Rumors for Philadelphia Phillies
Colorado Rockies looking at Mariners Jose Lopez
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Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says the Colorado Rockies may not be done finalizing their roster for a run at the playoffs. He says the team is looking at Seattle Mariners infielder Jose Lopez. The Rockies placed third baseman Ian Stewart on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique muscle and are in need of infield depth.
A source close to Rosenthal said he doubts the Rockies will actually land an infielder whether it is Lopez or another player.
The Philadelphia Phillies were looking “hard” at Lopez in mid-July, but ultimately passed on him.
Lopez, 26, is hitting .241/.273/.333 with 7 home runs and 48 RBIs. He will be a free agent after the season. There is a $4.5 million mutual option for Lopez in 2011.
Colorado Rockies looking for a reliever?
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The Colorado Rockies sit 4 1/2 games out in the Wild Card and it looks like they may be on the look out for relief help to make a run. According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, the Rockies are looking for a relief pitcher. Heyman adds that they may settle for a “change-of-scenery” type of reliever.
Last week, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun said pitchers Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg and Shawn Camp of the Toronto Blue Jays did not clear waivers. It still is unknown which team or teams were awarded the waiver claim. Unless the Rockies were one of the claiming teams, it’s unlikely that they will be able to acquire of the Jays’ pitchers.
The Chicago White Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies are also known to be actively looking for relief pitching. The deadline to set your postseason rosters is August 31st, so teams have a little more than 24 hours to make the moves to get them into the playoffs.
Brewers Trevor Hoffman is available
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Teams have only two days left to acquire that last player that they need before the deadline. Players acquired after the deadline can only help the team reach the playoffs as they will be ineligible for the playoffs. Recently, we have heard that the White Sox, Reds and Phillies were looking to upgrade their respective bullpens. At this time of the year though, every playoff team is looking for a new arm either for the rotation or for the bullpen.
The Blue Jays have many bullpen arms that intrigue other clubs. The problem is Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg and Shawn Camp did not clear waivers. So unless the claiming team is a contending team that needs bullpen help, they won’t be able to acquire any of these arms.
Here is an idea. Why not go after a future Hall of Famer who has cleared waivers and can be traded to any team. Why not go after one of the greatest closers in the history of the game. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Brewers Trevor Hoffman, has cleared waivers and is available. The problem is no one is calling Brewers GM Doug Melvin’s phone.
Hoffman this year has been up-and-down with more downs than ups. He sports a 6.21 ERA. One thing interested clubs should look at is in his last 10 outings, he has not given up a run in 8 of those appearances (9 innings, 4 runs).
Hoffman is making $7.5mm this season and has a limited no-trade clause to 25 teams. Hoffman does have a career ERA of 2.87.
White Sox, Phillies and Reds looking to upgrade bullpen
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According to a source close to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports, the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds are looking to upgrade their bullpens. The White Sox recently placed J.J. Putz, Matt Thornton and Erick Threets on the disabled list while the Phillies placed Danys Baez on the DL.
Possible options for the teams in need of pen help include the four relievers from the Toronto Blue Jays. Yesterday, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun said pitchers Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg and Shawn Camp did not clear waivers. It still is unknown which team or teams were awarded the waiver claim.
The Reds may be better off waiting for Aroldis Chapman to be called be called up sometime around September 1st when the rosters expand. Yesterday, it was reported that Chapman was clocked at 105 mph.
Ken Rosenthal on Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Here’s the latest from FOXSports’ Ken Rosenthal via his Full Count Video:
The addition of relief pitcher Brian Fuentes to the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen via trade from the Los Angeles Angels adds almost $2 million more to the Twins’ payroll, but it could be well worth it. Fuentes gives the Twins another closing option, but he fits best in left-on-left situations. Fuentes has held left-handed hitters to a .132 batting average. Left-hander Jose Mijares could come back to Minnesota in the last few weeks of the season – giving the Twins three left-handed options out of the bullpen.
Part of the reason the Texas Rangers made a claim on Manny Ramirez this week was to keep him away from two potential playoff opponents – the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees. It’s probably best that the Rangers did not win the claim due to Ramirez’s defensive liability. Rosenthal says the Rangers should be fine with Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler expected to come off the DL shortly. The Rangers had been looking into acquiring a fourth outfielder – somebody like the Dodgers’ Reed Johnson.
If the Los Angeles Dodgers’ decision to part with Ramirez comes down to the outcome of their next three games, then Rosenthal says the pitching matchups will be critical. Rosenthal points out that Monday’s matchup will be between Hiroki Kuroda versus the Philadelphia Phillies Roy Halladay. The Dodgers could let Ramirez go regardless of the outcome of their next three games because he hasn’t really been a factor for the Dodgers’ this season.
With three teams making a claim on Ramirez this week, and the possibility of inheriting the $4 million that he’s due, Rosenthal points out that teams are more robust financial than what we are led to believe.
Join PRO Rumors on ESPN 1420am with The Sports Animals
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Join PRO Rumors on ESPN 1420 AM Honolulu, Hawaii tonight at 8:35pm PST (5:35pm Hawaii Time) with The Sports Animals Chris Hart and Gary Dickman. You can listen live at http://www.espn1420am.com
VIDEO: Foul Ball Friday – Fan banned for life after throwing ball back at the pitcher
Posted by: | CommentsAn unidentified man will never be able to watch the Richmond Flying Squirrels ever again after he threw a Brandon Belt foul ball back onto the field and hit Reading Phillies pitcher J.C. Ramirez in the left leg on Tuesday night. It’s really hard to see with this video, but the ball is hit foul at the 0:55 mark and the back comes back onto the field at the 1:01 mark. Here’s the video:
Brandon Belt foul tip ends up back on the field.
The Associated Press said the game was stopped briefly and the fan was removed. The Richmond Flying Squirrels are an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
Source: RVA News at VIMEO
VIDEO: Washington Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan suspended 7 games
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to a press release issued by the Washington Nationals, outfielder Nyjer Morgan has received a seven-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for throwing a ball into the stands during the middle of the ninth inning during last Saturday’s game versus the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Here’s an animated gif from SB Nation of Morgan making a catch and taunting the fans by pretending to throw the ball up into the stands. The camera cuts away right before he actually throws the ball into the stands. We’ll work on getting a better quality video as soon as we can.
Morgan has elected to appeal the suspension, so he will continue to play until the appeal is complete.
VIDEO: Roy Oswalt plays left field against his former teammates
Posted by: | CommentsTraditionally a right-handed pitcher, Roy Oswalt went above the call of duty on Tuesday evening against his old teammates. In the bottom of the 14th inning, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Ryan Howard was ejected from the game which forced left fielder Raul Ibanez to move to first base and Oswalt taking over in left. Check out the video of his putout:
Jayson Stark of ESPN says that Oswalt is the last “pure” pitcher to play outfield for the Phillies since Joe Bowman did on August 21, 1935.
Check out this link for a video of all the events that lead to Oswalt playing left field.
