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Mariners May Move Aardsma On Saturday

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The Mariners may move David Aardsma on Saturday, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). 

Aardsma, 28, has a 4.59 ERA on the year with 9.7 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.  Recently we have learned that the Tigers are keeping tabs on him, the Giants inquired on him, and the Red Sox have explored a trade for him (and roughly fifteen other relievers).

When the Giants asked about Aardsma, the M's countered by offering their closer and Jose Lopez for Pablo Sandoval, but Jack Zduriencik & Co. were rebuffed.

Red Sox Have Explored Trades For Many Relievers

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FRIDAY, 1:03am: Theo Epstein has discussed multiple possible trades with former Red Sox assistant GM and current Padres GM Jed Hoyer, according to Peter Abraham and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Globe duo believes Boston could have interest in a reliever like Joe Thatcher, and, given the team's excess of outfielders when Jacoby Ellsbury returns, they may match up with San Diego.

THURSDAY, 12:59pm: Though they're on his no-trade list, the Red Sox asked the Brewers about Trevor Hoffman, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal adds that the Brewers are not inclined to move Hoffman.  Meanwhile they're getting calls on Carlos Villanueva and Todd Coffey.

12:05pm: The Red Sox are leaving no rock unturned in their search for relief help.  They've explored Rafael Perez, Will Ohman, Mike Gonzalez, Matt Capps, Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, Sean Marshall, Kerry Wood, David Aardsma, and Kyle Farnsworth, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Cafardo says Scott Downs looks unlikely unless the Blue Jays back down from their top prospect requests.  On a related note, SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Jays asked the Mets for outfield prospect Kirk Nieuwenhuis and one other player for Downs and were denied. 

Marshall is the interesting name here.  The 27-year-old lefty has had a dominant year in relief, posting a 1.71 ERA, 10.4 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in 52.6 innings with one home run allowed.  He's been especially strong against lefties.  Marshall is under team control through 2012 and would presumably be very difficult to pry loose from the Cubs.  Gonzalez is another surprising name, since he's spent most of the season on the shelf with a shoulder injury and is still owed good money.

Cafardo adds that the Red Sox have been shopping reliever Ramon Ramirez, and offers the opinion that a National League team might want to take a look at him.  Ramirez has a 4.57 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 3.3 BB/9 in 41.3 innings with six home runs allowed and is a potential non-tender candidate after the season.

Giants Inquired On David Aardsma

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The Giants inquired on Mariners closer David Aardsma, MLBTR has learned.  However, the Mariners countered by offering Aardsma and Jose Lopez for Pablo Sandoval and were turned down.

Aardsma was a first-round pick of Brian Sabean's Giants back in '03 but was traded to the Cubs with Jerome Williams two years later for LaTroy Hawkins and cash.  His peripheral stats haven't changed much since last year, and his groundball rate is actually up, but his ERA increased from 2.52 to 4.73.  One plus is that he's under team control through 2012.  Lopez, a potential non-tender candidate for the Mariners after the season, doesn't seem to hold much trade value despite last year's 25 home run campaign.

Sandoval has seen a big downturn this year, with a .263/.325/.384 line after last year's amazing performance garnered MVP votes.  His injuries have seemingly been minor, though he is just returning from personal leave.  Sandoval remains under team control through 2014 and the Giants probably aren't inclined to sell low.

Giants Eyeing Scott Downs, Brandon League

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Add the Giants to the teams pursuing Blue Jays lefty Scott Downs, based on this tweet from SI's Jon Heyman.  From the right side, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote last night that they are "investigating" Seattle's Brandon League.

Downs has drawn attention from the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Reds, Twins, Dodgers, Rockies, and Phillies this month, but the asking price is huge at the moment.  It's been quieter on the League front, though the Tigers are known to be keeping tabs on him.  League holds the added appeal of being under team control through 2012.

Mariners Release Joe Nelson

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The Mariners released Joe Nelson, according to the transactions page for the Pacific Coast League. The Mariners signed Nelson in June and stashed the 35-year-old in Triple A after the Red Sox designated him for assignment.

