Cliff Lee Rumors

Stark's Latest: Cain, Beltre, Burrell, Wigginton

Let's take a look at the latest column from ESPN's Jayson Stark. Stark wonders why no one has questioned MLB's apparent trade deadline extension for the Manny Ramirez deal. Currently the idea of the Brewers swapping Prince Fielder for Matt Cain is just fun speculation. However, it is true the Brewers will listen on Fielder (he is about to get expensive). The Giants are known to like the big first baseman. The hangup is Brian Sabean's reported unwillingness to trade Tim Lincecum or Cain. The Giants also have their eye on Adrian Beltre. The Mariners want starting pitching, but one...   Continue Reading

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Gammons' Latest: Martin, Dunn, Quentin

Here's the latest blog post from ESPN's Peter Gammons... Takashi Saito is mentioned as a free agent this winter, but I believe it's a situation where he can only re-sign, return to Japan, or retire. Gammons heard talk that Russell Martin could be switched permanently to third base. In that scenario, the Dodgers would sign a pitching-oriented catcher such as Jason Varitek. Would that be a good move? Adam Dunn knows it's cliche, but he intends to prioritize winning over money when he hits free agency. The D'Backs were asking a lot for Carlos Quentin last winter, with the White...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Indians, Livan, Braves, Friedman

Let's round up today's random links. The Pirates received catcher Robinzon Diaz from the Blue Jays in the Jose Bautista deal. Not too shabby, he should develop into a credible cheap backup. Yahoo's Gordon Edes sees Manny Ramirez playing for the Mets in '09. The point continues to be hammered home - the Indians intend to acquire a proven closer this winter. Brian Fuentes seems a reasonable target. RotoAuthority takes a closer look at Cliff Lee. Rockies manager Clint Hurdle wants to see if Livan Hernandez fits into their plans for 2009. Hernandez has allowed a remarkable 224 hits in...   Continue Reading

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Should Rockies Deal Holliday?

The Denver Post has split opinions on whether or not the Rockies should deal Matt Holliday this season. Columnist Troy E. Renck says the Rockies have been bad "from top to bottom." He cites the rotation, situational hitting, leaky bullpen, and dealing with pressure as problem spots and that they would need to go "70-36 in their final 106 games" to be in contention. As MLBTR has covered here, Woody Paige reports that the Rockies can't tie up $40MM in three position players and that Scott Boras won't accept a hometown discount. Paige proposes: Holliday would be a significant addition...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Bay, Roberts, Cliff Lee

And here we have some random links I've collected over the past day or so. The Bucs will try to fill their open 40-man spots through low profile moves, not unlike the Jason Michaels one. They won't move Jason Bay or Xavier Nady until they're truly out of it. 4.5 games out of the wild card, they still have a prayer here on May 9th. Keith Law's top 60 prospects list for the June draft has been published. Shortstop Tim Beckham heads the list. Gordon Wittenmyer looks back on the Cubs players rumored to be traded for Brian Roberts. Juan...   Continue Reading

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Ocker On Blake, Marte, Dellucci, Borowski And Lee

Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal does some speculating on the Indians' third base, left field, and closer situations. Casey Blake's contract expires at the end of the season, and at age 35, Ocker doesn't believe that Indians' GM Mark Shapiro will re-up for him. Ocker points to two reasons why Andy Marte probably won't work out as the in-house solution to Blake's potential absence: he could be lost on waivers if he doesn't make the team as a utility man coming out of Spring Training, and he shows no sign of figuring things out and becoming an impact...   Continue Reading

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Rolen For Glaus Finalized

UPDATE, 1-14-08 at 5:44pm: And it's official, news conference Wednesday. UPDATE, 1-14-08 at 2:15pm: Both players passed their physicals, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This could be officially a done deal later today. By the way, the Belleville News-Democrat discusses some of the failed Rolen scenarios here (including one that involved Jhonny Peralta, Cliff Lee, and Anthony Reyes). UPDATE, 1-14-08 at 10:57am: A small amount of money will change hands - the Jays will send $1.8MM to the Cards, pending commissioner approval. Given that Rolen has more money on his contract, it's surprising to see the..   Continue Reading

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Pirates Pulled Out Of Bay To Cleveland Deal

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has some new information for us regarding an aborted Jason Bay deal. Kovacevic says the Bucs made a decision through the entire chain of command that Franklin Gutierrez, Kelly Shoppach, Cliff Lee, and a minor league pitcher wasn't enough for Bay and Ronny Paulino. This situation has been confusing to follow from the start, with plenty of conflicting information floating about. For instance, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes said on Wednesday that Lee and Shoppach were never involved in these talks - the Bucs wanted three to five of the Indians' top prospects...   Continue Reading

