padres have always said they'd be fine with two compensatory draft picks for Bell if the trade offers aren't compelling, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter).
  • The Cardinals and Rangers remain the most persistent on Bell, tweets Joel Sherman, while the Yankees haven't called the Padres in days about Bell or Adams.
  • The Tigers have talked to the Padres about their group of relievers, tweets Ken Rosenthal, including Qualls.
  • The Rangers, Cardinals, and Blue Jays are the clear leaders for Bell, tweets ESPN's Jim Bowden, with the Angels, Yankees, and Phillies still kicking the tires.  Ken Rosenthal has the Rangers as the frontrunner with the Cardinals hanging on.
  • Interest in Adams continues to rise, tweets Rosenthal, but the Padres would still need to be compelled to move him.  Meanwhile, trusted Yankees scout Bill Livesey is watching the Padres' relievers, tweets Joel Sherman.
  • The Cardinals are still alive for Bell, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • The Rangers "have gone deep into negotiations with the Padres about Bell, and both sides are optimistic they can strike a deal," reports Yahoo's Jeff Passan.  Yesterday, word from Scott Miller of CBS Sports was that Friday's talks between the two clubs did not advance much.  MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan feels that logically, the two teams should strike a deal.

Phillies Asked Twins About Jim Thome

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The Phillies' next move might be for a home run threat off the bench, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.  He says the Phillies even asked the Twins about Jim Thome, and cited Jason Giambi as another example.

Thome, 40, signed a six-year, $85MM deal with the Phillies prior to the 2003 season but was traded to the White Sox three years later.  He's four home runs shy of 600, but the Twins haven't shown any inclination to trade veterans.

As for Giambi, ESPN's Buster Olney hears from an executive who feels he would not make it through waivers to them in August.  Giambi "appeared almost certain to go to Philly" before he hurt his quad, tweets Troy Renck.

Hunter Pence Trade Reactions And Fallout

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The Phillies love to make a big splash at the trade deadline and they continued the trend this year by acquiring Hunter Pence from the Astros for Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, Josh Zeid, and a player to be named later.  Let's take a look at some reactions to the deal from around the baseball world:

  • Up until late yesterday, the Astros were looking to get even more out of the Phillies, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.  Houston insisted that the Phillies had to include two more of their top ten prospects, including 2010 first-round pick Jesse Biddle.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. will continue to listen to other teams up until the trade deadline on Sunday, but he's likely done trading after landing Pence, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Astros GM Ed Wade was still talking to other teams until ten minutes before he made the deal with the Phillies, tweets Bob Brookover of Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) believes that the Astros took a considerable risk in dealing Pence.  While they received a ton of potential long-term value, the major prospects coming over in the trade are high-risk, high-reward prospects.
  • Wade's decision to trade Pence certainly isn't a popular one but it is the right move for the organization, writes Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.
  • Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes that it could take two years or longer to fairly judge the return that the Astros got for Pence.
  • Phillies officials have questioned Cosart's maturity in the past, according to John Manuel and Matt Eddy of Baseball America.  Furthermore, the right-hander's command issues led others in the organization to believe he was destined wind up in the bullpen.  However, Cosart had the best pure arm in the Phillies' system.

Padres Reliever Rumors: Friday

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Heath Bell said yesterday that he expects to be traded and you can't blame him given the recent rumors. The Rangers, Angels, Phillies and Cardinals appear to have some interest in Bell and some of those clubs are interested in setup man Mike Adams, as well. Here's the latest on the San Diego relievers…

