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Reds Targeting Shields Over Jimenez

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The Reds are targeting James Shields over Ubaldo Jimenez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal says it's still unlikely the Rays trade Shields, "but the Reds are deep enough in prospects that they at least stand a chance."

Yesterday, ESPN's Jayson Stark reported that the Rays have "basically taken [Shields] off the market," for July and the offseason.  The 29-year-old ranks fourth in the AL with a 2.53 ERA and can be under contract through 2014.

Stark On Shields, Pena, Fukudome, Rangers

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The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • The Rays listened on James Shields last week, but now they've taken him off the market for July and apparently the upcoming offseason.
  • An executive who spoke with the Cubs says the level of interest in first baseman Carlos Pena has been exaggerated.  That's pretty damning, since publicly the level of interest has always appeared tepid.  Also, Stark says the Cubs believe Pena could get through waivers in August.  I disagree with the notion that there will be a lot less money left on Pena's contract at that point, since half of the $10MM is to be paid in January.
  • Kosuke Fukudome might be the one Cub dealt at the July deadline.  We still haven't heard which teams are on his partial no-trade list, however.
  • The Rangers are balking at including lefty Martin Perez in a deal.  Perez is a consensus top-13 prospect in all of MLB.  However, the Rangers will discuss their next tier of prospects - Tanner Scheppers, Robbie Erlin, Roman Mendez and Barret Loux, in Stark's mind.
  • A longtime friend of Drayton McLane believes McLane's last act as Astros owner will be to convince GM Ed Wade to retain favorite Hunter Pence.

AL East Notes: Niemann, Davis, Orioles

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We’ve already checked in on the AL East and taken detailed looks at its two biggest spenders, the Yankees and Red Sox. Here are some new notes from around the division, with an emphasis on teams that could be sellers:

Rays Saying They Won’t Trade James Shields

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The Rays are telling teams that they won't trade starter James Shields, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

It seemed all along that there was a better chance of Shields remaining in Tampa than being traded. Jon Heyman of SI.com reported earlier today that some teams "remained hopeful" despite the Rays telling the Yankees that Shields wouldn't be traded. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com wrote on Friday that B.J. Upton was more likely to be traded than Shields, and Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com wrote on Wednesday that the Rays could trade Shields in the offseason rather than now.

Of course, this could be a ploy by the Rays to jack up their asking price. Tim Dierkes examined this possibility last week, as John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus reported that the Rays had quietly been letting teams know that Shields was available at the right — presumably a very high — price.

Shields is in the midst of a career year, posting a 2.53 ERA, 1.011 WHIP, 8.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in the tough AL East. Barring a catastrophic final two months or an injury, his trade stock should remain pretty high in the offseason, should the Rays choose to shop him. He's under contract through 2011, and the Rays have club options on him for 2012-14.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Mets, Astros, Guthrie, Phillies

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Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels says that heading into the deadline his top priority remains bullpen help, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
  • We here at MLBTR love the build-up to the trade deadline, but Mets skipper Terry Collins can't wait for it to come and go, writes Christina De Nicola of MLB.com.
  • Astros GM Ed Wade says that his front office will be "good listeners" as the deadline approaches, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
  • The Cardinals have now joined the Tigers in pursuit of the Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The extent of conversations between the Cards and the Orioles is unknown, but it seems that the club is at least open to the idea of moving Guthrie for the right return.
  • The Rays told the Yankees that James Shields isn't available, but other clubs are still hopeful, according to Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter).  Detroit, for example, recently sent two scouts to watch him pitch.
  • A very weak left-handed relief market could inspire the Rangers to deal Arthur Rhodes, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  The Rangers could use him to land a righty out of the bullpen.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post checks out the track record of teams dealing at the deadline in recent years.  His gives the Phillies top honors for their deals in July from 2008-2010.

Stark On Shields, Melky, Soria, Marlins

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Astros GM Ed Wade has been determining the market for his players, including Hunter Pence, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. Incoming owner Jim Crane urged Wade to do so in case appealing offers emerge. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors: 

  • Given Wade’s uncertain future in Houston, at least one executive suggests the GM needs to make a "job-saving deal" if he trades Pence.
  • The Rays are more likely to trade B.J. Upton than James Shields, though they realize Shields’ value has never been higher (the right-hander won't be going to the Bronx). 
  • The Phillies remain in contact with the Royals about Melky Cabrera, but the Royals have told teams they’re more likely to deal Jeff Francoeur. Kansas City is asking for a number three starter who’s nearly Major League ready in return for Cabrera.
  • Clubs that have inquired on Vance Worley have heard that he’s off of the market.
  • The Braves have shown some interest in Heath Bell, whose most aggressive suitors have been the Rangers, Cardinals, Phillies and Angels. The Padres are telling teams that they’ll need to “clearly surpass” the value of two compensatory draft picks in any deal for Bell, though they’re flexible in terms of the type of player they’d accept in return.
  • The Padres continue to field calls on Mike Adams, who will be tougher to obtain than Bell.
  • The Yankees, Phillies and Diamondbacks appear to have checked in on Joakim Soria.
  • The Red Sox are looking at everything, but aren’t approaching the deadline with much urgency, one AL executive told Stark.
  • Rival teams expect that the Dodgers will trade Jamey Carroll and there are indications that Rafael Furcal is drawing interest as well.
  • The Marlins, who hope to build momentum before opening their new stadium in 2012, are in a “holding pattern,” Stark reports. They’ve shown interest in third basemen.
  • Rival teams report that the Phillies say they won’t move Domonic Brown or top pitching prospect Jarred Cosart. Jonathan Singleton is available in the right deal, but the Phillies don’t expect to trade him for a rental player.
  • Stark reminds us that commissioner Bud Selig ruled out contraction at the All-Star Game.

