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Quick Hits: Iwakuma, Draft, Mariners

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On this date in 2009, the Nationals fired manager Manny Acta and replaced him with Jim Riggleman. A lot has changed in two years – Riggleman resigned as the Nationals' skipper over a contract dispute last month and Acta, now the Indians' manager, is a leading candidate for AL Manager of the Year. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • The Rays, Indians, Astros and Angels scouted Hisashi Iwakuma's recent rehab start, according to a Sponichi report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The 30-year-old right-hander posted a 2.72 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 from 2007-10 in Japan.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America explains the give and take between the commissioner's office and the players' union when it comes to the double standard between draft-eligible amateurs and international free agents.
  • One NL executive told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that we should expect an intense week leading up to the trade deadline, since teams will wait until the last possible moment before becoming ‘sellers.’
  • GM Jack Zduriencik told Greg Johns of MLB.com that he has discussed possible moves, but doesn’t want to get caught up in whether the Mariners will be buyers or a sellers this summer.

NL Central Notes: Sandberg, Pirates, Rasmus

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On this date three years ago, the newly acquired C.C. Sabathia homered and pitched a complete game to help the Brewers beat the Reds 3-2. The Brewers' latest acquisition, Francisco Rodriguez, probably won't get too many chances to swing the bat this summer, but he could help Milwaukee reach the playoffs again…

  • Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg told ESPN Chicago's "The Waddle & Silvy Show" that he wants to manage in the Major Leagues and would consider returning to Chicago if the Cubs asked him to manage at some point. Sandberg, who was a candidate for the Cubs' managerial opening over the winter, now manages Philadelphia's Triple-A affiliate. ESPNChicago.com has highlights from the conversation. 
  • The Pirates announced that they have signed fourth round pick Colten Brewer and eighth round pick Jason Creasy. Now that they've signed the pair of high school right-handers, Pittsburgh has locked up 16 players from last month's draft. 
  • The Rockies like Colby Rasmus, but don't match up well with the Cardinals on a potential trade, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Cardinals might be willing to trade Rasmus, who ranks 41st on Dave Cameron's annual list of players with the most trade value at FanGraphs.com.
  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said in a chat today that the Cardinals would most covet Jeremy Hellickson in a potential trade involving Rasmus and the Rays.

Cardinals Might Be Willing To Trade Rasmus

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The Cardinals "might reconsider [their] stance" on trading center fielder Colby Rasmus, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  He adds that GM John Mozeliak "would have to acquire a significant return for Rasmus but may be willing to plumb long-standing interest from the pitching-rich Tampa Bay Rays."

Rasmus, 24, is showing "only halting development" in Strauss' opinion.  He's hitting .246/.329/.413 with nine home runs in 360 plate appearances this season.  That's solid for a center fielder, but a decline from last year's numbers.  Defensively, Rasmus put up a strong UZR in '09 but has been below-average in over 1,800 center field innings since then.  If Rasmus were to be traded, Jon Jay would become the Cardinals' starting center fielder.

Even with his stock slightly down, Rasmus would be a hot commodity on the trade market.  I can see why he'd interest the Rays, who control center fielder B.J. Upton through 2012 but could control Rasmus through '14.  Rasmus could jump past $3MM in arbitration next year against perhaps $7MM for Upton.  Upton could be moved in a separate deal, though the Nationals would probably be interested in both center fielders.  It'd be a big win for the Cardinals to somehow pry James Shields loose in a Rasmus deal, but with Shields' ace performance and his contract offering options through '14, a direct swap doesn't seem to benefit Tampa Bay enough.

If The Rays Become Buyers

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The Rays are five games out in the wild card and six out in the AL East.  With less than three weeks remaining until the trade deadline, they're currently sitting on the uncomfortable borderline of contention.

