Stark's Latest: Teixeira, Padilla, Sheffield, Beltre

Are there any rumored names on who the Rangers are asking for in return for Blalock from the Twins/Giants/Dodgers? I still believe if they trade him, they should offer additional top flight position player minor leaguers to get high end pitching prospects.

If Noah Lowery wasn't hurt I would say that a Lowery- Blalock trade could work. I mean they get hurt enought to balance the trade out.

Trade Sowers or Laffey for Blalock, and you would make me a very happy camper.

Less of this No Trading crap and get to it! July 31s is only a week away!

Pirates inspiring "much grumbling"?

I have a vague idea of what Huntington is demanding for his players, but what do rival GMs think reasonable?

If Brian Cashman is expecting something like Kei Igawa for Bay or even Nady, then they can grumble all they want.

Of course, if Huntington thinks Damaso Marte should net him Phil Hughes, that's different.

I'm getting so tired of these GM's whining that the annual yard sale at PNC Park is over. Why are these awful "journalists" buying in to this crap? None of the players Pittsburgh has to offer are rentals, they're all having great years, and the Pirates have no need to dump salary. They don't have to trade these guys... why settle for Melky Cabarera, Anthony Reyes, or Chris Duncan? Just keep them ... let the Yankees scrape out the WC and lose in the first round. Let St. Louis finish third in the NLCD. Let the Mets make their annual fade in to mediocrity. Let the Padres fall apart.

Blalock has value?

And this is why teams like the Pirates never make trades: because they are difficult to deal with. They make these outrageous demands, and it gets them nowhere.

And this is why teams like the Pirates never make any trades: they are VERY difficult to deal with. They make outrageous demands for their players.

Keep them all and get Type A comps when they walk Neal. You'll easily get picks for Bay and Marte. Trade Nady on August 15th to whichever team is the most desperate and see what you can get for Grabow.

I'm with ChicagoBucco! These GM's are so used to ripping of the Pirates in the past with Littlefield at the helm. Now that there is a GM in town who is no longer the MLB whipping boy they are whining. I didn't hear anyone whining when Littlefield took on that ridiculous contract that was Matt Morris, or when the Cubs stole Aramis Ramirez.

"And this is why teams like the Pirates never make any trades: they are VERY difficult to deal with. They make outrageous demands for their players."

How could you possibly know this given (1) you're likely not an insider posting here and (2) the regime has been in place for less than 12 months.

Ok, I figured out a deal for Tex that makes sense for both the Dodgers and Braves.

Teixiera and Ohman

LaRoche, Lowe and Elbert

The Braves shore up their pitching staff for the rest of the year, they can plug in LaRoche at first and Elbert develops. McDonald could be changed for Elbert if starting pitching is needed. All that and Lowe's FA status should be Type A, which would give the Braves the draft picks they lose in trading Tex. Another move would be to replace the pitching prospect with Juan Pierre, who would help the Braves with their lack of team speed and LF hole. Would also relieve the Dodgers of some salary burden.

For the Dodgers, this allows them to do a couple things. One, it allows them to keep Matt Kemp. Two, they can move Loney to RF, a position he played in the minors while Nomar briefly blocked him and shore up their outfield. Finally, Tex means true lineup protection for guys like Martin, who looks at an awful lot of balls because he is constantly being pitched around.

yeah...outrageous like Bobby Hill and Jose Hernandez for Aramis Ramirez, Kenny Lofton, and Randall Simon. Or how about Chris Young (SP) for Matt Herges? Maybe you should actually have a grasp of facts before you post about something ... or you could keep buying the posturing GMs are feeding the media to get Huntington to give his players away.

With posada ailing with a hurt shoulder, and a move to first base in his future, why would the yankees be interested in teixiera? Well, Posada will not rehab his shoulder and end his season on the DL. He has said it himself, he is a catcher and wants to catch. Giambi is in his last year with a club option for 2009 for some rediculous amout of like what, 22m? Teixiera is 28 and if the yankees could wrap him up with an extension, by all means do it!
The yankees could plug him in that #3 hole and move abreau down in the order where he belongs. If the yankees can get teixera, i think its a great move.

