Oakland Athletics Rumors

Stark On Royals, Phillies, Holliday

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark asks some thoughtful baseball people why we're not greeting Manny Ramirez like the "team-wrecking, alibi-distorting, female-fertility-drug-popping scoundrel he is." And, of course, Stark has piles of rumors. Here they are: The Mets were never willing to move Bobby Parnell or other top young arms for Mark DeRosa, so they weren't as close to acquiring him as the Reds and Cubs were. The Phillies, Marlins and Giants were also in the mix. The Indians are more interested in dealing Rafael Bentancourt than Kerry Wood, whose contract ($15MM remaining) would be hard to move. The Royals will listen on...   Continue Reading

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International Free Agent Update: Friday

Some updates on teams' moves and strategies as the international signings continue: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the A's are focusing on Venezuela, rather than the Dominican Republic this year, since they believe prices are too high in the Dominican. In Derrick Goold's St. Louis Post Dispatch article, Cards GM John Mozeliak admits there's risk in signing a 16-year-old like Wagner Mateo to a bonus of $3.1MM, but says he's serious about being "more aggressive" in Latin America because the payoff can be huge. Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus says Yankees signee Gary Sanchez will start...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Holliday, Lee, Jays

On the MLB Network, Ken Rosenthal says he wouldn't be surprised to see the Indians deal Cliff Lee. Here are the details and the rest of his rumors: There's a good chance Matt Holliday will be dealt, though the A's aren't shopping him now. They say they'd have to be impressed to deal him, but Rosenthal suggests this is just a more subtle way of asking for offers. Several GMs believe Billy Beane will trade Holliday this month. Rosenthal isn't sure Cliff Lee will be in Cleveland for the rest of the year. He says the Indians aren't going to...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Tejada, Rockies, Mets

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the Cubs don't need to make a trade, they just need their hitters to start producing. Here are his most recent rumors: Ed Wade says Miguel Tejada's impending free agency is part of the reason the Astros aren't asking him to move from shortstop to third base. Tejada would probably move, but Wade would rather not ask him to. The Rockies are looking hard for relief help. They were interested in Joel Hanrahan earlier in the season, but he's much less appealing now. LaTroy Hawkins, Chad Qualls and Takashi Saito are all more...   Continue Reading

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Cardinals Pursuing Matt Holliday

SATURDAY, 7:05pm: Peter Gammons tweets (account protected) that any discussions would have to start with Brett Wallace, as the A's don't need to trade Holliday. FRIDAY, 11:13pm: The Cardinals are "redoubling efforts to acquire" Matt Holliday, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Strauss says the Cards have warmed to the idea of offering a multiplayer package. They were previously reluctant to send a Ryan Ludwick-fronted package to Colorado in November. Strauss believes that the Cardinals would now probably be willing to offer Ludwick, one of Jason Motte, Chris Perez, and Kyle McClellan, and a prospect to Holliday's...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Harper, A-Rod, Dice-K, A's

On this date 45 years ago, in the final year before Major League Baseball instituted the amateur draft, Rick Reichardt was signed by the Los Angeles Angels for $200K. At the time, it was the largest signing bonus ever given to an amateur baseball player. Reichardt would only play 57 minor league games before making his big league debut later that year. He would go on to play 11 seasons with four franchises. With this year's draft class starting to sign their first contracts, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere... Jorge Says No! says...   Continue Reading

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Matt Holliday Update

Scouts tell Joe Stiglich of the San Jose Mercury News that teams' unwillingness to part with prospects and inability to take on salary could make it hard for the A's to deal Matt Holliday. That's fine with GM Billy Beane, who says he doesn't feel pressure to deal his star outfielder this July. After all, if Holliday departs as a free agent after the year, the A's will receive compensation picks in next year's draft (assuming they offer him arbitration). One scout says the economy has limited the number of suitors for Holliday, who makes $13.5MM this year. Another said...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Lee, Holliday

Ol' reliable Ken Rosenthal has a new column up. Let's scope out the highlights: The Dodgers have had discussions about Cliff Lee, but the price might be too steep for them to acquire him before the deadline. The Indians are said to want top-shelf talent along the lines of Tommy Hanson or Clay Buchholz. The Dodgers have talent like that in Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley, but obviously they're not going anywhere. A package around James McDonald and Blake DeWitt wouldn't suffice. The Phillies have also inquired on Lee, but "have balked at the price." Reports that the A's would...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Pedro, Ordonez, Holliday

On this day in MLBTR history: Last year, the Blue Jays fired manager John Gibbons and Matt Holliday talks were still swirling. In '07, we actually cared who was on Eric Gagne's team veto list and saw Michael Barrett get traded to the Padres. Bill Ladson at MLBlogs got word that reports that a Nationals rep saw Pedro Martinez pitch Friday are untrue. Joe Pawlikowski at River Ave. Blues takes issue with CERA, the stat that tries to determine "catchers' ERA." Jason Beck at MLB.com has more clarification on Jim Leyland's comments on Magglio Ordonez and Scott Boras. Says Leyland:...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Cuban, Harper, Sano

More links for the afternoon... ESPN.com reports that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has no plans to bid on the Chicago Cubs. Yankees and Red Sox scouts are assembling teams of high schoolers to face off in an exhibition game at Fenway Park this August. And Bryce Harper will be suiting up in pinstripes, according to Peter Abraham of the Journal News. Roch Kubatko of MASN.com hears that the Orioles are hesitant to offer Miguel Angel Sano big money. Kubatko would be surprised to see the Orioles become frontrunners for the Dominican prospect. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle...   Continue Reading

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