Odds & Ends: Westbrook, Beltre, Oliver Perez
Eight years ago today, the Diamondbacks signed amateur free agent Carlos Gonzalez out of Venezuela. Two major trades later, CarGo is establishing himself as a star in Colorado. Links for Tuesday…
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick runs through a slew of August trade candidates, including Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, and Chone Figgins.
- The Padres originally intended to acquire Jake Westbrook for themselves, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs wonders how teams will value Adrian Beltre on the free agent market this winter.
- The Mets won't try to convince Oliver Perez to accept a minor league assignment again, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. The Mets still don't plan on releasing Perez, preferring him to take a roster spot.
- The Braves released Willy Taveras from their Triple A club, according to the International League transactions page.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Salty, Braves, Cards
Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive in…
- The Red Sox scouted Jarrod Saltalamacchia hard before acquiring him this afternoon, and they feel that he is throwing better and will benefit from a change of scenery. 18 months ago the cost for Salty was Clay Buchholz, so they feel he's worth the gamble considering the uncertain futures of Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek.
- The Braves didn't need either Kyle Farnsworth or Rick Ankiel, but picking up both improves their depth considerably. Ankiel will be the regular center fielder against righties, platooning with Melky Cabrera, while Farnsworth will help lessen the burden on Takashi Saito and Jonny Venters. The Braves are clearly going for it in Bobby Cox's final season.
- It seems odd that the Cardinals would trade Ryan Ludwick given their offensive inconsistency this year, but the team likes what Jon Jay has done and they'll save big when Ludwick goes to arbitration for the final time next season.
- Relative to its competition, no team did as poorly as the Mets at the deadline. They were outbid for Ramon Ramirez, and the Cubs wanted no part of a Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez for Carlos Zambrano swap. The Cubbies are hopeful that Big Z will come back and rebuild his value down the stretch.
Zambrano Would Accept A Trade
SATURDAY, 8:40am: The Cubs rejected an offer of Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo for Zambrano, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Zambrano has $17.83MM more remaining on his contract than they do, so I'm assuming the Mets wanted cash in the deal. Heyman says the Cubs did not want to take Castillo.
FRIDAY, 5:39pm: Carlos Zambrano told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he would accept a trade if the Cubs approach him with one (Twitter link). Despite Zambrano's willingness to waive his no-trade clause, there's no reason to expect a deal. Zambrano says he wants to stay in Chicago and the Cubs don't believe they will be able to trade him this season, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).
Big Z earns $6.4MM between now and the end of the season, plus $17.9MM next year, $18MM in 2012 and possibly $19.25MM in 2013. That's a lot of money for a pitcher who just came off the restricted list and has a 5.66 ERA. The 29-year-old is walking (4.0 BB/9) and striking out (8.6 K/9) lots of batters, as usual.
Odds & Ends: Lowell, Perez, Zambrano, Ross
Links for Friday, with less than 24 hours before the deadline…
- The Pirates acquired minor league outfielder Mitch Jones from the Braves, according to MLB.com's transactions page. David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Braves obtained cash in return (Twitter link).
- The Rangers are the only team that has slight interest in Mike Lowell, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
- The Mets shopped Oliver Perez today, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- The Cubs are resigned to the fact that if they want to trade Carlos Zambrano, it will have to happen in the winter, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports will believe that Cody Ross is unavailable once the deadline passes tomorrow. Until then he's a skeptic (Twitter link).
- Teams like Joe Beimel, but are only offering the Rockies non-prospects, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Rockies are shopping Randy Flores.
- GM Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash explained to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that the Brewers look for "plus" fastball velocity, quality breaking pitches, solid arm action and delivery and height in the pitchers they pursue.
- The Rangers are talking to rival teams to determine if there's interest in Rich Harden or Scott Feldman, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
- The Astros wanted Chad Billingsley in exchange for Roy Oswalt, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (Twitter link). The Dodgers countered with a four-prospect offer, but the Astros preferred the Phils' offer.
- The Royals aren't making much progress on deals, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (Twitter link).
- I answered questions from Neil Keefe and broke down the trade deadline in detail at WFAN.com.
Mets And Royals Discussing Francoeur, Others
MONDAY, 3:09pm: A source tells ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that the Royals have "no interest" in Francoeur or Perez (Twitter link).
SUNDAY, 7:33pm: Talks between the Mets and Royals are fluid, though it doesn't appear that Guillen will be headed to Queens, says Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. It seems that if Guillen is dealt elsewhere, then Kansas City would be interested in Francoeur, Martino adds.
7:00pm: Francoeur and Perez are on the block, a source tells Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter). Another source tells Heyman that a trade with Kansas City "might happen" (Twitter link).
6:36pm: The Mets are in talks with the Royals and three names from each side are "in play," writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Those Royals players are Gil Meche, Kyle Farnsworth, and Jose Guillen while the Mets being discussed are Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, and Jeff Francoeur. It is unclear how advanced the talks are, cautions Rosenthal (via Twitter).
While the two sides aren't necessarily looking at a three-for-three swap, the two biggest contracts do match up well. Meche and Perez's contracts are identical over the next two seasons, with both pitchers earning $12MM in this year and next. The Mets made an attempt to swap the two just over a week ago.
Francoeur and Farnsworth also match up well, says Rosenthal. Farnsworth's contract has a club option for 2011 for $5.25MM, though he has the right to void it in favor of a $500K buyout if he is traded before the 2010 World Series. Francoeur will make $5MM this season before entering his final year of arbitration eligibility.
