Red Sox Notes: Saltalamacchia, Masterson, Ellsbury
The Red Sox have a 51-51 record after taking two of three from the Yankees in New York over the weekend. Here are the latest rumors surrounding the Red Sox as they host the Tigers at Fenway Park…
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Aviles have drawn interest from rival teams, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. The Red Sox are looking to add at the trade deadline, but a modest deal is more likely than a blockbuster.
- The Red Sox remain interested in Justin Masterson, even though they saw him struggle in his most recent start, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). The Indians have told teams they will consider trading Masterson, who pitched for the Red Sox in 2008-09.
- A few teams inquired on Jacoby Ellsbury, but the Red Sox will likely wait until the offseason to seriously consider trading him, Cafardo reports (on Twitter). The Reds asked about Ellsbury, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).
- The Rangers have pursued Red Sox players more aggressively than other teams, Cafardo reports (Twitterlinks). Texas has scouted both Aaron Cook and Kelly Shoppach and while Rangers officials have backed off on Cook, they maintain interest in Shoppach.
- Here’s the latest on Josh Beckett.
AL West Notes: Greinke, Ryan, Rangers
The Angels will do everything they can to sign Zack Greinke long-term, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian reports (on Twitter). The Angels surrendered three prospects for Greinke, but the Casey Close client is just two months away from the free agent market. Greinke appears to have turned down an extension offer exceeding $100MM before the Brewers traded him to Anaheim. Here’s the latest from his new division…
- The Yankees attempted to acquire Brendan Ryan from the Mariners, but Seattle turned them down, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Ryan is one of many infield options the Yankees have considered this month.
- The Phillies have scouted the Rangers' farm system aggressively, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Rangers discussed Josh Beckett before obtaining the rights to Yu Darvish last offseason, but aren't comfortable with the Red Sox right-hander, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Rangers are focused on upgrading their bench and bullpen, and they could consider trades for catchers.
Rangers, Giants, Orioles Interested In Broxton
MONDAY, 3:16pm: The Royals are still listening on Broxton but offers haven't been encouraging so far, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The Orioles were showing serious interest in Broxton over the weekend, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, though they're showing less interest now. Kubatko says the Orioles are known to want a left-handed reliever but might just be looking to upgrade the bullpen however possible.
SUNDAY, 10:11pm: The Royals are eyeing right-hander Justin Grimm in their discussions with the Rangers, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News echoes the sentiment (on Twitter). Grimm, 23, was a fifth round selection by the Rangers in 2010 out of the University of Georgia. He currently boasts a 1.99 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A and made his Major League debut earlier this season.
6:36pm: The Rangers are also in on Broxton, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Texas is turning its focus to bullpen help after becoming frustrated with the starting pitching market, according to Heyman.
2:36pm: The Giants have serious interest in Jonathan Broxton, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter). Interest on Broxton is picking up and there's a 60-70% chance he'll be traded by the deadline, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter).
The Giants don't view Broxton as the solution for their bullpen, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reported this week. There's not much bullpen help available, now that Huston Street is off the market, Knobler reported today (on Twitter). The Blue Jays and Red Sox aren't selling and teams aren't impressed by the available relievers.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Latest On Brandon League
2:02pm: The White Sox, Rangers, Giants, Dodgers, and other clubs are in on League, writes Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
11:19am: The Giants are still involved on Mariners reliever Brandon League, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, adding along with colleague Ken Rosenthal that the Dodgers inquired. Yesterday afternoon, Morosi tweeted that the Mariners were discussing League with multiple teams.
League, 29, has a 3.63 ERA, 5.4 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, 0.20 HR/9, and 46.9% groundball rate in 44 2/3 innings this year. He's allowed just one home run despite the lowest groundball rate of his career. League has $1.71MM remaining on his contract and will be eligible for free agency after the season. His earning power was hurt a bit by the loss of the Mariners' closing job in late May.
