Rumors for June, 2010
Atlanta Braves looking for a right-handed slugger?
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John Paul Morosi of FOXSports says the Atlanta Braves are looking to upgrade their offense with a right-handed sluggers. Officials with the Braves are considering Washington Nationals’ Josh Willingham, Milwaukee Brewers’ Corey Hart and Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista, but nothing is imminent.
All three players are under contract through 2011 and relatively affordable salary-wise, so Morosi says none of the three teams are under pressure to trade the players.
Another name that has been mentioned as a trade candidate is Kansas City Royals’ David DeJesus, but he’s a left-handed bat and less appealing to the Braves.
Potential trading chips from Atlanta include pitching prospect Mike Minor and Craig Kimbrel.
Tampa Bay Rays designate Hank Blalock for assignment
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The Tampa Tribune says that the Tampa Bay Rays have designated Hank Blalock for assignment to make room for Gabe Kapler. Kapler will return from the disabled list on Wednesday.
Blalock, 29, was hitting .254/.319/.349 with 1 home run in 26 games with the Rays this season. Blalock signed a Minor League deal with the Rays in March, but did not make the big league club out of Spring Training. He was called up to the Rays in mid-May.
Boston Red Sox Rumors: Looking for a reliever?
Posted by: | CommentsAlex Speier of WEEI says the one of the biggest concerns for the Boston Red Sox is the bullpen. He points out the Red Sox relievers entered Tuesday with a 10-12 record and a 4.50 ERA – 11th in the AL. So with that said, the Sox could use an upgrade in that department, but not at the expense of their future.
“I think every contending team could always use another useful reliever. It’s something we’re always looking to add to, and we’re no different. It’s no condemnation of our current bullpen, but to be realistic about it, you add a really good reliever it always makes our team better,” said GM Theo Epstein. “That said, you trade for two or three months of a reliever, doesn’t matter if it’s a good one or a great one, you still don’t know what you’re going to get. So you don’t necessarily always want to give up good prospects to get that type of guy, because you’re not sure what you’re going to get in a small sample size from a reliever.”
The Red Sox have learned from years past that a reliever, even a big name one, is not a guarantee. Two examples are Eric Gagne and Scott Williamson.
A few candidates that come to mind that the Sox could look into are Brandon Lyon (Astros, RHRP) and Chad Qualls (Diamondbacks, RHRP). Scott Downs (Blue Jays, LHRP) and Will Ohman (Orioles, LHRP) could be good candidates to be traded, but it is unlikely since they are in the AL East with the Sox.
Jon Paul Morosi on Rangers, Oswalt, Cubs, Red Sox and Kemp
Posted by: | CommentsJon Paul Morosi of FOXSports had a few tweets today. Here’s the skinny:
- Morosi says the Texas Rangers are more focused on adding a starting pitcher than anything else. They’ve been mentioned as a destination for Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee, but they are stuck in bankruptcy limbo.
- The New York Mets aren’t serious players for Oswalt.
- The Chicago Cubs are only “halfway” to selling mode.
- The Boston Red Sox discussed the Cubs’ Mike Fontenot before they made a trade with the Oakland Athletics for INF/OF Eric Patterson over the weekend.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers have benched Matt Kemp for the third day in a row. They have not requested optional waivers on Kemp recently, so a demotion to the Minors is unlikely.
Will the Boston Red Sox make a trade to replace the injured?
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The Boston Red Sox added a few players to the disabled list over the past few days – Dustin Pedroia (broken left foot), Victor Martinez (fracture in thumb), Clay Buchholz (not on DL but has hyperextended left knee). GM Theo Epstein has a few decisions to make:
- He could do nothing and let it resolve itself internally through depth and through the farm system.
- Get external help through a trade
Alex Speier of WEEI says Epstein will evaluate its internal options before going through the trade market.
“I think if we do anything major, anything of real significance, it has to make sense now – for the short-term – and also make sense once we get our guys back and healthy. You don’t want to make a major trade that all of a sudden three or four weeks from now doesn’t fit,” said Epstein. “We’ll be looking out for something like that. More likely, we’ll continue to see how this group of players performs, see how the players who are getting an opportunity to play more regularly do filling in, and continue to be on the lookout for upgrades where we can. But usually things don’t happen till the end of July anyway. By that time, we should start to get players back and we should get a feel for how the replacements have fit.”
Twins’ Justin Morneau is in Justin Bieber’s wolfpack?
Posted by: | CommentsCheck out this tweet from pop singer Justin Bieber:
shoutout to Justin Morneau of the Twins….we r both Canadian, both named Justin, both in MN, and both like McDonalds. He is in my Wolfpack
So Bieber is in Minneapolis tonight for a sold-out concert at the Target Center and Morneau is hosting the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. Maybe they’ll hookup after wards for a Big Mac.
Cincinnati Reds Rumors: “We like our club the way it is”
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It’s possible the Cincinnati Reds may not do anything come trade deadline. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer asked Reds GM Walt Jocketty if there’s a chance the Reds will not do anything as the trade deadline approaches.
“If there’s a way to improve the club, we’ll do it,” Jocketty said. “But we like our club the way it is quite a bit. You never know for sure who’s available. We’re talking to clubs to see what’s out. But I really can’t gauge who active we’ll be.”
Fay points out that the Reds have a big problem with the bullpen. Rookie Aroldis Chapman should be with the club shortly and will work in relief.
“We won’t make a decision until after the break,” Jocketty said. “We’ve got him [Chapman] on schedule to get him comfortable with throwing in relief. He was dominant in one inning the other day. He’s scheduled to throw two innings tonight. We want him to get his arm used to recovery.”
It’s been suggested before that right-hander Chad Qualls of the Arizona Diamondbacks could be an option for the Reds. The Diamondbacks are getting ready for a sell-off and Qualls could benefit from a change in scenery.
New York Mets sign Michael Barrett to a Minor League deal
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According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, the Mets have signed former Major League catcher Michael Barrett to a Minor League contract. He will report to the Mets Single-A team in Port St. Lucie Florida and then likely move to Triple-A Buffalo in a few weeks.
Barrett may be best remembered for his 10-game suspension in 2006 when he got into a fight with Chicago White Sox A.J. Pierzynski.
Barrett, 33, has not played since 2009 with the Toronto Blue Jays. In a 12 year career he hit .263/.320/.422 with the Expos, Cubs, Padres and Blue Jays.