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Indians Rumors: Haren, Blanton, Bedard, Inge

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer gets the Indians rumor mill churning. As we mentioned earlier today, the Indians have spoken to the A's about Dan Haren and Joe Blanton. They've also inquired on Erik Bedard. The Tribe is quietly looking to pair C.C. Sabathia with another ace. Such an acquisition would soften the blow if Sabathia leaves after the '08 season. Hoynes says a Haren acquisition might require one player from the Indians' 25-man roster plus at least one near MLB-ready guy. The Tribe had brief talks with Detroit about Brandon Inge, but they've moved on. Doesn't seem..   Continue Reading

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Bay To Indians Talks Revived, Then Dead Again?

UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 2:24pm: The Indians and Pirates haven't even talked about Bay since the Meetings began. UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 10:58am: Buster Olney says these talks are dead. FROM 12-5-07 at 7:35am: According to Dejan Kovacevic, the Indians felt pressured when they saw the division-rival Tigers trade for Miguel Cabrera. Their response was to restart their conversations with the Pirates for outfielder Jason Bay. A five-player trade is being discussed, apparently expanding upon the rumor originally reported by ESPN's Steve Phillips. The Bucs would send Bay and catcher Ronny Paulino for Franklin Gutierrez, Kelly Shoppach, and Cliff Lee. Looks like..   Continue Reading

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Cardinals Rumors: Rolen, Fogg, Lee, Millwood

UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 1:55pm: Heyman says the impasse between the Cards and Brewers in the Rolen talks was the second player coming over with Chris Capuano. He thinks the two teams will revisit these discussions in the future. FROM 12-5-07 at 7:29am: As usual, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has all the insight into the Cardinals' situation. It doesn't look like Scott Rolen is going anywhere before the Meetings end, and GM John Mozeliak may have to start the season with him. The talks with the Brewers were disheartening, apparently. The Cards don't think there should be a..   Continue Reading

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Indians Asked About Miguel Cabrera

Anthony Castrovince has a few notes about the Indians this evening. For Miguel Cabrera, the Marlins asked for Asdrubal Cabrera, Adam Miller, and then some. Obviously the Tribe said no thanks. There's not much going on with the Indians and Jason Bay. And rumors of their interest in Alex Rios proved false. Cliff Lee has been linked to the Mariners, Pirates, and Blue Jays. However no one has given the Indians an actual offer for Lee. Castrovince suggests the Indians may explore a long-term deal for Fausto Carmona this spring   Continue Reading

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Crasnick's Latest: Lee, Wells, Bay

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick just cranked out a bunch of good stuff. The Indians have talked to the Cardinals about sending Cliff Lee over for Anthony Reyes and catcher Bryan Anderson. The Giants could trade for Ben Broussard, but want to see if he's non-tendered first. Kip Wells is being marketed as a setup man, since things didn't work out as a starter. Who knows, he puts a few mph on the heater in relief and maybe he takes off. Crasnick kills the Bay for Shoppach/Lee rumor...didn't seem right to begin with   Continue Reading

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Marlins/Tigers Cabrera/Willis Blockbuster

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:41pm: Joe Capozzi agrees - separate deals if anything. UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 1:29pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has a source indicating that the Tigers are interested in Willis or Cabrera and not necessarily both. UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:23pm: According to Danny Knobler, the Tigers feel they're being used by the Marlins to jack up the price for other teams like the Angels. The trade talks between Detroit and Florida are characterized as discussions rather than trade negotiations. Knobler says Dombrowski doesn't want to trade Maybin, but I can't see this happening otherwise. FROM 12-4-07 at 11:02am: Ken Rosenthal..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Cliff Lee, Edwin Jackson

You know the drill... Nick Piecoro checks in on his blog. Apparently the D'Backs discussed swapping Carlos Quentin for Cliff Lee before sending him to Chicago. As much as he might've liked to it seems like Josh Byrnes couldn't get a starter for Quentin. Geoff Baker links the Mariners to Lee, Ben Sheets, Mark Prior, and Edwin Jackson based on yesterday's buzz. The Sheets one has since been questioned, since the Dodgers were identified as the West Coast team that inquired. Prior could be part of a Raul Ibanez trade, but the Cubs are first focusing on Fukudome. As for..   Continue Reading

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Rios For Franklin Gutierrez and Cliff Lee?

