Rosenthal On Teixeira, Dunn

I neglected to mention a Ken Rosenthal article from yesterday, chock full of rumory goodness as always.

• Rosenthal believes the Yankees need a backup plan in case they are not able to retain Alex Rodriguez.  Wilson Betemit definitely makes sense in that he'd be useful even if they do keep A-Rod.  Rosenthal basically names every third baseman you can think of.  The most likely option, to me, is to simply sign Mike Lowell as a free agent.  Would he switch sides?  Perhaps, if the Red Sox don't make an offer or try to lowball him.
• The Braves apparently won't give up Yunel Escobar or Jarrod Saltalamacchia to get Mark Teixeira.  Neither of 'em.  No doubt John Schuerholz will spend the next ten days trying to get Jon Daniels to settle for less.
• The Reds have a "co-Dunn-drum," as Rosenthal puts it.  Now that's good stuff.  The basic codunndrum here is that no team that can afford Adam Dunn wants him.  Rosenthal likes the Tigers as a dark horse.  I know Dunn isn't much with the glove, but I'm surprised the market isn't stronger for him right now.
• Dan Wheeler is more likely than Chad Qualls to be moved, because he's closer to free agency (after 2008).
• Rosenthal believes the Royals could not even acquire a Tony Abreu from the Dodgers for Octavio Dotel.  Previously it had been said that the Dayton Moore was asking for Matt Kemp or James Loney.  And Duke Snider plus Sandy Koufax.
• Bronson Arroyo does not appear to be available.  Jose Contreras or Matt Morris: which is the lesser of two evils?

Comments

[buehrlebro]

That would really be lowballing Daniels. Daniels needs to get a real package to make up for the Eaton and McCarthy trades. I would say, "Call me when you're sober, Schuerholz," and save him for the offseason if you can't get better. I don't know if Joe Crede will be tendered by the White Sox, for better or for worse, so he could be a FA option. If you can't even get Tony Abreu for your best chip, you'd better hang on to it. Same goes for the Reds. Indeed, the Tigers could be a fit for Dunn. Contreras or Morris? Tough call. I'd take Contreras because he'd probably cost less in players.

[buehrlebro]

If I'm Purpura, I'm taking no less than Craig Hansen for one of my middle relievers.

[buehrlebro]

^Assuming a trade with the Red Sox

[firesticks]

No Escobar or Salty? How the hell does he expect to get Teixeira then?

[lih]

Yeah, I wouldn't trade Abreu for Dotel. The way I see it, most of the Dodgers AAA+ prospects are nearly untouchable. Specifically, Hu, Abreu, Laroche, Martin, Ethier, Kemp, Billingsley, Broxton, and Loney.

The only way they trade any of those guys is if you're getting back a guy in the same position who is better. The main trading pieces would be Betemit and Kuo. Now, Laroche could be traded instead and Betemit could be kept, if it was for a definite upgrade. But I think you ought to be able to get a pretty good pitcher for Kuo and Betemit...of course, Kuo's injury makes that unlikely. Now, they do have other prospects that could be available such as Dewitt, Dejesus Jr., and Mattingly. And Hu could be a piece in a trade if they're getting someone good who'll be around more than a few months. But, the Dodgers best bet is probably to trade Betemit for a decent pitcher...if you can get a solid pitcher for Betemit, Dewitt, and Delwyn Young, then that would be ideal.

[Doctor Lingerie]

That's actually a "con-dumb-drum," Ken. Jesus.

I don't see the White Sox non-tendering Crede -- with the holes they have, it's a least worth offering him arbitration and trying to trade him if he's not all the way "back" from surgery (Yeah! I'm Ken Rosenthal now!).

[buehrlebro]

I think it depends on Fields' development. He's getting better and better at third, robbing Wily Mo of extra bases last night, and appears to be the answer for the future. I don't think they want to move him to outfield, although they did try him at shortstop in the minors(one developmental process I can afford not to see)

[Mr_Punch]

Betemit to the Yanks really does make a whole lot of sense.

"The Braves apparently won't give up Yunel Escobar or Jarrod Saltalamacchia to get Mark Teixeira." The braves apparently don't want Teixeira. That is, they don't want to pay him.

I wish the Red Sox had some place to stick Dunn. His bat in the 5 hole could make all the difference (thanks a lot JD Drew).

Buerlebro - If I were Theo, I would trade Hansen for a new Gorilla costume.

[buehrlebro]

Yeah, he's sucked, but he's undeniably talented. Then again, he might be going down the David Aardsma/Ryan Wagner route of fastball/slider college closers. Still, while my team's in a hole, I'm going for high ceilings.

[Zonis]

If that's the best pitching on the market, if the A's put Joe Blanton or Chad Gaudin out there, they could get a kings ransom.

[buehrlebro]

You say that, but last year guys like Maddux and Livan Hernandez didn't net much. In other words, I don't think they will be put out there. Kennedy will certainly be put on the market though.

[royalsdynasty]

As a Royals fan, I must admit, if the Dodgers seriously won't even give up Abreu, how do they expect to get anyone? I don't think it matters at this point if they want Gagne, Cordero, Nathan, or Dotel, because unless they make SERIOUS OFFERS they won't get anyone.

