Bowden On Price, Hamels, Byrd, Angels, A’s, Reds, More By Jeff Todd [July 16, 2014 at 6:07pm CDT] ESPN’s Jim Bowden (Insider subscription required and recommended) offers a bounty of information on the trade market as we draw to within two weeks of the deadline. While you’ll want to give the piece a full read, here are some of the many highlights: The Rays are in no hurry to deal ace David Price, and some possible trade partners increasingly believe that he will not change hands before the deadline. The club still wants to see if a post-season run remains possible; though the club sits 9.5 games back at the break, the division does still look somewhat vulnerable. If Tampa does look to move Price, arguably the best potential trade chip in baseball, it will demand more in return than the Cubs received for Jeff Samardzija — who, you may recall, was the key piece in a package that brought back one of the game’s elite prospects in Addison Russell. Needless to say, Price is a rare commodity, especially given his additional season of control, and his potential absence from the market (combined with the A’s early strike for two other top starters) could have interesting repercussions. One player whose trade attention would potentially rise if Price stays put is Cole Hamels of the Phillies, who of course has plenty of value regardless. Bowden says that GMs around the league get the sense that Philadelphia will be very hesitant to move their star lefty, however. (Fellow top southpaw Cliff Lee, meanwhile, looks more and more a potential August trade piece.) Ultimately, while the Phillies will not conduct a true fire sale, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has indicated through conversations with his peers that the club is prepared to sell. Outfielder Marlon Byrd is the most likely to go, says Bowden, though his contract presents some complications. While the Mariners are interested in him, Bowden says that the recent free agent signee will ask that the club guarantee his $8MM option for 2016, which Seattle is not currently willing to do. The Royals could also make sense as a partner, but also appear on Byrd’s four-team no-trade list and do not want to take on that level of mid-term commitment. It would appear that Byrd’s representatives at ACES advised their client well in selecting the relatively paltry number of teams to which he could refuse a trade. Angels owner Arte Moreno has enabled GM Jerry Dipoto to be aggressive in trade talks, says Bowden. In addition to Huston Street and Ian Kennedy (read more on them here), the Halos have asked the Padres about righty Tyson Ross, though the Super Two hurler is unlikely to be moved. Indeed, now in the midst of his second consecutive season of high-end production, the 27-year-old starter (and his three remaining years of control) would require a significant return. The Athletics remain aggressive on the second base market, with GM Billy Beane also said to be exploring more creative means of improving his club. Oakland is not inclined to deal away shortstop prospect Daniel Robertson after moving their top prospect, says Bowden, with the club’s internal evaluators believing that he could have as much future value as the more-hyped Russell. The Reds are still looking to add a hitter, with Ben Zobrist of the Rays making a perfect match on paper given his positional flexibility and the club’s current injury situation. (Of course, the same could be said of several other clubs.) With Josh Willingham of the Twins set to hit free agency, he has also been looked at by Cincinnati. Bowden provides several other interesting notes. Among them: the Braves have canvassed the market for a southpaw reliever and could be interested in James Russell of the Cubs and Oliver Perez of the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers will likely add a starter. The Cardinals are planning to scout Twins‘ catcher Kurt Suzuki as they assess things behind the plate. And the Giants remain interested in a second base addition in the event that Marco Scutaro cannot stay healthy and productive. Like0Share0Retweet0Google +10Send via email1 Full Story | Comments | Categories: Arizona Diamondbacks | Atlanta Braves | Ben Zobrist | Chicago Cubs | Cincinnati Reds | David Price | James Russell | Josh Willingham | Kansas City Royals | Kurt Suzuki | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Los Angeles Dodgers | Marlon Byrd | Minnesota Twins | Newsstand | Oakland Athletics | Oliver Perez | Philadelphia Phillies | San Diego Padres | San Francisco Giants | Seattle Mariners | St. Louis Cardinals | Tampa Bay Rays | Tyson Ross Red Sox Acquire Ryan Verdugo From Royals For Cash By Jeff Todd [July 16, 2014 at 3:57pm CDT] Here are the day’s minor moves: The Red Sox have acquired lefty Ryan Verdugo from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations, Kansas City announced on Twitter. The 27-year-old has only one MLB start under his belt — it did not go well — and has spent most of the last four seasons in the upper minors. Through 46 2/3 frames over 9 starts this year, he owns a 4.24 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. Like10Share8Retweet4Google +10Send via email8 Full Story | Comments | Categories: Boston Red Sox | Kansas City Royals | Transactions White Sox Claim Raul Fernandez From Rockies By Steve Adams [July 16, 2014 at 2:46pm CDT] The White Sox have claimed right-hander Raul Fernandez off waivers from the Rockies and assigned him to Class-A Advanced Winston-Salem, the team announced on Twitter. The 24-year-old Fernandez was designated for assignment last week to clear a roster spot for fellow righty Brooks Brown. Fernandez ranked as Colorado’s No. 22 prospect heading into the season, according to Baseball America. As BA’s scouting report explains, Fernandez is a converted catcher that is new to pitching but boasts a power arm, including a fastball that touches 99 mph. However, he has little feel for pitching and needs to work on his changeup and slider as well as his command. Clearly, his first run at Class-A Advanced didn’t go so well, as the Dominican righty posted a 7.00 ERA with a 20-to-15 K/BB ratio in 27 innings. He posted an equally troubling 6.29 ERA in 34 1/3 innings at Class A last season, though he had a much better 55-to-11 K/BB ratio in 2013. Like16Share5Retweet24Google +11Send via email3 Full Story | Comments | Categories: Chicago White Sox | Colorado Rockies | Transactions Angels Don’t Match Up For Kennedy, Still Pursuing Street By Steve Adams [July 16, 2014 at 2:39pm CDT] The Angels and Padres don’t match up on a deal for right-hander Ian Kennedy, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but the two sides are still discussing closer Huston Street (Twitter link). Rosenthal notes that the Padres are still listening to offers from other clubs with interest in Kennedy. The Angels have been connected to Street several times, and the pitcher himself even said he would welcome a trade to the Halos when asked by Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. That’s not to say that Street wants to be traded to Anaheim — he’s said multiple times that he loves San Diego — but rather that if he is traded, he’d prefer it to be to a contending team. Street also told Shaikin how exciting the concept of playing alongside names like Mike Trout and Albert Pujols would be, and he offered high praise for manager Mike Scioscia. According to Shaikin, the Angels prefer Street to Jonathan Papelbon and Joakim Soria. Street, who has pitched to a 1.09 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 33 innings this season, is earning $7MM and has a $7MM club option on his contract for 2015. As such, the price tag on him is likely to be fairly substantial, though not as steep as the presumed price tag on Kennedy. As far as Kennedy goes, it’s not entirely surprising that the two sides don’t match up. The Angels’ weak farm system has been well documented, and there’s been a great deal of speculation that they could have trouble landing significant upgrades on the trade market. In a second piece, Shaikin spoke with GM Jerry Dipoto, who said that he doesn’t want to deal any pieces from his big league roster in trades. That, of course, implies that a young player who could be of interest to a rebuilding club, such as slugging first baseman/DH C.J. Cron, isn’t likely to find himself as part of a trade. As Shaikin writes, Dipoto knows that means he doesn’t have the pieces to acquire David Price, but the team is still in active pursuit of pitching upgrades. Based on all of these reports, it seems that Street is the primary target for the time being, though I’d expect the Angels to cast a wide net over the next few weeks. Like6Share6Retweet35Google +10Send via email6 Full Story | Comments | Categories: Huston Street | Ian Kennedy | Joakim Soria | Jonathan Papelbon | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Philadelphia Phillies | San Diego Padres | Texas Rangers Red Sox Release A.J. Pierzynski By Jeff Todd [July 16, 2014 at 2:23pm CDT] JULY 16: The Red Sox announced that they have released Pierzyski. JULY 9: The Red Sox are set to designate catcher A.J. Pierzynski for assignment, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The 37-year-old veteran signed a one-year, $8.25MM deal to join Boston over the past offseason. MLB: Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays Needless to say, things did not work out as hoped for the club or the player. Pierzynski owns a .254/.286/.348 line through 274 plate appearances with just four home runs. He had produced at a .275/.311/.462 clip with 44 total long balls over the 2012-13 campaigns. The veteran could still hold appeal to clubs looking for options behind the dish. As MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently explored, the trade market includes relatively few available, attractive veteran backstops. Unless the Sox can find a taker for some of his remaining salary, they will eat the approximately $3.6MM left on Pierzynski’s contract. Parting with Pierzynski could well be the first step towards at least a partial break-up of a Red Sox team that has fallen well off its World Series from of a year ago. Sitting 10 and a half games out of the division lead, the Red Sox will give a chance to youngster Christian Vazquez, who will learn on the job with help from veteran backup David Ross. In an appearance on WEEI radio (Twitter links via WEEI’s Alex Speier), manager John Farrell confirmed that the club is aiming for