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Deadline Notes: Starters, Astros, Utley, Braves, Perkins

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Let's have a look at the latest talk surrounding the approaching trade deadline season:

  • Starting pitching is an active priority for the Orioles, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Hurlers that the club is reportedly looking at include Ricky Nolasco (Marlins), Edinson Volquez and Andrew Cashner (Padres), Matt Garza and Scott Feldman (Cubs), Jake Peavy (White Sox), Bud Norris (Astros), and recent Oriole Joe Saunders (currently with the Mariners). The trouble for the O's, according to Connolly, will be coming up with enough prospects that the team can stomach dealing.
  • The Giants are most interested in acquiring a starter that the team can control for more than this year, tweets FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi. In spite of that preference, Morosi says that San Francisco is interested in popular trade subject Matt Garza. 
  • The Cubs' Garza is generating a lot of attention given his evident availability and intriguing return from a long DL stint. Paul Swydan of Fangraphs wonders, however, whether the oft-injured Garza is really worth the hype. Swydan says that Garza's overall track record as a solid middle or back-of-the-rotation starter is what teams should expect to be buying, especially since his recent starts have come against some of baseball's weaker-hitting clubs.
  • Trade talks are "ongoing" for two prominent members of the Astros, starter Bud Norris and closer Jose Veras, tweets Morosi. Both were recent subjects of MLBTR trade candidate analysis, as Mark Polishuk took a look at Norris and Steve Adams analyzed Veras.
  • The most obvious trade in baseball, according to Fangraphs' Dave Cameron, is a deal sending Chase Utley from the Phillies to the Athletics. Cameron argues that Utley is still a highly productive second bagger, and would be a huge upgrade at the spot that the A's most need one.
  • With the Braves losing key bench bat Ramiro Pena to season-ending shoulder surgery, MLB.com's Mark Bowman wonders whether the team will be more inclined to seek a third baseman before the trade deadline. While Chris Johnson has hit the ball fantastically, he has been a problem on the defensive side. Meanwhile, the team designated and then traded Johnson's early-season platoon partner, Juan Francisco, earlier in the year.
  • The Twins face a difficult choice with 30-year-old closer Glen Perkins, writes ESPN's Buster Olney (on Insider). (Olney expanded upon his tweet yesterday addressing the Perkins situation.) With Perkins' value trending way up — he sports a 2.12 ERA, has registered 12.4 K/9 against just 2.1 BB/9, and is inked to a very reasonable three-year deal (plus option) — Minnesota could reap a major return. 

Matt Garza Rumors: Friday

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last night that the Nationals, Dodgers, Phillies, Orioles and Blue Jays were scouting Matt Garza in his dominant performance over the Brewers yesterday. Garza fired seven innings of one-run ball, allowing eight hits and a walk to go along with 10 strikeouts. He figures to be one of the most popular names on the trade market this summer. Here's the latest on the 29-year-old Garza…

  • There's "heavy traffic" on Garza, who should be dealt well in advance of the July 31 non-waiver deadline, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • Jon Heyman of CBS Sports writes that the Dodgers, Orioles, Giants, Padres, and Rangers all have "varying degrees of interest" in Garza. He adds that the Blue Jays and Red Sox are also seen as possibilities. 
  • Rosenthal tweets that the Rangers were also on hand to scout Garza for yesterday's start against the Brewers.
  • Earlier today, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reported that the Rockies are among the teams that are interested in Garza.

Minor Moves: Bonser, Perry, LeBlanc, Seaton

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Today's minor moves…

  • Right-hander Boof Bonser has been released by the Giants, tweets Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 31-year-old made his way back to the Giants organization in 2012. Bonser was selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2000 draft and traded to the Twins along with Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano for A.J. Pierzynski in 2003. He ultimately made 60 starts for the Twins and slotted into their postseason rotation in 2006 after a solid rookie campaign.
  • The Nationals have outrighted Double-A right-hander Ryan Perry from their 40-man roster, the team announced on Twitter. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Taylor Jordan, who will step into the rotation in lieu of the injured Dan Haren. Perry, a former first-round pick of the Tigers, has an unsightly 8.52 ERA in 43 1/3 innings between Triple-A and Double-A this season.
  • The Astros announced yesterday they've outrighted pitchers Wade LeBlanc and Ross Seaton to the minors.  LeBlanc, 28, had joined the organization from the Marlins in a waiver claim earlier this month.  The soft-tossing southpaw has a 5.50 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 1.20 HR/9, and 38.3% groundball rate in 52 1/3 innings this year, including seven starts.  
  • Seaton, 23, was drafted out of high school in the third round in 2008 under previous Astros GM Ed Wade and signed to an above-slot deal.  Seaton hasn't reached the Majors, but others chosen in that round before him include Craig Kimbrel, Danny Espinosa, and Vance Worley.  Seaton was ranked by Baseball America as the Astros' third-best prospect after he was drafted, and even before this season was ranked 21st.  Before this season, BA downgraded their assessment to say that Seaton "profiles as a back-of-the-rotation innings-eater."  Having grown up in the Houston area, Seaton was excited to have been added to the Astros' 40-man roster in November, but he's lost that spot after 55 innings in 2013.
  • Three players currently reside in DFA limbo: Francisley Bueno of the Royals, Carlos Marmol of the Cubs and Eric Thames of the Mariners.

