Stark On Padres, Manny, Wandy, Harang
The Rangers appear to be headed toward stability, but they added $4.6MM in payroll before the trade deadline and, as ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports, that left some rival executives unhappy. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:
- The Padres had asked the Cardinals about Ryan Ludwick more than once leading up to the trade deadline.
- GM Jed Hoyer had also inquired on Jake Westbrook and even Roy Oswalt.
- When the White Sox called the Dodgers to ask about Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers ended the conversation quickly. That didn't stop the Rays and two other American League teams from calling the Dodgers, however. We should note that GM Ned Colletti told Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio that he only fielded one call about Manny (Twitter link).
- Not one team pursued Jose Guillen seriously before the deadline. The Royals designated the outfielder for assignment today, so we'll see in the next ten days if any teams have mild interest.
- Joe Beimel drew lots of interest last weekend, but the Rockies never seriously shopped him.
- A number of teams tried to acquire Wandy Rodriguez, including the Twins, Reds, Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays.
- The Reds tried to determine interest in Aaron Harang, so they could attempt to move him in August if he returns from the DL and proves that the back spasms that sidelined him are no longer an issue.
Will The Rays Trade Garza Or Shields This Winter?
It's pure speculation, but rival executives who spoke to ESPN's Buster Olney expect the Rays to shop Matt Garza or James Shields in the offseason given a potential rotation surplus. Rotation surpluses typically disappear very quickly, but let's dive into this possibility anyway.
Garza, 27 in November, has a 4.11 ERA, 7.0 K/9, and 2.8 BB/9 this year with 20 home runs allowed in 135.6 innings. Olney notes that Garza has a higher ceiling than Shields, but lacks the cost certainty. Garza will enter his second arbitration year after earning $3.35MM in 2010. I estimate he'll make around $6MM next year. Garza is under team control through 2013, though most good young starters sign extensions instead of reaching free agency going year-by-year.
Shields, 29 in December, has a 4.54 ERA, 8.4 K/9, and 2.0 BB/9 this year with 22 home runs allowed in 142.6 innings. Shields and Fausto Carmona are the only two pitchers I've found with three club options in their contracts. Shields can be controlled through 2014.
Both pitchers are controllable, under 30, and healthy. Both have succeeded in the AL East. Teams like the Nationals, Mets, Brewers, Rockies, Dodgers, Mariners, Rangers, Tigers, and Twins would have to inquire if Garza or Shields becomes available this winter.
Waiver Trade Candidates: AL East
Last year, Ronnie Belliard, Jose Contreras, Jon Garland, Scott Kazmir, Jon Rauch, Billy Wagner, Bill Hall, Ivan Rodriguez, Aubrey Huff, Alex Gonzalez, David Weathers, Carl Pavano, Chad Gaudin, and Gregg Zaun were traded in August. Alex Rios and Russ Springer also changed teams as waiver claims. Here's our primer on the rules. Let's take a look at candidates to be traded or claimed in 2010, starting with the AL East.
The Orioles traded Miguel Tejada and Will Ohman last week, but kept Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott. Both could be moved, but the O's don't have an obvious replacement for Wigginton. Scott is under team control through 2012, and dealing him in August would limit the trade talks to the one team winning the claim. Jeremy Guthrie isn't going anywhere. Kevin Millwood will probably clear waivers, as he's earning $12MM and has given up five earned runs in each of his last five starts. Cesar Izturis could be dealt if the Orioles don't mind starting Julio Lugo at shortstop the rest of the year. Mark Hendrickson has been better against lefties than Ohman or Javier Lopez; I'm surprised there wasn't more July interest.
The Red Sox discussed sending Mike Lowell to the Yankees via the Rangers on Friday, reported Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Lowell would clear waivers, and Rosenthal feels that the Phillies, Rays, and Twins are potential matches. The Sox seemed willing to part with Manny Delcarmen in July; he could be claimed by a non-contending AL team willing to tender him a contract for 2011.
If Nick Johnson somehow takes a positive turn and comes off the DL this month, perhaps the Yankees would look to move him. Marcus Thames could be the odd man out with Austin Kearns now in the fold.
