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Rays Rumors

Dodgers May Add To Payroll To Make A Deal

By Mark Polishuk | July 22, 2010 at 7:57pm CDT

Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that "there are strong indications" that the Dodgers have been given the go-ahead from owner Frank McCourt to add to the team payroll (if necessary) at the trade deadline.  We heard earlier today that the Dodgers have $2-3MM "to play with" in terms of adding salary, but it's unknown as to whether or not this additional bump can account for an acquisition that doesn't move another major-league salary off of the roster.

Jackson lists several starters and relievers whom the Dodgers have shown some degree of interest in: Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Dan Haren, Ted Lilly, Paul Maholm, Roy Oswalt and Ben Sheets.  Jackson notes that Lilly and Maholm are both around the bottom of Los Angeles' wish list, and he notes the major payroll increases that would be necessary if Oswalt or Haren were acquired.  Given McCourt's ongoing financial issues stemming from his divorce, it's safe to presume that whatever payroll increase the owner agrees to might be a short-term one for the rest of this season, rather than a multi-year commitment to a Haren or an Oswalt.

In terms of what prospects the Dodgers would have to give up to acquire any of these pitchers, Jackson says that shortstop Dee Gordon and righties Ethan Martin and Chris Withrow (the top position and pitching prospects, respectively, in the L.A. system) "are unlikely" to be dealt.  Aaron Miller, however, is singled out as being "a hot commodity" apart from some other minor-leaguers that are attracting the interest of other teams.  Miller, a southpaw taken 36th overall in the 2009 amateur draft, has a 3.10 ERA and a 9.9 K/9 ratio in just over a year as a professional and is currently pitching at Double-A. 

While GM Ned Colletti says that "pitching continues to be our priority," he also noted that the Dodgers might look to acquire an outfielder in the wake of injuries to Manny Ramirez and Reed Johnson.  Fanhouse.com's Ed Price reports (via Twitter) that the Rays have "some interest" in Dodgers right-hander James McDonald and speculates that B.J. Upton could be a potential trade target if Los Angeles really wants to make a splash in its outfield.  Obviously, given that the Rays have said that they aren't "selling low" on Upton, L.A. would need to add much more than just McDonald to the trade package.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Tampa Bay Rays B.J. Upton James McDonald

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Heyman On Werth, Fielder, Uggla, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 21, 2010 at 5:23pm CDT

The Phillies have asked the Rays about B.J. Upton and Wade Davis, but someone familiar with the trade talks tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that the Phils may attempt to obtain prospects from Tampa Bay and flip them to Houston to acquire Roy Oswalt. Here’s the latest on the Phillies, plus the rest of Heyman’s rumors:

  • The Phillies offered Jayson Werth a long-term deal, but he didn’t accept it right away.
  • The Blue Jays are looking for middle-infield help, according to Heyman. That’s surprising, since they can retain Aaron Hill through 2014 and Yunel Escobar through 2013. Perhaps the club seeks a versatile depth option.
  • Prince Fielder is not likely to be traded, according to Heyman.
  • One GM tells Heyman that Dan Uggla does not yet appear to be available.
  • The Mets seem to prefer Brett Myers to Ted Lilly. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported earlier today that the Mets maintain interest in Lilly and have cooled on Myers. The reports are not necessarily contradictory, but let’s just say the Mets have some interest in both pitchers.
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Houston Astros Miami Marlins Milwaukee Brewers New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Brett Myers Dan Uggla Jayson Werth Prince Fielder Roy Oswalt Ted Lilly

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Oswalt’s Demands Slowing Trade Talks

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 21, 2010 at 3:15pm CDT

Roy Oswalt is making the most of his no-trade clause and it's slowing the Phillies down as they attempt to acquire him. Two people familiar with the discussions tell ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that Oswalt is asking that his 2012 option be picked up by any team that trades for him. The Phillies don't mind the idea of paying Oswalt $6MM this year and $16MM next year, but they are not comfortable guaranteeing the right-hander $16MM in 2012.