Cliff Lee Trade Unlikely
TUESDAY, 1:04pm: The Phillies have halted all trade talk involving Lee, tweets Stark.
MONDAY, 4:06pm: Philadelphia's discussions with Texas about Lee have all but ended, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (via Buster Olney on Twitter). A trade sending Lee back to Texas is "not going to happen," Stark reports (on Twitter). Such a trade would be complicated and may be easier to complete during the offseason. Talks between the Rangers and Phillies never gained momentum, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes (Twitter link). The Phillies offered Texas little salary relief.
1:00pm: The Dodgers are not in on Lee, hears Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Rangers consider Lee a long shot, while an industry source who spoke to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan puts the chances at less than one percent.
11:29am: Cliff Lee is in play in trade talks today, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney considers the Rangers the most logical landing spot, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post names them the frontrunners. Olney says the Yankees are not expected to be in the mix due to lack of budget space. Sherman talked to one executive who expects Lee to be dealt by this month's deadline or in the offseason, to allow the Phillies to save money and add young players. On Friday, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote that the Phillies' lefty would not be traded this month.
Lee, 33, has a 3.95 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 1.14 HR/9, and 46.7% groundball rate in 118 1/3 innings this year. More flyballs are leaving the yard and hits are dropping in than usual so far for the southpaw. Lee's five-year, $120MM deal with the Phillies was one of the big surprises of the 2010-11 offseason. It's a severely backloaded contract, so $95MM remains through 2015 assuming Lee's 2016 option does not vest. Lee can block trades to all but eight teams. The Rangers and Yankees are among those eight, wrote Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports last Wednesday. At that time, Rosenthal and Morosi wrote that some executives expected the Phillies to consider offers for Lee this month, not long after they locked up Cole Hamels long-term.
Lee has already been involved in four blockbuster trades in his career: as a prospect in June '02 to the Indians, as an ace to the Phillies in July '09, to the Mariners in the 2009-10 offseason, and to the Rangers in July '10.
Red Sox Called Braves, Rangers About Beckett
The Red Sox have made calls to the Braves and Rangers within the past 48 hours in an attempt to dump Josh Beckett, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. Passan adds that the Red Sox began talks with the Rangers and Braves because they believe Beckett would waive his 10-and-5 rights to play for either team. While the Dodgers have yet to receive a call on Beckett, they're one team that could potentially be interested in the right-hander, according to Passan (all Twitter links).
There are several potential roadblocks to a Beckett trade. In addition to his 10-and-5 rights, Beckett's performance has slipped (4.57 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 2.4 BB/9) and he has a prohibitive contract status. He's in the second year of a four-year contract that pays him $15.75MM annually. Passan notes in this fourth tweet that Beckett's market is largely dependent on how much salary the Red Sox are willing to eat. He's owed approximately $37.3MM over the remainder of the contract. For a bit more from Passan regarding Beckett, check out his article here.
Earlier tonight, both Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reported that the Red Sox were looking to move Beckett. The Braves and Rangers have both been linked to nearly every starting pitcher available on the trade market this summer, but it's not known what kind of interest either club would have in Beckett.
Reds, Pirates Interested In Choo; Rangers Out
8:36pm: Rosenthal hears that the asking price for Choo is a good Major League player with less than three years of service time (Twitter link).
8:23pm: The Reds are also interested in Choo, according to Rosenthal (on Twitter). Choo would fit Cincinnati's desire for a left-handed bat and a leadoff hitter, but Rosenthal hears that the Indians are reluctant to move Choo.
5:29pm: A deal between the Rangers and Indians for Choo isn't happening, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
4:17pm: The Rangers also have interest in Choo, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report. Texas would prefer to add a left-handed hitter such as Choo to their lineup, but the Indians are reluctant to trade the right fielder. Cleveland would likely look for pitching in a trade, according to the FOX reporters.
11:04am: The Pirates are checking in on Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (on Twitter). The Pirates would likely have to part with 23-year-old outfielder Starling Marte to complete a trade for Choo, Biertempfel writes.
