Giants To Entertain Offers For Veterans
10:33pm: The Tigers are among the many teams that have spoken to the Giants about Lopez, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (on Twitter). Earlier tonight, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported that the two sides have had trade discussions even after Detroit's acquisition of Jose Veras earlier today.
In a separate tweet, Knobler reports that Pence is available, though the price is very high. The Giants aren't likely to trade Lincecum, according to Knobler.
2:32pm: The Giants plan to make qualifying offers to Pence and Lincecum after the season, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, leading one source to suggest their asking price is "very strong" on the pair.
1:22pm: The Giants have told other teams they'd rather re-sign Pence than trade him, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark.
10:53am: The Giants will entertain trade offers for veterans, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He says that while the club would ideally like to keep potential free agents Tim Lincecum, Hunter Pence, and Javier Lopez, they feel they must listen to any reasonable proposal.
Lincecum, 29, has a 4.95 ERA in 313 regular season innings since dominating from 2008-11. This year, strikeouts are up and walks down, suggesting he could be a 3.50 ERA pitcher moving forward. With over $7MM remaining, his salary could be prohibitive for some clubs, and his ERA has bounced around in the mid to high-4.00s since May. A qualifying offer, which could cost $14MM, is a question mark at this point for the Giants if he stays, in my opinion.
Pence, 30, is hitting .277/.320/.457 in 440 plate appearances this year. He's hitting .259/.300/.401 since June 1st, and probably doesn't qualify as an impact bat even in a weak market. Rosenthal suggests he would receive a qualifying offer from the Giants after the season, so they'd be looking to top the value of a supplemental draft pick. Of course, the Giants have typically placed a lower value on such picks than most clubs. Pence has around $4.6MM remaining on his contract.
Lopez, 36, would be the easiest of the three to move. About 64% of the batters he's faced have been left-handed hitters, and he's dominated against them. The Braves and Indians seek left-handed relief. The Diamondbacks are in the market as well, though the division rivals haven't matched up on a trade since '05. The Giants would consider re-signing Lopez in the offseason, according to Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona, but "indications are that Lopez would like to play closer to his Virginia home."
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
AL Central Notes: Tigers, Sale, Tribe, Royals
Much of the chatter from the AL Central has centered around Jake Peavy of the White Sox. You can catch up on Monday's Peavy rumors here, but there's still plenty of other trade talk surrounding the division. Here's the latest out of the AL Central with less than 48 hours until the trade deadline…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post spoke with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, who told Sherman that the club's acquisition of Jose Veras earlier today will likely be the lone move he makes prior to the deadline (Twitter link).
- Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers have maintained trade dialogue with the Giants, even after the Veras acquisition.
- The White Sox are still telling teams that ace Chris Sale is not available in trades, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- MLB.com contributor Joel Hammond conducted a Q&A with Indians GM Chris Antonetti regarding the upcoming trade deadline. Antonetti conceded that the bullpen needs to get better at retiring left-handed batters and also discussed how changes in the newest CBA have impacted the summer trading process. Antonetti told Hammond that August might now represent a better opportunity to acquire players, as there will be more separation from bubble teams who aren't sure whether to buy or sell in July.
- Jeffrey Flanagan of FOX Sports Kansas City examines the roadblocks that would get in the way of the Royals acquiring Howie Kendrick or Erick Aybar from the Angels. Both members of the Halos' double-play tandem are reportedly on the market, and either could fill the Royals' gap at second base. However, the prospect price tag and salary implications are difficult to overcome, Flanagan notes.
- The Royals scouted the Twins in their recent series against the Mariners, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Berardino doesn't list specific names, but remember that Twins GM Terry Ryan didn't mind dealing within the division last summer when he sent Francisco Liriano to the White Sox.
Rangers Not Planning More Significant Moves
Four straight losses have dropped the Rangers to 1.5 games out in the wild card. Here's the latest:
- The Rangers aren't planning on making any major moves prior to the deadline, writes Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. General manager Jon Daniels doesn't think his team will acquire a significant right-handed bat, nor does he plan on trading Joe Nathan. Daniels told Wilson that the idea of trading Nathan never gained much traction: "We'll talk about anything," Daniels said. "That's our jobs, but talking about something and having it happen are very different things." Wilson adds that the Rangers haven't had any serious talks about Alex Rios, Hunter Pence or Kendrys Morales recently, and they were never that big on the idea of re-acquiring Michael Young or Marlon Byrd.
Earlier Updates
- The Rangers are strongly considering standing pat, writes Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
- Manny Ramirez doesn't have an opt-out in his minor league deal with the Rangers, writes Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, but the team "never intended to keep him dangling." They haven't yet decided whether they'll keep Manny in the organization, though they aren't expected to promote him. The 41-year-old is hitting .269/.347/.418 in 75 Triple-A plate appearances.
