Rumors for July, 2011
San Francisco Giants showing interest in B.J. Upton
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The San Francisco Giants are continuing to pursue Mets’ outfielder Carlos Beltran, but according to a source close to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports he says that the team is also showing interest in B.J. Upton.
Rosenthal says that Upton would provide an upgrade to the Giants’ offense as well as their defensive needs in the outfield.
Upton additionally would provide the Giants help beyond the 2011 season. He’s under team control through 2012, but that only means that the Giants would have to surrender more prospects in order to acquire him.
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Rangers sign 16-year old Venezuelans Yohander Mendez and Eduard Pinto
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According to Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthWest.com, the Texas Rangers have signed two 16-year old Venezuelans. Left handed pitcher Yohander Mendez and outfielder Eduard Pinto.
Andro adds that the Rangers also signed right handed pitcher Merkin Valdez and are sending him to Triple-A Round Rock. Valdez pitched 1.1 inning last season with the Blue Jays and left a 20.25 ERA. This season, he was 4-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 50.1 innings throughout 38 games for the Dodgers’ Triple-A team.
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Four teams ‘zeroing’ in on Kosuke Fukudome
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Major League sources close to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago say that at least four teams are “zeroing in on” Kosuke Fukudome. The right fielder though is not worried about the trade talks. “It really doesn’t bother me,” he said through his interpreter. “As long as I’m a player and people are interested in me, I take it as a compliment.”
Levine says that Fukudome could be a fit for the Indians, who are looking for an outfielder, but he has a limited no-trade clause and it is unknown if the Indians are on it.
Fukudome is set to earn $14.5 million this season, but Levine says it is probable the Cubs would pay some of that money if they really want to trade the 34-year old veteran.
“Personally, I don’t think a trade is a negative thing,” Fukudome said. “If another team wants me to play for them in their organization, that seems to be a positive. It is true though, that in Japan, a trade of a player is not necessarily viewed as a positive thing.”
Fukudome is hitting .272/.374/.371 with 3 HR’s and 13 RBI’s in 283 AB’s for the Cubs in 2011.
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Morosi on: Guthrie, Pirates, Giants and Beltran
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Here’s the latest from Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports:
– The St. Louis Cardinals have joined the Detroit Tigers in the pursuit of Jeremy Guthrie according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports (via Morosi).
–The Pittsburgh Pirates are still looking for a bat, but nothing appear close. They are also looking for relievers and Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel and Koji Uehara are among the names on their list say sources close to Morosi. The list though, includes more than a dozen other names.
– It is highly unlikely that the San Francisco Giants will include Brandon Belt in any offer for Carlos Beltran says a source close to Morosi with knowledge of the club’s thinking.
– Beltran’s top five suitors according to Morosi are: Giants, Braves, Phillies, Red Sox and Rangers. He adds that all of them have had a scout watching him this weekend. The Rangers although are interested in Beltran, for the potential impact he could add to the team, are not desperate to add a bat.
Arizona Diamondbacks release Wily Mo Pena
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The Arizona Diamondback have released outfielder Wily Mo Pena according to the Team’s official Twitter account. Pena was designated for assignment earlier this week by the team.
Pena was hitting .196/.196/.522 with 5 HR’s and 7 RBI’s in 46 AB’s for Arizona in 2011.
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Diamondbacks and Astros have talked about a possible Wandy Rodriguez trade
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The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Houston Astros have talked about a possible trade involving Wandy Rodriguez reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com, although no deal is imminent he says.
The Astros are expected to be sellers at the deadline and Rodriguez is one of the players that could be dealt before July 31. The Cincinnati Reds are also interested in the left hander.
Rodriguez is 6-7 with a 3.60 ERA in 115 innings throughout 18 starts with the Astros this season.
The Astros need to drop their overall payroll to somewhere around $60 million at the request of new owner Jim Crane.
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Cardinals and White Sox discussing Rasmus deal?
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The Cardinals continue to say that they are not interested in trading Colby Rasmus. But their actions do not match up with their words as many around league say he could be had for the right price.
Joe Strauss of St. Louis-Dispatch is reporting that the Cards are in discussions with the White Sox for Rasmus.
The Cardinals are looking for pitching help and prospects in return for the 24-year-old slugger. The White Sox are putting free agent pitcher Edwin Jackson or lefthanded reliever Matt Thornton on the table as a start.
For White Sox fans, you knew it was only a matter of time before GM Kenny Williams jumped into the trade rumors. The Sox have the pitching depth to trade Jackson as they have six quality arms for their rotation.
Manager Tony La Russa acknowledged before Saturday’s game that he now considers Jon Jay his primary center fielder.
The Nationals and Rays have also expressed interest in Rasmus.
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Nationals Rumors: Darvish and Desmond
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Here’s a list of Washington Nationals’ rumors:
– The Washington Nationals are among the teams interested in right handed pitcher Yu Darvish according to a source close to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Entering Saturday’s action, Darvish is 13-2 with a 1.44 ERA for the Nippon Ham Fighters (Japan).
“[The Nationals] would be foolish if [they] didn’t look at him,” the source said.
– A baseball source close to Ladson says that Nationals GM, Mike Rizzo, is “a fan of shortstop Ian Desmond,” and he will probably stay with the team. “If Desmond puts it all together in one season for another team, they would look foolish for trading Desmond,” the source said.
Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post adds that Rizzo considers Desmond to be a part of the Nationals core.
Carlos Beltran Trade Rumors: Giants remain frontrunners to land Beltran
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Here’s a running list of Carlos Beltran Trade Rumors for Sunday:
– Beltran would like to remain in the National League, but he did not fully rule out switching leagues reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
– Jeff Passan of Yahoo says that the San Francisco Giants remain frontrunners to land Beltran, but adds that the Texas Rangers are coming hard.
– The Boston Red Sox are viewed as a total longshot to acquire Beltran. (Buster Olney, ESPN)
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Nick Cafardo on Brian Cashman, Clippard, Shields, Pence and Upton
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Here’s the latest from Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe:
– Boston Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino was surprised to hear that the team can’t afford to do much at the trade deadline.
– The Red Sox could go after an outfielder, a shortstop and a left-handed reliever.
– The rumor is that Cubs’ owner Tom Ricketts has reached out to Pat Gillick to be the team’s general manager, but those rumors were denied. Gillick is currently a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies.
– Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman’s contract is up at the end of the season, and it’s supposedly his call if he wants to stay.
– There are a few teams in on right-handed pitcher Tyler Clippard, including the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
– One scout says that the Tampa Bay Rays are open to listening to offers for right-handed pitcher James Shields.
– The Houston Astros are going to hold onto Hunter Pence.
– The Nationals are considering offering a lot for BJ Upton.
– The Kansas City Royals would want a lot for Joakim Soria and the Yankees are said to be very interested.
– David DeJesus of the Oakland Athletics has come up as a possible acquisition for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
– The Yankees and Red Sox could go after left-handed pitcher Craig Breslow.
– There’s been little interest for Brett Myers.
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