The Rays rank eighth among the 14 AL teams with 4.22 runs scored per game.  They're eleventh in OBP and seventh in SLG.  Evan Longoria missed most of April with an oblique strain, so just having him for the entire second half would provide a boost.  On the flip side, Matt Joyce may be unable to reproduce his strong first half.  How might the Rays go about improving the offense?

By ERA, the Rays' starting pitching ranks fourth in the AL at 3.57.  Wade Davis is battling a minor injury, but the team has good depth.  Alex Cobb is the sixth man, and the Rays have one of the game's top pitching prospects in Matt Moore at Double-A.

The Rays' bullpen could use reinforcements; it'd be interesting to see Moore enter the picture as a September call-up.  The Blue Jays, Orioles, Padres, Athletics, and Marlins might be selling some decent relievers this month. 

Who might the Rays use for trade bait?  Moore and Jennings are surely off-limits, and I'd be surprised to see them trade any of their top 15 prospects.  Among those with big league track records, Upton could be dealt if the Rays are comfortable replacing him with Jennings and finding additional outfield help, a tough move for a contender to make.  Upton will still have trade value after the season, as he'll probably earn less than $8MM next year.  Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann could have value to teams seeking affordable back-end starters.  We've seen names like Johnny Damon, Kyle Farnsworth, and Juan Cruz surface as trade candidates, which I'll find more likely if the Rays are further from contending in a few weeks.

Contenders In Need Of A Left Field Upgrade

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As many as seven contenders could seek a left field upgrade at the trade deadline:

  • Rays: The Rays are five games out in the wild card, so acquiring talent for the short-term remains possible.  They've been using Sam Fuld and Justin Ruggiano lately.
  • Tigers: The team has employed a bunch of different corner outfielders, but primary options Brennan Boesch and Magglio Ordonez might be sufficient.
  • White Sox: The Sox have stuck with Juan Pierre, who was at least useful in May and is having a solid July.  Internally, they could give more playing time to Brent Lillibridge or promote Dayan Viciedo.
  • Phillies: Raul Ibanez has had a rough year, but has shown power this month and in May.  He's earning $11.5MM, which limits the Phillies' flexibility.
  • Braves: The Braves have been using Nate McLouth in left and Jordan Schafer in center lately with Martin Prado on the DL.  Prado will fill in for Chipper Jones at third upon his return.
  • Reds: The Reds have tried Chris Heisey, Jonny Gomes, and Fred Lewis.  Overall none of them have been awful but no one has run away with the job.
  • Giants: Aaron Rowand, Cody Ross, and perhaps Pat Burrell are in the mix.  Brandon Belt could enter the picture as well, so the Giants may already have enough to choose from.

None of these clubs are a slam dunk to acquire a left fielder, but the Braves, Phillies, and Reds seem more likely than the others.  Potential trade targets could include Josh Willingham, Ryan Ludwick, Luke Scott (if healthy), David DeJesus, Marcus Thames, Laynce Nix, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, and Juan Rivera, with Soriano and Lee long shots to be dealt.

Cafardo’s Latest: Bell, Kazmir, Kendall, Aramis

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Heath Bell's name has been near the top of this season's list of trade candidates for months, and in this week's Sunday Baseball Notes, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe adds a new potential suitor to the mix. According to Cafardo's source, the Rays are interested in the Padres' closer, but will have to determine over the next couple weeks whether they have "enough firepower" to go all out to catch the Red Sox and Yankees. Here are a few other highlights from Cafardo:

  • The Yankees, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Phillies are a few other teams monitoring Bell.
  • While there hasn't been a whole lot of interest in Scott Kazmir, the Padres and Rangers have "taken a look."
  • Jason Kendall, who hasn't played this year as he recovers from shoulder surgery, has re-torn two rotator cuff tendons. Kendall will undergo additional surgery, possibly ending his career. Royals manager Ned Yost on the procedure: "That takes him out of the picture for this year and out of the picture for next year…. I think it’s more a quality-of-life surgery so he can have function in his shoulder."
  • The Angels appear to be the team most interested in Aramis Ramirez, though Cafardo names the Mariners, Giants, Braves, and D'Backs as other clubs who could look into the Cubs' third baseman. Of course, Ramirez's agent said earlier this week that his client likely won't waive his no-trade clause, so inquires may be futile.

