Yankees Asked About Shields, Rays Said No
The Yankees asked the Rays about James Shields and heard that he is not available, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Olney suggests that the right-hander would also be off-limits to the Red Sox, since they're ahead of Tampa Bay in the standings, like the Yankees.
The Yankees are looking for top-of-the-rotation help and Shields, a Cy Young candidate in 2011, certainly qualifies. The 29-year-old has a 2.53 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 156 1/3 innings into the season. Shields, who made his first All-Star team this month, is under team control through 2014.
Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues considered Shields as an option for the Yankees earlier today and suggested that Tampa Bay would be asking for two top prospects and three other players who are nearly ready to contribute in the Major Leagues. Mike ultimately drew the conclusion that a deal of that magnitude between the AL East rivals is unlikely.
Draft Links: Bauer, Phillies, Carpenter, Gretzky
Not long after the trade deadline is the draft signing deadline, so let's round up the latest on that front…
- ESPN's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter) that the Diamondbacks have made progress in negotiations with first round pick Trevor Bauer. The third overall pick comes with a slot recommendation of $3MM.
- The Phillies have signed 11th round pick Tyler Greene, reports Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Greene, a high school shortstop, received an over-slot bonus after being considered one of the top 100 players in the draft by Baseball America.
- The Rays have signed seventh rounder Ryan Carpenter for $200K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). MLB's slot recommendation is $150K, so the right-hander from Gonzaga got himself an extra $50K.
- Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun reports that the Cubs have signed seventh round pick Trevor Gretzky to an unknown signing bonus. His father is known for another sport; Wayne is the greatest hockey player in history.
Braves Fully Intend To Acquire Hitter
The Braves ‘fully intend’ to add a hitter before the end of the month, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Some of Rosenthal’s sources suggest the Braves are close to a trade, as David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicated yesterday.
If the Braves are indeed close to completing a trade, it isn’t for Carlos Beltran, Rosenthal writes. Hunter Pence is not Atlanta’s slugger of choice, though the Braves have expressed interest in him, B.J. Upton, Ryan Ludwick, Jonny Gomes and others.
The Braves are reluctant to overpay for a rental player and they’re uncomfortable with the Astros’ asking price for Pence. The Braves would prefer not to send Jason Heyward to the minors, though the sophomore slugger’s struggles have compounded Atlanta’s need for a bat.
Minor Moves: Texeira, Ring, Padres
Matt Eddy of Baseball America has updates on the latest minor moves (Twitter links)…
- The Yankees re-signed right-hander Kanekoa Texeira to a minor league deal. They released the reliever earlier in the month after re-acquiring him in May.
- The Red Sox signed left-hander Royce Ring to a minor league deal. The former first rounder logged 23 2/3 innings for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate this year, posting a 6.08 ERA with 12.5 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.
- The Padres signed right-hander John Van Benschoten from the Atlantic League. The former Pirate hasn't appeared in the Major Leagues since 2008.
- The Rays released R.J. Swindle, who last appeared in the Major Leagues in 2009. The left-hander had been pitching at Triple-A, where he had a 4.15 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 34 2/3 innings.
- The Dodgers released Merkin Valdez. The right-hander, who appeared in two games for Toronto last year, had a 3.58 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 50 1/3 innings at Triple-A.
- The Brewers released 28-year-old lefty Chase Wright. The former third round pick had a 5.83 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 71 innings in the upper minors this year.
AL East Notes: Shields, Johnson, Bundy, Yankees
Jacoby Ellsbury clubbed two homers today as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 4-0. All eyes will be on Jonathan Papelbon and David Ortiz this winter, but it'll also be interesting to see what happens to Ellsbury, who's arbitration eligible for the second time after the season. He has a career-high 15 homers with 28 stolen bases and a .316/.375/.509 line so far in 2011. In other words, he's getting a big raise from his current $2.4MM salary. Here's the latest on the AL East…
- The Rays are reluctant to tear down their roster to the point where they’re no longer competitive, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal suggests the Rays have no compelling reason to deal James Shields now and that an offseason move is more likely.
- The Orioles appear to be open for business, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Many teams are interested in Jim Johnson and the Tigers are among the clubs interested in Jeremy Guthrie.
- Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he has had “periodic conversations” with Dylan Bundy, the high school right-hander the Orioles selected fourth overall in this year’s draft. Jordan, who has offers out to just about all Baltimore’s draftees, expects dialogue with Bundy to pick up before the August 15th deadline for teams to sign their picks.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Newsday’s Ken Davidoff that he isn’t looking for offense, but will consider anything that will make the club better.
Rays Ready To Move B.J. Upton?
The perception among teams is that the Rays are ready to move center fielder B.J. Upton now, writes ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney believes the Rays "will listen to just about every trade proposal thrown their way" in general. He's of the opinion that the team's front office faces limited backlash, since attendance is already poor.
