Pirates Rumors

Rockies Rumors: Jimenez, Wigginton

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 12:18pm CDT

The Rockies are 11 games back in the NL West, so it's time to consider selling various pieces. The latest:

The Red Sox, Rangers, Tigers, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Reds scouted Ubaldo Jimenez's start yesterday in Arizona, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post tweets that nothing has changed since his column yesterday – the Reds and Yankees make the most sense, with the Rangers, Red Sox, and Tigers lurking. At that point, Renck wrote that the price is huge – at least three players – but the Rockies "haven't pulled Jimenez off the showroom floor."
The Pirates have interest in Ty Wigginton, tweets Renck. Wigginton, who played for the Bucs from 2004-05, is a good source of righthanded pop at the corners.
Right-handed relievers Rafael Betancourt and Matt Lindstrom are also trade candidates, tweets Renck.

B.J. Upton Rumors: Monday

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 12:07pm CDT

Rays center fielder B.J. Upton may not crack the top 20 on our list of available bats ranked by wOBA, but his defense and potential are enough to make him a hot name on the 2011 trade market. The latest:

The Phillies have some interest in Upton, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post, but most calls to the Rays are coming from the Nationals, Braves, Pirates, Reds, and Cardinals. The Cardinals would have interest if they trade Colby Rasmus for pitching. Sherman adds that the Royals have interest in Upton with an eye on contending next year.
The Rays would want Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, Mike Minor, or Arodys Vizcaino from the Braves for Upton, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Crasnick does not find the Braves likely to make such a move.

Pirates Rumors: Pena, Beltran, Pence

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 9:39am CDT

The NL Central race remains tight, but the Pirates are technically above the Cardinals and Brewers at the moment. The latest on these surprise contenders…

We haven't read much beyond speculation linking the Pirates to Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena, but Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review lists Pena, Carlos Beltran, and Hunter Pence as three bats on which GM Neal Huntington has been "stymied" so far. Huntington explained the roadblocks he's encountered so far, including no-trade clauses and finding a match in value with the other team. The GM explained that he intends to "stay disciplined and stay with teams" in hopes of the asking prices going down.
ESPN's Buster Olney guesses the Pirates will end up acquiring a second-tier reliever and bat, he explained to Joe Giardina of Pittsburgh Sports Report. Olney has doubts that Beltran would accept a trade to Pittsburgh, and would be shocked if the Bucs meet Houston's asking price for Pence.
In a tweet, Olney speculates that Colorado's Jason Giambi "would be perfect as a bench addition" for the Pirates.
Alex Presley's thumb injury increases the Pirates' need for an outfielder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

At Least Four Teams Interested In Uehara

By Tim Dierkes | July 25, 2011 at 9:16am CDT

The Rangers, Pirates, Tigers, and Twins are among the teams that have expressed interest in Orioles reliever Koji Uehara, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Interest from the Pirates and Twins was previously reported, and the Reds are known to have discussed Uehara at least internally.

Uehara, 36, is among the best relievers available this summer. He sports a 1.80 ERA, 11.8 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 1.2 HR/9, and 31.3% groundball rate in 45 innings this year, and a reasonable $4MM option for next year vests with 14 more appearances. Uehara told Zrebiec he loves Baltimore and the Orioles, "but it's not going to be any fun if we don't win. That's the dilemma."

In theory, Uehara shouldn't be much easier to acquire than San Diego's Mike Adams, the biggest difference being the former's flyball leanings. Aside from the Uehara suitors mentioned above, the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, Phillies, Braves, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks are seeking relief help.

Quick Hits: Trade Market, Giambi, Pirates

By Dan Mennella | July 24, 2011 at 10:45pm CDT

Some late-night linkage as the Reds walk off on the Braves on a Drew Stubbs blast …

The trade market is slow taking shape this year, and one GM tells Scott Miller of CBSSports.com that too many teams are intent on making the perfect trade or scared of making a bad one. Miller also suggests that trade talks were slow this weekend because many top executives were in Cooperstown, N.Y., for induction ceremonies at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Rockies may trade first baseman Jason Giambi before the deadline, though Troy Renck of the Denver Post wouldn't be surprised if Colorado were to re-sign the slugger in the offseason (via Twitter).
Pirates GM Neal Huntington says asking prices are high for a bat, and he thinks potential trade partners are using the Bucs' first successful season in nearly two decades as leverage, according to Laura Myers of MLB.com.

Pirates Looking For Relievers

By Zachary Links | July 24, 2011 at 1:08pm CDT

The Pirates are casting a wide net for relief help as the deadline approaches with names such as Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel, and Koji Uehara on their expansive list, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The club is also looking for a bat, Morosi tweets, but it doesn't sound like they're close to anything.

