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Cardinals Shopping Colby Rasmus

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9:51pm: Manager Tony La Russa told KSDK TV-5 in St. Louis that Rasmus "doesn't listen" to Cardinals coaches, as Austin Laymance and Matthew Leach explain at MLB.com. "That's why he gets in these funks, in my opinion," La Russa said.

1:41pm: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio today that nothing has changed since he told Bowden at the All-Star game that he was not shopping Rasmus (Twitter link).   

12:04pm: An AL official told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Cardinals "are definitely shopping" center fielder Colby Rasmus, despite public denials.  The official says the Cards "are asking for a ton."  Danny Knobler of CBS Sports agrees, tweeting that the Cards are shopping Rasmus widely.  Knobler notes that the Nationals had a scout in St. Louis last night.

The White Sox and Rays have also been linked to Rasmus, but earlier this month GM John Mozeliak said a trade is "highly unlikely."  The Mariners have also inquired, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and Knobler notes that the Giants have watched Rasmus as a possible Carlos Beltran backup plan.

Even in a down year, the 24-year-old Rasmus is hitting .245/.332/.421 on the season.  He's under team control through 2014.

My apologies for an earlier error in which I erroneously attributed the "asking for a ton" quote to the Rays and B.J. Upton.

Mariners Notes: Fister, Bedard, Felix, League

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Brendan Ryan singled in the seventh to break up C.C. Sabathia's perfect game bid, but that didn't stop the Yankees from extending Seattle's losing streak to 17 games. The latest on the struggling Mariners…

  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that teams may value Doug Fister more than Hiroki Kuroda because Fister pitches in the American League and is under team control well beyond 2011, unlike Kuroda (Twitter link).
  • The Mariners would deal Erik Bedard, who will pitch in front of a full scout section on Friday, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Fister, however, would "take a lot" to acquire. 
  • Bedard  won't be easy to obtain, either. Sean McAdam of CSNNE hears that the Mariners are asking for a "ton" in exchange for the lefty (Twitter link).
  • How many times does Jack Zduriencik have to repeat that Felix Hernandez isn’t going anywhere? The Mariners' GM told Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com that Hernandez is staying put this summer.
  • Brandon League told Greg Johns of MLB.com that he hopes to stay in Seattle. League appears to be in luck; Zduriencik said earlier today that he’s not trading his closer.

Brandon League Trade “Not Likely At All”

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TUESDAY, 3:20pm: To further enforce the point, Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told MLB Network Radio's Jim Bowden that League "is going to be here" (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 8:12pm: Mariners president Chuck Armstrong told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that we shouldn't expect Seattle to trade Brandon League this month. A deal is “not likely at all – at this point,” Armstrong said.

League, 28, is one of the most coveted players available, according to Morosi. The right-hander has a 3.26 ERA with 6.3 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, a 57.3% ground ball rate and 23 saves in 38 2/3 innings. He earns $2.25MM this year and is under team control through 2012.

The Mariners fielded many calls on League and the Phillies appeared to have some interest.

Tigers, Red Sox Among Teams Interested In Bedard

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The Tigers and Red Sox are among the many, many teams interested in Mariners lefty Erik Bedard, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Bedard has missed the last month with a knee sprain, but he'll be activated to start Friday's game against the Rays.  You can bet that'll be a well-scouted affair.

Even back in April, it was apparent that Bedard could be the closest thing to an ace on the trade market if he stayed healthy.  Knee injury aside, Bedard re-established himself with a 3.00 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, and 40.9% groundball rate in 90 innings, picking up steam as he went along.  I can picture the Yankees, Indians, Rangers, Pirates, Cardinals, Reds, and Diamondbacks entering the fray as well, but Bedard has a good relationship with the Mariners and it's possible their best move is to re-sign him.

Quick Hits: Mijares, Tigers, Phillies, Nimmo

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Michael Cuddyer pitched a shutout inning in Texas tonight, but the Rangers didn't have trouble scoring against Minnesota's other pitchers – they beat the Twins 20-6. Here are some late links from around MLB…

  • The Twins had been looking to trade Jose Mijares before tonight, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). The left-hander allowed five hits and four runs in 2/3 innings in tonight's blowout against the Rangers.
  • The Tigers continue watching Doug Fister, Jason Vargas, Aaron Harang and others as they look to acquire starting pitching, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports (on Twitter).
  • The Phillies are pursuing Heath Bell and Mike Adams of the Padres aggressively, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The Padres are surprised the Yankees, Reds and Cardinals haven’t expressed more interest in their relievers.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Mets think they’re close to a deal with first round pick Brandon Nimmo (Twitter link).

AL West Notes: Fister, Rangers, Pena

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On this date last year, the Angels acquired Dan Haren from Arizona for Patrick Corbin, Tyler Skaggs, Rafael Rodriguez and Joe Saunders. The Angels finished with a losing record in 2010, but they're in contention now and Haren has been excellent, posting a 3.01 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 239 innings for the Halos. Meawhile, Skaggs has developed into one of the top prospects in the game and Corbin is highly-regarded as well. Here's the latest from the AL West… 

  • Mariners starters Felix Hernandez and Doug Fister told Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com that they don't want to be traded.
  • Rangers manager Ron Washington confirmed to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com that he'd like to see the Rangers fortify their bullpen before the trade deadline.
  • The Mariners appear to believe Fister is better than Jason Vargas, so they may not want to deal Fister, according to Knobler (on Twitter). 
  • Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that Texas continues discussing a contract extension for left-hander C.J. Wilson (Twitter links). Wilson, who hits free agency after the season, received a contract offer from the Rangers in March.
  • Levine also confirmed that the Rangers are looking for bullpen help and a left fielder. 
  • The Mariners, A's, Brewers and Giants have looked at free agent slugger Wily Mo Pena, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Diamondbacks recently released Pena, who hit five homers in 46 plate appearances this year.

