Nationals Expressed Interest In Haren, Quentin
The Nationals have expressed interest in Dan Haren and inquired on Carlos Quentin, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Quentin isn't available, but the Nats' interest in that pair of players, plus Edwin Jackson and David DeJesus shows that GM Mike Rizzo has an aggressive approach to the trade deadline. The 34-44 Nationals could be buyers or sellers, but Rizzo has identified the organization’s most pressing need.
"Our biggest need now and at the trade deadline is starting pitching," Rizzo said.
Like most GMs, Rizzo is reluctant to describe his team as sellers or buyers at this point. Perhaps the Nationals will be neither and continue making deals like the Nyjer Morgan trade, which was completed one year ago today. Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham are among the Nationals drawing interest on the trade market, so Rizzo will have chances to buy and sell over the course of the next month.
Cardinals Covet Dan Haren
The Cardinals traded Dan Haren away in 2004, but they like the idea of bringing him back. Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals are one of the teams that covet the D’Backs righty and it doesn’t sound like Haren would mind returning to St. Louis.
“I’ve always said I’d like to play here again,” Haren said, clarifying that he is not asking for a trade.
Haren has limited say in his future, since he doesn’t have a no trade clause. He does have $33.3MM remaining on his contract, and that figure will likely mean some would-be suitors shy away. He makes $750K less than Cliff Lee this year, but has nearly $30MM remaining on his contract after 2010, unlike Lee. That kind of commitment may mean the Cardinals pursue other pitchers.
The Cardinals don’t have Albert Pujols under control after 2011, and have made major commitments to Matt Holliday and Kyle Lohse. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are getting paid handsomely, so the Cards may not have the money to add Haren and pay Pujols market value. Other teams, including the Yankees, Twins, Nationals and Tigers, scouted Haren last week according to Nick Cafardo, but the D’Backs aren’t necessarily going to deal him, even if they are open to making deals.
Cafardo On Baylor, Haren, Konerko, Bedard
With the Marlins and Orioles searching for new managers, Don Baylor wonders why he isn't being considered for either job, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Baylor would love a chance to manage Baltimore, the franchise that drafted him over four decades ago, in the second round of the 1967 amateur draft. Let's check out Cafardo's other notes….
- The Yankees, Twins, Nationals, Cardinals, and Tigers had scouts watching Dan Haren's most recent start.
- There were a few teams hoping Paul Konerko would be available this summer, but with the White Sox suddenly just a game and a half out of first place, they obviously don't plan to trade their home run leader.
- Cliff Lee may not be the only Seattle left-hander on the trade block next month. Erik Bedard is due back soon, and Cafardo thinks that the Mariners could try to move him if he looks healthy in July.
- Scott Schoeneweis would like to catch on with a club as a situational lefty, but "his phone isn't ringing."
- D.J. Carrasco could be traded before the deadline. Carrasco's numbers this season haven't been overly impressive (4.12 ERA, 1.76 K/BB), but if the relief market is as thin as Buster Olney indicated this morning, the right-hander should draw some interest.
Rosenthal’s Full Count: Zambrano, Angels, Brewers
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive in…
- The fact that Carlos Zambrano is a 29-year-old pitcher still capable of winning 12-15 games a year should be enough to allow the Cubs to trade him, but of course the team will have to a eat a large chunk of the $45MM left on his deal. Rosenthal reminds us that the Cubbies came ahead financially when they moved Milton Bradley this winter.
- The Angels still want to add a first baseman, and Adam Dunn is on their list of potential targets. If they do make a move for Dunn or perhaps Adam LaRoche, incumbent first baseman Mike Napoli could become trade bait.
- The Nationals have yet to get serious in any discussions about a contract extension with Dunn.
- The Brewers are still searching for pitching, and the Blue Jays could be a potential match. Toronto likes Double-A infielder (and Canadian) Brett Lawrie, but the Brewers would be reluctant to trade him. They would have to consider it if he could land them someone like Brett Cecil or Shaun Marcum, though.
- Arizona will probably not want to keep both Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson since they combine to make over $20MM next year, but Haren's value isn't what it once was. One baseball person told Rosenthal that "[Haren]'s not at the top of anyone's list, he's just another name."
