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AL West Notes: Perez, Mariners, Norris, Astros

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Here's a look at the latest out of the AL West..

  • Peter Gammons of MLB.com tweets that every General Manager he has spoken with says the Mariners are asking for "premier prospects" in exchange for lefty relievers Oliver Perez, Charlie Furbush and Brian Moran.  We learned recently that Perez has drawn interest from the Orioles, Braves, and others.
  • In his latest Scouts Corner column, CBS Sports' Danny Knobler cites an executive who suggests that the Astros' Bud Norris could be the next starting pitcher to be traded. "He's got good stuff. It's about the consistency of command. I think most contending teams will see him as a fourth starter. The problem is they're going to ask a lot for him," a scout tells Knobler.  Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com wrote earlier tonight that the asking price is high for Norris as Houston is seeking two highly-rated prospects in return.
  • An executive on the hunt for pitching tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that the Astros' Norris is basically one of three decent available starters right now.  The others are the Cubs' Matt Garza and Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers.  The asking price for all three is really high, according to the exec, which is consistent with what we've been hearing.

Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Jeremy Bonderman, Aaron Laffey

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On this date ten years ago, the Marlins were making a surprising wild card push and traded for one of the best available relievers, Rangers closer Ugueth Urbina.  Double-A first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was part of the package going to Texas.  The first overall pick by the Marlins three years prior, Gonzalez began the year at Triple-A following offseason wrist surgery, but had been demoted to Double-A in May.  Said Marlins GM Larry Beinfest at the time, "In Adrian, we thought we were dealing in an area of strength, but we wanted to do something now."  Beinfest was referring to first basemen Derrek Lee and Jason Stokes.  The Marlins installed Urbina in a setup role and went on to win the World Series.  John Hart was the man behind the Urbina signing and trade as Rangers GM.  

Two years later, Hart stepped down to make way for the youngest GM in MLB history, 28-year-old Jon Daniels.  Daniels later admitted to WEEI's Alex Speier his new front office "tried to step on the gas before we were ready," and with Mark Teixeira entrenched at first base, Gonzalez, Terrmel Sledge, and Chris Young were traded to the Padres for Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka.  Today's minor moves, as we ponder the status of Urbina's comeback attempt…

  • Jeremy Bonderman has refused an outright assignment from the Mariners and elected free agency, the team announced. He was designated for assignment on Monday. In 38 1/3 innings for Seattle this season, the 30-year-old posted a 4.93 ERA with more walks (17) than strikeouts (16). It was his first MLB action since 2010 and the only time he has pitched for a team other than the Tigers.
  • The Brewers signed lefty Aaron Laffey, announced the team's player development department on Twitter early today.  The 28-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Mets in December, was designated for assignment in April, claimed by the Blue Jays, designated days later, elected free agency, was signed by the Dodgers, and opted out of his deal with that club earlier this month.  He made five big league appearances this year, and also tossed 61 Triple-A innings for the Dodgers, with much more success on the road than at Isotopes Park.  There is no opt-out in the Brewers deal, MLBTR has learned.
  • Five players currently reside in DFA limbo: Travis Ishikawa of the Yankees, Joe Gardner of the Rockies, Cole Gillespie of the Giants, Jeremy Bonderman of the Mariners, and Adam Rosales of the Athletics.  The Mets asked for unconditional release waivers for Brandon Lyon on Tuesday.

AL Notes: Rangers, Red Sox, Mariners

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The Rangers are looking for a righty hitter to balance out their lefty-heavy lineup, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Switch-hitter Lance Berkman and righty Jeff Baker are both on the disabled list, and it's unclear what might happen with righty Nelson Cruz, who has been connected to the Biogenesis scandal. Here are more notes from around the American League.

