Kevin Youkilis Rumors: Tuesday
The Red Sox have intensified their efforts to trade Kevin Youkilis, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported last night. It appears that the Red Sox are willing to take on salary in a deal and that the Diamondbacks, White Sox, Dodgers, Indians, and Pirates have some interest. Here’s the latest on Youkilis…
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington won't comment on specific talks he's had regarding Youkilis, but he's not denying that they've occurred, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
- Youkilis is not a fit for the Angels despite pedestrian offense from Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports.
Red Sox Intensify Efforts To Trade Youkilis
The Red Sox have intensified their efforts to trade Kevin Youkilis over the past 24-48 hours, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. One high-ranking National League official told the FOX Sports duo that Youkilis is being "shopped everywhere." The Red Sox are willing to include cash to facilitate the acquisition of better players in return.
Rosenthal and Morosi list the Diamondbacks, White Sox, Dodgers, Indians, and Pirates as teams with interest in Youkilis. They also note that the Reds are not interested, despite Youk's Cincinnati roots.
Scouts are expected to be on-hand this weekend to watch Youkilis and the Red Sox take on the Marlins. The 33-year-old corner infielder is in the midst of a 1-for-21 slump and has seen his triple slash line plummet to .215/.301/.345. He'll earn more than $7MM over the remainder of this season, and an acquiring team would have the option of picking up a $13MM option or paying a $1MM buyout.
Recently, it was reported that D-backs GM Kevin Towers was "reluctant" to pursue Youkilis.
D’Backs Notes: Youkilis, Parra, Saunders
Here's the latest on the Diamondbacks courtesy of Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic..
- The D'Backs have had multiple looks at Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis and GM Kevin Towers is reluctant to go down that road for several reasons. Towers is turned off by the money owed to Youkilis and is also balking at the asking price. The Red Sox apparently were asking for Gerardo Parra to be included in a deal for the veteran.
- There are still indications that Arizona would be willing to trade left-hander Joe Saunders if the right deal came along. Interested clubs include the Braves, Orioles, Red Sox, and Pirates. Trading Saunders, who makes a reasonable $6MM this year, would open up room for top prospect Trevor Bauer.
- On the whole, the Diamondbacks are on the fence about whether to make moves that will help their cause in 2012 or to instead look to add a piece for 2013 and beyond.
Olney On Red Sox, Quentin, Willingham, Pirates
ESPN's Buster Olney shared a number of items (via his Twitter feed) about a variety of hot stove topics and rumors…
- The Red Sox might be forced to deal Kevin Youkilis due to a "roster crunch" at the corner infield positions and players returning from the DL. Rival executives, however, think Youkilis currently has "no trade value" so it doesn't make sense for Boston to move him right now.
- The Angels and Yankees are "still waiting for needs to be defined" before exploring trades, while the Red Sox are only focused on acquiring starting pitching.
- Many baseball executives believe the Padres will trade Carlos Quentin, though Olney reports the Padres "would like to" offer Quentin a long-term extension sometime this summer. Olney's phrasing may relate to the uncertain status of the Padres' ownership situation.
- Teams have checked in on Josh Willingham but have been told that he isn't available. Some believe this could change but others believe Twins GM Terry Ryan "is, generally speaking, conservative with in-season deals" so the Twins could hold onto their slugger.
- The Pirates are looking for hitting but thus far found few sellers willing to deal.
- The Dodgers are asking about first basemen as they look to upgrade from James Loney but have "no reason to go crazy" finding a second base replacement for Mark Ellis, who will return from the DL at some point.
- The Rockies aren't seen as a team with much to trade, as their roster is split between "untouchables" (i.e. Troy Tulowitzki) and "role players" (such as Rafael Betancourt).
- Jim Thome could be a trade target for AL teams but Olney believes Phillies GM Ruben Amaro would first ask Thome if changing teams was something the respected veteran would want.
Latest On Kevin Youkilis
Ben Cherington said in a recent appearance on WEEI’s Mut & Merloni show that there’s nothing going on regarding trade candidate Kevin Youkilis. The general manager acknowledged that several teams checked in on Youkilis “a while back,” but said the Red Sox aren’t looking to make a trade. Here are the details, along with more notes on Youkilis:
- “Right now we're focused on getting Kevin going,” Cherington said. “He's an important part of the team and we know that when he's clicking and feeling good he makes our lineup very tough to pitch to" (quotes via WEEI’s Kirk Minihane). Youkilis, who earns $12MM this year, has a .219/.303/.352 batting line through 145 plate appearances.
- One general manager suggested to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the trade market for Youkilis is far from robust. "Good luck with that,'' the GM said. A Red Sox person told Heyman that there seem to be at least two interested teams, but the White Sox don't seem heavily involved on Youkilis at the moment.
AL East Notes: Youkilis, Orioles, Chamberlain
Roger Clemens won his 300th MLB game and joined the 4,000 strikeout club on this date in 2003, when he pitched the Yankees to victory against the Cardinals. Here are today's AL East links…
- Kevin Youkilis said this year hasn't been fun and realizes he might be traded, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports. “If I get traded, I get traded. Nothing you can do,” Youkilis said.
