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La Russa Wants Speier, Smoltz?

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According to Bernie Miklasz at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter), Cardinals manager Tony La Russa indicated that he would be interested in adding the recently dismissed veterans John Smoltz and Justin Speier. Both would be candidates to strengthen the depleted right side of the Cards' bullpen.

Against righties this season, Smoltz put up a 21/2 K/BB ratio while limiting them to a .232 batting clip. Speier has a 20/5 K/BB against them and has kept them to only a .239 average. So despite each having early difficulties, it looks like they each still could be of use to a team like the Cardinals. It's also notable that Tony La Russa had been clamoring to acquire Matt Holliday last year until the Cards finally pulled the trigger to grab him — La Russa has a history of getting his man.

Rosenthal On Angels, Rangers, Rockies

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Angels are looking for rotation upgrades and have no budget limitations. GM Tony Reagins says he's constantly evaluating the benefits of adding an expensive piece to the team. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • The Rangers have claimed several cheap bats off waivers, but have yet to acquire any of them.
  • At least one GM expects the Rockies to win the NL West and the Cards to win the World Series. 
  • The Rockies are still looking for a reliever and a bench bat. 
  • Rosenthal says the Tigers have no choice but to keep playing Magglio Ordonez, even though his expensive 2010 option will vest after 90 more trips to the plate. 

Mozeliak: Cards Unlikely To Pursue Smoltz

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When the Red Sox designated John Smoltz for assignment earlier today, it was only a matter of time before we started hearing if clubs were interested in his services or not. Matt Baker at The News Leader caught up with Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, who said "Right now I would say no, but things can change,” when asked if he had interest in the future Hall of Famer.

St. Louis added $6.6MM to their payroll with their deadline acquisitions, but the Red Sox would be on the hook for all but the pro-rated portion of the minimum should he be released. Perhaps more importantly, Smoltz would have to decide to continue his career first.

Mozeliak also said that he's "very optimistic we’ll get something worked out" with top pick Shelby Miller, who remains unsigned.

Odds & Ends: Glaus, Prospects, Mariners

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Some evening appetizers as (most) games commence this evening:

  • Marc Hulet at Fangraphs gives part two of his rankings of the prospects moved this past deadline.
  • A "back issue" has sidelined Troy Glaus yet again, reports Joe Strauss at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This would seem to lessen the chances he gets traded this month even further.
  • Matt Eddy at Baseball America has a comprehensive list of the most recent minor league transactions.
  • Ben Badler at Baseball America gets official confirmation on all the Mariners' international signings, including the highly-touted Guillermo Pimentel, who received a $2MM bonus. In all, they signed ten amateurs, eight from Latin America and two from Korea.
  • Impending free agent Adrian Beltre is back in the Mariners' lineup, says Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times, and says he's not concerned about his contract going forward.
  • The Cubs signed their sixth-round pick, LHP Brooks Raley, for $750k, reports Jim Callis at Baseball America. That's a notable figure, as it's $600k more than the recommended slot and the highest figure above-slot we've seen before the deadline, Callis says.

Which Teams Took On Salary At The Deadline?

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As the trade deadline approached, we heard many writers and executives suggest teams would be unable to add payroll this year. Here's a breakdown of the teams that added at least $1MM in salary to their 2009 payrolls this summer. All totals are approximate:

In total, 12 teams added payroll, but only one took on more than $5MM. The prognosticators were right about one thing: teams didn't take on much payroll. However, few predicted 12 teams would take on salary at the deadline. Looks like many teams set economic concerns aside when presented with the chance to win.

Matt Holliday’s Rising Value

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Matt Holliday was hot before he joined the Cardinals. Now he's 20 for his first 37 with the Cards and his season numbers have rounded into form. With a .311/.400/.501 line and above-average defense in left field, Holliday has reinserted himself atop this offseason's free agent class. One GM believes Holliday could boost his value even more with a strong finish:

"He might make himself $30MM these next two months," the GM told Yahoo's Jeff Passan.

With Scott Boras on his side, Holliday could receive the biggest payday of all this offseason, especially now that Jason Bay is slumping. Passan estimates Holliday will receive at least five years and $75MM. Mark Teixeira was the only free agent position player to receive that much last offseason, so a $75MM deal would be impressive, especially after Holliday's slow start. Still, the 29-year-old's value is considerably closer to that mark than it was when he stepped up to the plate hitting .223/.270/.351 on May 5th.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Rockies, Tigers

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Deadline day links!

Cardinals After Relievers?

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WEDNESDAY: Strauss has more on the proceedings. He says the Cardinals are "definitely pushing" for a right-handed setup man. There's "strong internal support" to obtain Chad Qualls, but the search is "apparently directed elsewhere."

TUESDAY: Joe Strauss at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that the Cardinals are in "hot pursuit" of right-handed relievers. He also says that they had tried to include former Redbird Russ Springer in the deal for Matt Holliday from the A's, but balked when they learned they'd have to throw in another starting pitching prospect. Still, with the bullpen struggling, Strauss says they "may revisit" a deal for Springer.

Relief Rumors: Grabow, Marlins, Yankees

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Contenders are always in the hunt for relief help this time of year. Let's scope out the latest on that front:

  • After refusing to deal Eric Young Jr. for John Grabow or Joe Beimel, the Rockies have lowered their aim, notably toward the Orioles' Mark Hendrickson, says Joel Sherman at the New York Post.
  • The Marlins are in the mix for Grabow's services, says Joe Frisaro at MLB.com.
  • CBS Sports' Danny Knobler says the Yankees have steered their focus toward middle relief help, but too many of their desired names reside in the AL East.
  • The Cardinals are indeed still interested in bringing back righty Russ Springer, says Mychael Urban at MLB.com.

Sherman On Glaus, Gonzalez, Qualls

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Troy Glaus and his $11.25MM  salary would likely clear waivers in August, so the Cards could trade him then if he isn't fully healthy within the next three days. Glaus currently profiles as a Type A free agent, but Sherman doubts the Cards will offer him arbitration after the season even if they keep him. Here are more of Sherman's rumors:

  • An AL official believes the Red Sox "will step up" for Adrian Gonzalez and tempt the Padres with their many prospects.
  • The D'Backs may keep Chad Qualls around for next season, but they're still receiving calls about him.
  • The Yankees showed interest earlier in the season, but are no longer calling the D'Backs about Qualls.
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