December 2006

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Milledge-Blanton Swap?

Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle slipped in this nugget: "The Athletics are likely to also dispatch their winningest pitcher, Joe Blanton, to New York as part of a deal that would fetch one of Billy Beane's longest-held desirables, outfielder Lastings Milledge." I'm not sure if Ratto is just making this assumption based on past rumors from this winter, or if this is a brand new rumor. But he seems fairly certain that Blanton will be dealt. That would leave the A's with a Haren-Loaiza-Harden-Kennedy rotation, with a fifth starter battle between Chad Gaudin, Jason Windsor, Kirk Saarloos, and..   Continue Reading

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Unit Trade Not Done Yet

There have been a handful of reports that the Randy Johnson trade is complete. However, the New York Daily News reports that the deal has hit a snag over money. The Diamondbacks want the Yanks to kick in some cash, and they also want some of the deferred money they already owe Johnson to be factored into the extension. So there's still some financial ground to cover. Jon Heyman of SI.com indicates that Johnson wants a one-year, $12MM extension. The general structure of the deal seems in place - two or three of Dustin Nippert, Micah Owings, Ross Ohlendorf, and..   Continue Reading

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Boston Globe Trade Rumors

Aside from the aforementioned Roger Clemens tidbit, Nick Cafardo's recent Boston Globe column is packed with interesting info. A brief summary follows. Cafardo believes the Red Sox will add one more reliever and then sort out the closer situation in spring. The Cordero, Lidge, and Gonzalez talks didn't go anywhere. The idea of returning to Jon Papelbon, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense and isn't out of the question. Failing that, Julian Tavarez could be the favorite. Shaky alternatives (Brendan Donnelly, Mike Timlin, Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen) abound. A source told Cafardo that Matt Clement wants to..   Continue Reading

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Will Yanks Turn Attention To Clemens?

As a Randy Johnson trade appears inevitable, talk is starting up again that the Yankees are actually trying to get older. They'd like to replace Johnson with a full season of Roger Clemens, according to Jon Heyman. Heyman even mentions that Clemens's dislike of Johnson may have prevented him from signing with the Yankees and could be a factor in the trade. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe agrees that the Yankees are trading Johnson with the Rocket in mind. Ah, the drama never ends   Continue Reading

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Orioles Make Offer To Aubrey Huff

UPDATE: The Sun says the deal is done for three years and $20MM. Not a bad price. According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have offered Aubrey Huff a contract in the neighborhood of three years and $18 million. Discussions with Craig Wilson have quieted, as the O's don't intend to sign both   Continue Reading

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Randy Johnson Trade Near Complete

According to the Newark Star-Ledger, the Randy Johnson to Arizona trade is "nearing its completion." The D'Backs would still work out an extension with Johnson, and the Yanks still covet Brandon Medders and a young starter or two. According to the New York Post, Micah Owings seems to be at the top of the list with Dustin Nippert and Ross Ohlendorf close behind   Continue Reading

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Mariners Talking To Thomson, Ohka

According to the Seattle Times, Mariners GM Bill Bavasi has been looking at John Thomson or Tomo Ohka as possible additions. A month ago, the Mariners requested the medical files on Thomson and seemed close to signing him. The 33 year-old had a rough year health-wise in 2006, so those files were probably pretty thick. Haven't heard much on Ohka in the past few weeks, though the Cards, Nats, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Pirates, and Mariners have expressed interest in the past. Maybe he's waiting for Mulder to sign first. Here's my Ohka profile if you're interested   Continue Reading

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Plan E For The Mets

Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kei Igawa, Barry Zito and Jeff Suppan are off the board. The Mets want one more solid starter, but don't need to do anything desperate. One option is to hit up Billy Beane for Rich Harden or Danny Haren. Bob Klapisch reports that Omar Minaya spoke to Beane ten days ago, hoping for a deal of Aaron Heilman and Lastings Milledge for Harden. Beane countered with Carlos Gomez and one of Milledge/Philip Humber/Mike Pelfrey. Those talks are proposals are pretty far apart. There's speculation the Mets could trade for Jake Peavy, Dontrelle Willis, Brad Penny, Jon Lieber, Rodrigo..   Continue Reading

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Free Agent Odds and Ends

Brian Lawrence wants to pitch for the Rockies, and they've attended his private workouts. The Nationals acquired Lawrence for Vinny Castilla on November 3rd of last year, only to learn in February he'd be out for the season with a labrum tear. Lawrence is a pitch-to-contact guy with good control. His heavy groundballing style could fit in Colorado. The same Denver Post article mentions that Javy Lopez's agent has had discussions with the Rox. Teams don't like to turn rotations over completely to rookie catchers, so Chris Iannetta may unfortunately have some company for a season or two. The Rockies..   Continue Reading

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Yanks, D'Backs Close On Unit?

According to the New York Daily News, the Diamondbacks and Yankees could finish a Randy Johnson trade this weekend. Arizona will need to talk to Johnson to extend his contract through 2008, pretty much guaranteeing he gets his 300th win as a Diamondback. The Yankees want one of Dustin Nippert, Micah Owings, and Ross Ohlendorf. Nippert seems to be the prize of the trio. Meanwhile, the Yankees are getting closer to signing Doug Mientkiewicz to play first base and could also snag Mark Loretta as a utility infielder. On the other hand, a source told the Newark Star-Ledger that there's..   Continue Reading

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