Cliff Lee

Odds & Ends: Grandal, Red Sox, Salazar, Rockies

By Mike Axisa | June 19, 2010 at 9:28pm CDT

A few links to check out while we wait to see if the Rays can avoid falling out of first place for the first time in nearly two months…

The Reds have made initial contact with the representatives for Yasmani Grandal according to John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer. GM Walt Jocketty said they will continue talks this week with 2010's 12th overall draft pick.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier mentions that when Felix Doubront started for the Red Sox last night, he became the first Latin American player signed and developed by the Theo Epstein regime to reach the big league. ESPN's Jorge Arangure mentions (via Twitter) the Boston hasn't had a homegrown Latin American position player since the early 1990's.
Meanwhile, MLB.com's Peter Gammons says (via Twitter) that only two teams were willing to take Manny Ramirez off Boston's hands two years ago even if they footed the bill: the Marlins and Dodgers. The Red Sox's requests for Mike Stanton and Andre Ethier were met with "no thank yous."
MLB.com's Corey Brock, Brittany Ghiroli, and Gina Mizeli spoke to Oscar Salazar, who reflected on the trade that send him from the Orioles to the Padres last year.
The Rockies will look at the middle infield market, but ESPN's Buster Olney tweets they're likely to just ride out Troy Tulowitzki's absence with what they have in house. He does however mention that Dan Uggla is one name to watch.
Both Jhonny Peralta and Kerry Wood offered up the stock "it's out of my control" response when asked about the possibility of being traded, according to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post says the idea of the Rockies' acquiring Cliff Lee is wishful thinking. The team would have to get back in the playoff race and show it can compete without Troy Tulowitzki before ownership would consider adding Lee's salary to the payroll.
The Cardinals had interest in signing Ben Sheets this winter according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but the righthander's price was too high. “If he wants to prove his value here, we’d have interest,” said manager Tony La Russa. “It turns out he had value that wasn’t going to work.”

Odds & Ends: White Sox, Lewis, Oswalt, Mets, Lee

By Mike Axisa | June 19, 2010 at 4:43pm CDT

Links for Saturday..

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter) that the team has the financial freedom to add pieces, though he added the team "might be good enough the way it is". Meanwhile, Reinsdorf said that GM Kenny Williams has the power to fire the manager, though that isn't in his plans, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
Fred Lewis told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that his improved performance in Toronto isn't a result of a change of scenery. Lewis is OPSing .799 for the Blue Jays, a marked improvement over his OPS of .738 for the Giants in 2009.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter) wonders aloud if Nolan Ryan's recent comments regarding Roy Oswalt could be considered tampering.
Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets that a Mets scout was on hand to watch Lee last night, though it was said to be part of "normal coverage".
Joel Sherman of The New York Post says that despite all the talk about Cliff Lee, the Yankees might need to fixate on adding a bat between now and the trade deadline.
Speaking of Lee, Ryan Divish of The News Tribune mentions that the lefty shrugs off all the trade talk. “It’s out of my control,” said Lee. “That’s a better question for Jack [Zduriencik]. He’s the one who makes those decisions, but I don’t.”
The Astros are pleased with how negotiations with top draft pick Delino DeShields Jr. are going, reports Bernardo Fallas of The Houston Chronicle. Houston selected DeShields with the eighth overall pick last week.
Daric Barton told Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's grateful for being included in the Mark Mulder trade because it created an opportunity for him. "For me, it was probably the best move that could have happened to me," said Barton. "I was catching then and (Yadier Molina) was back there then, and some guy by the name of (Albert) Pujols was at first. Obviously, I could never fill his shoes."