The Rays optioned Dioner Navarro to Triple A in June and could try to move the remainder of his $2.1MM salary. Lance Cormier or Gabe Kapler could be dumped if the Rays find suitable replacements.
One Blue Jay certain to clear waivers is Vernon Wells, even though his power has returned this year. Lyle Overbay is a reasonable trade candidate, though the Jays seemingly didn't get too far in July discussions. Edwin Encarnacion already cleared waivers in June. Brian Tallet has handled lefties well, and will probably clear waivers given his $2MM salary. Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Kevin Gregg, and John Buck will probably be retained for future draft pick compensation.
Odds & Ends: Duffy, Tigers, Yankees, Reds, Red Sox
Some leftovers in the wake of another trade deadline…
- I'll be appearing on Sporting News Radio at 8:25pm PT tonight to talk about the deadline. You can listen in here.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark named his trade deadline winners and losers, with the Rangers, Padres, and Yankees among the teams earning praise.
- The Phillies released Triple-A outfielder Chris Duffy, reports Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Steve Kornacki of MLive.com that he "had a chance to do something surprising and big," and that it was like "getting the wind knocked out of you" when it fell through. He didn't elaborate any further, so we'll have to keep playing the guessing game.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post says the Yankees took on $4.8MM at the deadline, more than any other team (Twitter links). The bankrupt Rangers came in second at $4.1MM.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that he was working on some deals in recent days, but they "fell apart at the end."
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets the Red Sox finished second in the Kerry Wood race, ditto the Rays and Lance Berkman, both of whom ended up with their biggest rival.
- Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider tweets that Yunesky Maya's deal with Washington will be made official within the hour.
- The Padres inquired about Jacoby Ellsbury before picking up Ryan Ludwick, but were told he's not available according to ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes (Twitter links).
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Dodgers took on about $3MM with all their deadline moves. Their financial situation has been in question basically all season.
- Chad Tracy has exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Yankees and is now a free agent, tweet Conor Foley with the Triple-A Scranton Yankees.
- Barret Loux has joined the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League according to the team's official Twitter feed. Loux was the sixth overall pick in last month's draft, but recently failed his physical with the Diamondbacks and could be looking to rebuild his stock.
- The Royals traded minor league catcher Jeff Howell to the Twins for future considerations according to milb.com's official Twitter feed.
White Sox, Rays, Angels Asked About Manny Ramirez
3:47pm: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says he believes Manny will stay with the team for the rest of the year, tweets Nightengale.
12:49pm: Brown says the Angels are not the third team he was referring to earlier. ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that there are absolutely no indications the Dodgers are trading Manny today.
12:36pm: The Angels also asked about Manny, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. I wonder how recently that happened.
12:26pm: The White Sox haven't heard a counter-offer from the Dodgers on Manny, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale, and the Sox are moving on.
11:35pm: The Dodgers asked the White Sox for Dayan Viciedo in exchange for Ramirez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com on Twitter. The Manny market is heating up, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown on Twitter. The Rays, White Sox and a mystery team are all involved. The Dodgers are considering dealing Manny, according to Brown, who explains that the Dodgers are not shopping him. The left fielder is said to be open to a trade.
11:18am: The Sox intend to make one more run at Manny today, tweets Rosenthal. Yahoo's Steve Henson tweets that the Dodgers would love to move Manny but they don't want to eat his contract.
11:15am: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that Manny appears amenable to going to the White Sox but the Dodgers want big prospects back.
11:06am: The Rays inquired on Manny a while back and it went nowhere, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
10:28am: The White Sox made a failed run at Manny Ramirez, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Ramirez has over $7MM remaining on his contract, and Rosenthal tweets that the Sox wanted the Dodgers to pay all but $1MM and did not want to send any players to Los Angeles. This was apparently what Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times was referring to when he said GM Kenny Williams was trying to "shock the world" before yesterday's Edwin Jackson trade.
