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Orioles Notes: Hardy, Markakis, Uehara, Johnson

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Some news tidbits from Charm City…

  • Teams have contacted the Orioles about J.J. Hardy, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Mark Reynolds, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  Jones would seemingly be untouchable and (as Heyman notes) Hardy and the Orioles are working out an extension, though Hardy would be a strong trade chip if negotiations fall apart.  Reynolds and Markakis are also probably unlikely to be dealt unless Baltimore is having second thoughts about paying Markakis over $47MM between now and the end of the 2014 season.
  • In a radio interview with 105.7 The Fan's Ken Weinman and Vinny Cerrato, ESPN's Keith Law thinks the team "should go out and deal any veteran player who is not likely to be part of the next good Orioles team. That’s anyone who is not under contract for 2013 or beyond. You’ve got to trade them for prospects, even if it’s a mid-level prospect. Trust your scouts. Go out and add the depth to your farm system. Sometimes you get lucky.”  Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun has transcribed some of the interview's highlights, plus a link to the audio of the full interview.
  • Koji Uehara "has drawn tepid interest" on the trade market due to his injury history and his age, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.  There is more interest in Jim Johnson, but the O's are considering making Johnson a starter next season and have told other teams that Johnson isn't for sale.
  • Andy MacPhail tells Ghiroli that the pitching staff is "definitely something we are looking at to try to augment" at the trade deadline.  To this end, if Jeremy Guthrie is traded, Baltimore would want at least one Major League-ready pitcher in return to eat Guthrie's innings.
  • Also from Ghiroli, MacPhail didn't comment on his own status with the club.  MacPhail's contract as Baltimore's president of baseball operations is up after this season.

Trade Candidates Who Are Currently Playing Well

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Players who have performed well this month are more likely to intrigue buyers for at least two reasons. First of all, strong performance is an indication of health. Secondly, MLB teams have diverted some scouting efforts from amateurs to the pros since this year’s draft concluded about a month ago.

As a result, it’s fair to say that players who have been performing well this past month are more likely to draw interest at the trade deadline than players with similar overall numbers who had hot starts then cooled off later in the season. Here’s a look at some players who have been performing particularly well over the course of the past 30 days:

  • Michael Cuddyer – The Twins aren’t prepared to sell yet, but Cuddyer would be a candidate to go if they do decide 2011 isn’t their year. He has a .378/.458/.633 line this month.
  • Melky Cabrera – Cabrera is under team control through 2012 as an arbitration eligible player, so Kansas City’s front office may decide to keep him around for another year. His .342/.374/.470 line this month would appeal to contenders, though.
  • Mark Reynolds – The slugger has ten homers in the past 30 days after starting the season slowly. He earns $7.5MM in 2012 and has an $11MM option for 2013 ($500K buyout).
  • J.J. Hardy – Like Reynolds, Hardy had a power surge this month. He hit seven homers and added a .269/.306/.600 line. The Orioles are negotiating an extension with the shortstop, so there’s a good chance he stays in Baltimore.
  • Coco Crisp – Crisp has a respectable .298/.364/.426 line this month.
  • Carlos Pena – Like Reynolds, Pena strikes out a ton and has a low batting average. But his hot streaks can carry teams and he hit ten homers with a .240/.306/.600 line this month. Tim Dierkes examined Pena as a trade candidate earlier today.
  • Livan Hernandez – GM Mike Rizzo says the Nationals will be buyers and sellers this month. Presumably some rival clubs are hoping the dependable Hernandez is available this summer, since he has a 3.62 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this month.
  • Edwin Jackson – It’s not surprising that clubs are inquiring on Jackson given that he has posted a 4.05 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this month. And his 2.52 xFIP suggests he has pitched better than his ERA indicates.
  • Ryan Dempster – Across town, Dempster could draw interest as well. The right-hander has a 2.59 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 this month.
  • Carlos Villanueva – Though he may not be a trade candidate in the traditional sense, Villanueva’s success in the rotation has presumably drawn the attention of front offices around baseball. He has a 2.84 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 this month.
  • Hiroki Kuroda – Kuroda will require compensation to waive his no-trade clause, but he is already drawing interest. The right-hander has a 2.30 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this month.
  • Aramis Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Hunter Pence have been playing well, but it seems unlikely that they'll be dealt this month. I’m ignoring relievers, since many relievers have worked ten innings or less this month and that’s a minute sample size.