Yankees Asked About Shields, Rays Said No

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The Yankees asked the Rays about James Shields and heard that he is not available, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Olney suggests that the right-hander would also be off-limits to the Red Sox, since they're ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings, like the Yankees.

The Yankees are looking for top-of-the-rotation help and Shields, a Cy Young candidate in 2011, certainly qualifies. The 29-year-old has a 2.53 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 156 1/3 innings into the season. Shields, who made his first All-Star team this month, is under team control through 2014.

Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues considered Shields as an option for the Yankees earlier today and suggested that Tampa Bay would be asking for two top prospects and three other players who are nearly ready to contribute in the Major Leagues. Mike ultimately drew the conclusion that a deal of that magnitude between the AL East rivals is unlikely.

AL East Notes: Shields, Johnson, Bundy, Yankees

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Jacoby Ellsbury clubbed two homers today as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 4-0. All eyes will be on Jonathan Papelbon and David Ortiz this winter, but it'll also be interesting to see what happens to Ellsbury, who's arbitration eligible for the second time after the season. He has a career-high 15 homers with 28 stolen bases and a .316/.375/.509 line so far in 2011. In other words, he's getting a big raise from his current $2.4MM salary. Here's the latest on the AL East…

  • The Rays are reluctant to tear down their roster to the point where they’re no longer competitive, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal suggests the Rays have no compelling reason to deal James Shields now and that an offseason move is more likely. 
  • The Orioles appear to be open for business, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Many teams are interested in Jim Johnson and the Tigers are among the clubs interested in Jeremy Guthrie.
  • Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he has had “periodic conversations” with Dylan Bundy, the high school right-hander the Orioles selected fourth overall in this year’s draft. Jordan, who has offers out to just about all Baltimore’s draftees, expects dialogue with Bundy to pick up before the August 15th deadline for teams to sign their picks.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Newsday’s Ken Davidoff that he isn’t looking for offense, but will consider anything that will make the club better.

Is James Shields Available?

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The Reds are targeting Rays righty James Shields, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, which might be why Tampa Bay scouts have been evaluating the Reds' Triple-A team this week.  Baseball Prospectus' John Perrotto says the Rays have "quietly let it be known that right-hander Shields is available for the right price."  The Rays "will listen to just about every trade proposal thrown their way," writes Olney.

With a 2.60 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 46.1% groundball rate, the 29-year-old Shields has the ability to shake up a trade market that is light on starting pitchers aside from perhaps Ubaldo Jimenez.  Shields' contract offers the ultimate in flexibility, with reasonable club options on his 2012, '13, and '14 seasons. 

Shields' ERAs have bounced around plenty over the years, but his skills have always supported sub-4.00 and this year he's pitched like an ace.  Plus, he's never been on the disabled list and averaged over 220 innings from 2008-10.  This year, he leads the Majors with seven complete games and has averaged over 7.4 innings per start.

Shields' suitors probably won't match up directly with those of Jimenez, as I imagine the Rays would prefer not to trade him to the Yankees or Red Sox.  Still, my contender wish list post yesterday shows the Indians, Tigers, Rangers, Cardinals, Reds, Pirates, and Diamondbacks as other clubs seeking starting pitching.

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Riggleman, Shields, Jimenez

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Sixteen years ago today, Ramon Martinez threw a no-hitter against the Florida Marlins.  The former All-Star won 123 games in 11 seasons with the Dodgers from 1988 to 1998 and finished second in voting for the 1990 NL Cy Young Award.  Today, however, Ramon is best known as being Pedro's older brother.

Some news from the NL West…

  • This is no surprise given the team's bankruptcy proceedings, but if the Dodgers do become buyers at the trade deadline, "it's probably on the Walmart level, if not the 99 Cents Only Store," writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.  If the Dodgers become sellers, Gurnick lists Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Dee Gordon and Rubby De La Rosa as players who won't be moved.
  • The Giants have hired former Nationals manager Jim Riggleman as a special assignment scout, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. (Twitter link)  Riggleman resigned as Washington's manager on June 23 after the Nats refused to negotiate a contract extension.
  • The Giants are looking to add offense at catcher, second base, shortstop and/or corner outfield spots, said vice-president of baseball operations Bobby Evans during an appearance with Jim Bowden on XM 89 MLB Network Radio.  (Twitter link)
  • The "Rockies have always liked James Shields," tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who thinks Colorado could pursue the right-hander if the Rays make him available.  We've already heard that the Rockies want to add controllable starting pitching whether they're in the NL West race or not, and Shields' contract carries options for the 2012-14 seasons worth $28MM.  (These options could be worth as much as $44MM if Shields reaches certain performance standards.) 
  • Scouts from the Braves, Cardinals, Indians, Phillies, Reds, Tigers, White Sox and Yankees were among the 17 scouts on hand to watch Ubaldo Jimenez's start against the Brewers on Thursday night, reports Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.  Of course, it's possible those scouts were there to see other Colorado or Milwaukee players, though at least the Reds were known to have an interest in Jimenez.
  • Kevin Towers has been personally scouting the Diamondbacks' minor leaguer prospects in order to evaluate them for possible trades, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.  While the D'Backs are willing to move minor leaguers, however, the team's elite prospects are off limits.
  • Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune chatted with fans today about the Padres and potential trades involving Heath Bell, Mike Adams and Ryan Ludwick. 
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