Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Blue Jays Rumors

Cafardo On Samardzija, Arroyo, Mayberry Jr.

By | at

In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ran down the 20 best stories in baseball, starting with the worst-to-first (so far) Blue Jays.  Toronto has gotten great hitting out of Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera, Edwin Encarnacion, and Adam Lind and great pitching from Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey, and Drew Hutchison.  Now, it remains to be seen whether the Blue Jays will be willing to part with Hutchison in a deal for Cubs’ ace Jeff Samardzija.  More from today’s column..

  • The Red Sox and Rangers have the most to offer the Cubs for Samardzija, followed by the Giants.  Of course, Cubs president Theo Epstein is quite familiar with the Red Sox’s farm system. The Cubs need pitching, but Boston will definitely not part with lefthander Henry Owens. If that’s not a deal breaker, the Sox have other pitchers like Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, Anthony Ranaudo, Allen Webster, and Rubby De La Rosa that they can offer.  Cafardo guesses that it would take two of them, plus perhaps a catcher, to pry Samardzija loose.
  • With the Diamondbacks likely out of the race by the deadline, Cafardo says that we should look for veteran Bronson Arroyo to change uniforms again. Arroyo isn’t a shutdown guy, but he’s an experienced starter who could solidify the back of a rotation, particularly for an NL team.
  • The Phillies have made John Mayberry Jr. available and Cafardo writes that the Red Sox could be interested.  The Phillies have been scouting the Sox for a third straight series and are looking at Boston as a possible trade partner.

Rosenthal On Marlins, Rays, White Sox, Reds

By | at

Here’s the latest on the developing trade market, courtesy of Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link):

  • The most likely scenario at this point is for the Marlins to be aggressive, early buyers, says Rosenthal. With the club still very much in the NL East mix and possessing confidence in the ability of its young arms to fill the void created by Jose Fernandez’s UCL tear, Rosenthal says that Miami may not to wait for the trade deadline to make moves to bolster its roster.
  • Concurring with a report from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Rosenthal says that the Fish could look to add a strong reliever to slot in front of Steve Cishek. While the bullpen has not been a problem area on the whole, Cishek has easily paced the rest of the group in performance, and the potential loss of Carter Capps elevates the team’s need.
  • On the other hand, the Rays could consider moving a series of veterans if they become sellers, according to Rosenthal. Having dropped well off the pace (9.5 games back in the AL East), Tampa Bay could potentially deal away not only ace David Price but also players like Ben Zobrist and Matt Joyce.
  • Another team worth watching closely, in Rosenthal’s estimation, is the White Sox. While Chicago will surely wait to see how the team performs with Chris Sale and Jose Abreu back in action, Rosenthal says that middle infielders Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham could be attractive to clubs like the Blue Jays, Giants, and others who may be in the market for second basemen.
  • Meanwhile, Rosenthal says that the underperforming Reds “could listen” on starters Mat Latos, Mike Leake, or even Johnny Cueto. That trio is under control only through next season, and it may prove too expensive to retain more than one or two of them for the long haul. Rosenthal also suggests that there is at least some possibility that Cincinnati could field offers on closer Aroldis Chapman.

Quick Hits: Wrigley, Blue Jays, Arenado, Iglesias, Opt-Outs

By | at

In case you missed it, the Cubs’ efforts to renovate Wrigley Field have run into some snags that have stirred up controversy in Chicago. That project has frequently been cited by the team as a key factor in future payroll expansion. Club executive Crane Kenney discussed the latest in an interview with David Kaplan on The Game 87.7 FM (audio link). Kaplan also released a copy of the agreement with the neighboring rooftop owners that is at the center of the dispute (on CSNChicago.com). Today, first baseman Anthony Rizzo expressed frustration over the delays, saying that players had been told to expect significant clubhouse renovations, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Here’s the latest from around the league to finish up the night …