The Indians are likely to keep Choo, but they'll listen to trade offers for him, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported three days ago. The 30-year-old earns $4.9MM this year and will get a raise this offseason when he goes to arbitration for the third and final time. Choo has a .295/.382/.489 batting line with 12 home runs in 422 plate appearances this year.
The Pirates acquired Wandy Rodriguez this week, but they continue seeking offensive upgrades. Marte, Drew Sutton and Alex Presley are among their current left field options.
Rafael Betancourt, Matt Reynolds Drawing Interest
6:26pm: Matt Reynolds is also drawing trade interest, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Reynolds, 27, has a 3.61 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and 46.3 percent ground-ball rate in 42 1/3 innings of work this season.
6:15pm: Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the Rangers, Braves, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all inquiring on Betancourt (Twitter link).
Sunday, 6:02pm: Betancourt continues drawing trade interest but nothing is imminent, according to Renck (Twitter link). It's probably fair to assume that several of the teams who are currently discussing Brandon League with the Mariners are also intrigued by Betancourt, though that's my own speculation. — Steve Adams
Saturday: The Orioles, Yankees, and Athletics are among the teams with interest in Rockies reliever Rafael Betancourt according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The Red Sox had interest earlier this month and both the White Sox and Angels are digging around for bullpen help.
Betancourt, 37, has pitched to a 3.00 ERA and gone 17-for-21 in save chances. His strikeout (9.3 K/9) and walk (2.5 BB/9) rates are superb as usual. Betancourt is owned approximately $1.5M for the rest of the season and is under contract for $4.25MM next year. His deal includes a $4.25MM mutual option ($250K buyout) for 2014 as well.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
Mariners Close To Trading Brandon League
5:15pm: The Giants and Mariners have definitely discussed League, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). It's still not clear where League will be traded, though, according to Morosi.
4:06pm: The Mariners were discussing League with multiple teams as of this afternoon, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
3:03pm: There's some scuttlebutt in high circles that the Giants are the team getting League, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). But it's not a sure thing.
2:52pm: The Braves and Rangers aren't in the mix for League, Crasnick tweets.
2:46pm: The Angels and Mariners are in talks for League, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports. The Mariners could be close to trading League to the Giants or the Angels, Gonzalez writes.
2:24pm: The White Sox have been talking to the Mariners about League and the Angels continue seeking relief help, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links).
2:05pm: The Mariners are close to trading Brandon League to an unknown team, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). The Giants, Angels and Mets are known to have some interest in the right-hander.
League is earning $5MM this year and will hit free agency this offseason. The 29-year-old has a 3.05 ERA with 5.3 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 46.4% ground ball rate in 42 1/3 innings for Seattle. He lost the closer's job in May, but has pitched to a 1.96 ERA with twice as many strikeouts as walks since the beginning of June. His fastball averages 95.2 mph, according to FanGraphs.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
James Shields Rumors: Sunday
If the Rays trade James Shields, they'd be looking to exceed the package of prospects the Brewers obtained for Zack Greinke, according to Jon Heyman. Greinke, who was traded for prospects Jean Segura, Ariel Pena and John Hellweg, is headed for free agency, but Shields is under team control through 2014 with a pair of club options. The Cardinals, Braves, Dodgers, Indians and Rangers are among the teams with interest in Shields. Here are the latest rumors surrounding the 30-year-old. The most recent items are up top:
- Teams have started to wonder how serious the Rays are about trading Shields, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.
- The Rangers don't believe Shields will be traded, so they could focus on relief help instead of attempting to add to their rotation, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports.
- The Rangers were far more interested in Shields than Josh Johnson even before Johnson walked six Padres today, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).
- Manager Joe Maddon says he doesn't expect the Rays to make any deals, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "We talk a lot and it always takes two to dance, and at the end of the day it's difficult to match up all the time," Maddon said. "So I would bet that nothing really happens.''
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported today that some executives believe the Rays will trade Shields before the trade deadline.