J.A. Happ would likely head to Houston in an Oswalt trade, probably along with some prospects from the lower minors. For now, the Phillies are pursuing Dan Haren and Ben Sheets, but are not actively pursuing Jeremy Guthrie, Fausto Carmona or Ricky Nolasco.

The Phillies are talking to a number of teams about Jayson Werth, but are demanding a lot in return. They asked the Rays for B.J. Upton or Wade Davis, and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is not willing to take on any of the $2.8MM remaining on Werth's deal.

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Houston Astros Tampa Bay Rays B.J. Upton Ben Sheets Dan Haren Fausto Carmona Jayson Werth Jeremy Guthrie Ricky Nolasco Roy Oswalt Wade Davis

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Phillies Exploring Oswalt, Werth Trades

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2010 at 10:44pm CDT

The Phillies are exploring acquiring Roy Oswalt and moving Jayson Werth in a companion trade, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark.  GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says nothing is close, but Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says the Oswalt talks are "heavy."  Oswalt has yet to be presented with a deal for his approval.  Stark says the Phils have also discussed Dan Haren, Jeremy Guthrie, and Ben Sheets as they leave no rock unturned.  As for Werth, Stark believes the Rays "head the list of interested teams."  The impending free agent would be moved to save money, stock the farm system, and open up a spot for Domonic Brown.  Stark says the Red Sox, Giants, and Padres are also interested in Werth.

The Phillies recently optioned Kyle Kendrick to the minors and lost Jamie Moyer to an elbow strain, so they could use starting pitching depth. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. hinted today that the club could acquire a starter by Saturday. The Phils have already committed $135MM to next year's payroll, so adding an expensive arm like Haren or Oswalt would take some maneuvering.

One candidate to start Saturday, or perhaps be traded, is J.A. Happ.  Stark says the Phillies have shopped the lefty, and the Astros scouted him on Tuesday.

Click here to predict the Phillies next move.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Athletics Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Houston Astros Philadelphia Phillies San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Tampa Bay Rays Ben Sheets Dan Haren J.A. Happ Jayson Werth Jeremy Guthrie Roy Oswalt

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Odds & Ends: Piniella, Uggla, Oswalt

By Tim Dierkes | July 20, 2010 at 1:48pm CDT

Links for Tuesday, as we wonder if Dave Bush and Nate Robertson are making their last starts for their respective teams…

  • Cubs manager Lou Piniella announced today that he'll retire after the season.  Is Ryne Sandberg next in line? 
  • The Marlins are talking internally about extending second baseman Dan Uggla after the season, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains why a Roy Oswalt trade seems unlikely: his salary, his no-trade clause, and Ed Wade's demands.
  • Before Brandon Inge's injury last night, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports was told the Tigers "have been more aggressive in looking for relievers than starters" (Twitter link).  Here's a reminder on the trade markets for relievers and starters.
  • Two of Morosi's big league sources forecast a 50% chance of the Braves acquiring an outfielder.  As Morosi notes, the Braves have a strong inventory of pitching prospects.
  • One more from Morosi: he says the Rays are "checking around for possible upgrades" at center field, right field, first base, or catcher (Twitter link).  They've been loosely connected to Corey Hart and Jayson Werth this summer.
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Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs Detroit Tigers Miami Marlins Tampa Bay Rays Dan Uggla

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The 2011 Rays And Carl Crawford

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 19, 2010 at 8:36pm CDT

The Rays are willing to spend this season, but they're lowering payroll under $60MM for 2011. The upcoming payroll drop means next year's team will look much different than the one that's off to a 55-36 start this season. And as any Rays fan will tell you, prospective free agents Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Rafael Soriano could all be playing elsewhere a year from now.

The Rays can buy out the options for Dan Wheeler and Willy Aybar after the season to create some flexibility for 2011. They can let Grant Balfour and Randy Choate walk as free agents. And they can also non-tender or trade Jason Bartlett (who could earn $5-6MM in his final arbitration season) and Dioner Navarro (who could earn $3MM or so through arbitration). Even if all six of those players are on different teams in 2011, the Rays won't have much wiggle room unless owner Stuart Sternberg decides to spend more.

