Indians Notes: Carroll, Prospects, Ludwick, Harang
Neither Roberto Alomar nor Bert Blyleven will be wearing a Cleveland cap into the Hall Of Fame tomorrow, but both men spent significant parts of their careers with the Tribe. Blyleven won 48 games and posted a 3.23 ERA with the Indians between 1981-85, twice finishing third in AL Cy Young voting in that span. Alomar played in Cleveland from 1999 through 2001, earning Gold Gloves and All-Star appearances in each year and hit .323/.405/.515 as an Indian.
Onto some news about the modern-day Clevelanders, courtesy of Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer….
- Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis, Drew Pomeranz and Alex White are "all but untouchable" in trade talks. Without these top prospects on the table, however, it makes it unlikely that the Indians will be able to acquire top-tier trade candidates like Carlos Beltran or Hunter Pence. Hoynes notes that the Tribe's dealings are tempered by the fact that while they have a chance to win the AL Central, they probably don't have a realistic shot at the World Series so the team doesn't want to mortgage the future for just a token playoff berth.
- The Indians have talked to the Dodgers about utilityman Jamey Carroll. Cleveland's interest may have cooled, though, now that Kipnis has been called up. The Rockies and Brewers have shown interest in Carroll. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes explored Carroll's trade candidacy and also had a Q&A with the veteran last month.
- The Indians "aren't close" to working out a deal with the Padres for Ryan Ludwick or Aaron Harang, reports Hoynes (Twitter link). We recently heard that Harang (along with Hiroki Kuroda) were Cleveland's top two targets on the trade market.
Yankees Rumors: Adams, Sabathia, Pitchers, Igawa
It's scorching hot in New York, but not as hot as the trade rumor circuit. Here are the latest Yankees' rumors…
- There's a "big gap" between what the Padres are asking for Mike Adams and what the Yankees are willing to pay, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). He says a deal is unlikely.
- In today's Insider-only blog post, Olney writes about CC Sabathia's impending opt-out clause, saying that the exclusive negotiating period between the end of the World Series and the start of free agency will be crucial to the team's efforts to bring back their ace.
- Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record says (on Twitter) that the Yankees are still leaning towards not trading for a starter even though Phil Hughes got hit around by the Athletics last night. Their next option is summoning Ivan Nova back from the minors.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Bill Pennington of The New York Times that he negotiated deals in 2008 and 2009 that would have let Kei Igawa return to Japan, but the lefty refused both times. Cashman also said he was prepared to trade Igawa to the Padres in 2007 after San Diego claimed him off waivers, but "ownership was not willing to let him go yet."
NL West Notes: Bell, Stewart, Padres, Giants
On this date three years ago, the Diamondbacks acquired Jon Rauch from the Nationals for Emilio Bonifacio. Neither player remains in the NL West, but that won't stop us from passing along the latest from their former division…
- There's no frontrunner yet in the Heath Bell trade talks, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- The Rockies are playing Ian Stewart in part because they want the rival scouts on hand to watch him, according to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post. Stewart's struggles continued last night; he struck out three times.
- Jason Bartlett is staying put in San Diego, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
- The Padres have focused their trade talks around Heath Bell, Chad Qualls, Ryan Ludwick and Aaron Harang, according to Crasnick, who hears that they're going at a "slow pace" (Twitter link).
- The A's are open to trading within the AL West or with the Giants, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Stark On Shields, Melky, Soria, Marlins
Astros GM Ed Wade has been determining the market for his players, including Hunter Pence, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. Incoming owner Jim Crane urged Wade to do so in case appealing offers emerge. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors:
- Given Wade’s uncertain future in Houston, at least one executive suggests the GM needs to make a "job-saving deal" if he trades Pence.
- The Rays are more likely to trade B.J. Upton than James Shields, though they realize Shields’ value has never been higher (the right-hander won't be going to the Bronx).
- The Phillies remain in contact with the Royals about Melky Cabrera, but the Royals have told teams they’re more likely to deal Jeff Francoeur. Kansas City is asking for a number three starter who’s nearly Major League ready in return for Cabrera.
- Clubs that have inquired on Vance Worley have heard that he’s off of the market.
- The Braves have shown some interest in Heath Bell, whose most aggressive suitors have been the Rangers, Cardinals, Phillies and Angels. The Padres are telling teams that they’ll need to “clearly surpass” the value of two compensatory draft picks in any deal for Bell, though they’re flexible in terms of the type of player they’d accept in return.
- The Padres continue to field calls on Mike Adams, who will be tougher to obtain than Bell.
- The Yankees, Phillies and Diamondbacks appear to have checked in on Joakim Soria.
- The Red Sox are looking at everything, but aren’t approaching the deadline with much urgency, one AL executive told Stark.
- Rival teams expect that the Dodgers will trade Jamey Carroll and there are indications that Rafael Furcal is drawing interest as well.
- The Marlins, who hope to build momentum before opening their new stadium in 2012, are in a “holding pattern,” Stark reports. They’ve shown interest in third basemen.
- Rival teams report that the Phillies say they won’t move Domonic Brown or top pitching prospect Jarred Cosart. Jonathan Singleton is available in the right deal, but the Phillies don’t expect to trade him for a rental player.
- Stark reminds us that commissioner Bud Selig ruled out contraction at the All-Star Game.
Mets Claim Mike Baxter
The Padres announced that the Mets claimed outfielder/first baseman Mike Baxter off of waivers. The Padres also officially announced that they have recalled Kyle Blanks from Triple-A (as Tim Dierkes reported yesterday) and optioned Anthony Rizzo to Tucson.
