Quick Hits: Red Sox, Iannetta, Santana, Willis
Joey Votto celebrated his 28th birthday with a 3-for-4 performance today against the Rockies, including his 27th homer of the year. It wasn't enough, however, as Cincinnati dropped a 12-7 result to Colorado.
Some notes from around the majors….
- The Red Sox could use another solid starting pitcher but "for the moment don't feel there's anyone out there available who's better than what they have," a team official tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- The Rockies will give catcher Wilin Rosario a lot of playing time this month as they decide what to do with Chris Iannetta this winter, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. If Rosario plays well, Colorado may decide to deal Iannetta, who's due to make $3.55MM in 2012. Iannetta's name was mentioned in trade rumors involving the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Pirates and Padres at the July deadline.
- Johan Santana will probably not pitch in the Major Leagues for the Mets this season, reports Anthony DiComo for MLB.com.
- Dontrelle Willis probably won't be back with the Reds next season, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Willis has re-established himself as a big league starter this year but Fay figures that this progress has likely priced the southpaw out of the Reds' range.
- Another Red who likely won't be back in Cincinnati next year is Paul Janish, opines Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News. Despite some excellent glovework (a +11.6 UZR/150 at shortstop this year), Janish will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is probably a non-tender candidate with Zack Cozart taking over at short.
- Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune says several American League scouts have asked him about Jesus Guzman's fielding ability in recent weeks, a sign that AL teams could have an interest in Guzman as a DH candidate. Center discusses Guzman, Bud Black's status, a possible extension for Cameron Maybin and other Padres-related topics in an online chat with fans.
- Andruw Jones has been playing all season with a small tear in his left knee, reports Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. The Yankees discovered the injury during Jones' physical but signed the veteran outfielder anyway (both Twitter links).
Rosenthal On Jimenez, Red Sox, Rockies, Beltran
In the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal, we learn how this year's trade deadline could have turned out drastically different..
- The Rockies wanted five of Boston's top prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez: Will Middlebrooks, Kyle Weiland, Josh Reddick, Felix Doubront, and Ryan Lavarnway. The Red Sox would have gotten more than just Jimenez in return as Rosenthal tweets that the Rockies offered Jimenez and outfielder Seth Smith in return for the quintet of prospects. There were other possible fits in such a deal including Ryan Spilborghs, Chris Iannetta, and Rafael Betancourt.
- The Rangers had enough prospects to get Carlos Beltran in addition to Koji Uehara and Mike Adams at the deadline. To do that, they would have needed to take either Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland out of the Adams deal as the Mets are fond of both. Rosenthal was told that one of the two pitchers was in the offer for Beltran.
- The Indians traded their two best pitching prospects to land ace Ubaldo Jimenez but the deal wasn't just for this season. Cleveland is mindful of the big picture and they have their key pieces locked up for the next few years. Jimenez, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Shin-Soo Choo are under control for the next two seasons while Justin Masterson and Chris Perez are under control for the next three. If the Tribe doesn't win in the next few years, they can always flip some of those players for prospects.
Blue Jays Working Hard On Iannetta
1:12pm: These talks have cooled a bit, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
12:47pm: The Blue Jays are working hard on Iannetta, tweets Andrew Baggarly. The Rockies catcher is not in today's lineup.
1:08am: The Indians and the Blue Jays are pursuing Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta heading into Sunday’s deadline, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Iannetta has also received mild interest from the Padres and Red Sox this week.
The Pirates were also looking into the 28-year-old but their interest has apparently dropped off. Iannetta is hitting .221/.375/.402 with 10 homers this season.
NL West Notes: Iannetta, Ellis, Jimenez, Hernandez
One of the biggest trade chips in baseball – Carlos Beltran – joined the NL West this week, but a handful of impact players could leave the division within 50 hours. Heath Bell, Mike Adams (latest rumors), Ubaldo Jimenez (latest rumors) and Hiroki Kuroda (latest rumors) are all on the block. Here are the latest notes and rumblings from the NL West…
- The Padres have some interest in Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Pirates' interest in Iannetta has cooled.
- The Rockies intend to try to re-sign Mark Ellis, who hits free agency after the season, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com presents the nine pitchers to throw 500 innings for the Rockies before Jimenez. Jason Jennings, Shawn Chacon and Jeff Francis are among the pitchers on the list, so Verducci says Colorado “should absolutely see if they can prey upon the needs of the Yankees, Reds and Tigers.”
- The Giants remain interested in Ramon Hernandez, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Reds haven't made the backstop available at this point, but the Giants have had interest since early July (and perhaps earlier).
- Yhency Brazoban reached an agreement with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, according to a Sports Hochi report that Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along. We heard earlier in the week that the reliever was on the verge of leaving the Diamondbacks' organization for Japan.