Nelson had a 9.72 ERA in 8.1 big league innings this year, walking six and striking out nine. The 35-year-old has often posted high strikeout and walk rates in his MLB career and that trend didn't stop in the Mariners organization. The right-hander struck out a batter per inning at Triple A Tacoma, but allowed ten hits in eight innings, walking seven for a 6.75 ERA.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Phillies, White Sox, Tigers, Lilly

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Links for Saturday evening..

  • The Cubs signed second-round selection Reggie Golden for a bonus of $720K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.  Golden, the 65th overall pick in the draft, received a bonus $157K more than MLB's recommendation for his draft position.
  • Scouts from the Astros, Tigers, Rays, Red Sox, and Pirates were all in attendance at Phillies-Rockies today, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.
  • During FOX's telecast of Mets-Dodgers, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Phillies have scratched Double-A starter J.C. Ramirez from his Sunday start, though he is not injured.  The move, he says, could be an indication that a trade is in the works.
  • White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen thinks clubs are asking for too much in trade talks, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • Tigers manager Jim Leyland wants to hang on to his young talent unless the club can get something special in return, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
  • Despite some recent reports to the contrary, Cubs officials told Carrie Muskat of MLB.com that there is nothing imminent regarding Ted Lilly.
  • The Mets are "near-certain" to non-tender John Maine this winter, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  The right-hander underwent season-ending surgery on his right shoulder yesterday.
  • It's unlikely that the M's move Jason Vargas, a Seattle official told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

Red Sox Acquire Jack Hannahan

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Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe writes that "various reports" have indicated that Boston has acquired Jack Hannahan from Seattle in exchange for either money or a player to be named later.  Pawtucket Red Sox radio announcer Dan Hoard was the first to break the news via his Twitter feed.

Hannahan has a .658 OPS in 981 career major league plate appearances with Detroit, Oakland and Seattle, though the injury-plagued Red Sox no doubt value Hannahan's versatility over his bat.  Hannahan has played at least 10 games at shortstop, third base and second base this season for Triple-A Tacoma, and also has significant experience playing first in both the minors and majors.  He has spent the entire season in Tacoma and was actually designated for assignment by the Mariners last month.  

Crasnick On The Bullpen Market

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ESPN's Jerry Crasnick does a nice job profiling the underwhelming market for relievers.  The Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays, Phillies, and Twins could be looking to make an acquisition.  A few tidbits…

  • The Astros "will gladly talk about Brandon Lyon, but aren't so interested in discussing Matt Lindstrom."  Lyon is still owed $12.48MM through 2012.
  • Crasnick points out that Octavio Dotel is not a pitcher you want facing lefties.  How about D.J. Carrasco?  He's quietly having another decent year, he's cheap, and he's under team control through 2012.  Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweeted yesterday that at least five teams have inquired.
  • Crasnick finds "the consensus" to be that Mariners closer David Aardsma will be dealt before the deadline.  The Tigers have been linked to the hard-throwing righty, whose ERA is up several runs this year despite his strikeout and walk rates remaining stable.  Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times feels the Mariners would need their socks knocked off to move Aardsma. 
  • Chad Qualls, Clay Hensley, and most of the Brewers' and Royals' pens also merit consideration as trade bait.

Red Sox Rumors: Relievers, Beltre

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Red Sox rumors from those covering the team…

Mariners Sign Three International Free Agents

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The Mariners announced the signings of Dominican righty Rigoberto Garcia and Venezuelan lefties Erick Gomez and Luis Pina today. The team also confirmed the signings of three other international prospects.

Vice president of international operations Bob Engle describes Garcia as “a tall young man who has strong arm and all the makings to become a true power pitcher.” Engle cites Garcia’s solid fastball and compares the 16-year-old to Mariners prospect Michael Pineda.

Gomez, 17, is a “poised young projection pitcher,” Engle says. Pina, 17 in December, has a “good feel for pitching,” though Engle expects him to have to adjust his delivery. The Mariners say they will continue to sign international prospects throughout the year.

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