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Wandy Rodriguez

Astros To Keep Wandy Rodriguez

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The Astros pulled Wandy Rodriguez back off of waivers, according to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The Rockies claimed Rodriguez yesterday, but balked when Houston insisted on obtaining prospects and salary relief for the 32-year-old.

Technically, Houston GM Ed Wade could place Rodriguez on waivers again, but if he does so, he'll no longer be able to pull the left-hander back. The Astros' best chance to trade Rodriguez could be this offseason, when they can engage all 29 of their rivals in the bidding.

Rodriguez earns $10MM next year and $13MM in 2013. If he's traded, the Astros $13MM option for 2014 becomes a player option. Rodriguez has solid numbers this season (3.41 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 153 innings), but the Rockies picked up ten hits and six runs (four earned) against him at Coors Field today.

The Astros wanted Wilin Rosario or Drew Pomeranz plus salary relief for Rodriguez, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). That deal wouldn't have worked for the Rockies, but they were willing to take on Rodriguez's entire salary, according to Renck.

No Momentum For Wandy Trade

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2:29pm: Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that his gut tells him Rodriguez is staying put.

WEDNESDAY, 11:53am: A deal remains a long shot because the Astros want catching prospect Wilin Rosario or a top young pitcher from the Rockies in the deal.  Last month, Baseball America ranked Rosario the 28th best prospect in baseball.  Oddly enough, Rodriguez is scheduled to pitch for the Astros a couple of hours from now at Coors Field.

TUESDAY, 3:25pm: There's no momentum for a Wandy Rodriguez trade at the moment, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The Rockies claimed the Astros' left-hander on waivers and now have 48 business day hours to work out a trade or claim with Houston.

The Astros aren't especially motivated to move Rodriguez, according to Olney. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes (on Twitter) that the Astros can afford him next year even if they reduce their payroll to $60MM or so, as they intend to. 

ESPN.com's Jim Bowden says the Astros are looking to acquire a bona fide return for Rodriguez and could consider dealing him in the winter if Colorado doesn't offer what they're looking for (Twitter link). The Rockies, meanwhile, are well aware that free agent starters are hesitant to sign with them, according to Olney.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Weaver, Rodriguez, Thome

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We saw one trade completed today and, as our list of players to clear waivers shows, there are more potential deals on the horizon. Here are the latest links from around MLB…

Rockies Claim Wandy Rodriguez

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2:42pm: The Rockies won the claim on Rodriguez, tweets Rosenthal, and talks are ongoing.  The Rockies are particularly low on starting pitching depth at the moment, and may have the idea of another miracle playoff run in the back of their minds.  They're currently 8.5 games out.  Otherwise, Rodriguez would provide veteran depth for the next few seasons with Ubaldo Jimenez gone.  As Rosenthal notes, the Rockies aren't going to want to give up anything of value if they're to take on Rodriguez's entire contract.

1:12pm: Lefty Wandy Rodriguez has been claimed on waivers by an unknown team, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Currently Rodriguez is owed just $1.38MM for the rest of this season, plus $36MM for 2012-14 assuming he exercises a player option for the final season.  The Astros have the option of dumping that commitment on the other club, working out a trade with the team, or pulling Rodriguez back.

Rodriguez, 32, has a 3.31 ERA, 7.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.0 HR/9, and 45.3% groundball rate in 147 innings this year.

NL Central Notes: Wandy, Tabata, McCutchen

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The latest from around the NL Central…

Astros Place Rodriguez, Myers, Barmes On Waivers

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9:12:pm: The Astros also placed Clint Barmes on waivers, reports Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle. Houston was telling teams that their shortstop was unavailable before the trade deadline, and Barmes has indicated a willingness to stay with the club beyond this season.

2:01pm: The Astros have placed Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers on waivers, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The move starts the timetable for potential trades involving Rodriguez and Myers.

Rival teams now have two business days to place a claim on the starting pitchers, both of whom have signed extensions in the past year or so. If no one claims them, the Astros will be free to trade with all clubs. If a team makes a claim, the Astros will have the choice of handing the claimed player and his salary over, pulling him back off of waivers or working out a trade with the claiming team within two business days. By placing the starters on waivers now, the Astros are giving teams an extra two days – the weekend – to contemplate making a claim.