Ricky Nolasco Rumors: Thursday

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Significant trades remain rare in June, but the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco has four days left to join a club that has added Kevin Youkilis, Mark Ellis, Joel Hanrahan, Sean Burnett, Mark DeRosa, Chris Perez, Nate McLouth, Jeff Locke, and Charlie Morton in recent years.  Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN today that there have been far more serious trade discussions five weeks from the deadline than he can ever recall, and you have to wonder if Colletti is thinking of his own discussions for Nolasco while making that comment.  The entire NL West plus the Orioles have been linked to the 30-year-old righty, who is scheduled to face the Padres tomorrow night.  Nolasco has about $6MM left on his contract, which will certainly be part of the trade negotiations.  The latest:

  • Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report that the Marlins are seeking a "good" prospect as well as the full $6MM of salary relief in exchange for Nolasco. The financial implications of those demands have pushed the Rockies out of the running. The Dodgers are the front-runners, according to one executive, though the Giants and Padres are still involved in talks. The Orioles are "less confident" in their chances, and the Rangers "loom as a possibility," according to the FOX duo.
  • The Dodgers are likely to pay more of Nolasco's salary if it means saving a prospect, tweets Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. The Dodgers are pleased with the current direction of their minor league system.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Dodgers and Marlins have indeed made progress in talks for Nolasco. One source tells Olney that there's a 70 percent chance the deal gets done.
  • The Marlins and Dodgers are indeed in talks about Nolasco, hears Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
  • As a Southern California native, Nolasco would naturally prefer to pitch on the West Coast, notes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.  The interest from the NL West bodes well for that goal, though the Red Sox scouted Nolasco's last start, writes Frisaro.  Nolasco's opinion on being a walking trade rumor?  "Whatever happens, happens," he told Frisaro.
  • What might it take to acquire Nolasco?  Bowden offers proposals for each NL West team in this ESPN article. 

Marlins Working To Trade Nolasco ASAP

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WEDNESDAY, 10:59pm: The Marlins are surprisingly open to eating some of Nolasco's contract, but only if the prospect return is significantly better than alternative deals, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com.  Meanwhile, the Padres continue to have talks with the Marlins on multiple players, including Nolasco, but nothing is close or imminent, a source tells Bowden (Twitter link).

5:21pm: The Marlins have told other clubs that they have teams willing to take on all of the prorated portion of Nolasco's $11.5MM salary, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  Nolasco is owed roughly $6MM between now and the end of the season.

TUESDAY, 12:41pm: The Marlins have been aggressively working to move starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco as soon as possible, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  So far the Orioles, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Padres, Rockies, and Giants have been connected to the righty, and the Marlins' aggressive approach was noted by Andy Martino of the New York Daily News yesterday.  And earlier today, ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote that Nolasco might win the "Most Likely to Get Traded Before the All-Star Break pool."  Moving Nolasco with over a month remaining until the July 31st trade deadline makes sense, because there's added value to a contender in having him for all of July.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new article on Nolasco, where he names the Giants, Dodgers, Padres, Rockies, and Orioles as interested parties (the NL West teams have expressed interest).  As opposed to Olney's report, Rosenthal writes, "The Marlins are 'kicking around' names in a potential Nolasco trade with clubs, sources say, but their talks have not progressed to the point where a deal is close."

Nolasco, 30, has a 3.68 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.81 HR/9, and 41.6% groundball rate in 100 1/3 innings this year, making him one of the better available starting pitchers.  He has about $6MM remaining on his contract, after which he'll be a free agent.  Another of the top starting pitchers available, Matt Garza, is under pursuit by the Padres and Dodgers, according to Rosenthal.  Any player traded midseason becomes ineligible for a qualifying offer in the offseason, removing the possibility of draft pick compensation and increasing the player's value to winter suitors.

Click here to see a leaderboard I've created of all the potentially available starting pitchers.

