Last Thursday, we learned that Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd is still searching for rotation reinforcements, and that his options are mostly limited to the trade market, because a bid for Kyle Lohse is considered unlikely. Over the weekend, a source named a name to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Jeff Niemann among Rays pitchers drawing Rockies’ attention
That name was Niemann, and according to Olney, O’Dowd has also asked his counterpart, Andrew Friedman, about other major-league-ready arms. The Rays exported James Shields and Wade Davis to obtain Wil Myers from the Royals earlier this offseason, but there are plenty more rotation options where those came from, with seven pitchers competing for five spots, based on the organization’s official depth chart.

Second-year general manager Jeff Luhnow has taken a no-stones-unturned approach to rebuilding the Astros, so it should come as no surprise that an outfielder not long ago considered one of the top 25 prospects in the game would pique his interest. Unfortunately, his attempt to buy low on Domonic Brown appears to have been rebuffed.

Astros attempted to acquire Domonic Brown
CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman tweeted on Thursday that Brown’s name “came up in trade talks” earlier this offseason between Luhnow and Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., who had a strong working relationship with Luhnow’s predecessor, Ed Wade. Heyman did not say whether the discussions centered on a deal in which Brown would have been the headliner or if the Astros asked about the 25-year-old in return for another player, but in either case, the talks were moot.

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The trade market came alive, if only briefly, on Wednesday, when the Red Sox acquired Mike Carp from the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash. Those hoping for more Hot Stove action might now want to turn their eyes toward Colorado, where general manager Dan O’Dowd is understandably discontent with his current rotation.

Rockies could seek starting pitcher via trade
According to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, O’Dowd is exploring deals for a reliable, number-four-type starter, who could offer 175 dependable innings to a rotation teeming with question marks. First-year manager Walt Weiss inherited from his predecessor, Jim Tracy, a starting crew that ranked dead last in the majors with a 5.81 ERA in 2012. That figure is bloated by the 81 games the Rockies played at Coors Field, and potentially also by the 75-pitch limit that the team imposed on its starters midyear, but barring a significant rotation improvement, another last-place finish might well be in store.

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Mike Carp, a victim of the Mariners’ logjam at the corner positions and in the designated-hitter slot, was designated for assignment on Feb. 12. That kept him out Zachary Levine’s Meeting of the Mariner DHs on Tuesday and should ensure that he will be en route to his third professional organization before the end of the workweek. Where might Carp be headed? Let’s take a look…

Carp should probably pack his bags
The Brewers, who are scrambling for a stopgap first baseman after learning that Mat Gamel will miss the entire 2013 season with a re-torn ACL in his right knee, were considered the most likely destination for Carp earlier this week. MLB.com beat writer Adam McCalvy confirmed that general manager Doug Melvin had contacted his former assistant, Jack Zduriencik, about the 26-year-old Carp. But, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, less than 24 hours later, Melvin changed his mind.

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The spring before a key player’s contract year is prime time for long-term negotiations, and the Hot Stove’s extension burner is predictably heating up. Last April, the Giants came to terms on a six-year, $127.5 million pact with their ace, Matt Cain. Now, their National League Championship Series foes, the Cardinals, are hoping to do the same with theirs.

Cardinals working on long-term deal for Adam Wainwright
According to Joe Strauss, who covers the Redbirds for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wainwright and general manager John Mozeliak are holding discussions about the right-hander’s future, even though the sides have publicly said that they are currently in a “pause” period. Strauss believes that the “pause” is meant simply to divert attention from any talks between Mozeliak and agent Steve Hammond, who crafted Andrew McCutchen’s six-year, $51.5 million extension with the Pirates last March.

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The Reds invested $8.5 million in Ryan Madson last offseason, only to watch the former Phillie go down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on April 11. Madson declined the mutual option included in his contract to hit the market for the second time in his career, and quickly drew a $3.5 million gamble from the Angels, who hoped to buy low on the recovering right-hander and thereby address their late-inning relief struggles.

Now, as most Americans enjoy their Presidents Day off, Madson will come to the Angels facility in Tempe facing a big day at the office. Today’s Roundup begins there…

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Now that Michael Bourn has signed and Kyle Lohse is somewhat of a lone wolf on the free-agent market, the rumor mill has grown too cold to sustain a daily Roundup. Not to worry, though—to compensate, I am simply going to stretch the meaning of the word “rumor” to include the mélange of spring training stories, from players who are in the best shapes of their lives to position battles and roster decisions, in addition to the Hot Stove’s last gasps.

To that end, today’s Roundup begins in Mesa, Arizona, where the Cubs’ pitchers and catchers have settled for the next month and a half, as second-year manager Dale Sveum and the front-office crew of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer decide their roles.