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:03am: Per Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun: no match for the Indians and Jays on Rios. I knew Gutierrez/Lee didn't sound right. FROM 12-4-07 at 9:46am: Joel Sherman has a new column up with some fresh rumors. The Indians and Blue Jays are reportedly talking about a swap that would send Alex Rios to the Tribe for Franklin Gutierrez and Cliff Lee. Seriously? That seems like a lousy deal for the Jays. How long until a debunking on this one? The Jake Peavy signing is a cause for optimism as the Indians seek to re-sign C.C...   Continue Reading

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Pirates Rumors: Bay, McLouth, Morris

MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch jumps into the fray with her own set of Pirates rumors. Jason Bay rumors are flying around. Langosch mentions Steve Phillips' rumor at ESPN: Kelly Shoppach and Cliff Lee for Bay. Andy Marte could be involved as well. The Rangers have decided they desire a corner outfielder, and moved from Nate McLouth to Bay accordingly. Langosch suggests the Rangers would send relievers over to Pittsburgh - now that would be a bad trade for the Bucs. McLouth, by the way, is drawing interest from the Giants and Padres. He's also been linked to the Marlins. The Rockies..   Continue Reading

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Indians Have Mild Interest In Ibanez

UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 10:11pm: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has heard the Ibanez for Lee rumor as well. The concern is that the Indians would be overpaying. FROM 12-3-07 at 2:02pm: We've got a few correspondents at the Winter Meetings in Nashville. One source just checked in to mention that the Indians have a minor interest in Raul Ibanez, depending on the asking price. A match could be found with Cliff Lee   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Burke, Nathan, Adam Miller

Here we go, another collection of random rumors. Chris Burke is definitely getting traded. Though Burke was the 10th overall pick in 2001, he'll be 28 in March and sports a career line of .249/.319/.377. Joe Nathan is in Nashville, and seemed amused by the closer vacancies in San Francisco and Milwaukee. The Royals have $25MM to burn, and whether or not it makes sense they're damn well going to spend it. The Indians refused to trade Adam Miller for Delmon Young. Paul Hoynes suggests the Tribe tried to push Cliff Lee for Young instead but Lee was too expensive..   Continue Reading

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Law: Top 10 Trade Candidates

Keith Law, a favorite here at MLBTR and at home home, River Ave. Blues, has posted an article on 10 potential trade candidates off-season. It seems that if anything big does go down this off-season, it will be in the form of a trade, since the FA market is particularly weak. So who does Law have in mind? The most surprising name on the list is the Blue Jays' Adam Lind. Law believes that with the next year's financial commitments to Frank Thomas, Lyle Overbay, and now Matt Stairs, there is no obvious spot for Lind, and he'll have to..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Rolen, Silva, Capps

Here are some hot stove links to digest this evening. The New York Post's Joel Sherman runs down some third base options for the Yankees. He feels that Scott Rolen, Bill Hall, Freddy Sanchez, and a few others might be reasonable options. Bernie Miklasz says there's no indication any team is truly interested in Rolen, though Randy Youngman suggests the Angels may look at him. Youngman also believes the Halos have slight interest in Carlos Silva, if he can be had at less than $10MM annually. Not bloody likely. Jon Paul Morosi thinks the Tigers could go after the Pirates'..   Continue Reading

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Healey's Latest: Shoppach, Lee, Crawford

Some more submissions from Mark Healey at Gotham Baseball Magazine that I'd like to sift through: The first is the Yanks and Mets mutual interest in Indians catching prospect Kelly Shoppach. According to Mark, scouts around the league view Shoppach as "one of the best up-and-coming prospects" in baseball. Says Mark, "The Mets' needs are more immediate, as their interest in Yankees' backstop Jorge Posada are a bit 'overblown' said one agent." The report goes on to note that GM Mark Shapiro is not looking to deal Shoppach but would listen if Aaron Heilman or Mike Pelfrey. I simply don't..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Andruw, Rowand, Castillo

Ken Rosenthal has cranked out another rumor-filled column. A summary is below. The Marlins are insisting on Howie Kendrick in a Miguel Cabrera deal. The Angels are understandably reluctant. The Nationals could sign Andruw Jones long-term if they felt it was a bargain - say, $13MM a year. The Giants, White Sox, and Padres may be in the mix as well. Hmmm, White Sox and Boras? And if Scott Boras changes his tune and hunts for a one-year "rebuild value" contract for Jones, the Red Sox could get involved. The Phillies think Aaron Rowand will end up getting a 4/52..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Info From Bruce Levine

Bruce Levine of ESPN 1000 has some new Cubs info for us. He reports that the Cubs have asked the Indians about a possible deal involving Cliff Lee or Jake Westbrook in exchange for relief pitching. In addition, the Cubs may consider Ray Durham as a source of power for second base   Continue Reading

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