Cafardo’s Latest: Bell, Kazmir, Kendall, Aramis
Heath Bell's name has been near the top of this season's list of trade candidates for months, and in this week's Sunday Baseball Notes, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe adds a new potential suitor to the mix. According to Cafardo's source, the Rays are interested in the Padres' closer, but will have to determine over the next couple weeks whether they have "enough firepower" to go all out to catch the Red Sox and Yankees. Here are a few other highlights from Cafardo:
- The Yankees, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Phillies are a few other teams monitoring Bell.
- While there hasn't been a whole lot of interest in Scott Kazmir, the Padres and Rangers have "taken a look."
- Jason Kendall, who hasn't played this year as he recovers from shoulder surgery, has re-torn two rotator cuff tendons. Kendall will undergo additional surgery, possibly ending his career. Royals manager Ned Yost on the procedure: "That takes him out of the picture for this year and out of the picture for next year…. I think it’s more a quality-of-life surgery so he can have function in his shoulder."
- The Angels appear to be the team most interested in Aramis Ramirez, though Cafardo names the Mariners, Giants, Braves, and D'Backs as other clubs who could look into the Cubs' third baseman. Of course, Ramirez's agent said earlier this week that his client likely won't waive his no-trade clause, so inquires may be futile.
Quick Hits: Mets, Indians, Cameron, Gregerson
Tuesday night linkage..
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson says that he isn't counseling manager Terry Collins on how to use Francisco Rodriguez, writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. K-Rod is on pace to finish more than 55 games this year.
- Indians owners Larry and Paul Dolan have encouraged GM Chris Antonetti to find ways to improve the club, but that doesn't mean he's operating with an open checkbook, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
- The Mariners, Phillies, Nationals, Twins, and Rangers didn't inquire on Mike Cameron before he was dealt to the Marlins, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- A major league executive told Tom Krasovic of InsideThePadres (via Twitter) that no team wants to take on money in a deal. The teams that can absorb salary, the exec says, have a big advantage.
- The Padres activated right-hander Luke Gregerson from the disabled list today and a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that there's already trade interest in him.
- There's been a lot of interest in pitcher Scott Kazmir and he should have a team soon, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. On Sunday, Buster Olney of ESPN estimated that Kazmir would find a club by early next week.
Olney On Dodgers, Cardinals, Bell, Kazmir
The Dodgers are playing hard and preparing diligently for every game, but you'd have to be blind to not see the cloud that hangs over the team on a daily basis, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Because of the club's situation, the team knows that there probably won't be help coming in before the trade deadline. They've also seen their farm system dry up and their club is no longer a top destination for big-time free agents. Regardless of who the owner is of the team this time next year, they'll likely need years to repair the damage that has been done. Here's more from Olney..
- The Padres are scouting the farm systems of several clubs as the deadline approaches, and the Cardinals are among those clubs. All along, St. Louis has been a natural fit for Heath Bell or one of the other San Diego relievers. On Thursday, Olney reported that San Diego has told teams that they're ready to take offers on Bell and Mike Adams.
- Pitcher Scott Kazmir is expected to pick his next team sometime in the next ten days. The veteran has met with the Rangers and other clubs are in the mix, such as the Padres. Kazmir worked out for Texas last week and was healthy for the workout.
Scott Kazmir Worked Out For Rangers
Free agenty left-hander Scott Kazmir worked out for the Rangers earlier this week, reports Anthony Andro of The Star-Telegram. Kazmir was healthy for the workout but the team hasn't made any decision yet.
"We've talked with him, doing our due diligence," said GM Jon Daniels. "Not sure if anything's going to come of it, but we try to look at every opportunity to see if someone can help us."
Kazmir posted a 3.51 ERA and 742 strikeouts in 689 2/3 innings for the Rays between 2005 and 2008, including a league-high 239 K's in 2007. Since then, he has dealt with a number of injuries, and Tampa Bay dealt him to the Angels in August 2009. The southpaw has managed just a 5.31 ERA and 5.7 K/9 in 35 starts with Los Angeles. The Angels released Kazmir earlier this month, and since then we've heard that a number of teams have interest in signing him.
The Rangers are focusing on bullpen help at the moment, and they currently have three lefties in their bullpen: Arthur Rhodes, Darren Oliver, and Michael Kirkman.
Quick Hits: Kazmir, McKeon, Indians, Gonzalez
Some quick hits as we take in a full slate of games today..
- The Pirates have checked into Scott Kazmir, but GM Neal Huntington did not indicate whether the discussions are ongoing or if it's moot issue, tweets Rob Biertempfel of MLB.com.
- If asked, 80-year-old Jack McKeon says that he's capable of taking over the Marlins managerial job on an interim basis, tweets Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
- The Indians have fired hitting coach Jon Nunnally and will replace him with Bruce Fields, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- The Cardinals scouted left-hander Scott Kazmir but they do not have interest in pursuing him, a club source told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. While several teams have denied interest in the former All-Star, we learned yesterday that the Mets will consider him.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks back at the long-term deal that Adrian Gonzalez signed with the Padres and how it ultimately affected his future with the Red Sox.
- In response to a question, Ken Davidoff of Newsday (via Twitter) said that Carlos Zambrano is unlikely for the Yankees.
- Baseball's international signing period is quickly becoming one of the most important dates on the calendar for many big league teams, writes Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times. The international signing period begins July 2nd.