Rosenthal On Twins, Lee, Dodgers, Nats

By Zachary Links | June 19, 2010 at 4:00pm CDT

Let's dive into the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

A major league GM told Rosenthal that he expects the Twins to be the most active team at the deadline. While many in the industry expect the club to be players for Cliff Lee, their officials are telling teams that they have other priorities. Their greater need is at third base while they may also shop for bullpen help. However, the Twins are in a very strong financial position as they had insurance on Joe Nathan's contract. If they can recover half of that deal, they'll take in $5.6MM. On top of that, the box office numbers in their new home, Target Field, are very solid.
Speaking of Lee, Seattle is telling clubs that they want young hitters in return for the ace. It's a desire that could be a hurdle for several interested clubs. The Mets, for example, wouldn't part with Ike Davis in order to land the hurler on a rental. Meanwhile, the Dodgers wouldn't want to give up Matt Kemp or James Loney.
Rosenthal adds that the Dodgers may have a hard time landing the elite starter that they seek. The Astros are looking for financial relief and top prospects in return for Roy Oswalt. Pulling off a deal for Dan Haren of the Diamondbacks could prove to be difficult as Arizona likely doesn't want to trade him within the division.
Nats GM Mike Rizzo told Rosenthal that the team could be both buyers and sellers at the trade deadline. Rizzo says he's under no orders to trim payroll and could take on salary if it meant taking on a long-term asset. Right now, the Nats have five starters on the disabled list, including Jordan Zimmermann. Once he comes back, the club will have two young power pitchers and more depth to work with.
If the Rockies make a move to fill the void at shortstop after losing Troy Tulowitzki to injury, they might only sign someone like Adam Everett to serve as insurance in Triple A.

Olney’s Latest: Rockies, Lee, Diamondbacks, Royals

By Mike Axisa | June 19, 2010 at 10:32am CDT

In today's blog post at ESPN, Buster Olney speculates about some possible trade targets for the Rockies now that Troy Tulowitzki is going to miss the next six to eight weeks with a fractured wrist. Among those mentioned: Dan Uggla, Craig Counsell, Julio Lugo, and Cesar Izturis. Uggla would obviously be the most expensive, but Colorado would boast a dynamic offensive middle infield once Tulo returns.

Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

Sources tell Olney there is no clear signal from the Mariners indicating that they're ready to trade Cliff Lee, but presumably that will come soon. He compares a potential Lee trade to the CC Sabathia trade, meaning that the sooner he's dealt, the more Seattle will receive in return.
The Diamondbacks continue to gather intel about possible trades, but they are not close to making another deal at the moment.
The Royals have a pair of outfielders in Rick Ankiel and David DeJesus who could be fits for the Red Sox. J.D. Drew suffered a hamstring injury yesterday, and Boston was already without Jacoby Ellsbury and Jeremy Hermida, who are both on the disabled list. Mike Cameron is playing through an abdominal tear as well.

Dodgers Looking To Acquire Starting Pitching

By Luke Adams 2 | June 18, 2010 at 7:28pm CDT

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said today that he hopes to add a starting pitcher to his club's rotation, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Colletti didn't specifically name any targets, but said that he's "starting to focus on who" could be available before next month's trade deadline.

"The conversations have picked up a little," Colletti said. "It doesn't seem that anything is really hot. There are six or seven weeks to go [until the trade deadline]. Teams holding on to pitchers, their value won't go down unless they get hurt."

Although they're tied atop their division with a record of 38-28, the Dodgers have been using a pair of rookies in their starting rotation. With John Ely (9.20 ERA in his last three starts) and Carlos Monasterios (7.27 ERA in his last two starts) struggling as of late, starting pitching is becoming an increasing concern for the team.

The Dodgers are expected to be a suitor in the Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee sweepstakes, though it's unclear if they have the necessary prospects and financial resources to acquire either ace. Pedro Martinez, who wants to pitch for a contender this season, could also be an option for the defending NL West champs.

Heyman On Orioles, Torre, Mets, Harper

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 18, 2010 at 4:18pm CDT

Andy MacPhail knows it's not an easy time to manage the Orioles. He told Jon Heyman of SI.com that some of the managerial candidates the club is considering have limited interest in the job. "Let's be honest, I'm not sure this gig's for everyone," MacPhail said. Here's the latest on the Orioles' search for a manager along with the rest of Heyman's rumors:

Davey Johnson, who led the Orioles to the playoffs in 1996-97, has been mentioned internally.
Johnson and Bobby Valentine seem like long shots for the job.
If current Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez is available, the Braves could choose him to replace Bobby Cox.
The Dodgers offered Joe Torre an extension this spring, but Torre turned it down. Heyman says most baseball people see the Dodgers moving on after the season.
The Mets prefer Cliff Lee to Roy Oswalt.
Many of Heyman's sources expect Bryce Harper to sign for more than Mark Teixeira's $9.5MM deal and less than Stephen Strasburg's $15.1MM deal. Harper, who is a Scott Boras client like Teixeira and Strasburg, appears headed for a $12MM deal, according to Heyman.

