Today brings four new articles mentioning ousted Houston closer Brad Lidge. MLBTradeRumors reads them so you don’t have to.
Ken Davidoff of Newsday simply drops one sentence on the topic, writing that Lidge is not available for the moment. Well, that’s a start.
Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger names Lidge one of his "Five Closers Who Had A Tough Week." I really think Ugueth Urbina belongs at #6. Graziano mentions that the Devil Rays have been one of the most aggressive teams calling on Tim Purpura for Lidge, but that the Astros have shown no eagerness to trade him.
Speaking of those Devil Rays, Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times is well-connected to the club as the beat writer. He says Lidge trade chatter is ongoing, but that if the Astros do decide to trade him they might avoid the Rays. Why’s that? Former Astros pitching coach Jim Hickey might be able to fix him, and the Astros don’t want to be shown up in a trade. In essence, they want Lidge to continue to fail if they trade him.
Side note: I couldn’t figure out a good destination for Jorge Cantu, ultimately leaning toward the Mets. But Topkin says the Blue Jays and Twins have come up in rumors in the media. I didn’t catch those articles, but maybe he is referring to reporter chatter.
Scott Lauber of the Wilmington News Journal again connects the Phillies to Lidge. I’m starting to think he’s got more than speculation there. Lauber feels that Lidge needs a change of scenery, but obviously the Astros are reluctant to sell low.
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