« Jays Ready To Throw In The Towel | Main | Dodgers Sign First Round Pick Ethan Martin »

The Starting Pitching Market Revisited

By Tim Dierkes [July 10, 2008 at 4:07pm CST]

We've been updating our Trade Market series position by position, but today's let's jump ahead to the starting pitchers. After all, pitching is always in high demand. By the way - not all of the pitchers below are available. I just wanted to discuss them.

Justin Duchscherer, Athletics. Duke is leading all of baseball with a 1.78 ERA in 101 innings. He is under team control for '09, and Billy Beane wants to wait until after the season to talk extension. He'd be a very interesting trade chip.
Zack Greinke, Royals. Despite interest, the Royals "remain decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," according to Ken Rosenthal.
Derek Lowe, Dodgers. The Phillies are interested, but the Dodgers are tied for first place right now. Trading Lowe makes no sense.
Edwin Jackson, Rays. Jackson is starting to put it together, with a 3.93 ERA in 110 innings. Trading Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine to make room for rookie David Price seems unlikely.
Daniel Cabrera, Orioles. Cabrera is having his best year, averaging over 6.5 innings per start by sacrificing his strikeout rate. The O's control him through 2010, so they'll probably opt to hold onto him.
Odalis Perez, Nationals. Perez has a surprising 3.66 ERA in 83.6 innings, making him a quality trade piece for Jim Bowden. He did have shoulder tendinitis earlier this year though.
Tim Redding, Nationals. Redding has also been solid, posting a 4.06 ERA in 108.6 innings. The 30 year-old is under team control through 2010.
Randy Wolf, Padres. Wolf may prefer to stay in San Diego. Home ERA: 2.54. Road ERA: 6.66.
Greg Maddux, Padres. The Professor shows a similar home/road split, and he has a complete no-trade clause.
Erik Bedard, Mariners. He's currently on the DL with a stiff shoulder, but the Phillies could still pursue him. He's under team control through '09, but the Mariners won't get anything close to the package they gave up for him.
Gil Meche, Royals. Meche and the Royals have been very clear - he's staying in Kansas City.
Jason Marquis, Cubs. Marquis is signed at almost $10MM for '09, so the Cubs might have to eat salary to move him.
Roy Oswalt, Astros. The Astros' ace has a full no-trade clause and is expected to stay. He's signed through 2011. Oswalt has, however, been scouted by several clubs.
Dave Bush, Brewers. Bush or Seth McClung could be the odd man out when Jeff Suppan comes off the DL, unless Ned Yost opts for a pitching platoon. Most likely, the Brewers will just enjoy the depth.
Oliver Perez, Mets. The Mets are only two games out, quieting the rumors for now.
Claudio Vargas, Mets. He quietly passed through waivers unclaimed after the Mets designated him for assignment.
Joe Blanton, Athletics. Trading Blanton as his ERA approaches 5.00 doesn't seem wise.
Jarrod Washburn, Mariners. He's been decent since June. That's a nice development for Lee Pelekoudas, who might be able to unload the $10.35MM owed to Washburn in '09.
Kevin Millwood, Rangers. His groin is bothering him again, plus the Rangers might not be willing to sell.
Vicente Padilla, Rangers. Padilla is on the DL with a neck strain, driving his value down further after a couple of rough starts.
Anthony Reyes, Cardinals. Reyes has a 3.02 ERA in nine starts at Triple A. He needs a fresh start. He just came off the DL after a right elbow strain, however.
A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays. You know the story with Burnett - enigmatic pitcher with a dangerous opt-out after the season. Some team seems likely to gamble on him for two months.
Jeff Niemann, Rays. The 25 year-old has a 3.82 ERA in 14 Triple A starts. He's an interesting trade chip that the Rays won't miss this year.
Kei Igawa, Yankees. New York's favorite lefty has a 3.80 ERA in 16 Triple A starts. He's signed through 2011 at $4MM a year. Seems that he'd prefer to be back in Japan.
Brett Myers, Phillies. Myers does not want to be traded, nor is a deal likely.
Paul Byrd, Indians. He's been awful since the beginning of June, bringing his ERA to 5.47. Can't be much of a market for him.
Homer Bailey, Reds. His value is down, though the Reds will give him a spot start Sunday. Wasn't long ago that he was Baseball America's #9 prospect in the game.
Bronson Arroyo, Reds. His ERA is near 6.00 after 19 starts. It'd be closer to 4.50 if you take out a pair of one-inning thrashings, but is it fair to do that? He's signed through 2010, and the Phillies might be interested.
Livan Hernandez, Twins. Would an NL team take him on? Livan had a run of four solid starts until the recent Boston beating. Could be a DFA candidate.
Josh Fogg, Reds. The Reds aren't too keen on Fogg, keeping him in the minors even after he was healthy. He could be had for a song.
Mark Hendrickson, Marlins. He wouldn't be of much help to a contender.
Miguel Batista, Mariners. He's dealing with a groin injury. Beyond that, he has a 6.22 ERA and a $9MM salary next year.

