NL Notes: Hamels, Lee, Burnett, Colon, Padres
The Rockies, who have lost four in a row and 11 of their last 15, own the National League’s worst record and the third-worst mark in all of baseball. The franchise faces six key questions, according to the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders, including whether to trade Troy Tulowitzki and to overhaul the front office to appease the disgruntled fan base. Saunders doesn’t see either happening because owner Dick Monfort is an extremely loyal and stubborn man. Saunders writes Tulowitzki could force a trade if he is willing to be portrayed as the disloyal, bad guy. Elsewhere in the NL:
- Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) says it’s time for the Phillies to rebuild and he has seven trade ideas to help make that happen. Bowden suggests the Phillies send Cole Hamels to the Dodgers for center fielder Joc Pederson and left-hander Julio Urias. He would also send Cliff Lee to the Yankees for outfielder Aaron Judge and right-hander Luis Severino.
- Lee’s uncertain health makes trading him a tough call for the Phillies, writes the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Gelb. Meanwhile, Gelb points out the Phillies probably couldn’t get a a worse return than what was had in the last three Lee trades. Of the 11 prospects in those deals, only one (Justin Smoak) has been a regular in the Majors.
- The Yankees and Blue Jays are both cool on the idea of a reunion with Phillies right-hander A.J. Burnett, reports CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury.
- Burnett’s contract and performance are reasons why teams looking to bolster their starting rotation should look elsewhere, opines Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- The Mets‘ phone isn’t ringing off the hook with trade proposals for Bartolo Colon, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post.
- The Padres won the Huston Street trade as the amount of talent the Angels parted with to acquire the closer is baffling, opines ESPN.com’s Keith Law (Insider subscription required).
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Price, Mariners, Indians, Pederson, Cishek
The Mariners and Indians have their eye on David Price, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com in his latest video. The Rays see Seattle as a team that lines up well for a potential blockbuster. With the Athletics and Angels already reaching into the trade basket, Seattle is under pressure to make a move.
- Rosenthal identifies two potential barriers to a deal for the Mariners. With Price set to earn about $20MM in his final year of arbitration, ownership might not be willing to commit both financially and with prospects. Additionally, rival GM’s tell Rosenthal that M’s GM Jack Zduriencik is difficult to push across the finish line in trade talks.
- The Indians would like to supplement Corey Kluber and possibly Justin Masterson with a pitcher like Price. However, even though the Tribe is keeping tabs on Price, one team employee puts the odds of a trade at less than one percent. Rather than focus on Price, they’ll probably look to acquire an ace from another source.
- Don Mattingly prefers Joc Pederson in center field, but he’s not yet on the active roster. In Pederson’s favor, there’s little doubt that he’s the best defensive option. Some within the organization worry about his minor league strikeout rate, and believe he’ll benefit from further seasoning. If Mattingly gets his way, the Dodgers outfield will become even more crowded, further increasing the likelihood of a trade.
- The Marlins are leaning towards selling. Closer Steve Cishek may be the most likely to be dealt. He’s earning $3.8MM this season and will only get more expensive in his next three spins through arbitration. The Marlins may prefer to rely on a less expensive closer and get something back in the process.
Stark On Yankees, Brown, Astros, Papelbon, Dodgers
ESPN’s Jayson Stark hosted a chat with readers today and touched on a number of hot stove topics with the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline roughly a month away. Here are some highlights, though the entire thing is worth a read-through for those interested in next month’s deadline…
- Stark has received no indications that the Yankees are shopping for a third baseman. He hears that they’re prioritizing the rotation over everything else at this time.
- Domonic Brown‘s trade value is dropping by the day, says Stark. Scouts have been watching Brown (and the Phillies in general) over the past couple of weeks, and Philadelphia is trying to bill Brown as “a guy who did it once before so he can do it again.” However, Stark has a hard time seeing Brown fetching anything more than another change-of-scenery candidate.
- Jeff Luhnow and the Astros view most relievers as interchangeable parts, making it likely that they’ll be very willing to move names like Chad Qualls and Tony Sipp next month.
- Right-hander Ken Giles has impressed so much that Stark expects the Phillies to ratchet up their efforts to trade Jonathan Papelbon, and with Papelbon pitching better than he has in years, this is the perfect time to do it, he opines. Giles has thrown just seven innings for the Phils, but he’s averaged 97.1 mph on his heater with a 12-to-3 K/BB ratio and a ground-ball rate north of 55 percent.
- The Dodgers have been telling teams that they won’t move Joc Pederson or Corey Seager this summer, according to Stark. If that’s indeed the case, that should take them out of the running for David Price (in my opinion).
- Stark doesn’t get the sense that the Tigers are shopping for a closer, which meshes with yesterday’s comments from GM Dave Dombrowski. Detroit doesn’t think Joe Nathan is finished yet.