Rockies Don’t Plan To Be Sellers
The Rockies don’t need to shed salary this summer and don’t plan to be sellers regardless of their record, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies are now 41-46 and if they continue struggling they may move Aaron Cook and Ian Stewart, but Huston Street and Ty Wigginton are likely staying put.
For now, the Rockies will attempt to add a pitcher who’s under team control beyond 2011. They’ve asked the Twins about their starters, but Minnesota is reluctant to trade until they’re further out of the race.
Though Brett Myers and Carlos Beltran are among the best players available, the price tags for those players make them unappealing to Colorado. GM Dan O’Dowd won’t consider trading prospects for a ‘rental player’ unless Colorado is leading the division, according to Renck (the Rockies now trail by 7.5 games).
NL West Notes: Dodgers, Cook, Hawpe
Let's check out a few items from the National League West..
- Steve Soboroff, who publicly clashed with the commissioner’s office in his brief tenure as the Dodgers’ vice chairman, has resigned, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
- Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune wonders where Brad Hawpe will fit in when he returns from the disabled list. Even though it'll be hard to find a place for the veteran, it's hard to imagine the Padres cutting him loose and paying him the $2MM that he is still owed.
- Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook needs to turn things around quickly before the Rockies start exploring other options, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Earlier today, Renck reported that the club has started calling other teams to gauge the market for rotation help.
Rosenthal’s Full Count: Marlins, Wandy, Phillies, Rockies
Ken Rosenthal has his lastest Full Count video up over at FOXSports.com. Let's go over the highlights:
- If the Marlins make a managerial change, the most likely candidate would be Nationals' third base coach Bo Porter. Porter spent five years with the Marlins, and three as a Major League coach. Rosenthal wonders if the Nats would let him go to a division rival midseason, and if Porter would accept the job on an interim basis, knowing the Marlins ultimately want Ozzie Guillen. Porter turned down a similar offer last season.
- Rosenthal asked Yankees GM Brian Cashman if he would consider trading for an ace, and Cashman replied, "I'm not Ruben Amaro," referring to the Phillies GM and his affinity for blockbuster trades. Rosenthal names Wandy Rodriguez as a potential target for New York, but says there could be a hangup since the Astros value Rodriguez as an ace, while the Yanks would view him as a back-of-the-rotation addition.
- The Phillies are doing their due dilligence in looking for right-handed hitters and left-handed relievers, but are limited by payroll issues. They also don't currently have regular at-bats for any hitter they'd acquire. Rosenthal says someone like Ryan Spilborghs, making $2MM with the Rockies, is the type of hitter that would be appealing to Philadelphia.
- The Rockies could be buyers or sellers, depending on their play over the next month. If they're buyers, they'll seek innings-eating pitchers (Rosenthal names Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers and the Twins' Kevin Slowey as possible targets), while if they sell they could look to move Huston Street, Ty Wigginton, and Aaron Cook.
Rosenthal On Rockies, Mariners, Garrett Olson
Spring Training notes from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- The Rockies appear to have the rotation depth to trade starter Aaron Cook, once he's healthy. Of course, they weren't able to move Cook last year. The 32-year-old sinkerballer is dealing with shoulder and finger injuries, and could be back around May 15th. He's owed $9.25MM this year, plus another million bucks if traded and a potential $500K buyout after the season. I think it'll have to be a bad contract swap if another team is to take him in June or July.
- Rosenthal explains that at least five non-roster players "stand reasonable chances" of making the Mariners, meaning they may have to do some major 40-man roster housecleaning. 27-year-old southpaw Garrett Olson is already on waivers. The former first-round pick tossed 37 2/3 relief innings for Seattle last year, and he continued to be plagued by the longball. Olson was better in Triple-A, but it was his fourth stint at the level.
Michael Young Rumors: Saturday
In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney notes that something has changed in the relationship between Michael Young and Rangers, possibly because of trade talk this winter. He speculates that the Athletics and Blue Jays could be fits in a deal. Let's keep tabs on the latest regarding Texas and their third baseman here throughout the day…
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Dodgers are interested in Young, but their unstable ownership situation is standing in the way.
- A well placed source told Renck (via Twitter) that he doesn't think the Rockies will get Young. Renck also hears (via Twitter) that the Rockies would need Texas to eat $20MM or more in a deal.
- A source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that talks between the Rangers and Rockies have reached an "advanced stage," and a trade could come as soon as Monday. Texas is not talking to any other club, and a source confirmed that Jose Lopez is in the latest offer.
- Renck says it's "very, very unlikely" that Dexter Fowler would be involved (on Twitter).
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that the Rangers have not reached out to Rockies as of Friday, contradicting what we heard yesterday.