Baxter, 26, had been rehabbing from a stint on the 60-day DL at Class A. The Padres placed him on the disabled list in March after he underwent surgery to repair a torn left thumb ligament. The Queens native has a .278/.349/.423 line in parts of seven seasons in the Padres' system. The former fourth round pick had 18 homers with a .301/.382/.517 line at Triple-A last year, when current Mets executive Paul DePodesta worked for the Padres.
Olney On Braves, Blue Jays, Rasmus
ESPN.com's Buster Olney believes that the Braves are the frontrunners for Carlos Beltran right now thanks to their assortment of pitching prospects, such as left-hander Mike Minor (Twitter link). Click here for more details on Beltran and keep reading for more of Olney's rumors:
- General managers tell Olney that it's hard to obtain value for right-handed relievers now, since the market is flooded (Twitter link).
- Some teams are convinced that the Blue Jays’ interest in Heath Bell revolves around the reliever's Type A status, according to Olney (on Twitter). Bell projects as one of the top rated free agent relievers under the Elias free agent rankings.
- Olney reports that some rival executives believe the Cardinals would trade Colby Rasmus despite the fact that GM John Mozeliak says his center fielder is staying put (Twitter link).
Heyman On Astros, Adams, Matsui, Yankees
Incoming Astros owner Jim Crane has ordered a decrease in payroll from $76MM to $60MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest on Houston’s deadline plans and other notes from around MLB:
- The Astros are looking for at least three pieces for Hunter Pence. They’d probably demand young, MLB-ready talent, so a deal appears unlikely.
- Houston is shopping Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers harder than Pence
- Padres GM Jed Hoyer told Heyman that he’d have to be “blown away” to trade Mike Adams and that he’d prefer to keep the setup man.
- The Rangers are in talks with the Padres about Heath Bell, who is also drawing interest from the Cardinals, Angels and Reds.
- No one has called the A’s about Hideki Matsui and Oakland isn’t looking to trade Grant Balfour.
- The A’s are taking calls on Michael Wuertz, Brian Fuentes and Craig Breslow.
- The Yankees’ wish list includes a right-handed bat along with a lefty reliever and a starter. Perhaps the newly-signed Marcus Thames will help the Yankees at some point in 2011.
AL Central Notes: Indians, Tigers, Twins, Avila
The Indians called up top prospect Jason Kipnis today, hoping that his .281/.363/.485 batting line in Triple-A will provide a boost for their big league offense. Let's see what else is going on around the division…
- The Indians need a starter and a bat, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says (on Twitter) that they are taking a conservative approach to the trade deadline.
- Meanwhile, SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) that the Indians' top two trade targets are Hiroki Kuroda and Aaron Harang. Earlier today we heard they were looking at Coco Crisp as well.
- The Tigers are still not talking to the Astros about either Wandy Rodriguez or Brett Myers, reports Morosi (on Twitter). Earlier today we heard Houston is "making it clear" that they're willing to move Wandy.
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Twins are dipping their toe in the bullpen market, and seek a reliever to pair with Joe Nathan and Matt Capps at the end of the game.
- The AL Central is up for grabs, and MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says the trade deadline could play a big part in determining who eventually wins the division.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about the rise of Alex Avila, the Tigers 24-year-old All-Star catcher.
NL West Notes: Giambi, D’Backs, Ubaldo, Kuroda
The Padres sent Anthony Rizzo back to Triple-A today after he hit just .143/.282/.265 in a 117 plate appearance cameo. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reports (on Twitter) that Kyle Blanks will get called up to take Rizzo's place after hitting a stout .351/.421/.716 in Triple-A. Let's recap the rest of the news out of the NL West…
- "I'd be shocked if we didn’t make some trades," said Padres GM Jed Hoyer to Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio (Twitter link). "It'd be foolish not to get some prospects … we’re not in a position to have untouchables."
- "There's not a lot of starting pitching depth in the trade market that is really appealing to us," said Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (Twitter links). They are still focused on acquiring bullpen help.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Rockies are drawing interest in Jason Giambi (Twitter link). Giambi's preference is to stay with Colorado, and they will consult him before making a move.
- The Diamondbacks intend to replace Stephen Drew from within with the likes of Willie Bloomquist, Geoff Blum, and Cody Ransom according Rosenthal (Twitter links). Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that Arizona isn't targeting Jack Wilson of the Mariners.
- ESPN's Buster Olney says (on Twitter) that any move the D'Backs make will be geared towards 2012 as well as 2011. They won't trade prime pieces for rental players.
- Teams are convinced that the availability of Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez is just a Justin Upton-esque "trial balloon," according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). That makes Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers the best pitcher on the market, but he may invoke his no-trade clause.
- Meanwhile, Rosenthal tweets that Kuroda will decide whether or not to waive his no-trade clause on a case-by-case basis. He won't give the Dodgers a list of teams he'd accept/decline a trade to. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick wrote more on the right-hander's situation.
Latest On Mike Adams
THURSDAY, 1:24pm: Adams told Marty Caswell of XX1090 that Moorad has not told him he won't be traded (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 10:17pm: At least 12 teams have inquired on Adams, according to Passan. Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com hears that the Padres are asking for two top 100 prospects for Adams (Twitter link).
9:13pm: One of the most intriguing trade candidates out there may not be available after all. Padres owner Jeff Moorad told setup man Mike Adams "you're not going anywhere," according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan (on Twitter). Though Adams is drawing more interest than closer Heath Bell, he appears to be staying in San Diego for now.
As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes explained two days ago, the Padres appear to be asking for a top prospect for Adams. The 32-year-old is under team control through 2012 and since he earns just $2.535MM this season and doesn't pick up saves, he figures to earn less than $5MM through arbitration next year.
Adams has a 1.23 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 44.5% ground ball rate in 44 innings this season. He has been effective against left-handers and right-handers, both in 2011 and for his career.