Huff, Mora & Baez Clear Waivers
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that Aubrey Huff, Melvin Mora and Danys Baez all cleared waivers, and can now be dealt to any club. As we mentioned earlier, you can find this trio on our list of players to clear waivers.
Odds & Ends: Smoltz, Nationals GM, Chapman, Orioles
A couple of links on a lazy Sunday…
- ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Texas Rangers and several NL teams have expressed interest in acquiring John Smoltz. The 42-yr old is mulling his options at the moment, but Olney says it's "highly unlikely that any NL team would be willing to take Smoltz in a trade without some financial adjustment."
- Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that there is lots of "chatter among major league sources in Washington that Diamondbacks director of scouting and player development Jerry Dipoto is the leading candidate to be Nationals general manager." He mentions that Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer has also been mentioned as a candidate, and that the club is also considering giving interm GM Mike Rizzo the job on a permanent basis.
- This one's a bit old, but Peter Bjarkman balances out some of the hype we've heard about Cuban defectee Aroldis Chapman, citing his lack of control in the strike zone and his pedestrian track record in the Cuban National League. (h/t Patrick at NPB Tracker)
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports that Aubrey Huff, Melvin Mora, and Danys Baez have cleared waivers. Mora expressed his displeasure with Baltimore earlier in the week. Remember, you can find our list of players who've cleared waivers featured on the sidebar.
Heyman On August Trades
Executives tell Jon Heyman of SI.com that we saw the "softest deadline ever" last week because there's still the possibility for trades this month. Here's an explanation of how trades can occur after the deadline and here are the players Heyman deems likely to clear waivers (player who clear waivers may be traded):
- Bronson Arroyo, Adam Dunn, Jose Guillen, Aaron Harang, Adrian Beltre, Aubrey Huff, Jason Giambi, Melvin Mora, Miguel Batista, Juan Cruz, Ty Wigginton, Ron Mahay, Willie Bloomquist, Lyle Overbay, Willy Taveras.
Some players who could clear waivers:
- Jon Garland, Doug Davis, Gil Meche, Alex Rios, Carl Pavano, Mark Hendrickson, Jhonny Peralta, Jamey Carroll, Ron Villone.
And some players who probably won't clear waivers, but who could be dealt to a claiming team:
- Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, Heath Bell, Adrian Gonzalez, Marco Scutaro, Chad Qualls, Michael Wuertz, Brian Bannister, Josh Willingham, Gary Sheffield, David Eckstein, Jason Frasor, Mark Teahen.
Odds & Ends: Bradley, O’s, Mariners
Some more interesting nuggets we've mined as we reel from the madness today:
- Paul Sullivan at the Chicago Tribune got comments from Cubs GM Jim Hendry, who called rumors that Milton Bradley could head to the Tigers "unfair to the player."
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun hears that Danys Baez, Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora, who are all about to become free agents, have attracted minimal interest on the trade market.
- The Mariners signed second round pick Rick Poythress, who'll be immediately shipped to the AA affiliate, reports Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick takes a look at some of the all-time hyped prospects who have turned out to be busts.
- In a similar piece to Crasnick's, Yahoo's Jeff Passan looks at how once-hot prospect Brandon Wood has seen his value as a trade chip diminish.
Giants Considering Many Bats
Giants fans have heard all about Freddy Sanchez and Nick Johnson in recent weeks, but those are far from the only players the team would consider adding, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. GM Brian Sabean says the team is considering "six to eight scenarios or names," some of which involve players on teams in the fringes of the playoff race.
Talkin’ Giants Baseball
As we cruise closer to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Giants still boast one of baseball's most intriguing situations. The club is 52-46 — 10 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West, but just two games back in the Wild Card. Most experts agree they need a bat to continue contending, and they've been linked recently to sluggers like Victor Martinez, Ryan Garko and Nick Johnson.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle recently heard "word from [Giants] general manager Brian Sabean that chances for a deal are 50-50."
"We're talking," manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday as his club prepared to head home after a long road trip. "I'll talk to Brian. I'll discuss it with the staff on the plane on the way back and see what we can do to get this thing going again."
Schulman believes the Giants might also have interest in Toronto's Marco Scutaro or Baltimore's Aubrey Huff. Either way, it's pretty clear what San Francisco is seeking as Friday's deadline nears: offense.
Cafardo’s Latest: Martinez, Boston, Pitching
In his latest piece for The Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo reports that the Indians turned down an offer of Clay Buchholz for Victor Martinez according to an NL scout. The Red Sox then countered with a package of Michael Bowden, Justin Masterson, and an outfield prospect, but the Indians turned that down as well.