something of a youth movement. “We’re turning the page in terms of investing in young players,” he said. Indeed, Vazquez will be one of five rookies in the lineup card for the club tonight, as Tim Britton of the Providence Journal tweets. Like174Share69Retweet3Google +12Send via email16 Full Story | Comments | Categories: A.J. Pierzynski | Boston Red Sox | Newsstand | Transactions Updating The Padres’ GM Search By Jeff Todd [July 16, 2014 at 1:05pm CDT] The Padres, you may recall, are still in the market for a new GM after parting ways with Josh Byrnes. With so many names being tossed around — all amid the latest trade deadline rumors – it can be difficult to keep track of things. Now that the club is beginning to select second-round interview candidates, it seems worthwhile to round up the candidates and see where things stand. The club is expected to sit down with about a dozen people before narrowing it further and ultimately installing a new GM in August. We’ll keep track of the candidates here by splitting them into categories below, and we’ll post the latest news updates here at the top of this post… News updates The Padres have informed Larry Beinfest that he is out of the running, as their preference is to hire an up-and-coming GM, tweets Scott Miller of FOX Sports San Diego and MLB Network Radio. Still in the running Rangers assistant GM A.J. Preller (also the first candidate who is reported to have been selected for a second interview) Padres assistant GM Josh Stein MLB senior VP of baseball operations Kim Ng Diamondbacks director of scouting Ray Montgomery Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler Red Sox assistant GM Mike Hazen Interviewed, but no longer a candidate Dodgers VP of amateur scouting Logan White, per Jon Heyman of CBSSports (via Twitter). Former Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest, per Scott Miller of FOX Sports San Diego and MLB Network Radio (Twitter link). Declined the opportunity to interview Padres assistant GM A.J. Hinch Padres senior VP of baseball operations Omar Minaya Cardinals assistant GM Mike Girsch Cubs senior VP Jason McLeod Athletics assistant GM David Forst Indians assistant GM Mike Chernoff Like7Share8Retweet15Google +12Send via email7 Full Story | Comments | Categories: Newsstand | San Diego Padres Bronson Arroyo Undergoes Tommy John Surgery By Steve Adams [July 16, 2014 at 12:12pm CDT] JULY 16: The Diamondbacks announced that Arroyo underwent successful Tommy John surgery yesterday (Twitter link). JULY 7: Diamondbacks right-hander Bronson Arroyo told reporters today, including MLB’s Steve Gilbert (Twitter links), that he will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. Arroyo adds that he actually made six starts this season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. It’s tough to call this news anything other than poor luck for the Diamondbacks, as Arroyo has been among the game’s most durable pitchers throughout his entire career. The 37-year-old posted nine consecutive seasons of 199 innings or more from 2005-13 and was tied with Dan Haren for most games started in that same stretch (297). He has been on the disabled list since mid-June due to a UCL injury. Arroyo signed a two-year, $23.5MM deal with Snakes this offseason due largely to that durability. The D’Backs won’t receive a great return on that investment, as Arroyo has posted a 4.08 ERA in 86 innings and likely won’t pitch again until next summer, even in a best case scenario. Arizona has been hit hard by injuries this season, with top starter Patrick Corbin and setup man David Hernandez each going down with Tommy John surgery prior to the season. Mark Trumbo has also missed significant time on the disabled list due to a stress fracture in his foot. Like70Share45Retweet123Google +13Send via email8 Full Story | Comments | Categories: Arizona Diamondbacks | Bronson Arroyo | Newsstand Royals Designate Jimmy Paredes For Assignment By Steve Adams [July 16, 2014 at 11:26am CDT] The Royals announced that they have designated infielder Jimmy Paredes for assignment and optioned right-hander Louis Coleman to Triple-A Omaha in order to clear room on the roster for the newly acquired Jason Frasor. Paredes went from the Astros to the Marlins to the Orioles to the Royals on waivers this offseason and ultimately received just 10 plate appearances (which yielded a pair of singles) for Kansas City’s big league club. Most of his season was spent at Omaha, where he produced a strong .305/.332/.457 batting line in 280 plate appearances. Given the fact that Paredes failed to pass through waivers unclaimed three times this offseason and his strong numbers for Omaha, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team express interest in a trade or on waivers now that he has been designated. Like4Share2Retweet20Google +11Send via email3 Full Story | Comments | Categories: Jimmy Paredes | Kansas City Royals | Transactions Royals Acquire Jason Frasor By Steve Adams [July 16, 2014 at 11:16am CDT] The Royals have acquired right-hander Jason Frasor from the Rangers in exchange for right-hander Spencer Patton, the Rangers announced.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 23:21:09 +0000
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