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Rodrigo Lopez

Rosenthal On Penny, Yankees, Dodgers, Rays

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Red Sox are open to dealing Brad Penny, even with Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL. They could add a bat or a prospect for Penny, but it's unlikely they'll actually move him. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Yankees could use some rotation depth, as it makes sense to keep Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves in the 'pen, but you can rule out a Carl Pavano acquisition. As one Yankee official says, the players would "go crazy" if the Yanks added Pavano.
  • Rosenthal says Russell Martin wouldn't qualify as the centerpiece of a Roy Halladay trade because he's faltered offensively and the Jays have J.P. Arencibia in the minors.  
  • The Phillies could trade Rodrigo Lopez if Pedro Martinez takes over in the rotation. 
  • The Rays are interested in Halladay and Cliff Lee, even if they don't have financial flexibility. However, a trade seems highly unlikely.

Phillies Sign Rodrigo Lopez

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SATURDAY, 10:27am: Troy Renck has the contract details: Lopez will earn $650K if he makes the team.  He can opt out June 15 if he’s not on the major league roster.

WEDNESDAY: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Phillies signed pitcher Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal.

The Rockies acquired Lopez from the Orioles in January of 2007, but he was diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in July of that year and had surgery in August.  He signed a minor league deal with the Braves in August of last year, but they declined his ’09 option.  As far as I can tell, Lopez is represented by Scott Boras.

Odds and Ends: Halladay, Lopez, Glavine

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Links for Monday…

Week in Review: 8/17 – 8/23

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Another week in the books, and we keep seeing big names moved after the July 31 non-waiver deadline. Let’s look back on the past week:

  • The Dodgers acquired Greg Maddux from the Padres for two minor league players to be named later. Nice acquisition to bolster their rotation, and does anyone want to place bets on how excited 20-year-old Clayton Kershaw is to get tips from Maddux every day for the rest of the season?
  • The Pirates are exploring the idea of trading Jack Wilson this offseason more and more. Given the slim free agent market for shortstops, he would likely gather a lot of interest.
  • Nate Robertson’s struggles this season have lost him his spot in the rotation, but have they also lost him a spot with the Tigers after 2008?
  • Orlando Hernandez needs surgery on his foot, and that could likely mean that El Duque’s career would be over.
  • Lots of speculation lately about where Ben Sheets is going to land after 2008. And while there’s no way to tell right now, Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman have stepped up and said they would like the Astros front office to go out and sign him in the offseason.
  • A lot of minor-league deals signed this week: Kip Wells signed with Kansas City, the Mets added Al Reyes, the Astros signed Jose Castillo, the Red Sox signed Dave Ross, and the Braves took a flyer on Rodrigo Lopez following his Tommy John surgery last year. The Jays made a trade to acquire Jose Bautista for a PTBNL as well.
  • The Rangers would like Milton Bradley back in 2009, and the feeling is mutual, though negotiations will wait until after the season. Similarly, Frank Thomas would prefer to stay with the A’s in 2009.
  • Eric Gagne, David Riske, and David Weathers all cleared waivers this week. The first two make sense to me, but given Weathers’ success this year, his affordable contract for the rest of the season, and all of the teams desperately seeking bullpen help, it seems strange that no one would place a claim on him. Here’s an updated list of all the players who have been confirmed to have cleared waivers this year.

Braves Sign Rodrigo Lopez

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The Braves signed 32 year-old righty Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal today with an option for ’09.  Lopez had surgery on a torn flexor tendon as well as Tommy John surgery in August of last year.  Braves pitcher Jorge Campillo apparently recommended the team take a look at Lopez, a friend of his. 

We’ve seen teams take this strategy successfully in the past, signing a player coming off elbow surgery with an eye on the following season.  Lopez had a decent half-season for the Rox last year before the injury surfaced.

Mailbag: Lopez, Colon, Cano

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Let’s dig into the MLBTR mailbag once again.  You could ask a question by emailing mlbtraderumors@gmail.com.

