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Lance Berkman

Odds & Ends: Lilly, Braves, Reds, Berkman

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Links for Friday night….

Trade Possible, Nats May Try To Extend Dunn Soon

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Adam Dunn is looking for a long-term deal, and if he and the Nationals can’t agree on his value, the team will likely trade him, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Dunn would stay in Washington if he and the Nationals can agree to the parameters of a deal, even if they don’t formally announce an agreement. The Nats have the chance to keep Dunn in Washington, so they may try to extend him before the trade deadline, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).

Dunn, 31 in November, has 23 homers and a .933 OPS, so he remains one of the game's elite power hitters. Many have suggested that Dunn's poor defense makes him an ideal candidate to DH, but that hasn't prevented NL teams like the Giants from showing interest. The Nats seem reluctant to deal their top players, including Dunn, but the White Sox are definitely interested.

The White Sox also covet Prince Fielder, but Dunn, Adam LaRoche and Lance Berkman (in that order) are the next players on their list, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter).

Morosi On Reds, Berkman, Blue Jays

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The Reds have signed Russ Springer and they're close to adding Jason Isringhausen, but that doesn't mean GM Walt Jocketty is content with his team's bullpen. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports has the details on the Reds, plus other notes from around the majors:

  • The Reds have been looking for late-inning relievers aggressively, since they don’t want to tire out Francisco Cordero, Arthur Rhodes and Nick Masset.
  • The Angels are not interested in taking on Lance Berkman’s contract, at this point (Twitter link). Berkman, 34, has a .799 OPS and about $5.8MM remaining on his salary this year. That's not it though – there's also a $2MM buyout for next year's $15MM option.
  • The Tigers, Twins, Phillies, Yankees, and Rockies were checking out the Blue Jays’ relievers and bats this week in Kansas City (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Hanrahan, Phillies, Berkman, Yankees

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Another round of links for Tuesday, with 11 days remaining before the deadline…

  • The Pirates are getting calls about Joel Hanrahan, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Not surprisingly, they're asking a lot for the reliever.
  • Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com hears that the Phillies would still like to add a top starter. Earlier today, before Jamie Moyer strained his left elbow, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. hinted that the club could trade for an arm.
  • Lance Berkman tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he realizes he may hit free agency after the season. The Astros can buy Berkman out for $2MM or pay him $15MM next year.
  • Former big league player and minor league manager Pat Listach would have interest in managing the Cubs next year, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman tells Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that he doesn't like the looks of the current trade market and isn't optimistic about making major deals.
  • MASN.com's Ben Goessling explains that offering Adam Dunn a four-year deal would be risky.
  • USA Today considers some potential replacements for Lou Piniella, starting, of course, with Ryne Sandberg. 
  • The Cubs will have a new manager next year, but Jim Hendry is still the team's GM going forward, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).
  • The Pirates signed eight Latin American players and Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com has the details.
  • An AL executive tells ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that teams are demanding a ton for their relievers (Twitter link). Here are some of the arms teams can consider.

White Sox Focused On Dunn, Not Fielder

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TUESDAY, 12:07pm: The Sox are focused on Dunn, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and they're not in on Prince Fielder or Lance Berkman.

MONDAY, 11:15pm: White Sox GM Kenny Williams has been trying “desperately” to acquire Adam Dunn from the Nationals, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley’s source says the White Sox don’t want to move Carlos Quentin or Gordon Beckham to acquire Dunn, but would move any minor leaguer, and would trade Dayan Viciedo or Daniel Hudson. But Williams still finds that Nats GM Mike Rizzo is asking a lot, according to Cowley’s source.



"The problem Kenny is finding out is that Rizzo is acting like Dunn is Ryan Howard,'' the source said.


Though the White Sox appear to have interest in Dunn, Williams said that he isn’t optimistic about completing deals this summer.


"If I'm being honest and completely transparent right now of the price that is being asked for some of the players that we've inquired about, for us, it's more detrimental to our present and our future than we'd like,” Williams said.

The White Sox could definitely use an upgrade at DH, but as Williams pointed out, the team could still add a player in August. The White Sox acquired Alex Rios from the Blue Jays in an August 2009 waiver claim.

Padres Still Eyeing Hart, May Need Arms Too

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Much has been made of the surprising first-place Padres' needs as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches. It's a known fact that they've relied on tremendous pitching to win in spite of an offense that ranks 27th in the Majors with a .701 team OPS and 21st with 396 runs scored.

The San Diego Union Tribune's Tim Sullivan says that manager Bud Black made a subtle pitch to Corey Hart, a known Padres target, at the Home Run Derby, opining to the Milwaukee right fielder that a lot of his home runs would also have gone out in Petco Park to gauge a reaction. While Hart kept an even keel and simply replied, "Yeah, they would have," Black says he wanted Hart to know that the Padres were interested.

Padres closer Heath Bell also spoke with Hart, and relayed that Hart isn't happy to be on the trading block. If he does get moved, he would like to train in Arizona near his newly-purchased house.

While Hart's 22 home runs would look nice in the middle of the Padres lineup and add some much needed support for Adrian Gonzalez, it's worth noting that the offense may no longer be the club's main focus.

