Results tagged ‘ orioles ’

Buck could be Plan B for Red Sox behind the plate

In case the Red Sox can’t resign Victor Martinez — and they’ll certainly give that a concerted effort — one potential option is free-agent catcher John Buck. And according to ESPNBoston.com, the Red Sox are “expected to be aggressive in their pursuit” of Buck if Martinez isn’t a possibility.

The Web site named the Tigers, Orioles and Rangers as teams that would go after Martinez. The free-agent pool of catchers is actually pretty deep this year, with Rod Barajas, Ramon Hernandez, Gerald Laird and A.J. Pierzynski among those also in the mix.

If Boston can’t resign Martinez, Jason Varitek would of course have a strong chance of returning also. And there are some who believe perhaps Jarrod Saltalamacchia should be given an opportunity to take the full-time reigns behind the plate. But Buck would be the safer — though more expensive — choice.

After signing a $2 million contract with the Blue Jays last offseason, Buck had a breakout year in 2010, one that saw him set career-highs in batting average (.281), home runs (20) and RBIs (66) while throwing out 28 percent of baserunners (third-highest among AL catchers who qualified).

– Alden Gonzalez

Roundup: Lefty power-hitting 1B, anyone?

He isn’t Adam Dunn or Prince Fielder — don’t give up hope on those guys, either, though — but Carlos Delgado is still out there, without a team, and wants to play. Contending teams are reportedly interested. 

According to FOXSports.com, Delgado — he of 473 career home runs and two hip surgeries since May of 2009 — is drawing interest from the White Sox, while the Mariners, Rockies and Red Sox are possible fits. Of those, Seattle would appear to be a longshot, since the 38-year-old would like to sign with a contending team. 
Delgado’s agent, David Sloane, told FOXSports.com his client has received two Minor League offers and would need a couple of weeks in the Minors to get ready. Delgado wants to play for a team in contention and one that will give him regular playing time, the Web site added. 
Here’s more from around the league … 
* Pedro Martinez, who recently relayed his intention to sit out the 2010 season through his agent, was asked on ESPN’s First Take what it would take for him to come back and pitch this season. This is what he said … 
Right now, it’s going to be hard to do, because I’m really enjoying what I’m doing with my family, and I’m really enjoying helping out the community with my foundation. … The time with my family, I think, is priceless. I’m really enjoying it, and so it’s going to take a lot to bring me out of my house, out of my comfort zone, right now. 
In order for the idle Martinez to be on a postseason roster, he must be picked up before Aug. 31. 
* The Royals designated outfielder Jose Guillen for assignment on Thursday. Guillen was in the last year of a three-year, $36 million contract. Now, Kansas City will have 10 days to trade, release or outright Guillen. Teams like the Giants, Rays, White Sox or Red Sox could be interested. 
* An unknown team has claimed Adam Dunn off waivers from the Nationals, which makes it less likely that the first baseman will be traded, according to FOXSports.com. Washington could now either engage in one-on-one negotiations with that club, or can pull him back. 
* The Mets are open to negotiating a contract extension with shortstop Jose Reyes, according to The New York Daily News. Reyes has a club option for 2011 worth $11 million, but New York is reportedly willing to scrap that for a long-term contract. Negotiations likely won’t be finalized until the end of the season, however. 
* Buck Showalter, the Orioles’ new manager, will earn $1.5 million a year each season through 2013, according to the Twitter account of ESPN’s Buster Olney. 
* Now that the non-waiver Trade Deadline has passed, teams have to first put a player on waivers before trading them. Under that, the Phillies acquired a veteran first baseman in Mike Sweeney from the Mariners — for a player to be named later or cash considerations — the Marlins signed infielder Chad Tracy, and the Pirates claimed a couple of righties in Chris Resop and Chan Ho Park. 
– Alden Gonzalez

Roundup: Trade Deadline comes and goes


That’s it. The non-waiver Trade Deadline has now passed, and the dust
has settled. Several big-name players — like Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt,
Dan Haren and Lance Berkman — wound up switching teams, while
several notable trade candidates — such as Adam Dunn, Jayson Werth,
Scott  Downs, Brett Myers and Prince Fielder –
stayed put. 

Here’s a look at what did
happen Saturday … 

* The Dodgers acquired the best remaining starting pitcher on the
market, post-Oswalt, by swinging a deal for Lilly of the Cubs in
the afternoon. In the deal, the southpaw — a free agent after this season and
making $12 million in 2010 — infielder Ryan Theriot and $2.5 million go to Los Angeles, while infielder Blake
DeWitt and Minor League right-handed-pitching prospects Kyle Smit
and Brett Wallach head
to Chicago. 

* The Cardinals officially acquired Indians pitcher Jake
Westbrook in a three-team deal with the Indians and Padres. Westbrook
was scratched from his Saturday start as the deal was set into motion. The
Padres acquired Ryan Ludwick from the Cards, while Padres prospect
Cory Kluber was sent to
Cleveland and pitcher Nick Greenwood went to St. Louis.