  • The Red Sox appear likely to be active on the trade market, with relief help a top concern, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Red Sox's bullpen is in a tough spot with the loss of Andrew Miller to injury. He names the White Sox's Matt Thornton or the Marlins' Steve Cishek as potential trade acquisitions.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik doubts he will be an "aggressor" on the market, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I'm not going to go out there and start shopping our players. I don't think that's the right thing to do," Zduriencik says. "We have three weeks before the trading deadline. Our goal is to put a healthy club on the field." Zduriencik says he will be open-minded when other teams call. The Mariners have shown small signs of progress recently, winning six of their last nine, although they're 13 1/2 games out of first place and are just 16-19 even since the beginning of June.

Heyman On Perez, Mariners, Morales, Yankees

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Here's a look at the latest news from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..

  • Mariners reliever Oliver Perez has drawn interest from the Orioles, Braves, and other clubs, according to Heyman.  Perez has reinvented himself as a bullpen arm in the last two years with the Mariners, posting a 2.00 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 across 63 innings in Seattle.  Competing execs note that Perez is more cost-efficient in terms of prospects and cash than a guy like Matt Thornton.  The veteran would cost another team the prorated portion of his $1.5MM for the rest of the year.
  • Kendrys Morales and Raul Ibanez could also bring a strong return to General Manager Jack Zduriencik & Co and the Rays are among the clubs that have inquired on their hitters.  However, parting with them would cause them to go into a free fall and also adversely affect the top prospects on the big league roster.  For his part, Jack Z isn't anxious to move anyone.  "We'll see how this week goes. I'm not going to be the aggressor,'' the GM told Heyman earlier this week. "I'm not shopping anyone.''
  • Seattle people have been wondering if the Yankees might call about Morales thanks to their rash of injuries.  The Rangers could also come calling.
  • A Mariners person said they've gotten calls on injured center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, but his injury history hurts his value.  Closer Tom Wilhelmsen has drawn interest and the Red Sox have had interest in the past, but Zduriencik is said to be hesitant to trade him since he's under control for a few more years. Brendan Ryan, who is no longer the starting shortstop, could also be of interest to someone as a defensive specialist in the infield.
  • Opinions are mixed, but one rival executive tells Heyman that Phil Hughes could fetch quite a bit in a trade.  Another rival exec quipped that the Bombers might trade Joba Chamberlain for a pine-tar rag.  We learned earlier today that the Yankees are aggressively pushing both pitchers.

Quick Hits: Prospects, Young, Garza, Francoeur

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Baseball America released its updated rankings of the sport's top 50 prospects, headlined by Twins outfielder Byron Buxton.  For Baseball America subscribers, BA's J.J. Cooper also has lists of 10 prospects who missed the top 50 but are still having breakthrough seasons, preseason top-100 prospects who missed the new list, how the thirty preseason top-100 prospects who have already made the Major Leagues are faring and also a look at five organizations who have made strides and five who have struggled.

Here are some items from around the baseball world…

  • The Red Sox still have interest in Michael Young, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets, but "serious names have not been discussed" between the Sox and Phillies in trade negotiations.
  • The Cubs have reportedly explored extending Matt Garza's contract but CSN Chicago's David Kaplan doesn't believe it and neither does an American League executive.  "Theo [Epstein] and Jed [Hoyer] know that they have a great asset. They will not cave on what they want in return," said the AL exec.  "They will play this thing out until they get what they want. He's too valuable to not trade.  When you are in a rebuild you need to move assets to fuel the plan. Garza should help to do that. I'd be stunned if he is a Cub Aug. 1." (Twitter links here)
  • Reds general manager Walt Jocketty confirmed that he had spoken to Jeff Francoeur's agents at CSE, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (via Twitter).  "He's talking to other clubs as well.  [I'm] not sure it's a fit," Jocketty said.  Francoeur is known to have drawn interest from at least two other teams since he was released by the Royals.  Francoeur could be a right-handed hitting stopgap for Cincinnati until Ryan Ludwick returns from the DL in August.
  • Also from Fay, he thinks the strong recent performance of the Reds' bullpen should shift the team's trade deadline focus to hitting instead of relief pitching.  Fay opines that the Reds should look to acquire Twins outfielder Josh Willingham, who I'd guess would be too expensive for the Reds' liking (owed roughly $9.35MM through 2014) and is on the DL until August following knee surgery.
  • The Mariners have a number of trade chips on the roster but Larry Stone of the Seattle Times feels the team's toughest decisions will concern Raul Ibanez and Kendrys Morales.  On paper the 41-year-old Ibanez is an obvious candidate to be dealt, though Ibanez's popularity on and off the field in Seattle will make the M's consult him before any possible deal.  I examined the case for Morales as a trade candidate back in April.
  • Every Major League transaction is a complicated process, and they get even more complex when they have to be made quickly.  MLB.com's Corey Brock outlines how the Padres had to move fast to replace the injured Yasmani Grandal, which led to a shakeup of catchers at all levels of the organization and a lot of roster juggling that eventually led to Rene Rivera being called up from Triple-A Tucson to Washington for the next day's game.

