Latest On Mike Adams
THURSDAY, 1:24pm: Adams told Marty Caswell of XX1090 that Moorad has not told him he won't be traded (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 10:17pm: At least 12 teams have inquired on Adams, according to Passan. Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com hears that the Padres are asking for two top 100 prospects for Adams (Twitter link).
9:13pm: One of the most intriguing trade candidates out there may not be available after all. Padres owner Jeff Moorad told setup man Mike Adams "you're not going anywhere," according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan (on Twitter). Though Adams is drawing more interest than closer Heath Bell, he appears to be staying in San Diego for now.
As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes explained two days ago, the Padres appear to be asking for a top prospect for Adams. The 32-year-old is under team control through 2012 and since he earns just $2.535MM this season and doesn't pick up saves, he figures to earn less than $5MM through arbitration next year.
Adams has a 1.23 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 44.5% ground ball rate in 44 innings this season. He has been effective against left-handers and right-handers, both in 2011 and for his career.
Blue Jays Have Inquired On Padres Relievers
The Blue Jays have inquired on the Padres’ available relievers, including Heath Bell, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It’s not clear whether the Blue Jays want to obtain a closer or are interested in flipping one of San Diego’s relievers to another team.
If they were to acquire Bell, they could offer arbitration and collect a pair of draft picks next season, presuming the free agent to be declines the offer and signs elsewhere. Mike Adams is under team control through 2012, but Padres owner Jeff Moorad told him he’s staying put.
Don’t count on the Blue Jays trading their own relievers, Rosenthal writes. Toronto has 2012 options for Jon Rauch, Jason Frasor and Octavio Dotel, who all project as Type B free agents, according to MLBTR’s reverse-engineered Elias Rankings.
Red Sox Not Pursuing Anyone Aggressively Right Now
The Red Sox are "not pursuing anyone aggressively right now," a source familiar with the team's thinking told WEEI's Alex Speier. Instead, the team is currently trying to determine which internal solutions will work. We've heard the Red Sox named as one of the most aggressive suitors for Carlos Beltran, but that may not be the case.
The Sox are still taking their normal approach of "inquiring about anyone who may make an appreciable difference to the team," in the words of the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. Cafardo says the Red Sox have inquired on Beltran, Ubaldo Jimenez, Felix Hernandez, Jose Reyes, Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Baker, Michael Cuddyer, Ty Wigginton, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jeremy Guthrie, Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham, Conor Jackson, Ryan Spilborghs, Mike Adams, and others. The team needs include starting pitching, a reliever, an outfielder, and a shortstop, but the Red Sox may prefer internal options in many cases.
Brown, Passan On Rockies, Reyes, Angels
A few more notes from Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo…
- The Rockies are not actively shopping Chris Iannetta and Ty Wigginton, though they appeal to other teams.
- Mets shortstop Jose Reyes told friends he'd love to sign with the Angels after the season. However, the writers feel that Angels owner Arte Moreno is unlikely to win the bidding. Plus, the team is content with Erick Aybar at shortstop.
- The Halos' trade deadline emphasis is their bullpen, though they believe the cost of top-tier relievers like Heath Bell and Mike Adams is prohibitive. They'll look at the next tier, and also consider third base upgrades.
National League Notes: Reds, Berkman, Adams
We've already checked in on three of the most noteworthy trade candidates that the National League has to offer. Here's the rest of tonight's news from the Senior Circuit…
- Rival executives believe the Reds could trade for a top reliever and/or Ubaldo Jimenez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- MLB.com's Matthew Leach suggests the Cardinals and Lance Berkman have some mutual interest in negotiating a new deal after the season, when the slugger's one-year, $8MM contract expires.
- Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com hears that the Pirates are still looking to acquire a right-handed hitter. They're also in the market for bullpen help, according to Langosch. The Pirates are eyeing Hunter Pence and open to trading prospects in the right deal.
- Padres setup man Mike Adams tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times that he realizes he's a trade candidate and has applied for a passport in case he's dealt to the American League and has to visit Toronto.
- D'Backs GM Kevin Towers told Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com that the trade deadline is his "least favorite time of the year." Arizona is in the market for "pitching in general," Towers said.
The Price For Mike Adams
32 year-old reliever Mike Adams has a microscopic 1.70 ERA in 212 innings in his Padres career, spanning four seasons. He's under team control through next year, causing some to suggest the Padres' asking price will exceed that of closer Heath Bell.
Adams does have an injury history, including surgery to repair a torn labrum and damage to his rotator cuff in October of '08. He missed a little time with a shoulder strain in August of '09, after his return. Last year's injury was only an oblique strain, so on the bright side his arm and shoulder have been pretty healthy since the surgery.
