Brewers Acquire Jerry Hairston Jr.
The Brewers acquired infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. from the Nationals for Double-A outfielder Erik Komatsu today, the teams announced.
Hairston, 35, gives the Brewers additional depth at second base in the wake of Rickie Weeks' injury, as well as an occasional option for third base and shortstop. He's hitting .268/.342/.385 in 238 plate appearances on the season and has $670K remaining on his contract, plus performance bonuses.
GMs Mike Rizzo and Doug Melvin matched up on a trade back in March, when the Brewers acquired Nyjer Morgan, according to our Transaction Tracker.
ESPN's Chris Singleton and CBS Sports' Scott Miller broke the story.
Tigers, Indians Pursuing Jason Marquis
4:34pm: The Indians have joined the Tigers in the pursuit of Marquis, tweets ESPN's Jim Bowden. The two division rivals appear to be chasing many of the same starting pitchers. The Nationals are asking a lot, as they reportedly want teams to take on Marquis' remaining $2.5MM and surrender a prospect.
12:21am: The Tigers are discussing a trade for Jason Marquis, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski has been looking for starting pitching this month and has had interest in Marquis.
Though the Tigers have pursued others, including Hiroki Kuroda and Jeremy Guthrie, they're not sure that Kuroda would accept a deal to Detroit and appear to have struggled to reach a deal with the Orioles for Guthrie. Tigers checked in on Doug Fister, but they were turned off by the Mariners' asking price. They contacted the Rockies about Ubaldo Jimenez as well.
The Tigers recently bumped Phil Coke from a rotation that includes Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Brad Penny.
B.J. Upton Rumors: Friday
The Braves, Indians, Nationals, Phillies and Pirates have all been linked to B.J. Upton this week, so it won't be surprising if the center fielder is suiting up for a National League team within a week. With Carlos Beltran and Colby Rasmus off of the trade market, Upton and Hunter Pence (latest rumors) are the top available outfielders. Here's the buzz on Upton, who hit his 16th homer last night:
- Upton is “available,” but a number of teams linked to him appear to be focused on other moves at this point, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark writes. The Phillies, Braves and Pirates, for example, are working on other fronts. The Nationals remain interested.
- The Rays' asking price for Upton is more reasonable than the Astros' asking price for Pence, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
NL East Notes: Nationals, Marlins, Reyes
The Braves and Phillies are both interested in Hunter Pence (latest rumors) and have interest in the same collection of right-handed hitting outfielders as alternatives. Here's the latest on a division led by two of the NL's three 60-win teams…
- The Nationals want interested teams to take on the $2.2MM remaining on Jason Marquis' contract and surrender a prospect, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). Marquis' suitors don't love the idea. The Tigers discussed a deal for the righty last night.
- Rival executives tell ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is intent on finding a center fielder. "It's his Holy Grail," a rival GM said. "He's bound and determined to get an established guy.” Denard Span of the Twins is Rizzo’s current target.
- It looks like the Marlins won't make a deal before the trade deadline, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter).
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson has seen firsthand that Jose Reyes makes an immense difference on the field, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Can the Mets afford the free agent to be after 2011? A surprising number of Mets executives expect to keep Reyes long-term, according to Sherman.
Nationals Targeting Denard Span
10:08am: The Twins are unhappy with the Nationals' offer, Rosenthal reports (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the Nationals are worried about Span's concussion.
FRIDAY, 9:23am: Talks between the Twins and Nationals are ongoing, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Span and Storen are at the center of discussions, with Roger Bernadina and others in play. The Nationals aren't talking exclusively to the Twins as they search for a center fielder, but Span appears to be high on their list of targets.
THURSDAY, 12:52pm: The Nationals are not willing to trade Storen for Span, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
WEDNESDAY, 3:20pm: The Nationals continue to target Span, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and Storen may be in play.
MONDAY, 2:03pm: The Nationals have talked to the Twins about Span, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Nationals are unwilling to trade Drew Storen or Tyler Clippard, though Rosenthal feels Ian Desmond could be of interest to the Twins.
1:30pm: Twins center fielder Denard Span is high on the Nationals' list of targets, reports Amanda Comak of the Washington Times. Span would fit the team's desire for a controllable center fielder/leadoff hitter, assuming there are no ill effects from a concussion suffered in June.
Span, 27, is hitting .294/.361/.385 on the season in 255 plate appearances. His center field defense has been a plus in recent years, according to UZR. His team-friendly contract has less than $15MM remaining through 2014, plus a club option for '15. It's not known whether the Twins consider Span expendable; Ben Revere has a .249/.287/.284 line filling in. The asking price would surely be significant.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first mentioned Span as a potential Nats target earlier this month, along with B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn, and Colby Rasmus.
