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Phillies Scouting Jenks, Putz

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The Phillies are scouting Bobby Jenks and J.J. Putz of the White Sox, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.  Philadelphia is "among a couple of teams" looking at the White Sox and trying to project which players will be available if they are unable to get back into the AL Central race in the next few weeks.

Jenks and Putz would help solidify the back end of the Phillies' bullpen, which is their main area of concern.  Jenks, 29, has 12.0 K/9, 4.2 BB/9 with a 5.40 ERA in 16 appearances this season.  However, he has looked strong in his last three outings where he surrendered two hits and no runs.  Putz, 33, has a 3.95 ERA with 11.9 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 13.2 innings. 

Jenks will make $7.5MM after avoiding arbitration with the White Sox this offseason.  Tim recently wrote that Jenks is a non-tender candidate.  Meanwhile, Putz is set to earn $3MM in 2010 with the opportunity to earn more through incentives. 

Following a team meeting on Wednesday, White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters that he has been politely turning down overtures from other teams to make a deal.  However, if they continue to struggle, it's hard to imagine Williams keeping that stance.

Odds & Ends: Green, Oswalt, Mets, Gaudin, Werth

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Links for Saturday….

Remembering the 2000 Trade Deadline

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Ah, times were different back in 2000. Bush and Gore were locked in a closely-contested race. Reality television was the exception, not the rule. And What Women Want taught us that Mel Gibson would be best remembered for capturing Helen Hunt's heart.

Meanwhile, let's climb into the Wayback Machine (though I believe Sherman has already called shotgun) and look at some of the biggest trade deadline hits from the year 2000…

  • The first deal of significance near the non-waiver trade deadline came on July 12, when the Yankees acquired Denny Neagle (and Mike Frank) for Jackson Melian, Drew Henson, Brian Reith and Ed Yarnall. The Yankees didn't lose much, since Henson's production never approached his hype. Neagle, however, was actually nearing the end of a good career, and posted just a 5.81 ERA after coming to New York.
  • Little-discussed, however, is one of the most impressive trade-deadline pickups of all time. On July 21, the Yankees dealt the forgettable Ben Ford and Oswaldo Mairena to the Cubs for Glenallen Hill. For Hill, the deal provided the last, best jolt of power in a home run-packed career. He hit .333/.378/.735 (!) with 16 home runs in 143 at-bats for the Yankees. It is hard to imagine a better example of acquiring an impact bat. Hill, who last played in 2001, publicly admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs late in his career.
  • The most important trade of that time took place on July 26, 2000, when the Phillies traded Curt Schilling to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Omar Daal, Nelson Figueroa, Travis Lee and Vicente Padilla. Padilla was the most productive of the bunch, with a pair of 14-win seasons, while Travis Lee, the centerpiece, hit just .258/.343/.402 in Philadelphia. Schilling, meanwhile, still had 111 of his 216 career victories ahead of him. He posted a 22-6 record in 2001, a 23-7 record in 2002, and had a successful Red Sox career after the trade.
  • Probably the biggest surprise of the players acquired at this time was Melvin Mora, traded with three other players by the Mets to the Orioles for Mike Bordick. The Mets wanted a shortstop and Bordick had a reputation as a strong defender. He posted a .260/.321/.385 mark with the Mets in 2000 and Mora went on to hit 158 home runs for the Orioles through 2009.
  • The Indians dealt a 25-year-old Richie Sexson, along with Kane Davis, Paul Rigdon and a player to be named later to the Brewers for three pitchers to shore up their pitching staff: Jason Bere, Bob Wickman and Steve Woodard. Of the three, only Wickman posted a reasonable ERA, and the Charlie Manuel-led Indians finished five games behind the Jerry Manuel-led White Sox. Sexson, meanwhile, hit 45 home runs in two of the next three seasons. And adding insult to injury, the player to be named later turned out to be Marco Scutaro.
  • In my favorite trade of the 2000 deadline, the Cardinals sent minor league slugger Jose Leon to the Orioles for first baseman Will Clark. All Clark did was hit .345/.426/.655 with the Cardinals, leading them into the NLCS. He then retired- the textbook case of going out on top.

Wilson Valdez Clears Waivers

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FRIDAY: Valdez cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple A, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (via Twitter).

MONDAY: The Phillies designated infielder Wilson Valdez for assignment to make room for Jimmy Rollins, according to MLB.com's transactions page. The Phillies were expected to clear room for Rollins, who was on the 15-day DL with a calf injury, by designating Valdez. Because he is out of options, Valdez will have to clear waivers to remain with the Phillies.

Valdez, who turns 32 on Thursday, has been about average defensively in recent years, according to UZR. He has played outfield, second, third and short, so he makes up for his pedestrian bat with exceptional versatility. Valdez's .231/.231/.365 line means the Phillies are willing to risk losing him to another club – especially when it means making room for Rollins.

Stark On Hanley, Royals, Astros, Rays, Pedro

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Teams called about Hanley Ramirez after this week's drama, but the Marlins informed them that they have no interest in dealing their superstar, writes ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Marlins will hold onto Hanley, at least until their new ballpark opens in 2012. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:

  • Teams have expressed interest in some Royals, but the Royals have told them to call back in a month. Teams are hearing that Alex Gordon and Joakim Soria are not available. Jose Guillen would be easier to obtain than those two, but Stark hasn't heard of a single team with interest.
  • Ned Yost would have been a candidate to replace Bobby Cox in Atlanta after the season, had he not taken over in Kansas City. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez could also manage the Braves next year, in the opinion of one person close to the team.
  • Astros GM Ed Wade insists that he wants to win now, but says he'll "pay attention to any opportunity" that makes the team better if the 14-26 Astros fall further out of contention. In other words, the Astros could be sellers if they don't win soon.
  • Rival clubs say they don't expect the Rays to trade for a reliever just because J.P. Howell is out for an extended period of time. One executive thinks the Rays would love to add a couple of power arms to their 'pen eventually.
  • Executives disagree on Pat Burrell's future. One exec says Burrell could fit in Seattle and another one doesn't see any good fits for the free agent.
  • The Phillies have had discussions with Pedro Martinez, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledged. There's mutual interest in a deal and the sides continue communicating.
  • One official says top amateur pitcher Jameson Taillon is "way overpriced."
  • Two of Stark's sources are uneasy with MLB's attempt to hurry along the Rangers' sale.