Full Story | Comments (26) | Categories: Trade Market

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/447826/31079848

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference The Starting Pitching Market Revisited:

Comments

I think I would rather have edwin jackson instead of andy sonnanstine because jackson still has more upside

Posted by: yankees2727 | July 10, 2008 at 04:19 PM

No shot the Phils pursue Arroyo. Manuel has demanded a top notch starting pitcher. Him along with Philly fan base would have an outrage if this team even explored the option of getting Arroyo. Why would they go after that guy, he's been far worse then any one of the pitchers on the Phillies staff. Please stay away from the guy.

Posted by: RC26 | July 10, 2008 at 04:31 PM

Could Jackson/Sonnanstine be trade for a decent 3B so they could move Longoria to SS?

Posted by: GD31892 | July 10, 2008 at 04:32 PM

hey if the reds hang on and win today ( up 12 to 7 in the 9th ) arroyo will be 7 - 7 and would have won his last 3 starts

Posted by: redsfan | July 10, 2008 at 04:33 PM

A few things.

Arroyo: I think fairness dictates that you pull out his 2 one inning debacles as far as his ERA goes. His K rate is excellent, especially when you consider how crap his fastball is, however I think he would be a horrible fit for the Phillies because of the park they play in, because he is susceptible to the home run ball.

Hendrickson: He is just such a weird guy in that he is gigantic yet is a soft tosser. When his fastball is moving and his breaking ball breaking, he can be effective. With the Dodgers last year, he was much more effective out of the 'pen. If a team needed a swingman, that is one thing, but I don't really see any contender needing something like that. Maybe the D'Backs.

Lowe: I agree that trading him makes no sense, and it may make even more sense to extend him. Still an innings eater, still a low ERA, perfect style for Dodger Stadium.

Posted by: AA | July 10, 2008 at 04:51 PM

Is UGGGGGG-LLLLLLLYYYYYY

One or two words ????

Outside of Duchsherer, Oswalt, Maddux and Lowe I don't see the value in trading your prospects... However, someone will pick up a Anthony Reyes, he'll pitch his ass off for 2 months, revive his career and get payed in the process...

Posted by: allabouthephils | July 10, 2008 at 04:51 PM

Lowe is a perfect fit at CBP for the Phils too... That's why they've been after him since the Dodgers signed him... He's a top of the rotation, sinkerball pitcher that eats a ton of innings... Prototype pitcher for the bank... I would love to see him in Phillie pinstripes... It won't happen though...

Posted by: allabouthephils | July 10, 2008 at 04:54 PM

I disagree that Myers doesn't want to be traded. He may not have asked to be traded, but he clearly wants to close and he's not going to do it in Philly.

Posted by: Shawn | July 10, 2008 at 05:17 PM

Tim
Do you see the yankees getting any of these guys?

Posted by: yankees2727 | July 10, 2008 at 06:54 PM

Honestly, I don't see Beane moving Duke. He's been un-real. It is Billy Beane we are talking about, but the deal would need to be astronomically enormusly good, for Duke to be moved this year. Teams would need to prep saying good-bye to their top three prospects, and then some. And why not, he is leading the Majors in ERA. The only teams I see actually pursuing Duke with a chance to get him are the Dodgers and the Rays.

Posted by: AriGoldisaG | July 10, 2008 at 07:10 PM

This may sound unexciting but another intriguing pitcher who could be had for a song is former ML pitcher Jason Johnson, who has been pitching all season for the Dodgers AAA team in the PCL and pitching well, so well he was selected for the AAA all star game which he declined (because as a veteran who cares about the AAA all star game?) But he's looked really solid, and he won't get a shot in LA. He might be worth a flyer or inquiry, better than some of the options listed above. Or maybe not. I'd take him over Brett Tomko anyway.

Posted by: Craig Phillips | July 10, 2008 at 08:09 PM

With the Orioles looking for a SS they could trade Daniel Cabrera to the Braves fir Brent Lillibridge and a few other prospects.

