Inside Baseball: The market for Padres' Justin Upton, more trade buzz
The market for Padres outfielder Justin Upton should be a lot bigger than it is. But unfortunately for San Diego, there are a limited number of teams looking for sluggers, with the Mets and Orioles being two of them. However, the smart money says that Upton, and the rest of the team's impending free agents, are dealt. That group of expiring deals also includes Ian Kennedy, Will Venable and Joaquin Benoit (who does have an option for 2016) ...
Things can change in the last couple days, but the Padres aren't close to anything with star closer Craig Kimbrel. With the market flooded with relievers, it may be tough to get proper value. The Nats were thought to be the best hope before they acquired Jonathan Papelbon. The Yankees offered to pay all of the $28 million remaining on Craig Kimbrel's deal but haven't been too anxious as they "already have two closers," as one person pointed out ...
Tyson Ross seems to be beloved out on the trade market. He is hoping to stay in San Diego, however. Word is, it would take a major haul to trade him. Still, the Astros, Rangers, Blue Jays, Cubs, Dodgers and others have been inquiring. As for their ace James Shields, his backloaded deal will pay him $22 million a year from 2016 to 2018, and as a result, he probably could get through waivers and be traded after July 31 ...
Pat Murphy is said to be "trending positive ... after a rocky start," according to Padres-connected people. However, it is said to be "too early to tell" whether he'll be brought back. Murphy, however, made a goofy remark after pulling Matt Kemp and Justin Upton on Wednesday, claiming he took those players out of Thursday's game to "troll the media." If that's really the case, shouldn't he have more important things to worry about?
One thing that's been made clear is that A.J. Preller isn't under a mandate to sell, despite the Padres' record $110-million payroll. He will presumably sell at least the impending free agents, starting with Upton.
More Inside Baseball ...
Atlanta Braves News
The Braves long wanted Cuban star Hector Olivera, and they appear to be on the verge of acquiring him only months after the Dodgers signed him to a $62.5-million, six-year deal. The Dodgers paid a very large signing bonus, as is the case oftentimes with Cuban players who have debts to the people that have developed them on the island. The Braves are only responsible for half of the $62.5 million due to the Dodgers already having paid the $28 million bonus. Olivera is still on a rehab assignment at the moment, but it appears he will go from LA to Atlanta in a three-team trade that also includes Miami (the one that's taking awhile and includes Mat Latos going to the Dodgers and Michael Morse).
Baltimore Orioles News
The Orioles inquired about Dan Haren, though it wanted some of the money paid down. So far Miami hasn't offered.
Chicago Cubs News
The Cubs have looked at Yovani Gallardo but have generally been linked to pitchers who are under control into 2016, so they may not be a favorite ... Cubs people love David Price, but no one sees them giving up a haul for a rental ... Cubs are talking to the Padres about Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner, with Ross believed to be the preferred option. San Diego has interest in Javier Baez, and the deal could be expanded to be much bigger. The Cubs aren't favored for Ross, though, and they are likely to wind up doing bigger deals next year.
Chicago White Sox News
The White Sox have been characteristically mysterious about their deadline intentions, but with a seven-game winning streak, a 2 1/2-game deficit and a big winter of work, rivals suggest they'd be surprised if Jeff Samardzija was traded now. Coincidentally, the White Sox were also 2 1/2 games out when they made the infamous White Flag Trade at the 1997 trade deadline ... Should they surprise folks, the Dodgers, Giants, Astros, Blue Jays and Yankees are potential landing spots. The Yankees make sense for him as a free agent since he's a guy who loves a big stage, and Yankees executive Jim Hendry originally signed him for the Cubs out of Notre Dame.
Cincinnati Reds News
Mike Leake's most likely landing spots are believed to be the Blue Jays, Astros, Dodgers, Giants, Yankees and Orioles ... The buzz about star closer Aroldis Chapman seems to have all but evaporated, so he may not get traded after all.
Cleveland Indians News
Kudos to the Indians for determining not to trade Mike Aviles, whose 4-year-old daughter Adriana is battling leukemia. Best wishes to Adriana.
