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Blue Jays Interested In Starting Pitching

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The Blue Jays recently signed Jamie Moyer to add depth to a rotation that's seen Kyle Drabek, Drew Hutchison and Brandon Morrow hit the disabled list in recent weeks, and their search for pitching reinforcements won’t end with the 49-year-old left-hander. Officials of three teams describe the Blue Jays as being in a “full court press” for rotation help, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports. The 38-38 Blue Jays maintain a buyer’s stance, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report.

The team recently sent multiple scouts to at least two of Wandy Rodriguez’s starts, Rosenthal and Morosi report. The club has also maintained contact with the Cubs about Matt Garza, FOX reports. The Blue Jays prefer to acquire players who are under team control for an extended period and Rodriguez (team control through 2013 or 2014) and Garza (through 2013) are more than rental players. 

The Blue Jays are giving “little indication” that they intend to trade potential free agents Edwin Encarnacion and Kelly Johnson, Rosenthal and Morosi write. Scouts are saying they’ve been told Encarnacion is available for the “right” pitcher, Stark reports. Yet one person told Stark Encarnacion is "not available, as far as I know." Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.com wrote earlier today that the Blue Jays would have multiple suitors if they make Encarnacion available.

Stark suggests the Blue Jays could have interest in recently designated Cubs starter Randy Wells.

Heyman On Blue Jays, Soriano, Rays, Span, Headley

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com…

  • Several teams would target Edwin Encarnacion if the Blue Jays make him available in trades, Heyman writes. However, the Blue Jays’ main priority is putting together an effective and healthy rotation. 
  • Teams see Alfonso Soriano of the Cubs as a designated hitter, not an outfielder, Heyman writes. One general manager says the Cubs could trade Soriano if they absorb all but $2MM of his contract. The Cubs are indeed willing to pay a “very substantial portion” of the $45MM or so remaining on the contract, Heyman writes. One scout suggested the Rays could be a fit for Soriano, who seems willing to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a deal to a contender.
  • The Twins are believed to be more willing to trade Denard Span than Josh Willingham, writes Heyman. They do not appear to be actively engaged in talks yet, but they would seek a young starting pitcher in return for Span.
  • The Dodgers are one of several teams inquiring about Chase Headley, writes Heyman. The Padres are willing to listen on their third baseman and Heyman says they will consider intra-division trades.

Omar Vizquel To Retire After Season

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After stating last month that he is "51 percent" sure that he will retire, Blue Jays shortstop Omar Vizquel now seems certain that he will call it a career after the 2012 season.  The 45-year-old told Didier Morais of NESN.com that he hopes to stay connected to the game after his playing days are through.

"This will be my last year," Vizquel said in Spanish. "I've enjoyed this game a lot, but I think it's time to pursue a new career as a coach or manager, and hopefully I'll get that opportunity in the future."

This season will be the finale of Vizquel's 24-year career, during which he earned eleven Gold Gloves and three All-Star nods.  The shortstop spent time with the Mariners, Indians, Giants, Rangers, and White Sox throughout his career, including two World Series appearances with Cleveland.  Baseball-Reference estimates that he has earned roughly $62.5MM dating back to his 1989 rookie season.

Quick Hits: Moyer, Blue Jays, Sellers

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Here's a hodgepodge of links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday …

  • Jamie Moyer's minor league contract with the Blue Jays is for two Triple-A starts, at which point the club must decide whether to promote the left-hander, tweets Shi Davidi of sportsnet.ca.
  • Despite the recent rash of injuries among the Jays' starters, GM Alex Anthopoulos won't rush to acquire pitching help, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. Anthopoulos said the soonest a big move might happen would be mid-July, if at all.
  • There are four teams that will obviously be in sell mode as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post: the Mariners, Padres, Cubs and Astros. San Diego and Chicago, in particular, figure to be the most active.
  • The Braves and Nationals were recently scouting at a Twins game, tweets Phil Mackey of ESPN's 1500 Twin Cities radio. Atlanta was there to see Francisco Liriano, while Washington was likely keeping tabs on center fielder Denard Span.
  • Hall of Famer Frank Robinson has been named MLB's Executive Vice President of Baseball Development, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.
  • Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca asked to be reassigned and has been made a special assistant to GM Dan O'Down, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Apodaca has been with the Rox since 2002.
  • The Dodgers have hired Mickey Hatcher as a special assistant to GM Ned Colletti, the club announced. Hatcher began the season as hitting coach for the Angels but was let go when the Halos were struggling offensively.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Stroman, Gausman

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Derek Jeter turns 38 years old today, and the Yankees shortstop is hitting .304/.353/.412 with seven homers and six steals this season, his 18th in the big leagues. The game's active career hits leader with 3,181, he could move into the all-time top-ten with a strong second half. Here's the latest from the only division Jeter has known, the AL East…

  • “I’d rather not do anything, if possible,” said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Anthony McCarron of The New York Daily News, referring to the upcoming trade deadline. “I’d rather keep our prospects, keep our payroll down. That’s what I’d always like to do. But at the same time, I want to get better.”
  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says (on Twitter) that the Yankees expect Brett Gardner back from his elbow injury in late-July, but will pursue a speedy center field type if he takes longer than expected.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington told Casey Stern and Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio that starting pitching remains his team's top target between now and the trade deadline.
  • With Kevin Youkilis traded, the Red Sox are likely to remain quiet for the next few weeks according to Sean McAdam and Maureen Mullen of CSNNE.com. If Boston decides to sell at the deadline, Kelly Shoppach, Ryan Sweeney, Scott Atchison, and Matt Albers could be trade candidates.
  • The Blue Jays are offering 22nd overall pick Marcus Stroman the $1.8MM slot bonus, reports Richard Griffin of The Toronto Star (Twitter links). He notes that even though that pick is compensation for failing to sign last year's first rounder, the Jays will get another compensation pick next year if they fail to sign Stroman thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.
  • Agreements between the Orioles and first rounder Kevin Gausman and second rounder Branden Kline are not imminent according to MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli, but the two sides are negotiating. “Nothing unusual about the way it’s progressing,” said scouting director Gary Rajisch.

