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Pirates, Rockies Interested In Slowey

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The Rockies and Pirates are among the teams showing continued interest in Twins hurler Kevin Slowey as he nears the end of a minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Rochester, major-league sources told Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.  The 27-year-old is currently on the disabled list with an abdominal strain, but he is said to be healthy now.

The veteran is earning $2.7MM this season but hasn't been able to find a spot on the team's big league roster.  If the Twins don’t deal him soon, it’s possible that Slowey will be kept in the minors on an optional assignment.

Slowey will not be a free agent until after the 2013 season.  For his career, the right-hander has a 4.43 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9.

Olney On Tigers, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Beltran

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Teams looking to trade for outfield help will encounter a buyers’ market, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Here’s the latest from around MLB, with the most recent rumors up top:

  • The Tigers are pursuing pitching aggressively, checking in on high-end arms, according to Olney (on Twitter). 
  • The Pirates are looking for an outfielder who can be a stable presence in their lineup. They have asked around for veteran outfielders (Twitter link). 
  • The D'Backs are looking for relievers who have yet to go to arbitration, not expensive veterans (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox, Braves and Phillies would “undoubtedly” love to acquire Carlos Beltran, but all three clubs are distancing themselves from the teams behind them in the standings, so they could decide to acquire a second-tier bat instead of surrendering an elite prospect for Beltran.
  • Hunter Pence will likely stay in Houston unless the Astros are “overwhelmed,” according to Olney.
  • The A’s are listening on Josh Willingham.
  • Rival GMs believe that a deal for Ubaldo Jimenez is “all but impossible,” since the Rockies would ask for so much in a trade for their ace. The Rockies will listen on Jimenez, who is on the Reds' radar.

Pirates Open To Trading Prospects

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The Pirates have been trading big leaguers for prospects for years, but this summer is different. Pittsburgh is just a game out of first place with a 47-43 record and GM Neal Huntington says the Pirates are searching for “the right piece to add to the club” every day. 

"In theory we would absolutely like to add to this club," Huntington told Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Under the right circumstances, the Pirates would even deal prospects for Major Leaguers.

"[One of the reasons] you have a deep and talented farm system is to make trades to add to your major league club when you don't have the right piece," Huntington said. "We are to a point where we've got some prospects in the system that we're willing to talk about."

Huntington says he’s monitoring the trade market and has noticed that there are still more buyers than sellers at this point. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes explains what could happen if the Pirates become buyers and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the Pirates should acquire a power bat.

NL Central Notes: Sandberg, Pirates, Rasmus

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On this date three years ago, the newly acquired C.C. Sabathia homered and pitched a complete game to help the Brewers beat the Reds 3-2. The Brewers' latest acquisition, Francisco Rodriguez, probably won't get too many chances to swing the bat this summer, but he could help Milwaukee reach the playoffs again…

  • Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg told ESPN Chicago's "The Waddle & Silvy Show" that he wants to manage in the Major Leagues and would consider returning to Chicago if the Cubs asked him to manage at some point. Sandberg, who was a candidate for the Cubs' managerial opening over the winter, now manages Philadelphia's Triple-A affiliate. ESPNChicago.com has highlights from the conversation. 
  • The Pirates announced that they have signed fourth round pick Colten Brewer and eighth round pick Jason Creasy. Now that they've signed the pair of high school right-handers, Pittsburgh has locked up 16 players from last month's draft. 
  • The Rockies like Colby Rasmus, but don't match up well with the Cardinals on a potential trade, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Cardinals might be willing to trade Rasmus, who ranks 41st on Dave Cameron's annual list of players with the most trade value at FanGraphs.com.
  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said in a chat today that the Cardinals would most covet Jeremy Hellickson in a potential trade involving Rasmus and the Rays.

Pirates, Angels Discussed Jones For Mathis Swap

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The Pirates and Angels had serious discussions about a trade that would have sent Garrett Jones to Anaheim for Jeff Mathis, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the Pirates decided to keep Jones instead of pursuing talks further.

Since the Pirates’ two primary catchers, Ryan Doumit and Chris Snyder, are on the disabled list, they’d like to upgrade their catching depth (they’re currently using Michael McKenry and Eric Fryer). However, finding alternatives is proving difficult for the 47-43 Pirates.

The Angels would like to acquire a left-handed power hitter who can play first base, outfield and DH. Though Russell Branyan had potential as a powerful lefty bat, he has hit just .178/.255/.267 since signing with Los Angeles.

If The Pirates Become Buyers

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The Pirates have never been considered buyers for any of the five trade deadlines MLBTR has covered, and in fact less than two percent of the United States population had Internet access the last time they made the playoffs.  So, I'm excited to have a new contender to discuss this year.

The Pirates are currently in third place in the NL Central, just one game back of the Brewers and Cardinals with 44% of their season remaining.  They rank tenth out of 16 NL teams with 3.93 runs scored per game.  The Bucs are tenth in OBP and 14th in SLG.  They've got position players Jose Tabata, Ryan Doumit, Ronny Cedeno, and Chris Snyder on the DL, with Snyder's return a ways off.  How can GM Neal Huntington improve this offense?

