Mariners Rumors

Trade Reaction: Ubaldo, Rangers, Furcal, Mariners

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 31, 2011 at 9:30pm CDT

We've seen dozens of deals completed this month. To help you make sense of it all, here are some reactions to the moves from around MLB…

Yahoo's Jeff Passan breaks down the deadline for all 30 teams. The Astros might receive Passan's harshest criticism. Passan's response to this morning's Michael Bourn trade: "To send him to Atlanta without getting at least Mike Minor or Randall Delgado, let alone Julio Teheran or Arodys Vizcaino, shows a deep misunderstanding by GM Ed Wade of the proper way to rebuild." Ouch.
The Rangers, Phillies, Braves, Giants and Mets are winners for ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Yankees, Angels, Reds and Cubs are losers, Stark writes. The Astros face harsh criticism once again: "They're basically starting to shape themselves for 2015," one NL executive told Stark. "It's almost like they're doing an expansion team."
Brian Sabean (Giants), Jon Daniels (Rangers), Dan O'Dowd (Rockies) and Jed Hoyer (Padres) are among the general managers on Jim Bowden's list of top deadline deal-makers at ESPN.com.
In a separate piece, Passan looks back at flameout rates for pitching prospects and concludes that the Indians made a great deal in acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez for a package of players including Drew Pomeranz and Alex White.
One front office polled its members about winners and losers and the Rangers were the unanimous top choice, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
ESPN.com's Keith Law says Rafael Furcal is an upgrade for the Cardinals at short because St. Louis didn't have any legitimate alternatives. Furcal, Law writes, is an average defender with a plus arm.
The Mariners did well to acquire Charlie Furbush, Francisco Martinez, Casper Wells and one of the Tigers' top three picks from the 2010 draft for David Pauley and Doug Fister, who benefit from spacious Safeco Field, Law writes.
Law says the Mariners did well to obtain Trayvon Robinson for two months of Erik Bedard and Josh Fields ("a throw-in"), but he isn't sure what the Dodgers were doing in this deal.
The Rangers' bullpen will be substantially better with Mike Adams and Koji Uehara, Law writes at ESPN.com. San Diego gets Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland from the Rangers, two pitchers who "make up in probability for what they might lack in upside."

AL West Trades

By Zachary Links | July 31, 2011 at 9:00pm CDT

Everyone in the AL West made a trade this month, with the exception of the Halos..

Angels

No trades completed.

Athletics

Acquired first baseman Brandon Allen and reliever Jordan Norberto from the Diamondbacks for right-hander Brad Ziegler.

Mariners

Acquired outfielders Trayvon Robinson from the Dodgers and Chih-Hsien Chiang from the Red Sox in a three-team deal. Boston received starter Erik Bedard and reliever Josh Fields from Seattle. Meanwhile, Boston sent catcher Tim Federowicz, reliever Juan Rodriguez, and starter Stephen Fife to Los Angeles.
Acquired third baseman Francisco Martinez, outfielder Casper Wells, southpaw Charlie Furbush, and a player to be named later from the Tigers for starter Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley. The PTBNL is reportedly one of the Tigers' top three picks from the 2010 draft, meaning that it's either Nick Castellanos, Chance Ruffin, or Drew Smyly.
Received cash considerations from the Diamondbacks for Ryan Langerhans.

Rangers

Acquired reliever Mike Adams from the Padres for pitching prospects Joe Wieland and Robbie Erlin.
Acquired Koji Uehara and $2MM from the Orioles for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter.
Acquired Nick Green and cash considerations from the Orioles for lefty reliever Zach Phillips.

Red Sox Acquire Erik Bedard In Three-Team Deal

By Tim Dierkes | July 31, 2011 at 3:14pm CDT

Southpaw Erik Bedard hasn't pitched into August since 2007, but the Red Sox are hoping he can bolster their rotation for the rest of the season. The Sox acquired Bedard from Seattle today in a complicated trade:

Red Sox get: starter Erik Bedard, reliever Josh Fields (both from Mariners)
Mariners get: outfielder Trayvon Robinson (from Dodgers), outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang (from Red Sox)
Dodgers get: catcher Tim Federowicz, reliever Juan Rodriguez, starter Stephen Fife (all from Red Sox)

Bedard, 32, has a 3.45 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.08 HR/9, and 41.7% groundball rate in 91 1/3 innings this year. That's his highest innings total since '07, as he endured multiple shoulder surgeries. With Daisuke Matsuzaka out for the season, Clay Buchholz battling back problems, and Jon Lester missing time this month with a strained shoulder muscle, the Sox will take whatever they can get from Bedard. Bedard recently returned from a month-long layoff due to a knee sprain. He's owed only $324K in additional base salary, but can make millions more in incentives.

