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Price On Dunn, Garrett Jones, DeJesus

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A look at the latest from Ed Price of AOL FanHouse…

  • Price tweets that some new teams asked about Adam Dunn within the past day.  He wonders if those clubs might include the Padres and Giants.  Dunn is a nice fit for both teams, though they've been said to prefer avoiding rentals.  Meanwhile Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the White Sox "remain focused on Dunn, but are laying the groundwork for a starting pitcher."  If Dan Hudson pitches poorly Friday against the Athletics, the Sox could change gears.
  • In his latest column, Price says the Angels checked in on Garrett Jones before acquiring Alberto Callaspo, but balked at the Pirates' asking price of Maicer Izturis.  However, it's worth noting that Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that the Pirates say the Angels never contacted them about Jones. 
  • The Royals were eyeing Rays minor leaguer Jake McGee in a potential David DeJesus deal before the outfielder's injury.  The southpaw McGee returned from Tommy John surgery last year and has 91 strikeouts in 76.6 Double A innings in 2010.  Baseball America ranked McGee eighth among Rays prospects heading into the season, but he might be first or second on another team.
  • Another trade that wasn't: SI's Tom Verducci says the Phillies discussed sending Jayson Werth to the Yankees as part of a deal for Dan Haren before the righty went to the Angels.
  • Also of note in Price's column: a look at how the trade deadline has changed over the decades, including varying dates and rules for interleague deals.

Rays Will Consider Two-Month Rentals

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The Rays have shown interest in impending free agents Cliff Lee and Jayson Werth this summer, so they seem prepared to invest in players who won’t necessarily stay in Tampa after 2010. Today, GM Andrew Friedman confirmed to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune that the Rays are interested in players who aren’t under long-term control.

“There are some we’re looking at that we can control short-term and some that we can control longer,” Friedman said, noting that his decisions will vary depending on the situation. “We’re open-minded to either [type of player].”

Friedman says he sees fewer impact players available than there were in 2008 or 2009 and that seems especially true now that Lee and Dan Haren are off the market. The Rays don’t appear confident in their ability to acquire Werth, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported today that the team has interest in Chad Qualls.

The Rays, who seem willing to trade prospects, face a payroll drop in 2011, which may contribute to their interest in free agents-to-be. Owner Stuart Sternberg is prepared to spend in 2010, but the Rays will face cuts in 2011, when payroll is expected to drop below $60MM.

Rays Interested In Chad Qualls

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The Rays are interested in Diamondbacks reliever Chad Qualls, tweets Jon Paul Morosi, but there's an "if."  The Rays would like Qualls to show at least a little consistency first.

Qualls has a brutal 8.49 ERA in 35 innings this year, though his strikeout and groundball rates are strong.  The 32-year-old righty has managed to allow 59 hits in 35 innings, which can't all be attributed to bad luck.  Qualls' stock is low enough that interim GM Jerry Dipoto would do well just to free up some of the $1.59MM left on his contract.

Rays Prefer To Use Prospects For Trades

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Rays big leaguers B.J. Upton, Sean Rodriguez, Reid Brignac, and Wade Davis are drawing heavy interest, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but the team's "preference is to use their prospect depth to land a hitter."  The Rays specifically feel that they can't match Upton's defensive skills with internal options.

The Rays' farm system is among the best in the game, so they can easily make prospect-only deals.  Even if you take Desmond Jennings and Jeremy Hellickson out of the mix, Tim Beckham, Matt Moore, Alex Colome, and Matt Sweeney were considered top 100 prospects heading into the season.  It's quite possible the Rays go even further down their prospect list.  Look at the Angels – they just acquired Dan Haren without surrendering any top 100 guys. 

As usual, the Rays have kept their targets close to the vest.  Few players have been connected to them in recent weeks aside from Jayson Werth, and Yahoo's Tim Brown tweeted three days ago that a Rays source seriously doubts they get the Phillies outfielder.

Odds & Ends: Reds, Happ, Edmonds, Rangers, Tigers

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Links for Sunday, as Jim Thome cranks his 576th career home run….

Gorzelanny, Lilly Both Drawing Interest

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We've heard for weeks that Ted Lilly will be one of the more attractive pitchers available at this year's July 31 deadline. According to Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times, Lilly's not the only Chicago southpaw drawing interest either.

Tom Gorzelanny, in the midst of one of his best seasons at the Major League level, is getting some attention as well. He's posted a 3.22 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .242 average through 86.2 innings (14 starts). His 3.33 FIP and 8.7 K/9 support his success, but control is an issue, as he's also walking 4.6 per nine innings.

In contrast, Lilly's overall numbers are weaker than Gorzelanny's, but he allows far fewer baserunners. He's walking significantly fewer hitters (2.1 BB/9) and opponents are batting just .236 off him. Lilly's drawn greater interest, according to De Luca, but the Mets are currently backing down their pursuit. Part of their hesitation lies in the Cubs' asking price for the veteran lefty, but also contributing to their concerns is Lilly's drop in velocity. He's never been a flamethrower, but his fastball is averaging just 86mph, which is down from his career mark of 88.2mph.