International Signings: Mariners, D’Backs, Red Sox

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Here are today's international signings, with the newest moves at the top of the page…

  • The Mariners have signed 16-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Luis Rengifo, Baseball America's Ben Badler reports.  Rengifo is a 5'10", 165-pound switch-hitter "who impressed scouts with his bat control and performance against live pitching," Badler writes.
  • The Diamondbacks confirmed the signings of catcher Jose Herrera ($1.06MM bonus) third baseman Josue Herrera ($150K) and outfielder Francis Martinez ($350K) today, and also announced the signings of Dominican right-hander Argency Hiciano ($70K), Dominican outfielder Jose Lopez ($200K) and Venezuelan infielder Didimo Bracho ($80K).  MLB.com's Tyler Emerick reported the dollar figures, and also notes that the D'Backs have spent $1.91MM of their approximately $2.356MM international bonus pool.
  • The Red Sox have signed Dominican outfielder Yoan Aybar, WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports.  Aybar, 16, is a 6'2", 165-pound left-handed hitter who didn't make Baseball America's list of the top 30 international prospects but made their list of honorable mentions.  BA's Ben Badler says Aybar is a raw hitting prospect "but he’ll have to make adjustments to get better against live pitching."  Aybar's throwing arm is strong enough that he could be converted to pitching if he can't develop his bat.

Rosenthal On Buyers/Sellers, Arrieta, Ruggiano

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Ken Rosenthal's latest column for FOX Sports begins with a look at the Phillies, Giants, Rockies, Padres, and Blue Jays, five teams currently on the bubble of buying and selling.  The Padres have been eager to buy, rival executives tell Rosenthal.  Other notes from the article:

  • Rosenthal provides insight into the July 2011 three-team deal that sent Erik Bedard to Boston.  As it turns out, the Dodgers are looking pretty good now with big leaguers Stephen Fife and Tim Federowicz.  At the time of the deal, they were questioned for including Trayvon Robinson.
  • "I thought it was an awesome trade by the Cubs," Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis told Rosenthal of Chicago's acquisition of Jake Arrieta from Baltimore.
  • The Reds have "thinned out their talent base" in trades over the last several years, opines Rosenthal, which could make significant acquisitions this summer difficult.
  • The Rangers and Yankees are among the teams that have expressed interest in Marlins outfielder Justin Ruggiano.  Ruggiano, a 31-year-old right-handed hitter, is at .225/.290/.414 in 273 plate appearances this year. 
  • The Mariners have put a high price tag on Tom Wilhelmsen and it seems like they want to keep the closer in the fold.  Rosenthal notes that another team recently asked about Wilhelmsen and the M's wanted that club's top pitching prospect in return.

Mariners Designate Jeremy Bonderman For Assignment

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The Mariners designated starter Jeremy Bonderman for assignment, according to a team press release.  They also recalled lefty Lucas Luetge.