Orioles Acquire Hester To Complete Reynolds Trade

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The Orioles have received catcher John Hester from the Diamondbacks to complete the Mark Reynolds trade, according to a team press release.    Hester, a 13th-round selection out of Stanford University by the Diamondbacks in 2006, will be assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.   

Hester, 27, played in 53 big league games for Arizona in 2009 and 2010, hitting .220/.294/.366 with three homers.  The catcher has spent the bulk of the last three seasons in Triple-A where he owns a slash line of .335/.390/.562.

The O's acquired Reynolds in December of 2010 and a player to be named later or cash considerations for relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio.

Orioles Acquire Mark Reynolds

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The Orioles acquired slugging third baseman Mark Reynolds and a player to be named later or cash considerations for relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio, announced the team.  

Reynolds' stock is at a low point after he hit .198/.320/.433 with 32 home runs and 211 strikeouts this year in 596 plate appearances for Arizona.  However, he mashed 44 home runs in '09 despite whiffing 223 times.  Reynolds owns the first three spots on the single-season strikeout all-time leaderboard.  He was locked up by former D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes in March and is owed $5MM in '11 and $7.5MM in '12 with an $11MM club option for '13.

As a reliever, the 25-year-old Hernandez posted a 3.16 ERA, 10.9 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 0.97 HR/9 in 37 innings this year for the Orioles.  He's a hard-throwing flyball pitcher who the Diamondbacks view as their seventh/eighth inning guy.

Mickolio, 26, is another hard-throwing right-handed bullpen arm.  He came to the Orioles in the February '08 Erik Bedard trade.  He's less established than Hernandez, with only 25 Major League innings to his name.  Mickolio posted big strikeout numbers in 35 1/3 Triple-A innings this year but also allowed tons of hits, leading to a 6.37 ERA.  He's dealt with various arm injuries the past few years.

Kevin Towers and Andy MacPhail last matched up on the Cla Meredith–Oscar Salazar swap from July of '09.

SI's Jon Heyman first reported the trade was close, with ESPN's Buster Olney, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert, and the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro adding details.

NL West Notes: Pierzynski, Reynolds, Rockies

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The latest NL West rumors, aside from a certain huge trade…

  • The Dodgers were extremely close to signing A.J. Pierzynski before White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf stepped in, tweets Peter Gammons of the MLB Network.  The Dodgers have been in the market for a catcher ever since they declined to offer arbitration to Russell Martin.
  • Earlier this week we learned that the D'Backs were looking at getting pitcher David Hernandez from the Orioles in a package for Mark Reynolds.  This isn't the first time that Arizona has tried to land Hernandez, says Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com (via Twitter).  Ghiroli adds that several other teams, including Tampa Bay, are high on the right-hander.
  • Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) could see the Rockies getting in on outfielder Josh Willingham.  We have long heard that Willingham and the Nats would part ways over an impasse in extension talks.  Now after the arrival of Jayson Werth, it now seems very likely that Willingham will be moved.
  • Meanwhile, the Rockies lost out Lance Berkman because they did not want to give the veteran $8MM and an everyday job wasn't realistic in Coors Field, Renck tweets.

Orioles, D’Backs Agree On Mark Reynolds Trade

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10:32am: The O's and D'Backs are closing in on a deal that would send Reynolds to Baltimore for Hernandez and Mickolio, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.  The trade is pending physicals, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.

10:08am: The Orioles and Diamondbacks are "making progress" on a Mark Reynolds trade, O's president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail told reporters including MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link).  The deal is getting close, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Ghiroli hears the same (Twitter link). 

