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Odds & Ends: Hillman, White Sox, Japanese Pitchers

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Let's start the evening off by rounding up a few spare links…

  • According to The Associated Press (via ESPN), Royals manager Trey Hillman will return to the team next season. Kansas City GM Dayton Moore, who originally hired Hillman, had his contract extended through 2014 earlier this week.
  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams was asked if the Jim Thome and Jose Contreras trades indicate that he was throwing in the towel according to Scot Gregor of The Daily Herald, and Williams replied "Hell no. We're still in it to win it.”
  • Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report saying that the Yokohama BayStars are looking to import Japanese pitchers currently playing in the States. The article mentions that players like Tomo Ohka, Yasuhiko Yabuta, and Masahide Kobayashi could interest the BayStars, while Patrick throws the names of Kei Igawa and Takashi Saito into the ring.
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. writes that Miguel Angel Sano is not the only big name Latin American free agent stuck in age investigation limbo. Venezuelan pitcher Daniel Sanchez, considered one of the best pitchers available this year, is stuck in the same boat after the Brewers put in a formal request to MLB to investigate his age. An age investigation is a prerequisite to signing any player from Latin America.

Odds & Ends: Braves, Orioles, Arroyo, Strasburg

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Some links to check out on the night Derek Jeter tied Ted Williams on the career hits list with 2,654…

  • MLB.com's Mark Bowman writes that if the Braves make a move before next Friday's trade deadline, "the best bet is that they'll add a reliever." He mentions Danys Baez, Takashi Saito, Ron Mahay, and John Grabow as available options.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun took a look at the Orioles' main trade chips, including Baez, Aubrey Huff, George Sherrill, and Ty Wigginton.
  • Bronson Arroyo is officially on the trading block, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman,
  • The camp of top pick Stephen Strasburg has expressed concern over the Nationals' uncertain general manager situation, reports Chico Harlan of The Washington Post. 
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times says that despite the Matt Holliday haul, the Mariners shouldn't expect as big of a return for Erik Bedard or Jarrod Washburn because they only project to be Type-B free agents after the season.
  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said ""We'll be aggressive but we won't be stupid," when it comes to making trades according to Tom Haudricourt.
  • Scott Lauber of The News Journal wrote about the dilemma of trading prospects.

Heyman On Halladay, Lee, Rockies

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Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Phillies have decided not to include prospect Kyle Drabek in a package for Roy Halladay. If they haven't informed the Blue Jays of their decision, they're about to. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

  • Heyman's sources say the Mets rejected a four-player package centered around Fernando Martinez for Halladay. Others have since disputed this.
  • The Angels and Red Sox appear unlikely to part with their young prospects for Halladay.
  • One Jays person believes it's unlikely they deal their ace at all. 
  • The Indians are becoming more open to dealing Cliff Lee, who doesn't have a no-trade clause and would have little say in the matter. 
  • However, they need pitching, so some Indians people believe the team is more likely to move Victor Martinez. 
  • The Rockies have considered pursuing Chad Qualls, George Sherrill, Danys Baez and Takashi Saito. 

Trade Candidates: Relievers

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Just about every team could improve its bullpen and some clubs, like the Marlins and Rockies, are working aggressively to add relievers. Here are some of the names to consider, ordered from highest 2009 salary to lowest.

  • Kerry Wood – He's been a disappointment in Cleveland, and the Indians owe him about $15MM before the end of next year, and possibly more in 2011.
  • Rafael Soriano – Could the Braves get creative and deal Soriano ($6.1MM) or Mike Gonzalez ( $3.5MM), who will also become a free agent this winter.
  • Danys Baez – At $5.5MM, he's an expensive option, but he could help a contender.
  • LaTroy Hawkins – He's been effective in 38 appearances for the Astros, who are still in contention and may hold onto Hawkins ($3.5MM) and fellow reliever Jose Valverde ($8MM).
  • Rafael Betancourt – He's still nowhere near as effective as he was in 2007, but Betancourt's pitched well enough this year; he'll make $3.35MM this season.  
  • Russ Springer – He's been hittable, but he can still strike major leaguers out. He makes $3.3MM this year.
  • George Sherrill – Affordable and effective, Sherrill ($2.75MM) is under team control through 2011.  
  • Chad Qualls – The D'Backs already traded Tony Pena, so they may be reluctant to part with Qualls, who makes $2.5MM this season.
  • John Grabow – Makes $2.3MM this year, before hitting free agency this winter. He's pitching well, but his control's been off this season.  
  • Matt Capps – Like Grabow, he makes $2.3MM this year, but Capps will likely hit free agency after 2012.
  • Juan Cruz – Still tough to hit, but not as effective as last year, Cruz makes $2.25MM this year and more in 2010.  
  • Joe Beimel – The 32-year-old lefty makes $2MM this year. He's pitched well, but not quite as well as his 3.57 ERA suggests.
  • Takashi Saito – A relative bargain at $1.5MM plus incentives, especially when you consider the affordable team option for next year.
  • Heath Bell – At an affordable $1.3MM, the All-Star closer would be appealing to many clubs, especially since he's under team control through 2011.
  • Cla Meredith – By far the cheapest option on this list at just $431k, he's had three respectable seasons in a row since his breakout 2006 campaign.  

The Twins, Angels, Rangers, Phillies, Rockies and Dodgers are among the teams that could make deals to improve their respective ‘pens.

