Heath Bell Trade Rumors

Many outlets are saying that several teams are making hard pushes for each of the big name Padre relievers, Heath Bell and Mike Adams.

With some of the larger name bats and starting pitchers coming off the market in recent days, contenders finally appear to be focusing on adding to their bullpens.

Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Rangers and Padres are in the midst of ‘substantive’ talks involving Bell.  The Phillies and Cardinals have also targeted the closer, but talks between San Diego and Philadelphia have apparently cooled and Colby Rasmus was reportedly a central part of the package St. Louis was offering for Bell.

So far in 2011, Bell has once again been a stud as the Padres’ closer.  I took a look at his value in the middle of June and he’s actually improved his performance since.

A man that is said to love being involved in rumors, Bell has been unaffected by the trade talk this summer.  Over his last 14 appearances, the big right hander has only surrendered 2 earned runs in 13.1 innings of work.  On the year Bell has maintained an ERA of 2.40 with his impressive 1.16 WHIP.

While Bell’s been getting hotter as the summer’s progressed, Texas closer Neftali Feliz has hit a rough patch.  Feliz carried and ERA of 1.21 into the All-Star break, but has since been shelled.  The 23 year old has allowed 11 earned runs over his last 15.1 innings pitched.

Feliz’s recent struggles may have caused Texas’s efforts to land a top reliever to intensify.  The Rangers have emerged as the favorites for Bell, and could certainly use his addition to boost a pen that ranks 26^th in the league with a 4.48 ERA.

But acquiring Bell will cost the Rangers a pretty penny, as the Padres are looking for prime return on their fan favorite.  In fact, Scott Miller has come out and said that the Padres asking price is currently too high for the Rangers.

While Bell is in the last year of his deal, he loves it in San Diego and the Padres announced yesterday that they believe they could have a legitimate shot at resigning him at a hometown discount.

Of course this could all be posturing, but another reason the Padres have for raising the cost on the right hander is that he projects to be a Type A free agent and will at least be good for a pair of picks.

So, while the Rangers and Padres are involved in talks, it doesn’t appear that anything is imminent at the moment, but we all know how quickly that can change this time of year.

For more on the Padres, be sure to check out Chicken Friars.