Upton, 26, is hitting .237/.319/.411 on the season and is due another raise on this year's $4.825MM salary in 2012 before hitting free agency. He slugged .508 as a 22-year-old in 2007, but .401 in 534 games since. Plus defense allows Upton to remain a valuable player, but there is a sense that he hasn't lived up to his potential. Olney imagines the Nationals and Phillies might be potential fits.
We wrote about James Shields' potential availability earlier today. Olney says Johnny Damon and Casey Kotchman would also make strong trade chips. The Rays are currently 5.5 games back in the wild card, though their schedule eases up after Thursday's game with the Yankees.
In related Rays news, frustration with Tropicana Field is boiling over, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks MLB should help finance a new stadium.
Is James Shields Available?
The Reds are targeting Rays righty James Shields, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, which might be why Tampa Bay scouts have been evaluating the Reds' Triple-A team this week. Baseball Prospectus' John Perrotto says the Rays have "quietly let it be known that right-hander Shields is available for the right price." The Rays "will listen to just about every trade proposal thrown their way," writes Olney.
With a 2.60 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 46.1% groundball rate, the 29-year-old Shields has the ability to shake up a trade market that is light on starting pitchers aside from perhaps Ubaldo Jimenez. Shields' contract offers the ultimate in flexibility, with reasonable club options on his 2012, '13, and '14 seasons.
Shields' ERAs have bounced around plenty over the years, but his skills have always supported sub-4.00 and this year he's pitched like an ace. Plus, he's never been on the disabled list and averaged over 220 innings from 2008-10. This year, he leads the Majors with seven complete games and has averaged over 7.4 innings per start.
Shields' suitors probably won't match up directly with those of Jimenez, as I imagine the Rays would prefer not to trade him to the Yankees or Red Sox. Still, my contender wish list post yesterday shows the Indians, Tigers, Rangers, Cardinals, Reds, Pirates, and Diamondbacks as other clubs seeking starting pitching.
Rosenthal On GM Job Security
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tells us which GMs are on the hot seat in his latest column. A few details…
- Ed Wade (Astros) and Jim Hendry (Cubs) are deemed to be on the hot seat. New Astros owner Jim Crane is expected to try to lure Rays decision-maker Andrew Friedman with the chance to run his hometown team. As for the Cubs, Rosenthal finds speculation of a Pat Gillick-Hendry pairing to be far-fetched. Rosenthal notes that the Cubs job, which has been occupied by Hendry for more than nine years, "might draw interest from some of the game's top current GMs."
- Jack Zduriencik (Mariners), Tony Reagins (Angels), and Dave Dombrowski (Tigers) are viewed as "less than secure."
- Brian Cashman (Yankees) and Andy MacPhail (Orioles) are in the final year of their contracts. Rosenthal says "even some of Cashman’s friends in the industry think he might be ready to bolt." Rosenthal says it'd be an upset if MacPhail returns for Baltimore.
- Ned Colletti (Dodgers) and Kenny Williams (White Sox) are in unusual positions. Colletti has an out after 2012, and of course his club is a picture of uncertainty. As for Williams, he could theoretically become club president to allow the team to retain Rick Hahn, but Rosenthal's sources believe "such an arrangement would be difficult on both men."
- Rosenthal tosses a "you never know" tag on Doug Melvin (Brewers) and Bill Smith (Twins), but finds the Pirates' Neal Huntington secure.
- We'll have much more on the topic of GM candidates next month. But in MLBTR's survey of dozens of team executives and agents, the following people were named as candidates at least five times: Hahn, Jerry Dipoto, Thad Levine, David Forst, Ben Cherington, Tony LaCava, Mike Chernoff, Bryan Minniti, A.J. Preller, and Billy Eppler.
AL East Notes: Papelbon, Kuroda, Blue Jays, Rays
The latest from the AL East as the Orioles host the Red Sox and the Rays host the Yankees…
- Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who will hit free agency after the season, tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he's excited about the opportunity to prove himself in the second half of the season, but only focusing on what he can control.
- The Yankees called Hiroki Kuroda's agent to gather information and heard that the starter doesn't want to leave Los Angeles for the East Coast, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter).
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com that he isn't close to making any moves, though that could change quickly, since dialogue between GMs is picking up.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports discusses teams on the fringes of contention and provides recommendations for their deadline strategy. Among Morosi's more surprising advice: the Rays should sell.
- For the latest on the Orioles, check out Mike Axisa's post from earlier this evening.
Teams Called On Rasmus; Deal “Highly Unlikely”
The Rays, Nationals and Red Sox are among the teams that called the Cardinals about Colby Rasmus, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. However, GM John Mozeliak says he's "not shopping" his center fielder and insists that a deal remains "highly unlikely" (Twitter link).
Rasmus has requested a trade in the past and the Cardinals had serious talks about sending him to Tampa Bay last year.
Rasmus, who is arbitration eligible for the first time after the season, has a .241/.326/.404 line with nine home runs in 369 plate appearances this year. His 2012 salary will reach seven figures through arbitration and he's under team control through 2014.