What moves would you like to see the Rockies make to improve their starting rotation? – Sean

The Rockies seem to have decent rotation depth – Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, Jason Hirsh, Ubaldo Jimenez, Franklin Morales, Taylor Buchholz, even Kip Wells and Mark Redman.  I would like to see Dan O’Dowd toss an injury-recovering free agent into the mix.  The one I like is Rodrigo Lopez.  He was quietly very solid for a half-season in Colorado this year.  He had surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in August but there’s no timetable quite yet.  Adding a wrinkle is that Scott Boras represents him.

Why don’t the White Sox go after Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon or something like that? – Tim

Two clubs that have seen Colon’s medical reports and/or price tag have already backed off (Astros, Rangers).  The Cardinals, Nationals, and Mets may have lingering interest, but we don’t have great information here.  How healthy is he?  Would he take a one-year deal?  On December 4th, Bill Ladson suggested he was not open to one year.  Anyway, I like the idea of Colon returning to the White Sox in theory, and they’ve got the money and need, but it’s hard for an outsider to say whether this is a good investment.

I read a piece last night that noted the Yankees have pulled Robinson Cano from winter ball. Do you think there is a chance that the Yanks are holding him up while he is doing well (Cano was hitting .389 in 9 games) and considering a revised offer that would include him in a Santana deal? – Steve

While there is a chance, this doesn’t seem likely to me.  I’ve always read that Phil Hughes was the one Yankee the Twins had to have in a Santana deal, and including Cano would probably mean he’s out.  Plus Cano has two years of service time, so he’s more expensive than Hughes. 

Odds and Ends: Tavarez, Lieber, Stewart

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Another collection…

Rockies Acquire Rodrigo Lopez

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I apologize for being late with this one; my blogging service was down last night.  Yesterday the Rockies snagged 31 year-old righthander Rodrigo Lopez in a trade with the O’s.

The move pushes Jason Hirsh and Taylor Buchholz out of rotation spots. The pair of former Astros will certainly get some starts, as Byung-Hyun Kim and Josh Fogg aren’t 200 inning guys.

Not sure if Colorado will work out, but Lopez has been needing a move to the NL for a while now.  He can probably up his K rate and cut his walks in this league.

Rockies Still High On Lawrence

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Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post runs down the reasons the Rockies are the favorite for free agent pitcher Brian Lawrence: he wants to pitch in the NL West, and he grew up in Colorado.  Conversations are ongoing between Colorado and the soft-tossing righty.  The Giants and D’Backs could be interested as well.  While Lawrence is a year older and right-handed, is he otherwise much different than Mark Mulder right now? 

Additionally, Rodrigo Lopez is a possibility for the Rockies’ rotation.  It’s also been revealed that the Rockies are one of the six teams in on Chris Reitsma, along with the Reds.  And talks with Javy Lopez will be reignited this week.

Boston Globe Trade Rumors

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Aside from the aforementioned Roger Clemens tidbit, Nick Cafardo’s recent Boston Globe column is packed with interesting info.  A brief summary follows.

Cafardo believes the Red Sox will add one more reliever and then sort out the closer situation in spring.  The Cordero, Lidge, and Gonzalez talks didn’t go anywhere.  The idea of returning to Jon Papelbon, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense and isn’t out of the question.  Failing that, Julian Tavarez could be the favorite.  Shaky alternatives (Brendan Donnelly, Mike Timlin, Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen) abound.

A source told Cafardo that Matt Clement wants to prove everyone wrong and could be throwing by springtime.  Maybe he just wants to cash in after his walk year.  Clement had rotator cuff surgery at the end of September.

Rodrigo Lopez has gotten interest from five teams.  A move to St. Louis or somewhere like that could help him quite a bit.

Carl Everett and Sammy Sosa may need to play in the independent leagues to convince some team to give them a shot.  Two of baseball’s finest role models, right there.

Mark Mulder is still looking at the Cards, Rangers, and Indians for his options.  The Tribe has offered two years and $8MM with another $7MM in incentives.  The Rangers offer less than $8MM guaranteed but a possible package of $18.75MM instead of $15MM. 

The Giants would still like to recruit David Wells despite their signing of Barry Zito.  Such a move would push Jonathan Sanchez to the bullpen.  The Phillies, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Mets may also be interested in Wells.

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