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Morosi On League, Astros, Red Sox, Blue Jays

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It's unlikely that incoming Astros owner Jim Crane would want to start his tenure as Houston's new owner by opposing MLB's other teams, as Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports points out. That means it will be hard for Crane to turn Bud Selig down if the commissioner asks the Astros to move to the American League West at some point. Here are more of Morosi's notes from around MLB:

  • The Mariners are taking calls on Brandon League and have no plans to make Felix Hernandez available (Twitter link).
  • Despite the many injuries to their starting pitchers, the Red Sox haven't begun an all-out search for rotation help, according to Morosi. The Red Sox, who have checked in on Carlos Beltran, are prioritizing a right-handed hitting outfielder.
  • The Blue Jays are hearing from teams interested in their relievers (Twitter link).
  • The Angels prefer left-handed hitters over right-handed hitters, according to Morosi (on Twitter). They had serious discussions about the left-handed hitting Garrett Jones earlier in the year.

D’Backs Looking At Izzy, Wood; Talking To Blue Jays

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The Diamondbacks are known to be looking for a veteran reliever and to that end will consider Jason Isringhausen and Kerry Wood as trade options, tweets John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR in Phoenix.  The Mets are known to be shopping Isringhausen, who has had a successful comeback season in New York and now looks to get a share of the closing duties now that Francisco Rodriguez has been dealt to Milwaukee.

Wood could be a tougher get for the Snakes.  Wood has a no-trade clause and given both his personal and professional ties in Chicago, the right-hander has stated that it's unlikely that he would choose to leave the Cubs.  Wood has never played for a World Series winner, however, it's possible the D'Backs or another contender could convince Wood to take one last shot at a championship.

Gambadoro also notes that the D'Backs have "had some discussions" with the Blue Jays about acquiring a pitcher, presumably a reliever.  Toronto has several veterans in the bullpen but, as MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm notes, many of these arms (Shawn Camp, Frank Francisco, Jason Frasor and Jon Rauch) project as Type-B free agents this winter.  The Jays would want a return worth at least as much as the compensation draft pick they'd receive from any of those pitchers if they were trade them at the deadline.  Octavio Dotel also projects as a Type-B free agent but since Chisholm predicts he'd accept an offer of arbitration from the Jays, "Dotel is the likeliest Blue Jays reliever to be on the move before the end of the month."

Rockies, Blue Jays Sign Venezuelan Pitchers

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The Rockies and Blue Jays each agreed to terms with a 16-year-old pitching prospect from Venezuela, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Colorado agreed to terms with right-hander Antonio Senzatela and the Blue Jays agreed to sign right-hander Manuel Cordova. Neither player's bonus is known.

Senzatela has a projectable body and can touch 93 mph, according to Badler's subscriber-only report. His breaking ball is below average at this point, but that didn't stop the Rockies and Phillies from showing interest.

Cordova falls short of 90 mph on the radar, but some scouts project him as a power arm of the future. The Blue Jays have also signed Venezuelan prospect Wilmer Becerra, Dominican shortstop Dawel Lugo and Venezuelan outfielder Jesus Gonzalez since the international signing period opened on July 2nd, as Badler points out.

Quick Hits: Reds, Berkman, Vogelsong, Blue Jays

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Links for Tuesday night, after a second consecutive win for the National League All-Stars… 

  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he’s talking to clubs about possible trades, though discussions are still in their early stages. "We have not had specific or significant trade talks with anyone at this point," Jocketty said. "All discussion with other teams has been more general info gathering.” The Reds are monitoring Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies. 
  • Lance Berkman told Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he would have signed in Colorado if the Rockies had made him a "decent" offer last offseason (Twitter link). "They had other fish to fry," Berkman said. "And they fried them."
  • ESPN.com’s Keith Law hears that top Blue Jays pick Tyler Beede didn’t report to the summer classes he had signed up for at Vanderbilt (Twitter link). It could be an indication that he's going to sign instead of going to college.
  • As Patrick Newman points out at FanGraphs, Colby Lewis, Ryan Vogelsong, Chris Resop and Scott Atchison are among the MLB pitchers who pitched overseas before succeeding for their current MLB teams.
  • Mike Lopresti of USA Today explains how Vogelsong went from Triple-A discard to National League All-Star.
  • Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner points out that Brett Myers' trade value could diminish if other right-handed starters become available this month.

Dodgers Acquire Juan Rivera; Designate Thames

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The Dodgers acquired outfielder Juan Rivera from the Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations and designated Marcus Thames for assignment, announced the team (Twitter links).  Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times tweets that the Dodgers also received cash.

The Jays had to take Rivera and his $5.25MM salary to facilitate the Vernon Wells trade with the Angels in January.  Toronto ended up designating Rivera for assignment on July 3rd.  Rivera, 33, hit .243/.305/.360 for the Blue Jays in 275 plate appearances, playing both outfield corners, first base, and designated hitter. 

Rivera is a right-handed hitter who handles lefties well, which is what the Dodgers thought they were getting when they signed Thames for $1MM in January.  Thames struggled mightily in 70 plate appearances, missing about a month with a quad strain.

