Mariners Rumors

Quick Hits: Mariners, Slowey, Phillies

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2011 at 11:48pm CDT

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

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports spoke to rival executives who believe the only three Mariners off limits in trade talks are Felix Hernandez, Michael Pineda, and Dustin Ackley. Impending free agents like Adam Kennedy, Jack Wilson, and Jamey Wright are certainly on the block, but pitchers Jason Vargas, Brandon League, and Doug Fister would be the most interesting trade candidates.
The Blue Jays scouted Kevin Slowey's minor league rehab start on Wednesday night, tweets Morosi. They've had interest in him since Spring Training.
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says the Phillies are unlikely to add both a reliever and a right-handed bat before the trade deadline. Healthy returns from Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras could be all the bullpen help they need.

NL West Notes: Giambi, D’Backs, Ubaldo, Kuroda

By Mike Axisa | July 21, 2011 at 7:00pm CDT

The Padres sent Anthony Rizzo back to Triple-A today after he hit just .143/.282/.265 in a 117 plate appearance cameo. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reports (on Twitter) that Kyle Blanks will get called up to take Rizzo's place after hitting a stout .351/.421/.716 in Triple-A. Let's recap the rest of the news out of the NL West…

"I'd be shocked if we didn’t make some trades," said Padres GM Jed Hoyer to Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio (Twitter link). "It'd be foolish not to get some prospects … we’re not in a position to have untouchables."
"There's not a lot of starting pitching depth in the trade market that is really appealing to us," said Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (Twitter links). They are still focused on acquiring bullpen help.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Rockies are drawing interest in Jason Giambi (Twitter link). Giambi's preference is to stay with Colorado, and they will consult him before making a move.
The Diamondbacks intend to replace Stephen Drew from within with the likes of Willie Bloomquist, Geoff Blum, and Cody Ransom according Rosenthal (Twitter links). Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that Arizona isn't targeting Jack Wilson of the Mariners.
ESPN's Buster Olney says (on Twitter) that any move the D'Backs make will be geared towards 2012 as well as 2011. They won't trade prime pieces for rental players.
Teams are convinced that the availability of Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez is just a Justin Upton-esque "trial balloon," according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). That makes Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers the best pitcher on the market, but he may invoke his no-trade clause.
Meanwhile, Rosenthal tweets that Kuroda will decide whether or not to waive his no-trade clause on a case-by-case basis. He won't give the Dodgers a list of teams he'd accept/decline a trade to. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick wrote more on the right-hander's situation.

Phillies Notes: Pence, Singleton, Mariners

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2011 at 7:38pm CDT

The Phillies have discussed Melky Cabrera, are one of the favorites to land Carlos Beltran and maintain interest in relievers, including Leo Nunez. Here's the latest, as we await Ruben Amaro Jr.'s next surprise move…

The Phillies have asked the Astros about Hunter Pence, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Pence is available and rival executives expect him to be traded.
Amaro and Astros GM Ed Wade have combined on deals involving Roy Oswalt, Sergio Escalona and others, as our Transaction Tracker shows.
The Phillies are open to dealing Jonathan Singleton, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff (Twitter link).
Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner says we should expect the Mariners to pursue Singleton if that’s the case (Twitter link). Seattle likes Singleton, according to Cameron.
As our Transaction Tracker shows, Amaro and Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik have made deals involving Mike Sweeney and, of course, Cliff Lee.

Mariners Agree To Sign Victor Sanchez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2011 at 6:31pm CDT

The Mariners have agreed to sign Victor Sanchez for an unknown amount, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The right-hander was considered by many to be the top pitching prospect in Venezuela and possibly all of Latin America.

Scouts have been eyeing Sanchez since he was 13 and he has since developed into a physically mature pitcher with a power arm and a feel for pitching, according to Badler. The 16-year-old has power as a hitter, but he doesn't make enough contact for teams to convert him into a position player. Sanchez can touch 94 with his fastball and he has a plus slider. His price tag was expected to be in the $2.5MM range, Badler writes.

To follow all the rumors on Venezuelan ballplayers in Spanish, check out our peloteros venezolanos category over at Rumores de Béisbol.

West Notes: Pentland, Bell, Breslow, Bedard

By Tim Dierkes | July 20, 2011 at 11:48am CDT

The latest on a few AL and NL West clubs…

The Dodgers fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland and named Dave Hansen interim coach through season's end, the team announced on Twitter. Not that it's entirely Pentland's fault, but the Dodgers are 15th in the NL with 3.63 runs scored per game.
Padres closer Heath Bell appeared on ESPN's Doug Gottlieb show yesterday. He thinks his top three suitors are the Rangers, Phillies, and Cardinals, and believes he'd probably close only for the Cards. SI's Jon Heyman says the Padres have considered taking draft picks for Bell after the season or re-signing him if they don't get what they want this month. Heyman lists the Phillies, Reds, Rangers, Cardinals, Pirates, Angels, (and the White Sox and Yankees to a lesser degree) as suitors. By the way, check out our Bell archive over at CloserNews for fantasy advice.
Athletics lefty Craig Breslow interests the Brewers, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi expects many A's to be dealt this month, and notes that the Rangers, Orioles, Giants, Pirates, Blue Jays, Brewers and Reds scouted Tuesday's game in Detroit.
Trade candidate Erik Bedard will likely have his return delayed until after the Mariners' series with Boston at Fenway this weekend, reports Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. He might have one start to display his health prior to the July deadline.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told SI's Jon Heyman he hasn't heard nor has he asked about his situation. Zduriencik's contract is up after this season.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti explained to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times that "it's not that cut and dry" to label his club buyers or sellers. Though the team has no chance in 2011, Colletti may be willing to acquire players who are controlled beyond this year.

