Martin, Joseph among prospects dealt
Martin, a first-round pick out of Stephens County (Ga.) High School in 2009, goes from the Dodgers, along with reliever Josh Lindblom, to the Phillies for two-time All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino. The Dodgers' No. 7 prospect, Martin was 8-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 20 starts for Double-A Chattanooga this season. His 112 strikeouts and 61 walks in 118 innings are both second most in the Southern League, whose batters have hit just .214 against him.
A midseason Southern League All-Star -- he was 6-3 with a 3.35 mark at the break -- Martin has struggled in July, going 1-3 with a 5.28 ERA despite an increased strikeout rate. He won his last start against Birmingham on Saturday, allowing four earned runs on five hits and four walks while fanning six over five innings.
Phils add Joseph, Rosin for Pence: In a separate deal, the Phillies acquired Joseph, Class A Advanced San Jose reliever Seth Rosin and big league outfielder Nate Schierholtz from the Giants for outfielder Hunter Pence and cash considerations. Joseph was a second-round pick in 2009 and began the season as the Giants' No. 5 prospect after hitting 22 homers and driving in 95 runs for Class A Advanced San Jose in 2011. The 21-year-old Arizona native is hitting .260/.313/.391 with eight home runs in 80 games with Double-A Richmond this season and has plated 21 runs in 22 July games for the Flying Squirrels.
Rosin, a fourth-round pick in 2010, is 2-1 with a 4.31 ERA in the California League. After making 29 relief appearances earlier in the season, the 6-foot-6 right-hander joined the San Jose rotation in late June and has recorded 68 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings.
Marlins pick up Cox for Mujica: Miami continued to retool its Minor League system by acquiring third base prospect Zack Cox from the Cardinals for reliever Edward Mujica. A left-handed hitter, Cox was the 25th overall pick out of the University of Arkansas in the 2010 Draft. He tore through Class A Advanced and Double-A in 2011, hitting .306/.363/.434 with 13 homers and 68 RBIs in his first full professional season. The 23-year-old, who was the Cardinals' No. 6 prospect, has hit .254 with nine homers and 30 RBIs in 84 games for Triple-A Memphis this year.
Cubs deal Dempster for two Pelicans: Myrtle Beach third baseman Christian Villanueva and starter Kyle Hendricks were acquired by the Cubs with veteran Ryan Dempster heading to Texas. The 21-year-old Villanueva hit .285/.356/.421 in 100 games with the Pelicans and was just named the Carolina League Player of the Week after collecting 14 hits and 11 RBIs in his last seven contests. He entered the season ranked as the Rangers' eighth-best prospect by Baseball America.
The right-handed Hendricks was an eighth-round pick out of Dartmouth in 2011. Though owning just a 5-8 record in his first full season, the 22-year-old ranks second in the Carolina League with a 2.82 ERA and third with 112 strikeouts over 130 2/3 innings.
Royals reap prospects for Broxton: The Reds bolstered their bullpen with Kansas City reliever Jonathan Broxton, sending southpaw Donnie Joseph and right-hander J.C. Sulbaran to the Royals. Joseph, a third-round pick in 2009, is 8-3 with a 1.72 ERA in 44 relief appearances between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Louisville this season. The 24-year-old has fanned 68 batters and surrendered one home run in 52 1/3 innings this season.
Sulbaran, a midseason Southern League All-Star, is 7-7 with a 4.04 ERA in 19 starts for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He ranks third on the circuit with 111 strikeouts and has served up a league-leading 17 homers over 104 2/3 innings.
Red Sox, Indians exchange Minor Leaguers: Boston sent former top prospect Lars Anderson, a left-handed-hitting outfielder, to Cleveland for Double-A knuckleballer Steven Wright. Baseball America named Anderson the Sox's top prospect back in 2009 after he hit .317 with 18 homers and reached Double-A at age 20 in 2008, but he has failed to duplicate that early success. Anderson owns a career .274/.370/.435 line in six Minor League seasons and is 8-for-48 (.167) in 30 big league games.
The 27-year-old Wright reached Triple-A as a conventional pitcher in 2009 but has subsequently reinvented himself as an heir to former Boston stalwart Tim Wakefield. He's 9-6 with a 2.49 ERA -- second best in the Eastern League -- this season, and ranks fourth in the league with 101 strikeouts and third with 62 walks in 115 2/3 innings.
More Marlins moves: Miami acquired speedy outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and Pittsburgh's competitive balance Draft pick in 2013 in return for former All-Star first baseman Gaby Sanchez and Double-A reliever Kyle Kaminska. Hernandez hit .257 in 67 games with Triple-A Indianapolis this season and was 2-for-24 (.083) in 25 games with the Pirates, who used him primarily as a pinch runner and late-game defensive replacement.
One season removed from an NL All-Star nod, Sanchez struggled mightily with the Marlins this spring, hitting .202/.250/.306 in 55 games. The 28-year-old regained his stroke somewhat after being optioned to New Orleans, where he's batted .302/.431/.491 in 34 Triple-A games. Kaminska, a 25th-round pick in 2007, posted a 2.58 ERA in 32 appearances last year, largely in the Florida State League, but owns a 5.11 mark in 31 outings with Double-A Jacksonville this season.