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Stark On Werth, Willingham, Cantu, Theriot

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Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth told ESPN's Jayson Stark he's "not up late reading the blog sites" regarding trade rumors, but he doesn't expect to be dealt.  Stark agrees, though he notes that the Phillies did toss Werth's name out there to many teams.  On to Stark's other rumors…

  • The Dodgers are looking at Ted Lilly, but they haven't completely abandoned the idea of acquiring Roy Oswalt.  Still, the impediments to an Oswalt deal remain significant.  Lilly appears certain to be traded.
  • Josh Willingham is drawing interest from the Braves, Rays, and Red Sox.  Adam Dunn remains a trade candidate as well, but the Nationals would only deal one of the two.
  • Money might be holding up a Jorge Cantu-Rangers deal, as the Rangers can't add any payroll and would want the Marlins to pick up the entire $2.25MM tab.
  • The Padres have been linked to infielders Ryan Theriot and Jeff Keppinger, as outfield targets such as David DeJesus, Corey Hart, and Jayson Werth drop out of the picture for various reasons.
  • Don't look for anything major from the Red Sox outside of some bullpen tweaking.  They will prowl the waiver wire in August, though.

Price On Dunn, Garrett Jones, DeJesus

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A look at the latest from Ed Price of AOL FanHouse…

  • Price tweets that some new teams asked about Adam Dunn within the past day.  He wonders if those clubs might include the Padres and Giants.  Dunn is a nice fit for both teams, though they've been said to prefer avoiding rentals.  Meanwhile Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the White Sox "remain focused on Dunn, but are laying the groundwork for a starting pitcher."  If Dan Hudson pitches poorly Friday against the Athletics, the Sox could change gears.
  • In his latest column, Price says the Angels checked in on Garrett Jones before acquiring Alberto Callaspo, but balked at the Pirates' asking price of Maicer Izturis.  However, it's worth noting that Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that the Pirates say the Angels never contacted them about Jones. 
  • The Royals were eyeing Rays minor leaguer Jake McGee in a potential David DeJesus deal before the outfielder's injury.  The southpaw McGee returned from Tommy John surgery last year and has 91 strikeouts in 76.6 Double A innings in 2010.  Baseball America ranked McGee eighth among Rays prospects heading into the season, but he might be first or second on another team.
  • Another trade that wasn't: SI's Tom Verducci says the Phillies discussed sending Jayson Werth to the Yankees as part of a deal for Dan Haren before the righty went to the Angels.
  • Also of note in Price's column: a look at how the trade deadline has changed over the decades, including varying dates and rules for interleague deals.

Twins Interested In Matt Capps

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The Twins have interest in Nationals closer Matt Capps, reports ESPN's Tim Kurkjian.  Kurkjian finds a deal unlikely -  he feels that the Nats would want catching prospect Wilson Ramos in return, and the Twins would be unwilling to make that deal.  I wouldn't blame them - they may be aiming to replace Jon Rauch, but Capps is not a shutdown stopper either.  In their search for another late-inning arm, the Twins have also been linked to Scott Downs of the Blue Jays.

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson recently that he is not looking to trade Capps, Josh Willingham, or Adam Dunn, but he does receive a lot of calls on them.  Rizzo said he'd make a deal "if there was an opportunity to improve and impact the ballclub."  Two days ago ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted the sentiment of rival executives: Capps stands a good chance of being traded, even though he is under team control for 2011.

The Nationals have a quality catching prospect at High A ball in Derek Norris.  25-year-old Jesus Flores is promising as well, but he has yet to make his 2010 debut as he tries to recover from shoulder and elbow surgeries.  Ramos would be a welcome addition, as a team can never have too much catching depth.

Edwin Jackson-Adam Dunn Three-Team Rumor

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1:27pm: The Diamondbacks have not yet held three-way talks with the Nationals and White Sox, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Still, they will "not hesitate to deal Edwin Jackson if they get what they want."  ESPN's Buster Olney adds via Twitter, "The Nats have made progress in their effort to trade prospects for Jackson."