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Around this time three years ago, the Tigers found common ground with their ace, Justin Verlander, on a five-year, $80 million extension that bought out his first two years of free agency. In 2012, Verlander found a partner in crime in Max Scherzer, who delivered a 3.8 WARP effort to help fuel Detroit’s run to the World Series. Both of the flame-throwing northpaws are under the Tigers’ control through at least the 2014 season, and the latter hopes to stay much longer than that.

Scherzer seeks a long-term extension from Tigers
According to MLB.com beat writer Jason Beck, Scherzer is healthy and waiting for general manager Dave Dombrowski to open talks on a deal that could keep him in Detroit for close to the rest of the decade. The 28-year-old forewent his second year of arbitration eligibility by agreeing to a $6.725 million paycheck for 2013—nearly a $3 million raise from his 2012 salary of $3.75 million, which also came by way of a pre-hearing settlement.

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With Michael Bourn joining the Indians, agent Scott Boras is 2-for-3 when it comes to finding new homes for clients dogged by rejected qualifying offers. The elephant in the room for Boras is Kyle Lohse, whose stock has waned because of the draft-pick cost associated with signing him, and perhaps because teams are unwilling to extend a lucrative commitment to a 34-year-old pitcher coming off of a career year. As a reward for his patience in the face of disillusionment, Lohse gets today’s Roundup all to himself.

Nationals could make a play for Lohse
The Nationals rescued Rafael Soriano from qualifying-offer purgatory with a two-year, $29 million deal last month, and Washington Post beat writer Adam Kilgore heard on Tuesday that Boras could soon turn to his colleagues in the nation’s capital yet again. Manager Davey Johnson’s rotation is currently full—with Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Ross Detwiler, and Dan Haren all believed to be healthy—but Gonzalez’s reported connection to the brewing Biogenesis scandal might create an opening.

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About a week ago, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Indians could enter the Michael Bourn derby “if his price tag dropped A LOT.” Well, his price tag, once rumored to be $75 million over five years, dropped to $48 million over four years, and that was enough for general manager Chris Antonetti to pull the trigger. R.J. Anderson tackled the implications of the move for Bourn and the Indians in his Transaction Analysis; today’s Roundup begins with a look at the next item on Antonetti’s docket.

Indians could move Drew Stubbs after adding Bourn
With Bourn in tow, the Indians appear to have four outfielders for three spots. The lone holdover, Michael Brantley, will move from center field to left to make room for Bourn, who will be flanked by fellow free-agent pickup Nick Swisher. So, where does that leave Stubbs, who was acquired from the Reds in the three-team trade that also brought former Diamondbacks top prospect Trevor Bauer to Cleveland? According to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, there is a chance that he will be asked to pack his bags yet again.

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In Friday’s Roundup, regular rumor rounder-upper Daniel Rathman noted the Mariners’ recent Felix Hernandez extension might impact negotiations for Clayton Kershaw, with a trickle-down effect on other starting pitchers looking for a new contract. Well, Kershaw may want to slowly back his way out of the war room, because it appears that Hernandez’s megadeal—which would have made him the richest pitcher ever and set a high bar for Kershaw’s inevitable extension—appears to be as tenuous as the right elbow that’s currently holding it up.

Hernandez deal in jeopardy?
Buster Olney had the story Sunday evening, with one source saying a possible elbow problem is “an issue” that might prevent the deal from being signed. No matter where you look on this story, the language is vague, and it almost sounds like there isn’t a medical condition at all but rather the promise that fatigue may cause one down the line. Hernandez apparently took a physical with the Mariners on Thursday (per Jon Morosi), and if it had revealed an immediate medical concern, you’d think we’d have heard about it and the deal would be either all the way on or all the way off. Instead we’ve got a lot of hemming and hawing as the media try to figure out just what’s going on, and both Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik and Hernandez’s camp have been tight-lipped about the proceedings.

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Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik was a busy man on Thursday: Over a span of only a few hours, he added free agent Joe Saunders to his rotation and ensured that Felix Hernandez would be fronting it for the rest of the decade. The former move was a one-year deal, the latter a seven-year, $175 million blockbuster—and both of them could impact the market for teams that still have work to do this spring. Today’s Roundup features two players who stand to benefit.

Multiple teams kicking the tires on Jon Garland
Now that Saunders has settled on his new home, the list of unemployed pitchers is low on veterans who performed well last year. There is, however, no shortage of clubs that could use another proven starter to fortify their staffs. Since demand now far outstrips supply, general managers who missed the boat on the likes of Saunders and Shaun Marcum will need to get creative to address their remaining holes.

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