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Jason Kubel

Twins Notes: Thome, Kubel, Young

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MLBTR congratulates Jim Thome, who hit career home runs number 599 and 600 in Detroit tonight. Here are some links on Thome’s big night…

Pirates, Indians In Mix For Ryan Ludwick

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The latest on Padres right fielder Ryan Ludwick, who is hitting .238/.301/.373 and has $2.2MM left on his contract…

  • The Pirates are back in on Ludwick, tweets Brown.  An earlier report had the Indians close but then balking at the Padres' asking price.
  • The Pirates are in play for Ludwick but he's not their top target, tweets Rob Biertempfel.  That might be Jason Kubel, he adds.  However, Jon Paul Morosi says there are no serious talks now between the Pirates and Twins about Kubel.
  • As of last night, the Pirates were still in the mix for Ludwick along with the Indians, tweets Ken Rosenthal.  The Pirates are still trying for Ludwick this morning, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.

Twins Unlikely To Trade Kubel, Cuddyer

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The Twins are getting hits on Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer but are unlikely to trade either of them, tweets Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.

On Friday morning it was reported that Kubel and Cuddyer were drawing strong interest from clubs with Kubel more likely to be dealt.  The Pirates are one of the teams with interest in Kubel while the Angels are said to have their eye on Cuddyer.

Pirates Have Strong Interest In Jason Kubel

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The Pirates have strong interest in Twins outfielder/designated hitter Jason Kubel, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.  ESPN's Jayson Stark reported earlier that the Pirates have their eye on Kubel.

Langosch reports that the Pirates would likely not have to part with top prospects to obtain Kubel.  However, the big question is whether the Twins, at 6.5 games out, would move him.  So far, indications are that the Twins still consider themselves contenders, or at least aren't interested in selling off pieces.  The Reds and Mets are 6.5 games out as well.

Kubel, 29, is hitting .308/.359/.463 in 248 plate appearances this year.  He missed all of June and three weeks of July with a sprained foot.  He's got $1.76MM remaining on his contract this year and projects as a Type B free agent currently, at least in the American League.

Twins Rumors: Young, Slowey, Kubel, Cuddyer

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The Twins are discussing a deal with the Nationals that would send Denard Span to Washington, possibly for Drew Storen. Here are some more updates on the Twins from Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

  • The Twins are open to trading Delmon Young and Kevin Slowey, but interest in Young has been “tepid.” Slowey has drawn interest from the Rockies and others.
  • Meanwhile, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer, are drawing strong interest. The Twins are more likely to trade Kubel than Cuddyer, according to Morosi and Rosenthal.
  • The Twins have also spoken to rival teams about upgrading their rotation.
  • The Twins are six games back in the AL Central, trailing three other teams. One of FOX’s sources says they’re “in limbo.”

Stark On Quentin, Pirates, Braves, Indians, Reds

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Another must-read column from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • Stark has updated his take on Carlos Quentin's availability.  He says there is "increasing evidence the White Sox are talking to several teams about Quentin, one of which is believed to be Atlanta."  An executive of a team that has talked to the Sox says that while they are not "bound and determined" to trade Quentin, they would do it.
  • The Pirates are focused on finding a professional hitter, but aren't hot on Carlos Pena or Josh Willingham.  They're eyeing the Twins' Jason Kubel, but GM Bill Smith considers his team a contender at six games out.
  • Stark hasn't heard much that suggests the Braves are still bullpen shopping.
  • The Indians are turning their attention to starting pitching, but players Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Jason Kipnis appear to be untouchable.
  • The Astros continue to shop Wandy Rodriguez, and Stark wonders if he'll fit for the Yankees as a salary dump type.
  • The White Sox dangled Adam Dunn.  Dunn has over $48MM remaining on the four-year, $56MM deal he signed in December.
  • The Reds have "stepped up their calls this week on controllable middle-of-the-order bats," although it's hard to name any available hitters of that nature.