Stark On Bell, Beltran, Rays, Giants

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The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • The Rangers and Phillies are the favorites for Padres closer Heath Bell, with the Cardinals, Angels, Braves, and Reds also in the mix.
  • One executive Stark spoke to wouldn't be surprised to see a dark horse like the Reds or Brewers make a late run at Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran.
  • An official who spoke with the Rays over the weekend said that while they're not trading James Shields, they'll decide later this week on players like Johnny Damon and Kyle Farnsworth.  B.J. Upton could be dealt even if the team closes its 6.5 game wild card deficit.
  • The Rays and Blue Jays have been scouting each other's farm systems recently.  One scout speculated that the Jays could join a three-team Upton trade somehow.
  • One team says Brian Sabean's off-limits prospects are Zack Wheeler, Heath Hembree, and Gary Brown, along with Brandon Belt.  That'd leave the team without any top 50 prospects to move, with Francisco Peguero and Ehire Adrianza in the next tier based on Baseball America's preseason rankings.  There's also Double-A lefty Eric Surkamp, who brought his ERA down to 2.00 yesterday.
  • The Phillies are steering teams to their High-A Clearwater club, as they don't want to trade big leaguers and not to add much more than a million bucks in payroll.  Jonathan Singleton, Brody Colvin, Trevor May, Sebastian Valle, and Jiwan James are names to watch there assuming Jarred Cosart is untouchable.  Stark says the Phillies have cooled on Beltran and Hunter Pence is a long shot, so the focus is now the back end of the bullpen.  Heath Bell is the top target, with Brandon League also on the radar.

Quick Hits: Hanley, Phillies, Zduriencik, Darvish

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The Mariners' losing streak extended to 14 games after dropping a 3-1 result to Boston today.  Seattle's 14-game skid ties a franchise record for consecutive losses.

Some news from around the majors….

  • In a radio appearance with Dan LeBatard (partially transcribed by Matt Forman of the Miami Herald), Jeff Conine said that if it was up to him, the Marlins would trade Hanley Ramirez.  Conine might have just been using the interview to vent, but given Conine's status as a special assistant to Marlins president David Samson, it's worth wondering if others in the Florida front office feel the same way about the club's star shortstop.
  • Also from Forman's post, Marlins manager Jack McKeon doesn't think his team will do much, if anything at the trade deadline.
  • Ruben Amaro's reputation for major trade deadline deals has raised expectations that the Phillies GM will make another big move this summer, writes Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • The Mariners' losing streak has erased the fact that the club was in the AL West hunt just two weeks ago.  GM Jack Zduriencik tells Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that he tried to find help for the Mariners' terrible offense but to no avail.  "That big bat doesn't seem to be out there at a reasonable cost. It's not as easy as saying, 'We need a bat. Let's go get a bat.' Great. Who's giving one up? Lots of clubs who are doing well are looking for a bat," Zduriencik said.
  • The Nationals still have an interest in Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • It's been almost 20 years since the Dodgers were last sellers at the trade deadline, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.
  • The Angels aren't expected to make any huge deals at the deadline, though Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times notes the Halos have been "eagerly courting" the Padres with the hopes of adding Heath Bell or Mike Adams.
  • Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer looks back at the Indians' history at the trade deadline since 1994.

Quick Hits: Nationals, Upton, Webb, Inge, Mariners

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With nine days remaining before the trade deadline, the biggest trade chips in baseball are arguably Carlos Beltran (latest rumors) and Hunter Pence (latest rumors). Here are some other relevant links from around MLB…

  • The Nationals are in greater need of outfield depth than infield help or a catcher, a baseball source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
  • The Rays pulled B.J. Upton and prospect Desmond Jennings from their respective games, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).  However, Upton says that he has not been traded, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
  • Rangers pitcher Brandon Webb will undergo surgery on his right shoulder with the intent to pitch again in 2012, according to his agent Jonathan Maurer.  This will not be a full surgery of the rotator cuff but it will prevent him from throwing for four months.
  • The Tigers would need to eat some salary to move Brandon Inge but teams still believe that the veteran has value, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
  • The Reds scouted Jason Vargas and Doug Fister when the Mariners visited Toronto this week, a source told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • Indians team president Mark Shapiro said that he expects the club will make a move in the next ten days, tweets Nick Camino of WTAM 1100.
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he’s looking for a bat to insert at the top of the order or in the middle of the lineup. However, the Reds are also open to acquiring pitching, either for the rotation or the bullpen. The Reds have lots of depth, but Jocketty says he “hates” trading prospects.
  • Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago hears that Hall of Fame executive Pat Gillick is open to a role with the Cubs. Gillick said last week that he's open to taking on a full-time role as a team president at some point in the future.
  • MLB talent evaluators tell Alex Speier of WEEI.com that the Red Sox have a number of players whose prospect status is starting to rise and who could become elite prospects within a year. Though the Adrian Gonzalez deal made a major dent in Boston’s farm system, Speier’s sources say the Red Sox still have secondary prospects who could be valuable trade bait this summer. Third baseman Will Middlebrooks and right-hander Anthony Ranaudo are among the organization’s top prospects.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports confirms that the Red Sox have had exploratory conversations with the Royals about Jeff Francoeur.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Slowey, Phillies

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Here are some late night links as Thursday turns into Friday…

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