Price’s Latest: Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers

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Ed Price's Baseball Brunch column is up over at fanhouse.com. Let's take a look at the highlights:

  • Price names several amusing first-half awards, including the "Bg Hitter" award for Albert Pujols, in honor of Albert's mammoth home run that took out the "I" in the Big Mac Land sign at Busch Stadium.
  • The Red Sox's strategy as the deadline approaches is dependent on Mike Lowell's health. The Sox have looked at Garrett Atkins, but have found Colorado's asking price to be too much. Colorado apparently isn't impressed with Takashi Saito. If Lowell is to miss an extended period of time, Price writes that the Red Sox would have an easier time getting a first baseman and putting Kevin Youkilis at third.
  • The Orioles know they're sellers, and have good trade pieces in Aubrey Huff and Danys Baez. However, Andy MacPhail has said he wants his team to be competitive in the second half, given the September slides his team has seen the past two seasons. Price briefly speculates that Baez could intrigue the Twins.
  • The O's would have to be overwhelmed to move George Sherrill, and Jeremy Guthrie is no longer a trade candidate, with Koji Uehara ailing.
  • Huff may interest Detroit, who needs some left-handed help in the order. They'd like someone who could play in the outfield, however. Price says that the Tigers inquired on Adam Dunn, but the finances didn't line up.
  • The Rockies are in need of a quality setup man, as they've been using Joel Peralta and Matt Daley to get to Huston Street.
  • The rumors of Doug Davis going to Milwaukee have died down for now.
  • The Rays would like to upgrade in right field; they're currently using a platoon of Gabe Gross and Gabe Kapler.

Edes’ Latest: Giants, Teahen, Relievers

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Currently standing atop the National League wildcard standings, the Giants are looking for a lefthanded bat to add to their lineup according to Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports. He cites a major league executive who says that San Francisco has focused their efforts on three first baseman: Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff and Adam LaRoche. Edes also says that the Giants have spoken to the Padres about a potential Jonathan Sanchez–Scott Hairston swap.

Let's round up the rest of Edes' rumors…

  • Royals GM Dayton Moore has heard from multiple teams about Mark Teahen, including the Red Sox, Cubs, Angels and Giants.
  • The Braves "might be inclined to take a look at" Jose Guillen. The Royals would love to discuss Yunel Escobar.
  • We've heard this before, but if Boston moves a reliever, it will most likely be Takashi Saito.
  • Padres' closer Heath Bell may command the most attention amongst relievers.
  • The Astros are likely to hold on to LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde, barring a collapse before the trade deadline.
  • The Blue Jays would love to move BJ Ryan, but are more likely to see interest in Jason Frasor and Scott Downs.
  • Bronson Arroyo is back on the trade block.

Rosenthal On Tejada, Rockies, Mets

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the Cubs don't need to make a trade, they just need their hitters to start producing. Here are his most recent rumors:

  • Ed Wade says Miguel Tejada's impending free agency is part of the reason the Astros aren't asking him to move from shortstop to third base. Tejada would probably move, but Wade would rather not ask him to.
  • The Rockies are looking hard for relief help. They were interested in Joel Hanrahan earlier in the season, but he's much less appealing now. 
  • LaTroy Hawkins, Chad Qualls and Takashi Saito are all more appealing than Hanrahan, but Rosenthal says they're "longshots."
  • The Rockies aren't that interested in Cla Meredith and Danys Baez.  
  • One GM said the Royals are under pressure to win as many games as possible this year.
  • The D'Backs believe Doug Davis has more value as a trade chip because he projects as a Type B free agent. Check out the latest Elias rankings here.
  • One official believes the Mets are better off with Daniel Murphy than Nick Johnson.  
  • When the Cardinals inquired on Matt Holliday they heard the A's aren't looking to move him and would require a strong offer to part with him.  

Renck’s Latest: Hawkins, Saito, Spilborghs, Atkins

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In his latest article, the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck has a few Rockies footnotes worth discussing:

  • Renck suggests the Rockies should aggressively pursue LaTroy Hawkins if the Astros drop in the standings.
  • Takashi Saito is another option. He has dominated in the NL West and the Red Sox like Ryan Spilborghs. He also notes the Tigers and Phillies have expressed interest in Spilborghs, as Ken Rosenthal said earlier this month.
  • Renck lists the Braves, Cardinals, and Mets as potential fits for Garrett Atkins, but Renck adds that his "$4 million in remaining salary is prohibitive."

Red Sox Can Add Salary

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports heard from one Red Sox official who said the team could upgrade its roster, since they're still "way under budget." Last offseason they added John Smoltz and Brad Penny to affordable deals that will cost them a total of just $10.5MM plus incentives.

The Red Sox no longer have glaring needs, as David Ortiz is hitting better and Jed Lowrie's almost ready to return to the lineup. They remain open to dealing another free agent acquisition, Takashi Saito. With few holes, payroll flexibility and appealing trade chips, the Red Sox are as well-prepared for the deadline as any team.

Gammons’ Latest: Red Sox, Washburn, DeRosa

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In his latest blog post at ESPN.com, Peter Gammons writes that "unless someone comes up with a Justin Smoak, Matt LaPorta or Brett Wallace," the Red Sox will hold on to Brad Penny and enjoy the depth. He says no one will offer up a prospect like that for a few months of Penny.

Here's the rest of Gammons' rumors:

  • Takashi Saito is the pitcher on Boston's staff most likely to be traded.
  • Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard "probably won't be tradeable before Aug. 1" because of their injuries.
  • Jarrod Washburn could be had.
  • The Red Sox have talked to the Angels about infielder Maicer Izturis, but the talks haven't gone anywhere
  • Mark Mulder "made considerable progress refinding his delivery after one session with pitching coach Rick Peterson."
  • The Mets are looking for an outfield bat. They made a run at Mark DeRosa, but wouldn't discuss Bobby Parnell.
  • The Cardinals wouldn't discuss Jason Motte or Chris Perez in exchange for DeRosa.
  • The uncertain situation surrounding the Cubs' ownership will likely prohibit any major additions.
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