On Friday, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported that the club is taking a "very, very careful" approach to the deadline and aren't planning on trading major assets this month. They also picked up reliever Jason Grilli late last week to help improve their bullpen situation.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Braves, Upton, Keppinger, Bell

By Luke Adams 2 | July 24, 2011 at 8:49am CDT

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, whose bow tie took some playful mocking from Brandon Phillips yesterday, is back with another handful of hot stove notes….

While the Braves still figure to acquire a right-handed hitter, Rosenthal points out that Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward have recently shown signs of heating up. Increased production from that pair could be the equivalent of adding an impact bat.
The Braves view their starting rotation depth as one of their greatest strengths, and aren't inclined to compromise it by dealing Derek Lowe.
Rosenthal backed off his Saturday guarantee that B.J. Upton will be traded before the deadline, cautioning that he doesn't know the Rays' exact intentions.
Before the Giants acquired Jeff Keppinger from the Astros, the Yankees inquired on the infielder.
The Cardinals are "hotter" on Heath Bell than Mike Adams, especially considering the Padres continue to "need to be overwhelmed" to move Adams.
One executive offered this metaphor on Pirates GM Neal Huntington using his farm system to facilitate potential acquisitions: "He’s been planting a garden for four years, and now he’s going to be picking flowers out of it."

Carlos Beltran Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2011 at 10:33pm CDT

The Carlos Beltran rumors kept streaming in yesterday. Here's a quick recap: the Giants are having some trouble matching up with the Mets; the Indians' interest is cooling; the Mets aren't worried about obtaining Beltran's permission for a deal; The Tigers are focused on pitching; the Rangers have some interest in Beltran; the Brewers would like to scrape together a package and it's too early to rule out the Phillies, Red Sox, Braves or Yankees. Here are today's rumors with the most recent updates up top:

Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal (via Twitter) notes that if the Mets deal Beltran, he cannot officially approve the trade until 24 hours later. This means that the deadline to trade him is effectively 3:59pm EST Saturday.
It is highly doubtful that the Giants would part with Zack Wheeler or that the Phillies would move Domonic Brown in a deal for Beltran, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
The Mets contacted Scott Boras, Beltran's agent, if his client would be open to the idea of returning to the Mets in the offseason if traded, two sources tell David Waldstein of the New York Times. They were informed that Beltran would consider the idea of re-signing with the Mets.
Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter) thinks its highly doubtful that the Braves would part with Mike Minor in a deal for Beltran.
The Mets are interested in Zack Wheeler, Brandon Belt, and Gary Brown of the Giants and Domonic Brown of the Phillies, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. The Braves, he adds, also have prospects of interest.
The Reds have discussed Beltran, according to John Fay on the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Some baseball people expect Beltran to use his no-trade clause to ensure that he remains in the National League, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Beltran's full no-trade clause will likely force the Mets to have a few deals lined up days prior to July 31 so that they can move on from one proposal to another should Beltran veto one, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.
The trade talks are down to five serious teams, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The Red Sox, Giants, Phillies, Braves and Rangers are involved. The Pirates and Indians are basically out of the conversation, according to Olney. The Mets thought the Giants were the frontrunner two days ago, but other teams have since caught up.
The Giants, Phillies and Braves appear to be the leaders in the Beltran sweepstakes, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Brewers are also a possibility.
Beltran told Newsday's David Lennon that he would prefer to stay in the National League. The outfielder prefers not to DH more than once per week and will consider a team's pitching staff before accepting a deal.
A Mets official told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that there are six or seven active suitors for Beltran. The Mets were watching Braves Triple-A lefty Mike Minor closely yesterday, according to Sherman.

Indians, Pirates Interested In Iannetta

By Zachary Links | July 22, 2011 at 6:10pm CDT

A number of teams, including the Indians and Pirates, have inquired on Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, major-league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. It was reported on Wednesday that the Rockies are not actively shopping the veteran.

Iannetta, 28, is under contract through next season with a club option for 2013. He's set to earn $2.55MM this season, $3.55MM in 2012, and his option is worth $5MM with an affordable $250K buyout.

Morosi writes that the BoSox have had off-and-on interest with the backstop but they appear to be content with their catching situation at the moment.

Pirates Take Careful Approach To Deadline

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2011 at 8:02am CDT

The Pirates are taking a "very, very careful" approach to the trade deadline, rival officials tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). There are many indications that the Pirates aren't trading major assets this month.

The 51-45 Pirates are tied for first place atop the National League Central. There's minimal room for error as the Cardinals and Reds are within four games of the division leading Brewers and Pirates. Pittsburgh has checked in on outfielders, including Carlos Beltran, and relievers in anticipation of the trade deadline.

Earlier in the week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that some rival GMs believe Pirates GM Neal Huntington over-values his prospects. The Pirates' first move of the summer saw them sign Jason Grilli in a deal that didn't cost Pittsburgh anything but cash and a roster spot.

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