Pronkfan

If you want Blaylock it would take something like this Sowers /Trevor Crowe and Aubrey may get it done .

But never a one for one would get it done .

And I'm in Cleveland

Any idea what kind of deal Ohman will command this winter? The Braves may be better served re-signing him. He's a horse and with Gonzo, they'd have two extremely effective lefties in the pen.

Not a bad idea AA, but if I'm the Braves I'm looking for two bats and one arm, not the other way around. OF power production from all three positions is wretched, and Heyward is 2-3 years away. "Selling" Tex and "buying" Nady would solve part of the problem. But if they're making one big deal, I'd expect them to look for a corner OF in the transaction.

"Beltre, by the way, has the Dodgers on his no-trade list."
Thank you Mr. Boras. Guessing (if this is true) that Borras threw this one in as an extra little present after the Dodgers last offer (LA saying they did not have an opportunity to counter-offer after Seattle's bid).

The yankees should have gone after tex, instead of picking up sexson just because he was a cheap right handed bat. Tex would be a good fit in new york, especial now that jorge is on the DL. The best way to replace a switching hitting batter is by adding another one, plus hes a defensive upgrade as well.

Baseballnuts: I'd make that deal, and trade Blake. I think Dellucci and Byrd need to go. Dellucci is owed 4 million though, so I don't see any team taking on his contract.

ChicagoBucco is right on. Personally, I would love to see the Bucs keep the current OF and maybe go out and pick up an arm or 2 during the winter meetings. I can only imagine what this team would look like with legitimate 1-3 in the pitching rotation. The currently are the best offensive outfield group in the majors. It's a shame that we don't have the pitching to compliment them.

I agree with all you said but I would play Blaylock at 1st for the rest of the season just so we get past this season with Marte then Marte goes to winter ball to would Lf and RF and 1st again like last year and becomes the utility guy next season / Blaylock at 3rd next season outfield LaPorta Left Francisco RF Grady CF I would really like to see the Indians move Cabrara to Short and Peralta to 2nd Defense is very inportant at short and Cabrara is much better .
I'm not sold on Garko so Victor 30 games and LaPorta 45 games at first / Garko becomes more of a bench player. And maybe LaPorta moves to first fulltime by the end of the season.

Now as for The Strikeout King David Dullucci he is at 3.75 mil this year and 4.5 next year you will have to eat the hole contract to get anybody for this guy.

The thing about Byrd he is a #5 starter and normally that starter either goes to the bullpen or is left off the roster when a team goes to the playoffs or the World Series this is why it has been hard at this point to move him.

Would you trade Garko / Sowers and Trevor Crowe to the A's for Huston Street.

If I'm The Pirates I don't make a deal unless I rob a team of a can't miss TOP PROSPECT that is a difference maker.

"Not a bad idea AA, but if I'm the Braves I'm looking for two bats and one arm, not the other way around. OF power production from all three positions is wretched, and Heyward is 2-3 years away. "Selling" Tex and "buying" Nady would solve part of the problem. But if they're making one big deal, I'd expect them to look for a corner OF in the transaction."

The problem is that Ethier and Kemp are both too vital to the Dodgers at this point, both for the future and for their current production. Perhaps the third guy in that deal is Xavier Paul, who has not gotten much press but who profiles as a slightly faster version of Ethier with an arm that may actually be better than those of Ethier and Kemp. Plus he can play center.

LaRoche/Lowe/Paul

Teixiera/Ohman

Ohman could setup Broxton while Saito is out and Park could replace Lowe in the rotation.

I'm not sure if you'd really think I'm right on or not ... I really want to see trades made because the bucs are just too far away to hold on to anyone in hopes of competing. That said, I don't buy an ounce of what these GMs are trying to sell ... teams in contention are the clubs that will have to answer to angry fan-bases with high expectations when they fail to make a move this deadline. Huntington is in perfect position here ... he's got fans lulled in to a sleepy complacency after 15+ years of futility. Pirate fans are just happy that the name Dave Littlefield was finally scratched off an office door on Federal Street.