Blue Jays Sign Jamie Moyer To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays have signed Jamie Moyer to a minor league contract, reports Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio Seattle (Twitter link).  The 49-year-old starter will head to Triple-A Las Vegas this week.

Moyer is joining the ninth team of his 25-year career and his third in a month.  Moyer began the season on a minor league pact with the Rockies and was released after posting a 5.70 ERA in 10 starts for the team.  The southpaw then signed a minor league deal with the Orioles but asked to be released last weekend, as was his option after not being called up to the Major League roster.  Moyer had a 1.69 ERA and 16 strikeouts with no walks in three starts (16 innings) for Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate. 

Though the Jays have made Moyer "no promises" outside of a few Triple-A outings (according to Rogers Sportnet's Shi Davidi), Moyer has a good chance at a callup simply due to the raft of injuries suffered by Toronto starters over the last two weeks.  Brandon Morrow, Drew Hutchison and Kyle Drabek are all on the DL, and Henderson Alvarez left Monday's start with soreness in his throwing elbow.

Cafardo On Garza, Lowrie, Greinke, Red Sox, Liriano

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The rest of the baseball world is waiting for the Yankees to get old, but so far that hasn't happened, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  "They’ve been saying that ever since I’ve been around," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "They said it after 2001. They said it after we were reshuffling in 2003, and in 2004, my therapist said I wasn’t supposed to talk about it. After 2009, we can’t be winning with older guys…So I’ve always heard it. As long as we’re winning, people can keep saying it."  Here's more from today's column..

  • About six teams have been in contact with the Cubs consistently regarding Matt Garza: the Braves, Tigers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Jays, and Royals.  Epstein is looking for a great package to part with Garza as he is the club's biggest chip.  However, teams have some concern over whether the pitcher can control his emotions.
  • The Tigers could be heavily in the mix for Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie and Detroit would likely move him to second to fill a need.  Cafardo wouldn't be shocked if he is on the Phillies’ radar as well. Houston has a few other chips in Brett Myers, Brandon Lyon, and Wandy Rodriguez that could help contenders.
  • When teams ask about Zack Greinke's availability, they are getting "not yet" from the Brewers.  However, Cafardo writes that he'll be available as soon as they get the right offer because there doesn’t seem to be any chance of Milwaukee signing him long-term. 
  • There has been a lot of talk about Scott Podsednik being used as a trade chip but Cody Ross and Daniel Nava could also be made available by the Red Sox.
  • Francisco Liriano's recent pitching has made him a viable trade chip for the Twins.  It would still be hard for a contender to trust him, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be moved.
  • A National League talent evaluator thinks the Mets should give some thought to trading R.A. Dickey while his value is skyhigh.  The Mets don't have the money to make the deadline upgrades that they need, so they could instead continue with their three- or four-year plan by making the right-hander available.

Blue Jays Notes: Rentals, Payroll, Stroman, DeJong

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Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos spoke to reporters about several topics this afternoon, and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca has a recap…

  • Toronto will consider rentals players as they look to add pitching. "In a perfect world, I would always prefer to take on a player with more control," said the GM. "It just fits more with what we’re doing. But we aren’t ruling out short-term players as well."
  • Anthopoulos also acknowledged that they could take on payroll in the right situation. "If it’s a big trade and a big transaction for an impact player, especially someone that we control beyond this year, I don’t see there being any problems at all from that standpoint," he said.
  • "He’s probably the one guy I don’t know at this time the way that one’s going to go," said Anthopoulos about first rounder Marcus Stroman (Twitter link). Slot money for the 22nd overall pick is $1.8MM.
  • As for second rounder Chase DeJong, Anthopoulos said: "It's moving in the right direction, so I would expect that one to get done." Slot money for the 81st overall pick is $620K (Twitter link).

Quick Hits: Paulino, Blue Jays, Giants

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Links from around MLB before the season’s final weekend of interleague play begins…

  • The Royals announced that right-hander Felipe Paulino has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The 28-year-old will seek a second opinion on his elbow, and could choose to undergo Tommy John surgery. Paulino has a 1.67 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 37 2/3 innings this year.
  • Executives from other teams and a few MLB owners are paying attention to the Blue Jays' 2010 draft class, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. The Blue Jays chose upside over certainty under then-scouting director Andrew Tinnish and the results are promising so far.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean said he doesn’t expect to trade for starting pitching help, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes (Twitter links).
  • The Giants haven’t started extension talks with Melky Cabrera and the team doesn’t consider Andre Ethier’s five-year, $85MM deal a comparable contract, Sabean said.

AL East Notes: Ortiz, Red Sox, Conrad, Blue Jays

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A look around the American League East as the Red Sox take on the Marlins at Fenway..

  • David Ortiz defended the atmosphere around the Red Sox locker room and lashed out at a report saying that there was a "toxic" atmosphere in Boston, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.  When asked if he wants to return next season, the slugger said "I don’t know. I’ll think about it."  Ortiz is earning $14.575MM this season and is set to hit the open market after this season.
  • Rays‬ skipper Joe Maddon said that the club was interested in Brooks Conrad during the offseason, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Tribune (via Twitter).  Tampa Bay claimed Conrad off of waivers from the Brewers earlier today.
  • The Blue Jays promoted Brian Parker to director of amateur scouting, writes Zack Meisel of MLB.com.  Parker will take over for Andrew Tinnish who was promoted to assistant GM yesterday.
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