- "I've never had to worry about this stuff before and I'm not going to start now," closer Joe Nathan told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News regarding his rumored availability. It's hard to picture which contender could offer a quality bat for a closer, anyway.
Giants Designate Yusmeiro Petit For Assignment
The Giants have designated right-hander Yusmeiro Petit for assignment, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The move clears roster space for right-hander Guillermo Moscoso who was acquired from the Cubs on Friday.
Petit was added to the roster last Tuesday and appeared that night in the first game of a doubleheader against the Reds (and the second pitcher from that twinbill to be designated today). He tossed 5 1/3 innings of two-run relief while scattering six hits and striking out seven. Petit had made 12 starts for Triple-A Fresno before his recall posting a 5.24 ERA, 9.7 K/9, and 1.6 BB/9 in 68 2/3 innings.
This is the second time in four months the 28-year-old has been dropped from the Giants' 40-man roster, as he was outrighted last March. The Giants now have ten days to either trade, release, or outright Petit.
NL West Notes: Ramirez, Pence, Giants, Padres
Just over a year ago, the Dodgers announced their presence as big-money acquirers by trading for infielder Hanley Ramirez. While Ramirez has battled injury at times, he has certainly re-established himself as a top-line big leaguer with a .315/.367/.544 line to go with 21 home runs and 14 stolen bases in the last year. As ESPN's Mark Saxon explains, Ramirez has seemed energized since donning Dodger blue and has been on fire since returning from a DL stint in early June. He remains under team control for 2014 at a cost of $16MM. On the other hand, the primary piece that Los Angeles shipped out to acquire Ramirez – pitcher Nathan Eovaldi — has been solid so far in Miami. The 23-year-old currently owns a 3.54 ERA in 40 2/3 MLB innings. Here's more out of the NL West..
- The Giants will listen to offers on Hunter Pence, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. At this stage of the season, the club believes that they have to be open to everything. San Francisco certainly likes Pence and wants to keep him long term, but with a lack of offense out there, they could get a very strong return for him. It was recently reported that the Rangers have interest in acquiring Pence.
- Padres stars Chase Headley, Carlos Quentin, and Huston Street are likely to stay in San Diego but it appears that Luke Gregerson will be changing uniforms, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- After Gregerson and Chris Denorfia, the Padres getting the most interest are Street, left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher, and outfielder/first baseman Jesus Guzman, writes Bill Center of U-T San Diego.
- The Giants are searching for their identity as the deadline approaches, writes MLB.com's Andrew Owens. Manager Bruce Bochy has instructed his players to tune out the trade rumors between now and July 31st.
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
AL West Notes: Athletics, Rangers, Astros
After a look at the AL East earlier this morning, let's turn our attention out west …
- While the Athletics are looking to buttress their 4-game division lead by buying at the deadline, John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group reports that the club is finding supply to be limited. "Right now there are more buyers than there are sellers, more buyers than last year," says GM Billy Beane. Second base and starting pitching are the needs atop Oakland's wish list, team sources tell Hickey. In spite of the rotation's solid performance to date, Hickey says a trade could allow the team to utilize Brett Anderson in a bullpen role when he returns from injury. Citing Beane's apparent willingness to take on some relatively significant salary obligations, Hickey lists Jake Peavy (White Sox), Edinson Volquez (Padres), Bud Norris (Astros), and Kyle Lohse (Brewers) as potential targets.
- After adding starter Matt Garza, the Rangers are looking at dealing for an outfielder, writes CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman. Currently, says Heyman, Alex Rios of the White Sox is the most likely candidate for Texas. Heyman further notes, however, that the club could look to wait out the market in the hopes that players like Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins, Michael Cuddyer of the Rockies, Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays, or the Giants' Hunter Pence become available, with Pence being the most likely among those to change hands. Texas has also considered Chris Denorfia of the Padres, Marlon Byrd of the Mets, and Justin Ruggiano of the Marlins, though Heyman notes that those options would rank below Rios in terms of impact.
- The Astros' Mark Appel is the highest-rated player from the recent amateur draft on MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo's updated Top 100 prospects list. As Mayo explains in his overview of the changes to the list, the top overall choice leads a group of eight recently-drafted players to crack the top 100. Houston is tied with the Red Sox with the most total players to make Mayo's list, with eight apiece. In terms of a simple weighting metric that Mayo calls "Prospect Points," the 'Stros have the most overall prospect value in baseball in high-end prospects, followed closely by the Twins. Though the Astros passed on top overall prospect Byron Buxton in last year's draft, its strategy enabled it to land the players currently checking in at number nine (Carlos Correa) and number sixty-five (Lance McCullers) instead.