Both Mike Adams and Mat Latos have landed on the disabled list in the past week. While Latos is expected to recover quickly, the Padres will likely be limiting his second half innings.

Padres general manager Jed Hoyer did acknowledge that they have the resources to improve both the offense and the defense, but said that the odds of a significant improvement to both seemed "remote." Any trades that send away cost-controlled young players will require a return that's controlled beyond 2010 for the Padres as well, according to Hoyer, who stressed that financial limitations make cost-control important to San Diego.

Sullivan asked Bell about his personal wish list for acquisitions, and Bell named Hart, Cody Ross, Miguel Tejada, and Milton Bradley before floating a unique idea: acquire Lance Berkman and put him back in the outfield. It's unlikely that Berkman would play a respectable outfield at this point, but the scenario suggests that Bell clearly would like to see a proven, veteran bat added to the lineup.

Odds & Ends: Jays, Haren, Nolasco, Lee, Hunter

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Some links before Cliff Lee makes his Rangers' debut this evening…

Astros Willing To Absorb Salary In Trades

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Astros owner Drayton McLane says his team would consider absorbing part of a contract in a trade if it meant getting better prospects, writes Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. McLane admitted that the team will be "willing to look at anything" as the trade deadline approaches, but said that "nothing is imminent right now."

"It's totally and completely dependent on the offers you're getting in return," McLane said of the salary issue. "We'd have to evaluate that at the time."

McLane's willingness to absorb salary could be crucial to the Astros' chances of moving Roy Oswalt or Lance Berkman. A report earlier this month suggested the Astros were attempting to convince potential Oswalt suitors to assume the pitcher's entire remaining salary, which no club seemed eager to do. If the Astros were to pay a portion of the money owed to Oswalt, a trade would seem much more likely.

Oswalt is guaranteed $15MM in 2010 and $16MM in 2011, along with a $2MM buyout for his $16MM 2012 club option. Berkman, meanwhile, will earn $14.5MM this season and has a $15MM club option ($2MM buyout) for next year.

Berkman’s Preferred Destinations

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Despite all the rumors surrounding him and Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman told Yahoo's Jeff Passan that he doesn't expect to be traded. Berkman has at least $10.6MM remaining on his contract when you include his 2011 buyout, and he realizes that figure scares teams off, especially in this market.

"Teams value their prospects more than they ever have," Berkman said. "I’m 34. I’m not having a great year."

Berkman, who is hitting .238/.340/.392 with six homers, has a no-trade clause, so like Oswalt, he controls his future to an extent. The Angels have a clear need for a first baseman, but Berkman says the Angels "wouldn't be an automatic yes." Berkman would rather go east than west, though that's not his number one consideration.

"There is absolutely no way I would consent to going somewhere that didn’t have a good chance not just to get to the playoffs, but to win the whole thing," he said.

Berkman realizes the Astros are probably not going to pick up his $15MM option for 2011 at this point. Earlier in the month, Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that Berkman would approve a trade if the acquiring team picked up his option. 

Yankees Not Pursuing Lee Yet

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2:58pm: An official tells Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that the Yankees have yet to discuss trading for players at the deadline, including Lee.

THURSDAY, 2:07pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears (via Twitter) that the Mariners and Yankees have had "zero" discussions about Lee. That doesn't mean that they won't discuss the lefty in the future, but we now know that talks have not begun. Olney reminds us (via Twitter) that the Yankees have passed on the chance to trade for top pitchers before.

WEDNESDAY, 5:49pm: A rival executive tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that, despite the Yankees' effective rotation, he expects the team to be "undeterred in their pursuit of Lee on the trade market." According to Rosenthal's sources, the Phillies discussed Lee with the Yankees last winter prior to trading the left-hander to the Mariners. The Yankees had been willing to include Montero in a package for Lee, but that was before both the Vazquez trade and the emergence of Hughes.

3:56pm: A Yankees official told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that the team has no urgency to do anything with their rotation, which isn't necessarily at odds with King's report below.  In other words, the Mariners might like the Yankees to get involved on Lee, but so far they're not.

More interesting is the team official's suggestion that only three players have been made available across baseball so far, and Lee is not among them.

8:03am: The Mariners are preparing for the Yankees to pursue ace lefty Cliff Lee, reports George A. King III of the New York Post.  King says the Mariners have already scouted the Yankees' Low A and Double A clubs and aim to watch their Triple A squad soon.  King spoke to a "person familiar with Seattle's thought process" who believes Jack Zduriencik will seek Triple A shortstop Eduardo Nunez as well as one of the Yankees' minor league catchers.  King suggests that the Yankees would need assurances that they could sign Lee to an extension if they're required to surrender Austin Romine or Jesus Montero.

King believes renting Lee would hold appeal to the Yankees despite their strong rotation.  The Yanks' boast a front five of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, and Javier Vazquez, and it's not clear who they'd bump for Lee.  The most likely candidate, Vazquez, has a 2.73 ERA in 33 innings since returning from a break on May 12th.  Trading Vazquez to clear a spot for Lee seems convoluted to me.

With Nick Johnson potentially out for the season, an offensive addition would be more fitting.  To that end, King says the Yankees have scouts following the Astros in case Lance Berkman becomes available.  Berkman is still owed $11.2MM heading into today's action, however.

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