In Robinson, the Mariners came away with the best prospect in the deal. The 23-year-old outfielder is hitting .293/.375/.563 at Triple-A. Baseball America ranked him tenth among Dodgers prospects heading into the season, saying he's "loaded with athleticism" and "could have four average or better tools." Chiang, signed by the Red Sox out of Taiwan in 2006, has a breakout .338/.399/.647 line at Double-A. The Mariners added two quality outfield prospects without giving up much.

The Ms did have to surrender Josh Fields, their first-round draft pick from 2008. The 25-year-old has experienced control problems in the high minors. Baseball America ranked him 24th among Mariners prospects prior to the season, writing, "he could be a useful middle reliever if he can tighten up his control."

Federowicz, a 23-year-old Double-A catcher, must have been the key to the deal for the Dodgers. He's a well-regarded defensive backstop, but has a .275/.337/.397 line at Double-A. Overall Dodgers' involvement is a bit of a head-scratcher, but we'll see if prospect experts agree.

Rodriguez, 22, has a 5.19 ERA with 13.4 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 59 innings of relief at Class A this year. In parts of four professional seasons, he has a 3.31 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9. Fife, 24, has spent the past two seasons in the rotation of Boston's Double-A affiliate at Portland. He has a 3.66 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 103 1/3 innings this year.

Jon Heyman, Gordon Edes, and Jon Heyman broke the story with ESPN.com's Buster Olney reporting the specifics of the trade. Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Erik Bedard Rumors: Sunday

By Tim Dierkes | July 31, 2011 at 10:01am CDT

The latest on Mariners southpaw Erik Bedard…

The Red Sox, Cardinals, and one other team are eyeing Bedard, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
The Mariners and Cardinals are discussing Bedard, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He adds that the ball is in the Cardinals' court. Acquiring Bedard would give the Cards strong rotation depth, as they added Edwin Jackson on Wednesday.

Quick Hits: Slowey, Royals, Lee, Reddick

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 30, 2011 at 11:27pm CDT

For a while, it seemed as though we'd have a quiet trade deadline. So much for that – today we saw Ubaldo Jimenez, Derrek Lee, Orlando Cabrera, Rich Harden, Koji Uehara, Chris Davis, Tommy Hunter, Jason Marquis, Mike Aviles, Jerry Hairston Jr., Doug Fister and David Pauley all get traded. Let's gear up for the deadline itself with another round of links…

The Twins would like to move Kevin Slowey and the Rockies are interested, though they don't want to pay too much for him, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
Teams are still calling on Bruce Chen, Jeff Francis and Kyle Davies of the Royals, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). Any deal will likely come at the deadline tomorrow.
Teams are still inquiring on Brandon League, even though top Mariners executives have said he's going nowhere, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
Rangers GM Jon Daniels expects a quiet day tomorrow, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
The Astros would love to convince Carlos Lee that there's no point in refusing to waive his no-trade clause, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
The Astros wanted a package of players including Josh Reddick and Kyle Weiland from the Red Sox for Hunter Pence, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.

Tigers Acquire Doug Fister, David Pauley

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2011 at 3:51pm CDT

3:51pm: The player to be named later in this trade is one of the Tigers' top three picks from the 2010 draft, tweets ESPN's Shannon Drayer. That means Nick Castellanos, Chance Ruffin, or Drew Smyly. I'm guessing Ruffin or Smyly.

12:08pm: The Tigers added pitching today, acquiring starter Doug Fister and reliever David Pauley from the Mariners for third baseman Francisco Martinez, outfielder Casper Wells, southpaw Charlie Furbush, and a player to be named later. The Tigers have Fister for the long haul, as he's under team control through 2015 and isn't arbitration eligible until after next season. Both teams have confirmed the trade.

Fister, 27, has a 3.33 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.43 HR/9, and 46.4% groundball rate in 146 innings this year. The big righty's walk rate ranks seventh in the AL, his innings total tenth. His 6.95 innings per start average is a welcome contrast from the Tigers' non-Verlander starters, who all average around six. Drafted in the seventh round in 2006, Fister (pictured) never cracked a Baseball America top 30 Mariners prospect list, but he's become a solid mid-rotation innings eater. The acquisition sets up the Tigers' front four starters beyond this season, with Brad Penny eligible for free agency but Fister, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Rick Porcello under team control.

Pauley, 28, has a 2.15 ERA, 5.6 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 0.33 HR/9, and 49.0% groundball rate in 54 1/3 relief innings for Seattle this year. His relief innings total ranks second in the American League. He's potentially under team control through 2015 as well. Pauley adds depth to the Tigers' bullpen with righty Al Alburquerque battling elbow inflammation. Those holding Pauley in fantasy leagues can probably cut bait, explains Dan Mennella of CloserNews.

Martinez, 20, is currently with the Tigers' Double-A club. Baseball America ranked him fourth among Tigers prospects prior to the season, noting he's always played against older competition and has projection remaining.

Wells, 26, is hitting .257/.323/.451 in 125 plate appearances for the Tigers. A right-handed hitter, Wells can play all three outfield positions. Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked Wells 19th among Tigers prospects, explaining that "his holes at the plate will limit him to being a role player in the big leagues."