* The Yankees made some big moves (surprised?). They solidified the designated-hitter role by
getting Berkman from the Astros, bolstered their outfield with the
acquisition of Austin Kearns from the Indians, and on Saturday, added an arm to the bullpen by getting
another Cleveland piece, closer Kerry Wood (acquired for a player to be
named later or cash). 

* A few other relievers were dealt just before the 4 p.m. ET Deadline.
Coveted left-hander Will Ohman went to the Marlins in exchange for Minor
League right-hander Rick VandenHurk; Pirates closer Octavio Dotel
was dealt to the Dodgers for right-hander James
McDonald and Minor League outfielder Andrew Lambo; Dotel’s
teammate, lefty Javier Lopez, was sent to the Giants for a couple of Minor
Leaguers; and the Giants got Ramon Ramirez from the Red Sox. 

* Just before the Deadline, the Red Sox got catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia from the
Rangers in exchange for two prospects — right-hander Ramon Mendez and
first baseman Chris McGuiness — and a player to be named later or cash. 

* The Braves bolstered their bullpen and got some needed help in
the outfield by swinging a last-minute deal with the Royals, one
that brought right-hander Kyle
Farnsworth and outfielder Rick Ankiel (along with cash
considerations) to Atlanta in exchange for outfielder Gregor Blanco,
right-hander Jesse Chavez and Minor League lefty Tim Collins. 

* The Diamondbacks acquired outfielder Ryan Church,
infielder Bobby Crosby and reliever D.J. Carrasco from the
Pirates in exchange for catcher Chris Snyder and Minor League shortstop Pedro
Ciriaco. 

* Looking to strengthen their bullpen, the
Rays nabbed veteran right-handed reliever Chad Qualls from the D-backs. 

* In what would have been a true Deadline blockbuster, FoxSports.com is reporting on Saturday that
the White Sox had been trying to acquire Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers,
but the Dodgers didn’t bite on the first attempt. 

– Alden Gonzalez and Bailey Stephens

Does Wigginton stay?

Ty Wigginton has been considered the Orioles best trade chip for months now, but he could end up staying put at the Trade Deadline. Why?

There’s a few reasons to take into account, namely that yesterday’s trade to move Miguel Tejada was
primarily to clear a space for top position prospect Josh Bell. The O’s
don’t have a first baseman nearly as ready, although Michael Aubrey has been on a tear lately and could earn a call-up to help share a possible platoon with either Jake Fox or Luke Scott.

So
far, the offers for Wigginton aren’t deals that would really improve
the O’s. He would likely get the same type of mid-level prospect
acquired yesterday from San Diego, and his departure would help leave a
significant hole in a Baltimore lineup trying to avoid going down as the
worst team in franchise history.

President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said yesterday after
the Tejada trade that no more moves were on the immediate docket, and
given that tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET is the deadline, an “immediate move”
would have probably been deemed as something early this morning. Still,
things can change in an instant and the O’s could be moved to move
Wiggy. But with the Tejada trade and the Rangers –thought to be the
front-runners — acquiring Jorge Cantu, I wouldn’t be shocked if he
stays.

What’s becoming increasingly more likely is that the Orioles could trade reliever Will Ohman who
is cheap and a lefty specialist. Particularly with the bullpen nearly
back at full force and Jim Johnson progressing along in Sarasota, the Os
could get a decent return on moving Ohman, who was signed to a Minor
League deal this spring.

–Brittany Ghiroli 

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

Padres add Tejada from the Orioles

Baltimore infielder Miguel Tejada, a six-time All-Star, is on his way to the San Diego Padres.

The Padres on Thursday added Tejada to fill need in the infield and add a bat to their lineup.

San Diego sent Minor League pitcher Wynn Pelzer in a deal that also saw the Padres receive about half of the remaining $2.33 million on Tejada’s contract.

Tejada, 36, is hitting .269 with seven home runs and 39 RBIs this season for the Orioles. He is a career .288 hitter.

Pelzer is 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA in 22 games, including 18 starts, this season with Double-A San Antonio.

Tejada will likely spell third baseman Chase Headley in San Diego and also play some shortstop.

– Corey Brock

O’s MacPhail on “slow developing” trade market

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has been fielding calls on the team’s veterans, and said on Sunday that he doesn’t believe Ty Wigginton -believed to be the team’s best trade chip – will lose value based on his pending three-game suspension.

 ”I don’t think that’s going to be impactful for that,” said MacPhail, who called the trade market a slow development that is “prodding along”.

“Everybody is being a little coy right now, myself included,” MacPhail said when asked if he expected the team to make at least one trade before the deadline.

“My own impression is that we have some of these big-target starting pitchers out there who probably have a lot of teams focused on whether they are in or out of that picture or not before they move on to other targets. I think that might be slowing down our market a little.”

The Orioles don’t have any big name pitchers, but Wigginton’s name has been listed in conjunction with at least 10 teams, including the Rangers, Phillies, Twins and Yankees.  He is appealing the suspension handed down after Friday’s ejection, and the punishment could be lessened to a game or two. Wigginton could also drop the appeal and serve the three-game suspension prior to being traded, although the team would prefer to let the process drag out given the O’s short bench.