Gorzelanny is the cheaper option between the two. He's making just $800K in 2010 and is eligible for arbitration following the season. Lilly is a free agent following the season, and while his no-trade clause is believed to include the Phillies, Twins, and Rays, he's unlikely to block a trade to a contender. His current Type A status is appealing, though he's far from a lock to be offered arbitration.

Olney’s Latest: Royals, Managers, Dunn, Berkman

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In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney says that even though things aren't going so well for the Royals at the big league level, rival scouts and executives gush about the quality of their farm system. "Our goal is by 2012 and 2013 to have as many homegrown guys playing as we can," said GM Dayton Moore, which Olney likens to the way the Twins and Rays are built.

Here are the rest of his rumors…

  • One scout opined that we're likely to see more managerial changes this offseason than ever before. Olney lists 12 teams that could be looking for a new manager this winter, and reminds us that Tony LaRussa, Joe Girardi, and Dusty Baker do not have contracts in place for beyond this season.
  • The Nationals are concerned about whether or not Adam Dunn's body will hold up during a three or four-year deal, but Olney spoke to one AL evaluator who pointed out that Dunn's ability to hit homers is gaining more value as time goes on. 
  • The Diamondbacks have prioritized the acquisition of a closer, hence their request for Joba Chamberlain in a potential Dan Haren trade.
  • Olney speculates that Lance Berkman could be a fit for the Rays next year, since they'll need to replace Carlos Pena.

Dan Haren Rumors: Friday

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The D’Backs have started exchanging names with teams about possible Dan Haren trades and the Tigers, Yankees, Phillies, Cardinals and Twins appear to have varying degrees of interest in the righty. That’s just the abbreviated version of what we heard yesterday, but there’s more. The D’Backs’ asking price? High-quality major league-ready pitching. With that in mind, here are today’s Dan Haren rumors, with more to come:

  • Updating his earlier story, Magruder quotes Hall, the D'Backs CEO, as saying: "There are some other teams involved that have deals of at least equal value out there. I would not categorize the Yankees as a front-runner."
  • In a piece for FOXSportsArizona.com, Jack Magruder notes that the Yankees aren't one of the teams that require Haren's approval. Magruder also suggests a trade with the Yanks could involve New York taking on other players that the D'Backs would like to move, such as Aaron Heilman, Chad Qualls, or Chris Snyder.
  • D'Backs' CEO Derrick Hall tells Piecoro (Twitter link) that there's no clear front-runner for Haren and reiterates "nothing [is] imminent." However, most reports still indicate that the Yanks are the favorite. AOL FanHouse's Frankie Piliere (via Twitter) and Morosi both hear that Ivan Nova could be a key piece in a Haren trade with New York.
  • Expanding on his earlier tweet, Price hears that nothing is imminent between the Yankees and Arizona, but that the D'Backs "seem determined" to move Haren before his next start on Tuesday.
  • According to Rosenthal, the Yankees appear to be the front-runners for Haren now, with the D'Backs telling clubs that they're in "advanced negotiations" with one team. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse adds (via Twitter) that the Cardinals may be out of the Haren sweepstakes.
  • The Yankees are actively talking to the D’Backs about Haren, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. If the Yanks can acquire Haren for prospects, Stark says they are poised to accelerate talks.
  • The Cardinals aim to add an innings-eater this summer, though not necessarily an ace, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • The Tigers and Twins, who both have interest in Haren, are on his no-trade list, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Haren would also have to approve a trade to the Rays or Reds. Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported that the Twins were on Haren's list. 
  • The D'Backs have told rival teams that they are intent on moving Haren before the deadline, according to Olney (via Twitter).
  • MLB executives tell ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that the D’Backs seem much more willing to deal Haren these days. Some talent evaluators believe the Tigers would have a tough time building an offer for Haren without including pitching prospect Jacob Turner.
  • A D'Backs source tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that expectations have shifted and it seems more likely that the D'Backs will trade Haren.

Lilly Can Block Trade To Rays

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Ted Lilly can block a trade to the Rays, but not to the Mets or Tigers, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Ken Rosenthal reported over the weekend that Lilly can block trades to ten teams, including the Twins and Phillies. Morosi notes that interest in Lilly picked up this week after his strong outing Wednesday. There was already plenty of interest in the left-hander and it appears that the Cubs will deal him.

The 34-year-old projects to be a Type A free agent after the season, though not by much. That means teams could obtain picks in the 2011 draft if they're willing to risk an offer of arbitration. Lilly has a 3.88 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 this year and he makes $12MM (about $4.8MM remains).

Rays Don’t Expect To Acquire Werth

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A Rays source tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that the team doesn't expect to acquire Jayson Werth (Twitter link). Before David DeJesus hit the DL, the Royals outfielder was a more likely target for Tampa Bay, according to Brown's source. The Phillies are shopping Werth, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. They would like to obtain prospects – possibly so they can send them to Houston for Roy Oswalt – and Werth would be able to command some quality young players.

Werth projects as a Type A free agent and in spite of a recent slide (.612 OPS and zero homers since June 26th), has solid numbers for the year. His .279/.369/.498 line is quite good and he leads the league in doubles. Teams like the Rays, White Sox and Giants are looking for big bats, and the Phils can call on Domonic Brown – arguably the top prospect in the minor leagues – to replace Werth.

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