Though the Sox were rejected, Manny makes for an interesting DH target for multiple teams. Ramirez is having a strong year statistically, but he was otherworldly after the '08 trade to the Dodgers. Obstacles abound: Manny has a full no-trade clause, he's on a rehab assignment for a calf strain, and as we mentioned he has over $7MM remaining on his contract (much of it deferred). The contract makes Ramirez an August trade candidate, if the Dodgers feel they can spare him.
Adam Dunn Not Traded
The latest on slugger Adam Dunn, who we learned yesterday is comfortable serving as a designated hitter for two months…
- Dunn was not traded, according to many reports.
- Rosenthal tweets that Dunn to the White Sox for Jackson and others is "far from over."
- Edwin Jackson for Dunn is still possible, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, but the Nationals want another player or two.
- One Nationals source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports he thinks Dunn is staying.
- The Giants are still checking in on Dunn but the Nationals still want Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner, tweets Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Nationals are getting late interest in Dunn from new teams and longshots are being explored, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The odds of a Dunn trade are less than 50-50, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. He adds that the Rays are not pursuing any bat aggressively.
Rays Pursuing Luke Scott
2:21pm: Teams haven't been too aggressive on Scott, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles would want a solid return since Scott is under team control for two more seasons beyond this one.
2:08pm: Scott is getting play but not from the Dodgers, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
1:55pm: The Dodgers are making a push for Scott and the Rays are in the mix, tweets Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse.
1:02pm: The Rays and Orioles are in trade talks, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. He wonders if Luke Scott or Will Ohman would be the Rays' target. However, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets that an Orioles trade before the deadline is highly unlikely.
Multiple Teams Eyeing Brandon League
2:06pm: Aside from the Dodgers and Rays, add the Marlins to the mix for League according to Stark. Not a big surprise.
1:51pm: The Rays are unlikely to make a deal today, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
1:41pm: The Dodgers are also in on League, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
1:13pm: The Rays are interested in Scott Downs and Brandon League, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter links). Tampa Bay added Chad Qualls this morning, but lost Grant Balfour to the DL for 4-6 weeks with an intercostal strain (Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reporting on Twitter).
Downs and his former teammate, League, will not come cheap, according to Sherman, but the Rays continue looking for relief help despite a thin, highly-priced market. The Giants may be in serious talks with the Blue Jays regarding Downs and reportedly have interest in League, too.
Rays Acquire Chad Qualls
The unloading of veteran Diamondbacks continues, as they've shipped reliever Chad Qualls to the Rays for a player to be named later. The Rays will pay the entire $1.48MM remaining on Qualls' contract, keeping interim GM Jerry Dipoto's streak alive of not sending cash in his transactions.
Qualls, 31, began the season as Arizona's closer but lost the gig by mid-June. He has an 8.29 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 3.6 BB/9 in 38 innings on the season with five home runs allowed. Silver lining: he tossed a scoreless inning last night and there's almost no way his batting average on balls in play remains at .434. The Rays' pen is in good shape, especially from the right side, so Qualls is something of a luxury for the wild card leaders.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal first reported the Rays' serious interest in Qualls, with MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reporting the agreement.
Lance Berkman Rumors: Friday
Yesterday we heard Lance Berkman could be the next big-name Astro to go, especially with Brett Wallace now in the fold. The latest:
- The Yankees are telling teams they can take on salary, but don’t want to hand over prospects, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. They’re now taking a long, hard look at Berkman.
- Berkman would accept a deal to the Yankees, according to Sherman (via Twitter). Earlier today we heard that Berkman would like to play with former teammate Andy Pettitte.
- The Yankees are seriously considering Berkman, tweets Sherman. Berkman is one of many bats the Yankees are considering, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- ESPN's Jayson Stark notes that Berkman could be traded in August given his large salary. He says the White Sox, Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays have checked in.
- Berkman could be in play for the Yankees under the right circumstances, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal feels Berkman would probably waive his no-trade rights for a chance to reunite with old friend Andy Pettitte. A word of caution: an exec who talked to Joel Sherman of the New York Post wondered how Berkman would fare in the American League.
- Are the White Sox in on Berkman, perhaps as a backup plan for Adam Dunn? Ed Price of AOL FanHouse tweets yes, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets no.