I want trades but I don't want gifts handed out...

oh, and shame on these "reporters" for their complicity ... I realize large-market teams sell more papers but to report these insider rumors full of politicking as fact is just ridiculous ... where's the objectivity ... no mention of Coonely and Huntington's claims that their demands for trades are fair.

AA....
Again, you are an idiot...
The Braves are not going to trade away TEx and Ohman in the same deal and accept Andy Laroche as the best part of the return they get. It makes no sense to do that. The Braves want a young controllable first basemant and a power arm prospect in return.

I have suggested Ohman and Teixera for Kotchman, Adenhart, and Wood....

Now, you can blast that all you want, but that is far more what the braves should be asking for than the very very low value return you are suggesting....

If the Dodgers want Texiera and Laroche, then the Braves are going to at least get Kemp/Loney.... And by all means they should... WE are giving up the second best hitter available (That is counting the unlikely point that Holliday is Traded), and one of the top LOOGYS in the game, so yes, we should receive Kemp or Loney as the corner stone of a deal...

IF you want to get serious, this is a possible deal...

Teixera and Ohman

for

Kemp, Laroche, Meloan.....

That makes much more sense, you can call me a homer all you want, but you are an idiot if you think that package you just thought of for Tex and Ohman is anywhere near what they actually are worth....

Get a clue dude

Interesting that there are three major slugger- LH Reliever packages out there in Ohman/Tex, Fuentes/Holiday, and Marte/Bay

Do any of them actually get traded as a package?

I would definitely make that trade Baseballnuts. I think Laffey has more upside than Sowers, so it would not be the end of the world to get rid of him. As far as Garko, I do not see him as any more than a 15 home run guy, and that is not good enough if you want to play first. I do not know anything about Crowe, but a bonafide closer such as Street would make sense.

Bravesbeast: Ever think people would take you more seriously if you didn't act like a child all the time?

You want the world for a guy who is likely to be a 2 month rental and another who is a nearly 31 year old relief pitcher who has had but two good seasons. That isn't going to happen. Matt Kemp AND Andy LaRoche are worth more than Tex and Ohman, though I think Meloan wouldn't be a bad part of such a deal. Kemp and Meloan would be a relatively fair, if still Braves-biased trade, but isn't going to happen because the Dodgers have a shortage in the outfield and because Kemp's upside is way too much to deal.

On the other hand, Lowe is an ideal number 2 to JJ and LaRoche slots into first base (it is a baseman, not basemant), while able to play second and third. Paul is one of the Dodgers most underrated prospects and would round out the deal nicely. Still, Lowe's value FAR exceeds Ohman's no matter what you try and say and LaRoche brings enough value and potential to balance out Tex's advantage over Lowe. Then you get another good player thrown in.

Huntington is really starting to piss me off with the ridiculous demands for everyone. I can understand if he wants an elite prospect for Bay but Marte and Nady should not require an elite prospect EACH. Grabow? Does he really want a lot for him?

Ok...I'll call Neal up and let him know he should just give his players to your favorite team for nothing. Congratulations.

I didn't say nothing. Marte and Nady still deserve a good, solid bounty. They will help some contender down a stretch and significantly improve that team(s) that acquire them. But it seems to me that he is asking quite a bit for them. As a Pirates fan, what would you think would be a reasonable bounty for the players Huntington is shopping?

If the Twins Where to go after Hank Blalock they have the depth in the Minors To Do it, Look for a Package of Mike Lamb, Triple A Pitcher Brian Duensing and a Double a Prospect Like Steve Tolleson or Matt Moses to be heading to Texas.

Give me a specific team and I'll give you a proposed return for either Nady or Marte.

the LAST thing the twins need is another left handed bat, let alone one who is rarely healthy. i haven't seen too much of him, but what i have seen he is an average fielder at best. the only upgrade over a buscher/harris combo is beltre, and unless the M's drop their demands to nothing more than prospects, then it's not a smart move to make for the twins. i still think a mulvey/duensing/swarzak combo is plenty for beltre.

Well I am glad that you have turned into the grammar filter on here AA....

Perhaps you should do better if you actually ran your ideas through a logic filter before posting them...