Olney On Pineda, Twins, Athletics

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Mariners rookie Michael Pineda is a big reason that Seattle is in the middle of the AL West race, but ESPN.com's Buster Olney looks ahead to a dilemma the M's could face later in the summer. Here are the details and Olney's notes from around the Major Leagues…

  • The 22-year-old Pineda has thrown 70 1/3 innings this year and has never thrown as many as 140 frames in any pro season. If Seattle limits Pineda's innings total this year, they'll either have to shut him down early or limit him to 25 innings or so per month from here on.
  • Some rival executives wonder when the 17-37 Twins will give up on the season and start considering trades. More aggressive general managers than Bill Smith (think Kenny Williams) might already have started making changes, but the Twins have typically been conservative at the trade deadline. Jason Kubel (who may be headed for the DL), Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young are among the players the Twins could consider moving.
  • The A's have lost ten consecutive games against New York (dating back to 2010) and Olney says "Oakland's best young players have to get over the emotional hurdle of playing the Yankees."

Stark On Twins, Reyes, Beltran, Draft

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Jose Bautista and Josh Beckett are the player and starting pitcher of the month for ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Here are Stark's latest rumblings from around the league:

  • Barring a miracle, the Twins will be sellers this July, but they aren’t ready to trade anyone yet.
  • One rival executive says they will eventually talk about trading prospective free agents including Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome and Matt Capps. The Twins would have interest in re-signing some of those players after the season and could conceivably do so even after trading them (the Indians did that with Austin Kearns last year).
  • Though Jose Reyes is the Mets’ most exciting player, the consensus is that the Mets are going to have an easier time trading Carlos Beltran, partly because they will feel the need to get more in return for Reyes.
  • The draft could be significantly different under a new collective bargaining agreement (baseball’s current CBA expires in December) and one scouting director says MLB needs to make changes, including a possible worldwide draft. "The dollars that are being asked now in Latin America are a joke,” the director said. “And this is the only way to address it."
  • One small-market official says a slotting system would hurt small market clubs, since it would prevent them from out-spending deep-pocketed teams on draft picks.
  • One GM suggests moving the draft back to the All-Star break and making it more of an event.

Rosenthal On Twins, Cardinals, Sizemore

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With opening weekend in full swing, Ken Rosenthal has his first Full Count video of the season up over at FOX Sports. Let's check out the highlights….

  • The Twins' outfield is worth keeping an eye on, since Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel are facing free agency after 2011 and many of the team's top prospects are outfielders. Rosenthal says it's "even possible" that the Twins could trade Denard Span, who is signed through 2014.
  • While Matt Holliday recovers from his appendectomy, the Cardinals are comfortable platooning Allen Craig and Jon Jay. Craig is "highly sought after" in trade talks, particularly by American League teams, according to Rosenthal. However, the Cards aren't inclined to move him.
  • Even if Grady Sizemore returns to form in the coming months, he's not likely to be dealt at the trade deadline. His 2012 club option becomes a player option if he's traded, so if they wanted to explore a deal, the Indians would probably do so next winter, after picking up the option.

Twins Pick Up Kubel’s Option, Decline Punto’s

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The Twins exercised Jason Kubel's $5.25MM option for 2011 and turned down Nick Punto's $5MM option, according to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier (on Twitter).

Kubel posted a .249/.323/.427 line this year and his lowest OPS since 2006. He hit 21 homers, spending most of his time at right field and DH. The 28-year-old would have been a Type A free agent, so Minnesota could have obtained draft picks if Kubel had turned down arbitration to sign elsewhere. As we predicted in August, the Twins chose to retain Kubel for another season.

Punto, 33 next month, batted .238/.313/.302 in 288 plate appearances and played short, second and third. As Thesier pointed out earlier this month, the Twins were not expected to pick up Punto's option. He is not a ranked free agent, so the Twins won't get compensation picks if they offer arbitration and he signs elsewhere. An offer of arbitration for Punto seems extremely unlikely. 

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