Rumors for July, 2011
Astros may move Hunter Pence
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The Houston Astros are showing a willingness to trade their star player, Hunter Pence, Buster Olney of ESPN reports. He says that rival executives are expecting that the Astros will move Pence.
Earlier today, we learned that the Braves could be close to a deal for a right handed bat (via David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution), and Olney says they have the prospects to make the deal happen.
The Braves are believed to also be interested in Jonny Gomes. Pence is hitting .315/.356/.478 with 11 HR’s and 61 RBI’s in 372 AB’s for the Astros this season. Gomes, 30, is hitting .213/.339/.408 with 11 home runs this season.
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Phillies and Royals in Trade Talks About Melky Cabrera
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According toJon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Phillies are talking with the Royals about a possible trade involving Melky Cabrera. The Phillies are also in hot pursuit of Carlos Beltran. They are looking at adding an outfielder and will most likely add either Beltran or Cabrera by the trade deadline but likely will not add both outfielders.
Cabrera, 26, is hitting .296/.333/.459 with 11 home runs this season
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Braves Showing Interest in Jonny Gomes
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According to a tweet by Jon Morosi, a source tells Morosi and Ken Rosenthal
that the Atlanta Braves are interested in trading for Jonny Gomes. He would provide a strong right handed bat for the Braves.
Gomes, 30, is hitting .213/.339/.408 with 11 home runs this season.
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Royals Trade Wilson Betemit to the Tigers
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In a tweet by Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, he reports that the Royals have traded Wilson Betemit to the Tigers in exchange for two prospects, Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez.
Betemit, 29, is hitting .281/.341/.409 with 3 home runs this season for the Royals.
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Brewers reaching out to Dodgers for Jamey Carroll
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In a Tweet by ESPN’s Buster Olney, he says that the Milwaukee Brewers have reached out to the Dodgers regarding Jamey Carroll. Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel adds via a source that there’s “nothing hot” between the clubs.
The Brewers left side that includes Yuniesky Betancourt and Casey McGehee rank fairly low with their offensive numbers in addition to their below-average defensive abilities.
Carroll is hitting .290/.360/.360 with 8 RBI’s in 286 AB’s for the Dodgers this season.
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Pittsburgh Pirates to sign Jason Grilli
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The Pittsburgh Pirates are close to signing relief pitcher Jason Grilli, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. The only step that is keeping the deal from becoming official is the pitcher’s physical. The announcement is expected to be completed on Thursday.
“We have interest,” manager Clint Hurdle confirmed. “We have made a call on a number of people. I think what we’re also letting people know is that we’re not going to sit back and listen to the tremendous astronomical asks that are being presented to us for some of the other personnel we’ve made contact on.
“We’re going to be creative, and we’ve talked about a number of guys who are in the Minor Leagues trying to find their way back with some Major League experience. He would fall into that category.”
The story of Grilli becoming a Pirate came cryptically from the player’s own Twitter account. He said, “Black & Yellow! Black & Yellow! Black & Yellow! Cannot wait to join the new squadron.”
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Diamondbacks Looking To Strengthen Bullpen
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According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to strengthen their bullpen and have a few targets in mind. With the Diamondbacks just 3.5 games back of first place in the NL West, they will definitely be buyers during this trading period. They have a very reasonable shot at making the postseason for the first time in 4 years. Here is a running list of possible bullpen targets for the D’Backs:
Kerry Wood (Cubs): Wood, 34, is 1-5 with a 3.56 ERA in 32 appearances this year. With him having been in the Majors for 13 years he would bring a great veteran arm to the D’Backs. He also provides postseason experience. The disadvantage is that he has a no trade clause so he can turn down any trade the Cubs propose with him.
Todd Coffey (Nationals): Coffey, 30, is 3-0 with a 3.68 ERA in 39 appearances this season. He also has a lot of experience in the Majors and could be a valuable asset to the D’Backs come October.
Jason Isringhausen (Mets): Isringhausen, 38, is 1-0 with a 3.03 ERA in 36 appearances. He could provide a veteran bullpen arm with postseason experience, but a severe downside is his durability as a 38 year old in the Majors.
Jason Frasor (Blue Jays): Frasor, 33, is 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA in 42 appearances so far this season. He would provide a veteran arm but it would be interesting to see the transition from being an AL reliever to being an NL reliever.
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Danny Knobler on: Reds, Jimenez, Marlins and Mariners
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Here’s the latest from Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com:
– The Cincinnati Reds will continue their pursuit of a starting pitcher, with their eyes on Ubaldo Jimenez and Wandy Rodriguez. They are also looking for a lead off hitter with Chone Figgins and Coco Crisp as the players that they are currently interested in.
– The Boston Red Sox are the latest team to inquire about Ubaldo Jimenez. But according to people familiar with the Rockies plans say the Reds or the Rangers have a better chance of landing Jimenez. The Tigers are also interested in him, but it appears they don’t have enough available talent to get him.
– The Florida Marlins will make Leo Nunez, Javier Vazquez and Randy Choate available, but they won’t talk about Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez or Josh Johnson. “We were told ‘no way’ on Nolasco,” said a rival official. “They want to build around Johnson, Sanchez and Nolasco moving into their new stadium.”
– The Seattle Mariners are willing to talk about some of their pitchers, but not Felix Hernandez or Michael Pineda. The names that have been floated, according to Knobler, are Jason Vargas and Doug Fister. It is uncertain though how “anxious” the Mariners are to make a deal. One source described it more as “throwing bait out there, to see what interest there is.”
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Phillies and Red Sox are among the more aggressive suitors for Beltran
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According to Major League sources close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, the Phillies and Red Sox are among the most aggressive suitors for Carlos Beltran, if not the most aggressive.
The interest is so high, that the Mets might trade him several days before the deadline, sources add. A source close to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says that the Pirates consider Beltran as the “top bat available” in the market, but another source adds that they’re not going after him “full-speed.”
Yesterday, we learned that Beltran is tops on the San Francisco Giants’ wish list of outfielders and that the Mets are willing to cover his remaining salary.
The New York Mets though want a top prospect for Beltran. It was suggested last week that the Giants could move pitching prospect Zack Wheeler to New York.
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Dodgers Release Outfielder Marcus Thames
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have released outfielder Marcus Thames according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times. Thames, 34, is hitting .197/.243/.333 with 2 home runs on the season.
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