Maya Unblocked, Yankees Interested

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May 20: The Phillies will also have a scout in attendance when Maya throws tomorrow, writes the Philadelphia Daily News' David Murphy, though he adds the team doesn't currently consider Maya a serious option for either the bullpen or rotation.

May 19:The latest model from Cuba is now officially on the showroom floor. Nine months after defecting, pitcher Yunesky Maya* has been cleared to sign as a free agent, reports Jorge Ebro at El Nuevo Herald (link in Spanish). Maya's agent, Bart Hernandez, tells Ebro that interest has been "tremendous" thus far in the 28-year-old longtime anchor of the Cuban National Team rotation. Count the Yankees at minimum among the interested, as the New York Post's Brian Costello and George A. King III reported this morning that senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman will be on hand to watch Maya at a workout this Friday in the Dominican Republic.

The obvious starting point for scouting Maya is through comparison with another former Cuban National Series standout who stepped from the 2009 World Baseball Classic to defection and the Major League auction block: Aroldis Chapman. Maya is at least six years older and right-handed, but on the other hand, boasts far more competitive experience and, by all accounts, a fuller arsenal of secondary pitches. Maya told Terreno de Pelota's Uziel Gomez last September he alternates between a 94-mile-an-hour heater, slider, change-up, curve, and sinker, a repertoire which scouts backed up after seeing Maya in action at a workout late last year.

In the 48th National Series that ended last year, Maya ended second to Chapman in strikeouts, 119 to 130, but outdistanced the younger pitcher in the league's equivalent of the Cy Young, thanks to Maya's superior overall stats: 13-4, seven complete games, and a 2.22 ERA in 145 IP. In six Cuban campaigns, Maya managed a 48-29 record with a 2.51 ERA and was also lights-out in both of his brief appearances at the WBC.

Among potential suitors Ebro mentions the Mets and White Sox, two teams that showed early interest in Chapman but didn't stick around to the final stages of the sweepstakes. The Red Sox have been known to be interested as well, though Rob Bradford at WEEI quoted a source in February indicating that Maya was more likely to choose a team where he had a better shot of immediately cracking the rotation. While it's true that Maya worked largely as a starter in Cuba, he told Gomez in September that he is open to relief work and willing to do "whatever the team that signs me needs." What is seemingly more important to the player and his agent, judging by their respective quotes to the Spanish-language press, is that teams approach Maya as a polished talent who is big-league ready right now.

* Maya has been dubbed Yuniesky, Yunieski, Yuneski, and Yunesky with almost equal frequency in published reports both stateside and in Cuba. Terreno de Pelota's Uziel Gomez gave some clarity to MLB Trade Rumors in an e-mail this morning, saying that Yunesky Maya Mendiluza is the name on the player's official documents.

Phillies Not Interested In Burrell

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The Phillies don't have interest in bringing Pat Burrell back to the city he established himself in, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Burrell, who cleared waivers today after the Rays designated him for assignment over the weekend, is a free agent and can now sign with any team for $300K. The Rays would pay the bulk of the $9MM Burrell will make this year, but not surprisingly, that is not enough for the Phillies.

"We just don't have a role for him right now," Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "There isn't a fit."

Burrell, who posted a .202/.292/.333 line with the Rays this year, doesn't appear to be a fit for the Giants, either. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle hasn't heard of any interest from the Giants (Twitter link).

Heyman On Mets, Brewers, Werth

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The Marlins should extend manager Fredi Gonzalez to keep him around as long as Hanley Ramirez is under contract, writes Jon Heyman of SI.com. There's no indication that the Marlins are going to extend their skipper in the near future, but Heyman has the latest on some moves that could happen sooner:

  • The Mets will "almost assuredly" hire Bob Melvin if they fire Jerry Manuel, but there's no evidence that GM Omar Minaya is under the same scrutiny as Manuel.
  • The Brewers would presumably ask bench coach Willie Randolph to manage if they fire manager Ken Macha.
  • Executives estimate that Jayson Werth will sign a deal worth more than Jason Bay's $66MM deal, but less than Matt Holliday's $120MM deal. One executive doesn't think Werth will be able to secure a deal like Holliday's because he doesn't have the same track record. Werth hadn't played more than 102 games before 2008, but he has hit .278/.375/.521 since then.

Odds & Ends: Kearns, Lowell, Dye, Strasburg

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Links for Tuesday, as Hanley Ramirez digs himself into an even bigger hole after last night's jog…

Phillies To Designate Wilson Valdez For Assignment?

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Phillies infielder Wilson Valdez, who is out of options, will likely be bumped to make space for the returning Jimmy Rollins, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  This means that Valdez must clear waivers in order to remain with the club.  Valdez was summoned from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Rollins' spot on the roster.

The highlight of Valdez's stint with the Phillies came on April 28th against the Giants when he scored the game-winning run.  On the season, he has an OPS of .596 in 48 plate appearances which is slightly better than his major league career average.  However, he has a career 9.9 UZR/150 at the shortstop position.

Valdez, who turns 32-years-old on Thursday, has also made major league cameos with the White Sox, Mariners, Padres, Dodgers, and Mets.

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