Chris Tillman is not in the deal as it's presently constructed, tweets Heyman.  David Hernandez is expected to be part of the trade, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Righty Kam Mickolio is a strong possibility, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Diamondbacks Notes: Reynolds, Blanco, Nady

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Some D-Backs news from Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic..

  • The Diamondbacks were discussing a Mark Reynolds swap with the Blue Jays as recently as prior to Thursday night's arbitration deadline.  However, the Orioles have been the most aggressive of any suitor and Piecoro says they seem to be the most likely landing spot for the third baseman.
  • Arizona is in the market for a backup catcher and free agent Henry Blanco is at or near the top of their list.  The 39-year-old hit  just .215/.271/.300 in 144 plate appearances for the Mets last season. 
  • Piecoro writes that Xavier Nady would fit the mold for the D-Backs as they look for a right-handed hitter off of the bench that can play left field and first base.  Nady suffered a down year with the Cubs in 2010 and should come cheap.  The veteran earned $3.3MM off of his one-year deal with Chicago.

Mark Reynolds Will Not Be Traded To Padres

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Mark Reynolds will not be traded to the Padres according to Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (Twitter link). His source adds that the Diamondbacks are seeking two relievers for their third baseman.

Reynolds, 27, would have been a fine power replacement for Adrian Gonzalez, who appears to be headed to Boston. He's hit at least 28 home runs in each of the last three seasons, at least 32 in the last two seasons. Reynolds does strike out at a historic rate though; he's the first man in baseball history to be set down on strike three at least 200 times in three straight seasons.

Reynolds is under contract for $5MM in 2011 and then $7.5MM in 2012 before a $11MM club option for 2013 ($500K buyout) comes into play. Earlier today we heard that the Orioles were the front-runner to acquire him.

Olney’s Latest: Gonzalez, Red Sox, Reynolds, Reyes

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Rival executives have been expecting Adrian Gonzalez to land with the Red Sox at some point, and right now it's on the verge of happening. ESPN's Buster Olney writes (Insider req'd) that once the Gonzalez deal is complete, Boston will still have enough financial flexibility and the leverage to pursue a high-priced player like Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth.

The Padres, meanwhile, will be left to explain to the fan base that trading the team's best player is a good thing. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • The Orioles are the "clear front-runner" for Mark Reynolds. Last night we heard that Chris Tillman's name has come up in trade talks.
  • The Mets will listen to offers for Jose Reyes, and unless the two sides agree to a contract extension, they will move the shortstop before the trade deadline next July.

Orioles Notes: Tillman, Hernandez, Reynolds, Uehara

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The Orioles missed out on Victor Martinez and Adam Dunn, but they're still in the hunt for Paul Konerko.  Here's a look at some of their other offseason targets…

  • Chris Tillman's name has been mentioned in connection with the Mark Reynolds trade rumors, tweets Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman.  Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic thinks the D'Backs "seem to like" David Hernandez more, but Hernandez would be just one piece of what's likely to be a pitcher-centric package (Twitter links).   
  • The O's are one of three teams known to be exploring a Reynolds deal, but they're the ones with "the heaviest interest" in the third baseman according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  The Blue Jays and Padres, in fact, "strongly deny" that they're even pursuing Reynolds.
  • "Some progress has been made" between the Orioles and Koji Uehara, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.  The club has been keeping in touch with Uehara's agent and Zrebiec says team officials "feel pretty good" about their ability to re-sign the reliever.
  • Zrebiec also notes that Baltimore has been in discussions about a number of free agent relievers and have contacted the representatives of Grant Balfour, Jesse Crain, Scott Downs, Brian Fuentes, Matt Guerrier and Kerry Wood.  The O's "have at least one offer out" to one of these pitchers, Zrebiec says.
  • Baltimore has contacted Bobby Jenks' agent, reports Zrebiec in another piece.
  • From that same article, Zrebiec writes "the next person I speak to in the organization who feels the O’s have a shot at Konerko would be the first."  The Orioles' interest in Konerko is "largely overblown" and most insiders feel Konerko will re-sign with the White Sox.
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