NL West Notes: Giants, Dodgers, Gonzalez, Rockies

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The Giants are hoping to get back to the .500 mark as they take on the Dodgers tonight and one might expect them to be eager to upgrade their roster for a late-season push.  However, we learned earlier today that San Francisco isn't planning to make a deal anytime soon.  At this stage, GM Brian Sabean believes that the asking price is simply too high for the desirable players on the block, but that can certianly change as we approach the deadline.  Here's more out of the NL West..

  • The Dodgers are determined to find an upgrade at third base and their pitching over the next five weeks, tweets JIm Bowden of ESPN.com.  The Dodgers have given Juan Uribe a great deal of time in the hot corner this season and so far he has responded with his best offensive season in a while, hitting .268/.356/.399 over 50 games.
  • Speaking of the Dodgers, they had multiple scouts watching Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez in his most recent game, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  The Dodgers are reportedly one of several clubs interested in Gonzalez and Red Sox GM Ben Cherington recently watched him throw in person.
  • The word in the scouting community is that Gonzalez could get as much as $60MM across five years, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
  • Any trade the Rockies make would likely happen after All-Star break in the two weeks before trading deadline on July 31st, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

Giants Not Planning To Make Trades Soon

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Last night's loss dropped the Giants below .500 and placed them as close to last place in the NL West as it did to first place. Prior to the game, however, general manager Brian Sabean spoke with reporters, including Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, and said he and his front office team wouldn't take a reactionary approach. Sabean noted that the asking price for players this early in the trading season is too steep:

“You’re not going to do anything without getting your clock cleaned as of this date. If somebody’s going to trade somebody this early, they’re going to have to win the deal and you’re going to have to let them win the deal."

The team isn't keen on adding rental players, though Sabean noted that the Giants will be more willing to add players who are viewed as a salary dump by the other team, as opposed to trading top prospects. The long-time GM said that money won't be the issue when acquiring players this summer and also noted that he'd be more open to adding a rental who is amenable to a long-term deal with the Giants.

Schulman notes that the Giants still like California native Ricky Nolasco, and the Marlins are more concerned with shedding his $6MM salary than obtaining highly regarded prospects in potential trades. That would bode well for the Giants, but many teams are in on the right-hander. Schulman reported last night that the Dodgers are hot after Nolasco, and he adds the Orioles into that mix in this most recent update.

Meanwhile, Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area adds that Sabean and his staff have made lists of available hitters, starters and relievers, but Sabean wouldn't reveal which was the top priority. He told Baggarly that the team doesn't view the current crop of available starters as much better than No. 4 and No. 5 pitchers. Sabean also hinted that a center field upgrade would be nice now that Angel Pagan is on the shelf for 10 weeks.

Stark On Astros, Ethier, Brewers, Papelbon, Stanton

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The latest column from ESPN's Jayson Stark is jam-packed with trade-related information.  Highlights:

  • One National League executive predicted that the Cubs' Matt Garza will be the first pitcher traded; he's thought to be eminently available, as the Cubs are not comfortable with his asking price on a potential new contract.  The Padres and Dodgers are among the teams pursuing Garza, reported Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports earlier today.
  • The Astros are looking for volume in any deal they make, one NL exec told Stark.  Bud Norris is an obvious trade chip for Jeff Luhnow and company, while I imagine Carlos Pena, Jose Veras, Erik Bedard, Lucas Harrell, Wesley Wright, Ronny Cedeno, and others can be had as well.
  • The Dodgers are not actively dangling right fielder Andre Ethier.  What's more, the team still views itself as a buyer despite being eight games out.  They may be interested in adding a third baseman they can control for multiple years, implies Stark.
  • Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche could be dealt, hears Stark, in a scenario where Ryan Zimmerman moves to first base, Anthony Rendon moves back to third base, and Danny Espinosa gets healthy.  LaRoche's name is not out there at present, however.
  • The Brewers will "gladly listen" on third baseman Aramis Ramirez, as well as any position player other than Jean Segura, Carlos Gomez, and Ryan Braun.  I wonder if that means names such as Jonathan Lucroy and Norichika Aoki will be in play next month.
  • Execs who spoke to Stark seem divided on whether the Brewers want to trade Yovani Gallardo, with one saying, "To be honest, I think they would love to move him."  Click here for thoughts from Brewers GM Doug Melvin on the situation.
  • The Phillies are talking to the Red Sox and Tigers about closer Jonathan Papelbon right now, one exec tells Stark, even if they say otherwise.
  • Officials of three teams that have talked to the Marlins about slugger Giancarlo Stanton are convinced owner Jeffrey Loria won't trade him this summer.  In an April poll of over 13,000 MLBTR readers, over 40% thought Stanton would be dealt this summer.
  • Other teams say the Tigers are willing to surrender top prospects Nick Castellanos or Avisail Garcia if necessary.  The team is focused on finding a closer.
  • The Braves are "all over the bullpen market," which jives with a couple of other reports today.
  • The Giants "have taken on a whole new fervor in the last week in their hunt for another starter."  They've been connected often to Nolasco, but there are around 20 viable candidates out there of varying quality.  The Orioles could make a move before the All-Star break, hears Stark, and they seem to be prioritizing starters over relievers.