AL East Links: Red Sox, Rays, Orioles

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The Orioles cut ties with Garrett Atkins one year ago today. The corner infielder hit just .219/.282/.292 with one homer in 49 plate appearances for Baltimore. Let's round up the latest from AL East…

Davidoff On Twins, Indians, Reyes, Rays

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Since few teams have been completely eliminated from contention, the trade market is developing slowly, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff. As of today, the top commodity available is relief pitching and there’s lots of interest in that department. Here are the rest of Davidoff’s notes on the trade market:

  • Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, Chad Qualls and Luke Gregerson are available. 
  • The Mets believe they can keep their fans interested even if they trade Rodriguez.
  • The Diamondbacks, Brewers, Cardinals and Rangers are among the teams that are heavily in the mix for relievers.
  • It appears extremely unlikely that the Mets will trade Jose Reyes, but his top suitors would likely include the Reds, Indians, Giants and Mariners, four teams that have poked around for infield help, according to Davidoff. It’s even possible that the Red Sox would pursue Reyes if he became available.
  • The Orioles aren’t quite ready to shop Koji Uehara and the Twins aren’t quite ready to shop Matt Capps. In fact, the Twins aren’t going to sell until they’re sure they’re out of contention.
  • The Yankees are focused on finding a lefty reliever, a commodity the Red Sox and Tigers would also like to acquire.
  • Though no frontline starters appear to be available, the Yankees are looking to acquire a top starter. Cleveland and Detroit are also looking for rotation help.
  • The Mariners are looking for an outfielder and the Phillies are still looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder.
  • One official says the Rays are “buying and selling.” Johnny Damon could be had in the right deal, according to Davidoff.

Rays Sign Eric Otanez

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The Rays have agreed to sign Dominican catcher Eric Otañez, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.  Terms of the deal were not immediately available.

Otanez, a right-handed hitter, was considered to be one of the top Dominican catching prospects in this year's pool of July 2nd-eligible players.  The 6-foot-2, 195 pound backstop comes out of La Academia and boasts a strong arm.

Astros Notes: Wandy, Bourn, Lee, Pence, Myers

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The Astros will likely be sellers at this year’s trade deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Houston has an MLB-worst 29-57 record, so the front office figures to entertain offers for Wandy Rodriguez, Michael Bourn and others. Here are the details from Rosenthal and Morosi’s report, which is a must-read item for Astros fans:

  • Though owner Drayton McLane would like to complete the sale of his club to Jim Crane by the July 31st trade deadline, the deal may not become official until August. MLB isn’t close to approving the sale, partly because of its ongoing conflict with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.
  • Crane will likely stay quiet until baseball’s owners approve him, but he’ll influence the team’s direction this summer.
  • MLB has not told Crane that he has to agree to move the Astros to the AL West for the sale to go through.
  • Carlos Lee, who earns $18.5MM this year and next year, wouldn’t be easy to trade even if Houston picked up significant salary.
  • The club doesn’t want to trade Hunter Pence, who is under control through 2013. Bud Norris and Jordan Lyles also figure into Houston’s long-term plans, but the Astros will likely listen to offers on most other players, including Brett Myers and Jeff Keppinger.
  • Most baseball people expect Crane to fire GM Ed Wade, but the new owner will likely take his time evaluating Wade’s leadership before conducting a search for a new GM.
  • Houston native and current Rays executive Andrew Friedman is “an almost certain target,” according to Rosenthal and Morosi. Another Tampa Bay exec, former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker, is also a possibility for Crane. He led Houston to four division titles before joining the Rays.
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