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Matt Stairs Retires

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After a career that has spanned nearly two decades, Matt Stairs says that he's ready to retire, according to CBC News.  The 43-year-old was designated for assignment by the Nationals last Wednesday and released on Monday.

"I'm not sad. I had a great career, a long career," the slugger said, "And it's one of those things where I can walk away today and not be sad about it."

In his 19 seasons, Stairs has suited up for the Expos, Red Sox, Athletics, Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Royals, Rangers, Tigers, Blue Jays, Phillies, Padres, and Nationals.  He has earned almost $19MM across his career while posting a slash line of .262/.356/.477 and 265 home runs in 6023 plate appearances.  The veteran hit .154/.257/.169 in 74 plate appearances for Washington this year.

Orioles Claim Jo-Jo Reyes

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The Orioles claimed Jo-Jo Reyes, MLBTR has learned. The Orioles have since confirmed the claim and announced that they transferred Luke Scott to the 60-day disabled list to create 40-man roster space for Reyes. The Blue Jays had designated the left-hander for assignment last week.

Reyes, 26, made the Blue Jays' rotation out of Spring Training and posted a 5.40 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 110 innings of work. Reyes appears to have been the victim of bad luck, based on his 4.59 xFIP. Acquired in the trade that sent Yunel Escobar to Toronto, Reyes should provide the Orioles with a swingman with experience in the tough AL East.

The Latest On Wandy Rodriguez

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The Astros traded two of their three starting outfielders before this afternoon's trade deadline, but they were unable to find a taker for Wandy Rodriguez. Let's round up the latest news regarding the left-hander, all courtesy of SI.com's Jon Heyman on Twitter…

  • The Yankees offered to pay $21MM of the $38MM left on Wandy's contract, but that wasn't enough for the Astros.
  • The Indians and Blue Jays were both interested in Rodriguez, both only in a three-team scenario that would have sent him elsewhere. Presumably, the Yankees were that third team.
  • The $38MM left on Rodriguez's contract makes him a prime August waiver trade candidate, but is there a chance a team claims him? "None," said one executive Heyman.
  • The Yankees are unlikely to revisit talks with Houston after Wandy clears waivers this month.

AL Central Notes: Hunter, Thornton, Rauch, Indians

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The American League Central welcomed a handful of new players this week – most notably right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. Yet many other trades didn't materialize. Here are the details on some deals that could have impacted the division…

AL East Trades

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This month's AL East trades..

Blue Jays

Orioles

Rays

Red Sox

Yankees

  • The Yankees didn't make any July trades for the first year since 1999.

 

Wandy Rodriguez Unlikely To Be Traded

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2:37pm: Rodriguez is likely to stay with the Astros, tweets Morosi.  Jon Heyman points out that he's a candidate for an August deal.

1:51pm: The Yankees' talks for Rodriguez are officially dead, tweets Stark.  Jon Heyman says the Yankees wanted the Astros to pick up half his contract.  Nothing is close for now, but it looks like the Blue Jays or nothing for Wandy according to Stark.

1:46pm: The Astros don't want to pay down Rodriguez's contract, tweets Heyman, so a trade seems unlikely.  Morosi says the Blue Jays have entered the bidding, however.

11:49am: There's a 50/50 chance of Rodriguez being traded somewhere, tweets Morosi.  The Yankees have strong interest, tweets Stephen Goff.

11:20am: The Yankees and Astros discussed Wandy as recently as this morning, tweets Jon Paul Morosi.

11:10am: Rodriguez would have to fall into the Yankees' laps, tweets Jack Curry.  The Astros would have to eat a "huge chunk" of his contract, tweets Buster Olney.  The Astros are surprised by the lack of interest and haven't shown an indication they're willing to include a lot of money, tweets Sherman.  Here's a link to my post earlier this month about whether Rodriguez is overpaid.

10:33am: The Yankees are trying for Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  However, Joel Sherman tweets that there is no sense from the Yankees' side that they are anywhere near a deal.