Third baseman Miguel Tejada has also garnered interest from several teams and reliever Will Ohman, outfielder Corey Patterson and designated hitter Luke Scott all have a chance to be donning another uniform in August.

Starter Jeremy Guthrie’s name has been mentioned in several trade rumors, but it’s believed the Orioles would have to get a significant return to move him. Guthrie is under team control through 2012 and given his recent resurgence he helps stabilize a young and inconsistent O’s rotation.

–Brittany Ghiroli  

Orioles roster moves coming

With the anticipated activation of Brian Roberts and Matt Wieters in the next few days, the Orioles roster is becoming crowded enough that a possible trade could be in the works.

It is believed president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail wanted to wait until Roberts came back before dealing away utility infielder Ty Wigginton, who has been involved in numerous trade rumors. FoxSports.com reported on Thursday that the Yankees think the asking price for Wigginton is too high, and the Phillies have reportedly bowed out of the Wiggy hunt and are content with their in-house infield options.

The Rangers appear to be the leading destination, with the Rockies, Padres, Angels and Giants all teams with reported interest in adding Wigginton’s right-handed bat.

While the Orioles will be sellers at this year’s Trade Deadline, MacPhail told the Baltimore Sun earlier this week that he wouldn’t be opposed to picking up a salary dump

“A
claim would be something that would definitely be attractive,” MacPhail
said. “The trade for a big-time player, if it’s going to subtract from
the core guys you are trying to build around, that becomes more
problematic. It’s something you obviously would have to look at.”

–Brittany Ghiroli

 

Injury to Eckstein won’t hasten Padres push for help

San Diego general manager Jed Hoyer said on Thursday the calf injury
that landed second baseman David Eckstein on the 15-day disabled list
won’t hasten or change the way the team is approaching the July 31
non-wavier Trade Deadline.

“We still don’t have a feel for Eck’s injury yet, so we don’t want to
prioritize an infielder. … We have been looking at infield depth
anyway, so it doesn’t change our course,” Hoyer said.

The Padres will know more about the extent of Eckstein’s injury after
they return home late Sunday after a game in Pittsburgh. He’ll likely
have an MRI on the calf on Monday

The team, for the foreseeable future, will cover second base with Jerry
Hairston, who is hitting .348 since July 5. Everth Cabrera will play
every day at shortstop. The Padres can use Oscar Salazar at second base
in a pinch if need be.

As for their search for middle infield help, the Padres have inquired
about 36-year-old Miguel Tejada of the Orioles and have kicked the tires
on a handful of other players.

Hoyer said that the cost of doing potential business is still high and
that he’s still making a lot of calls to teams about players who could
help the Padres.

– Corey Brock

Roundup: Buzz says Oswalt in, Werth out in Philly

In need of a starter for Saturday’s game, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. cryptically said Tuesday: “I think we we know exactly what we’re going to do.” Perhaps a starter, like Ben Sheets, Dan Haren, Jeremy Guthrie or Roy Oswalt is headed to Philadelphia? The club optioned Kyle Kendrick to the Minor Leagues that same day, and later that night, veteran Jamie Moyer sustained an injury that will likely put him on the disabled list, so starting pitching is needed in Philly. 

ESPN.com wrote about “indications” that the Phillies were in the midst of a “major deal” to acquire a starting pitcher in hopes of salvaging their season on Tuesday night. But on Wednesday afternoon, they followed-up by reporting that Oswalt “could be on the verge of blowing up a potential deal,” since he wants any team that acquires him to guarantee his $16 million option for 2012. For now, the Phillies are balking at that offer. ESPN.com added that it’d probably be J.A. Happ moving in an Oswalt deal, and the club is also looking to move struggling outfielder Jayson Werth (a free agent after this season). 
Astros owner Drayton McLane told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart that no deal involving Oswalt appeared imminent as of Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, Oswalt — owner of a full no-trade clause — told reporters he hasn’t been approached about any possible trades. 
With less than two weeks remaining until the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, here’s more buzz from around the league … 
* The White Sox, according to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, are “trying to accelerate talks” with the Brewers for slugging first baseman Prince Fielder. The problem, Rosenthal notes, is Milwaukee wants a starting pitcher, and they view trade candidate Daniel Hudson as only a middle-of-the-rotation starter. White Sox GM Ken Williams said recently that the market was not to his benefit. 
* The Mets reportedly signed Chad Cordero to a Minor League contract on Wednesday, but they apparently want even more relief help. FOXSports.com wrote that the Mets are currently focused on the relief-pitching market and are eyeing the Pirates’ Octavio Dotel and the Blue Jays’ Scott Downs. 
* Seeking bench strength, the Yankees are looking into the Indians’ Jhonny Peralta and the Marlins’ Wes Helms, according to Rosenthal, who added that the price for Jose Bautista and Ty Wigginton were too high. 
* Pedro Martinez will not pitch in 2010, his agent, Fernando Cuza, told ESPNDeportes.com. But he has not officially retired. 
* The Giants, Tigers, White Sox and Braves have inquired about Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan reported via Twitter. 
– Alden Gonzalez
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