Mets Tried To Swap Perez For Meche
Oliver Perez is currently on the disabled list with a knee issue, but that hasn't stopped Mets' GM Omar Minaya from trying to unload the enigmatic lefty. ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin reports that the Mets approached the Royals about swapping Perez for Gil Meche, but were told no thanks. Talks with other teams have gone nowhere.
Perez, still just 28, hasn't pitched since the end of May because of the injury, though the team didn't exactly want him on the mound anyway. He had been sent to the bullpen after allowing 24 runs and walking more batters (28) than he struck out (27) in his first seven starts, and continued to pitch poorly in mop-up duty after the demotion. The injury was suspicious enough that the league decided to investigate, which is understandable after he refused a minor league assignment not long before.
Both Perez and Meche will earn the same $12MM this year and next, so the money would have been a wash if a trade did occur. Perez started a rehab assignment last Saturday, so the team has 30 days from then to activate him. It's hard to imagine any team taking on Perez without the Mets eating a significant portion of the money owed to him.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Orioles, Werth, Weathers
Some links after an astounding debut from Stephen Strasburg…
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio tells MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that the Brewers could hypothetically add payroll if the team starts contending soon.
- Jayson Werth had a team spokesman tell Todd Zolecki and Zach Schonbrun of MLB.com that his impending free agency isn't distracting him at the plate.
- Phillies manager Charlie Manuel thinks Werth is putting extra pressure on himself to play well in his contract year, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- The Orioles will interview Bobby Valentine for their managerial opening, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Andy MacPhail called former Indians manager Eric Wedge to gauge his interest in the position.
- David Weathers told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he would be willing to come back and pitch for the Reds. The 40-year-old righty pitched 62.0 innings of 3.92 ERA ball for the Reds and Brewers last year.
- MLB has accepted the Mets' decision to place Oliver Perez on the DL, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
Odds & Ends: Perez, Howry, Brewers
Sunday night linkage..
- Mets manager Jerry Manuel insists that Oliver Perez's knee tendinitis is legitimate, writes Andy Martino of the Daily News. The timing of Perez's trip to the DL is being investigated by MLB in light of its curious timing.
- In her latest mailbag, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com writes that the Cubs brought back Bob Howry with the hope that he can help in specific situations with the help of Larry Rothschild. The Cubbies signed the reliever to a major league deal in mid-May.
- Former Brewers farmhand Brent Brewer will choose football over baseball after all, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The 2008 second-round selection quit baseball last month and will now play on scholarship at the University of Tennessee.
Roster Moves Hinge On Oliver Perez’s Decision
SATURDAY, 4:10pm: Major League Baseball will independently review Oliver Perez's medical records, including the MRI he took on Friday, a league official told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. The official told Martino that the league often does this when an injury needs clarification.
11:09am: Perez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with knee tendinitis today according to SNY's Kevin Burkhardt (via Twitter). No further move will be needed to make room for Niese.
FRIDAY, 9:48pm: If Oliver Perez does not accept a minor league assignment, the Mets may designate a reliever for assignment, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. The organization is hoping that Perez will agree to the demotion by tomorrow when they plan to activate Jon Niese off of the disabled list.
In order to make room on the roster, Elmer Dessens could be DFA'd. The Mets re-signed Dessens to a minor league deal in December and have given him just 4.1 innings of work heading into tonight's game. However, the veteran hurler made his case for staying on with the club tonight by pitching 1.1 scoreless innings to set the table for a Francisco Rodriguez save.
Another possibility for the Mets would be to option Jenrry Mejia to Triple-A, though they may want to keep him on the big league roster.
Perez refused a minor league assignment from the Mets on Monday. The club reportedly asked the lefty at least twice to go to the minors.
Odds & Ends: Trembley, Konerko, Oswalt, Athletics
Links for Tuesday, as Scott Rolen's big season continues…
- The Orioles should put manager Dave Trembley "gently out of his misery" and fire him, if you ask Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the D'Backs were smart to acquire Dontrelle Willis.
- Jack Moore of FanGraphs says Oliver Perez and Jeff Suppan have "parasitic" contracts.
- Paul Konerko told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that speculation linking him to the Angels is none of his business and a "non-issue" for him.
- If you're on your cell phone, consider checking out our mobile site at mlbtraderumors.mobi. It's a stripped-down version of the site that just shows headlines on the front page.
- The Cardinals could use a starting pitcher, and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch runs through some options. One official told AOL FanHouse's Ed Price about a rumor that Roy Oswalt would only accept a trade to the Phillies, Cardinals, or Yankees.
- Josh Willingham, Corey Hart, Jose Guillen, Luke Scott, and Garrett Jones are a few speculative names tossed out by FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi as offensive additions for the Athletics. Keep in mind, though, that Willingham is not known to be available and Jones is slugging .415.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if the Pirates will release Akinori Iwamura, though he admits it'd be "an especially bitter pill for management."
- It's too early for the Rangers to think about trading Vladimir Guerrero, opines ESPN's Richard Durrett. They're only one game out!
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe looks at Theo Epstein's midseason work from years past. This year, Massarotti feels that adding a late-inning reliever is a priority.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues hopes Kanekoa Texeira clears waivers and is offered back to the Yankees. ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that he thinks the Yanks would take him back if given the chance.