Rosenthal On Vazquez, Hairston, Teahen
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Javier Vazquez has more value than any available hitter. Here are the details and the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- Not even Matt Holliday or Corey Hart would be fair value for Vazquez, so Rosenthal asks why the Braves would want to trade him at all.
- The Mets inquired on Scott Hairston, who could have been an affordable stopgap, but balked when the Padres asked for Bobby Parnell.
- The Marlins offered Gaby Sanchez for Manny Delcarmen, but the Red Sox weren't interested.
- The Mariners, Tigers and Rays weren't far from agreeing to a deal that would have sent Edwin Jackson to Seattle and J.J. Putz to Detroit last offseason.
- Kevin Towers compares Rule 5 pick Everth Cabrera to Rafael Furcal.
- The Royals "do not seem terribly inclined" to deal Mark Teahen.
- The Pirates covet Eric Young Jr. of the Rockies.
- Some predict that the distribution of amateur talent- through the draft and international signings- will be the biggest issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Odds & Ends: Cubs, Kouzmanoff, Marlins
A tasty handful of Monday evening links…
- Chris DeLuca of the Chicago Sun-Times gathered a quote from Cubs GM Jim Hendry on the possibility of his club making a move: "We have a pretty good team,and if our guys all play like their capable … you don’t have to do a whole lot."
- MLB.com's Corey Brock reports the Padres aren't "getting many hits" from other teams on Kevin Kouzmanoff, but believes that might change soon.
- According to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, the Reds have signed four Venezuelan amateurs.
- Baseball America's Matt Eddy has a rundown of team-by-team minor league transactions from late June. It's interesting reading for prospect buffs.
- Will the Marlins be leaving their payroll issues behind when they move into their spanking new facility in 2012? Carl Hiaasen of the Miami Herald doesn't seem to think so. He questions whether the club will be able to fill their $634MM, 37,000-seat stadium once the luster wears off.
- Tommy Rancel of DRaysBay.com has more on Venezuelan third baseman Cesar Perez, who was signed this afternoon by Tampa Bay for $1MM.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reviews the Ryan Freel trade, noting that the Royals must be labeled as "buyers" as of July 6. Of course, that could change by the time the July 31 trade deadline rolls around.
- Remember to tune in for the weekly MLBTR live chat tomorrow at 2pm CST.
Odds And Ends: Kepler, Rangers, Hairston
More links for the afternoon…
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports that the Twins awarded Max Kepler a bonus of about $800k. That's close to the record for a European player.
- Ben Klayman of Reuters reports that the Rangers are likely to make financial information available to potential buyers. Owner Tom Hicks would like to see bids for the team by mid-August, but negotiations won't necessarily be complete by the end of the season.
- Byron Kerr of MASN.com argues that the Nyjer Morgan acquisition shows why the Nats need to award Mike Rizzo the permanent GM job.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that the Rockies signed five international players, including Dominican shortstop Rosell Herrera.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says the Scott Hairston deal was an "easy win" for the A's.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock says the move could work for the Padres in the future.
A’s Acquire Scott Hairston
10:08pm: Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports reports that Hairston was not acquired to be flipped to another club and has been on the As' radar since he was traded from the Diamondbacks in 2007. Rosenthal notes that Hairston is cheap this season at $1.5MM and under control through 2011, and that the Mets, Phillies and Giants also expressed interest. He says the PTBNL will be revealed probably at the end of this month.
Corey Brock of MLB.com tells us that Padres GM Kevin Towers "sounded excited" about the player to be named later, who will be one of two pitchers in the A's organization. One of these unnamed players reportedly has Major League service time.
8:55pm: Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com says the new Padres pitchers are RHP Ryan Webb and high-A RHP Craig Italiano. Corey Brock at MLB.com tells us that Webb will join the Padres in Phoenix tomorrow, while Italiano will likely head to the Pads' Class-A affiliate Lake Elsinore.
Keith Law of ESPN says this about Italiano: "Great arm, bad delivery. Stick him in the pen and watch him go." The 22-year-old was a second-round draft choice for the A's in 2005. Webb, 23, was drafted in the fourth round in 2004 and has worked his way through the minors, putting up a 4.34 ERA and 39/15 K/BB ratio in 45.2 innings for Triple-A Sacramento this season. Hairston is expected to join the A's in Boston on Monday.
8:28pm: According to Corey Brock of MLB.com, the Padres have traded Scott Hairston to the A's for two minor league pitchers and a PTBNL.
Hairston, 29, has put up a solid .307/.364/.547 line in 210 plate appearances while manning outfield for the Padres this year. We'll update you with more information as it comes.
Padres DFA Edwin Moreno
MLB.com's Corey Brock tells us, via Twitter, that the Padres have designated right-hander Edwin Moreno for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster for catcher Jose Lobaton.
The Padres were forced to create room for another catcher on the roster following injuries to both Nick Hundley and Henry Blanco.
