Padres Rumors

West Notes: Rockies, Padres, Mariners

By Tim Dierkes | July 13, 2011 at 1:48pm CDT

Baseball's western divisions have the Rangers, Angels, Giants, and Diamondbacks as contenders, with the Mariners, Athletics, Rockies, Dodgers, and Padres looking like potential sellers. Today's links:

There's little the Rockies could obtain that would justify trading Ubaldo Jimenez, explains Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. It was revealed Saturday that the Rockies will listen on their ace, but Renck says Dan O'Dowd is the rare GM who will engage in trade talk that's headed nowhere just to understand other teams' needs.
O'Dowd told MLB.com's Thomas Harding that he's looking for a strike-throwing pitcher who's under team control beyond 2011. The Rockies, who have been eyeing pitching for a while, will look for deals that make sense for the team's present and long-term well-being, O'Dowd says.
The Padres want "impact players in return for their movable pieces," tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. The Padres' best trade chips are relievers Heath Bell and Mike Adams, though Ryan Ludwick, Aaron Harang, and Chad Qualls should draw interest.
Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner runs through the Mariners' trade chips, led by Brandon League and Erik Bedard.
Righty Doug Mathis is headed for Korea to play with the Samsung Lions, tweets Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net. To make it official, he'll need his release from the Athletics' Triple-A club. Kurtz notes that Ryan Garko would be released from the Lions to make room.

Heath Bell Talks Trade Possibilities

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2011 at 2:08pm CDT

Padres closer Heath Bell appears to be keeping tabs on his own market, telling Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times he views the Angels, Yankees, Cardinals, Rangers, and Phillies as potential suitors (Twitter link).

Bell discussed the trade possibility at length with MLB.com's Matthew Leach and other reporters today at the All-Star game media session, saying he's willing to set up for the rest of the year if a team acquires him for that role. Of course, he doesn't really have any say in the matter; if a team wants him to play shortstop he'll have to do that to collect his paycheck. Bell does not seem to have a league preference. As you might expect, Bell will want a closing job when he signs a contract as a free agent.

An NL executive spoke to Tom Krasovic about Bell's trade value, wondering if Padres setup man Mike Adams is valued more. As far as fantasy baseball trade value, Dan Mennella at CloserNews wonders if it's time to try flipping Bell.

Quick Hits: Bedard, Padres, Harper

By Dan Mennella | July 10, 2011 at 9:53pm CDT

As Sunday winds down, here are a few loose items of note, including one on Nationals prized prospect Bryce Harper, who was on display in today's Futures Game.

Mariners lefty Erik Bedard won't return to the mound any sooner than Seattle's July 22-24 series in Boston, meaning his trade value could be hampered by the fact that he'll only make, at most, two starts prior to July 31, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. With a lengthy injury history, teams may perceive Bedard as damaged goods, according to Baker, although a post-deadline trade is always possible if one doesn't come to pass before it.
The Padres have several players whom they are highly unlikely to trade, although no one has been deemed entirely untouchable, a team source told Dan Hayes of the North County Times. Hayes speculates those guys are probably Anthony Rizzo, Mat Latos and Cameron Maybin (Twitter links).
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo reiterated to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com that Harper will not be called up to the Majors this season (Twitter link). This looks like a developmental decision more so than a financial one — Harper is just 18 and was recently promoted to Double-A.
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus polls scouts and execs for a compare/contrast piece on Harper and recent Angels callup Mike Trout at ESPN.com (Insider subscription needed). The two are generally considered the best prospects in baseball.

Quick Hits: Krol, K-Rod, Trade Deadline

By Luke Adams 2 | July 10, 2011 at 2:20pm CDT

On this date in 1997, the Yankees signed a 17-year-old named Yhency Brazoban as an amateur free agent. Over the next 14 years, Brazoban was traded for Kevin Brown, closed games for the Dodgers, signed minor league contracts with four different teams, and, most recently, allowed yesterday's game-tying homer to Albert Pujols. Here are this afternoon's links, as Brazoban and the Diamondbacks look to recover from last night's loss in St. Louis….

Athletics minor leaguer Ian Krol was suspended indefinitely for a derogatory tweet, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Krol, a left-hander who was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, was ranked ninth among the A's prospects by Baseball America pre-season.
Even contenders who are eyeing Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez as an eighth-inning guy have to worry about his vesting option, says ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider only). As one GM points out, if your team acquires Rodriguez as a setup man and your closer gets hurt, it would be hard to justify not inserting K-Rod into the role.
Jim Bowden of ESPN.com examines five prospects taking part in today's Futures Game who trade deadline sellers might target.
There are eight teams who should definitely be sellers at this point, argues Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter): the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Athletics, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres.
Despite being big spenders in Major League free agency, the Phillies are once again exercising restraint when it comes to international free agents, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter) reiterates that the Nationals need to acquire a leadoff man, citing the team's .203/.270/.306 slash line from the top of the order.