Cafardo On Kazmir, Upton, Broxton, Ramirez
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if roster manipulation is rampant in baseball. Cafardo points to the pulled quad muscle injury of Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald as a possible example. McDonald wasn't showing any signs of injury and when asked about it, he gave a "no comment". It's possible that Boston simply wanted to get McDonald more playing time with Mike Cameron eating up the lion's share of the reps. Things such as this, Cafardo writes, are happening all around baseball. Let's see what else is happening around the majors:
- As poorly as left-hander Scott Kazmir has pitched in the last two seasons, there are at least five teams looking at him in the Rockies, Marlins, Padres, Rangers, and Diamondbacks. It also wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees jump into the mix considering their pitching needs.
- There always seems to be a should-we-or-shouldn’t-we-trade B.J. Upton dilemma for the Rays. The Nationals could be a fit as they'd like a young center fielder they can grow with. The question is: is he available? All signs point to yes.
- Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton has been on the shelf since May with an elbow injury, but the club could move him if they're lagging in the standings.
- The Marlins' recent slide has skipper Edwin Rodriguez on the hot seat and it's no secret that the club has been keeping an eye on Ozzie Guillen for quite some time. Guillen has one year remaining on his deal with the White Sox.
- The Dodgers owe Manny Ramirez more than $8MM in deferred payments but the charismatic twelve-time All-Star is collecting a lot more than that. The BoSox owe him quite a bit of money too, roughly $32MM over 16 years. Boston will pay Ramirez through 2026, when he’ll be 54-years-old.
Mets Will Consider Scott Kazmir
Once the centerpiece of a trade that caused years of grief for Mets fans, Scott Kazmir was handed his release papers by the Angels last Wednesday. Kazmir was the big prize for the Rays in a 2004 trade that sent Victor Zambrano to the Mets, and now, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, there's at least a chance he'll come full circle and end up back with the club that drafted him 15th overall in 2002.
Martino notes that general manager Sandy Alderson is usually quick to dismiss speculation about players whom the team is genuinely not interested in, but when asked about the possibility of adding Kazmir, Alderson had this to say: "We look at everybody who hits the wire, and the same would apply to him."
It's hardly a strong commitment in favor of Kazmir, but it does at least point to a possibility that Kazmir could return to Queens seven years after he was traded. The Mets' rotation has been solid with a 3.84 ERA this season entering play today, but their depth took a significant hit when they lost both Chris Young (anterior capsule tear in his throwing shoulder) and top prospect Jenrry Mejia (Tommy John surgery) earlier this year. It's also still unknown when ace Johan Santana will pitch again. Kazmir is the type of low-risk, high-reward addition that could improve that depth if he can rediscover himself.
Quick Hits: Kazmir, Gordon, Jackson, Hudson, A’s
Some late night links as Friday turns into Saturday…
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel that he has no interest in pursuing the recently released Scott Kazmir once the lefty clears waivers (Twitter link).
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Rangers had interest in Brian Gordon before the Yankees signed him. "[Texas] had been interested from the beginning, but didn't think they had a lot of room," said David Schwartz, Gordon's agent. "On Tuesday, when their pitching staff was getting beat up, they got more interested. But by then, we had come to a verbal agreement – he was going to New York."
- MLB.com's Spencer Fordin wrote about Edwin Jackson of the White Sox and Daniel Hudson of the Diamondbacks, who were traded for each other last season and faced each other tonight.
- ESPN's Howard Bryant brings us up to speed with the Athletics and their stadium situation.
Scott Kazmir Rumors: Thursday
27-year-old lefty Scott Kazmir was released by the Angels yesterday. The team ultimately received 188 innings of 5.31 ball, plus 10 2/3 postseason innings, since acquiring him on August 28th, 2009. The Angels gave up prospects Alexander Torres and Matt Sweeney that day, and infielder Sean Rodriguez was included as a player to be named later. The Angels still owe Kazmir over $9MM to cover his salary for the rest of the season and the buyout on his club option. Today's Kazmir links…
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he hasn't looked into the possibility of acquiring Kazmir but will eventually, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Cashman commented, "I know he's struggled."
- Kazmir is a "possibility" for the Mets, GM Sandy Alderson said in response to a question on WFAN's Benigno and Roberts (MetsBlog has more info). However, when pressed on the topic by Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, Alderson admitted his interest in Kazmir is the same as it is for everybody who hits the wire (Twitter link). Kazmir, of course, is a former first-round pick of the Mets who was traded by former GM Jim Duquette to the Devil Rays in '04. Kazmir's history with the organization is a factor, Alderson told Dan Martin of the New York Post.
- My take: signing Kazmir is a low-risk proposition that almost any team could justify, taking him on as a minor league project for the next several months similar to what the Nationals are doing with Oliver Perez. But that's only if Kazmir wants to sign right now and finds a good fit.
- "I don't have any regrets," Angels GM Tony Reagins said of the '09 Kazmir trade, speaking to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Explained Reagins, "You make decisions in this business and live with the consequences."
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia remarked to ESPN's Mark Saxon and the AP, "He's still young and I'm sure at some point we hope he can unlock that secret of where he needs to be."
Angels Release Scott Kazmir
The Angels have released left-hander Scott Kazmir, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. (Twitter link) We heard earlier today that the move was imminent in the wake of Kazmir's poor performance in rehab starts, and DiGiovanna confirms that the Halos will indeed pick up the rest of Kazmir's remaining salary. That total will be the $7MM left on Kazmir's $12MM 2011 salary and the $2.5MM buyout of his 2012 option.
Kazmir posted a 3.51 ERA and 742 strikeouts in 689 2/3 innings for the Rays between 2005 and 2008, including a league-high 239 K's in 2007. Since then, he has dealt with a number of injuries, and Tampa Bay dealt him to the Angels in August 2009. The southpaw has managed just a 5.31 ERA and 5.7 K/9 in 35 starts with Los Angeles.