11:43am: It wouldn't be late July without rumors of intriguing three-team deals.  ESPN's Jayson Stark:

Rumblings continue to surface about a possible three-team deal involving the Nationals, White Sox and Diamondbacks that would send Edwin Jackson to Washington, Adam Dunn to Chicago and a bunch of young pitchers to Arizona.

We know the Nationals like Jackson and the White Sox like Dunn, so perhaps the D'Backs can facilitate a deal and further stock up on prospects.  Jackson, who is no stranger to three-team deals, has a 5.01 ERA, 7.0 K/9, and 4.0 BB/9 in 20 starts for Arizona.  On the plus side, he turns 27 in September, averages 94 mph on his fastball, and is signed for next year.  As he was with Dan Haren, D'Backs interim GM Jerry Dipoto might be forced to sell low on Jackson.

Yankees Rumors: Soria, Dunn, Lilly

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11:23am: The Yankees dangled Jesus Montero in talks for Joakim Soria, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark, but the Royals weren't interested.

7:31am: SI's Jon Heyman dished Yankees rumors in yesterday's column…

  • The Yankees "made a big proposal" for Soria. With three club options, the 26-year-old righty is under team control through 2014.  Had Soria not signed a team-friendly extension in May of 2008, he'd be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season.  The only blemish on his record was missing most of May last year with a sore shoulder.  How do the Yankees and Royals match up?  You'd expect Dayton Moore to pursue Montero or Austin Romine, though the Royals already have Billy Butler and Wil Myers in the organization.
  • Heyman notes that the Yankees "have been in touch" with the Nationals about Adam Dunn, but "so far found the price prohibitive."  With six days until the trade deadline, will Mike Rizzo drop the price on Dunn?  Heyman also links the Yankees to familiar names Ty Wigginton, Jhonny Peralta, and Cody Ross.
  • Heyman doesn't see the Yankees going after Roy Oswalt, but tweets that they like Ted Lilly.  Teams like the Cubs and Astros have to hope the Diamondbacks' unimpressive return for Dan Haren doesn't have a ripple effect on their available starters.
  • Heyman tweets that the Yankees' offer for Haren consisted of righties Ivan Nova and Zach McAllister plus one or two prospects.  Baseball America viewed Nova and McAllister as future No. 4 types heading into the season.

Tigers Looking For Offense, Interested In Dunn

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5:02pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says that the Tigers could avoid having to deal top prospects by acquiring someone like Jose Guillen, who's owed a substantial amount of money. As Olney points out, the Tigers haven't minded adding payroll at the deadline in the past.

Olney also notes that the Tigers did have scouts watching Jayson Werth over the weekend.

3:22pm: Alex DiFilippo of MLB.com writes that Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski is adamant about not trading top prospects for a rental player. Specifically, Dombrowski mentioned Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner:

"Other clubs look at us and say, 'Well, they are desperate so maybe they will trade us Oliver and Turner,' " Dombrowski said. "Well we aren't. I'm not meaning to say that anyone is untouchable. I'm not going to give away blue-chip young players for a guy for two months. It just doesn't make sense…"

Given reports of the Nationals' sky-high asking prices for Dunn (they asked for Gordon Beckham from Chicago), one side will have to back down from those demands for a deal to be worked out.

2:24pm: The Tigers suffered a big hit to their 2010 offense when they lost Magglio Ordonez for 6-8 weeks with a broken ankle. Ordonez, 36, was in the middle of a rebound season after seeing a sharp drop in his power numbers in 2009.

MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that in the wake of this injury, the Tigers now have "great interest" in acquiring Nationals slugger Adam Dunn to fill the void.

Acquiring Dunn is likely of such great interest not only due to how it would help their own club, but also due to how it could throw a wrench into the plans of a different team. Dunn's biggest suitor has currently been one of the teams that the third-place Tigers are chasing — the first-place Chicago White Sox.

Detroit's offense has been strong this season, as indicated by their .758 team OPS, good for seventh in all of baseball. However, with Ordonez out and rookie Brennan Boesch in the midst of a large slump, it makes perfect sense that the Tigers would like to add some support to Miguel Cabrera on his quest for his first MVP award.