- Renck notes (on Twitter) that Colorado would be willing to give up Lopez in a trade, but not Aaron Cook. That is subject to change, however. The Rox are understandably leery of surrendering big league starting pitching.
Odds & Ends: Valentine, Cook, Mets, Mariners
Wednesday evening linkage..
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel wonders if Bobby Valentine was ever a strong candidate for the Marlins opening this time around.
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) believes that Aaron Cook will be back with the Rockies in 2011.
- Bobby Valentine pulling his name out of contention in Florida could be a sign that things are heating up elsewhere, writes Larry Stone of The Seattle Times.
- Jeff Wilpon would like to hire a GM by the end of the World Series, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times (via Twitter) says it's not impossible that we'll see Eric Wedge and Milton Bradley in the same clubhouse again.
Cardinals Targeting Jake Westbrook
The Cardinals are targeting Jake Westbrook, rival teams tell ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. The Cards are no longer pursuing Aaron Cook or Livan Hernandez, since they’re focused on the Indians right-hander. However, Stark hears that there’s just a 50% chance of a trade.
The Indians don’t want to absorb salary in a deal, but Westbrook will make about $4MM between now and the end of the season. He also obtains a $2MM bonus if the Indians trade him.
The Cardinals have been looking for an innings eater and Westbrook fits that description. The 32-year-old has posted a 4.65 ERA in 127.2 innings, with 5.1 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. Westbrook is scheduled to face the Blue Jays tomorrow.
Rockies Not Likely To Trade Cook Or Hawpe
6:00pm: The Rockies are telling teams they can't move Hawpe right now no matter what, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (Twitter link).
1:55pm: The Rockies aren’t likely to move Aaron Cook or Brad Hawpe, but Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that Colorado is looking for MLB-ready prospects if they deal either player (all links on Twitter). Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Rockies would deal Cook for a bullpen piece and a prospect.
The White Sox and Tigers are still eyeing Hawpe, so Renck suggests things could get “interesting” if Chicago doesn’t acquire Adam Dunn. The White Sox still appear to have interest in Dunn, but Hawpe’s left-handed bat could be an alternative for GM Kenny Williams. So far this season, the 31-year-old is batting .262/.340/.454 with seven homers.
Lance Berkman, another player the White Sox are considering as an alternative to Dunn, drew interest from the Rockies, who ‘kicked the tires’ on him before their recent skid.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Abreu, Mets, Edmonds
A few assorted links, as the trading finally picks up…
- After missing out on Roy Oswalt, the Cardinals are looking elsewhere for pitching, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Mid-level starters like Jake Westbrook or Aaron Cook could be fits for the Cards. The asking price for Cook, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, is a bullpen piece and a prospect.
- The Angels don't appear to have made Bobby Abreu available, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
- The Mets finalized their over-slot deal with Erik Goeddel, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). They agreed to give the 21-year-old righty a $350K bonus. MLBTR first reported an agreement had been reached on July 4th.
- The Dodgers designated Jack Taschner for assignment according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).
- The Astros released Tommy Everidge to make room for Brett Wallace, according to the Round Rock Express website.
- Teams have asked the Brewers about Jim Edmonds, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
- GM Doug Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that things are quiet for the Brewers right now.
- The Rangers pursued Roy Oswalt and Prince Fielder aggressively, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter).
- The Mets asked the Cubs about Tom Gorzelanny, according to Heyman (Twitter link).
- The White Sox signed former major leaguer Jon Adkins to a minor league deal, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- The Twins, Phillies and Giants are losing interest in Ty Wigginton, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Jason Frasor tells Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star that he hears the latest from MLB Trade Rumors whether he wants to or not, since his friends tell him about the latest rumors.
- I talked trades with Rob Shaw and Michelle Steele of Bloomberg Sports. You can check out the video clip at USA Today.
Rockies Likely To Sell
The Rockies are likely to become sellers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 51-49 Rockies have lost seven consecutive games and now sit in fourth place in the NL West, 8.0 games behind the division-leading Padres and six games behind the Wild Card-leading Giants.
The Phillies are showing interest in Aaron Cook, though their enthusiasm for him is "limited at best." The Rockies are "quietly shopping" Cook, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post and have stopped pursuing Jorge Cantu, according to Rosenthal. The Phillies are also one of the teams interested in Joe Beimel.
The Rockies will likely keep free agent-to-be Jorge De La Rosa in hopes of signing him or obtaining draft pick compensation, Rosenthal says. The left-hander currently projects as a Type B free agent. The Rockies could deal Melvin Mora and Ryan Spilborghs if they wanted to, since other clubs are interested. However, the Rockies’ rivals are not willing to give up much for either player at this point.