Results tagged ‘ Josh Johnson ’

July 27 Late Night Roundup

  • The Giants added some infield depth on Friday night, acquiring Marco Scutaro and cash from the Rockies for Triple-A infielder Charlie Culberson.
  • Despite losing out to the division rival Angels for Zack Greinke, the Rangers are “not necessarily” turning their attention to the Rays’ James Shields or the Marlins’ Josh Johnson, a source told our own T.R. Sullivan.
  • Shields and Johnson are the two premiere names left in the starting pitching market. Several teams, including the Rangers, Dodgers, Braves and Cardinals are rumored to hold interest in Shields. But the veteran right-hander insisted the situation hasn’t been a distraction and that he’d like to remain with Tampa Bay. The Marlins, meanwhile, are asking for a ton in exchange for Johnson.
  • The Phillies probably aren’t ready to part with center fielder Shane Victorino just yet, but they are listening to offers, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark.

– Andrew Simon

Angels’ chances of landing SP ‘below average’

The non-waiver Trade Deadline is now only five days away, and the Angels continue to work diligently to find a reliable starter for their rotation or an additional weapon for their bullpen, or both.

Can first-year general manager Jerry Dipoto work his magic to shore up some glaring holes on the Angels’ staff?

The chips are stacked against him, it seems.

A source with knowledge of the team’s thinking described the Angels’ chances of acquiring a starter as “below average and diminishing” on Thursday. The asking prices are too high, the competition for pitching is too intense – largely due to the additional Wild Card that has more teams in the hunt than ever – and the Angels don’t have an abundance of intriguing prospects to offer up.

That, and a $155 million payroll with little wiggle room, has made the Angels’ search for a starter “an uphill task,” the source said – before adding, “But don’t underestimate Jerry.”

The Angels continue to search for additional bullpen pieces, particularly a cost-controlled lefty. But it’s starting pitching – the one area that seemed rock solid at the start of the year – that seems most necessary considering the struggles of Ervin Santana and the recent back troubles of Dan Haren.

But how many feasible upgrades are out there?

Cole Hamels has agreed to a lucrative extension to stay in Philadelphia, the Marlins seem unwilling to part ways with Josh Johnson, Wandy Rodriguez has moved on to the Pirates, Matt Garza has some elbow issues, Ryan Dempster seemingly only wants to pitch for the Dodgers and Francisco Liriano is fresh off giving up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings, putting his ERA at 5.31.

That makes the competition for the likes of James Shields (signed pretty affordably through 2014) and Zack Greinke (free-agent-to-be) quite fierce.

It would be a shock, a source said, if the Angels were to move Garrett Richards, who’s 24, cost-controlled for five more seasons and boasts a ton of upside. Young center fielder Peter Bourjos, a reserve with Mike Trout now in the fold, is perhaps their biggest chip – though Dipoto has publicly said he’s unwilling to trade him because he’s still a big part of their future. Then there are prospects like middle infielder Jean Segura, catcher Hank Conger, first baseman C.J. Cron and pitcher John Hellweg, among others, who could be expendable in the right package.

More on Angels.com soon.

– Alden Gonzalez

Roundup: Berkman close to joining Yanks

The Yankees now look poised to land Lance Berkman from the Astros, a source told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. 
Berkman has the right to reject any trade as a 10-and-5 player (10 years in the league, five with one team), but he was approached by general manager Ed Wade a couple of days ago with a list of eight teams be to and approved four, including the Yankees. 
According to The New York Post, the deal is done, though it won’t be official until another 24 hours. 
The 34-year-old Berkman is making $14.5 million this season and has a $15 million club option for the 2011 season, with a $2 million buyout. With the Yankees, he’d likely serve as a designated hitter — a revolving door for the club all year — but he can also fill in at first base and in the outfield corners if needed. 
With Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline looming overhead, here’s more from around the league … 
* The White Sox acquired some depth for their starting rotation on Friday afternoon, when they swung a deal with the Diamondbacks to bring right-hander Edwin Jackson to the South Side. In the trade, Chicago parted ways with one of its top pitching prospects, righty Daniel Hudson, and Minor League lefty David Holmberg. 
* The Rangers, in need of second-base help with Ian Kinsler on the disabled list, acquired veteran middle infielder Cristian Guzman for prospects. Guzman is making $8 million in the final year of his contract this season. 
* Baseball sources told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick that the Dodgers and Cubs have been discussing a deal that would send left-handed starter Ted Lilly back to Los Angeles. The Dodgers would also like to include infielder Ryan Theriot in the deal and would want Chicago to eat up some of Lilly’s remaining contract, according to FOXSports.com. Lilly, the best starting pitcher remaining in the market, has $4.3 million left in his expiring contract. 
* The Blue Jays acquired Mets Triple-A first baseman Mike Jacobs for a player to be named later. Jacobs will report to the Blue Jays’ Minor League affiliate. 

* While looking at what happened today and what could happen before 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, we’ll also look back. Roy Oswalt to the Phillies, Jorge Cantu to the Rangers, Miguel Tejada to the Padres and Matt Capps to the Twins were the biggest moves made prior to Friday, in what has still been a rather slow-moving Trade Deadline. 

– Alden Gonzalez

Rangers inquired about JJ

You can file this in the “Worth A Shot” category.

MLB.com has learned that in talking to the Marlins about acquiring Jorge Cantu, the Rangers also figured it was worth a chance to reach for the sky. They also inquired to see if the Marlins would consider trading All-Star Josh Johnson.

Texas was willing to part with their top three prospects, just to get the conversation rolling for the hard-throwing Florida ace.

Before a conversation could even get started, the Marlins made it clear that Johnson is “unmovable.”

In the first of a four-year, $39 million contract, Johnson is one of the top talents in the game. The 26-year-old right-hander is 10-3 and he holds a MLB-leading 1.72 ERA.

On Tuesday at San Francisco, Johnson had a string of 13 consecutive starts of going at least six innings while allowing no more than two runs stopped. He gave up three runs in seven innings in a no-decision. 

The streak is one shy of the MLB record of 14 set by Mike Scott in 1986.

Johnson is one of the building blocks of the Marlins, and he projects to be a central figure with the organization when their new stadium opens in 2012.

On Thursday, the Marlins did deal Cantu to Texas for pitching prospects Evan Reed and Omar Poveda.

– Joe Frisaro

 

Marlins primed to make deals

The deeper they fall in the standing, the greater the chance the Marlins will be open to making moves.

In fact, there are rumbings from within the organization that they may be willing to listen to offers for just about everyone not named Josh Johnson or Hanley Ramirez. Besides those two — plus players who are not yet in their arbitration years — the club could be ready to make some changes.

There are indications that Ricky Nolasco, who has one year remaining in arbitration, could be dealt for the right price. The Marlins are in no rush to move the 27-year-old right-hander, but they would certainly listen to what is available.

Jorge Cantu is eligible for free agency after the season. While the Marlins are high on the veteran, who has been a steady run producer, they might not be in position to sign him to a multi-year deal if his salary reaches more than $10 million. Cantu appears to be the most likely Marlin to be moved before the end of the season.

Dan Uggla and Cody Ross — like Nolasco — have one year of arbitration remaining. There is no immediate urgency to trade either player. But both may bring back some parts to build upon for the future.

Nate Robertson, acquired late in Spring Training from Detroit, also could be an attractive trade piece should the Marlins be out of the race by the end of the month.

The team certainly is looking for bullpen help, but that’s not the only area they hope to address. Offensively, they are hoping to become more balanced and less streaky.

– Joe Frisaro

 

 

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