Red Sox Not Pursuing Anyone Aggressively Right Now

By Tim Dierkes | July 20, 2011 at 8:41am CDT

The Red Sox are "not pursuing anyone aggressively right now," a source familiar with the team's thinking told WEEI's Alex Speier. Instead, the team is currently trying to determine which internal solutions will work. We've heard the Red Sox named as one of the most aggressive suitors for Carlos Beltran, but that may not be the case.

The Sox are still taking their normal approach of "inquiring about anyone who may make an appreciable difference to the team," in the words of the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. Cafardo says the Red Sox have inquired on Beltran, Ubaldo Jimenez, Felix Hernandez, Jose Reyes, Jeff Francoeur, Jeff Baker, Michael Cuddyer, Ty Wigginton, Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Jeremy Guthrie, Ryan Ludwick, Josh Willingham, Conor Jackson, Ryan Spilborghs, Mike Adams, and others. The team needs include starting pitching, a reliever, an outfielder, and a shortstop, but the Red Sox may prefer internal options in many cases.

Reds Eyeing Wandy, Figgins, Crisp

By Tim Dierkes | July 19, 2011 at 8:40pm CDT

Danny Knobler of CBS Sports has three new names on the Reds' radar: Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez, Mariners third baseman Chone Figgins, and Athletics center fielder Coco Crisp.

The Reds have strong interest in Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez, says Knobler, and have looked into Rodriguez. Wandy would be much easier to acquire in general, though there is the wrinkle of trading with a division rival and a GM who might fear losing his job in Ed Wade.

Figgins and Crisp would fit the Reds as leadoff types, though neither is getting on base much this year. The Mariners would likely pick up much of the $19.9MM that will be owed to Figgins through 2013. Figgins or Crisp would presumably play left field for the Reds.

Mariners Rumors: Felix, League

By Tim Dierkes | July 19, 2011 at 12:23pm CDT

The Mariners are sellers, and they might be willing to part with decent pitching. Here's the latest…

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik still plans to retain ace Felix Hernandez, he tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the Yankees occasionally check in to see if the team will change its stance, but there's no indication they'll budge. Yesterday, though, CBS' Danny Knobler reported that the Mariners are willing to discuss starters Jason Vargas and Doug Fister. Both seem capable of ERAs around 4.00 going forward.
The Mariners are fielding a heavy volume of calls on closer Brandon League, reports Jon Paul Morosi. Morosi believes League is favorable to Mike Adams in some regards. Both are under team control through 2012. Fantasy leaguers might want to add David Pauley in the event League is traded, writes Dan Mennella at CloserNews.
The Mariners need to raise payroll and add offense, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.

Rosenthal On GM Job Security

By Tim Dierkes | July 19, 2011 at 8:45am CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tells us which GMs are on the hot seat in his latest column. A few details…

Ed Wade (Astros) and Jim Hendry (Cubs) are deemed to be on the hot seat. New Astros owner Jim Crane is expected to try to lure Rays decision-maker Andrew Friedman with the chance to run his hometown team. As for the Cubs, Rosenthal finds speculation of a Pat Gillick-Hendry pairing to be far-fetched. Rosenthal notes that the Cubs job, which has been occupied by Hendry for more than nine years, "might draw interest from some of the game's top current GMs."
Jack Zduriencik (Mariners), Tony Reagins (Angels), and Dave Dombrowski (Tigers) are viewed as "less than secure."
Brian Cashman (Yankees) and Andy MacPhail (Orioles) are in the final year of their contracts. Rosenthal says "even some of Cashman’s friends in the industry think he might be ready to bolt." Rosenthal says it'd be an upset if MacPhail returns for Baltimore.
Ned Colletti (Dodgers) and Kenny Williams (White Sox) are in unusual positions. Colletti has an out after 2012, and of course his club is a picture of uncertainty. As for Williams, he could theoretically become club president to allow the team to retain Rick Hahn, but Rosenthal's sources believe "such an arrangement would be difficult on both men."
Rosenthal tosses a "you never know" tag on Doug Melvin (Brewers) and Bill Smith (Twins), but finds the Pirates' Neal Huntington secure.
We'll have much more on the topic of GM candidates next month. But in MLBTR's survey of dozens of team executives and agents, the following people were named as candidates at least five times: Hahn, Jerry Dipoto, Thad Levine, David Forst, Ben Cherington, Tony LaCava, Mike Chernoff, Bryan Minniti, A.J. Preller, and Billy Eppler.

Knobler On Tigers, Vargas, Fister, Marlins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 18, 2011 at 3:21pm CDT

Danny Knobler of CBS Sports has the latest on the market for starters, from Miami to Detroit to Seattle. Here’s the latest:

Though the Tigers are a possible destination for Carlos Beltran, they've been focusing all of their attention on upgrading their rotation at this point (Twitter link). Derek Lowe and Jeremy Guthrie are two of the pitchers who have drawn the Tigers' interest.
The Mariners have suggested to teams that they would discuss dealing starting pitching – specifically Jason Vargas and Doug Fister, according to Knobler. They may not get much for Erik Bedard, but they're getting calls on Adam Kennedy and Jamey Wright.
Though the Marlins will consider trading Javier Vazquez, Leo Nunez and Randy Choate, they won't talk about Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez or Josh Johnson, according to Knobler. The Marlins are looking to add starting pitching and a third baseman, though those moves may not happen this month.

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