Rosenthal on: Attendance, Diamondbacks, Bell and Cardinals
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Here is the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports:
– White Sox GM, Kenny Williams, has frequently spoken about how attendance influences his trade activity. Over the weekend, a General Manager of a potential seller said he was surprised how tight money was for a number of teams, so teams with low levels of attendance will probably limit their trade activity even if they are contenders.
– The Diamondbacks are still looking for relievers, and GM, Kevin Towers spent part of last week scouting bullpen arms at the team’s Triple-A affiliate. Towers’ plan is to look internally before seeking external solutions.
Sam Demel, who is recovering from shoulder tendinitis will probably rejoin the team soon. They also have righty Yhency Brazoban and lefty Alberto Castillo as candidates for middle-inning roles.
Rosenthal says that in a perfect world Towers would trade for one of the Padres relievers like Mike Adams, but he adds that the Padres are unlikely to trade him, and “they sure aren’t sending him to Towers.”
– The Red Sox, Dodgers and Rangers are the teams that have shown the most trade interest in Heath Bell in the past. The Dodgers will probably become sellers at the deadline. The Red Sox could use bullpen help, but GM, Theo Epstein, will be reluctant to move premium young talent for a reliever says Rosenthal. The Rangers have enough young arms, and would be in better position to absorb the remainder of Bell’s $7.5 million salary according to Rosenthal.
– This summer’s market will be full of relievers so the Cardinals could try to acquire two pitchers to reinforce the seventh and eighth innings rather than push for a closer. Rosenthal adds that they do not plan to pursue a hitter in the absence of Albert Pujols.
Image by SD Dirk under the Creative Commons License.
