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Quick Hits: Cardinals, Tigers, Rays, Peacock

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That terrified gasp you heard earlier this evening was from Blue Jays fans and Jose Bautista fantasy owners.  The star slugger was forced to leave Toronto's 16-7 win over the Yankees due to a twisted right ankle suffered in the fourth inning.  X-rays were negative and Bautista will likely undergo an MRI tomorrow, reports Shi Davidi of Rogers Sportsnet.

Some news from around the majors…

  • The Cardinals are shopping for both starting and relief pitching, but their trade efforts are complicated by the Albert Pujols negotiations looming this winter, writes MLB.com's Matthew Leach.  There's also pressure on the club to win now since this could be the last season for both Pujols and Chris Carpenter in St. Louis.
  • Speaking of pressure, it "might be higher than ever" in Detroit since GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland are both in the last year of their contracts, notes MLB.com's Jason Beck.  The Tigers are also looking to add starting pitching and possibly a right-handed reliever, though Beck says the club will look internally (possibly the returning Carlos Guillen) to solve its second base problem.
  • With their next seven games against the Red Sox and Yankees, the Rays may know by next week if they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, writes MLB.com's Bill Chastain.  If the Rays are in contention, however, Andrew Friedman says it doesn't mean the Rays will deal prospects for big upgrades since "because of our situation, our prospects mean more to us than any other team in baseball."
  • Brad Peacock is now represented by the ACES agency, reports MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (Twitter link).  The Nationals right-hander was a 41st-round pick in the 2006 draft but was recently ranked as the 42st-best minor leaguer in the game on Baseball America's midseason prospect list. 
  • The White Sox have signed third-round draft pick Jeff Soptic, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America.  Soptic's contract bonus was worth $320K, $40.1K over MLB's recommended slot price for the 110th overall pick.
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy runs down the week's minor league transactions.
  • A source tells Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles that the Angels are "pinching pennies" and won't be looking to add payroll at the trade deadline.

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Riggleman, Shields, Jimenez

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Sixteen years ago today, Ramon Martinez threw a no-hitter against the Florida Marlins.  The former All-Star won 123 games in 11 seasons with the Dodgers from 1988 to 1998 and finished second in voting for the 1990 NL Cy Young Award.  Today, however, Ramon is best known as being Pedro's older brother.

Some news from the NL West…

  • This is no surprise given the team's bankruptcy proceedings, but if the Dodgers do become buyers at the trade deadline, "it's probably on the Walmart level, if not the 99 Cents Only Store," writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.  If the Dodgers become sellers, Gurnick lists Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Dee Gordon and Rubby De La Rosa as players who won't be moved.
  • The Giants have hired former Nationals manager Jim Riggleman as a special assignment scout, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. (Twitter link)  Riggleman resigned as Washington's manager on June 23 after the Nats refused to negotiate a contract extension.
  • The Giants are looking to add offense at catcher, second base, shortstop and/or corner outfield spots, said vice-president of baseball operations Bobby Evans during an appearance with Jim Bowden on XM 89 MLB Network Radio.  (Twitter link)
  • The "Rockies have always liked James Shields," tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post, who thinks Colorado could pursue the right-hander if the Rays make him available.  We've already heard that the Rockies want to add controllable starting pitching whether they're in the NL West race or not, and Shields' contract carries options for the 2012-14 seasons worth $28MM.  (These options could be worth as much as $44MM if Shields reaches certain performance standards.) 
  • Scouts from the Braves, Cardinals, Indians, Phillies, Reds, Tigers, White Sox and Yankees were among the 17 scouts on hand to watch Ubaldo Jimenez's start against the Brewers on Thursday night, reports Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.  Of course, it's possible those scouts were there to see other Colorado or Milwaukee players, though at least the Reds were known to have an interest in Jimenez.
  • Kevin Towers has been personally scouting the Diamondbacks' minor leaguer prospects in order to evaluate them for possible trades, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.  While the D'Backs are willing to move minor leaguers, however, the team's elite prospects are off limits.
  • Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune chatted with fans today about the Padres and potential trades involving Heath Bell, Mike Adams and Ryan Ludwick. 

Rays, Cards Had ‘Serious Talks’ About Rasmus In 2010

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The Rays and Cardinals had serious talks about a trade that would have sent Colby Rasmus to Tampa Bay last year, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). The center fielder appeared to request a trade last summer, though he later denied doing so.

The Cardinals might be willing to move Rasmus now, though Strauss and colleague Bernie Miklasz suggest a deal is unlikely. Rasmus is the most attractive trade chip GM John Mozeliak has, but Miklasz expects the Cardinals and their center fielder to be “stuck with each other” for a while.

The Cardinals would most covet Jeremy Hellickson in a trade, according to Strauss. However, Tampa Bay doesn't necessarily covet Rasmus, especially at that price. Rays center fielder B.J. Upton homered in three of five games leading up to the All-Star break and his .239/.325/.427 line resembles Rasmus' .246/.329/.413 line.

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…

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