Rumor Roundup: LA would deal Urias for Sale
Many potential deals are in the works as the non-waiver Trade Deadline -- Aug. 1 at 4 p.m. ET -- approaches. Here is a look at the latest news, reports and rumors.
Dodgers willing to offer Urias for Sale
If the White Sox decide to trade ace Chris Sale, the Dodgers are reportedly willing to be aggressive with their offer, even if that means including top prospect Julio Urias in a trade package, according to a New York Post report.
With Clayton Kershaw sidelined indefinitely by a back injury, the Dodgers are in the market for a front-line starter. Tampa Bay's Chris Archer is among the pitchers to whom they've been linked in reports.
Urias, ranked as the No. 2 prospect in baseball by MLBPipeline.com, has made nine starts for the Dodgers this season, going 1-2 with a 4.69 ERA while striking out 48 batters in 40 1/3 innings. He last pitched on Thursday, allowing one run over four innings against the Nationals in Washington.
Sale, 27, is 14-3 with a 3.18 ERA this season and under team control through 2019. This past weekend, Sale was suspended for five games by the White Sox because of a pregame outburst that led to the lefty being scratched from Saturday night's start. Sale apologized to fans for the incident and told MLB.com that he hopes to remain with Chicago and does not believe he will be traded.
"I want to win a championship in Chicago; that's been my goal from Day 1," Sale said.
Another White Sox starter, lefty Jose Quintana, also remains an option for Los Angeles if Sale is unavailable. A source told Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan that the cost to acquire Quintana may be nearly as high as Sale's price, however.
Toronto targeting Upton Jr.
The Blue Jays emerged on Monday evening as the leading candidate to acquire San Diego's Melvin Upton Jr., according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, who also said the Orioles and Indians remain in talks regarding the outfielder.
The Padres are said to be actively shopping Upton, who's been a healthy scratch from the San Diego lineup the last two days.
"It's somewhat unusual," Padres manager Andy Green said on Monday. "He's completely healthy, he's ready to go, he's available. There's nothing done at this point in time. Just the decision's been made that he's had a couple days off."
The Blue Jays are in the market for an additional outfielder as the Deadline approaches. Toronto has also been linked to Padres starter Andrew Cashner, whom they'll face on Tuesday at Rogers Centre.
Upton, 31, is earning $15.45 million this season and is owed $16.45 million next year. Rosenthal said the return the Padres would receive in any trade will determine how much of his salary San Diego will pay.
Upton is batting .256 with 16 homers, 45 RBIs and 20 stolen bases through 92 games this season, his second with the Padres.
Rangers turn eyes toward Velasquez, Volquez
The Rangers' search for a young controllable starter continues leading up to the Deadline.
Texas was linked on Monday to Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez and Royals righty Edinson Volquez. MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported that the Rangers' interest in Velasquez, while The Dallas Morning News reported the club's front-office inner circle watched Volquez in Sunday's 2-1 win over Kansas City.
Morosi reported that the price to acquire Velasquez would be high. The 24-year-old is 8-2 with a 3.34 ERA in 17 starts, striking out 103 batters in 91 2/3 innings. He was acquired by the Phillies from Houston as part of the Ken Giles trade last offseason and is under contractual control through the 2021 season.
The Rangers and Phillies pulled off a blockbuster before last season's Deadline. Texas acquired left-hander Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman and cash from Philadelphia for Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, Nick Williams, Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff and Matt Harrison.
Volquez, 33, is 8-8 with a 4.56 ERA in 21 starts, but has a 2.87 ERA in his past five outings. There is a $10 million mutual option or a $3-million buyout for next season in his contract.
Volquez began his career with the Rangers before being traded to Cincinnati in 2007 for Josh Hamilton. He made his lone All-Star appearances the following season and has a 4.32 ERA in 12 seasons with the Rangers, Reds, Padres, Dodgers, Pirates and Royals.
The Rangers have reportedly shown interest in several young, controllable pitchers, including Sale and Tampa Bay's trio of Archer, Matt Moore and Jake Odorizzi. Although they'd be open to a rental, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said they'd prefer a longer-term option.
"I think the only real change is I was hoping we wouldn't consider a rental," Daniels said on Sunday. "In my mind, we are open to long-term controllable acquisitions like Cole [Hamels] down the line. It's still not my preference, but I'd be open to it."
Alderson: Mets not in on Lucroy
Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been a frequent subject of trade rumors, even prior to this summer, and the Mets had been reported to be one of the clubs pursuing the two-time All-Star, with the club said to be willing to deal Travis d'Arnaud, according to the New York Daily News. But without using names, Alderson also shot down a weekend report that the Mets were in talks to acquire Lucroy, calling it "dead on arrival."
The Indians and Rangers are among the other teams that have been connected to Lucroy, who isn't the Brewers' only trade chip. In fact, the Mets also are interested in Milwaukee relievers Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith, the Daily News reported.
Phillies prepping for Hellickson trade
When the Phillies' Jeremy Hellickson made his most recent start, last Wednesday against the Marlins, he allowed just one run over eight innings, striking out eight. Hellickson further boosted his stock on Monday by working six scoreless innings of one-hit ball against the Marlins, who appear to have a high level of interest in the right-hander.
Multiple reports indicate that the Phillies have been scouting low-level Marlins Minor League affiliates, doing their homework for a potential Hellickson deal. That doesn't mean the Marlins are the only contender for Hellickson, or that he is the only starting pitcher they are targeting, but a swap between Philly and Miami would make sense.
The Marlins have struggled to find consistent production from their rotation, beyond Jose Fernandez and Adam Conley, and the club just put Wei-Yin Chen on the disabled list with an elbow sprain. Hellickson, a pending free agent, has posted a 3.65 ERA in 21 outings this season.
D-backs could flip Miller
It's fair to say Arizona's acquisition of Shelby Miller this past offseason has not gone as planned for the club, and now Miller might soon be on the move again. The D-backs have informed other teams that Miller is available, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, and for significantly less than what Arizona gave up to get him.
Last December, with Miller having posted a 3.02 ERA over 33 starts for the Braves, the D-backs sent 2015 first-round pick Dansby Swanson, highly regarded pitching prospect Aaron Blair and outfielder Ender Inciarte to Atlanta for Miller and Minor League pitcher Gabe Speier. But in 14 starts for Arizona, Miller has gone 2-9 with a 7.14 ERA, and the 25-year-old is now on his second stint at Triple-A Reno.
Padres 'pushing' for Norris trade
According to Passan, San Diego is "pushing hard" to find a deal for catcher Derek Norris.
It's been a rough season at the plate for the 27-year-old Norris, who has 12 home runs and 33 RBIs but a line of .204/.263/.379. On the other hand, Norris produced a .738 OPS over the previous three years and can't become a free agent until after the 2018 campaign.
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