Trade Market Rumors
By Tim Dierkes [July 21, 2008 at 1:51pm CST]
Time for another look at the market for left fielders. The Mets figure to be surveying these options. A trend here: teams don't seem terribly motivated to move the top players. Matt Holliday, Rockies. Holliday, a Scott Boras client, is signed for '09 at $13.5MM. The Rockies' asking price seems to be fantastically high. Jason Bay, Pirates. The Bucs are not motivated to trade Bay, who is signed for next year at just $7.5MM. An extension seems more likely than a trade. Adam Dunn, Reds. There hasn't been much buzz around Dunn, for some reason. He's got a very Dunn-like...
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By Tim Dierkes [July 18, 2008 at 1:42pm CST]
Today let's take another look at the third base options on the trade market. Garrett Atkins, Rockies. Atkins has displayed dramatic home/road splits since the beginning of '07. Plus, his defense is not well-regarded. He's under team control through 2010, and the Rockies' unwillingness to do a long-term deal should tell you something. They'd probably still ask for a lot though. Casey Blake, Indians. Blake seems likely to be traded. His versatility is a plus, and he provides an .800 OPS. He's been linked to the Dodgers and Twins recently. Adrian Beltre, Mariners. It's been suggested that the Mariners might...
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By Tim Dierkes [July 17, 2008 at 9:51am CST]
Next up in our second pass through the Trade Market: shortstops. Cristian Guzman, Nationals. He's having a fine year, hitting .313/.340/.424 in 424 plate appearances. Extension talks with the Nationals have dragged. The Nats might prefer to trade him, while Guzman might prefer to test the free agent market. Miguel Tejada, Astros. The Astros have given no signs of kicking off a rebuilding effort, so a trade is unlikely. Plus, Tejada hasn't hit much since April. He's signed for '09 at $13MM. Clint Barmes, Rockies. The Rox might be able to spare him, but Barmes has never hit away from...
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By Tim Dierkes [July 15, 2008 at 1:50pm CST]
Let's take another pass at the market for second basemen. Brian Roberts, Orioles. After so many offseason Cubs rumors, there's been no recent buzz around Roberts. The O's don't look like contenders, so trading him still makes sense. Ray Durham, Giants. The resurgent Durham sits at .293/.385/.414 in 304 plate appearances. The Giants should be listening; there was a rumor the Brewers were interested. Mark Grudzielanek, Royals. He wants to play two or three more years. Should provide about the same value as Durham. Mark Ellis, Athletics. He may not be available, as extension talks are expected. Jamey Carroll, Indians....
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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...
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By Tim Dierkes [July 9, 2008 at 4:10pm CST]
Next up in our second pass through the Trade Market, first basemen. Mark Teixeira, Braves. As Mark Bowman wrote yesterday, the Braves may need a few weeks to decide whether to sell or buy. Teixeira is hitting .275/.381/.492. Frank Wren might have a hard time finding a match for Teixeira. He's an upgrade on guys like Casey Kotchman, Carlos Delgado, and Chad Tracy, but is the improvement worth it? Rich Aurilia, Giants. Aurilia could make sense as a platoon partner for Tracy in Arizona, if Brian Sabean doesn't mind helping a team in his division. Aurilia hit well in May...
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By Tim Dierkes [July 7, 2008 at 2:07pm CST]
It's been over a month since we finished up our Trade Market series. A lot has changed, so let's take another look at each position. Today we'll look at catchers. As always, I welcome suggestions in the comments. Gerald Laird, Rangers. He's currently on the DL with a hamstring strain. He should be back this month. However, the Rangers may be on the fence about selling and committing to Jarrod Saltalamacchia as the main catcher. Bengie Molina, Giants. The Giants are only five games out, and GM Brian Sabean said he's not thinking of trading Molina. Rob Barajas and Gregg...
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By Tim Dierkes [June 11, 2008 at 8:24am CST]
Over the last few weeks, we've attempted to determine the players available for trade at each position. Here are the links to each post: C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, RF, SP, RP Be sure to read the comments of each post, because readers did a fine job filling in the gaps on players I missed.
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By Tim Dierkes [June 5, 2008 at 10:51am CST]
Plenty of contenders are in the market for relievers. Possibly needy clubs include the Tigers, Indians, Astros, Yankees, and Red Sox. The following relievers may be available in the coming months. Huston Street, Alan Embree, Keith Foulke, A's. Street is under team control (but not contract) through 2010; he might require a large bounty. Jon Rauch, Nationals. He's racked up 12 saves in Chad Cordero's absence and is signed cheaply through 2010. George Sherrill, Chad Bradford, Jamie Walker, Orioles. Sherrill is second in the Majors with 19 saves; he is also second with 21 opportunities. He's under team control through...
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By Tim Dierkes [June 4, 2008 at 10:47am CST]
Almost every team needs starting pitching. Let's take a look at who's out there. Bronson Arroyo, Reds. If Walt Jocketty starts selling off his veterans, he'll have to listen on Arroyo. The innings-eating 31 year-old is signed through 2010. Derek Lowe, Dodgers. Lowe seems to have righted the ship after a five-start stumble. He'll be a free agent after the season, but I can't see Ned Colletti moving Lowe unless the Dodgers fall out of contention. Joe Blanton, A's. Like Arroyo, a hittable innings eater. Also like Arroyo, he's under team control through 2010. Livan Hernandez, Twins. The Twins may...
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