The Rangers, Yankees, and Phillies are known to be in on Adams, and SI's Jon Heyman says Padres GM Jed Hoyer wants "a very big prospect" in return. Heyman explains that Rangers shortstop Jurickson Profar, generally considered among the ten or so best prospects in the game, would be too much.
On the other hand, Tom Krasovic reports that the Phillies are willing to trade first base/left field prospect Jonathan Singleton for Adams, but that might not be enough for San Diego. Singleton was ranked #24 on Keith Law's top 50 prospects list, but #41 on Baseball America's list. He failed to crack Kevin Goldstein's top 50 at Baseball Prospectus.
The prospect gurus are pretty far apart on Singleton, making it tough to identify the lower bound on the expected return for Adams. Still, if the two prospect-related Adams rumors are accurate, an appropriate return might be pitching prospects Robbie Erlin (Rangers) or Dellin Betances (Yankees).
Heyman On Beltran, Giants, Padres
Rumors from SI's Jon Heyman…
- The Mets don't believe Carlos Beltran would pass through waivers in August. Beltran is well-compensated at $18.5MM, but he's also the best hitter available this summer. Heyman says the Mets may try to make a deal a few days before the deadline to avoid any hitches with Beltran's no-trade rights.
- The Giants "do not want to part with any decent prospects for a hitter," perhaps taking them out of the Beltran mix.
- The Phillies and Reds match up well with the Padres, who can offer Ryan Ludwick plus a number of different veteran right-handed relievers. Padres GM Jed Hoyer has yet to match up with Ruben Amaro Jr. or Walt Jocketty in his two years at the helm.
- The Padres would want a "very big prospect" for setup man Mike Adams, but Heyman says Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar isn't going anywhere.
Rosenthal On Rangers, Relief Market
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has the latest on the Texas Rangers' pursuit of bullpen help and a few other items of note on the relief market.
- The Rangers are stocked with prospects and cash, and they are shopping for top-flight relievers.
- Texas' trade targets include San Diego's Heath Bell and Mike Adams, Oakland's Andrew Bailey and Washington's Tyler Clippard.
- The asking price for each of those relievers is high. The A's and Nats, in particular, will need to be overwhelmed to move Bailey and Clippard, respectively. Both right-handers will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason.
- For trade partners in need of offense, the Rangers have a useful trade chip in slugger Chris Davis, who is Major League-ready.
- The Padres are discussing their relievers with the Yankees, Phillies and other clubs.
Padres Notes: Bell, Adams, Ludwick
The Padres have been prominent in trade rumors all month, and a couple tidbits of note pertaining to San Diego's sought-after commodities came in this afternoon and evening, courtesy of Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
- The Friars have exchanged names with a couple teams on relievers Heath Bell and Mike Adams, among others, though they "haven't been inspired yet." The Rangers and Phillies are involved, according to Olney (via Twitter). The trade market is relatively flush with useful relievers, so it will be interesting to see how high a return the Padres can land for these righties, if they do in fact trade one or both. For the fantasy ramifications of relievers on the move this month, check out CloserNews.
- San Diego may hold onto Bell unless it can recoup what it considers to be a little more value than two drafts picks, which would be the compensation if Bell, a likely type A free agent, were to sign with another team this offseason. This is not a good year to be selling relievers, as it's a buyer's market (Twitter links).
- The Red Sox are among the teams that have checked in with the Padres about right-handed-hitting outfielder Ryan Ludwick, reports Olney (via Twitter). Boston has lacked a useful righty stick in the outfield most of the season, as Mike Cameron was ineffective in that role before being designated for assignment and then acquired by the Marlins. The Phillies have also been rumored to be interested in Ludwick, who is a free agent at season's end.
Quick Hits: Wigginton, Reyes, Phillies, Lowe
Some assorted links for your Sunday reading:
- Ty Wigginton's name has come up in talks between the Yankees and Rockies, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. As Heyman points out, Wigginton could fill in for Alex Rodriguez as he recovers from surgery.
- The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo feels that the Red Sox should go all-in and acquire Jose Reyes to put the team over the top.
- Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to a scout from each league and got their takes on several Phillies' trade targets, including: Josh Willingham, Ryan Ludwick, Heath Bell, Mike Adams, Hunter Pence, and Carlos Beltran.
- Derek Lowe isn't concerning himself with trade rumors and is even making light of the Tigers' interest in him, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rogers speculates that the Braves could move Lowe to clear salary for a big-name hitter.
- The Tigers are looking at improving their rotation and possibly third base, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. With Carlos Guillen coming back and Phil Coke being placed back in the bullpen, GM Dave Dombrowski doesn't feel second base and relief help are big areas of need.