Bonderman, 30, had his contract purchased by the Mariners in June, at which point he made his first MLB start since October 2010.  After 63 2/3 lackluster Triple-A innings, Bonderman posted a 4.93 ERA, 3.8 K/9, 4.0 BB/9, 0.94 HR/9, and 42.5% groundball rate in seven starts for Seattle.  Bonderman had elbow surgery in April 2012 and signed a minor league deal with his home-state Mariners in December of that year.  

Bonderman was drafted 26th overall by the Athletics out of high school in '01, and was quickly traded to the Tigers as the player to be named later in the deal that sent Carlos Pena to Detroit, Ted Lilly to the Athletics, and Jeff Weaver to the Yankees.  After just 27 minor league starts, Bonderman debuted for the Tigers in '03 at age 20.  He had an upward trajectory until shoulder surgery derailed his career.

Orioles Acquire Alex Liddi

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The Orioles have acquired Alex Liddi from the Mariners, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).  In the swap, the M’s also sent their No. 3 international slot to Orioles and received the O’s international signing slot No. 2.  To make room for Liddi on the 40-man roster, Baltimore announced that they have designated Russ Canzler for assignment.

Baltimore’s No. 2 international slot is $351,200 and Seattle’s No. 3 slot is $277,500 and the swap adds an extra $73,700 to Seattle’s pool, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America (on Twitter).  

Seattle designated Liddi for assignment towards the end of June in order to promote shortstop Brad Miller.  The infielder posted a .263/.322/.454 slash line over his 262 plate appearances in Triple-A this year but wasn’t as strong in 188 major league plate appearances.

Canzler, 27, has 29 big league games to his credit between 2011 and 2012.  In 86 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season, the infielder/outfielder has slashed .276/.369/.430.

AL Notes: Mariners, White Sox, Astros, Blue Jays

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Here are a few trade notes from around the American League:

  • As we approach the trade deadline with the Mariners looking more like sellers than buyers, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times took a look back at GM Jack Zduriencik's recent history at the deadline. Beginning with an ill-fated swap of a young Michael Morse for Ryan Langerhans and featuring the retrospectively painful Doug Fister deal, the net return to Seattle has not been terribly productive.
  • This year, the Mariners could be in a position to deal some relievers. Last night, we took a look at FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal's breakdown of potentially available NL relievers. Tonight, let's look at the AL crop. From the M's, Rosenthal says that veteran lefty Oliver Perez is the most likely to be dealt, with Charlie Furbush and Tom Wilhelmsen also prime candidates. The latter two, however, will likely command a high price given that Furbush may just be reaching arbitration after this season as a Super Two, while Wilhelmsen will not reach arbitration until after the 2014 campaign.
  • Rosenthal also pegs the White Sox and Astros as sellers with attractive bullpen pieces. Chicago could swing a trade for stud reliever Jesse Crain if he can return in time to prove his health; otherwise, both Matt Thornton and Matt Lindstrom could hold some appeal. (Both of the latter two pitchers come with club options for 2014.) For Houston, meanwhile, the prime trade chip among its relief corps is unquestionably closer Jose Veras, who is cheap, strikes out a lot of hitters, and has been solid in late-inning work this year.
  • One other team that should look to the future, according to FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi, is the Blue Jays. With the club again fading after its recent resurgence, Morosi says Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos faces a "virtually impossible" task to right the ship before the trade deadline. Rather than selling out for this season, says Morosi, the Jays should look to shore up the team's rotation to make a run in 2014 and 2015.
  • Sticking with the Jays, Morosi says that Josh Johnson — occasionally noted as a potential trade candidate earlier in the year — has been "perhaps the team's greatest disappointment this year." Johnson currently carries a 4.89 ERA in 53 1/3 innings; his walk rate is below his career average at 3.4 BB/9, though he is striking batters out at a strong 9.1 K/9 clip. At this point, Morosi suggests, Toronto may be best served by shipping Johnson back to the National League rather than looking to try and bring him back next year.
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