- Steve Tolleson, Miguel Gonzalez and Xavier Avery are candidates to join the Orioles should Endy Chavez go on the disabled list, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. Baltimore could also call on Lew Ford or Nate McLouth, but doing so would require opening a spot on the 40-man roster.
- The perception that the Yankees' handling of Joba Chamberlain led to his Tommy John surgery frustrates GM Brian Cashman, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. The right-hander has started throwing bullpen sessions and is "clearing all the hurdles" to return to the Major Leagues in 2012.
Quick Hits: Teahen, Soler, Ethier, Hamilton, Youkilis
The Dodgers officially announced their five-year, $85MM extension with Andre Ethier this afternoon on a day that featured lots of draft news. Here are some of Tuesday’s non-draft-related links, starting in Los Angeles…
- Mark Teahen can opt-out of his minor league contract with the Nationals if not called up by June 15th, MLBTR has learned. The 30-year-old has hit .293/.347/.404 with Washington's Triple-A affiliate while playing all four corner spots.
- Jorge Soler is still in the process of securing a visa prior to officially signing with the Cubs, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). That could take about a week.
- The Dodgers’ deal with Ethier could eliminate them from the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes after the season, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes (Twitterlinks). This could limit Hamilton’s leverage with the Rangers whenever the sides resume contract talks.
- Olney points to the abundance of quality outfielders nearing free agency and suggests it makes sense for the players to accept deals now instead of waiting for what could be a buyer’s market.
- There are no new developments in contract discussions between Cole Hamels and the Phillies or Zack Greinke and the Brewers, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- GM Sandy Alderson told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that the Mets haven't drawn up plans to buy or sell this summer. Davidoff suggests that the Mets could decide to stay the course at the upcoming trade deadline.
- One scout watched Kevin Youkilis play and wasn’t impressed, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). "For what he costs, he can't do anything," the scout said.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Rosenthal On Phillies, Dempster, Soriano, Chavez
Phillies general partner David Montgomery told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he’s not thinking about trading away established players since opportunity still exists for his 29-33 club. “Come August or something, maybe we feel differently,” Montgomery acknowledged, noting that the team’s current goal is to re-enter the playoff picture.
Here are more rumors and notes from Rosenthal…
- Though the Cubs want to add talent, they are reluctant to start a long rebuilding process. Of all the Cubs, Ryan Dempster is most likely to be traded, according to Rosenthal. One general manager said the right-hander seems like a “classic Ned Colletti buy,” so don’t be surprised if the Dodgers show some interest in Dempster.
- Rosenthal speculates that the Indians could be a fit for Alfonso Soriano. Though the Cubs would be paying most of the outfielder’s salary in any trade, Soriano can still hit, especially against left-handers. Rival teams expect the Indians to be aggressive this summer, and they could use a right-handed bat like Soriano.
- Teams aren’t sure that Wandy Rodriguez would succeed in the American League.
- One person said there’s “no chance” the Red Sox could obtain prospects for Kevin Youkilis without paying most of his salary.
- The Reds want to add a left-handed hitter, Rosenthal reports.
- Though Eric Chavez can still play, preparing for games has become “a huge hurdle to climb physically.” The Yankees and White Sox were the only teams to show interest in the 34-year-old this past offseason, and he would have been content to retire if necessary.
- Don’t be surprised if the Giants look to acquire a reliever, Rosenthal writes.
- One executive wonders if the Orioles could trade Brian Matusz in a deal for a more established starter.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Saunders, Quentin, Cards, Pirates
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up. Let's recap…
- Teams looking for rotation help should call the Diamondbacks about Joe Saunders. Arizona wants to get top prospect Trevor Bauer into their rotation, but right now there's just no room.
- The identity of the Padres' new owner will not be known before August, leaving the front office to make its own call on Carlos Quentin prior to the trade deadline. They could keep him and make him a qualifying offer after the season (entitling them to draft pick compensation), though they'd be gambling on future payroll before knowing the new owner's plans. The safest move could be trading the outfielder.
- The Cardinals will wait to hear more about Chris Carpenter's status before making a move for a veteran starting pitcher in the wake of Jaime Garcia's shoulder injury. St. Louis wanted Jeff Francis badly, but the timing wasn't right; Garcia appeared to be healthy when Francis hit the market.
- The Pirates have inquired about a number of corner infield bats, including Kevin Youkilis, Chase Headley, and Bryan LaHair. Some of those targets are more realistic than others, plus the trade market has yet to really materialize. There are far more buyers than sellers, though Pittsburgh has the pitching depth to swing a deal.
Diamondbacks Unlikely To Trade For Kevin Youkilis
The D'Backs have not spoken to the Red Sox regarding Kevin Youkilis, a source with knowledge of the situation told Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. The source also termed Youkilis’ possible acquisition as a “long, long shot” because of financial reasons.
If the Diamondbacks do decide to pursue Youkilis, left-hander Joe Saunders seems the most likely candidate to be involved, but the source said that it's "unlikely" that the club is looking to trade Saunders. The 30-year-old has a 3.65 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 through eleven starts.
Arizona stretched their budget to $75MM when they inked free agents Jason Kubel and Joe Saunders last winter and would have to dump salary to make any deal work. Youkilis, 33, is earning $12MM this season and a $13MM option for 2013 that can be bought out for $1MM.