As a Royals fan at this point I'm almost supportive of just keeping Greinke and Dotel, maybe the fact that Greinke is controllable through 2010 would make him as valuable if not more than Texeira, but still..whatsup with all the teams not wanting to give up anyone who's worth a damn. Oh, you can have Blake Dewitt for Dotel, BTW he sucks. And you can have 25 AAA outfielder Delwyn Young too...yeah right guys get real. Surely teams will make more realistic offers if teams just wait.

[schellis]

Remember when the trade deadline actually had stars moving from team to team.

Can't say I'm to upset that the Reds will likely get stuck with Dunn. There are far far worse things that could happen.

Like trade him for 25 cents on the dollar.

[royalsdynasty]

First they complain about teams asking for a lot, but then they do the opposite themselved by thinking we're going to give up good ML players for C+ prospects. Schuerholz isn't going to get Teixeira unless he puts Yunel Escobar or Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the table.

[boomshwa12]

i can see why he won't give up salty, but why hold onto escobar? all he is right now is a benchwarmer for johnson/renteria/chipper. albeit a talented one, but that's kind of lame on js part. i still think the braves would be better off trading renteria to save some cap space. then they could use escobar at short and save a little more money

[bravesbeast]

JS is not is going after Tiexera as a want, and not a necessity. If we do not get him, we play salty at first, where he is a definite upgrade in terms of offense. If we do get him, then that is awesome and outstanding, but the braves are not going to move escobar or salty unless they feel a need, which is a rotation spot filler. Now do not get me wrong, I never expected the brave to get Tex without giving up Salty or Escobar, and I expected that both would not be enough to get him. I imagine shuerholz is using the braves best lower level prospects (Harrison, Dan Smith, Elvis Andrus, Pope) along with Thorman to get the deal done. But it just aint gonna happen.

[bravesbeast]

make that JS is going after Tex as a want

[bravesbeast]

make that JS is going after Tex as a want

[bravesbeast]

Oh and while I am completely against trading renteria since he is our most consistient average guy, if we can get a good bounty for him, then do it, but id expect that to happen in the offseason when his value will really soar because of how crappy the FA prospects at short are this year

[lih]

Dewitt was a first round pick. He's not bad. Delwyn Young is a solid hitter and defender, he's just blocked on the dodgers. You're undervaluing Abreu. He's having a breakout year and is the 2b of the future. He's worth more than two and a half to three months of Dotel as the 7th inning guy. Izturis got Maddux last year and he wasn't a minimum salary player. It's just the situation. I would be more likely to consider Betemit for Dotel than Abreu for Dotel.

[wihargo]

wasn't DeWitt supposed to be the 'best high school hitter available' in the 2004 draft or something? I can hardly remember, it was so long ago.

[J.L.]

yes Dewitt was. He's not bust yet but he's slowing entering that territory as he started off repeating high A and was recently promoted to AA. He's still a decent trade chip, putting up respectable numbers as a 21 year old. It doesn't make sense to deal anything of worth for Dotel, but the market being what it is...

[Teetz]

How do you not trade Yunel Escobar for Teixera???? Can somebody tell me why Escobar and Tony Gwynn Jr. are talked about like they project to be future stars?

[Yars]

I'd take Kelly Johnson over Yunel Escobar. Yunel is a bit over-rated. Teams are becoming more familiar with him. His bat will cool off soon. Perhaps the Braves plan on trading Renteria after the season & making Yunel the everyday SS, or keeping him at 2B & throwing K. Johnson back into LF? If Salty is untouchable, I guess he'll be getting most of his playing time at 1B.
A Salty/Franco 1B. There is just no way the Braves will make the playoffs with the starting rotation they have right now. I truly believe the National League is so weak that if Atlanta did trade for a quality starting pitcher, they could go deep into the playoffs for the first time in a long time. Seems like half a century to a lot of Braves fans I would think.

[buehrlebro]

*Watches Contreras give up 10 runs*

I think I'd actually take Morris

[darkstar1661]

“How do you not trade Yunel Escobar for Teixera???? Can somebody tell me why Escobar and Tony Gwynn Jr. are talked about like they project to be future stars?”

Escobar projects to E-Rent range with better D. Nothing amazing, just really solid player for the middle infield. Braves probably want to deal Renteria over the off-season since they are saying they don’t want to deal Escobar ~ would save about 6M from the roster…

Gwynn Jr.? Beats me…

“*Watches Contreras give up 10 runs*
I think I'd actually take Morris”

HAHAHA…

I’m kind of surprised no one would be that interested in Dunn though. 1/2 his salary isn’t horrible, and the guys a masher! The OBP is so nice, even if he does SO so often… Like I figured out yesterday, would much rather have his OBP/SLG than have G.Jenkins around...

[Teetz]

I've been seeing Contreras pitch recently everytime he throws (live in Chicago) and I have serious doubts that he could pitch better than league average (4.50ish ERA) for the remainder of his contract. His velocity is down 5-8 MPH from 2005, rendering him extremely ineffective.

