Filed under: Astros, Rays, Reds, MLB Video, MLB Trade Deadline, Executive Take
The MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone and some teams have seriously improved their chances of playing deep into October.
Then, there are the rest.
FanHouse TV’s Steve Phillips breaks down the have-nots at the deadline and identifies the three teams who needed help the most and didn’t get any.
Click below to watch:
Filed under: Yankees, MLB Trade Deadline
What does it say that the $200 million Yankees, who had eight All-Stars, over the past two days added five-time All-Star Lance Berkman, active strikeout-per-inning leader Kerry Wood and Austin Kearns, who has 113 homers in 926 big-league games?
That the rich can get richer? Yes.
That the Yankees love big names? Yes.
That even having won it all in 2009, the Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman will always go for it in any given year? Yes.
That the Yankees, despite the best record in baseball, saw some flaws that could get exposed in the postseason?
Yes.
Filed under: Indians, Yankees, MLB Rumors, MLB Inside Scoop, MLB Trade Deadline
The busy Yankees have acquired right-handed reliever Kerry Wood to bolster their bullpen as the trade deadline comes to a close.
Wood, the Indians closer, just came off the disabled list Saturday. He had been out with a blister on his right index finger; before that he was 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA and eight saves in 23 appearances.
Filed under: Indians, Yankees, MLB Rumors, MLB Inside Scoop, MLB Trade Deadline
The busy Yankees are close to adding Kerry Wood to their bullpen as the trade deadline closes in, a baseball official confirmed.
Wood, the Indians closer, just came off the disabled list Saturday. He had been out with a blister on his right index finger; before that he was 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA and eight saves in 23 appearances.
Filed under: Dodgers, Orioles, Rays, MLB Rumors, MLB Inside Scoop, MLB Trade Deadline
The Rays are in discussions about Orioles left-handed hitter Luke Scott, FanHouse has learned.
FanHouse’s Tom Krasovic previously reported that the Dodgers were also involved in negotiations for Scott, but a team source has since told him that the first baseman/outfielder is not a fit in Los Angeles.
Scott, 32, has a .556 slugging percentage, with 17 homers, 20 doubles and 42 RBI in 268 at-bats.
Filed under: Dodgers, Orioles, Rays, MLB Rumors, MLB Inside Scoop, MLB Trade Deadline
The Rays are in discussions about Orioles left-handed hitter Luke Scott, FanHouse has learned.
FanHouse’s Tom Krasovic previously reported that the Dodgers were also involved in negotiations for Scott, but a team source has since told him that the first baseman/outfielder is not a fit in Los Angeles.
Scott, 32, has a .556 slugging percentage, with 17 homers, 20 doubles and 42 RBI in 268 at-bats.
Filed under: Cardinals, Indians, MLB Rumors, MLB Inside Scoop, MLB Trade Deadline
The St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres have completed a three-way deal sends Indians starting pitcher Jake Westbrook to St. Louis and move outfielder Ryan Ludwick from St. Louis to the Padres.
The deal, according to sources, required the approval of the union because Westbrook, who was scratched 30-plus minutes before his scheduled start Saturday afternoon for Cleveland, is signed for $10 million this season and $11 million in 2011, but is also due a bonus worth roughly $2 million if he gets traded.
St. Louis did not wish to pick up the extra money, and Westbrook cannot surrender any of the value on his contract without the union’s blessing, so the Major League Baseball Players’ Association had to sign off on the deal.
FanHouse’s Steve Phillips was first to report that Westbrook was on the move, while Tom Krasovic was first to report the news of a three-way swap.
San Diego will send Double-A pitcher Corey Kluber to the Indians and Single-A left-hander Nick Greenwood to the Cardinals in the deal.
Filed under: Diamondbacks, Pirates, MLB Rumors, MLB Inside Scoop, MLB Trade Deadline
UPDATE: With the deal official, the Pirates acquired infielder Pedro Ciriaco along with Snyder, for Church, Crosby and right-hander D.J. Carrasco. Ciriaco, 24, was batting .259 in Triple-A. Carrasco has a 3.88 ERA in 45 appearances. To fill out their roster, the Pirates called up infielders Argenis Diaz and Jeff Clement and right-hander Daniel McCutchen, who was scheduled to start Saturday night.
The Pirates are set to acquire catcher Chris Snyder from the cost-cutting Diamondbacks, a major league source confirmed.
Pittsburgh won’t give up much in terms of prospects, the person said, and Arizona will pay a significant amount of the remaining salary on Snyder’s contract, which is about $8 million (about $1.5 million this year, $5.75 million next year, and a $750,000 buyout on a $6.75 million option in 2012).
FoxSportsArizona.com reported that the Diamondbacks will get veterans Bobby Crosby and Ryan Church. Crosby, an infielder, is a free agent after the season, and Church, an outfielder, could be non-tendered in the winter to avoid any financial obligation in 2011.
Snyder, 29, has hit .231 with 10 homers this year and has a .233 career average with a .737 OPS. He has thrown out just 20 percent of base-stealers this year (12 of 59) but before this season had a 32 percent rate. He also had a 240-game errorless streak (Aug. 22, 2007-June 5, 2010) that is third-longest in major-league history.
Filed under: Diamondbacks, Rays, MLB Rumors, MLB Inside Scoop, MLB Trade Deadline
The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired struggling reliever Chad Qualls from the Arizona Diamondbacks for a player to be named.
Qualls will be in uniform on Saturday night when the Rays take on the Yankees at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. Reliever Grant Balfour will go on the disabled list with an intercostal strain, opening a roster spot for Qualls.
The St. Petersburg Times reported Balfour, who is expected to miss several weeks, was hurt in an incident involving horseplay with pitching coach Jim Hickey prior to Friday’s game.
Qualls has late-game experience, with 36 saves since the beginning of 2009, but his numbers this year are ugly — an 8.29 ERA, five home runs allowed and a 2.00 WHIP in 38 innings.
With his strikeout and walk rates still strong, pitching from the stretch appears to be the root cause of Qualls’ struggles. Opponents are hitting .247 against him with no runners on base, but .471 — with an 1.177 OPS — against with men aboard.
Filed under: Nationals, MLB Rumors, MLB Inside Scoop, MLB Trade Deadline
WASHINGTON — Like all of his peers, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is a busy man these days. He traded closer Matt Capps to the Twins on Thursday night, then Friday afternoon he sent infielder Cristian Guzman to the Rangers.
His work may not be done.
Rizzo’s biggest trade chip is first baseman Adam Dunn, and the Washington GM said he’s actively fielding a number of offers on the slugger, who entered play Friday ranked second in the National League with 24 home runs on the season.
“We haven’t broached the situation where we want to move him, but suffice to say he’s a pretty popular player right now,” Rizzo said before the Nationals took on Roy Oswalt and the Phillies Friday night.
“There’s a lot of teams interested in Adam Dunn,” he added. “We’re gonna do what’s best for the long-term viability of the franchise.”
