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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.

Quick Hits: Rockies, Mets, Giants, Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays designated Edwin Encarnacion for assignment on this date two years ago, and he cleared waivers two days later once the 29 other MLB teams had passed on him. Encarnacion now has 20 homers and a .283/.351/.574 slash line, so he's making a strong case for inclusion in next month's All-Star Game. Here are today’s links…

  • The Rockies would have to be overwhelmed to trade Rafael Betancourt or Matt Belisle, so deals are highly unlikely, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). Teams don't generally view the Rockies as a team with lots of assets to trade, according to Olney.
  • The Mets are going to wait a few weeks before "digging into" the trade market, Olney tweets.
  • GM Brian Sabean told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that the Giants identified Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan as trade targets this past offseason because, in spite of their flaws, they’re both impact MLB players. “We're talking about switch-hitters who can hit almost anywhere in the lineup, play all three outfield positions and help you on both sides of the ball. There's a lot to like," Sabean said. Check out Crasnick’s piece for a detailed look at how the Giants scouted and built their new-look outfield.
  • The Blue Jays have been telling teams they can’t take on any salary, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

Blue Jays Acquire Sean O’Sullivan

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The Blue Jays acquired minor league right-hander Sean O'Sullivan from Kansas City for cash considerations, the Royals announced. The marks the second time in two days that the injury-plagued Blue Jays have acquired right-handed pitching depth; they claimed David Pauley from the Angels yesterday.

O'Sullivan, 24, has a 6.75 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year. He started ten games for last year's Royals team, posting a 7.25 ERA with 2.9 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 58 1/3 innings.  The right-hander was originally drafted by the Angels in the third round of the 2005 draft.

International Notes: Blue Jays, Red Sox, Twins

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A new set of rules and restrictions for the international prospect market will take effect less than two weeks from now, on July 2. Each team will be working with an annual budget of $2.9MM for international players starting next month. Here are the latest rumblings regarding the international prospect market, via Ben Badler of Baseball America:

  • The Blue Jays had seemed to be in the lead for Venezuelan right-hander Jose Mujica, but may not be as closely linked to him as expected, Badler writes. The Red Sox and Diamondbacks have also been linked to the 15-year-old Mujica, who's considered by many scouts to be the top pitching prospect available in Latin America. 
  • The Blue Jays are still favored to sign 16-year-old Venezuelan Franklin Barreto, according to Badler. Some teams consider Barreto the top available prospect, but he will likely move from shortstop to another position.
  • The Red Sox, Padres and Royals have been mentioned as possible teams of interest on Venezuelan left-hander Jose Castillo, Badler writes. Some view the Dodgers and Orioles as sleepers for Castillo, who’s expected to obtain a generous bonus.
  • The Twins are showing heavy interest in Dominican shortstop Amaurys Minier, according to Badler. The 16-year-old switch-hitter is expected to become one of the highest-paid Dominican prospects.
  • Some believe the Pirates are in on Dominican third baseman Julio de la Cruz.

Quick Hits: Drew, Bundy, Machado, Blue Jays

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Here are some links from around the league as Wednesday turns into Thursday…

  • Scott Boras told reporters (including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford) that a "couple of teams" have inquired about J.D. Drew during the season. "I've got no indication from him a desire to return," said Boras of the outfielder, who has been at home. "But then again I haven't addressed the issue with him, if he's done anything formally."
  • Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports (on Twitter) that clubs keep asking the Orioles for top prospects Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado in trade talks. Needless to say, those two are as close to untouchable as it gets.
  • The Blue Jays promoted Andrew Tinnish to assistant GM, reports Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun (on Twitter). Tinnish had been the team's amateur scouting director.

Blue Jays Remain In “Buy” Mode

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Despite sitting in last place in the AL East and losing three starting pitchers to injury within the last week, the Blue Jays remain in "buy" mode according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Toronto is scouting the Major Leagues heavily and are in obvious need of pitching.

Kyle Drabek (Tommy John surgery), Brandon Morrow (oblique), and Drew Hutchison (elbow) all hit the disabled list recently, forcing the Jays to turn to Jesse Chavez and Joel Carreno for spot starts. They've recently spoken to the Rockies about Jeremy Guthrie and reportedly had someone on hand to watch Wandy Rodriguez's start last night.