Odds & Ends: Reds, Marlins, Athletics, Haren
Thursday night linkage..
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty came to the defense of his manager, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Bobby Valentine is said to love the Marlins' scouting system and new ballpark, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- A's GM Billy Beane told Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com that skipper Bob Geren's job is safe.
- Dealing Dan Haren could help replenish Arizona's thin farm system, writes MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
Odds & Ends: Mejia, O’s, McGuire, Rangers, Valverde
Links for Sunday….
- ESPN's Adam Rubin tweets that the Mets have optioned Jenrry Mejia to Double-A Binghamton, where he will start their game on Wednesday.
- Jeff Zrebiec tells us that Buck Showalter will interview for the Baltimore managerial job this week, and Eric Wedge will likely receive a second interview. The club has yet to ask the Mets for permission to interview Bob Melvin.
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian quotes Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos saying that despite first-round pick Deck McGuire's lack of participation in a media conference call, he's excited to have been drafted by Toronto. Anthopoulos says that negotiations, however, could go down to the wire as they did in 2009 with Chad Jenkins.
- Rangers manager Ron Washington feels that his team could use another front-line starting pitcher, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Texas has recently seen both Derek Holland and Rich Harden land on the disabled list.
- Nick Piecoro tweets that the D'Backs offered Jose Valverde a two-year deal worth about $10MM before he signed for two years and $14MM with Detroit. The story spawns from some heated comments that were exchanged between Valverde and former teammate Miguel Montero.
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times thinks Dan Haren would be a "perfect fit" for the Angels.
- The Cubs will soon face a decision on whether to become buyers or sellers, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
- Within a mailbag for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Paul Hoynes says that a little salary relief is the best the Indians could hope for in a Kerry Wood trade.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch details how the Cardinals will handle their starting rotation for the time being. Even after signing Jeff Suppan, the club will be short-handed while they wait for Brad Penny to get healthy.
- The Tigers should exercise patience when it comes to acquiring a shortstop, according to Lynn Hennig of the Detroit News.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers will have to think about trading for a starting pitcher, with Rick Porcello heading to Triple-A.
No Fire Sale Coming For D’Backs
Even with his club 15 games below .500, Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes doesn't expect to hold a fire sale in the coming weeks, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Although recent reports have indicated that the D'Backs will continue trading, and are considering major moves, Byrnes tells Piecoro that he isn't predicting any "monster" deals.
"We'll explore a lot of possibilities and see where we end up," said Byrnes. "I do think a lot of our players are guys we value and want to keep and I think if we're going to make trades, we'll have to get the type of things – particularly young pitching depth – that would make sense to us."
Piecoro notes that the Diamondbacks will still probably field offers on "just about anybody," but the players most likely to be dealt are Adam LaRoche, Aaron Heilman, and Chris Snyder. If the team does decide to move players like Kelly Johnson and Stephen Drew, they'll likely demand a top pitching prospect in return. Presumably, the D'Backs would have to be blown away by a package of multiple young arms to consider trading Dan Haren.
Rosenthal On Twins, Lee, Dodgers, Nats
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.
Odds & Ends: Aybar, Haren, Hughes, Jackson
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.
D’Backs Seem Likely To Keep Trading
Now that the D'Backs have started trading, they don't seem likely to stop. That doesn't necessarily mean they are going to rebuild completely, but as GM Josh Byrnes told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the club could be making more deals this summer.
"There's a good chance, yeah," Byrnes said. "We aren't where we need to be in the standings and as far as sort of the things we'd like to do to adjust the roster, there's also payroll considerations as we try to sort of get ready for next year."
The sooner Arizona trades players, the more money the team can save. The club, which has $44.5MM committed to its 2011 payroll according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, could potentially use savings to spend more aggressively for 2011.
As Dan Haren explained to Piecoro, the D'Backs have "a tremendous amount of talent" and don't need to start over, so he doesn't necessarily want to be traded. However, Jon Heyman reported last week that the D'Backs would listen on Haren and every other player not named Justin Upton or Ian Kennedy.
Click here to vote on which one of the D'Backs will be traded next.