  • I've heard the Padres asked for Wieland and Erlin from the Rangers for Adams and were turned down, and were seeking just Wieland for Bell.
  • The Cardinals are still in on Bell, tweets Heyman.
  • The Rangers and Padres continue to discuss Bell, reports Scott Miller of CBS Sports, though they've made little progress.  The Cardinals are on the fringe, and the Angels are not involved.  The Padres are asking for three players for Bell, and have interest in Rangers prospect Robbie Erlin.  Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweets that the Padres are rumored to have interest in Rangers Double-A righty Joe Wieland, who tossed a no-hitter against the San Antonio Missions tonight.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock questions the upper-level prospects the Cardinals would move in a deal with the Padres, but says Double-A righty Joe Kelly is a name to watch (Twitter link).
  • The Rangers remain the favorite for Bell, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan, but they're at a standstill with the Padres in terms of which prospects would be involved.  He says the Padres understand they're not getting Jurickson Profar, Martin Perez, or Leonys Martin.
  • The Phillies remain active in talks for Padres relievers, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  He says they prefer Adams to Bell because of the extra year of control.
  • The Rangers are the frontrunners for Bell and the Cardinals' interest in the closer is growing, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. It's possible that no team will meet the Padres' asking price for Adams, Center writes.
  • Rival teams still expect the Rangers to acquire Bell, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. One official even says it’s “a lock.” However, the Rangers continue to shy away from the Padres’ asking price – up to three of their top prospects.
  • The Angels are looking for setup types, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Phillies Acquire Hunter Pence

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Last year it was Roy Oswalt, the year before Cliff Lee.  This year, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. continued his July 29th big-game hunting by landing All-Star right fielder Hunter Pence and $2MM from the Astros for prospects Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, and Josh Zeid, as well as a player to be named later.  The Phillies confirmed the deal through a press release.

Pence

Pence, 28, was hitting .309/.356/.472 in 430 plate appearances entering tonight's game at Milwaukee.  He plays an average right field, based on UZR data since 2010.  Perhaps the face of the Astros franchise, Pence was not initially thought to be available this summer with the Astros in the middle of an ownership transfer.  He's much more than a rental, with $2.3MM remaining on his contract this year and team control through 2013.  Pence's agents at Beverly Hills Sports Council had a big arbitration win in January, bringing his 2011 salary to $6.9MM and raising the bar for '12 and '13.  The right-handed hitting Pence (pictured) fits perfectly into right field for the Phillies, who rank 14th in the NL with a .665 OPS against lefties after losing Jayson Werth during the offseason. The Braves, Indians, Reds, Red Sox, and Pirates were also in on Pence this month.

Cosart, 21, ranks as high as 17th by ESPN's Keith Law and as low as 43rd by Baseball America among the game's prospects.  He dealt with an elbow injury last year, but has the electric fastball and plus curveball of a future front-rotation starter.  Added bonus: he grew up just south of Houston, in League City, Texas.

Cosart's High-A teammate Jonathan Singleton, 19, was ranked #24 by Law and #41 by BA.  Law says Singleton has "one of the best swings in the minors."  Zeid, a 24-year-old Double-A righty, was ranked 23rd among Phillies prospects by BA prior to the season and has been exceptional out of the bullpen this year.  The player to be named later won't be a top prospect, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, and will come from a list of players currently in Low-A ball.  

In acquiring Cosart and Singleton, Astros GM Ed Wade added a couple of excellent prospects to a farm system generally regarded as one of the five worst in baseball prior to the season.  Whether or not the move is popular with fans, it's the right direction for the Astros.

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi broke the story, with Jayson Stark, Jim Salisbury, and Jon Heyman adding detail.  Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Phillies To Acquire Hunter Pence

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8:54pm: Pitching prospect Josh Zeid will also go to the Astros in the deal, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly.  SI's Jon Heyman adds that the Astros will pay $1MM to the Phillies in the trade.

8:42pm: The Astros are also sending cash to the Phillies in the deal, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.

8:16pm: Pence has been removed from tonight's game against the Brewers, tweets MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  He's getting hugs in the dugout.

7:49pm: The Phillies are close to acquiring Pence, tweets Rosenthal.  He says a deal is expected to be completed tonight.  Jon Paul Morosi tweets that first baseman Jonathan Singleton and righty Jarred Cosart are in the deal.  Rosenthal says the Astros will also get two players to be named later in the deal – one of whom may be announced tonight – and they are not major prospects.

6:42pm: The Phillies and Astros are progressing toward a deal for right fielder Hunter Pence, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He says talks "are to point where another team will need to trump the Phillies with a superior package," and agrees with ESPN's Buster Olney that the Braves are still trying.  Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Braves still think they're right in the race for Pence.

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