Furbush, a 25-year-old rookie, has a 3.62 ERA in 32 1/3 innings this year, mostly in relief. This year at Triple-A he posted a 3.17 ERA, 10.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 1.2 HR/9 in 54 innings. Baseball America ranked him 26th among Tigers prospects prior to the season, noting that the Tommy John survivor used deception to rack up strikeouts in the minors. Furbush lacks a true plus pitch, according to BA. As for the player to be named later, he'll be chosen from a group of three on or before August 20th according to Jon Paul Morosi.

GMs Dave Dombrowski and Jack Zduriencik hooked up on a trade almost exactly two years ago, when the Tigers acquired Jarrod Washburn, according to our Transaction Tracker.

Jerry Crasnick first reported the two teams were making progress, while Danny Knobler, Jon Heyman, and Larry Stone added details. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Tigers Acquire Doug Fister, David Pauley

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2011 at 12:05am CDT

10:40am: Larry Stone of the Seattle Times tweets that the Mariners will also get a player to be named later, and it could be a "pretty significant name." The Tigers may make one more trade before tomorrow, tweets Jon Paul Morosi.

10:29am: The Mariners well also receive third base prospect Francisco Martinez in the trade, tweets Knobler.

10:09am: The Tigers will receive Fister and Pauley for Furbush, outfielder Casper Wells, and more, tweets Knobler.

10:03am: The Tigers acquired Fister, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.

9:30am: The Tigers are "closing in on a deal" for Fister, reports Knobler. In another tweet, he indicates that Mariners reliever David Pauley may be involved.

9:05am: Lefty Charlie Furbush is among the players expected to go to Seattle in a Fister trade, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The Tigers are trying to get a reliever other than Brandon League as well.

8:48am: The Tigers are making progress on a deal for Mariners righty Doug Fister, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, with hopes of getting something done today.

Fister, 27, has a 3.33 ERA, 5.5 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.43 HR/9, and 46.4% groundball rate in 146 innings this year. His walk rate ranks seventh in the AL, his innings total tenth. His 6.95 innings per start average is a welcome contrast from the Tigers' non-Verlander starters, who all average around six. Drafted in the seventh round in 2006, Fister never cracked a Baseball America top 30 Mariners prospect list, but he's become a solid mid-rotation innings eater. He's under team control through 2015 and won't be arbitration eligible until after next season.

GMs Dave Dombrowski and Jack Zduriencik hooked up on a trade almost exactly two years ago, when the Tigers acquired Jarrod Washburn, according to our Transaction Tracker.

Bedard, Guthrie Have Contrasting Starts

By Tim Dierkes | July 29, 2011 at 10:42pm CDT

10:42pm: The Mariners appeared to be waiting until after this start to advance Bedard talks, a source tells WEEI's Alex Speier. The start won't necessarily cause suitors to drop out.

10:04pm: Mariners lefty Erik Bedard missed a month between starts due to a knee strain, and the rust showed tonight against the Rays. He threw 57 pitches, about half of them strikes, allowing four walks, three hits, and five earned runs in 1 1/3 innings (Aaron Laffey allowed a couple of inherited runners to score). The game was reportedly scouted by at least the Red Sox, Yankees, and Tigers. Bedard's character also took a couple of hits tonight courtesy of former Orioles executive Jim Duquette, though Bruce Chen had his back.

Orioles righty Jeremy Guthrie, on the other hand, fired seven innings of one-run ball against the Yankees to lower his ERA to 4.18. The contest was scouted by the Cardinals, Tigers, Brewers, and Rangers at the least, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Red Sox have also been linked to Guthrie, though Ken Rosenthal tweeted earlier today that the Orioles have been unmoved by the offers for their ace.

Mariners Designate Jack Cust For Assignment

By Tim Dierkes | July 29, 2011 at 4:59pm CDT

The Mariners designated Jack Cust for assignment to open a spot on the active roster for Erik Bedard, announced the team. The move drops the team's 40-man roster count to 39.

Cust, 32, hit .213/.344/.329 in 270 plate appearances for the Mariners, all as a designated hitter. His slugging percentage had been slipping in recent years, but this year it fell off a cliff as he provided only 19 extra-base hits. Cust, a left-handed hitter, signed a $2.5MM deal with Seattle in December after being non-tendered by Oakland.

D’Backs Acquire Ryan Langerhans

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 29, 2011 at 3:51pm CDT

The Mariners announced that they traded Ryan Langerhans to the Diamondbacks for cash considerations. The move clears a roster spot for former Diamondbacks outfielder Wily Mo Pena at Triple-A Tacoma. Langerhans will report to the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate in Reno.

Langerhans, a nine-year Major League veteran, hit .173/.317/.346 in 64 plate appearances with the Mariners this year and has a .226/.333/.372 line over the course of his career. The 31-year-old was hitting well in Tacoma, where he had a .313/.416/.584 line in 255 plate appearances.

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