Nationals Rumors

Rizzo Doesn’t Like Offers For Dunn

By Mike Axisa | July 17, 2010 at 8:02pm CDT

Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo doesn't like the offers he's received for Adam Dunn, a person close to the team told MLB.com's Bill Ladson and Faran Fagen. As a result, the source doesn't believe the team will trade the first baseman before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. It is unclear exactly which teams have approached Rizzo and made an offer for the lefty power threat.

Dunn has said he is frustrated by not having a contract extension already in place, but as far as we know he hasn't asked for any kind of trade. The Yankees and White Sox are among the teams known to covet him, but there are certainly plenty more out there given the decrease in homeruns and offense in general around the league. Dunn is on pace for 39 bombs this year, which would make this the sixth consecutive year he's hit between 38 and 40.

Odds & Ends: Sheets, Padres, Scutaro, Nationals

By Mike Axisa | July 16, 2010 at 10:54pm CDT

A few links to check out while the Yankees play their first game without George Steinbrenner at the helm since 1972…

Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Phillies have had a "top scout" on hand for the A's last four series, though Oakland isn't going to move Mark Ellis and Ben Sheets isn't scheduled to pitch this weekend.
James Schmehl of MLive.com says that Sheets could be a "rather inexpensive" trade option for the Tigers if they're looking to add a starting pitcher.
MLB.com's Corey Brock reports that Padres' GM Jed Hoyer told reporters he would like to make a move to improve the team, not just a cosmetic one (all Twitter links). He says the prices must first come down, and that he has the resources to add multiple pieces.
WEEI.com's Rob Bradford says (via Twitter) that the Braves did not talk to the Red Sox about a potential Yunel Escobar–Marco Scutaro deal. He says that the Blue Jays were the only team Atlanta spoke to about an Escobar trade.
Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo ranked the team's international free agent signings for MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling.
Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times tweets that the Tokyo Giants have a scout attending tonight's Dodgers-Cardinals game. If nothing else, it shows that Japanese teams scour the U.S. for talent just like MLB teams do in Japan.

Dunn May Be Losing Interest In Extension?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 16, 2010 at 5:30pm CDT

FRIDAY, 5:30pm: Dunn denied changing his mind about staying with the Nationals according to The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore, though he did acknowledge being frustrated by not having an extension already in place. He said he has no animosity towards the team, but will stay out of any contract talks and let his representatives handle things.

MONDAY, 7:29pm: Adam Dunn is losing interest in signing a long-term deal with the Nationals, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter links found here). The powerful first baseman perceives a lack of urgency from the Nationals, who began preliminary discussions with Dunn and his representatives months ago.

GM Mike Rizzo has made it clear that he would part with Dunn only for an extraordinary package. Olney reports that the Nationals have discussed possible deals involving Dunn, so they are clearly considering trades. As we heard last week, the White Sox are among the interested teams.

Dunn leads the National League with 22 home runs and appears headed for a seventh consecutive season with 38 or more homers. The 30-year-old has a .959 OPS, which would be a career-high. Dunn and Jayson Werth are two of the most productive hitters rumored to be available as the trade deadline nears.

Yankees Covet Dunn, Soria

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 16, 2010 at 3:11pm CDT

The Yankees would love to have Adam Dunn and Joakim Soria, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). But the Yankees' interest in the two stars doesn't mean those players will be in pinstripes any time soon. After all, many teams would love to have them both and the Nationals and Royals would demand a lot in any deal.

In fact, Rosenthal reports that the Nationals have an "exorbitant" asking price for Dunn. The 30-year-old, who becomes a free agent after the season, is one of the more appealing first baseman available, along with Prince Fielder. As usual, Dunn is on pace for a 40-homer season (he leads the NL with 22). He makes $12MM this season and profiles as a Type A free agent, so the Nationals could obtain picks for Dunn if they don't trade him.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported earlier in the week that Dunn may be losing interest in an extension with the Nats. At River Ave. Blues, MLBTR's Mike Axisa makes the case that the Yankees should acquire Dunn, even though he's only under contract for 2010.

