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NL Central Links: Greinke, Duncan, Reds

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Here's the latest from the NL Central…

  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he hasn't received many phone calls about Zack Greinke, though some teams have subtly expressed interest, reports Tom Haudricourt of the MIlwaukee Journal Sentinel.  “I think, respectfully, general managers don't call when you're eight games out [in the division], six games out of a wild card," Melvin said. "They don't call but their let their interest be known in a different way. Their scouts will talk to our scouts and say, 'We're interested in somebody.' "
  • Melvin also said that it's doubtful Greinke would sign an extension with the Brewers before the trade deadline. "When players get this close (to free agency), there's not many that will sign, at that (talent) level,” said Melvin. “He's a difference-maker to a team that's got a chance to go to the post-season. Unless you're raising the bar (to a higher salary), you usually go on the market.”
  • Dave Duncan served on Tony LaRussa's staff for the All-Star Game but otherwise, the veteran pitching coach seems like he is retired, writes Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Duncan took a leave of absence from the Cardinals last winter to take care of his wife, who is suffering from brain cancer.
  • The Reds need a leadoff hitter, and John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer speculates that Juan Pierre or Denard Span could be a fit.  Fay says it's possible the Reds could acquire a center fielder instead of a left fielder, as Drew Stubbs has struggled this season.

Cardinals Continue To Seek Pitching

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The Cardinals continue looking for starting pitching depth and the team will consider adding a left-handed reliever, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. GM John Mozeliak has suggested a major acquisition is less likely than a modest upgrade, Strauss writes. 

Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels probably won’t be traded to St. Louis this year. The Cardinals are unwilling to trade from their MLB roster, but they may be willing to discuss trades for top pitching prospect Shelby Miller for the first time, according to Strauss. Miller, who entered the season as the 8th-best prospect in the game, according to Baseball America, has struggled in 17 starts at Triple-A, posting a 6.17 ERA.

Though second base is a potential area of need for the Cardinals, Strauss suggests the team is likely to focus on making moves to improve the pitching staff. I recently previewed the trade market for starting pitchers and second basemen.

Padres Notes: Street, Ownership

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The Padres are tied for last place in the NL West with a 34-53 record, but there's lots of intrigue for Padres fans this summer. Carlos Quentin, Chase Headley and Huston Street are among the players who figure to draw interest from rival teams as the July 31st trade deadline approaches. Here's the latest on the Padres…

  • The Padres have scouted the Cardinals and will watch one of St. Louis’ top minor league affiliates this week, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Street, San Diego’s closer, could be targeted by the Cardinals in trade talks. He says he prefers to continue closing if he’s traded.
  • Commissioner Bud Selig told reporters, including Scott Miller of CBSSports.com, that he doesn’t know if the Padres’ sale will be completed by the owners meetings scheduled for next month (Twitter link). "I understand they [still] have two or three weeks of work," the commissioner said.

Cardinals Interested In Brian Fuentes

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The Cardinals are interested in trading for Athletics left-hander Brian Fuentes, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Oakland designated the reliever for assignment on Tuesday after he posted a 6.84 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 26 appearances.

The Cardinals currently have two left-handers in their bullpen but could benefit from adding Fuentes to the mix as Marc Rzepczynski (5.52 ERA) has struggled and Barret Browning has only pitched 4.1 innings in his entire Major League career. Fuentes, 37 in August, is in the second year of a two-year, $10.5MM contract he signed following the 2010 season. He'll earn $5MM this year and his contract includes a $6.5MM club option for 2013 ($500K buyout).

Tigers Interested In Matt Garza

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The Tigers have interest in Matt Garza, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). The Cubs recently scouted Detroit's Erie affiliate, but talks are not serious. The Blue Jays, Indians, Reds, Red Sox, Diamondbacks and Cardinals all scouted Garza's start last night, Morosi adds.

The Cubs and Tigers discussed a deal involving Matt Garza this past January without reaching an agreement. Though the Tigers continue to get Cy Young-type production from Justin Verlander, starters Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer have been inconsistent so far this year.

Garza, 28, earns $9.5MM and will remain under team control through 2013. He has a 4.32 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 through 93 2.3 innings.

Rosenthal On Red Sox, Blue Jays, Greinke, A’s

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We hear a lot of talk about buyers and sellers this time of year, but as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out in his latest column, some teams will do neither this summer and other teams will do both. Here are Rosenthal’s latest notes with less than four weeks to go before July 31st:

  • The Red Sox could be positioned to trade an outfielder this month if their rehabbing players return as expected. Boston figures to pursue starting depth in trades; the Red Sox aren’t considering trades involving Josh Beckett.
  • The Yankees will probably not sign Josh Hamilton or Cole Hamels this offseason, since they aim to avoid the MLB luxury tax by 2014 and that means cutting back on extravagant free agent signings.
  • Under GM Frank Wren the Braves won more games while spending less money than every team but the Rays from 2009-11, Rosenthal notes. 
  • If the Blue Jays trade players on the brink of free agency such as Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson, they’d look to acquire players who can help them win next year. And if the Blue Jays don’t like what other teams are offering, they’ll keep their potential free agents. Toronto’s not likely to overpay in a “go for it” trade, Rosenthal writes.
  • The Blue Jays aren’t trading Colby Rasmus, who has become more driven, according to a team official. 
  • Rosenthal suggests the Athletics could look to acquire players midseason if they stay in the playoff mix. Bartolo Colon is the player the A’s are most likely to trade, Rosenthal writes.
  • The Mets are actively seeking relief help, but it’s highly doubtful they’d trade for Huston Street, who publicly criticized Mets bench coach Bob Geren last year. The Mets, who insist they won’t trade top prospects, are likely to wait until the end of the month before making any trades.
  • The Cardinals wouldn’t be willing to meet the Brewers’ asking price for Zack Greinke, Rosenthal notes. St. Louis is more likely to pursue a mid-rotation starter.
  • The Diamondbacks believe they need a third baseman more than a starting pitcher.