AL Central Notes: Indians, Marquis, Soria
The Indians acquired Kosuke Fukudome from the Cubs today and they might not be done yet. GM Chris Antonetti told Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he’s open to adding another pitcher or a hitter – even another outfielder. Here are some other notes and rumors from around the AL Central…
- The Indians should see a "marginal improvement" after adding Fukudome, according to ESPN.com's Keith Law. The Indians, who gave up two "fringy" prospects for the outfielder, are getting a player with enough on-base skills to help out.
- Antonetti, by the way, called the improvement “incremental.”
- MLB.com’s Bill Ladson confirms that the Tigers are interested in Jason Marquis (Twitter link). A scout suggested to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Marquis is out there now and could clear waivers next month to enable an August trade (Twitter link).
- There are indications that Joakim Soria will stay in Kansas City, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
Ubaldo Jimenez Rumors: Wednesday
Yesterday's Ubaldo Jimenez info: about seven teams are in on him, but the Yankees and Reds are best-positioned to make a deal if the Rockies are as motivated as has been reported. So far, the Rockies' asking price of "three sure-thing young players, including one pitcher who goes into their rotation immediately" has not dropped. The latest:
- The Red Sox are still in on Jimenez, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).
- The Indians have asked about Jimenez, but are a "real longshot," according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- The Indians are strongly in the mix for Jimenez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Indians have been working aggressively to upgrade their offense and rotation, Rosenthal writes. They're "thinking big in multiple deals."
- Though the Yankees and Reds have been the most active suitors for Jimenez, they aren’t close to a deal, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Yankees aren’t close to matching Colorado’s asking price and it’s hard to imagine the Reds obtaining Jimenez without surrendering Mesoraco. The Tigers and Red Sox are ‘on the fringe’ of the trade talks and the Rangers are no longer considered a candidate to acquire the right-hander.
- The Yankees have the best chance of landing Jimenez, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The Rangers are all but out, while the Tigers and Blue Jays are remote.
- The Rockies do not require Reds untouchables Devin Mesoraco or Billy Hamilton in a deal with the Reds, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Rockies are in active trade talks with six to eight teams, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark. A source tells Stark that two NL teams, yet to be identified, are in the mix, and the guess is that one of them is the Nationals.
- As of yesterday, the Reds were the most motivated Jimenez suitor and the Red Sox were more seriously inquiring than the Yankees, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Still, the Rockies appear amenable to doing a Jimenez deal for three of these Yankee youngsters: Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Jesus Montero, and Ivan Nova. The Yankees, however, are hesistant to even include two. Ownership is not pushing Yankees GM Brian Cashman to make a deadline splash, writes Sherman, and the front office is more focused on relievers.
Nationals Designate Matt Stairs For Assignment
The Nationals designated Matt Stairs for assignment to open a spot on the 25-man roster for Jonny Gomes, the team announced. The move also opens up a 40-man spot, presumably for Friday starter Chien-Ming Wang.
Stairs, 43, hit .154/.257/.169 in 74 plate appearances for the Nationals this year.
Passan On Upton, Nationals, Melky, Francoeur
The latest on the trade market from Yahoo’s Jeff Passan…
- A number of MLB officials tell Passan that they consider the Nationals the favorites for B.J. Upton. However, a Rays official says there’s no favorite at this point (click here for the latest on Upton).
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has told teams that pitching prospect Brad Peacock is not available.
- Nationals executives and scouts have told others that Ian Desmond is available (despite reports that that Washington will hold onto its shortstop).
- The Royals are leaning toward keeping Melky Cabrera in 2012, according to Passan. Cabrera, who is having an excellent season and remains under team control next year, might not fetch enough in a trade for GM Dayton Moore to pull the trigger.
- The Royals are hoping to work out some kind of contract for next year with Jeff Francoeur. The sides have a 2012 mutual option for $4MM, but the Royals would likely have to offer more to lock Francoeur up for next season. They get the impression that the 27-year-old is interested in staying in Kansas City.
Quick Hits: Rangers, Quentin, Gomes, Bauer
The Red Sox and Rangers rank first and second in the majors, respectively, in runs scored. Yet one night after Michael Cuddyer prevented the Rangers from scoring, another position player, Mitch Maier, shut down the Red Sox. Here's the latest from around MLB…
- The Rangers agreed to sign 11th round pick Connor Sadzeck for an over-slot bonus of $350K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The right-hander tops out at 95 mph and projects as a reliever.
- The Phillies are among the teams scouting Carlos Quentin in case the White Sox decide to move him, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
- The Nationals like the fact that they could obtain a draft pick for newly-acquired outfielder Jonny Gomes after the season, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter).
- Arizona GM Kevin Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that Trevor Bauer, who signed yesterday, "possibly could" help the bullpen in September (Twitter links). The D'Backs "fully envision" Bauer competing for a rotation spot next spring.
- The D'Backs continue looking for pitching, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).