Now that Pat Burrell's gone, the Rays aren't stuck with any bad contracts, but GM Andrew Friedman won't likely have much spending power this offseason. B.J. Upton, Matt Garza, J.P. Howell, Lance Cormier and Andy Sonnanstine will get raises through arbitration. When you combine their salaries and the aforementioned buyouts with guarantees to Ben Zobrist ($4.6MM), James Shields ($4.25MM), Kelly Shoppach ($3MM), David Price ($2.2MM) and Evan Longoria ($2MM), you reach $32MM or so in a hurry.

That leaves the Rays with about $25MM to fill out their bullpen, add a first baseman and a DH and complete their roster with cheap players already in the organization like Wade Davis and Sean Rodriguez. When you consider that the Crawford-Pena-Soriano trio makes $27.5MM this year, $25MM doesn't seem like so much money.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Crawford demand $17MM per season on the open market, as Matt Holliday did last winter. The list of potential suitors for the Rays' left fielder is a long one and it includes big spenders like the Yankees and Angels. It would take a lot of maneuvering for the Rays to pay Crawford market value and keep their payroll below $60MM.

Admittedly, this analysis tells us something we already knew (keeping Crawford will be tricky) and reminds us that there are still many unknowns. Anything could happen, since the offseason is months away. Crawford could stop playing like an MVP candidate and the team could trade B.J. Upton or decide to raise payroll. As painful as it would be, the Rays could even trade Crawford. 

There are many variables, but we know this: as long as Crawford keeps playing excellent defense and hitting better than ever, his free agent value will be sky-high and it will be difficult for the Rays to keep their star left fielder in Tampa without leaving substantial holes on next year's team.

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Tampa Bay Rays Carl Crawford

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Rays Sign Baldelli To Minor League Contract

By Tim Dierkes | July 19, 2010 at 12:46pm CDT

12:46pm: Baldelli has officially been signed to a minor league deal, according to a Rays press release.

12:09pm: Rocco Baldelli is expected to sign a minor league contract with the Rays this afternoon, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  Topkin says Baldelli is set to DH tonight for the team's High A club, the Charlotte Stone Crabs.  The Crabs boast familiar names such as Tim Beckham, Matt Moore, and Matt Bush.  Baldelli is transitioning from a special assistant role and trying to come back from a shoulder injury.  He hit .253/.311/.433 in 164 plate appearances for the Red Sox last year.

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Tampa Bay Rays Transactions Rocco Baldelli

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Isringhausen To Audition For Reds

By Tim Dierkes | July 19, 2010 at 9:20am CDT

Appearing on KFNS 590 The Fan with Doug Vaughn this morning, free agent reliever Jason Isringhausen said he has a tentative plan to audition for the Reds tomorrow.  Isringhausen added that he expects to hear back from the Cardinals this week and implied that his agent has been in contact with the Yankees, Rays, and Royals.

Isringhausen admitted it'd be weird to pitch for the Reds against the Cardinals this summer as the teams battle for the NL Central.  Walt Jocketty's Reds already count Scott Rolen and Russ Springer as organization members.  Izzy, of course, tallied 217 saves in seven seasons for the Cards from 2002-08.  Isringhausen's last appearance in the Majors came in June of 2009 with the Rays, after which he went down for Tommy John surgery.  He said he's currently throwing three times a week and working on a changeup.  He expects he'd need a couple of weeks in the minors to get ready.  