The Royals would need to be "overwhelmed" to part with Soria, who makes $3MM this season and is under team control through 2014. He has 25 saves already and has posted 11.1 K/9 this season, which makes him one of the more appealing relievers available. The Yankees have had inconsistent performances from righties Joba Chamberlain, Chan Ho Park and David Robertson, which no doubt contributes to their interest in Soria.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Giants, Fielder, Lee

By Mike Axisa | July 16, 2010 at 9:38am CDT

On this date in 2001, Fred McGriff invoked his no-trade clause to block a deal that would have sent him from the last place Devil Rays to the first place Cubs. The Crime Dog was born and raised in Tampa, but he relented and agreed to the deal 11 days later. Tampa Bay received Manny Aybar and Jason Smith in return for McGriff, who was unquestionably the greatest player in franchise history at the time.

Hear are some links with the deadline rapidly approaching…

Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness scouts the starting pitcher and relief pitcher market for the Dodgers.
Bleacher Report says the Giants would be filling one hole and creating another if they trade for Corey Hart.
Disciples of Uecker feels it is unrealistic to expect the Brewers to retain Prince Fielder long-term.
1 Blue Jays Way chimes in on the Yunel Escobar–Alex Gonzalez swap.
Meanwhile, Beyond the Box Score wonders how much Yunel Escobar's bad attitude cost the Braves.
Royals Review takes a quick look at the trade history between the Royals and Yankees.
El Lefty Malo tries to nail down Jonathan Sanchez's trade value.
Yankeeist looks at some solutions for the Yankees' DH vacancy.
Gear Up For Twins Baseball has some suggestions to help improve the Twins.
River Ave. Blues wants to see the Yanks go for the kill and acquire Adam Dunn.
Sports: A Game of Inches analyzes the Cliff Lee non-trade to the Yanks and his eventual move to the Rangers in a four part series (parts one, two, three, four).

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Odds & Ends: Marlins, Wigginton, Rockies, Wood

By Mark Polishuk | July 15, 2010 at 9:12pm CDT

It was on this day in 1905 that Shirley Povich, one of the great sportswriters of all time, was born in Bar Harbor, Maine. Povich, who passed away in 1998, would've been 105 today and no doubt still would've been keeping an eye on Stephen Strasburg for the Washington Post.

Some news items….

The Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi wonders if Edwin Rodriguez's planned lineup changes in Florida are a hint towards a possible trade of Cody Ross or Jorge Cantu.
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun adds the Padres and Rangers to the list of "potential fits" for Ty Wigginton.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweeted a few follow-up points to his story about Colorado's interest in Dan Uggla. Renck mentions right-hander Esmil Rogers and outfielder Matt Miller as possibilities for a trade package with Florida, but "there's no way" that Jhoulys Chacin would be dealt. Renck also thinks the Rockies "will listen" to offers for Franklin Morales, though those offers might not be related to any Uggla deal.
MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince shares some Cleveland hot stove talk in a reader mailbag. Castrovince says that Kerry Wood has drawn "minimal, at best" trade interest, but he notes that Wood could be dealt in late August to a team that didn't want to pay an extra month of Wood's contract.
In another MLB.com mailbag, Bill Ladson "would be shocked" by a Matt Capps trade. The Nationals still have Capps under control for 2011, and with Drew Storen still a rookie and Tyler Clippard not pitching well lately, Ladson doesn't think Washington will want to risk dealing their closer.
It's "all quiet on [the] Ben Sheets trade front," tweets FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, though Sheets' recent success "should change" that.
Aroldis Chapman's inconsistent control means that Chapman probably won't be promoted to the majors until September, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
We already know that the Giants have shown some interest in acquiring David DeJesus, and now Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that a "top Royals talent evaluator" was on hand for the Mets/Giants game at AT & T Park tonight.
Steve Kornacki of Mlive.com looks at what the Tigers need to do in the second half and weighs in on some trade options. Kornacki says that trading for Jack Wilson wouldn't cost much for Detroit, whereas acquiring Dan Haren isn't worth the cost since he doesn't think "the Tigers are good enough to get past the first round of the playoffs. And that’s the only reason to gamble that much for somebody like Haren."
Rice's Anthony Rendon, thought to be a potential first overall pick in the 2011 Amateur Draft, is undergoing ankle surgery on Friday, reports MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
Fangraphs' Dave Cameron has the latest installment of his ranking of the players with the most trade value. As he goes from #20 to #16, Cameron cites a defending Cy Young Award winner and two potential Cy winners for this season.