Though it's not usually noteworthy for players to hit waivers in August, Rodriguez and Myers have both been considered trade candidates this summer and it won't be surprising if they are dealt. Myers has $14MM guaranteed on his contract after 2011 and Rodriguez has $23MM guaranteed plus a $13MM option that becomes a player option after a trade.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Wandy, Reds, Rays

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Here's the latest Full Count video clip from Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com:

  • The Astros may place lefty Wandy Rodriguez on waivers next week, and it's possible but unlikely that Rodriguez will be claimed by another team. He stands to earn $36MM over the next three seasons, which could be a deterrent for teams considering a claim, but if he clears, the Diamondbacks and other teams may show interest in working out a trade.
  • The Reds have not seen a significant spike in attendance coming off last season's division title and will likely be relatively inactive this offseason.
  • The Rays considered trading center fielder B.J. Upton in July, but they may hold him this offseason and allow him to walk in free agency after 2012. The Rays value Upton highly and think they may not be able to spend his 2012 salary, which Rosenthal estimates will be roughly $7MM, any better on another player or players.
  • Tampa might be more willing to trade righty James Shields, who would probably yield a greater return than Upton.
  • The Yankees will not release catcher Jorge Posada, which is why they're having trouble squeezing prospect Jesus Montero to the big leagues. The Yanks do not want to go to an 11-man pitching staff, which they'd have to do if they called up Montero.

Astros May Place Wandy On Trade Waivers This Week

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There is a "growing belief" that the Astros will place Wandy Rodriguez on trade waivers this week, and also that at least one team will place a claim on the lefty according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. It's believed that at least one NL team is interested enough to risk a claim, and there may be others interested as well.

Rodriguez, 32, has more than $23MM left on his contract, and that doesn't include his $13MM club option for 2014 that becomes a player option if traded. If a team were to claim him, the Astros could pull him back and attempt to work out a trade with the claiming team, or they could award Wandy and his entire contract to that club. Knobler says the Astros would not do the latter and would instead seek some kind of return for the southpaw.

Through 21 starts, Rodriguez has a 3.52 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 133 innings. He has allowed five or more runs in four of his last nine starts however, which doesn't jive with his track record of strong second halves. The Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays were among the teams with interest in Wandy before the trade deadline.

Quick Hits: Astros, Bell, Tigers, Angels, Rays

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On this date last year, the Brewers sent Jim Edmonds to the Reds. Tonight, Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum will look to extend his club's division lead against Edwin Jackson and the Cardinals. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle reports that the official transfer of ownership of the Astros from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane is likely to take place on August 22nd if the other 29 owners approve the sale at next week's owners' meetings.
  • Executives believe Wandy Rodriguez will clear waivers, but not Heath Bell, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Neither player had been sent through waivers yet as of this morning.
  • The Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies are in one tier and the rest of MLB is in another, Tom Verducci writes at SI.com.
  • The Tigers’ deep rotation and strong attendance led to extensions for GM Dave Dombrowski, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press writes.
  • Yahoo's Tim Brown suggests Mike Scioscia deserves credit for keeping the light-hitting Angels in the race (they trail the Rangers by 1.5 games).
  • It's unlikely that the Rays will make any moves this month, ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes.

Rosenthal On Yankees, Wandy, Ubaldo, Bailey

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Yesterday's push by the Yankees to acquire Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez came from ownership, not GM Brian Cashman.  SI's Jon Heyman wrote yesterday that the Yankees offered to pay $21MM of the $38MM left on Rodriguez's contract, implying they feel that Rodriguez is worth less than $7MM a year.  Rosenthal says the Astros were willing to pay $2MM of Rodriguez's salary this year (essentially all of it) "or $5MM if his [player] option for 2014 were exercised."  I'm in the minority, but I'm with the Astros in thinking paying Wandy down to the range of Ted Lilly's contract is reasonable.  At any rate, Rosenthal says the Astros and Yankees never even got to the point of discussing names.
  • Cashman has seven untouchables in trade discussions, a rival GM told Rosenthal.
  • More than a handful of teams called the Indians "to gauge the club’s willingness to flip Ubaldo Jimenez less than 24 hours after acquiring him."  The Indians wanted Jimenez for themselves though.  Rosenthal adds that the Indians entertained a "flurry of offers" for starter Fausto Carmona before the deadline.
  • Rosenthal says he was unfair to print a rival executive's quote last week about how Astros GM Ed Wade was trying to make a "job-saving" deal for Hunter Pence.
  • Athletics GM Billy Beane explained to Rosenthal that "ultimately a trade is a bilateral and not a unilateral process," suggesting that teams were not engaging in back-and-forth negotiations for his players.  Also, Rosenthal hears that the Rangers offered Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland (who ultimately got them Mike Adams) plus shortstop prospect Leury Garcia for closer Andrew Bailey.
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