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Cincinnati Reds Kansas City Royals New York Yankees St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays Jason Isringhausen

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Passan On Fielder, DeJesus, Oswalt

By Tim Dierkes | July 19, 2010 at 8:09am CDT

The latest from Yahoo's Jeff Passan…

  • The Rays "won't go near" Prince Fielder due to a potential $16MM salary in 2011, says one Passan source.  So far any Rays-Fielder connection has been purely speculative, though the team has a history of chasing big names at the trade deadline.  To play devil's advocate to Passan, they could theoretically acquire Fielder now and trade him again in the offseason. 
  • Passan feels that the White Sox and Giants could match up on a Fielder trade, or the Brewers could wait until the offseason to trade their slugger.
  • The Royals' steep asking price for David DeJesus: "a major league-ready prospect, along with at least one midlevel prospect or a pair of lower-level players."  Another take on their asking price tweeted by Dan Hayes of the North County Times: an "ML-ready pitcher and a top prospect."
  • Passan wonders if the Yankees will pursue Roy Oswalt, as they're "about the only team that could fit the $23 million left in his contract for the next year and a half onto their budget."  Indeed, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted today that the Yanks "have an advantage in that they're one of the few teams willing to take on payroll."  We'll have to see whether the Yankees actually inquire on Oswalt and/or Ted Lilly in the coming days.
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Chicago White Sox Houston Astros Kansas City Royals Milwaukee Brewers New York Yankees San Francisco Giants Tampa Bay Rays David DeJesus Prince Fielder Roy Oswalt

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Odds & Ends: Nationals, Lilly, Haren, Marlins, Kotsay

By Zachary Links | July 18, 2010 at 10:35pm CDT

Sunday night linkage..

  • Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com wonders if the reason Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo has made players like Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham available is because the team's offense is struggling with them as it is, so he'll try to improve other areas of the team.
  • ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine says the Yankees could join the mix for Ted Lilly following Andy Pettitte's injury today. Meanwhile, Yanks' GM Brian Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com that he is "not inclined" to make a move to replace Pettitte yet, saying that he prefers to give internal options a try first. Levine has the Tigers, Twins, Mets, and Dodgers also in the hunt for Lilly.
  • Scott Miller of CSBSports.com wonders if this weekend's poor play (three losses to the Padres) makes a Dan Haren trade more likely.
  • David Villavicencio of Fox Sports Florida tells us that players like Cody Ross and Ricky Nolasco want to stay with the Marlins, and know they need a strong run to make that a reality.
  • Mark Kotsay knows what it's like to be the player who's desired in a trade, but also to be the player who would lose playing time as a result of one, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
  • Jose Bautista was honored that Alex Anthopoulos called him to help get Yunel Escobar settled into his new environment, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Bautista says that he loves Toronto and would like to stay there long-term.
  • The Yankees, who have been interested bystanders through most of the process, are now getting more interested in Mexican amateur pitcher Luis Heredia, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  However, the Pirates and the Blue Jays remain the frontrunners for the 15-year-old, who is sure to get a bonus of more than $2MM.
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweets that Tampa Bay expressed interest in Yunel Escobar before he was dealt to Toronto.  He also tweets that Reid Brignac was part of the talks.
  • Hayden Penn, a pitcher for the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate who was reportedly nearing a deal with the Chiba Lotte Marines, is on his way to Japan, according to Indianapolis Indians Triple-A announcer Scott McCauley (via Twitter).  McCauley also says that another Indianapolis hurler is "close to a deal".
  • The White Sox, who have been linked to Nationals slugger Adam Dunn, have had a scout present for Washington's series against the Marlins, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
  • Reliever David Aardsma is a possible fit for the Tigers, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.
  • R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs attempted to peg Fausto Carmona's trade value.
  • Roy Oswalt wants to claim the Astros win record before leaving, writes Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News praised the moves made by Rangers GM Jon Daniels.
  • Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun senses deja vu all over again as the deadline approaches.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves Baltimore Orioles Chicago Cubs Cleveland Guardians Detroit Tigers Houston Astros Miami Marlins Minnesota Twins New York Mets New York Yankees Pittsburgh Pirates Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Adam Dunn Cody Ross Dan Haren David Aardsma Fausto Carmona Hayden Penn Jose Bautista Josh Willingham Luis Heredia Mark Kotsay Reid Brignac Ricky Nolasco Roy Oswalt Ted Lilly Yunel Escobar

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