Let's round up the rest of Cafardo's rumors…
- In addition to Boston, the Indians are also fielding offers from the Rays and Giants for Martinez, but aren't inclined to make a deal unless a team's best prospects are involved.
- Cafardo runs through the list of other pitchers that "could be pried away," including Scott Kazmir, Cliff Lee, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, and George Sherrill. He says it'll take "a blockbuster package" to land Lee.
- Aubrey Huff and Kevin Millar are also available.
- The Red Sox will "dip in the (Roy) Halladay sweepstakes" if the price comes down, but otherwise will look for a righthanded bat that can play the outfield.
- Cafardo says it will be interesting to see if the Yankees, Phillies and Dodgers are aggressive at the deadline or take a pass, considering all three clubs are playing well right now.
- The White Sox could pull off something big because GM Kenny Williams "has a bit of gambler in him."
- It'll be interesting to see if the Giants' plans to add a bat are put on hold after the sudden death of principal owner Sue Burns.
- Twins GM Bill Smith may add a middle infielder and/or a reliever before the deadline. Last night we learned that they were "deep into talks and talking composition of a deal" with the A's about Orlando Cabrera. The team might be able to stretch it's normal payroll with Target Field opening next year.
- Cafardo proposes a "swap of underachieving Scott Boras clients," J.D. Drew and Magglio Ordonez.
- While there is some uneasiness about there not being any substantive talks between the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg, those kind of deals can come together quickly. The signing deadline is August 17th.
- The Rangers are unable to add payroll, which will hamstring their efforts that the trade deadline.
Odds & Ends: Braves, Orioles, Arroyo, Strasburg
Some links to check out on the night Derek Jeter tied Ted Williams on the career hits list with 2,654…
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman writes that if the Braves make a move before next Friday's trade deadline, "the best bet is that they'll add a reliever." He mentions Danys Baez, Takashi Saito, Ron Mahay, and John Grabow as available options.
- Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun took a look at the Orioles' main trade chips, including Baez, Aubrey Huff, George Sherrill, and Ty Wigginton.
- Bronson Arroyo is officially on the trading block, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman,
- The camp of top pick Stephen Strasburg has expressed concern over the Nationals' uncertain general manager situation, reports Chico Harlan of The Washington Post.
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times says that despite the Matt Holliday haul, the Mariners shouldn't expect as big of a return for Erik Bedard or Jarrod Washburn because they only project to be Type-B free agents after the season.
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said ""We'll be aggressive but we won't be stupid," when it comes to making trades according to Tom Haudricourt.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal wrote about the dilemma of trading prospects.
Orioles Rumors: Huff, Scott, Meredith, Sano
The Orioles could move a number of their players; here are the latest rumblings on the subject:
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the O's aren't enthused about dealing Luke Scott or Aubrey Huff.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN.com notes that Oscar Salazar is out of options, so the Orioles did well to trade him for bullpen inventory and acquire Cla Meredith.
- Steve Melewski of MASN.com hears that the Orioles remain "very interested" in Miguel Angel Sano, but it could be a month before the Dominican shortstop signs.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Halladay, Padres, Orioles, Holliday, Dodgers
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count Video up. Let's dive in…
- The Brewers are flying under the radar for Roy Halladay. The Blue Jays love shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar, but the Brew Crew might not have the young pitching needed to complete a deal.
- Rosenthal isn't sure Halladay would approve a deal to Milwaukee either.
- Don't expect the Padres to move either Adrian Gonzalez or Heath Bell before the trade deadline. GM Kevin Towers says it makes "no sense" to move those players now, but it could be a different story in the offseason since teams may be more willing to discuss Major League players then.
- The Orioles aren't "terribly enthused" about trading either Aubrey Huff or Luke Scott. The O's could try to retain the free agent to be Huff in the offseason by offering him arbitration, and taking the compensation draft picks if he declines. Scott is still under team control for another few seasons.
- Don't be surprised if the A's are "relatively quiet" at the deadline. Matt Holliday is drawing only minimal interest, but that could change if he heats up before the deadline.
- Oakland has gotten calls about reliever Michael Wuertz and "to a lesser degree Brad Ziegler," but they aren't in a rush to move either guy since they're cheap and under team control for the next few seasons.
In a separate video, Rosenthal says that Dodgers manager Joe Torre has "made it clear he wants Roy Halladay." The problem is that Toronto has asked for Clayton Kershaw as the centerpiece of any deal, and the money might be prohibitive for LA. The Dodgers are also looking for a setup reliever. Rosenthal also reiterates the lack of interest in Holliday.