  • With the Blue Jays seemingly more interested in adding a short-term rental arm than a player who comes with more control (and a higher price), Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says that James Shields of the Royals could be a possible target for Toronto. Heyman says that the Jays hope to avoid “gutting” the team’s prospect pool in adding a pitcher, and like that Shields has proven himself in the AL East. Of course, unless Kansas City is well out of the race by the time the trade deadline comes around, Shields may not even be available. And even if he is shopped, he would draw lots of interest from other contenders and should command a substantial prospect haul himself. Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos said earlier today that he is confident the club can take on salary to add an impact pitcher; in discussing that news, MLBTR’s Steve Adams listed several possible free agents-to-be that could become available and attractive to the Jays.
  • Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado will not require surgery on his broken left middle finger, reports Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. That is good news for a suddenly-reeling Colorado club, though Arenado still figures to miss at least six more weeks. It will be interesting to see whether an anticipated mid-to-late July return for Arenado could help encourage the Rockies to buy at the trade deadline, if they can stay afloat in the meantime.
  • The Reds were among the many clubs on hand to watch Cuban righty Raciel Iglesias throw today in Haiti, tweets C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Cinci pen has struggled to the league’s third-worst ERA through the first third of the season. Iglesias is said to have the potential to be a legitimate big league relief contributor right away.
  • One aspect of the Mariners’ decision to purchase the contract of outfielder Endy Chavez today was his June 1 opt-out date, tweets Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. The 36-year-old was carrying a .272/.346/.289 triple-slash in 134 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • Other opt-out situations around the league are coming to a decision point. In addition to attempting to address the clause of rehabbing starter Johan Santana, the Orioles are waiting to find out whether reliever Luis Ayala will opt out of his deal tomorrow, with the expectation that he will, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter links). The veteran righty has allowed three earned runs (with five strikeouts against two walks) in 5 1/3 innings at Double-A thus far in 2014.
  • Meanwhile, Brewers lefty Brad Mills has been excellent at Triple-A and is nearing a June 15 opt-out date, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. The 29-year-old has a 1.74 ERA in 57 innings (including nine starts), with 9.0 K/9 against just 1.9 BB/9.

Blue Jays Designate Bobby Korecky, Promote Stroman

By | at

The Blue Jays have designated righty Bobby Korecky for assignment, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm reports on Twitter. His roster spot will go to top prospect Marcus Stroman, who is expected to start tomorrow for Toronto.

Korecky was called up to the big league club today and threw a clean inning and a third in mop-up duty. The 34-year-old righty saw his most extensive MLB action in 2008 with the Twins, when he tossed 17 2/3 innings of 4.58 ERA ball. He has only made six appearances since before today’s game.

Meanwhile, Stroman will take his second turn with the Jays this year. Regarded as one of the game’s best pitching prospects, the 23-year-old righty was promoted earlier this month to join the bullpen, but was only up for about two weeks. Now, he’ll have his first chance to take the ball to start a game in the bigs. According to John Lott of the National Post (via Twitter), manager John Gibbons did not address whether Stroman would step into a regular turn in the rotation.

Anthopoulos Confident Jays Can Add Payroll In Trades

By | at

Though the club had some very notable payroll issues in Spring Training, the Blue Jays will likely be able to take on additional payroll in summer trades if they have a need, general manager Alex Anthopoulos told reporters yesterday, including the Toronto Star’s Brendan Kennedy (Twitter links). It was fair to assume they were “at [their] number to start the year,” said Anthopoulos, but he described that number as “fluid,” and said he has “every confidence” that his club will have the necessary resources from ownership.

The fact that they had reached their preseason “number” may have significantly impacted both the AL East and the NL East, as the team was unable to top Atlanta’s one-year, $14.1MM offer to Ervin Santana, who has pitched well for the Braves to this point. Blue Jays players, at one point, were willing to defer some of their salary in order to help the team meet Santana’s asking price.

Anthopoulos’ comments are a departure from comments he made to Peter Gammons earlier in the week, in which he termed the team’s payroll as “maxed out.” At that point — just six days ago — he also hinted that the Jays preferred rental pitchers rather than paying the steep price of pursuing a pitcher that is controllable beyond the 2014 season (and would therefore come with a higher price tag). Said Anthopoulos at the time: “I think we’d probably look at something where we have a pitcher for the rest of this season. That makes sense.”

Among strictly rental pitchers that could be available at this summer’s trade deadline are Jason Hammel, Brandon McCarthy, A.J. Burnett, Kyle Kendrick, Roberto Hernandez, Justin Masterson, Francisco Liriano, and Edinson Volquez. Obviously, the next two months of play for the Phillies, Indians and Pirates will go a long way in determining which of those arms are available. As it is right now, no team in all of baseball is more than eight games removed from a Wild Card berth in the standings. One big fish for contending teams to monitor would be James Shields, though the Royals would probably need to really tank before biting the bullet and trading their ace.

Anthopoulos himself noted that it’s too early to know who will be available (more Twitter links from Kennedy), saying that “so much can change in the next six weeks” and adding that he’s not currently involved in any trade discussions.

Draft Links: Astros, Gordon, Howard, Top 5

By | at

Brady Aiken and Carlos Rodon have been mentioned the most frequently as potential options for the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, but CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman expands on a rumor that has been picking up steam that could have the Astros cutting a deal with high school shortstop Nick Gordon (brother of Dee Gordon and son of Tom Gordon) in order to spend more heavily elsewhere. Heyman notes that it could very well be just a rumor, but it’s “stirring intrigue in baseball circles.” It wouldn’t be the first time that Houston cut a deal at 1-1, as just two years ago they elected to select Carlos Correa in order to later sign Lance McCullers Jr. and Rio Ruiz to over-slot deals. One agent tells Heyman that he thinks Houston will look to cut a deal, with a second agent telling him the Astros are “all about the deal” and rival executives expressing that they simply can’t even guess what the Astros and GM Jeff Luhnow will do.