Odds & Ends: Dunn, Beltre, Lee, Sabathia

By Tim Dierkes | July 13, 2010 at 12:57pm CDT

Links for Tuesday, as we wait for David Price to throw the first pitch of the All-Star Game to Hanley Ramirez…

For the second time this month, Torii Hunter lobbied for the Angels to acquire Adam Dunn (MLB.com's Bill Ladson reporting). Hunter's willingness to weigh in on personnel decisions should come as no surprise, given his desire to be a GM one day.
Adrian Beltre was close to accepting a multiyear offer from the Athletics in the offseason, but he told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that he felt the Red Sox gave him a better chance to win. Beltre has not had any talks with the Sox about an extension, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford.
Cliff Lee doesn't know whether proximity to his Arkansas home will impact where he signs, reports ESPN's Richard Durrett.
MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince responds strongly to C.C. Sabathia's comments made to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Asked about the breakup of the Indians, Sabathia said, "That wasn't our fault. They traded us. That's on them."
It appears that the Hanshin Tigers will retain Matt Murton for 2011, according to a Sanspo report relayed by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman.

Odds & Ends: Prior, Capps, Lee, Harper, Hart

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 12, 2010 at 11:04pm CDT

Another round of links for Monday, as Big Papi keeps on hitting…

The Orioles have some interest in Mark Prior and will continue to keep an eye on him, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.com.
Matt Capps told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he doesn't want the Nationals to trade him.
Cliff Lee told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that he hopes to negotiate a no-trade clause into the free agent deal he signs after the season. Lee reflected on "a whirlwind few days" with Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.
The Nationals have yet to discuss a pro contract with first overall pick Bryce Harper, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter). The sides have until August 16th to work out a deal and it would be a surprise to see them agree much before then.
Corey Hart repeated to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he wants to remain a Brewer, but told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has thought about becoming a Giant (Twitter link).
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs places Phillies prospect Domonic Brown 50th on his list of MLB players with the most trade value.

Nats Notes: Trades, Dunn, Willingham

By Zachary Links | July 11, 2010 at 10:28pm CDT

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo addressed the Washington media following their loss to San Francisco this afternoon. Let's take a look at some highlights courtesy of MLB.com's Bill Ladson:

The team's performance over the next few weeks will not affect what the club does at the Trade Deadline. Rizzo added: "We are trying to win as many ball games as we can in 2010 and do it the right way and build for the future."
Rizzo went as far as to say that it would take an "extraordinary offer" to pry away Adam Dunn in a trade. However, he would not rule out the possibility of dealing the slugger, nor did he nix the idea of trading Dunn and pursuing him in free agency after the season.
Despite publicly stating his desire to sign a new deal with the Nats, the club still hasn't approached Josh Willingham about an extension, Ladson tweets.

Odds & Ends: Dunn, Dodgers, Lee, Tigers

By Luke Adams 2 | July 10, 2010 at 9:32pm CDT

Links for Saturday night, after Roy Halladay and Travis Wood traded zeros for nine innings….

Bill Ladson of MLB.com writes that Mike Rizzo isn't looking to deal Adam Dunn. Rizzo repeated what's becoming a favorite phrase lately, telling Washington broadcaster Bob Carpenter that it'd be "very painful" to move Dunn, both for the Nationals and for the team acquiring him.
The Dodgers were involved in talks with the Mariners for Cliff Lee, but wouldn't part with Chad Billingsley or James Loney, according to MLB.com's Evan Drellich.
Jamey Newberg provides his detailed take on the Rangers' acquisition at The Newberg Report.
In light of the Lee trade, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times takes a look at how some past blockbuster deals between division rivals worked out.
Jim Leyland reiterates to MLB.com's Jason Beck that the Tigers could use some bullpen help.
Ricky Nolasco knows that he might be on the trade block this month, writes Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Joe Frisaro of MLB.com wonders (via Twitter) if the Yankees' scout in Arizona yesterday had an eye on Nolasco, noting that Joe Girardi managed the right-hander in 2006.
River Ave. Blues passes along a story from El Universal (Spanish link) in which Ernesto Armenteros reports that the Yankees signed 18-year-old Colombian catcher Alfredo Castellon Jr.

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