Cafardo’s Latest: Bell, Kazmir, Kendall, Aramis

By Luke Adams 2 | July 10, 2011 at 10:23am CDT

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.

Olney’s Latest: Choate, Bell, Isringhausen, K-Rod

By Mike Axisa | July 9, 2011 at 9:29am CDT

In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney notes that while the market for right-handed relief pitching is bountiful, the market for lefties is pretty thin. The Nationals will talk about Sean Burnett but the Cubs will not discuss Sean Marshall, though one southpaw to keep an eye on is Randy Choate. Olney says the Yankees have already asked the Marlins about his availability.

Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…

The Padres are unlikely to trade Heath Bell to the Diamondbacks even though the latter would love to have him. Padres owner Jeff Moorad used to run the D'Backs.
"The key guys this time of year really aren't the general managers," said one GM. "The owners are the key guys. Because they'll decide whether to add payroll, and when to raise the white flag on the season."
Jason Isringhausen of the Mets is "destined to draw a whole lot interest" because he's cheap and experienced. A handful of GMs feel that a Francisco Rodriguez trade is "all but impossible" because of his vesting option.
Teams have received their preliminary 2012 schedule, and the chances of realignment dwindle with each passing day.
Labor negotiations are progressing as scheduled, though recent buzz that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement could be announced at the All-Star Game has been dismissed.

Cardinals Continue To Search For Pitching

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 8, 2011 at 12:11pm CDT

The Cardinals signed Blaine Boyer and Ron Mahay to minor league deals this week, but GM John Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he is still looking for pitching. Mozeliak says the Cardinals are in a position to make a move and could target starters or relievers.

St. Louis appears to have interest in Heath Bell, but there are indications that the Cardinals are unlikely to meet the Padres’ current asking price for their closer, according to Goold. Depending on what the Cardinals are getting and who they’re giving up, they could have payroll flexibility, but at this point, “that's a tough question to answer,” according to Mozeliak.

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Colletti, Stewart, Padres

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 6, 2011 at 9:19pm CDT

On this date last year, the Rockies scored nine runs in the ninth inning to overcome a six-run deficit and beat the Cardinals 12-9. Seth Smith's walk-off homer against Ryan Franklin sealed the win for Colorado. Here’s the latest from the NL West, one year after the Rockies’ amazing comeback…

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from a source that the Dodgers might not trade Hiroki Kuroda and Jamey Carroll despite plenty of interest in both.
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times passes along a note from Bill Plaschke (on Twitter), who reports that next season is the final guaranteed year on Dodgers GM Ned Colletti's contract.
A few teams are having internal discussions about Ian Stewart of the Rockies, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
The Padres are on a 10-3 run and have just defeated Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, so they can’t justify selling now, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out (on Twitter).
A rival executive tells ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that the Dodgers waited too long to sign Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier to extensions. The outfielders hit free agency after 2012, so Los Angeles may have to overpay to keep the duo in place long-term.

Davidoff On Twins, Indians, Reyes, Rays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 6, 2011 at 8:50am CDT

Since few teams have been completely eliminated from contention, the trade market is developing slowly, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff. As of today, the top commodity available is relief pitching and there’s lots of interest in that department. Here are the rest of Davidoff’s notes on the trade market:

Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, Chad Qualls and Luke Gregerson are available.
The Mets believe they can keep their fans interested even if they trade Rodriguez.
The Diamondbacks, Brewers, Cardinals and Rangers are among the teams that are heavily in the mix for relievers.
It appears extremely unlikely that the Mets will trade Jose Reyes, but his top suitors would likely include the Reds, Indians, Giants and Mariners, four teams that have poked around for infield help, according to Davidoff. It’s even possible that the Red Sox would pursue Reyes if he became available.
The Orioles aren’t quite ready to shop Koji Uehara and the Twins aren’t quite ready to shop Matt Capps. In fact, the Twins aren’t going to sell until they’re sure they’re out of contention.
The Yankees are focused on finding a lefty reliever, a commodity the Red Sox and Tigers would also like to acquire.
Though no frontline starters appear to be available, the Yankees are looking to acquire a top starter. Cleveland and Detroit are also looking for rotation help.
The Mariners are looking for an outfielder and the Phillies are still looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder.
One official says the Rays are “buying and selling.” Johnny Damon could be had in the right deal, according to Davidoff.

Quick Hits: Mets, Indians, Cameron, Gregerson

By Zachary Links | July 5, 2011 at 9:12pm CDT

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.

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