Here are several more draft-related links with the draft less than one week away…

  • ESPN’s Keith Law tweets that he didn’t buy the Gordon/Astros rumor when he first heard it, and he’s still not a believer.
  • Scout.com’s Kiley McDaniel tweets that the Gordon rumor is still alive and adds another to the mix, noting that the Blue Jays could reach and select Virginia righty Nick Howard as high as No. 11, while several other teams in the teens are kicking the tires on Howard. That would be quite the reach in comparison to the rankings of Howard by MLB.com (No. 75) and Law (No. 59). Baseball America is more bullish on Howard, ranking him 25th among draft prospects.
  • Law appeared with ESPN’s Buster Olney on today’s Baseball Tonight Podcast to discuss a host of draft-related topics (Law appears from the 23:00 mark to the 45:00 mark). Law began by sharing a great deal from his experience with the Blue Jays’ front office, including the inner workings of a draft room, the unheralded successes of some area scouts and the change in decision-making processes as the draft progresses into the later rounds.
  • Law also broke down the top of his most recent mock draft. In discussing the No. 5 pick (he has Gordon going to the Twins), he notes that Minnesota seems to be down to Gordon or LSU right-hander Aaron Nola. Law adds that he was on-hand for Nola’s most recent SEC start and saw executives from teams “from No. 2 on down,” including Marlins GM Dan Jennings, White Sox VP Kenny Williams and Cubs GM Jed Hoyer. Law says the Twins have been targeting Gordon “all spring.”
  • Law feels that if Aiken, Rodon and Kolek are all off the board, the Cubs will cut a deal at No. 4 and turn around to “crush pitching” with their next several picks. He currently has them selecting Oregon State outfielder Michael Conforto, who brings an element of plate discipline that their current top prospects lack. He adds that he could also see them cutting a deal with Nola, though he sees Nola as more of a mid-rotation starter (that could be in the bigs in a year’s time) than an ace.
  • The White Sox selection of Kolek is “the lock” of the top five picks, says Law. He also adds that Marlins ownership has pushed strongly for Rodon due to his proximity to the Majors and marketability as a Cuban-American left-hander. Law calls his slider the best overall pitch in the draft. (Note that these bullets are a very brief summary, and those with heavy interest in the MLB draft will consider the Olney/Law segment time well spent upon listening to it in its entirety.)

Blue Jays To Sign Mike Zagurski

By | at

The Blue Jays have signed southpaw reliever Mike Zagurski to a minor league deal, reports MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes (via Twitter). The 31-year-old southpaw opted out of his prior minor league pact with the Indians on Saturday.

Zagurski has posted strong numbers thus far at Triple-A, working to a 2.76 ERA with 12.1 K/9 against 5.5 BB/9 over 16 1/3 frames. He has been consistently excellent during his time at the highest level of the minors, posting a cumulative 2.87 ERA with 11.9 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 194 1/3 career Triple-A innings. But he has allowed 7.05 earned runs per nine over 75 1/3 career big league innings, spread over five separate MLB campaigns (including each of the last four).

Blue Jays Acquire P.J. Walters, Melky Mesa

By | at

The Blue Jays have acquired right-hander P.J. Walters and outfielder Melky Mesa from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports (Twitter link).  Both players had been playing with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate after signing minor league deals in the offseason, and Walters and Mesa will likely also serve as organization depth for Toronto.

Walters, 29, had a brief stint in the Jays organization in 2011 when he came to Toronto from the Cardinals as part of the Colby Rasmus trade package.  The righty pitched only one Major League inning as a Blue Jay before becoming a free agent that winter.  Walters posted a 5.79 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and a 1.6 K/BB rate over 22 starts (for a -1.2 bWAR) with the Twins in 2012-13 and he also struggled with Triple-A Omaha this year, only managing a 7.97 ERA in 40 2/3 innings.

Mesa, conversely, had been enjoying a nice year in Omaha, slashing .284/.346/.527 with five homers over 81 PA.  The 27-year-old has a career .754 OPS over 2892 minor league plate appearances since debuting in the Yankees’ farm system in 2006.  Mesa has 16 Major League PA to his name (with New York in 2012-13) and made the most of them, posting a .971 OPS in his brief time in the Show.