Posted by: smhg30 | July 10, 2008 at 08:58 PM

i agree with most posts. lowe woul be perfect in philly. even if they dont get him they should try in the offseason. philly will need a big time pitcher now or then.

lets say the os did that deal for lillibridge. then they could trade sherrill to the cards for reyes and duncan. both reyes and duncan need to move on. maybe another pitcher as well. i know the os could use a hitter and reyes could fit right in their rotation. because duncan is a lefthanded hitting outfielder and his dads the pitching coach he needs to go. id say trade schumaker but i dont think people want schumaker. anyways hed be a great 4th outfielder.

Posted by: Joelcards | July 10, 2008 at 10:51 PM

One other pitcher who I think hasn't been mentioned here as a possible impact pitcher down the stretch is Bartolo Colon. Clearly he has some work to do in proving that he is healthy, but he is an experienced veteran that could help a number of teams that are "contenders" and truly are contenders. I could see the Cardinals, Braves, and Rangers as prime trade candidates with the Red Sox (particularly the Cardinals and Rangers for their catching prospects). The Red Sox would probably have to kick in a little more to get a Teagarden (SP?) or Bryan Anderson, but that would fill the one true void in the Boston system.

Posted by: CTScott | July 10, 2008 at 10:54 PM

how about reyes and duncan for homer bailey and a lefty reliever. i think bray is good. maybe even include anderson instead of duncan, eventhough i think the reds would want duncan. they could control him for a few years and they would need a corner outfielder shortly. the reds also do need a young catcher. could jocketty and mo do business???

how about reyes and boggs for damaso marte and another crappy starter. pittsburh has sbout a rotation full of starters that need to move on and marte is just whats needed.

how about reyes an duncan to the indians for one of their lefty relievers(a good one) and a young starter like laffey, sowers, or that hurt guy miller. that seems fair. the indians would get two decent cheap players and if they suck they certainl dont need a good lefty reliever.

Posted by: Joelcards | July 10, 2008 at 11:05 PM

forget colon but if the red sox wanted anderson how about jed lowrie? isnt he a shortstop/2b. him and a good lefty reliever, i could live with that. u can keep colon.

Posted by: Joelcards | July 10, 2008 at 11:08 PM

i would like to see the Padres go for a younger pitcher. There team ERA is nothing as it was last year, and there pitching staff isn't getting any younger. They need someone to help out with peavy and young(when he gets back)

Posted by: padre23 | July 11, 2008 at 01:39 AM

Cardinals fans need to stop throwing Anthony Reyes and Chris Duncan's names around as if they have trade value.

If he couldn't beat our Todd Wellemeyer in the Cards rotation why in the world would anyone think he could beat someone out in their rotation?

Posted by: jcmurder | July 11, 2008 at 05:31 AM

"Bronson Arroyo, Reds. His ERA is near 6.00 after 19 starts. It'd be closer to 4.50 if you take out a pair of one-inning thrashings, but is it fair to do that?"

Apparently so because you did it Wednesday defending you assessment of Gallardo as an ace.

"Gallardo's stats last year were deceiving due to one 11 ER thrashing at Coors."

Posted by: chicagobubbleblog | July 11, 2008 at 08:52 AM

Nice thread Tim, seems like a pretty comprehensive list. I'm sure a lot of contending GMs are breaking out the Alka Seltzer looking at some of these names

Posted by: wayne gomes | July 11, 2008 at 09:40 AM

I am more forgiving on Gallardo, given he was a rookie at Coors and it was 1 of 17 career starts. Whereas Arroyo is a veteran who did it twice this year, three times if you count 8 ER in 3.2 IP.

Posted by: Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 10:48 AM

"I am more forgiving on Gallardo, given he was a rookie at Coors..."

But you've declared him an ace. Rookie or not and ace can't let that happen. Not even at Coors.

Posted by: chicagobubbleblog | July 11, 2008 at 11:24 AM

wellemeyer is having a heck of a year. reyes would be in the rotation right now if he were healthy. a number 5 or 6 starter plus a 3 or 4 outfielder for a really good lefty reliever. sounds reasonable.

Posted by: Joelcards | July 11, 2008 at 12:10 PM

I would bet Boof Bonser would be avaiable, as well.

Posted by: SpineyNorman | July 11, 2008 at 12:45 PM

What about Nate Robertson? I know the Tigers NEED starting pitching, but I bet the Tigers could nag a decent prospect or a nifty bullpen arm if they ship Robertson over to the national league - where he probably belongs.

Posted by: rdccdr801 | July 18, 2008 at 02:10 PM

The Starting Pitching Market Revisited

TrackBack

Comments

Post a comment

Search MLBTR

MLBTR Mailing List

MLBTR Features

Recent Posts

Rumors By Team

Monthly Archives

Live Chats