Red Sox Notes: Jackson, Spilborghs, Iannetta
The Red Sox are unlikely to have to pay much luxury tax this year, so they're willing to add payroll in the right trade, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Here's the latest on some players the Red Sox could consider acquiring…
- The Red Sox aren't one of the teams pursuing Edwin Jackson, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox are strongly considering Ryan Spilborghs, who earns a base salary of just $1.95MM this year, as a fourth outfielder, according to Heyman. They're impressed by Josh Reddick's performance this year and seem "off" on Carlos Beltran at the moment, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
- Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com confirms that the Red Sox are interested in Spilborghs (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox "passively inquired" on Ubaldo Jimenez (latest rumors here) and Chris Iannetta, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Lauber adds that the Red Sox haven't yet expressed interest in Spilborghs.
- The Rockies are among the teams bearing down on Boston's farm system, according to Morosi (on Twitter).
West Rumors: Angels, Iannetta, Rangers
The latest on a few AL and NL West clubs…
- The Marlins "are scouting the Angels closely," reports Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times. Baxter believes Marlins closer Leo Nunez could be a fit for L.A., but the two teams might not match up. Head over to CloserNews for Dan Mennella's look at which other closers might be on the move this month.
- The Pirates have cooled on Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports would be shocked if the Rangers don't address their bullpen, regardless of what happens with Carlos Beltran.
- Padres reliever Mike Adams was affected by recent trade rumors, he admitted to Don Norcross of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- David DeJesus' wife "goes to the trade rumor sites," the A's outfielder told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. DeJesus and teammate Josh Willingham leave the trade chatter to their better halves. Willingham told Susan Slusser of the Chronicle he'd be open to discussing an extension with Oakland, but Slusser's team source says they don't want to talk to potential free agents about contracts until after the season.
NL Central Rumors: Volquez, Iannetta, Bourn
The NL Central has four buyers and two sellers. The latest:
- The Reds are drawing interest from multiple teams on righty Edinson Volquez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 28-year-old has a 5.93 ERA on the season and spent time at Triple-A. Still, he throws hard and is under team control through 2013.
- The Pirates and Rockies have yet to exchange names on Chris Iannetta, tweets Jon Paul Morosi. The Pirates added one bat today, promoting Pedro Alvarez.
- Interest in Astros center fielder Michael Bourn is still not high, writes Stephen Goff of Examiner.com. He says the Braves are not a good fit and the Nationals are highly unlikely.
- The Astros had scouts watching the Triple-A clubs of the Diamondbacks and Braves recently, writes Rosenthal.
Brown, Passan On Rockies, Reyes, Angels
A few more notes from Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo…
- The Rockies are not actively shopping Chris Iannetta and Ty Wigginton, though they appeal to other teams.
- Mets shortstop Jose Reyes told friends he'd love to sign with the Angels after the season. However, the writers feel that Angels owner Arte Moreno is unlikely to win the bidding. Plus, the team is content with Erick Aybar at shortstop.
- The Halos' trade deadline emphasis is their bullpen, though they believe the cost of top-tier relievers like Heath Bell and Mike Adams is prohibitive. They'll look at the next tier, and also consider third base upgrades.
Gammons Talks Trade Market
Peter Gammons spoke with a host of scouts, general managers, and MLB executives, all of which is compiled in his latest piece at MLB.com, which is chock full of trade-related news:
- The Astros are asking for as much in return for Wandy Rodriguez as the Rockies are for Ubaldo Jimenez. General manager Ed Wade is in a difficult position, caught between an ownership change.
- Half a dozen teams are looking for right-handed offense, but the Rockies won't trade Ryan Spilborghs and the Cubs are holding onto Jeff Baker. Gammons says that reduces that market to Conor Jackson, Josh Willingham, Reed Johnson, Lastings Milledge, and Jeff Francoeur. The Twins recently announced they won't trade Michael Cuddyer as well.
- The Dodgers want to shed salary, but don't have much to shed besides Jamey Carroll and Hiroki Kuroda. Gammons spoke with two East coast executives that said Kuroda, who has a full no-trade clause, won't accept a deal to an East Coast team.
- The Athletics will move veteran bats and probably a reliever or two.
- The Mariners won't have a fire sale, and aren't likely to get much for Erik Bedard in light of his injury.
- The Nationals are willing to trade Tyler Clippard, and have been continually pursuing Michael Bourn. They're also one of several teams who showed interest in Julio Borbon prior to his injury.
- Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is in a tough spot because he doesn't know which way owner Peter Angelos wants him to go, according to a rival GM.
- Jordan Pacheco and Wilin Rosario make it possible for the Rockies to trade Chris Iannetta, but the Red Sox seem content wth their catching options.
Rockies Rumors: Vazquez, Catching
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has the latest Rockies buzz…
- The Rockies are interested in Javier Vazquez. Vazquez joins Jake Westbrook, Jon Garland, and Hiroki Kuroda as pitchers of interest for the team in case they are unable to re-sign Jorge de la Rosa.
- GM Dan O'Dowd described the team's plans at catcher as "a fluid situation," but added, "We are absolutely prepared to give Chris [Iannetta] every opportunity to get over the hump." Re-signing Miguel Olivo hasn't been ruled out, but it sounds like the Rockies will be giving less playing time to Iannetta's catching partner in 2011.
- Notable minor league free agents, from Baseball America's Matt Eddy: Luis Ayala, Brad Eldred, and Kaz Matsui.