Giants Acquire Guillermo Moscoso
The Giants acquired pitcher Guillermo Moscoso from the Cubs in exchange for cash or a player to be named, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Moscoso was pitching for Triple-A Iowa with the Cubs, but he will report to the Giants' big-league team and will be activated Saturday.
Moscoso had a 3.93 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 with Iowa. He has pitched parts of four big-league seasons, appearing with the Rangers, Athletics and Rockies. Schulman indicates that the Giants have acquired Moscoso to add another starting pitching option. Moscoso started 21 games for the A's in 2011.
Multiple Teams Present For Brian Wilson’s Audition
Brian Wilson auditioned for teams earlier today, and nearly a dozen clubs sent scouts to watch the former Giants closer, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Knobler writes that a scout in attendance said Wilson looked good and was "not far away" from being able to return to the Major Leagues. His fastball reportedly reached 93 mph on Thursday.
According to Knobler, the Pirates, Diamondbacks, Athletics, Giants, Phillies, Rangers, Rockies and Cardinals all attended Wilson's workout. Most of those teams have reportedly been on the lookout for bullpen help, and the Pirates are a logical new addition to that mix given the recent injury to Jason Grilli. The Giants held a private throwing session for Wilson "as a personal courtesy" earlier this week.
Wilson underwent his second Tommy John surgery after just two appearances in 2012 and hasn't pitched for a team since. He was scouted by the Mets in January, but the team was unimpressed. Wilson decided then to wait until he was back to 100 percent before auditioning for teams a second time. From 2007-12 with the Giants, Wilson racked up 170 saves and posted a 2.98 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 290 innings of relief.
Minor Moves: Catricala, Taveras, Valaika, Heston
Today's minor moves…
- The Athletics announced (via Twitter) that Vinnie Catricala has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Double-A Midland. The 24-year-old third baseman was designated for assignment yesterday morning after hitting .219/.292/.297 in 33 games at Midland following a trade from the Mariners.
- The Royals released Willy Taveras, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Taveras, 31, hit .239/.308/.340 for Kansas City's Triple-A club in 279 plate appearances this year. The speedster last appeared in the majors in 2010 with the Nationals.
- Marlins infielder Chris Valaika cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans, announced the team. Valaika, who has missed most of the season due to wrist surgery, was designated for assignment Tuesday. The 27-year-old was drafted by the Reds in the third round in '06, one pick before the Orioles took Zach Britton and 20 before the Yankees grabbed Zach McAllister.
- The Giants re-signed starter Chris Heston, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. They had designated Heston for assignment on July 13th, and later released him. The 25-year-old has a 5.80 ERA in 108 2/3 Triple-A innings.
- Righty David Pauley signed with the Sugarland Skeeters of the Atlantic League, tweets Cotillo. Pauley, who spent time with the Diamondbacks' Triple-A club this year, has pitched for the Red Sox, Mariners, Tigers, Angels, and Blue Jays.
- Eight players currently reside in DFA limbo: Ted Lilly of the Dodgers, Billy Buckner of the Angels, Humberto Quintero of the Phillies, Hunter Strickland of the Giants, Brandon Inge of the Pirates, Carlos Pena and Ronny Cedeno of the Astros, and Chris Dickerson of the Orioles.
Steve Adams and Aaron Steen contributed to this post.
Rangers Targeting Rios, Pence, Morales
11:10pm: The Rangers are not currently pursuing De Aza, Morosi tweets.
7:17pm: The Rangers have also set their sights on Giants right fielder Hunter Pence, and Mariners designated hitter Kendrys Morales to fill a need for a right-handed bat, baseball sources tell Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram. Unlike Rios, Pence and Morales are only signed through the remainder of this season. It's also worth noting that while the White Sox are sure to be sellers, that's not the case with San Francisco or Seattle.
4:01pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Rangers are also interested in Alejandro De Aza. The 29-year-old De Aza is hitting .275/.332/.437 with 12 homers and 11 steals. He is controlled through the 2015 season and will be arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason after earning $2.08MM in 2013.
3:54pm: Not content to solely add Matt Garza to their roster, the Rangers are now in active discussions with the White Sox regarding Alex Rios, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
Since the Garza trade, reports have indicated that the Rangers are in the market to add another hitter (Todd Wills of ESPNDallas.com reporting). Rios is of particular interest to the Rangers because of their fear that Nelson Cruz could receive a suspension similar to the one Ryan Braun received on Monday. Rios would also provide GM Jon Daniels with a solution to right field in 2014, should Cruz sign elsewhere as a free agent.
Rios, 32, is batting .278/.333/.442 with 12 homers and 21 stolen bases on the season to go along with solid defense in right field. He's capable of playing center in a pinch (he hasn't played there regularly since 2011) and is earning $12.5MM in both 2013 and 2014. His contract also contains a club option for $13.5MM with a $1MM buyout. He's also drawn interest from the Red Sox and the Pirates, among other teams.