The Astros will move Rodriguez only if they get impact prospects, tweets Rosenthal.  They'd have to pay a chunk of the $38.3MM that will be owed to Rodriguez through 2014 if he exercises his player option for that season.

Blue Jays Working Hard On Iannetta

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1:12pm: These talks have cooled a bit, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.

12:47pm: The Blue Jays are working hard on Iannetta, tweets Andrew Baggarly.  The Rockies catcher is not in today's lineup.

1:08am: The Indians and the Blue Jays are pursuing Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta heading into Sunday’s deadline, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.  Iannetta has also received mild interest from the Padres and Red Sox this week.

The Pirates were also looking into the 28-year-old but their interest has apparently dropped off.  Iannetta is hitting .221/.375/.402 with 10 homers this season.

Jose Bautista Looks Back At Past Trades

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This time last year, the Major League home run leader appeared to be on the trade block and teams were asking about his availability daily. The Giants, Phillies, White Sox and Tigers all inquired on Jose Bautista, and while the talk intrigued front offices and fans alike, it didn’t faze Bautista. 

Jose Bautista

"That wasn’t something that bothered me too much,” he told MLBTR. “By now, I don’t think any trade rumors bother me. It’s always somewhat intriguing to know that you’re involved in talks.”

Twelve months later, the MLB home run leaderboard looks similar – Bautista tops it with 31 home runs – but the right fielder turned third baseman no longer hears himself mentioned as a trade candidate. Bautista, who has switched organizations six times in his career, obtained some stability over the winter, signing a five-year, $64MM extension with the Blue Jays. 

On this date seven years ago, long before the multiyear contracts and home run titles, the trade talk turned to reality for Bautista, who was traded twice on July 30th, 2004. The Royals sent him to the Mets, who flipped him to the Pirates, the organization that drafted and developed him. Bautista was on the field for batting practice when he was told to go inside.

“I just thought it was a routine call into the office to talk about something else,” he recalled. “They told me straight up ‘all right, we’ve got some good news and bad news, which one do you want first?’ I was like ‘give me the bad news first and then give me the good news.’ They said ‘well the bad news is we just lost you, we just traded you away. The good news is you’re going to your original team and you’re going to have a lot of opportunities.”

Then a rookie Rule 5 pick who had already suited up for the Orioles, Rays and Royals in the first three months of the 2004 season, Bautista says getting traded so often early on in his career was disorienting at times.

“There’s always a  little bit of ‘what the hell am I doing wrong that people don’t want me,'" he said. "At the same time, you’re going somewhere where people do want you. Mixed bag of feelings, but ultimately it was the best thing that happened to me at that point in my career.”

Seven years later, Bautista doesn't have to pack his bags or hear his name in trade rumors. It’s now time for him to experience this summer’s trade deadline in another way – as an observer.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Padres Reliever Rumors: Saturday

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The Padres have right-handed relievers Heath Bell, Mike Adams, and Chad Qualls on the trading block.  Here are yesterday's rumors, and below is the latest.

  • The Rangers continue talking to the Padres about Bell, even after acquiring Koji Uehara, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter).
  • The Padres have always said they'd be fine with two compensatory draft picks for Bell if the trade offers aren't compelling, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter).
  • The Cardinals and Rangers remain the most persistent on Bell, tweets Joel Sherman, while the Yankees haven't called the Padres in days about Bell or Adams.
  • The Tigers have talked to the Padres about their group of relievers, tweets Ken Rosenthal, including Qualls.
  • The Rangers, Cardinals, and Blue Jays are the clear leaders for Bell, tweets ESPN's Jim Bowden, with the Angels, Yankees, and Phillies still kicking the tires.  Ken Rosenthal has the Rangers as the frontrunner with the Cardinals hanging on.
  • Interest in Adams continues to rise, tweets Rosenthal, but the Padres would still need to be compelled to move him.  Meanwhile, trusted Yankees scout Bill Livesey is watching the Padres' relievers, tweets Joel Sherman.
  • The Cardinals are still alive for Bell, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • The Rangers "have gone deep into negotiations with the Padres about Bell, and both sides are optimistic they can strike a deal," reports Yahoo's Jeff Passan.  Yesterday, word from Scott Miller of CBS Sports was that Friday's talks between the two clubs did not advance much.  MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan feels that logically, the two teams should strike a deal.

Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Saturday

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Yesterday we learned that the Tigers have strong interest in Rockies' ace Ubaldo Jimenez, showing a willingness to include top prospect Jacob Turner, who is being called up to start today but not as a showcase.  However, Detroit may be out for now and the chances of any Jimenez deal may have slipped below 50%.  The latest:

  • Pomeranz and White will be in the deal if it happens, Renck tweets.
  • Jimenez was scratched from his start tonight, Heyman tweets.
  • The Yankees infuriated the Rockies by taking their  top prospects off of the table and offering Phil Hughes and others instead, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
  • The Rockies are moving toward a deal with Cleveland, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).
  • White has been scratched from his one-inning rehab outing, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports (on Twitter).
  • There are indications that Pomeranz and White could be available in a possible deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
  • The Rockies asked for Pomeranz, Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • The Rockies and Indians are in serious talks, Renck reports (on Twitter). He hears that a deal would center around Pomeranz, Alex White and Jason Kipnis.
  • Renck gets the "strong sense" that Cleveland hasn't given up (Twitter link) and Morosi says Indians prospect Drew Pomeranz was scratched from his Double-A start today (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox, Reds and Indians are in on Jimenez, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Yankees aren't talking actively with Colorado and won't include Nova, Betances, Banuelos or Montero in a deal for Jimenez (Twitter links).
  • The Rockies haven't dropped their demands and are still asking for three players, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network (on Twitter). The Yankees still won't part with Montero, Betances and Nova for Jimenez.
  • Two teams have enhanced their offers, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • Rival teams believe the Rockies match up best with the Indians, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • The Rockies will have a scout watching Nova tonight at Yankee Stadium, tweets Sherman.
  • The price on Jimenez has come down a tad, tweets Jon Heyman.  He says the Rockies are no longer asking for Banuelos from the Yankees; Betances, Nova, and Montero would work.  That's similar to what Joel Sherman wrote earlier today.  The two teams have not talked today, tweets Troy Renck.  Renck believes the Yankees currently will not put both Montero and Betances in the deal – just one.
  • One executive who has been speaking with the Rockies and Reds believes the teams "have discussed an expanded version that could include someone like Seth Smith, because the Reds also have been targeting controllable bats," reports ESPN's Jayson Stark.   
  • The Red Sox haven't been in contact with the Rockies about Jimenez since Thursday, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  And the Reds aren't currently discussing Jimenez with the Rockies, tweets Jon Paul Morosi.
  • The Yankees are all over Jimenez, a source tells ESPN's Tim Kurkjian.
  • The Yankees are hearing that the Rockies may lower the price on Jimenez today, tweets Ken Rosenthal, but still not to a point that they consider realistic.  Renck tweets that the Rockies' price hasn't changed during the process.
  • The Indians, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Reds are still in on Jimenez, tweets SI's Jon Heyman, and he's not counting out the Yankees.
  • In addition to Turner and maybe Rick Porcello or Max Scherzer, the Rockies asked the Tigers for outfielder Brennan Boesch, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  Knobler notes that Turner is starting for the Tigers today.
  • The Indians were willing to discuss southpaw pitching prospect Drew Pomeranz, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  Pomeranz is ranked anywhere from #14 to #35 among all teams by prospect experts.  Red Sox third base prospect Will Middlebrooks and righty Anthony Ranaudo are of interest to Colorado, adds Renck.
  • The Rockies want Ivan Nova and two of Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, and Jesus Montero from the Yankees, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Sherman writes, "to say the Yankees and Rockies are not finding common ground on Jimenez’s value is an understatement."  The Red Sox, Tigers, and Indians remain involved, while the Reds are "less heated to make a deal."
  • "Rival executives believe that if the Rockies lower their asking price at all today, it will signal clear intent to move the pitcher," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
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