Eric Byrnes Rumors

D'Backs Trade Candidates

The D'Backs are out of the playoff hunt and they have a number of players who could appeal to contenders, as Bob Young of the Arizona Republic notes. GM Josh Byrnes says he's not looking to reinvent the team's core, but he does want to build "talent for the long term." He recognizes that the D'Backs are out of the race and is now open to making deals. Here are some D'Backs trade candidates: There's no market for Eric Byrnes and his salary, so Young wonders whether it could be time for the D'Backs to eat the remainder of what...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Pedro, Wood, Pudge, Gonzalez

Ken Rosenthal weighs in on a few of the recent hot topics... Like we heard earlier, Rosenthal says the Dodgers would only be willing to add Pedro Martinez to the mix if he is willing to "pitch for pay" and accept an incentive-laden contract. Rosenthal adds that Martinez' agents reached out to the Dodgers and that the Dodgers contacted Pedro's personal trainer but deny that any serious conservations have occurred. Rosenthal feels that the Dodgers have a better shot of landing a starter if they trade Delwyn Young who is out of minor league options. Rosenthal says Brandon Wood has...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Jays, Mets, Red Sox, Nats, Yankees

On this date 32 years ago, commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended Braves owner Ted Turner for one year for tampering. Turner had announced publicly that the Braves would sign free agent-to-be Gary Matthews. Unfortunately, 30 years later, nobody was disciplined when the Angels signed free agent Gary Matthews Jr. to a $50MM contract. In the first two years of the deal, Matthews has been paid $15MM and his play has been worth -$600K (yes, that is negative) according to Fangraphs. With several big free agents still looking for new teams, will any of them be the next Matthews Jr? Only time...   Continue Reading

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Brewers Not Close To Looper Deal

5:41pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin confirmed interest in Looper but denied that they're close to a deal. Melvin would not say whether the Brewers made an offer, but suggested Looper and the Brewers' other targets want multiyear deals. 10:28am: In the "Etc." section of his Sunday update, Nick Cafardo has some updated information on a few free agents, as well as some potential trades. Updating a key part of the back-of-the-rotation market, Cafardo says Braden Looper is "close to signing with the Brewers." The Diamondbacks and Red Sox may soon revisit the possibility of an Eric Byrnes trade. Such a...   Continue Reading

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Gammons' Latest: Teixeira, Cameron, Montero

The latest blog post from ESPN's Peter Gammons is up. Gammons talked to a source close to Mark Teixeira who says Tex and the Red Sox are not that far apart. The Yankees backed off on the Mike Cameron trade because Melky Cabrera is showing improved plate discipline in winter ball (his walk rate is up, though it's only 15 games). Additionally, Brett Gardner has believers in the organization. The Diamondbacks were unwilling to trade catcher Miguel Montero to the Red Sox for Daniel Bard, while the Sox wouldn't part with Michael Bowden. Gammons says it hasn't been seriously discussed...   Continue Reading

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Lugo For Byrnes Talks Dead?

FRIDAY: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick notes that this deal looks dead now that the D'Backs have signed Felipe Lopez (MLBTR commenters were all over the idea as well). THURSDAY: According to ESPN's Steve Phillips, the Red Sox and Diamondbacks are having discussions about swapping Julio Lugo for Eric Byrnes. Lugo would play second base for Arizona, while Byrnes would be Boston's fourth outfielder. Lugo has $18MM left on his deal, Byrnes $22MM with no-trade protection.   Continue Reading

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Montero Drawing Interest

According to Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune, D'Backs catcher Miguel Montero is a popular name in trade discussions. He may be traded to address the team's second base vacancy. Mark Loretta and Adam Kennedy, who are in the $4MM or less range, were deemed too expensive. Montero, 25, hit .255/.330/.435 in 207 plate appearances this year. He's under team control through 2012. Magruder suggests the Red Sox, Tigers, Reds, Astros, and Brewers as possible matches. Some of those clubs do have decent second base prospects. Magruder adds that the D'Backs have received inquiries on Eric Byrnes, but don't...   Continue Reading

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D'Backs Rumors: Johnson, Webb, Byrnes

Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes talked to the media Monday afternoon; the transcript can be found here along with comments from beat writer Nick Piecoro. Let's discuss. The D'Backs want to improve the offense and have good positional flexibility. However, Piecoro thinks it's possible the team relies on improvement from young players rather than acquisitions. The team will wait a few more weeks before really engaging with free agent Randy Johnson. You get the impression the D'Backs have their limit for him, maybe in the $10MM range. Byrnes intends to be more active in free agency than he has in the...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Byrnes, Teixeira, Swisher

Random links for Tuesday... SI.com's Jon Heyman notes that a Cy Young award for Johan Santana would lock in his 2014 option at $25MM. Mark Healey of Gotham Baseball wonders if the Mets might end up signing Ivan Rodriguez. The Jays officially received Fabio Castro to complete the Matt Stairs deal. Buster Olney had this one in August. Bummer to see Larry Borowsky of Viva El Birdos stepping down from blogging. He's been my favorite Cardinals writer. Nick Piecoro wonders if Eric Byrnes could be traded for another bad contract player like Luis Castillo. The Red Sox treated Mark Teixeira...   Continue Reading

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Week in Review

Here's a look back at the biggest stories MLBTR covered for the week of July 6 - 13: The Brewers completed a deal for C.C. Sabathia, sending Matt LaPorta and other prospects to Cleveland in return. Sabathia's looked great so far, and LaPorta's already making an impact in the Indians minor league system. Looks good for both teams right now if you ask this guy. The Cubs answered their division rival quickly, landing Oakland ace Rich Harden along with Chad Gaudin in exchange for Matt Murton, Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, and Josh Donaldson. Harden was brilliant in his debut. I...   Continue Reading

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