[buehrlebro]

I think he needs some time off(possibly DL?). Then we can be making long term judgements. He's had a lot of mileage on his arm and he just looks fatigued. I really hope he can regain his velocity and confidence.

[kc_baumer]

aren't salty's splits at 1B worse than thorman's (albeit in a pitifully small sample size).

[schellis]

Just something on Dunn people say his strike outs are horrible, but the league is actually starting to catch up to him in that regard. Howard in 50 less AB's has struck out only 7 times less, and Uggla is within 10. Heck even Grady Sizemore is within 20. With the way people talk I thought Dunn was dominating the catergory. Heaven help us if Cust or Wily Mo Pena get a shot at full season work. They'll both make Dunn look like a contact hitter.

I'm surprised that the Reds can't get anything for him, but not at all upset. The guy is a talent and I'd really like to see him spend another four or five years in a Reds uniform. When he's on he's a real fun player to watch. Though his off periods are pretty painful.

[darkstar1661]

Tim,

Not sure if its *rumor worthy* but it looks like there might be something going on between Cle and Tex regarding Lofton.

From Kenny: "The third time could be the charm, it would be interesting"

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1184920279228810.xml&coll=2&thispage=1

He also told Tom Hamilton on the pre-game:
"Let that cat out in center (Grady) get those balls. I'd have no problem playing left field in Cleveland."

Could just be the Tribes local media jumping on the rumor and chance to talk to him about coming back, but it’s a ton of comments from him so…

[nrmax88]

Yars, you dont want Franco in a platoon role, trust me. Soon you're going to realize you dont want him period. He is too old and hits into soo many pinch hit double plays its absurd. He will get a big pinch hit every once in a while, but its not a good idea to ever start him. I am happy for him that he got another job, because I like him and he is a good club house guy, but it was his time to go. On a similar note, thank you to the dodgers for Marlon Anderson. This guy is a stud off the bench, and the Mets bench hasnt been the same since he left after 05. He is the best pinch hitter the Mets have said since Harris or Matt Franco, something the Mets were missing.

[johnflaherty]

Why are the Royals trying to trade Greinke anyway? Isn't he like 10? Are they trying to get someone younger?

[ink-stained scribe]

JS is probably trying to see if he can keep Salty and still put together a package for Tex, but that's just teasing.

My guess is that if Tex can be had for Salty and maybe Thorman or a ML prospect, the deal will get done. They're hanging on to Escobar because a) they will try to move Renteria in the off-season and slot Escobar into the SS role next year or b) Kelly Johnson will move back to LF next year and Escobar will be the regular 2B.

I can also see Franceouer moving to CF next year and Diaz headed to right (if Brandon Jones hasn't been traded or isn't ML ready). Remember, Andruw started his career in right and I think Frenchy played CF either in high school or in the low minors.

Both Salty and Escobar could be moved if the Braves can get a big bat and an impact reliever or innings-eater in return. Renteria is still a bargain for one more year and Elvis Andrus is waiting in the wings.

That's why I'll be stunned if they don't make an impact trade by the deadline.

[Mike Simms]

For lack of a better term it is "In Fashion" to over-value your prospects, and at least float in the media that they are untouchable. But all it takes for the Dodgers, Mets, BoSox, Tigers, Braves, Indians, Brewers, Angels is for another team to make a deal for a "big name" player or pitcher. Because in the end all that matters is the world series. The fans will forget Escobar, Saltalamacchia, Hu, Abreu, Laroche, Martin, Ethier, Kemp, Billingsley, Broxton, Loney, Hanson, Gwynn Jr. if your team wins the World Series.

[striker]

Contreras's velocity is down but he is still a decent pitcher. Problem is he is a fastball/splitter pitcher. He needs to come up with a solid third pitch to remain effective.

[darkstar1661]

MikeSimms,

And fans will never forget Sean Casey, Richie Sexson, Danny Graves, Brian Giles, etc if you DON'T win that WS...
... Stupid John Hart... *sigh*...

[darkstar1661]

MikeSimms,

And fans will never forget Sean Casey, Richie Sexson, Danny Graves, Brian Giles, etc if you DON'T win that WS...
... Stupid John Hart... *sigh*...

[A2000]

Trade Proposal:

LAA Gets: Andruw Jones + prospect(s)

ATL Gets: Reggie Willits + pitcher (Ervin Santana?)

Angels get the bat they want.

Thoughts?

[A2000]

Yeah never mind on Santana

[firesticks]

"Why are the Royals trying to trade Greinke anyway? Isn't he like 10? Are they trying to get someone younger?"

Their not TRYING to trade him. It's almost like saying the Braves are trying to trade Salty. Their not, but every team is asking about him.

[ink-stained scribe]

A2000,

Santana might be had for less now. He was untradeable until a few weeks back.

Andruw cannot/will not be traded before the end of the season. He's a 10/5 guy, the Braves are in the race, and he's heating up now. The Braves would like to keep him but he'll walk at the end of the year unless he accepts a STEEP hometown discount ($15 mil/yr vs. $18-20 mil elsewhere, and for more years than Atlanta would offer).