Colorado Rockies News
Troy Tulowitzki was said by sources familiar with the situation to be very upset to have been traded without any consultation or notice. Tulowitzki may also not have been thrilled to go to a team that wasn't on his list of preferred destinations -- the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants and Angels were said to be his top choices. But word is, he felt much more upset about not being kept in the loop, as he always had been in the past. Tulowitzki always had been very close to the Rockies-owning Monfort Brothers, but this could put a dent in that long relationship. Tulo isn't likely to lash out, as he is an extremely non-confrontational fellow who is very conscious of his image around Denver. That is also why he never requested a trade even though there were many times he wanted to go to one of his preferred destinations. Tulo's agent Paul Cohen did not return messages. Neither did Rockies GM Jeff Bridich ... The reality is, while Tulo's people may think there were promises about where he'd go, he didn't have a no-trade clause and they should have long understood he might not go to one of the preferred destinations. Two years ago, which is when the Monforts should have traded Tulo, there were extensive talks with the Rangers regarding Carlos Gonzalez and the Mariners regarding Tulowitzki. Names that are believed to have come up (and not a concrete proposal by the other teams) included Seattle's Nick Franklin, Brad Miller, Taijuan Walker and James Paxton for Tulo, and Texas' Martin Perez, Jorge Alfaro, Jurickson Profar and Nomar Mazara for CarGo ... Jose Reyes has been led to believe by the Rockies he is not going to be flipped. But he's been through this before, and probably isn't buying a house in Colorado. (He never bought one in Florida either) ... Word is Toronto was worried about Reyes' defense. Perhaps the turf was taking a toll, though one scout remarked, "For a fast guy, his range never was what it should have been." Another scout who saw him recently said, "I was surprised at how his defense had deteriorated."
Detroit Tigers News
Word floating around was that GM Dave Dombrowski took a realistic view of his team and wanted to sell, and Wednesday was the day his plan was approved by owner Mike Ilitch, who is one of the best owners in the game. While this is obviously a downer for Detroit, this could be an indication Mike and his son Chris, who's taking on a bigger and bigger role, favor keeping Dombrowski, who is in the last year of his contract. Makes sense. Overall, he's done a terrific job.
Houston Astros News
Cole Hamels declined a possible chance to go to the Astros when approached some time earlier this week, as it was reported here a few times he likely would do. USA Today first mentioned the official rejection. The Rangers, where his wife's relatives live, were one of two AL teams on the pre-approved list ... The Astros are in talks for Tyson Ross -- that may be their best pitching hope.
Los Angeles Angels News
The Angels acquired three outfielders within the span of around 24 hours, reeling in David Murphy, David DeJesus and Shane Victorino. Though word is the trade flurry has nothing to do with any particular concern over the wrist ailment that's sidelined the great Mike Trout a couple days. In any case, it seems like Victorino may be more a bench player, and Matt Joyce, who is on the DL with a concussion after a slow start, may lose whatever role he had ... Carlos Gonzalez would have counterbalanced a righty-heavy lineup, but owner Arte Moreno has a mandate not to go above the luxury tax threshold and such a trade would have threatened that ... By homering for a 30th time this year, Albert Pujols joined Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt and Babe Ruth as the only players to do post at least 13 seasons with 30 or more home runs.
Los Angeles Dodgers News
As was mentioned again in "Best Team Money Can Buy," the book on the 2013 Dodgers by Molly Knight, Clayton Kershaw declined a $300-million contract many months before he took a deal for $215 million over seven years, with a five year opt-out. It isn't clear exactly how long the $300-million deal was for, and Kershaw declined to say when asked about it this week. It is clear though that it was going to be considered a "lifetime deal," perhaps with personal service years attached to the end of it. Kershaw suggested in a brief interview at Citi Field a few days ago that he liked the options provided by the shorter deal with the opt out and couldn't see himself committing to staying forever in one place at the time ... Good thing the Dodgers are operating on only a 40 percent luxury tax rate and not the full 50 percent, as their payroll is approaching $300 million. With the tax, the total player expense will be around $400 million. They will, of course, have an excellent chance at the World Series when they are done ...Joc Pederson is struggling with the strikeouts lately, and he may lose his leadoff spot ... The Dodgers opened a kosher hot dog stand at Dodger Stadium, a nice touch considering their Jewish heritage (Sandy Koufax, The Sherry brothers, Shawn Green and Pederson). As Bill Shaikin remarked in the Los Angeles Times, "Mazel Tov." ... The Dodgers might want to make every night Yasiel Puig bobblehead night based on his performance Thursday.
Milwaukee Brewers News
The Brewers were apparently planning to make a third baseman of Wilmer Flores, so the deal that fell through wouldn't have been a bad one for him as he would have found a starting home ... The Cardinals and Pirates wre the two teams known to be interested in Adam Lind, but the Cardinals filled their need by acquiring Brandon Moss from the Indians. Since there's an option for $8 million for next year, the Brewers could keep Lind.