Quick Hits: Krol, K-Rod, Trade Deadline

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On this date in 1997, the Yankees signed a 17-year-old named Yhency Brazoban as an amateur free agent. Over the next 14 years, Brazoban was traded for Kevin Brown, closed games for the Dodgers, signed minor league contracts with four different teams, and, most recently, allowed yesterday's game-tying homer to Albert Pujols. Here are this afternoon's links, as Brazoban and the Diamondbacks look to recover from last night's loss in St. Louis….

  • Athletics minor leaguer Ian Krol was suspended indefinitely for a derogatory tweet, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Krol, a left-hander who was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 draft, was ranked ninth among the A's prospects by Baseball America pre-season.
  • Even contenders who are eyeing Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez as an eighth-inning guy have to worry about his vesting option, says ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider only). As one GM points out, if your team acquires Rodriguez as a setup man and your closer gets hurt, it would be hard to justify not inserting K-Rod into the role.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com examines five prospects taking part in today's Futures Game who trade deadline sellers might target.
  • There are eight teams who should definitely be sellers at this point, argues Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter): the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Athletics, Marlins, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres.
  • Despite being big spenders in Major League free agency, the Phillies are once again exercising restraint when it comes to international free agents, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter) reiterates that the Nationals need to acquire a leadoff man, citing the team's .203/.270/.306 slash line from the top of the order.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Yankees, Ubaldo, Jays

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new Full Count video up, so let's recap…

  • Two GMs tell Rosenthal that the Yankees are more worried about Mariano Rivera's nagging triceps injury than they're letting on. If true, they could increase their efforts to acquire a setup man, though they're hopeful Rafael Soriano will be back from his elbow injury soon after the All-Star break.
  • The Mets have called the Yankees and offered Francisco Rodriguez according to one source, but they're only interested if the Mets call them at the deadline and offer K-Rod at a minimal price.
  • The starting pitching market could soon heat up. The Rockies are getting calls about Ubaldo Jimenez and several other players, though they're not shopping their ace right-hander. Rosenthal says they'll listen on anyone besides Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. Jimenez is under contract through 2014 (though he can void that option if traded) and could return a significant package of the players, so the team would give a trade serious consideration.
  • Don't be surprised if the Marlins listen on Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez. Florida will try to get back into contention, though they'll likely entertain offers for both pitchers if that doesn't happen. Nolasco is under contract though 2013, Sanchez under team control through 2012.
  • The Blue Jays offer perhaps the best value on the bullpen market. Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel, and Jon Rauch aren't in the same class as Heath Bell, though all three could pitch better outside of the AL East and have club options for 2012. They all figure to qualify as Type-B free agents as well.

Royals, Blue Jays, Cubs Sign Venezuelan Prospects

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The Royals signed 16-year-old prospects Angelo Castellano and Luis Lara, the Blue Jays signed 16-year-old prospects Wilmer Becerra and Jesus Gonzalez and the Cubs signed catcher Mark Malave and third baseman Ricardo Marcano, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The bonuses are not yet known for the players, who are all Venezuelan.

Castellano is a right-handed hitting shortstop who may eventually have to move to second or third base. He has good hands and has shown power potential, according to Badler. Lara is a catcher whose defense is ahead of his bat at this point.

Becerra has good speed and will likely become an outfielder. Scouts are mixed on his bat with some saying he's one of the top available right-handed hitters and others saying he struggles in games. Gonzalez has raw power and standout arm strength, according to Badler's subscriber-only report. He's an average runner who appears to have drawn interest from Arizona, as well as Toronto.

Malave has a strong arm that may be his best tool. The switch-hitter isn't a lock to remain at catcher and not all scouts believe in his hitting ability. Marcano has one of the best left-handed swings available and could hit for average and power. He is an average runner who may have to move to left field, according to Badler.

Quick Hits: Orioles, Canseco, Dodgers, Gutierrez

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The Yankees obtained Jeff Weaver from the Tigers in a three team deal that sent Ted Lilly to Oakland and Carlos Pena to Detroit on this date in 2002. We've only seen minor moves so far today, so here are some links to check out…

  • Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun runs through some possible trade candidates on the Orioles, including J.J. Hardy, the hot hitting Mark Reynolds and Jeremy Guthrie.
  • Jim Caple of ESPN.com catches up with Jose Canseco, who is now managing and playing for the independent Yuma Scorpions with his brother Ozzie. Not surprisingly, the Scorpions are having a memorable season under Canseco, who has lots to say as usual.
  • Bud Selig has argued that the Dodgers would have been in financial trouble again by 2013 had MLB accepted the club's proposed deal with Fox, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (on Twitter).
  • The attorneys for Frank McCourt wrote that others teams with financial questions enjoy "the velvet-glove treatment" from MLB, according to Shaikin. McCourt's lawyers are asking for documents relating to the Mets' financial issues to prove their point: that the Commissioner's office is biased against McCourt and the Dodgers.
  • Nicaraguan right-hander Osman Gutierrez obtained a $210K bonus from Toronto, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). The Blue Jays announced yesterday that they had signed the prospect.
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