Central Notes: Greinke, Cardinals, Garza, Royals

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Here is the latest from baseball's two Central divisions, which house two of three worst teams in baseball (Cubs and Astros) by winning percentage…

Quick Hits: Ryan Dempster, Jairo Beras, Blue Jays

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Phillies co-ace Cliff Lee finally found himself in the win column on Wednesday after starting the season with 13 consecutive starts without a victory. Lee's drought was the longest by a former Cy Young winner since future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux went 14 starts without a win in 2008 with the Padres. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines from around the league…

  • Trade candidate Ryan Dempster doesn't want to wait until after the All-Star break to return to the mound and may be ready in time to make a start against the Mets on Sunday, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. "I think they trust me to make the right decisions," Dempster said. "I also don't want to go out there and have a 50-pitch limit, and that doesn't do us any good." The right-hander has been on the disabled list since June 16 with a sore right lat.
  • The Rangers may find themselves without any new prospects from Latin America as the team awaits a resolution from Major League Baseball regarding Dominican outfielder Jairo Beras' contract status, says Evan Grant from The Dallas Morning News. Beras' age at the time he signed with the Rangers has been called into question as Beras claims he was 17 but may have actually been 16. "We put our full budget towards Beras," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "In anticipation of getting the contract approved we’ve had to effectively sit out the signing period."
  • Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos spoke on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio about his team's performance during the first half of the season and how he plans to be a buyer given Toronto's chances of securing a wild card berth (audio link). Anthopoulos expects to pursue pitching depth outside of the organization to help take pressure off an offense that has carried the team of late, thanks to Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. 
  • MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith joined the Getting Blanked show on The Score to discuss the Cardinals' plans for the rest of the season given Chris Carpenter's unavailability until 2013 (video link).

Olney’s Latest: NL Trade Market, Darvish

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney compares the current state of the trade market to shopping at an airport, where priced are designed to gouge customers. Buyers want more sellers and sellers want more buyers. Olney also previewed the NL trade market, so let's dive in…

  • The Mets are among teams looking for bullpen help and are waiting for the market develop. The division-rival Nationals are also in the market for relief help but do have Drew Storen on the mend. Olney wonders if they'll look for a starter given Stephen Strasburg's inning limit.
  • Executives expect the Padres to deal Carlos Quentin and Huston Street, plus they continue to get calls about Chase Headley. Olney speculates that the Reds could be a fit for Quentin.
  • The Braves are looking to add a veteran starting pitcher, but Olney says they're unlikely to swing a trade for Zack Greinke without having some kind of long-term contract agreement in place.
  • Olney wonders if the Diamondbacks could become surprise buyers for pitching help given Joe Saunders' injury and Trevor Bauer's early struggles. The Cardinals figure to jump into the pitching market given Chris Carpenter's season-ending shoulder surgery.
  • The Cubs, Astros, and Rockies are among the clubs in sell mode. The Brewers will wait a little longer before deciding to sell, and while Greinke, Shaun Marcum, and others could be on the block, Corey Hart will not.
  • Olney says the Blue Jays actually finished third in the bidding for Yu Darvish behind the Rangers and Cubs. No bid was within $35MM of the $51.7MM Texas submitted.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Cardinals, Greinke, Astros, Rasmus

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With Chris Carpenter set to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a nerve condition in his shoulder, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Cardinals are in the market for at least one starter and one reliever. St. Louis has trade chips though the new collective bargaining agreement doesn't allow teams to recoup draft pick compensation for rental players, changing the landscape.

Let's round up the rest of Rosenthal's rumors…

  • Zack Greinke would likely welcome a trade to – and a chance to sign long-term with – the Cardinals, though it's unclear if the Brewers would be willing to trade him within the division.
  • The Astros are prepared to move Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers, though Jed Lowrie is essentially unavailable. Rosenthal says they could be an obvious trade partner for St. Louis since GM Jeff Luhnow spent nine years in the Cardinals' front office.
  • The Cardinals may not want to invest $20MM+ annually into a pitcher, but both Lance Berkman ($12MM) and Kyle Lohse ($11.875MM) will be off the books after this season.
  • The Blue Jays' immediate strategy may be to acquire a modest rotation upgrade before reassessing at the trade deadline, shortly before Brandon Morrow returns from his oblique injury. Rosenthal believes they should consider selling high on Colby Rasmus.
  • Teams continue to call the Angels about Peter Bourjos and some believe he could be the centerpiece of a deal for a quality starting pitcher. The Halos believe the young outfielder is a building block for the future, however. They do not appear to be in the market for a pitcher at the moment.
  • The difference in income tax rates between Texas (none) and California (among the highest in the country) was an issue for Astros first baseman Carlos Lee as he mulled over a potential trade to the Dodgers. Los Angeles may have been willing to help "bridge the gap" had he shown enthusiasm for the deal.
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