The Pirates rank fifth in the NL with a 3.62 rotation ERA, getting it done with Paul Maholm, Kevin Correia, James McDonald, Charlie Morton, and Jeff Karstens.  Four of them carry ERAs of 4.01 or below, though SIERA shows that most of the starters belong in the mid-4.00s.  While it's easy to suggest the Pirates need better starting pitching, it'd be tough for Huntington to replace guys who have gotten good results so far.  The Pirates' bullpen has been strong, so I wouldn't expect a major change there either.

Trade Candidate: Carlos Pena

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First baseman Carlos Pena hit just .196/.325/.407 in 2010, and the Scott Boras client signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Cubs last December in hopes of rebuilding value.  Maybe it's due to switching leagues, but Pena's power has rebounded and now he might be the only 30 home run bat on the trade market.

Pena

Pena, 33, is hitting .225/.339/.461 with 19 home runs in 340 plate appearances for the Cubs this year.  After a rough April he's produced a more robust .244/.354/.543 line.  If you're a contender looking for big-time power, Pena and Mark Reynolds are probably the best bets.  Both come with big strikeout totals, however.  Carlos Beltran, Ryan Ludwick, and Josh Willingham are other power hitters who might be available this month.

With a $10MM salary, Pena earns more than Reynolds, Ludwick, or Willingham.  But the Cubs were short on payroll space when they signed Pena, and authored a fairly unique one-year deal that deferred half of his salary until January of 2012.  That means an acquiring team would owe Pena around $1.6MM for the remainder of the season if they acquire him at the deadline, but then would have to tack another $5MM for him onto their 2012 payroll.  For a club lacking flexibility this might be a benefit; others could be reluctant to pay Pena after he's already signed with another team.

In terms of draft pick compensation, Pena projects as a Type B free agent.  This might be a minimal factor for the Cubs or any team, as Pena is not a lock to receive an arbitration offer.  And he may not be keen on a handshake agreement to turn down arbitration; he was not one of the Rays who agreed to such an arrangement last year.

Of the 16 current contenders, few are in need of first base help, which should reduce the demand for Pena.  The eight AL contenders generally don't need designated hitters, so that route probably would not help Cubs GM Jim Hendry. 

The Pirates and Diamondbacks strike me as two teams that would benefit from renting the Pena.  The D'Backs would might prefer to turn to Brandon Allen or Paul Goldschmidt at first, leaving the Pirates as the lone suitor if they wish to improve upon Lyle Overbay.  The Bucs make for an interesting match, as typically it's been the Cubs swiping useful players from them.  I also like the fit because the Pirates could avoid giving up any useful young players for Pena, instead offering to relieve the Cubs of most of the slugger's remaining $6.6MM.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

NL Central Notes: Garcia, Pujols, Pirates, Cozart

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The Brewers acquired C.C. Sabathia on this date in 2008. The left-hander strung together one dominant outing after another and led Milwaukee to its first postseason series since 1982. Here's the latest from the NL Central as we await this summer's first blockbuster deal…

  • When asked about the possibility of signing a contract extension with the Cardinals, Jaime Garcia told B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com (on Twitter): "I'm not saying yes or no, but if something is going on, when the time comes, you guys will find out."
  • Now that he has made an exceptionally quick return from the disabled list, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols looms as the biggest potential difference-maker in the division, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains.
  • Manager Clint Hurdle told Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Pirates discussed some external options yesterday, when management met to determine its plan for summer roster moves.
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he isn’t going to make moves for the sake of shaking things up. 
  • Fay points out that someone named Zack Cozart is registered at the Reds’ team hotel (Twitter link). Though it could be a coincidence, it seems likely that the shortstop prospect is getting the call to the big leagues.

Quick Hits: Pirates, Mariners, Rangers

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Links for Wednesday…

  • MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports that Pirates GM Neal Huntington led a meeting today that focused on the team's outlook leading up to the trade deadline. Part of the meeting revolved around internal pieces, specifically players due to come off the disabled list soon.
  • The Mariners announced in a press release that they've signed fourth rounder John Hicks, a catcher from Virginia. MLB's slot recommendation for the 123rd pick is approximately $234K.
  • The Rangers have signed Dominican right-hander Pedro Payano according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (on Twitter). He received a $650K bonus.

Pirates Considering Summer Acquisitions

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The 45-41 Pirates are in second place in the NL Central and, for the first time in a long time, they could be buyers this summer. Manager Clint Hurdle told Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune Tribune-Review that team management will meet today to determine what moves to make this month.

"We're just trying to be smart with the moves we make," Hurdle said. "We want to make sure we bring in a good skill-set that fits in the clubhouse as well."

The Pirates have ten players on the disabled list, including Joe Beimel, Ross Ohlendorf, Ryan Doumit, Chris Snyder, Pedro Alvarez, Ronny Cedeno and Jose Tabata, so Hurdle believes help could come from within. If some injured Pirates return later in the season, the team could improve without forfeiting prospects or taking on salary.

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