Rumors for June, 2010
Atlanta Braves Rumors: Will Braves trade shortstop Yunel Escobar?
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Mark Bowman and Chris Hempson of MLB.com say the Atlanta Braves may be willing to part ways with the talented 26-year-old short stop, Yunel Escobar, before the July 31 trade deadline. Escobar has not pleased Braves’ management with his flamboyant method of turning double-plays or reacting to a umpires.
The Braves aren’t entering July expectations to deal the infielder, but Atlanta could trade him if they are presented with an extremely attractive package.
One team that needs a shortstop are the Colorado Rockies. They are currently competing for the National League West title, but their starting shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is out until August due to a broken left hand.
VIDEO: Carlos Zambrano goes crazy in the dugout and then suspended by team
Posted by: | CommentsChicago Cubs Carlos Zambrano was suspended by the Chicago Cubs, according to ESPNChicago.com.
Zambrano had to be separated from teammate Derrek Lee in today’s game versus the Chicago White Sox at Comisky Park. Manager Lou Piniella had to intervene between the two athletes. Zambrano was later sent home by the manager.
“His conduct wasn’t acceptable,” Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. “His actions toward his teammates and staff were not acceptable.”
“He will not be at the ballpark tomorrow. We’ll play with 24. We’ll play with 24 before we tolerate that kind of behavior.”
Zambrano took the loss after pitching one inning, giving up 4 earned runs on 4 hits.
Jim Bowden on Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels Rumors
Posted by: | CommentsJim Bowden, baseball analyst for FOXSports has a few tweets on the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels:
Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels said the team cannot trade for a pitcher on a multi-year deal (like Roy Oswalt) without permission from the court. The team has room in their budget to acquire a player not signed beyond 2010 such as Cliff Lee. Bowden thinks the team can trade for Lee, but not for Oswalt until the ownership transfer is complete.
The Los Angeles Angels “are going to be active” between now and the deadline. GM Tony Reagins said they are not going to limit themselves in any way in terms of making a deal. The team has the financial freedom and positional freedom to make something happen. Bowden interprets this as , “if they can trade for a Prince Fielder they will.”
San Diego Padres Rumors: Could Pads trade for Josh Willingham or David DeJesus?
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Bill Center of the Union-Tribune says the San Diego Padres offense would be invisible without first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez recently had an 11-game hitting streak come to and, but during the streak he hit .250 (18-for-40) with 8 doubles, 3 home runs and 8 RBIs. He accounted for 18% of the Padres hits, 16% of the RBIs and 27% of the team’s home runs.
ESPN Insider says the team has room on their roster for outfield upgrades. Two candidates includes the Washington Nationals Josh Willingham or the Kansas City Royals David DeJesus. If the team plans to compete in the tight NL West, the Padres will need to upgrade their offense before the July 31 trade deadline.
Los Angeles Dodgers Rumors: Should team trade Matt Kemp for starting pitching?
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Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says the Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitching (ranking 11th in the NL in ERA) is not good enough to win the NL West, and with the pending divorce in the McCourt family, GM Ned Colletti shouldn’t expect an influx of cash to make a deal. Therefore, he needs to get creative and get the missing pieces the Dodgers need to win the West.
Rosenthal suggests that the team trades center fielder Matt Kemp. His reasoning is the core group of current Dodgers: Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin and James Loney are eligible for free agency after 2012 and there’s no way the Dodgers can keep that group intact, so they may be better off getting maximum value for Kemp now.
A team that could be a potential trade partner are the Atlanta Braves. They are deep in young pitching and in need of a right-handed hitting outfielder. In addition to pitching, the Braves could also throw in center fielder Melky Cabrera, who played for Joe Torre in New York.
Another possibility is the Mariners. This could give the Dodgers the Cliff Lee rental in addition to Mariners’ prospects. Los Angeles could then package those prospects with their own to get the Kansas City Royals’ David DeJesus.
New York Mets Rumors: Not seeking second baseman in trade market
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Andy Martino of The New York Daily News says the Mets do not play to seek a second baseman in the trade market despite Luis Castillo being on the disabled list for bone bruises in his feet. The team is more focused on acquiring a starting pitcher.
The Mets do not want to sacrifice potentional trading chips for an acquisition of a player such as Arizona Diamondback’s Kelly Johnson or any other infielder that become available.
GM Omar Minaya and assistant GMs John Ricco and Wayne Krivsky are busy engaging in preliminary informal discussions with other teams about rotation and bullpen help.
According to Martino’s sources, the Mets will not include any Major League regulars in a trade for pitching, but no minor league player is considered “untouchable”. It is Minaya’s policy to always consider offers including his top prospects.
Oakland Athletics Rumors: Team is not looking to make sweeping changes
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Despite losing 10 of the last 12 games and being 11 games out of first place in the AL West, Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane is not expected to make sweeping changes.
“We’ve been playing shorthanded all year, and you could argue that our best starter (Brett Anderson) is still out. We’ve been behind the injury curve all along,” Beane said.
“We haven’t played poorly,” he said. “We just haven’t played well enough to win. We’ve played some very close games. We’ve basically lost one- and two-run games the last week, unfortunately.
Beane said it’s too early to consider trading players.
“The one thing we’re going to do is to hang onto our young players,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons we acquired Conor Jackson, not just for right now, but he’s a younger player and his age (28) makes him very attractive.”
Two names that could be dealt are starting pitcher Ben Sheets and outfielder Coco Crisp. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says that Sheets’ name is not stirring up interest and Crisp has hardly played this season due to injury.
San Diego Padres Rumors: Looking for starting pitching?
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Tom Krasovic of Fanhouse says the San Diego Padres are sizing up the pitching market despite leading the majors in ERA with an extra interest in potential free agents. The Padres think a pitcher that experiences their ballpark and support staff will stay in San Diego.
The Padres are getting ready for playoff run and many of their young starters have never pitched a full season in the majors. Additionally, the GM Jed Hoyer wants to protect the team’s best pitcher, Mat Latos, from pitching too many innings. An additional arm to the rotation could help the Padres.
The team may have a larger concern with their offense, but Krasovic says there may not be a star hitter avialable who can boost the team’s offense by himself.
Milwaukee Brewers Trade Rumors: Owner is not ready to concede
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Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports says a fire sale by the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline seems unlikely.
“The thing you have to remember is that we’ve had three million fans coming to this place two years in a row,” said team owner Mark Attanasio. “They’re looking for winners. Miller Park is really enjoyable, but they’re coming to see this team win. We have to be conscious of that.”
“We think we have a very good team. Our intent isn’t to dismantle the team simply because we may not make the playoffs this year.”
There have been rumors that the Brewers may deal Corey Hart and Prince Fielder.
Attanasio says he’ll have a better feel for the team after the next 20 games. The team is currently eight games back in the NL Central and Attanasio says that if the Brewers are five games out by the All-Star Game, then they could be right back in it.
When Attanasio was asked about the likelihood of the team’s activity at the trade deadline, he said “you not only have to do what’s right for this year, but the next year and the year after that.”
Attanasio said that he hopes that Fielder is still here come August 1, but he did not want to comment on the possibility of a contract extension.
