What’s Next: Carl Crawford, Brandon Inge, Chris Carter, Kila Ka’aihue

The Baltimore Orioles have the worst record in the American League, but contending clubs won’t be shopping for upgrades in the Orioles clubhouse, so says O’s GM Andy MacPhail.

The Orioles, as is customary, placed OF/DH Luke Scott and INF Ty Wigginton on waivers earlier this month, but when both players were claimed, the Orioles pulled them both back. This means that neither is eligible to be traded for the rest of the year.

Scott would have provided a power left handed bat to a club in need and Wigginton’s versatility would have been welcome for at least a few clubs in need of a third baseman. The Braves have lost Chipper Jones for the season and the Cardinals, without David Freese, are also looking to fill a hole at the hot corner.

Inge a Possibility?

Instead of Wigginton, those two clubs will have to look elsewhere to find a stopgap at third. One possibility remains in Detroit, where the Tigers are expected to put Brandon Inge on the waiver wire this week.

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Inge is in the final year of his contract and is owed roughly $1.25 million for the rest of the season. It isn’t clear whether or not the Tigers would actually trade their longest-tenured player as Detroit has no obvious in-house candidates to replace Inge this year or next. The expectation is that Dave Dombrowski would like to re-sign Inge in the off-season.

The Tigers expect Inge to be claimed and if he gets through the AL, National League teams will have a chance to claim him. The Giants don’t necessarily need Inge’s services, but would likely claim him to prevent the Cardinals or Braves from getting a shot.

Damon on his Future, and that of Crawford

While the Tigers have fallen out of the race in 2010, they certainly have already begun preparations for the Hot Stove League. Johnny Damon, playing this season on a one-year deal, has said that he would prefer to play next season in Detroit, noting that he came to the Tigers with the intent of getting the team to the playoffs. Damon also noted recently that the Tigers will be in play for the services of Rays OF Carl Crawford, who figures to be the top available free agent hitter on the market after the season.

Most pundits expect the Yankees to go hard after Crawford, but Jayson Werth and Adam Dunn remain possible there as well. The Tigers have operated with a payroll north of $120 million for each of the past few seasons, but they have roughly $65 million coming off the books after 2010. Crawford will draw interest from every major league club, you can count on that, but the usual suspects will be the front-runners to garner his services. If they want him, the Tigers have the money needed to battle New York, and anyone else, in the bidding for Crawford.

Rangers Want to Keep Lee

Another potential target for the Yankees will be Cliff Lee. The Rangers ace will explore free agency for the first time this year and the Yankees are expected to make a serious play for his services as well. New Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg told SiriusXM’s Jim Bowden that Texas will make re-signing Lee one of their top priorities this fall.

Baseball is better when the Yankees are good, no question about that. But baseball is also better when the Yankees don’t have every top-level player. To see a Yankee rotation that includes two of the three best left handers in the game, plus A.J. Burnett, would be an embarrassment of riches to be sure. Here’s hoping the Rangers can keep Lee out of their hands. The Yankees don’t need anymore help.

Suzuki Wants Valentine

One team that does need help is the Seattle Mariners, one of Lee’s growing list of former clubs. MLB.com’s Peter Gammons tweeted recently that icon Ichiro Suzuki has spoken to ownership about bringing in former Mets and Ranger manager Bobby Valentine to manager the Mariners. Valentine’s candidacy was discussed in this very spot last week. This morning, Gammons tweeted that Suzuki was insisting he would never undermine his manager by suggesting an alternative to ownership. I’m sure Daren Brown feels better now.

Checking in with Hot Prospects

In Oakland, A’s fans were treated to a glimpse of the future when top prospect Chris Carter made his debut with the big club last week. On Monday, Carter was sent back to Triple-A after just six games. During that span, Carter made 20 plate appearances, reaching base just once (on a walk). His 0-for-19 included nine strikeouts. Expect Carter to be back when rosters expand in September, and manager Bob Geren thinks Carter will be better equipped to handle big league pitching next time around.

There’s really no reason to think otherwise. Carter has 28 homers and 90 RBI for Sacramento this year is is enjoying his fourth straight season of a .900+ OPS. He has 146 career minor league home runs and a .285/.380/.541/.921 slash line in six seasons on the farm.

Another hot name is that of Royals slugger Kila Ka’aihue. When Kansas City designated their top home run and RBI man, Jose Guillen, for assignment two weeks ago, Ka’aihue was finally given a big league job. So far, Ka’aihue has played in 11 of the last 14 games for the Royals, but he hasn’t hit much. He’s batting .19 this month (7-for-42) with one double and six strikeouts.

Regardless of the outcome, these are important games for the Royals coming down the stretch. It’s past time that they give an extended look to Ka’aihue and Alex Gordon to see if they actually have anything in the pair of 26-year-old ballplayers. Gordon has been moved to the outfield this year and is finally back in the big leagues after tearing up Triple-A. Gordon carried a 1.019 OPS in 68 games for Omaha this year while Ka’aihue did even better, putting up a 1.060 OPS in 94 games.