Blue Jays Claim David Pauley

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The Blue Jays announced that they claimed right-hander David Pauley off of waivers from the Angels. Toronto's 40-man roster is now full.

Two days ago the Angels designated Pauley for assignment for the second time in as many months. The 29-year-old has appeared in five MLB games this year and has a career ERA of 4.51 with 5.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 47.7% ground ball rate. The Blue Jays have lost three fifths of their starting rotation to injuries, so Pauley will be a welcome addition to John Farrell's bullpen.

Astros Will Listen On Wandy Rodriguez

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The Astros will listen to offers for left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, and teams are watching the left-hander in anticipation of the July 31st trade deadline, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. The Yankees, Giants and Blue Jays had representatives in attendance for Rodriguez’s start against the Royals last night, Morosi reports.

Rodriguez, 33, has a 3.29 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 95 2/3 innings this year. He earns $10MM this year, $13MM next year and his contract includes a $13MM vesting option for 2014. The '14 option becomes a player option if the Astros trade Rodriguez.

The Yankees’ rotation has been tremendous of late, but the Giants and Blue Jays have potential openings because of injuries and poor performances. It’s worth noting that the presence of scouts doesn’t necessarily reflect serious interest from potential suitors. Teams routinely evaluate players around the league to prepare for possible roster moves.

Brewers Notes: Greinke, Marcum, Lawrie

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As the Brewers and Blue Jays engage in a slugfest, here's the latest from Miller Park…

  • Brewers officials are telling other clubs that owner Mark Attanasio will be the one who ultimately decides if his team will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, reports CBS Sports' Danny Knobler.  Of the Brewers' possible trade chips, Zack Greinke is seen as the least likely to be dealt.  Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that the Brewers could like to keep Greinke and they feel they wouldn't get full value for the ace "as a two-month rental" before Greinke hits free agency.  (Both links go to Twitter)
  • Also from Haudricourt, he looked back at the Brett Lawrie/Shaun Marcum trade as the Jays are in Milwaukee for an interleague series.  Though Marcum may leave after this season as a free agent, Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he doesn't regret giving up a potential long-term star for a short-term gain of a playoff appearance.  "We needed to get a pitcher of Shaun's caliber. He's done a great job for us," Melvin said. "You make trades and move on. You can't look back on them. Otherwise, you'll never make a trade."

AL East Notes: Soriano, Werner, Guthrie, Orioles

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Rays prospect Chris Archer will make his Major League debut on Wednesday against the Nationals, filling in while Jeremy Hellickson is on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue.  Archer was ranked as the 89th-best prospect in the game by Baseball America before the season, though that was down from a #27 ranking the year prior due to Archer's fairly unimpressive 2011 campaign at Double-A.  This season, Archer has a 4.81 ERA, a 10.6 K/9 rate and 90 strikeouts (against 45 walks) in 14 starts for Triple-A Durham.

Here's some other news from around the AL East…

  • Rafael Soriano's success as the Yankees' closer could lead to him opting out of his contract for 2013 and becoming a free agent, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Soriano is set to earn $14MM from the Yankees in 2013, but could opt out in search of a longer-term commitment and a full-time closer's job, as Soriano will again be Mariano Rivera's set-up man if he stays in New York.  Sherman argues that Soriano's experience in high-pressure AL East games could help him find the multiyear deal that eluded most closers last offseason.
  • Red Sox chairman Tom Werner (in an interview with WEEI's The Big Show, as partially recapped by WEEI.com's Paul Flannery) denied Theo Epstein's recent statements about ownership pressure contributing to free agency decisions during Epstein's tenure as the team's general manager.  "We don't dictate who Theo or Ben [Cherington] should sign," Werner said. "What we do is we try to give them the resources to be successful. There's a sense that non-baseball people are telling baseball people what to do, but what we do is we try to create the revenue streams for our baseball operations people to be successful."
  • The Blue Jays have "been most active" in trade negotiations for Rockies' right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  We heard about Toronto's interest in Guthrie over the weekend but now that Guthrie has been moved to Colorado's bullpen, it will no doubt affect his trade value.
  • Former Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail deserves some of the credit for the team's early-season success, argues Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Orioles haven't made any progress with top two draft picks Kevin Gausman (4th overall) and Branden Kline (65th overall), tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Connolly "wouldn't be surprised if [negotiations] take a while" between the team and the two right-handers.
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