Moreno, 28, was 1-3 for the Pads with a 4.84 ERA. He had notched 15 strikeouts through 22.1 innings to go along with 15 walks, while opposing hitters were batting .311 off of him.
Lobaton, 24, is hitting .248/.301/.360 with three home runs through 37 games at AAA this year.
Morosi’s Latest: Blue Jays, Sanchez, Correia, Holliday
Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com suggests the Blue Jays might want to set their sights on 2010, after which they stand to lose Lyle Overbay, Scott Downs, Scott Rolen, and Roy Halladay to free agency. Not to mention Cito Gaston and J.P. Ricciardi, whose contracts will both expire barring an extension. Morosi writes,
Morosi adds the following:
- Halladay is not going anywhere.
- Ricky Romero and Scott Richmond are most likely staying put, says Morosi, and I doubt anyone here disagrees.
- Pitching is not a need for 2010 with the anticipated return of Jesse Litsch, Shaun Marcum, and Dustin McGowan.
- The Jays are almost certain to keep Downs, who has become a premier reliever in the American League.
Morosi suggests, the Jays trade a pitcher or two to boost their team OPS which lags in the AL East behind the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays. Given the above, Morosi suggests Brian Tallet as a trade chip. "Tallet could be looked upon as a viable option for teams looking for a mid-rotation left-handed starter, particularly if the Mariners stay in the race and elect not to move Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn."
They may also look at dealing from their collection of right-handed setup men, such as Casey Janssen, Jeremy Accardo, Brandon League, or Jason Frasor. Just speculating here but Janssen may be the most attractive since he can start. As a reliever in 2007, Janssen had a 2.35 ERA in 72.2 IP with 6 saves before missing 2008 with a torn labrum.
Morosi has a few more bullet points to discuss:
- Freddy Sanchez's contract contains an $8MM option for 2010 that automatically vests after 635 PAs, or only 600 if he makes the All Star team. So, it stands to reason that Sanchez will either make the All Star Team or see his trade value increase. This may be moot given Sanchez is on pace for 660 plate appearances. Morosi says one Mariners official doesn't think Pittsburgh is considering trading Sanchez. The M's have need for a pure hitter as well as a second baseman given concerns about Jose Lopez ability to stay at 2B long term.
- The M's asked about Jeremy Hermida, but there wasn't a lot of movement. Morosi notes Hermida's trade value has fallen significantly.
- Kevin Correia is pitching fantastically but the Padres haven't put him on the open market. Morosi doesn't report much excitement among other clubs.
- Morosi says "one person in the industry who knows Oakland general manager Billy Beane well," guessed Matt Holliday will stay with the team so Beane could collect the compensatory draft picks. Morosi quotes the source: "Billy loves the draft."
International Free Agent Signings: Saturday
These signings will trickle in throughout the day, so let's keep track of the notable ones in a single post. Keep checking back in for updates.
- Baseball America's Ben Badler reports that the Padres have signed Dominican centerfielder Yoan Alcantara. ESPN's Jorge Arangure says he received a $135,000 signing bonus. Alcantara is said to be a good athlete with plus speed and a plus arm.
- Arangure tweets that the Rockies signed Dominican shortstop Rosmel Herrera for $550,000.
- Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News says that the Giants signed righthander Marvin Barrios out of Panama to a six-figure bonus.
- Badler has another: The Rangers have signed Venezuelan shortstop Luis Sardinas. No word on the exact financial details, but he's expected to receive a singing bonus over $1MM.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that the Rangers have signed 16-yr old Jurickson Profar out of Curacao. Profar stared in the 2004 Little League World Series, and is a legitimate prospect both at short and on the mound.
Odds & Ends: First-Half Stars, Padres, Adams
Happy Fourth of July to all of you. Is there a more perfect day for afternoon baseball?
- D.J. Short of NBC Sports' "Circling The Bases" list his "Five Breakthrough First-Half Performers." You can probably guess a few of 'em.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock has a quote from Padres GM Kevin Towers on manager Bud Black's upcoming contract extension: "He warrants an extension. I personally feel he's done his best job this season." The Friars are 34-45, 16.5 games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh, the Pirates' Indian-born pitchers, made their professional debuts this afternoon for Bradenton of the Gulf Coast League.
- Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star believes Russ Adams will opt for free agency on Monday. The utilityman was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Friday after batting .200/.238/.200 in 20 at-bats.
- ESPN's Peter Gammons takes note of the increasing amount of parity in the baseball world, and believes it may make for a slow trade deadline.
- Join MLBTR on Twitter for even more updates and discussions.
Edes’ Latest: Giants, Teahen, Relievers
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.
Padres To Extend Bud Black
Tim Brown at Yahoo Sports reports that the Padres intend to extend manager Bud Black's contract in the coming weeks. Black is in the final year of a three year contract he signed prior to the 2007 season. Details of the extension aren't known yet.
The Padres are 34-44 on the season coming in to tonight, and are 186-217 under Black since '07.