Its funny that a lot of credited sports writers have hinted at the exact opposite of what you said. From what I read on this site and others, the Dodgers have been willing to at least discuss kemp in many different scenerios with teams, yet they have also hinted that the team is not willing to trade lowe because he means too much to their pitching. And here is a another little wrench to your plans....What do the dodgers do with Loney if they get Teixera? You dont want to give him up, yet you will have to move him else where once Teixera is traded to them. That is what the catch is. If the braves make this type of trade with the Dodgers, Loney will be the first thing discussed, I gurantee that.

PirateBucco,

For Marte, Rays

For Nady: Mets

I know there are a bunch of teams interested in both but these two seem to be the most active for their respective player.

ChicagoBucco,

I'd also like to see what you think would be a fair deal from the Braves for Nady. There's almost zero chance the Braves become buyers at this point, but if they were interested what do you think they'd have to give up.

I know this probably makes no sense when I throw this deal out here, but what do you guys think of this?

Braves get: Kemp, Loney

Dodgers get: Teixeira, Ohman and Francoeur?

Depends on how long Francoeur is controlled. Also, if somehow this did happen, the Dodgers would do what it could to go ahead and sign Tex. Having that said, they wouldn't bite last year on Tex from the Rangers, so I don't think its going to happen. Also, Boras already burned them once this year with Andruw, so I expect the Dodgers to steer away from Boras clients, at least for now.

Oops, ChicagoBucco not PirateBucco. Sorry about that.

For Marte and the Rays, I'd say Davis, and Brignac. Before you freak out, remember that Marte will be Type A and I don't buy that suggestion that nobody will sign him and lose the picks. The mets signed 40+ year old Roberto Freakin Hernandez and lost picks. Otherwise, hold on to him.

For Nady and the Mets its gotta be Neise, Kunz or Parnell, and some low-minors, middle-infield prospect with upside like Hector Pellot (2B) or Greg Veloz (2B).

For Nady and the Braves, Hanson (RHP), Rorhbrough (LHP), Locke (LHP), and Medlan (RHP) ... other than Hanson and Rorhbrough these guys are all scouting and potential at this point. The Braves give up unproven talent (albeit four arms) for a guy that can come in and help them out right away if they decide to try and contend this year.

LMAO Bucco if you think the Braves would trade away all that for Nady? Cubs fans theses days....

Congrats AA....You have been replaced.....

Chicago Bucco..... Buddy, you truely have no idea about how the game of baseball operates.... There is no way on god's green earth the Braves trade away 4 of their top 6 pitching prospects for one Xavier Nady. The braves more than any other team know how important it is to have young pitching has a staple of the farm, and they are not going to trade it all away for nady. Seriously, I cannot comprehend how you actually figured out that scenerio, it displays so much stupidity and ignorance. I mean my gosh, you are expecting teams to give the Pirates a deal for Nady that is on the same lines of what the braves gave for Teixera. Please actually use some common sense and not your idea of a fantasy trade next time you post.

Furthermore, Davis and Brignac for Marte? Tim, I have finally figured it out....ChicagoBucco must be the Pirates' exec that are the teams are having to deal with and thus the one whom is asking for a king's ranson in return for everyone. Again Bucco, before ya post again....how about this, and it may actually work for you, just dont think at all. Obviously when you do think, you forget that you actually have to consider reality as a factor.

Yeah, Bucco, as a fellow Pirates fan I appreciate your zeal but if those are the deals Huntington is asking for, I don't blame teams for saying the price is too high. You overvalued our players just a tad...

May I propose some alternative deals:

Marte-to-Rays: Niemann and Brignac. The Pirates need major league ready guys, esp pitchers, because the cupboard is bare at AAA. Both guys are ready but both are blocked as the Rays have 2 SS ahead of Brignac and a whole ton of pitchers at AA who'll be ready soon enough.

Nady-to-Mets: What ChiBucco said was about right. Either Niese or Parnell plus a lesser prospect. I think that seems more than fair for AA pitchers who nobody is saying are shoo-ins to be the next Scott Kazmir.

Nady-to-Braves: Hanson or Rorhbrough and Lillibridge. Probably Hanson because the Pirates already are overloaded with LHP.