Odds & Ends: Aybar, Haren, Hughes, Jackson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 18, 2010 at 12:10pm CDT

Links for Friday, before the Subway Series, Stephen Strasburg's third MLB start and Manny Ramirez's return to Fenway…

Mike Scioscia tells Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times he's "very optimistic" that Erick Aybar's left knee injury won't lead to a DL stint. That reduces the chances that the Angels will go after a shortstop.
It's been a great year for young players like Strasburg and Mike Leake, as ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian shows.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the D'Backs often hear trade rumors from Dan Haren, who reads MLBTR. As Piecoro explains, players are generally aware of the latest rumblings in "the era of the trade rumor."
Another top pitcher, Cliff Lee, chooses to ignore the rumors, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post asked 12 baseball insiders whether they would prefer to have Phil Hughes or Mike Pelfrey for the next five years and was surprised to see all 12 select Hughes.
Edwin Jackson and Dontrelle Willis say they have good memories of Detroit and no hard feelings over the trades that sent them to Arizona, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Rangers Inquiring On Starting Pitching

By Luke Adams 2 | June 17, 2010 at 5:55pm CDT

The Rangers have called the Mariners to inquire about the availability of Cliff Lee, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Citing industry sources, Sullivan reports that the Mariners are one of many teams the Rangers have contacted in their search for starting pitching.

Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine confirms the team's interest in making a deal, while reiterating that nothing is imminent:

"We've had some preliminary discussions with clubs…. But to compel teams to move this far ahead of the [July 31st] trade deadline, it would take a very attractive package. We're still in the inventory stage and the information-gathering stage rather than the execution phase."

We heard earlier today that the Mariners have received a few calls from teams interested in Lee, but that the M's aren't ready yet to consider trading away their ace. According to Sullivan, the Rangers pursued the left-hander aggressively last summer as well, before the Indians traded him to Philadelphia.

Texas has also frequently been linked to the Roy Oswalt sweepstakes lately, though SI.com's Jon Heyman said earlier this week that acquiring the Astros' ace looks like an "extreme long shot." Still, it looks as though the Rangers hope to add a major piece to their starting rotation, if it's financially possible.

Mets Seek Top Starter

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 17, 2010 at 1:07pm CDT

The Mets would like to add a top starter and their ability to absorb payroll will help them acquire an arm, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Few teams appear willing to take on significant salary, according to Olney, and that could position the Mets to acquire a pitcher for the stretch run.

Roy Oswalt would pitch for the Mets, but they don’t like the $26.8MM remaining on his contract. That price tag would make any team pause and the Mets know the Astros would want prospects, too. Olney hears that the team would prefer to take on salary than give up prospects.

Some within the Mets organization want to make a serious run at Cliff Lee, who would certainly cost top prospects. The Mariners are hesitant to deal Lee at this point, but most expect that to change.

If the Mets sidestep Oswalt and Lee, they could turn to Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, Ben Sheets or Kevin Millwood (who is open to pitching in Queens). Westbrook, Sheets and Millwood all make $10MM-plus, which could limit the number of bidders and give the Mets an edge.

Teams Are Calling About Cliff Lee

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 17, 2010 at 9:21am CDT

GM Jack Zduriencik told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that teams are calling the Mariners to see if Cliff Lee is available. Those clubs see the Mariners’ 25-41 record and hope that they’re ready to sell, but that’s not how Zduriencik sees it.

“I say, ‘Look, I appreciate the phone call, but what we’re trying to do is get back in this thing,’” Zduriencik said.

The M’s are in last place in the AL West, 12.5 games out of a playoff spot, but Zduriencik has not taken names of potential trade targets from other teams. He says he’s not going to “wave the white flag just yet,” but knows that a number of teams will want to chat if that changes.

Lee, 32 in August, has a 2.88 ERA in nine starts since returning from an abdominal injury. He has 7.9 K/9 and a stingy 0.5 BB/9 in 68.2 innings. His $9MM salary is a bargain and he projects as a Type A free agent after the season. That means his team will get two top picks if Lee turns down arbitration to sign elsewhere. Offering arbitration is risky in some cases, but Lee will almost certainly turn it down.

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