AL East Notes: Anthopoulos, Betances, Rosenthal

By | at

The Blue Jays sit atop the AL East but most feel that the club will try to fortify its starting rotation before the trade deadline.  Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos hinted to Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com that if his team did make a move, the price might be too high for a big-name arm.  “We are pretty much maxed out in terms of payroll, but more important, we cannot keep trading our young [minor league] pitchers,” Anthopoulos said.  “We also have to be realistic about whom we can extend if we make a trade for him….We have been feeling out teams and doing background work.  I think we’d probably look at something where we have a pitcher for the rest of this season. That makes sense.”  Gammons wonders if this means the Jays wouldn’t pursue David Price or Jeff Samardzija since neither pitcher is likely to sign an extension with Toronto to becoming a free agent after 2015.  James Shields (a free agent this winter) would also cost a lot, while Gammons suggests names like Francisco Liriano, Jason Hammel or Justin Masterson as possible fits.

Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

  • Dellin Betances no longer frets about trade rumors like he did in his younger days, the Yankees reliever tells Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.  “I try not to pay too much attention,” Betances said. “Actually, I haven’t heard anything. But this has happened so many times that — you always hear rumors that are coming up.”  CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman recently explored Betances as a possible trade chip the Yankees could use in a package for Samardzija, though with Betances pitching so well, Heyman noted New York would be hesitant to move the right-hander.
  • In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Christopher Crawford breaks down what each of the five AL East teams could look for in the upcoming amateur draft.
  • The struggling Red Sox may not look to help their lineup by trading for a notable hitter, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal said in a recent radio appearance on WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan Show (WEEI.com’s Nick Canelas has a partial transcript).  “To expend what you’€™d have to expend to get that player, I’€™m not sure the Red Sox want to do that because right now they’re in a situation where they are protective of what they have,” Rosenthal said.  “They have depth in young talent all over the place, we know that; left side of the infield, catching, pitching to some extent. But their idea is to keep this going, and I’€™m not sure you keep it going by trading for a big-money hitter and expending prospects to do it with one or two years left on the guy’€™s contract.”
  • From that same interview, Rosenthal also touched on Orioles slugger Nelson Cruz, who “looks like a player that a lot of people underestimated” coming off his PED suspension in 2013.  “The price was not to the liking of a lot of teams early on, and he’€™s not that offensive-defensive mixture that most teams seek now….He’s a guy that clearly has shown that whatever was going on with him, assuming that nothing is going on now, he is back to the player that we thought he should be.”  Cruz is currently slashing .295/.361/.612 with a Major League-leading 16 homers.
  • Rosenthal notes that the Red Sox didn’t pursue Cruz last winter.  Cruz’s success notwithstanding, I’d say it’s hard to fault Boston for that non-move since the club was seemingly set in the corner outfield spots and David Ortiz is the everyday DH.

Minor Moves: Feliciano, Falu, Sandoval, Gimenez

By | at

Here are Sunday’s minor moves from around MLB:

  • The Cardinals have agreed to sign lefty Pedro Feliciano to a minor-league deal, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. MLB Daily Dish’s Chris Cotillo tweeted last week that the two sides were close to a deal. Feliciano, 37, served as a LOOGY for the Mets during part of the 2013 season, pitching 25 appearances but only 11 1/3 innings and striking out nine batters while walking six. He has only pitched for the Mets in a big-league career that spans parts of nine seasons.
  • The Brewers have purchased the contract of infielder Irving Falu and optioned pitcher Jimmy Nelson to Class AAA Nashville, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. After outrighting Jeff Bianchi to make room for Nelson yesterday, the Brewers wanted another infielder for their bench. Falu, 30, signed with the Brewers in December as a minor-league free agent. He has a career .337/.366/.427 line in 95 career big-league plate appearances, all with the Royals. He was hitting .288/.349/.341 in 156 plate appearances for Nashville.
  • The Rays have released right-hander Juan Sandoval, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Sandoval, who is completely blind in his right eye, has appeared in 14 games (1 start) for Triple-A Durham this year pitching to a 3.12 ERA, 5.2 K/9, and 4.8 BB/9 in 26 innings. The 33-year-old has yet to reach the Majors.
  • The Blue Jays have acquired catcher Hector Gimenez from the White Sox, according to the International League transactions page. Gimenez has struggled in Triple-A this season slashing .109/.234/.182 in 64 plate appearances for Charlotte. The 31-year-old saw his most extensive MLB action last year appearing in 26 games for the White Sox batting .191/.275/.338 in 80 plate appearances.
  • Per MLBTR’s DFA Tracker, a pair of Pirates (Wandy Rodriguez and Phil Irwin) and a pair of Padres (Billy Buckner and Blaine Boyer) remain in DFA limbo.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

AJAX Loader
Load More Posts
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top