Detroit's been linked to several pitchers, namely Dan Haren, but the Ordonez injury seems to have them on the lookout for additional thump in the lineup as well.

Relief Rumors: Capps, Jays, Dotel

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Bullpen help is always in great demand as the deadline approaches, and 2010 is no exception. With all of the relief rumors circulating today, let's take a look at some of them:

  • Earlier today, we heard that the competition for Scott Downs was heating up, but that some executives think the Jays are asking too much. Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Jays are asking a lot for all three of their available relievers — Downs, Kevin Gregg, and Jason Frasor. The Dodgers inquired but are now looking elsewhere as a result of those demands.
  • Buster Olney has heard that several executives think the Nationals will trade Matt Capps. The Washington closer is having a strong rebound season, but makes $3.5MM and will be in line for a large raise through arbitration prior to the 2011 campaign. With the strong results seen from Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen this year, the Nats have quality in-house options to replace Capps. GM Mike Rizzo recently said he's not shopping Capps, but he's getting lots of calls.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes that the Rockies had a scout at Octavio Dotel's last outing, but they're concerned about his durability and switching from a closer to setup role. According to Renck, teams are monitoring the Pirates to see if they'd make Evan Meek or Joel Hanrahan available as well.

Nats Notes: Pitching, Capps, Dunn, Willingham, Harris

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MLB.com's Bill Ladson talked with Nationals GM Mike Rizzo about the upcoming trade deadline. Let's run down an abbreviated version:

  • Rizzo is pleased with his rotation's performance in spite of losing Jason Marquis for nearly all of 2010 thus far. Still, starting pitching is his biggest priority in any potential trades. As he points out, you can never have too much good young pitching.
  • Rizzo says he doesn't make any calls attempting to shop Matt Capps, Adam Dunn, or Josh Willingham. He does, however receive a lot of calls on the trio, which he says he's not surprised by:"There is a reason everyone is asking for those three players: They are good players."
  • Asked about a possible extension for Dunn, Rizzo was brief in saying that they're in talks and have been since Spring Training, but that's all he was going to say. The White Sox have been pursuing Dunn for weeks, and as of today it looks like the Tigers have joined the fray as well.
  • The Nationals have received calls about Willie Harris, and he's available, but not being shopped. Rizzo specifically mentions Harris' presence in the clubhouse as a positive.

Hernandez Wants To Retire As A National

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Speaking to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, Livan Hernandez said on Saturday that he would like to return to Washington next season, and that he can picture himself spending the rest of his career in a Nationals uniform.

"To come back again next year, I would be really happy with something like that," said Hernandez. "This is something special, this year with the Nationals. It's a great organization. It's very classy and professional. I'm really happy to be here."

Kilgore notes that the 35-year-old has said he'd like to pitch for four more years, and when asked about the possibility of spending those years (and more) in Washington, Hernandez replied, "I wish. It would be really nice. When I retire, I'm thinking about working in baseball…. If they give me a chance, why not?"

Hernandez has exceeded every expectation the Nats had when they signed him for a minor league deal this winter. He leads the Nats in innings (132.2) by a wide margin, and his 3.12 ERA represents a career-best. Even so, it's hard to imagine any team investing in Hernandez on a multi-year deal, given his 5.45 mark from 2007-09 and his mediocre peripherals this year. If he does pitch four more seasons, Hernandez may end up signing three or four more contracts, whether with Washington or another club.

Nats Interested In Edwin Jackson

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The Nationals are interested in Arizona pitcher Edwin Jackson, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter).  Nats GM Mike Rizzo recently identified starting pitching as the club's biggest need.

A month ago it was reported that Washington was exploring a trade for the righthander, though we haven't heard much else on that front in recent weeks.  Rizzo has connections to the D'Backs organization, having served as their scouting director from 2000-2006.

Jackson, who turns 27 in September, has a 5.01 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 20 starts this year.  On the whole, he has been unable to replicate his play from last season when he registered a 3.62 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.

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