Mariners Rumors

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.

Gammons Talks Trade Market

By Steve Adams | July 17, 2011 at 2:30pm CDT

Peter Gammons spoke with a host of scouts, general managers, and MLB executives, all of which is compiled in his latest piece at MLB.com, which is chock full of trade-related news:

The Astros are asking for as much in return for Wandy Rodriguez as the Rockies are for Ubaldo Jimenez. General manager Ed Wade is in a difficult position, caught between an ownership change.
Half a dozen teams are looking for right-handed offense, but the Rockies won't trade Ryan Spilborghs and the Cubs are holding onto Jeff Baker. Gammons says that reduces that market to Conor Jackson, Josh Willingham, Reed Johnson, Lastings Milledge, and Jeff Francoeur. The Twins recently announced they won't trade Michael Cuddyer as well.
The Dodgers want to shed salary, but don't have much to shed besides Jamey Carroll and Hiroki Kuroda. Gammons spoke with two East coast executives that said Kuroda, who has a full no-trade clause, won't accept a deal to an East Coast team.
The Athletics will move veteran bats and probably a reliever or two.
The Mariners won't have a fire sale, and aren't likely to get much for Erik Bedard in light of his injury.
The Nationals are willing to trade Tyler Clippard, and have been continually pursuing Michael Bourn. They're also one of several teams who showed interest in Julio Borbon prior to his injury.
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is in a tough spot because he doesn't know which way owner Peter Angelos wants him to go, according to a rival GM.
Jordan Pacheco and Wilin Rosario make it possible for the Rockies to trade Chris Iannetta, but the Red Sox seem content wth their catching options.

Mariners Release Charlie Haeger

By Mike Axisa | July 16, 2011 at 9:44pm CDT

The Mariners have released Charlie Haeger according to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League transactions page. Seattle signed the knuckleballer to a minor league contract in November.

Haeger, 27, started nine games for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate this season, posting a 7.74 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. He walked 42 and struck out just 35. Haeger has 83 big league innings to his credit, most coming with the Dodgers. He owns a 6.40 ERA with a 7.5 K/9 and 6.4 BB/9 as a Major Leaguer.

Olney’s Latest: Trade Market, Tigers, D’Backs, Beltran

By Mike Axisa | July 16, 2011 at 9:47am CDT

In today's Insider-only blog post, Buster Olney says that a high-ranking official told him the "dam is about ready to burst on the trade market." The number of phone calls is multiplying and everyone is getting more serious. "I think that once July 24 hits, that's when you're going to see a bunch of things happen," said an AL official. "There's a lot of talk."

Let's round up Olney's rumors…

The Tigers continue to look for high-end starters, not the third and fourth starter types that flood the market. They had scouts at Ubaldo Jimenez's most recent start.
The Diamondbacks are focused on less expensive relief pitchers, like Brad Ziegler and Jason Isringhausen.
The Mariners are pitching-rich and willing to listen to offers. Erik Bedard's knee may be healthy in time for him to make two starts before the deadline.
Josh Willingham "is going to be traded at some point."
Since the left-handed relief market is so thin, teams have begun scouting right-handed relievers that are effective against lefties. David Pauley, Mike Adams, Koji Uehara, Tyler Clippard, and Joel Peralta fit the bill.
In a tweet, Olney says the Mets are insisting on a top prospect in return for Carlos Beltran. He adds that pressure on the Giants to add a bat is decreasing as their division lead continues to grow.

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