New York Mets News
GM Sandy Alderson and owner Jeff Wilpon met with Wilmer Flores to try to make him feel better about the situation. "They apologized," one person familiar with the talks said after a deal for him and Zack Wheeler fell through after it had been widely reported that it was agreed to. Flores was very emotional during the game but was said to be "fine" after the talk with the two Mets execs. Flores has been with the Mets organization since he was 16 years old and has had quite a roller coaster of a season. For all the heat he took early about his shortstop play, he is second on the team to Duda in home runs and hasn't made an error in two months ... The deal was scuttled when the Mets suggested they didn't like the medicals on Carlos Gomez's hips, sources said, confirming a report by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. But agent Scott Boras said, "He's in first-class condition. He's never had a hip issue and never seen a doctor for a hip issue." ... The Mets are still looking to add a big bat ... The second Jenrry Mejia drug failure is a stunner. There was no challenge on his part, as there is no excuse. He was even caught with some archaic old stuff, stanozolol and the like. That's not even the good stuff. Adam Rubin of ESPN reported the failure came during his first suspension, at a time when relaxing might have been a better idea. Can't see the Mets taking him back after his suspension is up in a year. Hopefully, someone else will. No one should lose their career over IQ points ... If Cespedes is dealt, word is he would not mind New York one bit ... David Wright provided some hope he may not be more than a few weeks away when he worked out on the field at Citi Field.
New York Yankees News
The Yankees should be able to find their answer to second base from within if they can't land Martin Prado or Dustin Ackley. They loved Prado when he was a Yankee last year, and they've long coveted Ackley. Ackley is probably more likely than Prado for the Yankees. They like his swing for Yankee Stadium. The Marlins aren't anxious to trade Prado, but are listening. FOXSports.com first mentioned Prado, and the New York Daily News mentioned Ackley this time. If they can't be gotten, Stephen Drew has been fine except for his batting average -- and isn't batting average supposed to be less important now? Robert Refsnyder also looked OK in an earlier cameo. But they are obviously looking ... Shortstop Didi Gregorius has been excellent lately after a rough start in which some folks were crying for his head ... Reggie Jackson denied he shoved an autograph-seeking fan, saying he only cursed him out.
Oakland A's News
Folks are impressed that the A's were able to get Casey Meisner for rental reliever Tyler Clippard and also Sean Manaea for Ben Zobrist, another rental. Manaea is seen a potential high-end starter if he can remain healthy ... Sam Fuld continues to make Superman-type catches even after the A's sale.
Philadelphia Phillies News
The Phillies ended up doing well in the six-for-two Hamels deal, as they got two high-end prospects, Jorge Alfaro and Nick Williams. One scout familiar with the prospects going to Philly said, "Alfaro isn't mature but the physical tools are tremendous. He will get there, and if he does, look out. Williams' raw tools are better than Nomar Mazara's and he has shown flashes of being an impact player at the major-league level. But game maturity is coming. Jerad Eickhoff and Alec Asher will be Nos. 2-4 starting pitchers as they progress. Matt Harrison is progressing but still pitches like a guy with a bad back and could blow at any time." Says another AL scout, "Asher is a Clemens type ... strong kid. Big arm." Say what you will about the Phillies, but as it turned out, they didn't hurt themselves by waiting. They made the sort of deal they needed to make.
Pittsburgh Pirates News
The Pirates made a run at Ben Zobrist but didn't come close to offering anything near to the value of Manaea ... Pittsburgh will look at relievers. Mark Melancon is having another brilliant year as closer, but he could use a bit more help.
St. Louis Cardinals News
St. Louis is said to be seeking bullpen help even after getting Steve Cishek, who should help (he had an ERA under 1 after returning from his minor-league stint) ... Adam Lind is no longer a possibility for the Cardinals now that they added Brandon Moss in a deal for pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky.
Seattle Mariners News
There's very limited interest in Hisashi Iwakuma. No big sale is expected for the Mariners.
Texas Rangers News
A few other teams -- in addition to the Dodgers, Blue Jays and Cubs -- have looked at Yovani Gallardo , who is still likely to be dealt.
Toronto Blue Jays News
One thing overheard: The Jays have no intention of flipping Tulo ... Along with all the other pitchers connected to them, the Blue Jays are considering Gallardo. Hard to predict them, though, since they consider everyone ... Hard to figure what the Blue Jays will do next since they are involved in everything, and wind up doing only the things that are never publicized ... There was varying opinion on Jeff Hoffman, the biggest righty pitching prospect the Jays gave up in the Tulo deal. One AL executive says he is a high-end starter, but another noted that "he doesn't miss many bats." (The first exec said that's only because he's in his first year after Tommy John surgery).
Washington Nationals News
Deposed closer Drew Storen isn't happy to have lost his role. Though he hasn't directly said that he's upset, he has told folks he didn't believe it was the right thing to do. That seems to be the case, as Storen led the NL in one-run saves and had better numbers than Papelbon. It was pretty clear the Nats were intent on replacing him for a third time (the first two times were for Rafael Soriano and Tyler Clippard) as it looked closely at Kimbrel and Chapman, too.