Quick Hits: Nolasco, Angels, Twins, Norris

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Peter Gammons reported earlier today that there was buzz amongst the league's general managers that Ricky Nolasco would end up with the Giants before the trade deadline.  This sentiment is shared even by another general manager who is himself interested in Nolasco; this mystery GM tells USA Today's Bob Nightengale that he expects Brian Sabean to outbid the field in the race for the Marlins righty.

Here are some more items from around the majors…

  • The Angels might make pending free agents Jason Vargas or Scott Downs available at the trade deadline if they decide to sell, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez opines, though there won't be any major moves.  "I'm told nothing will cause them to blow up the roster and start all over again," Gonzalez writes, since the front office still believes the club can be contenders in 2014 and beyond and the Josh Hamilton/Albert Pujols contracts make it difficult to truly rebuild.
  • The Angels have nothing to show for their efforts in acquiring big-name pitchers (Scott Kazmir, Dan Haren and Zack Greinke) at the trade deadline in three of the last four seasons, MLB.com's Lyle Spencer writes.  Making matters worse for the Halos is that they dealt several top prospects in those trades, giving away such notable talents as Jean Segura, Patrick Corbin, Tyler Skaggs and Alex Torres.
  • The Twins have exceeded expectations this year but "it's hard to see a scenario in which they'll be buyers" at the trade deadline, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger writes as part of a reader mailbag.  A hot streak over the next month could change plans, though with the Tigers unlikely to be caught atop the AL Central, Bollinger suspects the Twins will stick with their rebuilding plan.
  • Bud Norris noted that he hasn't discussed a long-term deal with the Astros and he wouldn't be surprised if he is traded, the right-hander tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  "If the trade deadline is here and I'm still in an Astros uniform, I'll be happy with that," Norris said.  "I understand something could happen, but at the end of the day, my focus right now is still in Houston, and that's where it's going to stay."  The Pirates, Orioles and Giants have all reportedly considered acquiring Norris and more suitors are likely to follow.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was non-committal about whether or not the Phils would call up Carlos Zambrano before his July 1 opt-out date.  Amaro told reporters (including Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer) that Zambrano has "been inconsistent" in the minors and that he doesn't see the righty as a relief pitcher.

NL West Notes: Garza, Nolasco, Padres, Giants, Rox

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It was on this day in 1955 that the legendary Sandy Koufax made his Major League debut, throwing two scoreless relief innings (one walk, one hit, two strikeouts) for the Dodgers in an 8-2 loss to the Braves.  Here are some notes and items from around the NL West…

  • Peter Gammons hears two "rumors du jour" from the league's general managers (Twitter link).  One involves the Cubs sending Matt Garza to the Padres in exchange for outfield prospect Reymond Fuentes and two other minor leaguers that were originally drafted by Cubs GM Jed Hoyer and senior VP Jason McLeod when they worked for San Diego.  It would be somewhat of a surprise to see Garza end up with the Friars given that he's set to be a free agent this winter and the Padres would prefer to add a starter who is under contract beyond this season.
  • The other Gammons rumor involves the Marlins sending Ricky Nolasco to the Giants.  We heard about the Giants' interest in Nolasco earlier this month, though they are hardly the only potential suitors — the Orioles, Yankees, Diamondbacks and Padres have all been linked to the Miami right-hander.
  • The Rockies have also called the Marlins about Nolasco, though Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that Colorado was just "laying groundwork" and the two sides aren't close to a deal.  The Rockies will gives their current rotation and Drew Pomeranz a chance to perform before looking for external help.
  • The Dodgers are looking to trade for another starting pitcher, rival executives tell FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.  From the same piece, Rosenthal gives the Dodgers the second-best chance (less than the Nationals but better than the Royals or Angels) of turning their season around with a long winning streak, a la the Blue Jays.
  • In division news from earlier today, the Padres are expected to look for starting pitching and the Rockies outrighted right-handers Chris Volstad and Logan Kensing to Triple-A.
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